Dear colleagues and students
This campus announcement aims to inform the UCT community about recent updates on campus.
1. Africa Month 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 is hosting a three-day Africa Month public symposium under the theme “Africa’s innovations in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic”.
The symposium got underway on Wednesday, 27 May. Two webinar sessions – “Knowledge systems and knowledge production on the continent” and “Why has Africa been less impacted by COVID 19?” were scheduled for the opening day.
On Thursday, 28 May, the webinar at 11:00 will focus on “Unpacking the climate change and development nexus in Africa: Moving beyond obligations to opportunities”. The last two webinars will take place on Friday, 29 May at 11:00 and 14:00, discussing “Pan-African reflections on leadership and good governance during COVID-19: Good practice, challenges and opportunities” and “COVID-19 philanthropy on the continent: Best practice examples in Africa” respectively.
2. A salute to all UCT colleagues on the frontlines
On behalf of the UCT community, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng expressed gratitude and solidarity to all UCT staff members working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. She acknowledged those whose work is behind the scenes. Staff from Properties and Services Department continue to ensure that everyone has a clean, well-maintained, secure campus to return to. Colleagues in Campus Protection Services continue to patrol buildings and watch over various campuses. Some Information and Communication Technology Services workers also come on site to do essential work. UCT experts in relevant disciplines such as public health are working long hours with government to develop effective strategies for the province and the nation. Researchers, their students and staff are investigating the virus and seeking ways to fight it.
3. Urgent ICTS maintenance
On Sunday 31 May 2020, Information and Communication Technology Services (ICTS) will conduct important maintenance work in the Upper Campus and Bremner data centres. The work, which will help to boost UCT’s network security, will proceed from 09:00 until 17:00. Unless advised to the contrary, do not expect any ICT services to be available for the duration of the maintenance.
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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.
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 PhakengWith 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.
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.
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“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.