Action against SGBV and other updates

Dear colleagues and students

The University of Cape Town (UCT) will continue the fight against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) throughout November. Read more about this and other recent developments on campus.

As UCT continues the fight against the scourge of SGBV, November 2025 has marked – and will continue to mark – a period of significant action and awareness across the campus community and beyond.

This includes the 16 days of activism campaign from 25 November until 10 December. This campaign, observed globally each year, is a call to action to end violence against women and children. Throughout these 16 days, the government, civil society organisations, institutions and individuals unite to raise awareness and advocate for meaningful change.

UCT has also been made aware of the Women For Change call for a national anti-SGBV action scheduled for 21 November ahead of the G20 Summit. Working in consultation with the Students’ Representative Council, several online initiatives are planned in this regard.

These include the following actions in support of the fight against SGBV and in solidarity with survivors:

• Changing the colour of the UCT main, staff and student websites to purple.
• Similarly, changing the social media profile pictures on the university's platforms to purple. The SRC has also changed its social media profile pictures to purple.
• Illuminating the iconic Sarah Baartman Hall in purple on the evenings of 20 and 21 November.
• An SRC-led national 15-minute silent ‘Lie Down’ outside Sarah Baartman Hall at 12:00 on Friday, 21 November 2025. The dress code is all black. Students and staff who are able to participate are encouraged to show their support.

UCT has also shared an update following the peaceful student-led demonstrations against SGBV that took place on campus between 10 and 12 November 2025. Similar demonstrations took place at a few other universities in the same week, highlighting that SGBV is a broader national concern among students.

Sexual and gender-based violence has no place at UCT, and the university remains committed to responding to every case with urgency while supporting broader efforts to end SGBV.

• Read the full DVC Desk: UCT continues to take a stand against SGBV.

Nine distinguished UCT academics, researchers and scholars have been inducted into the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).

The nine were inducted as new members at the ASSAf annual awards ceremony on 30 October 2025 as part of a group of 45 exceptional scholars and scientists – making UCT account for 20% of the 2025 inductees.

Their induction into ASSAf is both a moment of deep pride and a reflection of the excellence that has long been the hallmark of UCT. ASSAf recognises and celebrates scholarly excellence.

The inducted colleagues are Professor Adam Haupt, Professor Andrea Rother, Professor Imraan Coovadia, Professor John Ele-Ojo Ataguba, Professor Lucy Gilson, Professor Michael Claeys, Professor Tom Moultrie, Professor Ursula Hoadley and Associate Professor Zarina Patel.

• Read the full VC Desk: UCT academics’ excellence recognised by ASSAf.

As proclaimed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the amendments to the Employment Equity Act (EEA) of 1998 came into effect on 1 January 2025, giving rise to the Employment Equity Amendment Act of 2022. The accompanying regulations were published on 15 April 2025.

In alignment with the amended legislation and to ensure compliance, the University of Cape Town (UCT) has prepared a new Employment Equity (EE) Plan and numerical targets to ensure alignment with the sectoral targets; conducted an EE barrier analysis as part of the development of the new EE Plan; and secured institutional approval of the revised EE Plan.

Following consultation with all relevant stakeholders, the new EE Plan was approved by Council. This five-year plan will be implemented for the period 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2030.

The review process of the guidance note has also been finalised following extensive stakeholder engagement, ensuring alignment with the amendments and their accompanying regulations.

The Office for Inclusivity and Change has been in contact with faculties and departments to confirm dates for training sessions on the new EE Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and the sectoral targets as contained in the new EE Plan.

The implementation date of the new SOP and sectoral targets is effective from 19 November 2025.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Cecil Peters.

• Read the full DVC Desk: UCT’s five-year Employment Equity Plan.

The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) for the 2025/26 term has been constituted, following elections held on 25 and 26 September. The new SRC began its term on 1 November and will serve until 31 October 2026. A total of 7 986 students voted out of 27 287 eligible voters, with 305 abstentions. The 29.27% turnout met the required threshold for constituting the council.

The South African Students Congress (SASCO) secured seven seats, the Economic Freedom Fighters Students’ Command (EFFSC) won six seats and three independent candidates were elected.

The SRC plays an active role in student governance. It participates in key university structures, contributes to policy discussions and supports student interests in academic, social and administrative areas.

• Read the full Campus Announcement: Constitution of the 2025/26 SRC.

A UCT Senate working group has been established to develop a proposal on how the Gaza Resolutions can be operationalised. The group has called for input from staff to understand potential challenges, questions and practical issues that may arise in different contexts. Specific examples are encouraged to help shape clear and useful guidance.

The feedback collected will inform the development of draft guidelines that reflect the range of operational realities across the university. This process aims to build a deeper understanding of the nuances involved in applying the resolutions and to support consistent implementation.

Once the working group has produced draft guidelines, the university community will be invited to a meeting to offer further input. Staff are requested to submit their contributions by Friday, 28 November 2025.

• Provide anonymous feedback via a Microsoft Form.

• Read the full DVC Desk: Towards implementation of the Gaza resolutions.

Please note that Sunday, 23 November 2025 will be an ICTS scheduled maintenance slot from 09:00 to 17:00. Unless advised to the contrary, do not expect any on-premise ICT services to be available for the duration of the maintenance slot. Cloud-based services (including Amathuba, email, Microsoft 365 services, and ServiceNow) are not impacted and can still be accessed.

Please remember to consult the scheduled ICTS maintenance slots page for more information, including the reasons for regular monthly maintenance and to assist with planning any teaching, conferences, meetings, etc. that require ICT services.

Communication and Marketing Department