Dear students
This campus announcement aims to inform the UCT community about recent developments on campus.
1. Panel discussion on student voices and actions
The Department of Student Affairs will present a panel discussion on Thursday, 1 October at 17:00 titled “Student voices and actions: What does the future world look like?”. The discussion will be moderated by Rekgotsofetse Chikane, author of "Breaking a Rainbow, Building a Nation: The Politics Behind the #MustFall Movements", and includes speakers from Ghana, Namibia, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The event will be co-hosted by Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Transformation, Professor Loretta Feris and Students’ Representative Council President, Akha Tutu.
2. COVID-19 cases update
The university has not had any new reported COVID-19 cases since the last weekly update. As at 29 September, the reported cases among non-health sciences staff remains at 101, while recoveries increased to 90. The number of reported students’ cases is still 36, including 10 health sciences students on clinical platforms. The number of staff and students sadly lost to the pandemic remains nine and one respectively.
3. Reminder: AFC virtual dialogue and debate
A reminder that the Chair of the Academic Freedom Committee, Professor Elelwani Ramugondo, invites staff and students to a virtual dialogue and debate titled “Can research be harmful and if so, what does this mean for academic freedom?”. The event will be held on Wednesday, 30 September from 17:00 to18:30 via Microsoft Teams.
The dialogue and debate will be moderated by Professor Pierre de Vos and panellists will include Professor Ambroise Wonkam (Division of Human Genetics), Associate Professor Kelley Moult (Department of Public Law), Dr George Hull (Department of Philosophy) and Professor Marc Blockman (Division of Clinical Pharmacology).
The event will include an interactive question and answer session. Join this important dialogue and debate, it is open to all.
4. Reminder: Inaugural Lecture by Professor Hussein Suleman
Professor Hussein Suleman will present the next virtual Vice-Chancellor’s Inaugural Lecture titled “Computer Science at times of crisis: reflecting on societal drivers for software and algorithm design”. It will take place on Wednesday, 30 September 2020 at 18:00 via Microsoft Teams.
5. Applications for The Pitch UCT 2020 are open
The Pitch is an annual developmental space for students to showcase their entrepreneurial innovation and pitch their business ideas to a panel of four high-profile judges. Applications are open, and students are encouraged to showcase their entrepreneurial prowess for a chance to win up to R25 000 and six months of mentoring. Applications close Friday, 2 October 2020.
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COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March and implement a national lockdown from 26 March.
UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated regularly with the latest COVID-19 information.
Getting credible, evidence-based, accessible information and recommendations relating to COVID-19
The Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, are producing educational video material for use on digital platforms and in multiple languages. The information contained in these videos is authenticated and endorsed by the team of experts based in the Department of Medicine. Many of the recommendations are based on current best evidence and are aligned to provincial, national and international guidelines. For more information on UCT’s Department of Medicine, please visit the website.
To watch more videos like these, visit the Department of Medicine’s YouTube channel.
As the COVID-19 crisis drags on and evolves, civil society groups are responding to growing and diversifying needs – just when access to resources is becoming more insecure, writes UCT’s Prof Ralph Hamann.
03 Jul 2020 - 6 min read RepublishedThe Covid-19 crisis has reinforced the global consequences of fragmented, inadequate and inequitable healthcare systems and the damage caused by hesitant and poorly communicated responses.
24 Jun 2020 - >10 min read OpinionOur scientists must not practise in isolation, but be encouraged to be creative and increase our knowledge of the needs of developing economies, write Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, vice-chancellor of UCT, and Professor Thokozani Majozi from the University of the Witwatersrand.
09 Jun 2020 - 6 min read RepublishedSouth Africa has been recognised globally for its success in flattening the curve, which came as a result of President Ramaphosa responding quickly to the crisis, writes Prof Alan Hirsch.
28 Apr 2020 - 6 min read RepublishedIn an email to the UCT community, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said:
“COVID-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, is a rapidly changing epidemic. [...] Information [...] will be updated as and when new information becomes available.”
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.