Campus announcements
VC Open Lecture and other updates
13 April 2022Dear colleagues and students
The first Vice-Chancellor’s Open Lecture in 2022 will be presented by Mr Fred Swaniker, founder and chief executive officer of African Leadership Group, on 13 April. Read more on this and other updates below.
1. VC’s Open Lecture: Fred Swaniker
Mr Fred Swaniker will present a lecture titled “The impact of the African youth on the 4th industrial revolution” as part of the Vice-Chancellor’s Open Lecture series, which will take place on the Microsoft Teams platform at 18:00 SAST.
- Read the VC Desk: VC’s Open Lecture: Fred Swaniker.
- Join the event (at 18:00 SAST).
2. Road closures for Two Oceans Marathon
The Two Oceans Marathon will take place over two days, Saturday, 16 April (half marathon) and Sunday, 17 April 2022 (ultra-marathon). Due to COVID-19 regulations, no spectators will be allowed. All students, staff and valid parking disc holders will be allowed on campus on both days of the event.
The following road closures will apply:
- On Thursday, 14 April from 09:00 Madiba Circle East will be closed intermittently. Please expect delays. Traffic officials will assist to control traffic until Tuesday, 19 April 2022.
- On Saturday, 16 April Upper/ Middle Campus will be closed from 04:30 to 14:00. The traffic department and CPS will control access.
- On Sunday, 17 April Upper/ Middle Campus will be closed from 04:00 to 14:00. The traffic department and CPS will control access.
- South Entrance from the M3 will be closed from 04:00 to 15:00 on both 16 and 17 April 2022 (race days). Expect delays from the North side on the day.
- The P1, P4, P5, P6 and P17 areas on Upper Campus will be closed from 18:00 on 16 April 2022 until 17 April 2022.
- The P6, P7, P8, P15, P16, Tennis Court area and Madiba Circle West areas will be used as prepaid parking.
- The P10, P11, P12, P14, P17 and Madiba Circle West areas will be reserved for UCT parking disc holders only on marathon day.
- Middle Campus P1, Economics and All Africa House will be used as prepaid parking. P2 will be reserved for Two Oceans Marathon.
3. UCT services to be impacted by ICTS maintenance
Please note that on Saturday, 30 April and Sunday, 1 May the Information and Communication Technology Services (ICTS) department will perform important data centre maintenance as part of the UCT Network Renewal Project. UCT email, Teams, and other Microsoft services will not be impacted, but Vula, PeopleSoft, and many others will be intermittently available during this period.
4. Library access over the long weekend
UCT Libraries will be closed from Friday, 15 April to Monday, 18 April. The Hlanganani 24/7 study space, the Law 24/7 study space and Impilo Junction will be open.
5. UCT vaccination site to be closed this weekend
Please note that the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre will be closed over the long weekend from 15–18 April 2022. The centre will reopen on Tuesday, 19 April 2022.
6. Update for postgraduate students and their supervisors
In almost all instances, obtaining a postgraduate degree is not a straightforward process. It can be costly, not just financially but also in the considerable dedication, commitment and, at times, emotional energy required to get over the finish line.
UCT has many important resources and services that postgraduate students can access to help make the process easier.
Communication and Marketing Department
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UCT’s response to COVID-19
COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March 2020. UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.
Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has in June 2022 repealed some of South Africa’s remaining COVID-19 regulations: namely, sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions under the National Health Act. We are now no longer required to wear masks or limit gatherings. Venue restrictions and checks for travellers coming into South Africa have now also been removed.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.
Campus communications
2022
UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre
On Wednesday, 20 July, staff from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences came together with representatives from the Western Cape Government at the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre at Forest Hill Residence to acknowledge the centre’s significance in the fight against COVID-19 and to thank its staff for their contributions. The centre opened on 1 September 2021 with the aim of providing quality vaccination services to UCT staff, students and the nearby communities, as well as to create an opportunity for medical students from the Faculty of Health Sciences to gain practical public health skills. The vaccination centre ceased operations on Friday, 29 July 2022.
With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.
“After almost a year of operation, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, located at the Forest Hill residence complex in Mowbray, will close on Friday, 29 July 2022. I am extremely grateful and proud of all staff, students and everyone involved in this important project.”
– Vice-Chancellor Prof Mamokgethi PhakengWith the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.
Frequently asked questions
Global Citizen Asks: Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe & Effective?
UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) collaborated with Global Citizen, speaking to trusted experts to dispel vaccine misinformation.
If you have further questions about the COVID-19 vaccine check out the FAQ produced by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF). The DTHF has developed a dedicated chat function where you can ask your vaccine-related questions on the bottom right hand corner of the website.
IDM YouTube channel | IDM website
“As a contact university, we look forward to readjusting our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2023 as the COVID-19 regulations have been repealed.”
– Prof Harsha Kathard, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning
We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.