Campus Announcement: Protest action and traffic alert
Released: 15h55, 5 April 2016

Dear colleagues and students,

We are writing to alert and inform you of the following:

• Protest action at the University of the Witwatersrand;
• Traffic alert for upper campus for UCT Mathematics competition.

Protest action at the University of the Witwatersrand

You would have taken note of the renewed protest action yesterday, Monday 4 April at the University of the Witwatersrand. It was reported and Wits confirmed that a group of some 30 individuals (students, ex-students, members of the public) growing to approximately 150 individuals disrupted teaching and attempted to set a building alight. Some scuffles broke out periodically between protesters and students, but WITS operations returned to normal later in the day. Access control and security at key points has been increased. Wits has stated that they are concerned that many in the protesting group were not Wits students but came from other universities (where some are suspended) or from groups and parties not from higher education institutions. Wits confirmed that the Wits Student Representative Council was not involved in the protest action and the SRC in fact condemned the violent protest actions. There is some speculation on social media that the protest action will spread to other campuses and that the actions may be politically motivated.

This note serves to assure you that we have taken note of the situation at Wits and are monitoring it carefully. We are continuously keeping abreast of protest actions on all campuses and we are in various discussions on other relevant platforms. We are also constantly adjusting our own preparations to ensure we are as ready and prepared as we can be to deal effectively with any events that may arise on our campus.

Traffic alert for upper campus for UCT Mathematics competition

The 40th University of Cape Town Mathematics Competition will take place on Upper Campus on the evening of Thursday, 7 April 2016.

This annual event will draw more than 8 000 participants representing 170 high schools across the Western Cape, including schools from as far afield as Atlantis, Ceres, Hopefield, Vredendal, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Worcester, Bredasdorp, Laingsburg and George. This event is a highlight for many learners from a wide range of South African communities who are developing a talent and love for maths. In this way the Mathematics Competition is helping to develop a much-needed skill for South Africa.

Traffic alert from 17h00 on Thursday, 7 April 2016

Registration begins at 18h00 on Thursday. From about 17h00, participants are expected to be on Upper Campus. This will affect traffic flow and we advise you to take this into consideration for your plans on that evening.

For details about this important event, including past papers and results, please visit the UCT Mathematics Competition website. Thank you for your support of this event.

Sincerely

Gerda Kruger
Executive Director: Communication & Marketing Department