Dear colleagues
This communication serves to advise of the COVID-19 data disclosure to the National Department of Health (National Institute for Occupational Health) as required by the relevant legislative framework.
Nursing staff in the Properties and Services Department’s Occupational Health Unit at the University of Cape Town (UCT) may contact you to confirm relevant personal details. We would appreciate your co-operation in providing this information, which we are required to make available to the National Institute for Occupational Health. I am writing to explain why this information is needed and to assure you that your information will be treated as confidential, by the government as well as UCT.
The Disaster Management Act requires all employers, including UCT and other universities, to comply with legislative requirements under the DoEL and the Department of Health (DoH). The regulatory authorities want to enhance the COVID-19 surveillance programme and improve statistical data accuracy throughout the country. The DoEL has an additional obligatory requirement on all employers who employ more than 50 people to submit five data components to the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) as per the Guideline. The NIOH will comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act and will treat all information as confidential.
The information UCT needs to provide to the NIOH includes:
Your co-operation in this regard will not only help UCT to comply with government requirements, but will also provide information needed by the DoH and DoEL to help manage work environments during the pandemic and inform vaccination sequencing for working populations
Management is requested to share the information with staff who may not have access to email.
Thanks to all of you for your assistance.
Kind regards
Dr Reno Morar
Chief Operating Officer
Chair of the COVID-19 Co-ordinating Committee
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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Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has in June 2022 repealed some of South Africa’s remaining COVID-19 regulations: namely, sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of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.
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.