Emergencies
UCT’s Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) is a collaborative collective designed to empower the university community with the knowledge and skills to effectively respond to and prevent sexual violence on campus and where such violence affects our staff and students off-campus. The team works to ensure that survivors of sexual violence access survivor-centered, compassionate care. 24-Hour Hotline 072 393 7824.
In the case of a sexual assault/assault or rape, the following action is recommended:
Note: You have access to medical care and treatment whether you lay a charge with the police or not. You may, however lay a charge at your local police station at any time, but also as soon as possible.
State hospitals (not private):
Private hospitals:
Rape Crisis couselling lines and support
SADAG (SA Depression and Anxiety Group) UCT Student Careline:
0800 24 25 26, free from a Telkom line or SMS 31393 for a call-me-back.
This line offers 24/7 telephonic counselling, advice, referral facilities and general support to students facing any mental health challenges or contemplating suicide. The line is available to offer support and advice to anyone who is concerned about a student who might be in distress. The line is able to advise and refer callers to both internal UCT resources and external (NGO, public and private) mental health resources.
Please make use of the SADAG UCT Student Careline if you are placed on a waiting list by reception at the Student Wellness Service or if you require emotional support while waiting for an appointment. The SADAG website contains useful information about mental health issues as well as details of their national helplines.
You can also contact the Psychiatric Emergency Unit of Groote Schuur Hospital.
Tel: 021 404 2175
For additional information:
Red Cross Hospital Tel: 021 689 5227 or 021 658 5308
Tygerberg Hospital Tel: 021 031 6129 or 021 938 6235
Mon – Sat: 08h30 – 22h00; Sun: 09h00 – 21h00
Emergency contraception (The “morning after pill”)
Available at pharmacies, emergency units or freecall 0800 117785
Some of this information comes from the UCT Student Wellness Service website http://www.students.uct.ac.za/students/support/health-counselling/student-wellness
Contact Details
Telephone: 021 650 1020
For appointments with the Medical team please use the online booking system.
Toll free numbers to call when you are in distress
Psychiatric Emergencies in Residences or on Campus
Students facing any mental health challenges or contemplating suicide, please also remember the SADAG (SA Depression and Anxiety Group) UCT Student Careline:
0800 24 25 26 free from a Telkom line or SMS 31393 for a call-me-back. This line offers 24/7 telephonic counselling, advice, referral facilities and general support to students facing any mental health challenges or contemplating suicide. The line is available to offer support and advice to anyone who is concerned about a student who might be in distress. The line is able to advise and refer callers to both internal UCT resources and external (NGO, public and private) mental health resources.
The Student Wellness Service
28 Rhodes Ave
Mowbray
Tel: 021 650 1017 / 1020
Email: counselling@uct.ac.za (for appointments only)
A variety of services are offered for health issues, including:
Confidentiality All medical consultations are strictly confidential, and will not be divulged to any other party outside of the Student Wellness Service, with the following exceptions:
Who are we?
We are a student counselling service, offering predominantly short-term counselling and psychotherapy, with the aim of ensuring that whatever personal, emotional or psychological problems you experience, the impact of these on your academic studies are kept to a minimum and your capacity for achievement is optimised. Please note that we experience high demand for the service, particularly from April until after the June examination and again from September / October until after the end of year examination. During these times, students trying to access psychotherapy from Student Wellness Services, may need to be placed on a waiting list. Should you have access to medical aid and/ or financial resources, we would like to encourage you to access psychotherapy from a private practitioner. Please find below an example of a website that could aid you in accessing a therapist directory: Therapist Directory Alternatively, you may contact Ntombizodwa Mzongwana at reception to request a list of referral sources.
Telephone: 021 650 1017
For appointments with the Counselling team please use the online booking system.
Problems that we can assist with
Some of the problems for which the Counselling service can provide assistance with include:
How are problems dealt with?
The Counselling service offers mostly individual psychotherapy, but a psychologist may recommend that a student attends group therapy which is an opportunity to work on problems in a confidential environment with peers. Furthermore, the psychologist may recommend that the student attends a skills-based group, which takes the form of developing of relevant life skills in a group setting. Referral of students to an appropriate agency can also be provided.
If you have been sexually harassed, you can inform your lecturer or trusted member of staff for guidance and/or contact Student Wellness Services (SWS) for counselling and advice:
28 Rhodes Ave
Mowbray
Tel: 021 650 1017 / 1020
Email: counselling@uct.ac.za (for appointments only)
A counsellor is available on Hiddingh campus on Fridays and appointments can be made via the above phone number (see Counselling as well). Please specify that you wish to see a counsellor at Hiddingh. Appointments can be made on other days at the SWS offices in Mowbray, on the same phone number.
The UCT Discrimination and Harassment Office (DISCHO) can advise you on how to proceed in officially reporting any matters of discrimination, harassment, domestic violence, and rape.
The Cottage
Lovers’ Walk
Lower Campus South, UCT
Tel: 021 650 3530
Ensure you understand what can be considered ‘sexual harassment’. This document is from the UCT Sexual Harassment Policy.
Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that violates the rights of a person. It constitutes serious misconduct and will result in disciplinary action.
Unwelcome sexual conduct includes behaviour that is perceived by the complainant as demeaning, compromising, embarrassing, threatening and/or offensive including physical, verbal and non-verbal conduct. Such conduct may be direct or indirect and may include technological devices, images and weapons. A single incident of unwelcome sexual conduct can constitute sexual harassment.
Unwelcome physical conduct ranges from touching to sexual assault and rape. Unwelcome verbal conduct includes innuendos, suggestions or hints of a sexual nature, sexual advances, sexual threats, comments with sexual overtones, sex-related jokes or insults, graphic comments about a person’s body, inappropriate enquiries about a person’s sex life, whistling of a sexual nature and the sending by electronic means or otherwise of sexually explicit text. Unwelcome non-verbal conduct includes gestures, indecent exposure and the display or sending by electronic or other means sexually explicit pictures or objects.
Special victimisation is any form of victimisation, discrimination or intimidation of a person for failing to submit to sexual advances.
UCT’s Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) is a collaborative collective designed to empower the university community with the knowledge and skills to effectively respond to and prevent sexual violence on campus and where such violence affects our staff and students off-campus. The team works to ensure that survivors of sexual violence access survivor-centered, compassionate care. 24-Hour Hotline 072 393 7824.
If you have no access to food, inform your lecturer, a mentor or a member of staff that you trust, or a counsellor at Student Wellness.
Whilst funding is not available to support students, provision can be made for emergencies, and funding permitting, for desperate situations in the short term.
The Disability Service offers support for physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which may impact a student’s participation and achievement in the university programs. The service can provide assessment and documentation for teaching staff to ensure that students with disabilities can secure particular consideration in order to participate in the course requirements fairly.
The Disability Service is located Steve Biko Students Union building, one floor above the Food Court, in the building next to the main Upper Campus Library, and one floor down from SHAWCO and the Student Societies offices. Access to the 4th floor is via the lift or stairs.
Students requiring support for disabilities should complete a registration form as soon as possible after registering to request support or special assistance known as ‘Reasonable Accommodations’. Applicants should bring any supporting documentation they have when registering with the service.
Disability Service Reception
Room 4.03, Level 4
Steve Biko Students Union Building, Upper Campus
Tel: 021 650 2427
Please note that this is under discussion and information may be updated in the near future.
If you feel that a staff member has engaged with you inappropriately, the following procedure is currently prescribed by the university – report the incident to the Programme Convener, if you are not satisfied, then to the Head of Department (HOD), then the Deputy Dean of Students, and Finally to the Dean of Humanities.
In Fine Art, the programme conveners are:
In the Faculty of Humanities: http://www.humanities.uct.ac.za/hum/contact/staff
If you are not comfortable approaching any of the fore mentioned, you can also contact your lecturer, a trusted member of staff, mentor or counsellor from Student Wellness.
The UCT Ombud, Ms Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa, will offer her services to the Hiddingh staff and students and anyone linked to the Hiddingh Campus on a monthly basis. The Ombud will provide the Hiddingh Campus community with a confidential, informal and independent resource to help raise concerns, resolve disputes and promote equitable treatment within the university. The Office of the Ombud offers a space that is independent, informal, impartial and confidential. For any further information, visit www.ombud.uct.ac.za/.
To book an appointment: Call Birgit 021 650 3665 or email birgit.taylor@uct.ac.za
The Writing Centre, located within the Language Development Group, is a student-oriented space which aims to provide mediation in the process of academic writing. Students from all disciplinary backgrounds as well as tertiary levels are encouraged to engage in the one-on-one consultancy service offered.
In one-on-one consultation sessions students can discuss their writing with an attentive, critical but non-judgmental reader. During these conversations with consultants, students can explore new ideas or expand on ones that are somewhat stilted, evaluate the clarity of proposed arguments as well as working towards creating a better sense of the inner workings of academic writing. Furthermore, help is also offered for general academic conventions such as referencing, proposal formats, report writing and poster design.
The Writing Centre does not provide an editing service but aims to enhance understanding of writing as a process, and to encourage a thinking-through-writing approach.
Students can book consultations online at uct.mywconline.com
Select “Writing Centre 2016″ this should bring up a schedule with each day and the names of the consultants on that day. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, you will see “Hiddingh Campus Consultation” in the list of consultant’s names. Click on a free time slot and book. writingcentre.uct.ac.za
In the Fine Art Department materials bursaries are offered from available funds raised by the school and can be applied for by motivation annually. Invitations to apply are posted on Vula. Amounts vary according to the number of applications and available funds.
Links include: Financial Aid, external funding, scholarships, bursaries
Links include: Applications & requirements, bursaries & scholarships.
Student Financial Aid office:
Tel: 021 650 3545
Email: FinancialAid@uct.ac.za
Student Financial Aid Office
Level 3, Kramer Law Building
Cross Campus Road, Middle Campus, Rondebosch
Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701
Careers Service offers advice, career information and opportunities before applying to UCT and to all students during their degrees.
Students can:
For career-related queries, email careers.service@uct.ac.za.
In urgent situations, services can also be accessed at other locations in the university – see UCT website
Michaelis School of Fine Art
University of Cape Town
31 -37 Orange Street Gardens
8001 Cape Town
South Africa
Tell: 021 650 7111
Fax: 021 424 2889