What to expect when the power goes off

UCT's Upper, Middle and Lower Campuses, all residences and the Health Science Campus in Groote Schuur are in Area 15. Click Here to see the Campus Loadshedding Schedule.

Hiddingh Campus and the Graduate School of Business are in Area 7, so they may have different loadshedding schedules. Click here for the City of Cape Town's schedule for Areas 5 and 7, where UCT campuses are located.

https://loadshed.org/

Lifts

Please avoid using lifts just before planned loadshedding.

Some lifts have emergency dial-out systems, allowing communication with Campus Protection Services (CPS). If you are stuck in the lift, please use this function. Alternatively, use your mobile phone (if you have reception) to contact the CPS 24-hour toll-free number: 080 650 2222 or 021 650 2222/3.

CPS will contact the relevant lift company to dispatch a lift technician to open the lift. You are advised to remain calm and be patient as the lift technicians might be responding to passenger entrapments across the Cape Peninsula.

Some of the more modern lifts are equipped with grounding devices and will allow the lift to move to the next lowest floor and open there in the event of a power outage, while a few lifts are on backup generator feed and might continue to operate.

Access control systems

Should you experience a failure of any access control systems in your building after loadshedding, please phone 021 650 1199 during office hours or email Access Control access.control@uct.ac.za after hours, or in an emergency, please call the CPS 24-hour toll-free number: 080 650 2222 or 021 650 2222/3.

Limited mobility

Those with limited mobility, such as individuals in wheelchairs or on crutches, are most vulnerable during loadshedding. Therefore, staff and students need to be mindful of the loadshedding schedule and plan ahead wherever possible to prevent being stranded on a floor or in a room that may be challenging to exit during loadshedding.

Should mobility become impaired during a power outage, please call the CPS 24-hour toll-free number: 080 650 2222 or 021 650 2222/3.

Academic staff: Power outages during lectures

The objective is to continue teaching where possible. Anticipate loadshedding: there are many ways to do this.

Have a laptop with your slides so you can teach even if you cannot project the slides (or have a hard copy).
Record your lecture in advance or after the event and make your lecture recording and slides available on VULA/Amathuba.
If you are in a venue with a generator, wait up to 60 seconds for the generator to start and the power to resume. If the generator fails to power up, please log a maintenance call on 021 650 4321/2. Please remember that the generator will not power the air conditioning and/or ventilation.
If your venue has a UPS with established coverage to some lighting and power points, loadshedding might reduce some lighting and some power.
If your venue does not have UPS or a backup generator, or the generator fails to start, you need to determine whether there is enough natural light and ventilation to allow the lecture to continue. Consider alternative venues that have a backup or natural lighting.
Make any decision to end a lecture early because of loadshedding in consultation with the students. If you decide to vacate a lecture venue for any reason, please ensure it is done calmly.

Important note: Ventilation options will need to be considered in every venue, depending on how densely the venue is populated and if alternative ventilation is available, for instance, by opening the doors and windows. A working generator will provide power for lights and some plug points but not for air conditioning or ventilation.

Prepare your department for loadshedding

Keep up to date with the latest loadshedding stages and schedules.
Send out daily reminders/communications on the loadshedding schedule where possible.
Regularly test electricity backup systems, for example, UPS, batteries, and emergency lighting, to ensure it is in working order.
Please arrange for emergency systems to be tested to ensure it is in working order.
Ensure the work environment has sufficient and appropriate lighting when the power is off.
Remind staff to avoid areas that have insufficient lighting.
Staff and students should avoid congregating near generators when they are running as they produce fumes that may impact the health of the individual.
Please familiarise yourself with your environment, especially when it is affected by a power outage.
Remind staff to switch off all Eskom-connected electronic equipment before loadshedding is scheduled to start unless connected to UPS backup power.
Regularly check Access Control points in your area to ensure backup power is in place and in working order.
Regularly check emergency exit doors to ensure they are operational.
Ensure that passages, stairwells, and entrances are free of any obstacles that may cause injury, especially when visibility is affected.
Conduct regular emergency exit drills in the area.
Conduct regular Health and Safety inspections. The Health and Safety Representative for your area must perform and document these inspections.
Report any injuries or near-missed incidents on duty without delay so that appropriate action can be taken to prevent future incidents.
Report any maintenance-related issues that a power outage may impact, such as emergency lighting and access control concerns, via the Maintenance portal https://services.ps.uct.ac.za/