Tuesday, 14 April

14 April 2020
 

11:30

The University of Cape Town (UCT) is very pleased to announce that Cell C and Telkom have both agreed to the university’s request to zero-rate access to certain UCT websites.

The university calls on the remaining two cellphone providers to support this call. This kind of support is essential to continue teaching and learning online during UCT’s second term.

This important development will enable UCT students to learn online at no cost via these UCT sites:

  • The UCT primary website
  • The library website
  • Open UCT
  • The Vula student platform
  • Lecture streaming
  • Web authentication (ADFS) (any URL that contains adfs.uct.ac.za).

UCT Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said that the university is grateful to these service providers for their generous assistance. She added that it is urgent for young people in university to be able to continue their programmes online so that they can develop the skills they will need to contribute to South Africa’s development.

UCT is continuing to engage with other mobile network providers in the hope that a similar arrangement will be reached with them to benefit not only UCT but the higher education sector.

Read the full media release.

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UCT’s response to COVID-19 in 2021

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March 2020.

UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated regularly with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.

 

Commemorating a year of COVID-19

At midnight on 26 March 2020, South African went into the first nationwide hard lockdown. A year later, we remember those who have died and those who have been affected by COVID-19, as well as the pandemic’s effects across society and campus. We are especially grateful for the front-line health workers who have done so much for so many.


Frequently asked questions

 
 

In an email to the UCT community, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said:
“COVID-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, is a rapidly changing epidemic. [...] Information [...] will be updated as and when new information becomes available.”

 

We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.