When Professor Robert Balfour stepped into his role as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in January, it was more than just another academic appointment, it was a quiet but powerful act of representation.
As one of the few openly gay leaders in South African higher education, his presence signals a new chapter in visibility and inclusive leadership.
“It’s an enormous honour to be asked,” Professor Balfour tells MambaOnline with characteristic humility. “It’s not a role that I’ve ever thought should be part of my identity. My identity is very much as an academic and a scholar. But what was heartening when I was asked to apply was that I felt there was an alignment between the things I consider important in my life and in society, and UWC.”
That alignment, between intellect, activism, and social conscience, is what has long defined both Balfour’s career and UWC’s proud legacy as a university of transformation.
Authenticity as Activism
In a country still grappling with the complexities of inclusion, Balfour’s openness about his sexuality carries quiet defiance and profound hope. “Living visibly and being openly gay has not always been, and is not always, an easy prospect,” he says. “There are social issues about exclusion and inequality that make it a very complex matter. But I believe it’s important to try to be encouraging of people, young and old, as they grapple with questions of gender and identity.”
For Balfour, visibility is not vanity, it’s leadership. “When you step into a leadership role as somebody from an LGBTIQ+ space, you don’t assume you have the support of a majority,” he explains. “You have to forge relationships, build consensus, and live as an example in a way that is both political and personal.”
He understands that being openly queer in a senior leadership position can be isolating. “Many people choose not to be open about their sexuality for reasons one can understand,” he adds. “There are life risks, there are social risks. So, when I live openly, I do so to make it a little easier for others to find courage in their own journey.”
Courage, Solidarity, and Leadership
Asked what message his appointment sends to queer students and staff, Balfour is unwavering. “The message should be one of encouragement and one of courage, that we should not be fearful to stand up for what is right,” he says. “Leadership must be about building a South Africa that has a space for everybody.”
But he is quick to expand that vision beyond sexuality. “If you’ve been part of a marginalised group, whether through gender, class, or disability, you share something of the solidarity of others around you. Leadership should be about creating the conditions that allow people to belong in all their difference.”
Building Inclusive Spaces
UWC’s history as a university of resistance and social justice provides fertile ground for this next chapter of inclusion. “UWC was the first institution in South Africa to open a Gender Equity Unit about 20 years ago,” Balfour notes. “It was also the first to establish a Department of Women and Gender Studies, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.”
This year, UWC takes another bold step forward with the launch of ‘Queer Dubs’, a staff association for queer-identifying employees. “We already have vibrant student organisations that advocate around gender and queer issues,” he explains. “This association will give staff a structured way to contribute to inclusion and to stand together visibly.”
Balfour believes visibility must go hand in hand with institutional action. “It’s not enough to wave the flag,” he says. “We must show the way forward, through solidarity, recognition, and shared experience. That’s how society changes.”
Facing the Challenges Head-On
Despite institutional progress, the Vice-Chancellor acknowledges that queer people, especially trans and intersex individuals, continue to face serious threats. “We know from statistics that women and particularly trans and intersex people are the most vulnerable to violence,” he says. “While universities can be sanctuaries of diversity, the real challenge lies in the communities in and around them. We celebrate the rainbow nation, but we have not yet arrived at the promised land.”
For him, the work of transformation is daily and deliberate. “Creating safe and affirming spaces on campus helps model what society could be. Institutions like UWC can demonstrate, through action, not just talk, what it looks like to celebrate difference.”
Mentorship and Belonging
Balfour’s own journey was shaped by mentorship and community. “Meeting other people who were living openly as LGBTIQ people made a difference,” he recalls. “When your university promotes inclusion, it’s easier not to feel isolated and lonely. And that’s vital, because isolation can lead to despair.”
He also credits compassionate counsellors and colleagues who supported him when he was a young academic finding his voice. “It’s difficult to summon the courage to say, ‘I need help with who I am.’ When I did, I was met with empathy, and that changed my life.”
Today, Balfour is determined that UWC continues to nurture that same culture of care and belonging. The university has hosted dialogues on belonging, values, and heritage, inviting students and staff to collectively redefine what inclusion means in a modern South Africa.
“You can’t assume people share the same values,” he says. “You have to find out what you have in common, and build community that way.”
The Power of Language and Identity
As a linguist and education scholar, Balfour sees language as central to inclusion. “How do we come into a space when we speak different languages?” he asks. “The diversity of our languages shouldn’t be left at the classroom door, it’s how we show up in life. What you know in your languages is not a deficit; it’s an asset.”
He advocates for what he calls translanguaging, embracing multilingual teaching that allows students to learn and express themselves authentically.
“A university should be a place where you can do intellectual work in your own language,” he insists. “Having that choice is part of being free.”
From Hope to Action Through Knowledge
As he reflects on what he hopes to achieve during his tenure, Balfour envisions UWC as a space of transformation, solidarity, and hope. “I would love the university to thrive as an intellectual space where difference is welcomed, not just on paper, but in the fullness of who you are,” he says. “UWC should be known as a place where you can belong in your differences together.”
He points to UWC’s location, surrounded by communities like Belhar, Khayelitsha, and Mitchell’s Plain, as a daily reminder of the university’s social mission. “We are next to communities facing unemployment, substance abuse, gangsterism,” he says. “We must not be apart from that process of change, we must be part of it.”
For Balfour, it all comes down to a simple but powerful philosophy: “UWC is a place where, from knowledge, we move to action, and we inspire hope in so doing. From hope to action through knowledge, that’s what I want this university, and my leadership, to stand for.”
