SONA 2019 road closures and other updates

Dear students and colleagues

This campus announcement aims to inform members of the University of Cape Town community about:

1. SONA 2019 road closures

Parliament will host the State of the Nation Address (SONA) by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday, 7 February 2019. Several roads will be closed as a result, which will have an impact on the Jammie Shuttles that transport UCT students and staff to and from the university’s campuses.

Jammie Shuttle users can expect heavy delays (up to 45 minutes) on Thursday afternoon from 17:45 to 19:30. The Sandown and Claremont buses will be re-routed during this time to accommodate the road closures, and the Hiddingh campus buses will be delayed. Where possible, commuters are advised to take earlier buses.

• Read full details about the road closures.

2. SAX Appeal 2019

In keeping with the UCT tradition, first-year student volunteers will take to the streets of Cape Town to sell the 86th edition of the SAX Appeal magazine on the morning of Thursday, 7 February 2019. Magazine sales will go towards raising funds for the Students’ Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO), which is focused on improving health and education in disadvantaged areas around the greater Cape Town metropolitan area.

This year’s theme, “SAX with Meme: Break the Internet”, will see students dressing up like memes and/or viral internet content. Please support this cause by buying the magazine, which costs R30.

3. NSFAS roadshow

This is a reminder that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is embarking on a national campaign to assist and advise first-year students with funding-related queries. NSFAS will host a talk with students on Friday, 8 February 2019, from 12:00 to 13:00 in Lecture Theatre 2A in the Robert Leslie Social Science Building on Upper Campus.

4. President of Convocation

Professor Eddy Maloka was elected as the new president of UCT's Convocation at the annual general meeting on 13 December 2018. Professor Maloka will hold the office for a two-year term.

He brings with him a wealth of experience in higher education as an adjunct professor at the School of Governance, Public and Development Management at the University of the Witwatersrand and as a former lecturer at UCT. Professor Maloka is also the chief executive officer of the African Peer Review Mechanism and has formerly held the position of Special Advisor to the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa and South Africa’s Special Representative to the Great Lakes Region, among other government roles.

He holds a BA from Rhodes University, a master’s in development studies from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and a PhD in history from UCT. He also completed postdoctoral studies at Princeton University in the United States.

• View Professor Maloka’s abridged CV.

Communication and Marketing Department

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements