Professor O’Connell set the bar high: despite university policies for executive leadership giving him certain allowances, says the writer. Picture: Independent Newspapers Archive
Wandisile Mdepa and Luthando Tyhalibongo
We join many people in the country, the world over and the higher education sector at large in mourning the death of the "Rector of the people”, UWC’s Professor Brian O’Connell.
Born in the heart of Cape Town (District Six), known as the soul of Cape Town before the Group Areas Act of 1966, Brian Percival O'Connell came from humble beginnings to become one of South Africa’s leading thought leaders in the 21st century.
He was an avid and decorated cricketer in his younger days and later became an educator, community builder, and game-changer. We celebrate this great tree that has fallen.
A wise man of simplicity, respect, courage and generosity of spirit, this gentle but firm visionary leader transformed a university that was on the brink of bankruptcy and being merged with the then-PenTech into a world class institution, now ranked among the top 10 institutions in South Africa and on the continent.
At the beginning of South Africa’s new democracy he skilfully convinced sceptics that the University of the Western Cape (UWC) was a going concern and guided the institution out of a R140million deficit.
His tireless activism and determination, as well as his remarkable ability to build internal confidence and mobilise resources, were instrumental in attracting excellent academics, building strong international partnerships, and gaining very substantial financial support.
Never flashy, never boastful and always humble, he led the university to become financially stable, bringing in millions in revenue through partnerships. As a result, UWC is now in the top tier of research-intensive universities in South Africa, and according to ratings, it finds itself in the top 3% to 5% of universities worldwide.
There are simple lessons that executives, educators and leaders of all sectors can learn from this incredible man – things that are currently lacking in many boardrooms, school staff rooms and leaders in society at large.
These are to remain principled, humble and true to oneself despite fame, power and money.
In this, as in so many other things, Professor O’Connell set the bar high: despite university policies for executive leadership giving him certain allowances, for example, he purposefully chose to always fly economy class, hired the simplest vehicle when travelling, preferred to stay in standard accommodation, and forfeited several salary increases due to the financial struggles facing the university when he started.
He inculcated a culture of joint responsibility and accountability – not only in the workplace, but in the environment around us.
As he moved from one meeting to the next around campus, he would not shy away from leading from the front by picking up empty packets of chips, sweets, cigarette butts and the like to keep the environment clean.
As a transformational leader touching the lives of staff, students and communities, he would remind those who had no hope for a brighter future that schools and universities have a key role to play as citadels in society with an important role to transform the lives of have-nots to future scientists, innovators, inventors and for them, in turn, to bring about a change in their communities.
He introduced UWC’s tagline in the early 2000s, “from hope to action through knowledge” as a firm reminder of the role education should play in transforming the lives of people.
He would often remind South Africans and Africans that we need to wake up and compare children in China and Singapore who learn at a young age to innovate and bring about change, while in our continent’s context, we have become consumers and not critical thinkers. We can take a leaf from Professor O’Connell’s book, and find that indeed our past doesn’t determine our future. Institutions and individuals can set off on a different trajectory from where they started.
But perhaps he is best described through the voices of those who know him – like Professor Cyril Julie, professor of maths education at UWC, who said this of the great man when he received an honorary doctorate from Unisa: “In all his work, he is driven by a passionate commitment to the development of South Africa ... and a deep desire to make a contribution to that development. He has the ability to deeply motivate those with whom he works. He is compassionate and respectful in his dealings with people and firm in his expectation of a high level of accountability to the project of education.”
These qualities were demonstrated throughout his life.
Thank you to Mrs Judith O’Connell, his daughter Amanda-Leigh and son Bryan for sharing their remarkable husband and dad with us – and with the multitudes who have had an opportunity to be nurtured and uplifted by this great son of the soil.
His passing leaves a hole that cannot be filled, and a legacy that inspires us to do better.
* Mdepa was UWC SRC president in 2004, while Tyhalibongo is a UWC alumnus and former UWC spokesperson between 2007 and 2018. He is currently the City of Cape Town’s spokesperson.
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