How to help another student with a mobile data bundle from UCT
28 April 2020 | Dr Reno Morar, COO
Dear students
As Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng announced last week, the University of Cape Town (UCT) is providing data bundles for all students who have a valid South African mobile number recorded in PeopleSoft. If you need a data bundle and have not updated PeopleSoft with your South African mobile number, please do so now.
- Read the announcement about data bundles.
- Update PeopleSoft immediately with your South African mobile number.
These data bundles do come at a cost to UCT and they are valid for only 30 days. However, we face the strong possibility that online learning will need to continue beyond that 30-day period.
We are aware that some of you already have adequate internet access at home to study effectively. This is based on the survey UCT students recently completed. I am writing to ask those of you who have sufficient internet access to consider opting out of receiving a data bundle so that we can focus UCT resources on helping students in need.
We know that UCT students have already taken up this call. The Health Sciences Students Council and the Law Students Council have both issued similar appeals to students across their respective faculties. Each of those initiatives uses a different system. We applaud the compassion and solidarity that is at the heart of these appeals. It is with this spirit of social solidarity in mind that I ask you to use the “opt out” option provided below, as that will allow you to not only assist another student, but also to help the university to gauge the need across the institution so we can plan more effectively for possible future needs. To opt out, please follow the link below, navigate to the Biographic tab and select “No” under the “Mobile Data required” section.
COVID-19 has created a crisis that everybody around the world is experiencing in different ways. I am encouraged by the creative responses different members of the UCT community are making to help each other through this difficult experience. I thank you for everything you are doing to help during these times.
Sincerely
Dr Reno Morar
Chief Operating Officer
Read previous communications:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Please view the republishing articles page for more information.
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.