UCT Lecturers’ Alleged Racialised Marking Practises Could Derail Black Students’ Futures

Parliament, Wednesday, 6 August 2025 – The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Mr Tebogo Letsie, has condemned deeply troubling allegations that lecturers within the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Social Development may have unfairly advantaged white students by awarding them higher marks, while deliberately disadvantaging black students.
 
Mr Letsie said that the allegations, regardless of their veracity, warrant a thorough and transparent investigation. “It is both deeply concerning and shocking to hear such claims that lecturers at the University of Cape Town may have awarded marks based on students’ race. It is unfathomable that such discriminatory practices could be happening at one of our prestigious institutions of higher learning in a democratic South Africa,” he said.
 
“These are very serious allegations, which paint a picture of calculated actions with a desired outcome. The fact that these allegations were first picked up by a former head of department who tried to use internal systems and channels to correct this without success is a clear indication that there are people still hell bent of perpetuating past injustices.”
 
Mr Letsie said it cannot be that black learners have to fight so hard for spaces and funding at institutions of higher learning whilst dealing with so many hurdles and thereafter find their fate being decided by unscrupulous individuals. “For black students, this is a setback, after fighting so much to gain acceptance to university only to find such gatekeepers who should be doing their jobs with passion to stimulate academic excellence is highly disappointing and it’s a betrayal to our founding constitution.
 
Mt Letsie said the Minister of Higher Education, Mr Buti Manamela, must investigate this matter urgently given the sensitive nature of the allegations and evidence in possession of his department. “As a committee we intend to see to it that this matter receives our undivided attention, and we are hopeful that UCT will also cooperate with processes to uncover the truth.”