Virtual VC’s Open Lecture and other updates

03 July 2020 | Campus Announcement

Dear students and colleagues

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

1. Virtual VC’s Open Lecture

The first Vice-Chancellor’s (VC) Open Lecture for 2020 – which will also be the first in this series to be held online – will be presented by Colin Coleman, senior fellow and lecturer at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. The lecture is titled “From a two-speed economy to one for all South Africans”. It will take place on Wednesday, 15 July on the Microsoft Teams online platform. Please register online to attend the lecture.


2. Update on COVID-19 cases at UCT

As at 1 July, UCT had 67 reported COVID-19 positive cases. These include 52 non-health sciences staff members and 15 students, of which five are Faculty of Health Sciences students on clinical platforms. The reported recoveries were 31 staff members and three students. There have sadly been five deaths – four staff members and one student.


3. Council concludes 2016-2020 term of office

The 2016-2020 Council’s term of office ended on 30 June, with the last meeting held on 20 June. The outgoing Chair of Council issued a statement reflecting on the term and addressing other matters. The Vice-Chancellor has, on behalf of the university, thanked Council for the hard work and energy to uphold the high standards that continue to keep UCT among the world’s top universities.


4. UCT Whistle-blowing Hotline update

The UCT Hotline continues to receive several calls pertaining to allegations of unethical conduct and, in some instances, what is perceived as fraud and corruption. In 2019, a total of 34 unique matters were reported to the hotline for investigation. An interesting aspect of the 2019 cases was the number of student-related issues. This demonstrates the university’s efforts to ensure greater awareness of the hotline to all key stakeholders. The UCT Whistle-blowing Hotline number is 0800 650 000. If there is any group, department or faculty that wants more information about the hotline and its operations, they can contact Shai Makgoba, UCT’s director of Risk, Compliance and Relationship Management, on 021 650 2754 or shai.makgoba@uct.ac.za for a presentation.


5. A toolkit for supporting marginalised students

To assist students with complexities brought about by remote learning, the Office for Inclusivity and Change has developed a toolkit which aims to spark conversation around the needs of students who live in an environment that is not conducive to remote learning. The toolkit relies on data from the UCT Student Access Survey, relevant Statistics South Africa reports and conversations with students and staff. It also explores how race, gender, class and disability play a role in access to resources that are important for teaching and learning.

 

Communication and Marketing Department


Read previous communications:


Creative Commons License 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

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.

 

TOP