Campus announcements
Leadership Lekgotla appointments and other updates
01 December 2021Dear colleagues and students
The university recently announced senior leadership appointments which give expression and commitment to excellence and transformation at the institution. Read more on this and other updates below:
Leadership Lekgotla appointments
Professor Elelwani Ramugondo has been appointed as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Transformation, Student Affairs and Social Responsiveness with effect from 1 July 2022 and Professor Suki Goodman as Dean of Commerce from 1 January 2022. Meanwhile, Mr Vincent Motholo joined UCT as Executive Director: Finance on 1 October 2021.
All the appointments are consistent with the institution’s commitment to transformation, excellence and sustainability.
- Read the VC Desk: Leadership Lekgotla appointments.
- Watch: Professor Ramugondo, Professor Goodman and Mr Motholo comment on their appointments.
Celebrating staff at UCT Annual Awards
UCT will honour staff during the virtual UCT Annual Awards ceremony scheduled to take place on 6 December at 18:00. The awards are now in their fourth year and will acknowledge outstanding achievements of UCT’s extraordinary staff members.
The categories include Ad Hominem Promotions, the Alan Pifer Award, Distinguished Teacher Awards, Long Service Awards and the Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards in the categories of Global Citizenship, Service Excellence and Transformation.
The event will be broadcast online on the UCT News website, YouTube channel, as well as Facebook and Twitter platforms.
Socially responsive course development grant awards 2021
In support of UCT’s Vision 2030 and socially responsive engaged teaching and learning, three awards were made to develop, design or revise courses that meet the criteria of engagement with external non-academic constituencies through a pedagogical process and approach.
All of these courses or reflexive practices are linked in very meaningful ways to the broader social responsiveness curriculum project at UCT.
The award winners are Dr Helen Scanlon (Department of Political Studies, Faculty of Humanities); Ms Leigh-Ann Richards and Mr Elvin Williams (Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Occupational Therapy Division, Faculty of Health Sciences) and Dr Vuyiswa Lupuwana (Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Science).
UCT vaccination site in its third month of operation
The UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, which opened on 1 September 2021, remains operational. The site is open every weekday from 08:00 to 15:00 and on Saturdays, from 09:00 to 13:00, until further notice.
Staff and students are encouraged to also inform friends and family members to make use of the vaccination site. Please arrive at the site as early as possible to allow time for attending to COVID-19 protocols. The site is located at the university's Forest Hill residence complex on the Main Road, Mowbray, with access via Broad Street.
Update on COVID-19 cases
As at 1 December 2021, the university has 669 reported cases of COVID-19 among non-health sciences staff members, with 649 recoveries. The number of students who have tested positive stands at 399, with 385 recoveries. The university has lost 27 staff members and three students to the virus.
UCT Summer School 2022: Education Everywhere
The upcoming University of Cape Town (UCT) Summer School is making its courses more widely accessible in resource-poor communities by livestreaming them to the Isivivana Centre in Khayelitsha and Philippi Hub in the innovative Philippi Village at no cost.
The UCT Summer School is the largest public education programme of its kind in Africa, bringing together academics, industry experts, thought leaders and audiences from around the world.
The hybrid event, which runs from 10 to 19 January 2022, will offer all courses both in-person and online so participants can access them from the comfort of their homes anywhere in the world and at the university. The courses are open to the general public and no qualifications are required.
Issuing of COVID-19 personal protective equipment
Please note that 15 December 2021 is the last day that the Properties & Services PPE store will issue COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) across the UCT campuses. COVID-19 PPE will be available for emergencies. The COVID-19 hotline (021 650 0999) will remain active throughout the holidays to answer questions about COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Queries about PPE and any other COVID-19 matters can also be emailed to ohs@uct.ac.za.
Communication and Marketing Department
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.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.
Campus communications
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 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.
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.