Declaration of interests 2022

Dear colleagues

All University of Cape Town (UCT) staff members and members of university committees must make a full annual declaration of their financial interests and fiduciary roles and those of their immediate family members.

This is a requirement of the Higher Education Act and applies to all staff members irrespective of their roles or positions. The process for declarations of interest is a critical part of the university’s governance, risk and compliance management system and responsibilities.

Staff must check, update and submit the declaration of interest form on an annual basis even if they have nothing to declare or no changes to make to the recorded declaration.

If you have not completed the digital submission please do so as a matter of urgency. The information from the most recent digital submission will be pre-populated on the personalised digital form, which can be changed, deleted or, where there are no changes, left as is and just confirmed.

You are also required to update the submission whenever circumstances which require submission of this information change – this can be done numerous times over the year if required.

Once you have completed and submitted the digital form, you will receive an email confirming the submission, with your line manager receiving a separate email stating that a declaration has been submitted.

As part of the automated process, line managers will receive weekly notifications with a link to a high-level compliance report of outstanding submissions to enable them to facilitate the completion of outstanding submissions from the staff reporting to them.

When submitting your annual declaration of interests, your line manager and any person who has a verifiable interest in the submission, will be able to review the submission. This information is collected to ensure compliance with the contract of employment and the Conflict of Interest policy. For more information about how the university uses personal information, please refer to the UCT statements on the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

Staff who have not submitted their declaration will receive regular reminders.

• Access the personalised declaration form through the UCT Service Now platform.
• View the Policy on Conflict of Interest and on Disclosures of Interests.
• View frequently asked questions about conflict of interest.
• See the UCT statements on the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

If you do not have the technology (PC, laptop or mobile device) to access the form, please contact your line manager for assistance. Managers are asked to convey the above message to staff that may not have access to this communication and to assist employees to comply.

If you experience technical difficulties in accessing the form, please contact ICTS for assistance.

Please submit your form by 30 June 2022.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in complying with this important governance requirement.

Sincerely

Dr Reno Morar
Chief Operating Officer

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements