Commemorating COVID-19 anniversary and other updates

Dear colleagues and students

It’s been just over a year since the country went into the COVID-19 lockdown on 26 March 2020. This campus announcement reflects back on a short ceremony held by the UCT leadership to commemorate the COVID-19 anniversary. Read more about this and other recent developments on campus.

1. Commemorating the COVID-19 anniversary

The UCT leadership held a special COVID-19 commemoration on Thursday, 25 March, to remember members of the UCT community lost to this virus, to celebrate our shared resilience as a community and to commit ourselves to protecting each other. The commemoration also created a small space for everyone to reflect on the recent past and commit to a future of growth and healing.

• Read VC Desk: Commemorating the COVID-19 anniversary.
• Watch: The special COVID-19 commemoration session.

2. RMF scholarship fund launch and public lecture

Six years since UCT student activists’ actions resulted in one of the notable transformation moments for the university – the removal of Cecil John Rhodes’ statue from campus – UCT is launching the Rhodes Must Fall (RMF) Scholarship Fund and will host an RMF lecture next month. The lecture will thereafter be hosted annually. The fund is an initiative of the RMF Scholarship Committee and was proposed by student activists at the university.

The launch event will take place on Friday, 9 April 2021 at 18:00. At this event, former UCT Vice-Chancellor Emeritus Professor Njabulo S Ndebele will present the keynote lecture titled “What will rise after the fall of Rhodes?”.

• Read VC Desk: Rhodes Must Fall scholarship launch and public lecture.

3. Safety around campus – recent crime hotspots

Campus Protections Services (CPS) has observed that in the last few weeks, there has been an increase in crime occurring on the fringes of campus. The rise in numbers is mainly due to cellphone robberies.

In a couple of the cases reported, robbers used vehicles – one case involved a car and the other a minibus taxi. The modus operandi is for the minibus to drop one or two perpetrators behind the victim and then drive past them. Perpetrators on foot then commit the robbery and jump back into the vehicle. The other modus operandi is to grab the cellphone from the victim and run. No physical injuries have been reported during these incidents.

CPS has noted the following hotspots for crimes of this nature: Main Road, Rondebosch; Main Road, Observatory; and Hornsey Road, Mowbray.

CPS would like to share the following awareness tips:

• Always be vigilant
• Always be aware of your surroundings
• Keep your possessions out of sight
• Avoid using headphones – these become a distraction when walking
• Remember there is safety in numbers, do not isolate yourself
• Always walk in groups and in well-lit areas
• Have emergency numbers programmed into your phone.

Please keep CPS’s 24-hour support line number, 080 650 2222, handy.

4. Campus Life 2021 online publication

While you may be continuing to find your way around campus as a first-time entering student, you can be assured that we will walk beside you every step of the way. Your time at university can be the best years of your life, and you will sometimes need a little help. So we’ve made a wide range of services available to you. Whether it’s mental health or physical wellness, study tips or the inside scoop on your new neighbourhood, you can find out all you need to know in Campus Life 2021 – our annual online publication for new students.

Communication and Marketing Department

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements