UCT Needs R250m to Rebuild Jagger Library

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May 7, 2026

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1 min read

The University of Cape Town needs about R250-million to rebuild its historic Jagger Library, five years after a fire from Table Mountain tore through parts of the campus.

The 2021 blaze gutted the Jagger building, which housed key university archives, the African Studies Collection and a state-of-the-art reading room.

UCT Libraries Executive Director Ujala Satgoor said recovery work has already cost the university about R85-million.

She said the insurance payout of R98-million will shape what can be done, but it does not cover the full vision for the building.

“We do have an aspirational dream for this building, and that comes close to R250-million,” Satgoor said.

Insurance Payout Leaves Funding Gap

UCT now faces a major funding gap. Satgoor said fundraising will continue for the roughly R150-million not covered by insurance.

She said a project implementation committee is already in place. The architectural brief has gone through several versions and is now close to its final form.

The next step is approval of that brief. Heritage approval will also be needed before rebuilding can begin.

The Jagger Library was built in 1931 and expanded in 1943. It is protected under the National Heritage Resources Act, meaning any changes must be approved by Heritage Western Cape.

Exhibition Shows What Survived

UCT has opened an exhibition titled Opportunity in Loss inside the damaged library. It highlights the recovery of precious materials and the work done since the fire.

A photographic exhibition outside the building also shows what the library once held. Items on display include tools, black-and-white photographs and preserved government documents.

The surviving archives have moved to Deneb House in Observatory, where researchers can access them by appointment.

Satgoor said the rebuilt library should become an “African Library of note” and a space that celebrates “African memory, identity and creative expression”.