Varsity (Cape Town)

Varsity
Varsity logo
TypeStudent newspaper
FormatOnline
Print
Founded1942
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersLevel 4
Steve Biko Student Union Building
University of Cape Town
CountrySouth Africa
Websitevarsitynewspaper.substack.com

Varsity is the official student newspaper of the University of Cape Town (UCT) in Cape Town, South Africa. It was founded in 1942 and is produced by UCT students.[1] It publishes online and issues a print edition each semester.[1]

History

Founding

The paper was founded amid tensions on campus between Afrikaans-speaking and English-speaking students. The student representative council (SRC) merged the English student newspaper UCTattle with the Afrikaans-medium publication Die Spantou to create a single bilingual student newspaper.

The decision to close the two existing papers was contested by parts of the student body. The first Varsity constitution contained a clause forbidding comment on politics at UCT, and the SRC stated that "racial friction and political bitterness must be eliminated".[2] The first editor, N. C. Gracie, said UCT had a claim to the title on the grounds that it was the oldest university in the country, with "the most inspiring record and the greatest tradition of tolerance and unity".[3]

Apartheid era

The newspaper later became more independent of the SRC. During the apartheid period it took a liberal editorial line, and a number of its editions drew objections from the National Party government; several editors were reportedly imprisoned. Because it operated under different constraints from the mainstream press, which faced restrictions on reporting the liberation struggle, Varsity carried coverage that was subject to censorship elsewhere.

Recent history

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Varsity reported regularly on student protest movements at UCT, including Fees Must Fall and Rhodes Must Fall. According to editor-in-chief Nonku Mncube, publication was badly disrupted by the pandemic, and by 2023 the paper had effectively stopped publishing and had lost access to its website and most of its social media accounts. A later editorial team worked to restore its operations, and in 2024 Varsity produced its first print edition since 2019 and moved its online publishing to Substack.[4]

As of 2026, UCT describes Varsity as publishing new content online on a regular basis, with a retrospective print edition each semester. Its sections cover current affairs, arts and entertainment, sport, fashion, campus life, and research.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Varsity Newspaper". University of Cape Town. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  2. ↑ UCTattle, 8 October 1941.
  3. ↑ Varsity, 18 April 1942.
  4. ↑ "South Africa's student press: Finding their new voice". SMF News. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
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