UCT Sustainability and the SDGs 2022 - Report - Page 28
SDG 10: REDUCED
INEQUALITIES
South Africa is notorious for having the highest levels of inequality in the world, which
impacts all aspects of life. Given the country’s history, racial inequality remains a
significant challenge, although all inequality is intersectional. UCT works with both our
on-campus community and broader society to combat inequality of all kinds.
Income comparison tool
South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the
world, but most people are wrong about where they are
located in the income distribution. The South African
Labour Development Research Unit (SALDRU) has
developed an income comparison tool to help people see
how income is distributed from the poorest to the richest
in South Africa. This tool was designed to help people
understand the nature and extent of South Africa’s
inequality.
In four clicks, people can find out where they are in South
Africa’s income distribution and how they compare to the
rest of the population. SALDRU’s research finds that 50%
of South Africans are chronically poor. Only 20% of South
Africans belong to the stable middle class, whilst 4%
belong to the elite. The rest belong to the transient poor
(11%) and the vulnerable middle class (15%).
28 – University of Cape Town
Support for the next
generation of black South
African leaders in academia
The Accelerated Transformation of the Academic
Programme (ATAP) was launched in October 2021
and works to identify, support and develop the next
generation of black South African academic leaders,
deepening the pool of candidates available for academic
positions at UCT and other institutions. One programme
participant described ATAP as a “guiding light on a
sometimes-rocky journey”.
Diversifying the professoriate
The Next Generation Professoriate (NGP), launched in
September 2015, is an ongoing programme aimed at
diversifying the UCT professoriate by increasing the
