UCT is committed to promoting sustainable and inclusive dining options across its campuses, ensuring that all members of the university community have access to diverse and nutritious meals. This commitment is visible in UCT’s Food Sovereignty Programme, which in 2024 provided monthly grocery packs and lunch vouchers redeemable at Food & Connect outlets for students experiencing food insecurity.
Free soup in winter / “Station of Inspiration” support: the Health Sciences Student Development & Support Office (Faculty of Health Sciences) offered free hot soup for all FHS undergrad/postgrad students (3 June-30 September 2024; weekdays) at Food & Connect, Barnard Fuller Building. Also, during exam periods there is a “Station of Inspiration” offering drinks, fruit, sandwiches etc.
In addition, the UCT Student Support & Services Handbook lists campus food vendors offering vegetarian, vegan, halal and kosher meals, allowing students to identify healthier or culturally appropriate food choices on Upper, Middle, Lower, Michaelis, Graduate School of Business and Health Sciences campuses.
Campus food provision includes a university retail/catering brand called Food & Connect (present on several campuses), a formal Cissie Gool / Food Court on Upper Campus with multiple independent vendors (including halal and vegan options), and a number of named independent stall/vendors (listed in the Student Support Services handbook) operating at residence, library and faculty buildings.
- The Cissie Gool Plaza Food Court (Upper Campus) is a main food court on Upper Campus with a range of traders (fresh fruit/veg, fast foods, vegan/halal options) and UCT’s Food & Connect central store nearby (Otto Beit / Cissie Gool area).
- Food & Connect outlets are listed for the Kramer Law Building, Leslie Social Science Building and other Middle Campus sites.
- Lower Campus / Chris Hani / Residences / Sports areas: multiple tuckshops, Sports Centre tuckshop, The Healthy Bear, Bagels & Bubbles, and other vendors serving Lower Campus / Chris Hani / residence areas; many are described as providing sandwiches, salads and home-prepared vegetarian meals
- Michaelis School of Fine Art / Hiddingh campus: Faye’s – home prepared meals (halaal) serves healthy meals on this campus.
- Health Sciences / Groote Schuur (Barnard-Fuller, IIDMM): there are two food vendors in addition to small caterers (Rade’s – home prepared vegetarian meals) in the Health Sciences area.
- Halaal and vegetarian meals are provided on request in UCT Student Housing
- Vegan meals and snacks are served from a concession stall located in the Kramer Building
- Kaplan Centre (Rachel Bloch House, UCT Upper Campus) houses “Jean’s Kitchen”, a cafeteria whose menu is described as “a vibrant and changing menu of modern Mediterranean food, as well as excellent coffee and pastries.” All food served is kosher.