UCT assessing the extent of damage, ready to resume academic programme
The University of Cape Town (UCT) is still assessing the extent of damage following the fire that ravaged some of its buildings and led to the evacuation of residences on campus.
Last weekend’s fire ripped through a section of the Rhodes Memorial Restaurant and quickly spread to adjacent areas.
Historical artefacts and documents were lost when flames also engulfed the university's Jagger library.
At least 70 000 items from the African Studies Published Print Collection, the entire African Studies Film Collection on DVD, all the university calendars, government publications and manuscripts were among the damaged items.
UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola says the university has begun the process of saving some items from the destroyed African Studies collection.
“Over the weekend there was a continued effort as part of the UCT library salvage project to see what other material can be salvaged. After the process has been concluded, we will know what damage had resulted from the fire both in terms of the names of the building, what items have been damaged completely, which items can be restored and we will be able to issue an update once the owners of the specific damaged items have been informed.”
Listen to Elijah Moholola below:
He says all students are back at the residences and the university is ready to commence the academic programme.
“We now have all our students back in residences, the process of returning students took place on Thursday and all 4000 of them who have been evacuated in an emergency on Sunday are now back in residences.
“The academic programme will resume on Monday, 26 April. The faculties will each manage the lost week in terms of the curriculum and will communicate with their students about scheduled tests and assignments.”
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