Brian O’Connell UWC Obituary

August 27, 2024

In Loving Memory of Professor Brian O’Connell
Renowned Educationist, Visionary Leader, and Champion of Social Justice
1947 – 2024

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Brian O’Connell, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape (UWC), who passed away on Sunday, August 25th, 2024, at the age of 77. Professor O’Connell was a towering figure in South African higher education, whose extraordinary career and life were marked by an unwavering commitment to social justice, equality, and the transformation of education.

Professor O’Connell served as the Vice-Chancellor of UWC from 2001 until 2014, a period during which he led the university through some of its most challenging times. Under his visionary leadership, UWC transformed from a historically Black university grappling with financial distress and stagnation into one of South Africa’s leading teaching and research institutions. He guided the university through the difficult “merger” process, mobilized resources to build the Science Building during a time of limited fiscal support, and championed the university’s mission to provide hope, create knowledge, and empower students as agents of change.

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Professor O’Connell’s roots in activism and social justice were planted during his student days at UWC in the mid-1960s, and they shaped the remarkable path of his career. He was an educationist with a passion for equality and the public good, working tirelessly to ensure that education served as a force for social progress in post-apartheid South Africa. His dedication to progressive education earned him numerous accolades, including the National Research Foundation’s (NRF) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, recognizing his substantial contributions to higher education.

Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister, Professor Blade Nzimande, expressed great shock and sadness at O’Connell’s passing, describing him as an “illustrious” leader in education whose influence extended beyond UWC. Nzimande noted that O’Connell’s leadership was instrumental in positioning UWC as a key player in South African higher education, particularly during times of immense difficulty.

UWC’s current rector and vice-chancellor, Professor Tyrone Pretorius, reflected on O’Connell’s tenure, highlighting how he led the university through a period of retrenchments, financial vulnerability, and academic loss, but emerged as a beacon of hope for the campus community. In his inaugural address in 2002, O’Connell emphasized that a university’s role is to “grow in hope, to create and share knowledge, and to inform the agency.”