Dear CUT Staff, Alumni, Council, and External Partners

We hope that you are well and coping with what will be our new normal for the foreseeable future. In response to these ever-evolving challenges experienced by our students, employees, and society at large, CUT established the CUT COVID-19 Relief Fund (CCRF) to lend local support.

The fund is governed by a CCRF committee under the custodianship of the CUT Chief Financial Officer. The CCRF committee reviews relief-seeking applications and make transparent and objectively justifiable relief-granting decisions. Relief granted thus far has been financial or in-kind, for example, personal care products, food items, CUT-branded COVID-19 masks, hand sanitizers, and services aimed at assisting vulnerable community members, non-profit organisations, as well as CUT students and staff. Qualifying criteria include that the student must not be: (i) a bursary recipient; (ii) a recipient of postgraduate funding; (iii) part of the Poverty Alleviation Programme at the Wellness Centre; or (iv) an NSFAS recipient.

To date, we have received financial and in-kind contributions to the value of R561 979, and made a total pay-out of R428 000 to needy students, food parcels to vulnerable community members, and tablets for our students from the CCRF. We are deeply grateful for all the support received from staff, alumni, CUT Council, Standard Bank South Africa, First National Bank and IFG; however, the need remains dire, hence we implore all CUT stakeholders to display extraordinary generosity by contributing to the CCRF. No contribution, in cash or in-kind, is considered as being too small.

In addition, our CUT Wellness Centre assisted 334 students, with poverty relief, meal vouchers, and postgraduate support to a value of R521 104 during the first five months of this year. Our students and staff also experience increased stress, anxiety, and depression due to the uncertainty of new ways of doing things, and other challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Wellness Centre offers online counselling services to students and they can request help through either the StuComm App or send an e-mail to wellness@cut.ac.za. Staff can access Careways for support.

As an institution, we will continue to maximise our ability to provide support, but we are deeply reliant on the continued generosity from our internal and external stakeholders. Please visit https://www.cut.ac.za/cut-covid19-relief-fund for more detail and contribution procedures. Be assured that each contribution will be well-managed and used to support COVID-19 affected organisations and individuals. Thank you in advance for your kind support.

May you all be blessed! E se e ka Ramasedi a ka le hlohonolofatsa! Mag julle almal geseënd wees!

Prof. Henk de Jager
Vice-Chancellor and Principal

Download the VC communique, English 17 June 2020 (PDF)