New website for UCT art collection and other updates

02 September 2020 | Campus Announcement

Dear colleagues and students

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

1. New website for UCT art collection

UCT houses a collection of some 1700 artworks – many of which representing the work of South Africa’s most noted artists, as well as the art of emerging talents. The collection is exhibited throughout UCT’s four campuses, dispersed among buildings, offices, lecture halls, passages and plazas. The Works of Art Committee is proud to announce that the collection now has, for the first time in its 42-year history, a dedicated website.


2. Resumption of Jammie Shuttle service and new app

A limited number of Jammie Shuttles started operating on 1 September to cater for staff and students who have been invited back to campus. The routes currently provided for are Claremont, Hiddingh, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mowbray and student residences.

For ease of commuting, UCT in partnership with GoMetro is launching a mobile/cellphone Jammie Shuttle App which will be available from 7 September. It will provide timetables and real-time information on the Jammie Shuttles, including the expected time of arrival at each bus stop on any given route, allowing the user to reduce waiting time. The app will also display bus movements on a map, and this information will be updated in real-time, thus ensuring that notices for delays or incidents are immediate.

The app has many more features and functions that aim to create a good experience for staff and students using the Jammie Shuttle. It will also link to Metrorail and other transport networks to allow for a better commute.

To download and register for the app, use your standard UCT system login details (staff/student number and current password).

For support in setting up or using the app, please contact 021 650 5289 (office hours), 021 650 2222 / 080 650 2222 (after hours), jshuttle@uct.ac.za.


3. How does changing the medium change the way of doing things?

COVID-19 has radically changed the way that universities do everything: research, teaching, social responsiveness and internationalisation – with most activities now taking place on virtual platforms. Join Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng as she hosts the last session in the Unleashing the New Global University series. The session, to be held on Monday, 7 September 2020 from 17:30 to 19:30, will creatively address how more equal relationships might be formed, and how digitally mediated forms of global engagement might enable what Nancy Fraser calls “participatory parity”.


4. COVID-19 update

The university has 96 reported COVID-19 cases among the non-health sciences staff members as at 1 September. There has been 78 staff recoveries reported. UCT has 35 reported student cases, including 10 Faculty of Health Sciences students on clinical platforms. The number of members of the UCT community sadly lost due to the pandemic remains 10 – nine staff and one student.


5. Responding to Level 2 COVID-19 regulations

UCT has developed a framework for identifying which students and staff may return in a phased approach, and this is being implemented by invitation only, after the necessary health assessments have been concluded and after formal authorisation has been granted. Very strict monitoring, social distancing and other health regulations will be in place for those returning. No other student or staff member, apart from those identified, will be able to return.


6. Inaugural UCT Open Textbook Award

Nominations are open for the inaugural UCT Open Textbook Award, which aims to incentivise innovation in teaching and learning, recognise the efforts of open textbook authors and promote the creation and reuse of open educational resources. The UCT Open Textbook Award carries a value of R30 000 and may be shared between more than one recipient. There is no time limit in terms of the publication date. The deadline for nominations is 30 September 2020.


7. Latest phishing attack

The UCT Computer Security Incident Response Team is currently investigating a new phishing attempt, which pretends to be from Microsoft. The email entitled ‘Your mailbox requires update’ urges users to update their mailbox or else it will be deactivated. Staff and students are urged to remain vigilant against this kind of phishing attempts.


8. Updating contact details for the UCT switchboard

One of the impacts of the lockdown has been on the way people contact departments – with some of the pre-lockdown communication channels no longer proving effective for some departments. Departments whose contact details have changed – either general numbers or numbers of key individuals – are requested to please let the switchboard know. This will greatly assist the switchboard and callers to reach such departments efficiently and effectively. Updated contact details (extension numbers, cellphone numbers and/or email addresses) should be sent to uctswitchboard@uct.ac.za.


Read previous communications:


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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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