Fraud prevention at UCT and other updates

Dear students and colleagues

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

1. Fraud prevention at UCT

Responsibility and accountability come with the large amounts of money that circulate in and out of UCT. Since October 2018 the Internal Audit office of the Finance Department has escalated instances of weaknesses in internal controls to the executive and to the University Audit Committee (UAC). In addition, several external audits and reviews have shown a lack of adherence to the university’s policies when using funds, be it research grants or money from the general operating budget. The UAC has placed the onus on the executive to explore other mechanisms for improving the control environment around the use of resources at UCT.

Should you be aware of any instances of potential fraud or corruption in your faculty or department, please refer the matter to the Executive Director of Finance, Ashley Francis, for a detailed review.

• Read about fraud prevention at UCT.
• Read the Fraud and Corruption Prevention Policy.

2. RADC call for funding proposals

The Residence Academic Development Committee (RADC) is calling for new funding proposals for the Living and Learning programmes for 2020. The themes are mental health and wellness, and academic preparedness. The RADC is grounded in a collaboration protocol between residences and faculties. The purpose of the Living and Learning programmes is to further establish a way of bridging the gap between faculties and residences to foster student success and provide a quality academic experience to students living in residence. Funding of up to R20 000 is available per project.

The leader of the proposed project should complete an online proposal. For more information, please contact Tatenda Gundani.

• Read the RADC call for funding proposals.

3. Social Responsiveness Award

The Social Responsiveness Award was established in 2009 to recognise UCT academics who demonstrate how social engagement can enhance the teaching and learning, and research processes. The R35 000 award is open to individual staff members and formal or informal groupings within the university. Staff must be employed either on a permanent basis or under a limited-term contract of at least two years and must have been employed for a period of not less than 12 months prior to the date of nomination.

A reminder that nominations should be submitted to Sonwabo Ngcelwane no later than 30 September 2019. The recipients of the award will be announced in December 2019 and awarded at a university graduation ceremony in April 2020.

• View the call for nominations for full details.

Communication and Marketing Department

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements