Africa Month webinars and other updates

21 May 2020 | Campus Announcement

Dear colleagues

This campus announcement aims to inform the UCT community about recent developments on campus.

1. Invitation to join important Africa Day webinars

In commemorating Africa Month, the African Union’s African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), in collaboration with UCT Convocation and the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance will host a three-day Africa Month public symposium under the theme “Africa’s innovations in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic”. From Wednesday, 27 May to Friday, 29 May 2020, five webinars will discuss – among others – knowledge systems and knowledge production on the continent, best practice examples in Africa, the climate change and development nexus in Africa, Pan-African reflections on leadership and good governance during COVID-19, and COVID-19 philanthropy on the continent.


2. Staff assembly videos

In a special online staff assembly hosted by Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng on Thursday 14 May, the UCT executive addressed staff on the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor Phakeng commended staff members for their hard work and commitment, through which a new kind of UCT is emerging from this pandemic. Chief Operating Officer, Dr Reno Morar spoke on the planning for a phased return of staff, the risks and mitigation strategy, and human resources and financial issues.

Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) for Teaching and Learning, Associate Professor Lis Lange provided an update on the academic project. DVC for Transformation, Professor Loretta Feris spoke on student support and particularly the management of the phased return of students, and the reopening of residences; while DVC for Research and Internationalisation, Professor Sue Harrison, reflected on research and postgraduate issues.

The Registrar, Royston Pillay addressed issues relating to governance, 2020 exams and 2021 admissions; and the Executive Director: Finance, Ashley Francis discussed the university’s financial state and sustainability.


3. Election of a PASS staff Council member

As advised previously, the election to Council of a member of the professional, administrative support and service (PASS) staff in payclasses 7-13 was suspended. This followed the discovery of an inadvertent omission of staff members in the payclass 13 (4 and 5) cohort from the initial call for nominations.

Notwithstanding the suspension of the process, nominations that had been received up to that point remained valid. No additional nominations from members of the payclass 13 staff were received in response to an invitation to do so by the deadline of 13 May 2020. Members of the PASS staff in payclasses 7-13 are invited to elect one of the three candidates whose nomination had been previously submitted. 

Please log into Vula with your UCT user credentials and select the “COUNCIL: PASS Election” tab. The candidates’ statements of intent and abbreviated CVs are available on the “Resources” page of the site. Vote for the candidate of your choice by clicking on the question on the “Poll” page.

Voting is now open and will close at 16:00 on Friday, 22 May 2020.

 

Communication and Marketing Department


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UCT’s response to COVID-19

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 with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.

Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has in June 2022 repealed some of South Africa’s remaining COVID-19 regulations: namely, sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions under the National Health Act. We are now no longer required to wear masks or limit gatherings. Venue restrictions and checks for travellers coming into South Africa have now also been removed.

In July 2022, the University of Cape Town (UCT) revised its approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic on UCT campuses in 2022.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.

 

Campus communications

 
2022

Adjusting to our new environment 16:50, 23 June 2022
VC Open Lecture and other updates 17:04, 13 April 2022
Feedback from UCT Council meeting of 12 March 2022 09:45, 18 March 2022
UCT Council
March 2022 graduation celebration 16:45, 8 March 2022
Report on the meeting of UCT Council of 21 February 2022 19:30, 21 February 2022
UCT Council
COVID-19 management 2022 11:55, 14 February 2022
Return to campus arrangements 2022 11:15, 4 February 2022

UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre

On Wednesday, 20 July, staff from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences came together with representatives from the Western Cape Government at the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre at Forest Hill Residence to acknowledge the centre’s significance in the fight against COVID-19 and to thank its staff for their contributions. The centre opened on 1 September 2021 with the aim of providing quality vaccination services to UCT staff, students and the nearby communities, as well as to create an opportunity for medical students from the Faculty of Health Sciences to gain practical public health skills. The vaccination centre ceased operations on Friday, 29 July 2022.

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.

 

“After almost a year of operation, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, located at the Forest Hill residence complex in Mowbray, will close on Friday, 29 July 2022. I am extremely grateful and proud of all staff, students and everyone involved in this important project.”
– Vice-Chancellor Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.


Thank You UCT Community

Frequently asked questions

 

Global Citizen Asks: Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe & Effective?

UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) collaborated with Global Citizen, speaking to trusted experts to dispel vaccine misinformation.



If you have further questions about the COVID-19 vaccine check out the FAQ produced by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF). The DTHF has developed a dedicated chat function where you can ask your vaccine-related questions on the bottom right hand corner of the website.

IDM YouTube channel | IDM website
 

 

“As a contact university, we look forward to readjusting our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2023 as the COVID-19 regulations have been repealed.”
– Prof Harsha Kathard, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning

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.

 

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