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The University of Fort Hare (UFH) secured 24 awards at the 2025 MACE Excellence Awards held in Johannesburg. The event brought together South Africa’s leading universities to recognise outstanding performance in marketing, communications and stakeholder engagement. UFH ranked third nationally and first in the Eastern Cape, strengthening its position as one of the country’s top performers in institutional communication.
What Happened
UFH’s Directorate of Marketing and Communication walked away with three gold, eight silver and 13 bronze awards. The submissions covered brand-building, alumni relations, web design, social responsibility, community engagement, video production, stakeholder relations, events management and graphic design.
The University retained its position as the leading institution in the Eastern Cape for the fourth consecutive year. Nationally, it finished behind the University of Pretoria with 34 awards and Stellenbosch University with 27.
Two gold awards recognised UFH’s storytelling projects that profiled graduate success during the 2024 Autumn Graduation. Another gold award celebrated a community development initiative that supported schools in Amathole West with scientific calculators and educator training. The programme improved Mathematics results in the district’s NSC performance.
UFH also received recognition for several institutional projects, including the launch of the Early Childhood Care and Education Centre in East London, the new institutional WordPress website, the 2024 Research Report and the First-Year Orientation Programme.
Official Response
Executive Director for People Management and Engagement, Ms Dumisile Nene, said the results affirmed UFH’s commitment to “excellence, credibility and stakeholder trust.” She added that the wins reflected work aligned with the University’s renewal efforts and long-term strategy.
UFH Director of Marketing and Communication, JP Roodt, praised his team. He said the achievements came from
“a small but dynamic team whose commitment to the University’s renewal agenda is evident in every project.”
Community Impact
University leadership noted that these awards help strengthen UFH’s institutional reputation and reinforce its role in advancing communities within its catchment area. The recognised projects especially those linked to graduation storytelling and Mathematics education support demonstrate UFH’s impact beyond campus walls.
