Dear colleagues
This campus announcement aims to inform the UCT community about recent developments on campus.
1. VC’s Open Lecture: Amina J Mohammed
The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) and Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group, Her Excellency Amina J Mohammed, will be the keynote speaker of the third Vice-Chancellor’s Open Lecture in 2020. The virtual lecture, titled: “Decade of action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): So what?” will take place on Wednesday, 14 October 2020 at 18:30 SAST.
2. Integrating our approach to inclusivity and transformation
UCT has adopted an integrated approach to address the findings of three critical reports with an important outlook on its transformation trajectory. The three critical reports are the 2019 Staff Inclusivity Survey, Professor Bongani Mayosi’s Panel Enquiry, and the Institutional Reconciliation and Transformation Commission. The approach has been adopted due to the seriousness with which the university views the key common points that emerged from the reports. These include bullying, emotional wellbeing, racial and other forms of discrimination and harassment, and retention, advancement and leadership.
3. Reminder: Online staff assembly on 13 October
Staff are reminded of the online assembly to be held from 11:30 to 13:00 on Tuesday, 13 October 2020, during which there will be an update on UCT’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the university’s thinking on the phased return to work on campus in the future. The executive will provide updates from their various portfolios and there will be an opportunity for questions and to address concerns from staff.
4. Reminder: Nominations for VC’s Excellence Awards
UCT staff are urged to nominate individuals or teams for the Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards. Eligible candidates are those who have gone over and above the call of duty to make a difference to the lives of other people. The awards recognise members of the UCT community who make an outstanding contribution to the university’s mission and objectives through innovation or improvement in services, and/or sustained exceptional performance in an area or areas beneficial to the university and its strategic imperatives. The nominations can be made in one of the three categories: global citizenship, service excellence and transformation.
5. Update on COVID-19 cases
UCT has not had any new reported COVID-19 cases since the last weekly update. As at 6 October, 101 cases had been reported among non-health sciences staff, with 90 recoveries. The reported students’ cases remain at 36, including 10 health sciences students on clinical platforms. Nine staff and one student have been sadly lost to the pandemic.
6. Mental health campaign
On Saturday, 10 October 2020, World Mental Health Day will be commemorated globally. The month of October is also Mental Health Awareness Month in South Africa, and in this regard ICAS will be running a month-long campaign surrounding mental health awareness. A 30-day challenge manual has been developed with daily challenges, while weekly throughout the month there will be articles, posters and images shared.
Mental health influences how you think, feel, and behave in daily life. It also affects your ability to cope with stress, overcome challenges, build relationships, and recover from life’s setbacks and hardships. Strong mental health isn’t just the absence of mental health problems. Being mentally or emotionally healthy is much more than being free of depression, anxiety or other psychological issues. Rather than the absence of mental illness, mental health refers to the presence of positive characteristics. Anyone can suffer from mental or emotional health problems – and over a lifetime most of us will. This year alone, about one in five of us will suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. Yet, despite how common mental health problems are, many of us make no effort to improve our situation.
7. UCT Conference Management Centre
With the advent of COVID-19, it has become frustrating to navigate the 'new normal' of conferences, virtual events and hybrid models, but with the UCT Conference Management Centre (CMC), it's easier than you think! The CMC offers a total event management solution with specialist services in all areas – from accommodation and registration to the latest technology solutions and design.
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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.