Professor Stuart Saunders, former UCT vice-chancellor, dies

Former University of Cape Town (UCT) vice-chancellor, Professor Stuart Saunders, died in his sleep on Friday, the institution said.

Saunders, aged 89, was the vice-chancellor from 1981 until 1996. He had been ill for some time.

The medical professor graduated with an MBChB degree at UCT in 1953.

He furthered his studies at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in the UK and at Harvard University in the US, before returning to UCT to complete a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1965, the university said in a statement.

The academic received many accolades in his career, including the Order of the Baobab in Silver – a national honour for South Africans for distinguished service to their country, in 2002.

He was awarded seven honorary degrees by the University of Aberdeen, UCT, Rhodes University, the University of Sheffield, the University of Toronto and the University of the Witwatersrand.

“Among the many roles he served in, Saunders was a board member for the UCT Trust in the United Kingdom, president of the UCT Heritage Society, president of the UCT Convocation, and trustee of the Claude Leon Foundation.”

“In May 2018, UCT launched the annual Dr Stuart John Saunders Lecture, which has since been held annually in his honour and was made possible by his late wife, Anita Johanna Saunders, whose intention was to pay tribute to the values demonstrated during Saunders’ tenure as vice-chancellor and his impactful medical research,” the institution said.

Saunders is survived by his two children, Jane and John.

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