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Mutle Mogase… Why I am Giving@UCT

Mutle Mogase’s affiliation with UCT, as an alumnus and donor, marks a long relationship with the institution from his student days in the 1980s. As a BCom graduate who was impressed to see the names of his lecturers on many of the textbooks and journals he studied, Mutle maintained a highly motivated stance in pursuit of his goals during challenging times. Supported by his mother, who worked as a nurse while his father was in detention, he attended university with scholarship funding.

Today as co-founder and Executive Chairman of Vantage Capital, Mutle holds firm to the belief that corporate South Africa has an important role to play in supporting more students from disadvantaged backgrounds with opportunities to pursue tertiary studies. If business is to expect a diverse cohort of young talent for recruitment, then its financial backing is imperative. This is particularly with regard to university programmes that improve opportunities for student access in cases where this would otherwise not be financially possible. As a donor to UCT, Mutle’s commitment is one of many such efforts on the part of individuals and corporates to support talented students fulfill their career aspirations.

As universities across the country experience a time of protests and new conversations around transformation, we are challenged to reconsider these issues within the broader context of a collective concern. Mutle considers universities as a microcosm of society, with many of the present challenges only being resolved through engagement with all civil society leadership stakeholders. Through his involvement in UCT’s alumni forum and the Legacy Society, Mutle has pledged his support to strengthening efforts that increase the access and participation of black students from challenging socio-economic circumstances. As more of these initiatives gain momentum then inequality gaps find adhesion. While the challenges of transformation remain complex, he is confident that the university is headed in the right direction.

Apart from the demanding academic regime of student life, Mutle has fond memories of his time at UCT. The Faculty of Commerce Freshers’ Ball is one of these highlights, as well as his membership of the Wine and Cultural Society. The latter has been an especially lasting influence in that Mutle has since gone on to launch a wine label with three of his partners. His career in investment and financial services has seen many highlights, including his participation in the development of the Financial Sector Charter. In 1993 he was also involved in the first BEE transaction for South Africa, with the purchase of a stake in Africa Life Insurance.

Mutle is well recognized as a formidable leader and role-model, although he is modestly slow to admit any of these connotations. He prefers to rather embrace the values that underpin his philanthropic disposition: honesty, integrity, and love of family.

Story by Merlin Ince

For Giving@UCT Volume 3 May 2016