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Wamkelekile, Welkom
Wamkelekile, Welkom
Medium term budget is taking from the mouths of babies, children’s organisations claim
The Medium Term Budget Policy Statement delivered by Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana received a standing ovation in Parliament. The adulation was presumably for his macro performance: reducing borrowing, stabilising debt and bailing out Eskom. But this came at a cost to social spending, notably for education, health services and social grants.
28 Oct 2022
Addressable health system factors adversely affect surgical outcomes for women in Africa – UCT study
Women in Africa have double the risk-adjusted odds of having a severe complication or death after non-obstetric, non-gynaecological elective surgery when compared to international rates. This is according to a study conducted by a team from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Division of Global Surgery and Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine.
26 Oct 2022
Groundbreaking UCT study shows cancer drug potential to cure and prevent malaria
A cancer drug currently in clinical trials has shown the potential to protect from, cure and prevent transmission of malaria. The breakthrough finding by the University of Cape Town (UCT) researchers, in collaboration with several local and international institutions from the United States, Germany and Spain, offers new hope against a disease that kills over half a million people annually, most severely affecting children under five, pregnant women and patients with HIV .
20 Oct 2022
Africa’s most advanced imaging laboratory boosts the continent’s biomedical research capacity
Africa’s most advanced imaging facility, which provides research tools not previously available to African scientists seeking solutions to major biological and medical challenges, opened in Cape Town on Wednesday, 19 October 2022, with some of the world’s best optical microscopes now available at no cost to scientists across the continent.
19 Oct 2022
Invite: Understanding the state of our universe
As part of the Nobel in Africa Symposium being hosted around the country this month, the High Energy Physics, Cosmology & Astrophysics Theory (HEPCAT) Group in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the University of Cape Town will host a lecture on the quantum universe.
19 Oct 2022
Physical activity reduces depression risk in women, but not in men – UCT study
Engaging in physical activity reduces the risk of depression in South African women, according to a study by the University of Cape Town (UCT), which suggests that health policies to ensure access and promotion of physical activity resources to prevent depression are key.
18 Oct 2022
Promoting social justice in higher education with open educational resources
The use of open educational resources could promote social justice in the South African higher education sector – especially in terms of the curriculum transformation and decolonial agenda , which highlights a range of systemic injustices related to accessibility and inclusivity.
18 Oct 2022
Disparities and dated legislation impact people living with intellectual disabilities
People with intellectual disabilities experience inequities and disparities which cause poorer health and lower life expectancy. This was highlighted at a Mental Health Seminar recently held by the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at the University of Cape Town (UCT).
12 Oct 2022
Intimate partner violence is a barrier to ARV treatment adherence among adolescents - study
Award-winning research into antiretroviral (ARV) treatment adherence, led by University of Cape Town’s (UCT) PhD candidate Siyanai Zhou and Professor Lucie Cluver, established that intimate partner violence (IPV) and other forms of violence impede adolescents and young adults living with HIV from accessing this life-saving treatment. This could derail decades of hard-won gains in the global fight against HIV and AIDS.
12 Oct 2022
First-of-its-kind study shows humans are the result of ‘braided’ genetic streams, not a ‘tree’ of evolution
A new paper published in the top journal, Nature Ecology & Evolution explores how we evolved through a complex process of hybridisation between Neanderthals and ancient humans at multiple points in ancient history. It debunks the popularised idea of a ‘tree’ of human evolution, said co-author Professor Becky Ackermann of the University of Cape Town (UCT).
10 Oct 2022
UCT’s response to incorrect, misleading and unethical claims around governance at the institution
The article under the headline “Dark days: Accusations of capture and governance instability rock UCT” (3 October 2022) contains a litany of claims that are either incorrect, misleading or unethical. These claims were – curiously – either addressed by UCT in our initial response but our responses were not reflected in the article, or were not put to the university for a response at all.
07 Oct 2022
Young innovator to represent UCT at Falling Walls Lab finals in Germany
University of Cape Town (UCT) PhD candidate Emma Horn is set to contest at the Falling Walls Lab world finals in Berlin in November. Horn’s ‘green’ bio-tile innovation won the South African finals of the competition. Her research into bio-tiles is set to shake up the fossil-fuel-reliant ceramic tile and construction industries.
06 Oct 2022
For the love of teaching: Why three graduates decided to become teachers
This World Teachers Day, 5 October, three graduates of the University of Cape Town (UCT) one-year Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) shared what inspired them to become teachers after following different paths.
05 Oct 2022