Dear colleagues and students
This campus announcement aims to update the UCT community about recent developments on campus.
1. Call for nominations for Distinguished Teacher Award 2020
Students and members of the academic staff are reminded to submit nominations for the Distinguished Teacher Award (DTA) for 2020. The closing date for nominations is 19 February 2021.
The DTA is the highest accolade awarded to teaching staff at all levels within the university. Through the award, the university recognises excellent teaching and acknowledges the primary place of teaching and learning in the institution’s work. Each year, the DTA committee considers nominations made by students and staff on behalf of a number of excellent teachers. The committee examines each submission in detail, in accordance with a carefully devised rubric, terms of reference and set of criteria.
2. Chair of Council’s message on facing challenges of our time together
Chair of Council, Babalwa Ngonyama, looks back at the challenges and achievements amidst the complexity and uncertainty that the university community, with all its stakeholders, experienced in 2020. She alludes to the new bullying policy, new executive appointments and various milestones and critical projects the university has undertaken in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The chair further encourages UCT to celebrate its achievements and look at 2021 as a year which must be faced with a positive and resilient attitude.
3. Update on COVID-19 cases
Please note that updates on COVID-19 cases within the university community will now be shared every second week. Updates will be included as part of the campus announcement issued immediately after the first and the 15th of every month.
As at 1 February the university has 326 reported cases of COVID-19 among non-health sciences staff members, with 262 recoveries. The number of students who have tested positive stands at 100. The university has lost 19 staff members and two students to the virus.
Communication and Marketing Department
Read previous communications:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Please view the republishing articles page for more information.
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.
UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated regularly with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.
Getting credible, evidence-based, accessible information and recommendations relating to COVID-19
The Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, are producing educational video material for use on digital platforms and in multiple languages. The information contained in these videos is authenticated and endorsed by the team of experts based in the Department of Medicine. Many of the recommendations are based on current best evidence and are aligned to provincial, national and international guidelines. For more information on UCT’s Department of Medicine, please visit the website.
To watch more videos like these, visit the Department of Medicine’s YouTube channel.
As the COVID-19 crisis drags on and evolves, civil society groups are responding to growing and diversifying needs – just when access to resources is becoming more insecure, writes UCT’s Prof Ralph Hamann.
03 Jul 2020 - 6 min read RepublishedThe Covid-19 crisis has reinforced the global consequences of fragmented, inadequate and inequitable healthcare systems and the damage caused by hesitant and poorly communicated responses.
24 Jun 2020 - >10 min read OpinionOur scientists must not practise in isolation, but be encouraged to be creative and increase our knowledge of the needs of developing economies, write Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, vice-chancellor of UCT, and Professor Thokozani Majozi from the University of the Witwatersrand.
09 Jun 2020 - 6 min read RepublishedSouth Africa has been recognised globally for its success in flattening the curve, which came as a result of President Ramaphosa responding quickly to the crisis, writes Prof Alan Hirsch.
28 Apr 2020 - 6 min read RepublishedIn an email to the UCT community, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said:
“COVID-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, is a rapidly changing epidemic. [...] Information [...] will be updated as and when new information becomes available.”
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.