Cape Town - UCT has begun to put plans in place for students to return to residences the university said in a statement on Wednesday.
At the weekend, a devastating wildfire ripped through part of the university’s campus and destroyed buildings.
UCT students on campus and at surrounding residences in Rondebosch were evacuated, and some relocated to hotels in and around the Cape Town city centre.
On Wednesday, the university released a statement to confirm that work has begun to return students safely back into their residences.
The university said: “The fire resulted in the emergency evacuation of approximately 4 000 students. UCT has established a cross-divisional task team to coordinate the process of returning the students.”
UCT Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said: “Once we have cleaned the residences approved in terms of occupational health and safety, the task team will provide and co-ordinate transport back to university residences for all students in emergency accommodation. We will make alternative arrangements for those residences deemed unsafe due to fire damage.
She added: “We anticipate that we will be able to get students back into university accommodation on Thursday, 22 April, barring unforeseen issues. Our priority is the safety and health of every student, and to create the conditions necessary for a full return to the university’s academic programme as soon as possible.”
“We have fortunately been able to provide emergency accommodation for all affected students. Generous donations from across the country have provided for a steady supply of provisions, which have been distributed to our students. As with any emergency evacuation of this nature, there have been logistical challenges that we have worked hard to address. I am particularly grateful to the SRC for their close assistance in meeting these challenges,” said Phakeng.