Celebrating women S · Celebrating women PROFESSOR Patricia Berjak from the School of Biological and Con-servation Sciences was invested ... extent tended to undervalue work done

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Ins ide33333 Face-to-face with Nceba GqaleniFace-to-face with Nceba GqaleniFace-to-face with Nceba GqaleniFace-to-face with Nceba GqaleniFace-to-face with Nceba Gqaleni 77777 Focus on internationalisationFocus on internationalisationFocus on internationalisationFocus on internationalisationFocus on internationalisation 88888 UKZN achieversUKZN achieversUKZN achieversUKZN achieversUKZN achievers 1313131313 Teaching and learningTeaching and learningTeaching and learningTeaching and learningTeaching and learning

Celebrating womenCelebrating womenCelebrating womenCelebrating womenCelebrating women

PROFESSOR Patricia Berjak fromthe School of Biological and Con-servation Sciences was investedwith the Order of Mapungubwe:Silver – by His Excellency, Presi-dent T M Mbeki, at a ceremony inPretoria on 27 September in recog-nition of her "excellent achieve-ments in and contributing to theunderstanding of seed science".

The Order of Mapungubwe isSouth Africa's highest honour. Itwas instituted on 6 December

2002, and is granted by the Pre-sident of South Africa for achieve-ments in the international areawhich have served South Africa'sinterests. The order has four classes:

Platinum (OMP), for excep-tional and unique achievements,Gold (OMG), for exceptionalachievements,Silver (OMS), for excellentachievements,Bronze (OMB), for outstandingachievements.

The order is named afterMapungubwe, an ancient Africannation which existed a thousandyears ago in what is now thenorthern part of the Limpopoprovince.

Other recent recognition of PatriciaBerjak as a scientist include herbeing the 2004 recipient of theDistinguished Woman ScientistAward of the National Departmentof Science and Technology, and,also in 2004, being elected as a

Fellow of the Third World Aca-demy of Sciences.

In his media release recordingProfessor Berjak's achievement,Executive Director: Public Affairsand Corporate CommunicationsProfessor Dasarath Chetty said: "Itis academics of this calibre that givethe University of KwaZulu-Natal its'World Class' reputation. We are par-ticularly proud of this achievement."

- Indu Moodley

Mapungubwe awardMapungubwe awardMapungubwe awardMapungubwe awardMapungubwe award

Professor Berjak.

Staff and studentscame out in largenumbers on 11August to attendUKZN's Women'sDay event. The

celebration, whichwas organised by the Equity Office,commemorated the 50th anniver-sary of the women's march to theUnion Buildings. The University'sfirst publication to celebrate wo-men's achievements at the Insti-

tution, UKZN Women Making aDifference, was launched by PublicAffairs and Corporate Communi-cations Executive Director, Pro-fessor Dasarath Chetty.

Lubna Nadvi, lecturer in Politicsand political analyst, reflected onthe significance of the march 50years on. She noted that partici-pants were committed to disman-tling apartheid and bringing aboutdemocracy, the fruits of which we

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Professor Fatima Meer and Ms Reena Budree, Executive Director: Equity, at the UKZN women's celebration.

enjoy today. While much has beenachieved in terms of women'srights, she challenged the Uni-versity community to "build thekind of university that we want ourchildren and our offspring to attend".

SRC President on the HowardCollege campus Sibu Sibiya spokeabout the challenges that faceyoung women in leadership and intertiary institutions. Noting that theUniversity has very few support

mechanisms in place to assistwomen to reach their full potential,she advised young women not to"compromise who they are", but tobreak down the barriers that havebeen created by both women andmen.

UKZN alumnus and liberationactivist Professor Fatima Meerdescribed in vivid detail the signi-ficant role South African womenplayed in the liberation struggle.

Noting that the majority came fromthe ranks of the poorest of the poor,she said that it was "remarkable thatthey were so courageous". Whilethe struggle against apartheid hasbeen won, Professor Meer cau-tioned that "we have not wonagainst poverty and equality. Weare grateful for the constitution butwe can not sit and be satisfied. Westill have a long way to go".

- Thembeka Dlungwane

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The ukzndaba teamThe ukzndaba teamThe ukzndaba teamThe ukzndaba teamThe ukzndaba team

Dasarath Chetty Deanne Collins Bhekani Dlamini Fikisile Mabaso Thembeka Dlungwane Vidhya Singh

Send your news to [email protected]

Professor Dasarath Chetty, Executive Director,Public Affairs and Corporate Communications

EditorialEditorialEditorialEditorialEditorial

The Equity

Dialogue

The maxim 'equal pay forequal work' is often citedby staff members at the

University who feel that they arenot being paid fairly, but there isno direct reference to this maximin the legislation of South Africa.This article examines what theprinciple means in our context.

The Bill of Rights in our Constitu-tion prohibits any form of unfairdiscrimination, either direct or in-direct. In this regard, the Constitu-tion provides that in interpretingthe Bill of Rights we must considerinternational law. South Africa isparty to a number of internationaltreaties. These include conventionsof the International Labour Organi-sation (ILO). Some of these Con-ventions (100 and 111) prescribeequality of opportunity and treat-ment in employment as well as theapplication to all workers of theprinciple of equal remuneration formen and women workers for workof equal value.

Although it makes no direct refer-ence to equal pay, section 6(1) ofthe Employment Equity Act whichprohibits direct or indirect unfairdiscrimination in all employmentpolicies or practices, forms the basisof pay equity claims in SouthAfrica.

Equal Pay for equal workversus work of equal valueIt is generally accepted that ifpeople perform the same or similarwork they should be paid the same.However, in international law thereis often reference to the notion of'work of equal value'. This refersto the economic or social worth ofa job to an employer and it there-fore transcends job categories.Whilst this notion has been criti-cised as being vague, it neverthe-less addresses some of the struc-tural foundations of wage disparity.For example, society has to a largeextent tended to undervalue workdone predominantly by women.The sexual division of labour,therefore, resulted in some jobs,like secretarial work and house-keeping, being perceived as wo-men's work. These tend to be lowerpaying jobs, yet the contributionmade by these jobs impacts onefficiency and excellence andultimately the success of any entity.

Establishing a case of unfairdiscriminationAn employer may pay differentwages for equal work or work ofequal value provided that thereason for doing so is not dis-crimination on one of the pro-hibited grounds e.g race, gender,origin etc. An employer may, forexample, have a seniority system,whereby employees get an auto-matic increase for every year theywork (similar to our notchingsystem). A long-serving employeemay thus earn much more than anew employee doing the same job.Similarly, employers may have asystem of performance increaseslike our merit notches. Anotherexample is where the employerlooks at the scope or extent of thejob. For example, two employeesperform the same functions but onefor a department and the other fora college. Two important consider-ations arise out of the equal pay forequal work or work of equal valuedebate. The first is market-relatedsubventions and the second, em-ployment equity subventions.

Market-related subventionsWhere there is a scarcity of skillsand an employer has to compete fora limited pool of staff it may benecessary to supplement the normalsalary for the job in order to attractskilled people. This can be doneeither as a blanket subvention forthat particular job category or foran individual whom the employerwishes to employ. Whether marketsupply and demand can legitimisepay disparities is not clear – eitherin our case law and in that of othercountries. The market itself isdynamic and what often happens isthat employers pay market-relatedsalaries which are regularly revised.

Employment equity-relatedsubventionsAn interesting debate is whether theneed for employment equity couldbe used to defend pay discrimi-nation. In other words, could weoffer more to target designatedgroups, like Africans, in order toattract and retain them? In terms ofSection 15(2) d and 15(3) of theEmployment Equity Act, measuresto ensure that there is equitablerepresentation of the designatedgroups may include preferentialtreatment. However, section 15(2) b

Equal pay for equal workEqual pay for equal workEqual pay for equal workEqual pay for equal workEqual pay for equal workrequires the employer to diversifybut have due regard to the equaldignity of all people. It is thereforethe responsibility of an employerto make a decision in this regard,taking into account all the factors.One of the most important of thesewill be its impact on the morale andmotivation levels of staff of otherraces. There is also the possibilityof racial polarisation and theimpact on the beneficiaries them-selves needs to be considered.

University positionCurrently, there is no universitypolicy relating to subventions

although one is being developedthrough Council. In relation to payoffers, the current practice is tooffer a candidate a salary that fallsinto a category one notch higherthan their previous earnings (basedon a comparative level on ourPeromnes or academic scales).However, because many Black andfemale candidates earn lowersalaries, there is potential for thissystem to benefit the better repre-sented race groups and perpetuateimbalance in earnings. To preserveour equity goals, a higher pay offercannot be made to an appointablecandidate who is not from the target

designated groups without firstoffering that higher salary to theappointable target candidate.

What do you think? Should pay bedetermined along race and genderlines? How do you think this willaffect relations among staff?

The University is reviewing itsEmployment Equity Policy. Makesure we hear your voice. Send allcomments or queries toequity @ukzn.ac.za

- The Equity Office

Real reasons to be proudTHE individual and collective

achievements of UKZN women and theinstitutional achievements of UKZN are abundantly clear in

this edition. Both lead articles relating to the Women's Day celebrationorganised by the Equity Office and the Mapungubwe award bestowed on

Professor Pat Berjak reflect both our demonstrated commitment to equitable genderrelations and an outstanding achievement by one of the country's leading researchers.

A UKZN honorary degree recipient, Dr Phyllis Naidoo, launched her book 156 Hands thatBuilt South Africa on the Westville campus, recounting the personal trials and tribulations of the

156 treason trialists. In addition, Nella de Waal co-ordinated an art exhibition which commemorateda centenary of Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha and was honoured to meet the president of India, Dr

Abdul Kalam, at the Travancore Art Gallery in New Delhi. Women's achievements are also covered inthe article on rural crafters whose entrepreneurship is being supported by the Carl and Emily Fuchs

Foundation through the Centre for Environment, Agriculture and Development (CEAD). The Dean of theFaculty of Management Studies, Professor Pumela Msweli-Mbanga was awarded a Humanitarian Award inthe US Virgin Islands. We are also proud that Professor Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala has been appointed as anadvisor to UNAIDS for HIV prevention in Southern Africa.

At a policy level the Equity Dialogue on the maxim "equal pay for equal work" covers the interesting institution-wide debates in progress as it relates to our Constitution and international law.

And whilst our UKZN women continue to excel, so do the men. Professor Johan David Raal was presentedwith a gold medal from The South African Institute of Chemical Engineers in recognition of his lifetimecontribution in Thermodynamics. UKZN Vice-chancellor, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba was

honoured by the World Medical Association as one of only 65 physicians to be included in a bookCaring Physicians.

These, and a whole rage of other achievements, all matters of facts and documented inthis issue reveal the University's pursuit of excellence in all fields. As a result, the

University was rewarded by being named one of the top five best manageduniversities in South Africa after being evaluated by Top Companies

Publishing and Events who conducted an evaluation of over 4000companies nationally.

Stakeholders at UKZN have real reasonto be proud.

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FaceFaceFaceFaceFaceFace Face Face Face Face 22222WHAT is your view of UKZNthree years after merger?

The vision and mission of UKZNsets it apart and makes me feelproud to be part of this new insti-tution that has set its priority onAfrica scholarship. The signs arebeginning to show; through re-search and other ratings, that wewill be a force to reckoned with inAfrica and the world. I think UKZNhas a lot to do to market its achieve-ments and how its activities arealigned to its vision and mission.

I am also proud that among the topUniversities in South Africa, ourstaff and student demographics areby far the best. Our University Ex-ecutive is the most representative.Women play an active role in everyfacet of our life: in unions, studentstructures, and in academic leader-ship. We still have a lot of work todo as our recently approved Em-ployment Equity Plan persuades us.I am pleased that UKZN is reallyputting a great effort into equity.

Merging is a tough exercise and weare all feeling tired from theexercise. This is manifest bystrained relations and fighting.However, I am sure that if we putour energy into building UKZN a

new vibrant spirit will emerge thatwill be contagious, attracting staffand students to this Kingdom.

Lastly, UKZN really symbolises, ina real way, the parting with the oldapartheid institutions. A new insti-tution with a new culture is beingborn. The people who will reallyenjoy this will be our new studentsand staff, who come with no bag-gage from the previous institutions.

Are the new governance struc-tures and the Statute in line withthe vision and the transforma-tion of the University?

Professor Nceba Gqaleni, Deputy Dean: Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, provides another view on transformation at UKZN

UKZN is not paying lip serviceto transformation. Our struc-tures are representative now.Everyone has a say. We candebate any issue and reach adecision. This is the strength ofUKZN. All that remains is forus to roll up our sleeves anddeliver to South Africa an in-stitution that citizens in Um-hlanga Rocks, Umgababa, andUmdloti will be proud of to thesame degree.

How is the African Forum con-tributing to and debating the newshape and form of UKZN?

The African Forum exists to fostera culture of research and scholar-ship among African academics inline with the core business of anyUniversity. It's a support andnetworking structure. In addition,we are committed to adding ourvoices to debates on how we thinkthis Institution should transformitself. We do not speak for everyoneat UKZN but we feel our voice,as previously marginalisedpeople, should be heard. Wespeak from our perspective andwe are willing to subject ourviews to open debate. I must add,though, that we will engagerobustly on matters we feelstrongly about.

Is freedom of expression valuedand encouraged at UKZN?

Who is not free? A university is aplace where ideas are generated orchallenged through robust engage-ment. As far as I know, mostdecisions take place at the level ofthe discipline, then school, untilCouncil. I have never heard ofpeople in disciplines expressing alack of freedom to do their jobs. Infact, students are now more free toengage on what kind of curriculumand university they want. The oldmethods of teaching have changed

to more participatory ones. Thismay make it difficult for some staffto adapt. Our unions are strong andI like that we have an equally strongmanagement. On the whole, I seepeople writing freely in news-papers, speaking freely on TV, inan engaging way. What I don'tagree with is people who abuse thatfreedom by taking confidentialdocuments to the media and thosewho do not attend meetings ofcommittees they belong to whoresort to using different forumsinstead. I think they lack organi-sational discipline.

What is your view on the groupof 14 academics critical of cur-rent transformation initiatives?

I don't know them well and thus Imay not speak from an informedposition. I see them from a dis-tance. On a positive note they arean important voice whomever theyrepresent. However, I think theylack direction, vision and anorganisational strategy that willallow them to articulate theirmission and programme of action.From my little knowledge oforganisations that make lastingimpact, what they lack are keyingredients. If they work on themthey will be a relevant force.

Professor Nceba Gqaleni.

TTTTTribute toribute toribute toribute toribute totreason trialiststreason trialiststreason trialiststreason trialiststreason trialistsVETERAN anti-apartheid activistand recipient of a UKZN HonoraryDegree Dr Phyllis Naidoo haslaunched a new book. 156 Handsthat Built South Africa is a tributeto the 156 people who werecharged in the 1956 Treason Trial.The book also celebrates the livesof the women who participated inthe struggle to liberate SouthAfrica.

Speaking at the launch at theWestville campus, Nisa Mlange,

Director of the BAT Centre, said"We salute you dela kufa, hero ofour struggle. We salute all thewomen who showed us the way.You give us the strength as you giveus power."

Dr Naidoo noted that "Times werehard for us, we got the freedom weenjoy today the hard way – that iswhy it is so precious for us today".


Boost for African literatureBoost for African literatureBoost for African literatureBoost for African literatureBoost for African literatureTHE University of KwaZulu-Natal(UKZN) Library has received amajor boost from the CarnegieCorporation of New York to sup-port expansion of its collection ofliterary materials published in andabout Africa.

The University already has one ofthe world’s finest collections ofAfrican literature and other relatedmaterials located at its Centre forAfrican Literary Studies on thePietermaritzburg campus. As theCentre is a specialist facility whichsupports literary research andpostgraduate programmes, thegrant from the Carnegie Corpo-rationwill be used to acquire works for theUniversity’s main libraries, thus pro-viding access to African literatureto a broader spectrum of students.

Overall, the five campus librariesalready have relatively good col-lections of African materials. Dueto budgetary constraints, however,ongoing development of thesecollections has been unavoidablycurtailed in recent years. Not onlywill the grant permit the Universityto renew and update these, but itwill also enable purchase of thefirst release of the online AfricanWriters Series. This is described as“African writing for an African

readership” and an “historic col-lection in online form (that) re-stores access to a substantial bodyof literature, much of which is outof print”. The online database willbe accessible to students andresearchers across all five cam-puses. The Library has secured an80% discount on the normal priceof the database, leaving substantialresources for the purchase of otherAfrican materials.

Expressing gratitude to theCarnegie Corporation, Howard

College campus librarian NoraBuchanan noted that the award willbe utilised expressly in pursuit ofthe vision of UKZN. “In line withthe University’s goal of becomingthe Premier University of AfricanScholarship, our library aims toexpand and enrich its collectionsof African literature and othermaterials. Acquisition of the worksof African writers will providestudents with the opportunity todevelop a knowledge of, and lovefor, African writing. In addition, thegrant will clearly benefit thebroader South African researchcommunity, as well as the manyinternational scholars who visit orcontact the University librariesspecifically to make use of ourcollection of African literature.”

The grant supplements another re-cent award by the Carnegie Cor-poration to the libraries of a consor-tium of three universities(KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Town, andWitwatersrand) which is intendedto strengthen collaboration acrossSouth Africa’s academic libraryservices.

- Sean Jones

Originally published in Develop-ment Brief, November 2006.

Acknowledgement: Alistar Nixon.

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UKZN has been named oneof the top five bestmanaged universities in

South Africa. The University wasalso recently ranked as one of thetop 500 universities in the world bya Chinese university survey, one ofonly four South African institutionsranked.

Mr Yusuf Seedat, Project Managerof Top Companies Publishing andEvents, presented the award toUKZN Vice-Chancellor ProfessorMalegapuru Makgoba andProfessor Dasarath Chetty on 13September. Top Companies con-ducted an evaluation of 4 184

companies countrywide beforedeciding on the winners. Theyincluded companies in the businesssector, mining industry, financialinstitutions and institutions ofHigher Education. The other insti-tutions listed in the top 5 areUNISA, the University of CapeTown, the University of the Wit-watersrand, and StellenboschUniversity.

The evaluation process involvedthree key indicators:

Transformation, human re-sources development and effi-ciency, which focused mainlyon job creation, empowerment

Mr Yusuf Seedat, Project Manager of Top 500 Companies. presents theaward to UKZN Vice-Chancellor Professor Malegapuru Makgoba andExecutive Director of Public Affairs and Corporate Communications,Professor Dasarath Chetty.

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status, skills train-ing andsocial responsibility.Revenue generation and pro-fitability, which includessources of funding, researchdevelopment and marketshare.Operational efficiency whichemphasised global elementslike internationally recognisedacademics, attraction of globalinvestors, internationalscholars and students andbeing globally competitive incurriculum development.

Presenting the award, Mr Seedatsaid: "This accolade bears testi-mony to the administration of theUniversity in striving to attract andretain the best talent. The top 500research process is an excellentevaluation of the current perfor-mance at the University. "

The University was also nominatedas one of South Africa's "TopGovernment Agencies as a result ofits contribution to Broad-BasedBlack Economic Empowermentand Transformation." Criteria usedby Impumelelo included the num-ber of black executive directors,employment equity, skills develop-ment, market leadership, BEEprocurement, enterprise develop-ment and annual turnover.

- Bhekani Dlamini

PUBLIC Affairs and CorporateCommunications hosted seniorjournalists from different mediaorganisations on 13 September.Representatives from the DailyNews, the Mercury, the SundayTribune, Sunday Times, Isolezwe,SABC Radio news and BonaMagazine were briefed on infra-structural developments takingplace at UKZN.

Vice-Chancellor, ProfessorMalegapuru Makgoba explainedthe nature of the changes andupgrades. He said that "we havebeen given an opportunity to makechanges in order to create a betterinfrastructure for future gene-rations. When we leave the stage,people must remember us for thepositive change and the equitablecampuses at the University".

Professor Dasarath Chetty, Ex-ecutive Director of Public Affairsand Corporate Communicationsannounced that R400m has beenearmarked for this consolidationand upgrade exercise. The Depart-ment of Education has providedfunds amounting to R150 milliontowards the project. Profesor

Journalists witnessJournalists witnessJournalists witnessJournalists witnessJournalists witnesscampus upgradecampus upgradecampus upgradecampus upgradecampus upgrade

Makgoba said that this is first timethat an institution of higher learninghas received such an amount ofmoney for infrastructural develop-ment in South Africa. Seventy fivepercent of the funds will be spenton the Westville campus, with thebalance being devoted to facilityupgrades on Edgewood, HowardCollege and Pietermaritzburgcampuses. Badly-needed upgrad-ing of buildings, laboratories,teaching facilities and equipmentwill be undertaken.

Journalists were also taken on atour around the Westville campusto see the sites where building andrenovation is taking place. Profes-sors Sadha Pillay (Head of Physics),Jane Meyerowitz (Deputy Dean ofScience) and Andrew Kindness(Head of Chemistry) explained to thejournalists how the new facilities willbenefit students and the Universityas a whole. Professor Pillay saidthat both students and staff areextremely excited about the state-of-the-art Physics and ChemistryLabs and the Computer Labs thathave already been completed.

- Bhekani Dlamini

Journalists donned hard hats for their tour of the new facilities on theWestville campus.

BUSINESS minded students whoare members of the Black Manage-ment Forum (BMF) on the HowardCollege campus recently invitedprofessional women from differentsectors, including the South Afri-can Police Service, to mentor andinspire female students, and sharetheir experiences on career diffi-culties and challenges; juggling aprofession but also having a family;challenges of being a women inSouth Africa in a male dominatedsociety; and the secret of being theMillennium Women.

A culture of businessA culture of businessA culture of businessA culture of businessA culture of businessThe event was also intended toinspire and commemorate thecontribution that women havemade in the lives of young peopleand society as a whole.

The Director and Regional com-missioner of SAPS were invited torecognise the role women play inmaintaining law and order incommunities. They also engagedwith students on challenges theyface in discharging their duty.Students also invited their fellowBMF members from the Durban

(l-r) Director Shembe-Dotuane, SAPS eThikwini Region; Director Nkomonde, SAPS Midlands Region; andCommissioner Makhanya-Ojowura, SAPS KZN Province with student members of BMF.

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University of Technology to takepart in the event.

BFM also held a gala dinnerentitled Black Leadership and Re-defining Skills Development, atwhich academics, business andgovernment leaders engaged in adiscussion forum to deliberate onthe skills and training needsrequired by the South Africaneconomy.

- Bhekani Dlamini

Cum laude lunchCum laude lunchCum laude lunchCum laude lunchCum laude lunchFOR the first time in the history of the University, UKZN Vice-Chancellor Malegapuru Makgoba hosted a congratulatory luncheonfor recent graduates who excelled academically. The function wasalso an opportunity to create a relationship with new alumni, andestablish ways in which they can contribute to their alma mater.

"All of you have beautiful minds which we are proud of. Excellencematters and it matters dearly to UKZN… we bask in your gloryunashamedly", said Professor Makgoba.

The Vice-Chancellor encouraged the new alumni to keep in touchwith the University, and to share their experiences with otherstudents. "We need people like you to drive excellence in theUniversity. You are at the beginning of your careers. You are therising stars of the community and the world. Make use of thisopportunity to benefit the University that you come from".


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Open DaysOpen DaysOpen DaysOpen DaysOpen Days

The Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine and the School of Nursing's exhibits at UKZN's OpenDay on the Howard College campus drew a great deal of interest from prospective students andthe public who participated in the interactive demonstrations of medical techniques. Theseincluded blood pressure testing, intubation of a patient and Body Mass Index tests.

There was also much interest in the Faculty of Health Sciences Optometry and OccupationalTherapy exhibits at the Westville campus Open Day.

UKZN alumnus, artist,poet, author, and moti-vational speaker Musa

Zulu presented five works of art tothe College of Humanities on20 September. His work was com-missioned by Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of theCollege of Humanities, ProfessorFikile Mazibuko. This is part of aseries of activities which aredes igned to cons t ruc t anidentity for the College and toexpress the diversity that isfound within it.

Musa is proud of his close ties withthe University. His father workedon the Howard College campus formany years. He himself studied atthe University to Honours level. Heremembers the construction of theEG Malherbe Library on the cam-pus. It was on his way home fromthe University in 1995 that he metwith the accident that resulted in his

being in a wheelchair, which hecalls his 'throne'.

"It's a pleasure to be back home,"said Musa, adding that he hopedstudents would "interrogate thepieces of art to keep them alive. Hebelieves a university is about thequest for balance. Educationalinstitutions have an important roleto play in "retelling the story ofAfrica". Musa is currently workingon a 2007 soccer calendar, de-picting mountains. The message isthat "despite our disabilities, westill have the ability to movebeyond the mountains".

Professor Terrence King from FineArt on the Pietermaritzburg campussaid that the artwork displayedwonderful connections in the way theyare drawn. He added that Musa showsa very high standard of drawing.

- Bhekani Dlamini

College receivesCollege receivesCollege receivesCollege receivesCollege receivesartworkartworkartworkartworkartwork

Musa Zulu presents his artwork to the College of Humanities.

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UKZN hosted a seminar on thelatest developments on the NationalSenior Certificate on 18 September.The event was attended by 80 schoolprincipals and guidance teachers.

Executive Director for PublicAffairs and Corporate Communi-cations Professor Dasarath Chettyinformed educators about themassive infrastructural develop-ments that the University has putin place. He noted that Universityfacilities are there to be used bycommunities and schools.

Addressing educators on the re-quirements for admission to theUniversity from 2009 onwards,Executive Director for AccessProfessor Elizabeth de Kadt urgedthem to advise learners to takemathematics as it remains a prere-quisite for many academic pro-grammes. She noted that discus-sions are far advanced with UKZNFaculties as to entrance require-ments based on the National SeniorCertificate. Required subject com-binations are being made availableto educators, and specific levels ofperformance in the various subjectsare presently being finalised. OnceSenate and Council have approvedthese new entrance requirements,full details will be sent out toprincipals so they can relay theinformation to the learners.

Professor de Kadt pointed out thatall applicants will be required todemonstrate good performance inEnglish (as a home language, or as

first additional language) becauseEnglish is the main medium ofinstruction at UKZN. A goodperformance in Mathematics re-mains an essential requirement formost programmes in Commerce,Medicine, Science and Engin-eering; Mathematical Literacy doesnot suffice. On the other hand,Mathematical Literacy or Mathe-matics are both acceptable for Lawand Humanities. IsiZulu is con-sidered an important subject forthose wanting to enter the HealthSciences. All Commerce pro-grammes require English andMathematics. Programmes inHumanities generally require Eng-lish and Maths Literacy as prere-quisites, except for Architecturewhich requires Maths.

(back l-r) Mr TS Reddy (Pinetown Boys High), Mr A Singh (Principal:Stanger Manor High), Mr Panday (Principal: Greenbury Secondary), MrS Naidoo (Principal: Phoenix Technical High).

(front l-r) Mr Gopie (Principal: New West Secondary), Mrs AC Nair (NewWest Secondary), Mrs Lynn Schroder (Guidance Counsellor: KingswayHigh), Mrs Lynn Campbell (Guidance Counsellor: Amanzimtoti High) andMrs Premilla Amin (Deputy Principal: Greenbury Secondary).

Seminar forSeminar forSeminar forSeminar forSeminar forEducatorsEducatorsEducatorsEducatorsEducators

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Regarding programmes in theFaculty of Education, Professor deKadt pointed out that students willneed to have included in theirNational Senior Certificate pac-kage any subjects in which theywant to specialise as teachers.Students who want to teach sciencewill need to meet the requirementsfor admission to science. Sheinformed educators that, in-creasingly, first-time students arewriting selection and placementtests, which identify their strengthsand weaknesses and assist theUniversity in determining areaswhich may require additionalsupport.

- Bhekani Dlamini

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UKZN's Centre for the Advance-ment of Science and MathematicsEducation (CASME) launched anEducation Centre to advance andenhance the teaching of these twoessential subjects in rural schoolsin uMzumbe, near Port Shepstoneon 7 September.

Established in 2005 after manyyears of brainstorming and plann-ing, the Phungase Education Centreis funded by SASOL. The Centrehas a library, computer centre anda resource centre where teachingequipment is stored. Dr JWFMuwanga-Zake from CASMEfacilitates the programme.

The Centre will serve as a centralpoint to train and offer workshopsto local teachers teaching grades 11and 12. Class visits are also part ofthe programme. Class visits aremore effective than workshops,says Mr Leslie Ndaba, CASMEProject Manager, because thisgives project facilitators an oppor-tunity to see teachers engaging withlearners and understand better howthey can help. He encouragedteachers to be committed to theproject and own it.

The Circuit Manger of uMzumbeDistrict, Mr MS Mkhize, said:"CASME has made a difference inevery learner's life." The Managerof Port Shepstone District, Mr SSMaphumulo, appealed for theexpansion of the project to includeprimary schools because he feelsthat a foundation needs to be built.

Mr MB Lushaba, a teacher atMdibaniso Comprehensive,

AdvancingAdvancingAdvancingAdvancingAdvancingScienceScienceScienceScienceScienceandandandandandMathematicsMathematicsMathematicsMathematicsMathematics

Dr Nadaraj Govender: SMTE; Mrs Tsepiso Khalema: CASME; DrThembakazi Mali: SASOL; Dr JWF Muwanga-Zake : CASME (standing);Mr Leslie Ndaba: CASME; Mr SS Maphumulo: Port Shepstone district;and Mr BS Mkhize: uMzumbe circuit.

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The 8th South African As-sociation for Jazz Edu-cation (SAJE) Conference

was hosted by UKZN's Centre forJazz and Popular Music from29 September to 1 October.

The conference was officiallyopened by the KwaZulu-NatalProvincial MEC for Arts, Cultureand Tourism, Mrs W G Thusi.

Jazz ConferenceJazz ConferenceJazz ConferenceJazz ConferenceJazz ConferencePi

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Dr Johnny Mekoa holds an award for service to jazz education from theInternational Association for Jazz Education at the SAJE Conference. Heis pictured with students from the Music Academy of Gauteng, which hefounded. Dr Mekoa was the first African student to graduate with a Degreein Jazz Studies from the former University of Natal.

IN response to the shortage ofhealthcare professionals inKwaZulu-Natal, the Faculty ofHealth Sciences at UKZN is train-ing physiotherapy assistants.

The programme aims to train staffwho are occupying physiotherapyassistant posts and prepare them forHealth Professions Council regis-tration.

Professor Lina Puckree, Head ofthe School of Physiotherapy, Sport

SHARING SKILLS: (l-r) Mr Danny Simbeye: Deptartment of Health; MsShobna Naidoo: Physiotherapist, Addington Hospital; Dr Sonil Maharaj:UKZN Physiotherapy; Professor Lina Puckree: HOD; Mrs GugulethuMkhize: Department of Health; Professor Sabiha Yusuf: Dean; Professor PGounden: HPCSA; and Ms Dain van der Reyden: Physiotherapy.

RRRRResponding to healthesponding to healthesponding to healthesponding to healthesponding to healthcare challengescare challengescare challengescare challengescare challenges

Introducing the MEC, ProfessorSihawu Ngubane, Deputy Dean:Humanities, Development andSocial Sciences, welcomed thedelegates and acknowledgedsponsors, South African PortOperations, South African MusicRights Organisation and Businessand Arts South Africa. In her ad-dress, Mrs Thusi said that UKZNhas played a key role in the pro-

motion of jazz as it was the firstHigher Education institution in thecountry to offer a degree in jazz.

The welcoming cocktail party wasfollowed by an opening concert atthe Howard College Theatre.

The Conference was attended bymore than 150 local and inter-national musicians as well aseducators who gave papers inkeeping with the theme: "Jazz theOriginal World Music". There werevisitors from Canada, Turkey,Sweden and the United States. ThePresident of the US-based Inter-national Association for JazzEducation gave an address at thereception. He reminded delegatesthat SAJE belongs to an important8 000 strong association and thatthe South African section is one ofthe most innovative and largestchapters outside the United States.

Reflecting on the conference,Professor Darius Brubeck said that"It was the largest ever gatheringof educators and jazz musiciansand also the most successful in termsof the standard of both researchpapers and public performance".

- Siyabonga Seme

Science and Optometry togetherwith task teams, selected anddeveloped the curriculum and atraining programme. Ms Dain vander Reyden who served as theChairperson of the Mid-level TaskTeam said this represented a lot ofcommitment from the task team todeal with ethical issues.

Started in 2005 after about threeyears of discussions, the partner-ship between UKZN and theKwaZulu-Natal Department of

Health is beginning to bear fruit.The first lecture kicked off on 26September 2006. The Departmentof Health has invested money tocover all costs involved and topurchase additional equipment thatwill be used during the training.Physiotherapy laboratories will bethe training venues for the assist-ants.

The 24 physiotherapy assistantscome from provincial hospitals andNGOs. They will attend lectures onthe Westville campus until theywrite their final examination inApril 2007. On completion of thetraining, they will write boardexaminations. The training pro-gramme, which will lead to theawarding of a certificate, will beextended to a two-year diploma infuture.

Dean of the Faculty of HealthSciences Professor Sabiha Essackcommended the Department ofHealth and Physiotherapy forputting together a programme insuch a short time and wishedassistants well in their futureendeavours.

- Bhekani Dlamini

applauded stakeholders for in-itiating such an effective project togive back to the community. Repre-senting principals, Mr ThulaniThwala from Mdibaniso Highcommended CASME for easingteacher challenges, adding thatrural schools are well placed toproduce potential scientists. ChiefWT Mavundla, also a principal atMabuthela High, stressed that poorMaths and Science education is alegacy of apartheid, as teachertraining colleges discouragedteachers from teaching these sub-jects

Director of CASME Mrs TsepisoKhalima said that "The link be-tween UKZN and CASME toprovide in-service and pre-serviceis very complimentary".

SASOL Manager of GovernmentRelations, Dr Thembakazi Mali,commented: "As a scientist myself,seeing a centre like this beinglaunched warms my heart …I amhappy to hear that the centre ismaking a positive impact onlearners…If there is lack of Mathsand Science, development willsuffer in our country. Every childneeds to learn Maths and Science".

Head of Science, Mathematics andTechnology Education (SMTE) atUKZN, Dr Nadaraj Govenderapplauded CASME for providingsuch a wonderful facility. Heencouraged teachers to make theresources work for the benefit oflearners.

- Bhekani Dlamini

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With the support of the International RelationsCommittee UKZN In-

ternational (UKZN-I) convened athree day conference to highlightthe Institution as a destination forinternational students and aca-demics, share information aboutour strategic collaborative partner-ships, and, perhaps most important,to engage the University commu-nity and partners in a colloquiumon the meaning of inter-nationalisation.

The conference was particularlyrelevant as UKZN is in the processof preparing key strategic planningdocuments and has identified'relational characteristics' as one ofits key element of institutionalidentity – that is, how the Univer-sity positions itself in relation to theexternal world. One consequenceof globalisation for universities isthat knowledge production anddissemination are no longer thepreserve of universities. In order totap into these diverse sources ofknowledge, the university needs toengage in partnerships at everylevel – at the individual, at thefaculty and at the institutional leveland at the local and internationallevels. Quality will increasingly bejudged on the number of partner-ships and collaborative arrange-ments built into our teaching,research and curriculum design.

The conference was planned tocontribute to the achievement of theUniversity's intention to be a worldclass university and global playerby ensuring its international rele-vance and competitiveness byengaging in collaborative inter-national teaching, research anddevelopment projects; inter-nationalising the curricula; increas-ing the number of internationalstudents and international studyexperiences for UKZN staff andstudents; and integrating inter-national and intercultural dimen-sions into all University activities.

The conference, which ran from 23to 25 August on the Howard Col-lege, Pietermaritzburg and West-ville campuses, was marked byinsightful presentations, inspiringdiscussions and debates. A blend ofinternational and local activitiespermeated the conference. TheDeputy Vice-Chancellor and Headof the College of Humanities, Pro-fessor Fikile Mazibuko officiallyopened the conference and pro-vided an overview of the vision andmission of UKZN with a particularfocus on African Scholarship. "AnAfrican University", said ProfessorMazibuko, "seeks to affirm thedignity of the African people".Introducing the conference,Director of UKZN International DrRoshen Kishun said: "UKZN hasthe potential to be a great insti-

tution. But great universities needto let the world know they have apurpose and a vision concerningwhat they are and what they seekto become."

Welcoming delegates to the Uni-versity, Vice-Chancellor andPrincipal Professor MalegapuruMakgoba informed the delegatesthat one of the advantages of themerger was that research pro-ductivity shot up by 40% comparedto previous years, adding that itgrew despite the trauma and an-xiety surrounding the merger. Heinvited delegates to visit the newlyrefurbished laboratories in Physics,Chemistry and Statistics, which hedescribed as "the best on theContinent and first class facilitiesin modern times". He also said thatUKZN is the only institution on theplanet that will be offering IsiZuluas a medium of instruction withGoogle, the Internet search engine,as the sole competitor. He definedinternationalisation as "the state-ment about identity, knowledgeproduction and the way we engageand interact with people in theworld". He added that inter-nationalisation has become one ofthe criteria by means of whichuniversities benchmark, brand andproject themselves. He shared withdelegates the Senate resolution thatthe University may have 10% ofundergraduates as internationalstudents. The University has a largenumber of links and academicprojects with other institutions inthe world. These are activitieslinked to memoranda of under-standing and exchange pro-grammes that have been signed. Hebelieves that internationalisationallows universities to undergo selfcritical analysis to improve on whatthey do and to compete with thebest in the world.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellors andHeads of Colleges spoke on theway in which they wished toposition their colleges for the 21st

Century and the importance ofadding the international dimensionto teaching, research and service.These presentations were par-ticularly helpful for conferencedelegates, as they provided insightsto some of the challenges facing thecolleges as they plan to developnew visions for the future. Presen-tations by UKZN academics pro-vided insight into the valuablecollaborative research and partner-ships by various units across thecampus.

Speaking on the characteristics ofan international university,Professor Tom La Belle, anAdjunct Professor of Education atthe University of California(Berkeley) and a visiting inter-national professor at ObirinUniversity in Tokyo, emphasisedthat this would mean joint researchwith international counterparts."The leadership would use theirpositions to lead the universitytoward the appreciation of thecomparative scientific method,cultural difference and the import-ance of interdependence at homeand abroad. It would not fixate onbuilding a completely new modelof what it means to be a university,but instead would pick and choosefrom those successful aspects ofmodels worldwide and build on itsown natural strengths."

Giving an overview of the SouthAfrican scenario Professor MichaelKahn, Executive Director of theKnowledge Systems Programme ofthe Human Sciences ResearchCouncil (HSRC) spoke on Globali-sation of Research and Develop-ment with a particular focus onchallenges and opportunities forSouth African Higher Education.

He pointed out that Research andDevelopment can be defined as anyproject to resolve scientific ortechnological uncertainty aimed atachieving an advance in science ortechnology. Advances, he said,

include new or improved products,processes and services. "Thevolume of Research and Develop-ment investment reflects the eco-nomy's efforts in creating andaccumulating new knowledge,which is essential to modernknowledge-based economies. Itmay also be considered an indirectmeasure of a society's innovationcapacity." He added that SouthAfrica is becoming more open asan economy and should be moreopen to employing internationalstudents after they graduate.

Professor Thandwa Mthembu,Deputy Vice-Chancellor at WitsUniversity, presented a paper titledRole of an African University in the21st Century, while the Depart-ment of Education shared infor-mation about programmes sup-ported in the African continent. MrNicholas Bwakira, Director forAfrica Directorate, University ofSouth Africa shared informationabout UNISA's outreach to Africancountries. Professor Moletsane ofthe Faculty of Education at UKZNspoke on some of the challeges inadding the internatinonal dim-ension to the curriculum.

Mr Oliver Seale from HigherEducation South Africa (HESA)led the discussion on Leadership ofInternationalisation in HigherEducation. Dr Hanneke Teekens,Director of the Department ofInternational Academic Relations(NUFFIC) spoke about 'Mappingout an International University' andsaid that while many institutionshave now grown into internationaluniversities there were manyquestions that needed answers?These included: But what does thismean?

Did they choose to do inter-nationalisation? Are activities co-ordinated and, if so, why? Do theambitions and objectives matchwith the activities being deployed,and how can we measure the

effects? What benchmarks andperformance indicators are used?Do people really take inter-nationalisation seriously?

There were 22 participants fromAustralia, Germany, France, Fin-land, Sweden, Norway, and theUnited States of America, repre-senting more than 15 universitiesand other partner institutions, andover 100 delegates from UKZNand local universities. Theserepresentatives were particularlyhelpful in sharing informationabout their experiences withUKZN. They were also mostpleased to learn first hand frommany of our academics about thevariety of international pro-grammes and 'models' used todevelop and strengthen links.Professor David Wiley, Director ofthe African Studies Center atMichigan State University sharedinformation about US foreignpolicy and its implications forinternationlisation. It was alsoemphasized that Michigan SateUniversity has identified UKZN asits academic partner in SouthAfrica.

Critical debates also evolvedaround the relationship between thecity and the University, leadershipin internationalisation and the roleof the African University in the 21stcentury. The SRC and InternationalStudent’s Association were activeparticipants in the deliberations andshared their thoughts with the parti-cipants. Students who participatedin the exchange and study abroadprogrammes shared their experi-ences with conference delegates.There were also poster displays andsocial events attended by theDeputy Mayor of Durban and otherdignitaries.

What became clear during thevarious presentations is that therealities of globalisation (greatercompetition, relentness pressuresto innovate, growing concerns overenvironmental degradation) have aresulted in a common perceptionthat 'knowledge societies' are thosethat develop new ideas, techno-logies, methods, etc. that are crucialfor future prosperity. This meansthat universities like UKZN thatseek to position themselves to takeadvantage of the opportunities tointernationalise need to developcultures that are international inscope, such as the creation, trans-fer, and use of knowledge. Univer-sity leaders must seek ways tofurther connect themselves instrategic infrastructure where ideasflow and new initiative blossom.That is the challenge for UKZN asit seeks to develop new strategicdirections in the African context.

- Bhekani Dlamini and RoshenKishun

Focus on internationalisationFocus on internationalisationFocus on internationalisationFocus on internationalisationFocus on internationalisation

Dr Roshen Kishun: Director of International Relations, UKZN; Professor Michael Kahn: HSRC; ProfessorMalegapuru Makgoba: UKZN Vice-Chancellor; and Professor Tom La Belle: Adjunct Professor, University ofCalifornia, Berkeley. Picture: supplied

8

Unleashing talentUnleashing talentUnleashing talentUnleashing talentUnleashing talentDeveloping music education

is the order of the day forProfessor David Smith

and his colleagues at the School ofMusic. Despite their busy academicschedule, they recently participatedin a unique production whichbrought together the talents of avariety of performers.

The production featured twosingers from UKZN's Opera Studioand Choral Academy and broughttogether singers, dancers and abaroque orchestra in a version ofCampra's opera-ballet "L'EuropeGalante" (Romantic Europe) of1697, viewed from an African per-spective. The production was con-ceived and directed by Durban-based choreographer BoyzieCekwana. Besides a preview inDurban, the production had threeperformances at the National ArtsFestival, before good audiences.

Professor Smith was also invited toserve on the jury of the ThirdMarcel Khalife National MusicCompetition, held in East Jeru-salem from 27 April to 3 May. Thiswas the first time that the com-

petition was held on a nationalbasis, and was open to all Pales-tinians between the ages of 10 and30 from the Palestinian Territories.He served on two juries – for pianoand wind instruments.

While in East Jerusalem ProfessorSmith had the opportunity to inter-act with range of young Palestinianmusicians and staff of the EdwardSaid National Conservatory ofMusic at the University of Bir Zeit.

A scene during "L'Europe Galante", with UKZN student Nozuko Teto (centre), supported by Durban's Baroque2000 Ensemble. Leading the orchestra (left centre) is Chiara Banchini, an expert on Baroque violin-playing fromZurich, who directed the music. Professor David Smith (right) plays continuo. Picture and article supplied

He visited three of the campusesof the National Conservatory ofMusic during his stay, where hewitnessed the conditions underwhich this music school operates.He said that it was sobering to

realise that music students wishingto participate in the competitionoften had to withdraw at the lastminute, because they were unableto negotiate the Israeli-controlledcheckpoints between their hometowns and Jerusalem. Efforts weremade to allow these young peopleto participate via a video-conferencing link. Despite theseunfavourable conditions it is clearthat music instruction is an import-ant way in which personal develop-ment and a sense of normality canbe maintained in a strife-tornregion.

Professor Smith's visit was faci-litated by the South African Re-presentative Office in Ramallah,and he was invited to participatein two functions organised by theOffice to mark Freedom Day. Herehe gave a short address on tertiaryeducation in South Africa since1994. He is grateful to all theOffice staff for their assistance,especially to the senior diplomatthere, Mr Royce Kuzwayo, theCharge d'Affaires of the SA Re-presentative Office, who is aUKZN alumnus.

Honour for Professor FreundHonour for Professor FreundHonour for Professor FreundHonour for Professor FreundHonour for Professor FreundTHE Economic History and De-velopment Studies Programme,School of Politics, launched thefestschrift edition of the AfricanStudies journal which honoursProfessor Bill Freund on 20 Sep-tember. The function was attendedby many of Professor Freund'sfriends, colleagues, current andformer students, and the generalUniversity community.

In her opening remarks, ProfessorFikile Mazibuko: Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the Col-lege of Humanities, described

Professor Freund as a teacher,scholar, and writer. She saluted himfor producing graduates of a highcaliber. Many of Professor Freund'sformer students are academics atUKZN, and command respectworldwide.

Freund was born in Chicago, USA,and spent time in Nigeria andTanzania before moving to SouthAfrica. His research interests arerooted in the continent of Africa.His book The Making of Con-temporary Africa is a widely ac-claimed publication.

Professor David Moore, one of thefestschrift's editors, read some ofthe contributors' tributes. Con-tributor Professor Henry Bernsteinof the School of Oriental andAfrican Studies in London waspresent and spoke about his longintellectual relationship with Pro-fessor Freund, while UKZN'sProfessor Robert Morrell spoke ofhis time as Professor Freund'sdoctoral student.

- Siyabonga Seme

Professor Bill Freund, Professor Fikile Mazibuko, Professor Henry Bernstein and Professor David Moore.

UKZN achieversUKZN achieversUKZN achieversUKZN achieversUKZN achievers

UKZN alumnus Dr Farouk Amodhas published a book on Religionand HIV/AIDS which looks at howreligious organisations can play apart in curbing AIDS and in as-sisting orphans.

Based on his doctoral research onIslam and the AIDS pandemic, thebook is the first to documentMuslim responses to HIV andAIDS in South Africa. Dr Amod, ateacher by profession, says that:"Today HIV and AIDS has becomea growing threat to the world…itis vital for everyone, male or fe-male, including the youth andchildren to be empowered in thefight against this scourge facing allof us."

Dr Amod highlights the SouthAfrican government's NationalStrategy Plan for HIV/AIDS andsexually transmitted infections(STIs), and looks at whether re-ligious responses are in harmonyor in conflict with the plan. The

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RRRRReligioneligioneligioneligioneligionand AIDSand AIDSand AIDSand AIDSand AIDS

government has called on religiousgroups to be involved in combatingHIV and AIDS. The book alsolooks at other religions' responses.Dr Amod believes that this givesthe religious organisations anopportunity to compare and findcommon ground to work togetherto combat the pandemic.

- Bhekani Dlamini

Dr Farouk Amod.

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CEAD's win benefitsCEAD's win benefitsCEAD's win benefitsCEAD's win benefitsCEAD's win benefitsrural craftersrural craftersrural craftersrural craftersrural crafters

In 2005 the Centre for Environ-ment, Agriculture and Develop-ment, (CEAD), with the sup-

port of the UKZN DevelopmentFoundation, received a grant ofR250 000 from the Karl and EmilyFuchs Foundation. This was one offour projects funded by Fuchs withthe common focus of promotingsocial entrepreneurship in ruralcommunities. Fuchs included inthis grant a competitive aspect – oncompletion the winning projectwould receive an additionalR100 000.

The focus of CEAD's outreachintervention was to assist rural craftproducers in Eshowe achieve in-dependence through co-operationand capacity building to improvemarketing, production and manage-ment systems. Included in this wasthe adaptation of traditional craftproducts to match the large andlucrative corporate and conferencemarkets. The project has enjoyedsignificant success. A leadershipgroup has been drawn from existingproducer groups. These individualshave established the Inina CraftAgency which is able to supportindividual producer groups andmarket on their behalf. The Agencyis electronically networked and isable to interact directly and effec-tively with customers and clients,notably Nedbank, a previous fun-der of the initiative. Large ordershave been secured and have beenprocessed.

Using the grant CEAD was able toleverage R437 000 from GijimaKZN (European Union KZN Local

Conference bags produced in Eshowe. Picture supplied

Economic Development Pro-gramme) for ongoing support of theinitiative. It was also able to linkthe project to the Rural Entrepre-neurship Research Programme,funded by the Ford Foundation,and so deploy postgraduate stu-dents to research various aspects ofthe intervention.

In July this year staff from Fuchsformally evaluated the project andawarded it the R100 000 prize. Inagreement with Fuchs this moneyis to be allocated directly to theInina Craft Agency to improve

cashflow, provide income pro-tection and to allow it to build stocklevels of raw materials and com-pleted products.

The project is a wonderful learningexperience for all involved, contri-butes significantly to the Univer-sity's outreach and research effortsand proves that successful partner-ships between donors, tertiaryinstitutions, the private sector andrural communities can make funda-mental differences to people's lives.

- Duncan Hay

Humanitarian AwardHumanitarian AwardHumanitarian AwardHumanitarian AwardHumanitarian AwardTHE Dean of the Faculty ofManagement Studies, ProfessorPumeli Msweli-Mbanga, has beenawarded the 2006 African Humani-tarian Award by the African Associ-ation of St. Thomas/St. John. Pro-fessor Msweli-Mbanga will deliverthe keynote address at the Humani-tarian Awards Gala on 14 Octoberat St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.The theme of her address is "Turn-ing Education into Employment:The Challenge to African Develop-ment".

The African Humanitarian Awardhonours individuals who have madesignificant contributions to societies

Professor Msweli-Mbanga.

in Africa and the African Diaspora,especially in fostering the cultural,social and general interests ofAfricans in the Diaspora.

The Association notes that Pro-fessor Msweli-Mbanga has made"valuable contributions in theprivate sector as an entrepreneur,and a specialist in business per-formance, black economic em-powerment and mergers and acqui-sitions, as well as leadership inacademia".

Professor Msweli-Mbanga wasrecently placed in the C category bythe National Research Foundation.Pi

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Giving lifeGiving lifeGiving lifeGiving lifeGiving lifeto artto artto artto artto artTOGETHER with the BequestsOffice of the UKZN Foundation,the Centre for Visual Art on thePietermaritzburg campus is hostinga series of events around thecountry for alumni who studiedFine Art at the University. Twothoroughly enjoyable luncheonshave already been held in Gautengand the Western Cape, and furtherevents are planned in other parts ofthe country in the near future.

Explaining the purpose of theseevents, Professor Juliet Armstrongof the Centre says it is importantfor all disciplines at the Universityto nurture and maintain close linkswith their former students. “Inmany ways, our Centre is only asstrong as the Fine Arts graduates itproduces. Many of our alumni arehighly successful professionals andtheir reputations feed directly intoour own. They are our best advo-cates and can help to advance theinterests of the Centre in numerousways – by visiting the Centre andinteracting with our current stu-dents, by spreading word about theexcellence of our programmes, andeven by making monetary or otherdonations if they can afford it. Byhosting these get-togethers, we areable to update former studentsabout the work and achievementsof the Centre and encourage themto support us.”

Working with Professor Armstrongis Liz Young, Senior BequestsOfficer at the UKZN Foundation,whose role is to provide assistanceto alumni and others who may wishto invest in the future of theUniversity and South Africansociety beyond their lifetimes. “Somany alumni want to give some-thing back to the University and thewider community, but often theircircumstances don’t allow them todo so while they are living,”

explains Young. “Our office pro-vides them with all the advice andsupport they need regarding thetechnical aspects of including a giftto the University in their wills. Wealso help benefactors to decide howto ensure that their contributionsbest meet their intentions.”

Established more than ten yearsago, the Bequests Office has facili-tated gifts to the University valuedin excess of R15 million. These areusually tax deductible and theBequests Office assists with thenecessary paperwork to ensure thatbenefactors obtain the maximumtax relief. In line with the wishesof benefactors, gifts contributetowards a variety of causes, rangingfrom financial support for studentsin fields specified by the benefactorto contributions to the library anddevelopment of new learning faci-lities. “Some alumni leave bequestssimply because they are grateful totheir alma mater and want to investin it,” explains Young. “Otherswant to make a lasting contributiontowards bettering the lives of othersand advancing South Africansociety. They view the Universityas a vehicle for making this happenon their behalves.”

The Centre for Visual Art repre-sents just one opportunity, amongmany others at the University, forthose who wish to make an endur-ing contribution to future gene-rations. As Professor Armstrongnotes, “No matter how large orsmall, any contribution our alumnimay be able to make to the Centreor its students will help to per-petuate their love of, and enrich, thevisual arts in South Africa.”

- Sean Jones


ALUMNI ARTISTS: Alumni gather with staff and other friends of theCentre for Visual Art at a luncheon in Pietermaritzburg.

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Professor Leclerc-Madlala holds the certificate for completing a course in HIV prevention, which she co-ordinated,for Dr Kokoloko, head of a national healer organisation.

Professor of AnthropologySuzanne Leclerc-Madlalahas been appointed as an

advisor to UNAIDS for HIV pre-vention in Southern Africa. Theappointment was made at the recentXVI International AIDS Con-ference in Toronto in recognitionof her ongoing work on the socio-cultural underlying drivers of thedisease.

Presenting a paper in the sessionentitled "Refining the SouthernAfrican Prevention Paradigm",Professor Leclerc-Madlala de-lineated the various shaping forces

UNAIDS advisorUNAIDS advisorUNAIDS advisorUNAIDS advisorUNAIDS advisorthat, through time, have contributedto the lethal combination of genderinequalities, poverty and HIV andAIDS. She said: "We cannot hopeto arrest the spread of HIV in thesub-region if we ignore the contextin which this epidemic is occurring.High rates of sexual violence, childabuse; intergenerational and trans-actional sex, silence and stigma areall endemic and are catalysed bypoverty and the growing wealth gap."

With 2006 declared by the UN asthe Year for Accelerated HIVPrevention, Professor Leclerc-Madlala is concerned that the

introduction of new preventiontechnologies such as microbicidalgels for women and circumcisionfor men do not displace effortsaimed at social and behaviouralchange. She believes that societyneeds to shift in the way it relatesto itself, including the ways inwhich men and women relate toeach other: "If we ignore the widercontextual issues, our scientificresponses to HIV could be viewedas little more than an acceptancethat women's human rights will beabused and the best we can do ismanage the process. I think we cando much better than that."

Sama honours leading academicSama honours leading academicSama honours leading academicSama honours leading academicSama honours leading academicACADEMIC, scientist and humanrights activist, Professor HoosenCoovadia, the Victor Daitz Chair

Dr Kgosi Letlape (SAMA Chairperson) presents the award to ProfessorCoovadia.

in HIV/AIDS Medicine andScientific Director of the DorisDuke Medical Research Institute at

the Nelson R Mandela School ofMedicine received the prestigiousSouth African Medical Associ-ation's (SAMA) Fellowship in theArt and Science of Medicine GoldAward for his outstanding contri-bution to medicine and medicalsciences. The award was presentedin Johannesburg at the SAMAPresidential Dinner attended bydeputy Minister of Health NozizweMadlala-Routledge.

This award is bestowed upon anexclusive group of doctors for theirbreak-through contributions tomedicine and for creating greaterunderstanding of medicine; both asan art and a science.

In accepting the award ProfessorCoovadia paid tribute to his family

and colleagues. "I am alwayssurprised, humbled and extremelythankful for recognition of the workamong children, among the poor,and among the dispossessed, whichhas occupied me for most of myadult years. None of this workwould have been possible withouta supportive context: colleagues inresearch and, at every step, my wifeand children. I have been fortunatein living in an environment, in thiscountry, where I was able to fulfillsome of the driving passions of mylife: medicine and science for theadvancement of human develop-ment and progress; science for itsintrinsic values which rewardcuriosity, permit discovery, andwhich bring happiness; the endlesspursuit of freedom from racial,economic, and social oppression;

and always the love and affectionof the family with which I havebeen blessed, and my wonderfulfriends. I will therefore treasure thisaward from the South AfricanMedical Association, whichrecognises medicine in its widestunderstanding, as both science andart, and which bestows on me anhonour for precisely the things Ienjoyed the most".

Chairperson of SAMA, Dr KgosiLetlape congratulated ProfessorCoovadia for his achievementsaying, "He has been committed topublic service and research foryears. He is a fine example to themedical profession and tohumanity."

- Smita Maharaj

WWWWWorld Medicalorld Medicalorld Medicalorld Medicalorld MedicalAssociation honoursAssociation honoursAssociation honoursAssociation honoursAssociation honoursViceViceViceViceVice-----ChancellorChancellorChancellorChancellorChancellorUKZN Vice-Chancellor, ProfessorMalegapuru Makgoba, has beenhonoured by the World MedicalAssociation for his contribution tomedical science internationally.

Professor Makgoba, a scientist ofnote, is one of only 65 physiciansworldwide to feature in the booktitled Caring Physicians. Thecaring physicians are from 58country-specific medical associ-ations. More than 250 nominationswere made for the publication fromcountries affiliated to the WorldMedical Association. Criteria forinclusion included that thephysician show caring, demon-strates very high ethical standardsand has made a significant contri-

bution to medical science in theworld.

"It is humbling and inspiring whensomething so special is awarded byone's own peers throughout theworld and it recognises the found-ations of my profession. I want tosay to the young doctors that themedical profession is driven by theneed to be caring, to embodyintegrity and high ethics and fordeveloping science to improve onthe quality of life. If you keep to suchyou are likely to be the best for yourpatients and for humanity as awhole," says Professor Makgoba.

- Bhekani Dlamini

Professor Makgoba.

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THE South African Institute ofChemical Engineers has grantedProfessor Emeritus Johan DavidRaal the Neale-May Gold MedalAward in recognition of his lifetimeachievement in Thermodynamics.

This significant award, which isgranted every three years, waspresented at the 2006 Congress forthe South African Institution ofChemical Engineers, held from20-22 September. The conferencewas a major African event for thepeople involved in the processindustries, research and develop-ment, education, plant optimisationand safety, health and environ-mental fields.

"I am really excited to achieve sucha prestigious award and I amgreatly honoured by it. If I hadn'tstayed on a few years after myretirement I would not have re-ceived it. I trust it may serve as aninspiration for staff and students.To those reaching retirement, Isuggest that continue if you feelyou can still contribute," saidProfessor Raal. He also paid tributeto his many gifted postgraduatestudents for having worked withhim in his research projects. Six ofhis students have gone to Cam-bridge and the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology for doctoralstudies.

The conference sought to providea platform for the presentation of

innovative ideas and solutions forthe chemical and allied industries.It was intended to promote thetransfer of innovative teaching,curriculum and training strategiesto enhance the development offuture skills for the chemical andallied industries. It aimed to pro-mote the cross-flow of ideas andsuggestions for the future directionof chemical engineering researchand development. It further soughtto promote cleaner production andenvironmental protection. It wasintended to harness engineering tosolve developmental issues inAfrica.

Professor Raal is a retired aca-demic in the School of ChemicalEngineering at the Howard Collegecampus. He still lectures in thisfield on a part-time basis. He hasdone extensive work in the field ofthermodynamics including re-search and equipment develop-ment, and has published two booksand presented numerous scholarlypapers in peer refereed inter-national journals.

Professor Raal is the founder of theThermodynamic Research Group.He has developed nearly all of thespecialised research equipment inthis field. He was also awarded theSAIChE prize for Innovation in1995.

- Bhekani Dlamini

Gold medalGold medalGold medalGold medalGold medal

Professor Johan David Raal.

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T he UKZN Students in FreeEnterprise (SIFE) are bask-ing in well-earned glory

after a fine performance at the SIFEWorld Cup 2006.

The students jetted off to France tocompete at the SIFE World Cup2006 held from 11-13 September.These budding entrepreneurs werecompeting with 45 universitiesfrom across the globe. This is thefirst time that a team from UKZN

has made it to the semi-finals in thehistory of the competition. Thegroup beat France on hometerritory and championed overcountries like England, Canada andSpain.

The students said that "sharing thesame platform with top businesscompanies and captains of in-dustry" was the highlight of theevent. The group were honouredthat the SIFE Team USA adopted

Joyful SIFE students show off their awards.

SIFE wins againSIFE wins againSIFE wins againSIFE wins againSIFE wins againone of their projects. "They wereimpressed by our 2010 projectwhich uses soccer to simplify andteach business to developingcountries" said Khulani NgobeseSIFE President.

The students are grateful to theirsponsors, HSBC, Harmony GoldMining, PWC, KPMG and UKZN.


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New Dean for Medical SchoolNew Dean for Medical SchoolNew Dean for Medical SchoolNew Dean for Medical SchoolNew Dean for Medical SchoolLEADING scientist and academic,Professor Willem Sturm, has beenappointed Dean of the Nelson RMandela School of Medicine. Theappointment is for four years.

Professor Sturm joined the Univer-sity of Natal's medical school in1993 as Chief Specialist and Headof Medical Microbiology where hemade a significant contribution to

research in the areas of tuber-culosis, HIV1 co-infection andsexually transmitted diseases. Heis a prolific author and has pub-lished widely in peer reviewedscientific and medical journals.Over the past few years he hasprovided leadership as the actinghead in the School of Under-graduate Medical Education. Inaddition, he is the head of theSchool of Pathology andLaboratory Medicine and Directorof the MRC and UKZN GenitalUlcer Disease Research Unit at theMedical School.

He serves as an advisor to theprovincial Department of Health onpolicies on the use of antimicrobialdrugs and an ad-hoc advisor oninfection control issues in thedesign of new and existing hospi-tals and on infection control pro-blems in hospitals.

Well known for his decisive leader-ship, Professor Sturm said: "TheNelson R Mandela School ofMedicine has gone through diffi-cult times. We have to work to-

gether towards a medical schoolwith high academic standards inboth research and teaching. Thiscan only be achieved in an environ-ment where students and staffmutually respect one anotheracross the boundaries of race andgender. During my term of office Iwill endeavour to ensure that thisgoal is realised."

Commenting on his appointment,Professor Lean Uys, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the College of HealthSciences said: "I believe thatProfessor Sturm is the right personfor the Medical School at this timeand look forward to his term ofoffice as Dean".

Professor Sturm's previous ap-pointments include: the Universityof Amsterdam, Chief Specialist inMedical Microbiology at StLaurentius Hospital in the Nether-and Professor and Chairman of thedepartment of Microbiology at theAga Khan University in Pakistan.

- Smita MaharajProfessor Willem Sturm.

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Senior Researcher on Inter-national Relations andGender, Women and Devel-

opment and Multilateral Politics atthe Institute for Global Dialogue DrMichele Ruiters presented aninteractive lecture entitled "Whatthe Women's March means forPeace, Human Rights and Aca-demic Freedom". The lecturemarked the end of a series of eventsat UKZN to commemorate Wo-men's Month.

Dr Ruiters commended SouthAfrican women for their pivotalrole in the liberation struggle,which is often overlooked. The1956 march made a political state-ment to the powers that be, whereasthe 2006 march was symbolic andprovided an opportunity to look

back. Highlighting milestonesachieved by women in their questto take up their rightful place insociety, she said that the launch ofthe Progressive Women's Move-ment in August 2006 was an im-portant moment in South Africangender history. Women have longcalled for a unified broad-basedwomen's movement. She stressedthe need, however, for broadcollaboration where leadership willinvolve civil society. "The agendamust be set by the members and notonly the leadership," she said.

Women are poorly represented inthe business sector in South Africa,especially when it comes tomanagement positions. WhileSouth Africa's Constitution ismaking provision for women to

WWWWWomen uniteomen uniteomen uniteomen uniteomen unite

Vice-Chancellor Professor Malegapuru Makgoba; Head of Politics, Professor Raphael de Kadt; Dr Michele Ruiters;Professor Fikile Mazibuko (Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Humanities) and Ms Jane Kabaki(Equity Office).

THE Student Counseling andCareers Centre on the Pietermaritz-

Celebrating lifeCelebrating lifeCelebrating lifeCelebrating lifeCelebrating life

Standing (l-r) Julia Braine, Zama Khanyile, Ann-Mary Gathigia, SiyaZondo, Mike Murray and Phezulu Dlamini. Squatting (l-r) ZweliMsimango, Michael Makhubu and Owen Nene.

own and inherit land, rural womenlack education, which hampersthem realising their rights. DrRuiters urged academics to pro-duce innovative research that isaccessible, and will influence andmake an impact on society. Shebelieves that academic freedom iscontextual and each place and timehas different expectations of aca-demics and their public intel-lectuals. "Academic freedom couldbe curtailed because of the recentchanges in Higher Education ad-ministration. Institutions are forcedto produce research to protect thebottom line." If the universitiesdeveloped more diverse fundingsources they would not need to relysolely on government funding.

- Bhekani Dlamini

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burg campus held a CelebratingLife Campaign on 13 September.

"Our experience had revealed thatsome students were feeling de-pressed, very alone and evensuicidal, often as a result of feelingisolated and/or a difficult inter-personal relationship. Our focuswas to create awareness and sen-sitise students to the emotional andpsychosocial needs of others," saidMs Julia Braine, Director of theCentre.

A number of activities were heldprior to the day. These includeddiscussions, workshops, debatesand plays which were held in theuniversity residences. "What awonderful world we live in," saidRev James Ngomane, Deputy Deanof Students, when he officiallyopened the lecture on "The Valueof Life'. He expressed his satis-faction with student participation inthe campaign. He was also im-pressed by the messages of hope

and courage that students wrote onthe 'Wall of Thoughts'.

Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder ofGift of the Givers Foundation, gavea motivational talk on "The Valueof Life" based on his work. He saidthat: "To celebrate life, one has tovalue life." He advised students thatthe value of life is all about attitudeand mindset, adding that peoplemust face things in a positivemanner. The greatest job, he said,is to respond to those in needbecause life is about hope. Heurged people to be there for othersin terms of human relations. "Lifeis the greatest gift given to man-kind." He informed people theydon't need a lot of money to smileand help someone.

Siyabulela Zondo, intern coun-selor, says that 'Wall of Thoughts'helps students to speak out and

share ideas. It also makes it easyfor students to go to others whenthey face problems.

Third -year Law student SikhumbuzoHlatshwayo, who is blind, says thereason he loves life is because hethinks of what life can offer andmany other things he can do toimprove his life. Jabulisile Ngcobo,third-year student in the Political,Philosophy and Law Programme,believes that the 'Celebrating LifeCampaign' encourages students tolove, respect and to protect them-selves so they live longer.

Organisations attending the eventincluded SANCA, CANSA, Mid-lands Women's Group, Rape Crisis,PACSA, Lifeline, FAMSA and Giftof the Givers.

- Bhekani Dlamini

THE Faculty of Engineering hostedits Annual Invitation Day on 26August. Learners who have appliedto study Engineering at UKZN andhave been awarded early offerswere invited to spend a few hoursin the Faculty together with theirfamilies. This year 327 peopleattended.

Guests are taken into the Schoolthey've applied to study in and geta presentation on the course by theHead or Deputy Head of School.The families are then taken into theEngineering Workshops where theyare given demonstrations and tours.

Getting toGetting toGetting toGetting toGetting toknowknowknowknowknowEngineeringEngineeringEngineeringEngineeringEngineering

Interaction and participation isencouraged.

Dean of the Faculty of Engineering,Professor Nelson Ijumba, said thatthe event provides a learner andtheir families with in depth in-formation about the discipline ofEngineering but also allows themthe opportunity to interact withteaching staff. The Faculty ofEngineering's Annual InvitationDay is a function that high schoolsin KwaZulu-Natal look forward toevery year.

- MaryAnn Francis

Families test drive equipment at the School of Mechanical Engineering.

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UKZN Arts and Culturelecturer Nella de Waaland 20 other South Afri-

can artists took part in an exhibitionat Travancore Art Gallery, NewDelhi from 1-15 September. Theexhibition commemorated thecentenary of Mahatma Gandhi'speaceful resistance, or Satyagraha,launched in Transvaal (Gauteng) on11 September 1906. Ms de Waalalso served as the South AfricanCo-ordinator of the event.

The opening ceremony was ad-dressed by the President of India,Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and attendedby high profile guests including theChief Minister of Delhi, Ms SheilaDikshit; Vice-Chairperson ofGandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti(Gandhi Memorial Institutions),

TTTTTribute to Gandhiribute to Gandhiribute to Gandhiribute to Gandhiribute to Gandhi

Nella de Waal meets the President of India, Dr Abdul Kalam.

IN order to improve on studentretention and throughput, theFaculty of Engineering formedthe Academic DevelopmentCommittee (ADC), operatingunder the Dean's Office, inSeptember 2005. The ADCactivities are co-ordinated bythe Dean's Assistant, while itsmeetings are chaired by theDean. The members of the ADCinclude: the Executive Directorof Access, the Deputy Dean ofEngineering, representativesfrom the five Schools, represen-tatives from the Central SRC,and representatives from theStudent Mentorship Programme.

The terms of reference of theCommittee include: to identifyreasons why students drop outand have low pass rates; toidentify problematic moduleswhich result in low pass rates,and determine whether the lowpass rates are a result of poorfoundation or poor delivery; toidentify students who need help,institute remedial interventions,and ensure follow-up; and to putin place a structural approach tostudents who show potential butneed assistance, and continuallymonitor performance.

A major focus of this pro-gramme has been the setting upof the Mentorship Programmein the Faculty of Engineering,through the support of theMentorship Office (Westvillecampus) and financial supportfrom the Executive Director,Access. This Programme wasset up in March 2006 afterinterviewing over 30 final yearand postgraduate students in theFaculty. About 30 mentors havebeen hired. The distribution

according to schools is as fol-lows: the School of ChemicalEngineering has six mentorsattending to about 60 first yearstudents; in the School of CivilEngineering, five mentors areattending to 50 mentees betweenthem; for the School of Electri-cal, Electronic and ComputerEngineering, there are eightmentors, with 70 mentees be-tween them; and, finally, in theSchool of Mechanical Engin-eering, there are two mentors,with 50 mentees. At the mom-ent, there are discussions withregard to extending the activitiesto the School of BioresourcesEngineering, based on thePietermaritzburg campus. Sincea formal Mentorship office hasnot yet been established, thementorship sessions take placein lecture theatres, in the library,in drawing rooms, and even inresidences. The first year

courses in which support isprovided include Mathematics,Applied Mathematics, Physics,and Chemistry.

In order to address second, thirdand fourth-level students whohave been re-admitted afterexclusions appeals, seven post-graduate mentors have beenidentified specifically for thiscohort of students. These stu-dents are required to contact thementors, and arrange meetingtimes so that they may famili-arise themselves with the men-torship programme. Our experi-ence so far is that these studentsare slow to warm up to the ideaof mentorship. So far, onlyabout 10% of this category ofstudents have been in contactwith the mentors. Some of thecourses for which assistance isprovided include EngineeringDrawing, MATLAB Programm-

TTTTTeaching and learningeaching and learningeaching and learningeaching and learningeaching and learning

ing, Systems and Simulation,among others.

Within the School of ChemicalEngineering, 2006 has seen twomajor initiatives to improvestudent support and retention.The first was begun in the firstsemester of 2006 and has con-centrated on improving deliveryof and student participation intutorial sessions. As the Schoolhas classes of 200 students ormore in some modules (and anaverage enrollment in secondand third year modules of ap-proximately 150), tutorials intechnical modules have beensplit amongst the academic staff(rather then tutors) to allow fora maximum of 35 students insecond year tutorial groups and50 students in third year tutorialgroups, each led by an academicwith teaching experience in themodule. The initiative has seen

Faculty of Engineering Mentors with Professor Thomas Afullo, Dean's Assistant, Faculty of Engineering, and Shiv, the Team Leader of the EngineeringMentorship Programme.

pass rates increase significantlyat third year level and has beenreviewed and continued in thesecond semester where we hopeto see a similar effect in allmodules covered by the scheme.

From the beginning of the secondsemester, the school has employeda part time academic developmentofficer, Dr HW Bernhardt. DrBernhardt has a wealth of in-dustrial and educational experi-ence and is available for studentconsultation on matters such asstudy skills and careers advicewithin the School. He is alsorunning study skills and timemanagement workshops aimedspecifically towards the needs ofChemical Engineering studentsand mentoring students who needincreased support in their studies.The post is sponsored by theSANTED II initiative throughthe office for access and retention.

Ms Tara Gandhi Bhattacharya;South African High Commissionerin India, Sehloho Francis Moloi;and Kerala Minister of Culture, SriMA Baby. Members of Mahatma

Gandhi's family in Delhi werehonoured guests. The SouthAfrican artists' work was shownalongside that of 46 Indianartists.

"The international delegates wereextremely impressed with the SouthAfrican works on display. In fact,the President of India was so capti-vated by the work of artists likePhilip Briel and Andrew Versterthat he made special mention ofthem. His visit to the gallery lastedwell over an hour. Everybody therereceived us with such great joy andwarmth," says Ms de Waal

The exhibition was launched inSouth Africa at Kizo Art Galleryon 1 October.

The Satyagraha Indo-South AfricanArt Collaboration is the brainchildof V K Cherian, India Co-ordinatorof this event, and Director ofAfrikhadi-India, an NGO withrepresentation in India and South

Africa. It will see the two nationsexhibit a mammoth collection ofvisual representations pertaining toand inspired by the principles of thetruth (Satya) which implies loveand firmness (agraha) initiated byGandhi at the Transvaal EmpireTheatre a century ago. Members ofthe public will also be invited tocontribute personal photographs ofGandhi and the Satyagraha.

For South Africa, a country stillhealing from its own oppression,the principle of Satyagraha hasmuch to offer. The exhibitionprovided a renewed understandingof the movement, not only as aphilosophical or spiritual act, butas a relevant, 21st century alter-native to violent struggle andviolation of personal freedom.

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UKZN celebrated SASOL'ssupport for the Centre forScience Access on 28 July.

The company has donated R500 000to the Centre.

This generous grant will open thedoors of learning to 50 learnersfrom previously disadvantagedschools. These learners are eligibleto apply to enter the Faculty ofScience and Agriculture via theExtended Curriculum programmeor the Science Foundation pro-gramme.

The Centre is located within the Col-lege of Agriculture, Engineeringand Science, and aims to increasethe number of disadvantaged stu-dents eligible to study the degreecourses offered by the college.

Student Rashida Matjida's parentscould not afford to pay for hertertiary education. "My dream wasreborn when I qualified for abursary; SASOL was the key to mysuccess. Now I can give back to my

SASOL reaches outSASOL reaches outSASOL reaches outSASOL reaches outSASOL reaches outcommunity and family. You makea difference to students' lives andwe appreciate it."

Guest speaker at the event, SASOLGroup General Manager Mr MaxSisulu said what the students hadin common was a spirit of determi-nation. He added that science iscentral to the development of thecountry. "There are many chal-lenges to science and mathematicsin South Africa, despite intense in-terventions by government and non-governmental organisations. Therehas been a continuous low pass rate.

Mr Sisulu said that SASOL's goalis to upgrade poor educationinfrastructure in rural areas in orderto meet global skills demands."There is a need to find a way toencourage young people to stay inthe education sector, to train andprovide skills to teach science andtechnology".

Dr Joseph Kioko, Head of theCentre for Science Access ex-

plained that the shortfalls inmathematics and science educationat school level close the doors to atertiary education for many talentedyoung people from disadvantagedschools. "The situation is, however,

not irreparable. At the Centre wefocus on foundation and first yearlevels to increase the number ofdisadvantaged students success-fully completing science degrees.Scientists that have come through

PARTNERS: Guests at the function celebrate SASOL's commitment to Science education.

the programme are occupying toppositions, and they have made agreat contribution to their owncommunities"


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Pfizer invests in Health SciencesPfizer invests in Health SciencesPfizer invests in Health SciencesPfizer invests in Health SciencesPfizer invests in Health SciencesTHE inaugural Pfizer College of Health Sciences Young Scientists Research Symposium on the Westville campus attracted 400 students and staff. The symposium showcasedundergraduate research projects in the Health Sciences and also marked the presentation of R500 000 by Pfizer (SA) to the Health Sciences.

"Our participation also serves to fulfill Pfizer's founding vision of fostering a new cadre of young scientists to drive a vibrant research based pharmaceutical industry in thiscountry,’’ said Pfizer's CEO Richard Paulson. "I was particularly impressed by the depth and breadth of research papers I saw, and remain confident that the outcomes willcontribute immeasurably to that improvement of the quality of life for all South Africans".

Studies include: the correlation between the incidence of running injuries and performance in the functional movement screen™ in ultra-marathon runners, a study to determinelung function in a selected Durban population and aural rehabilitation services for older adults in eThekwini.

Dean of Health Sciences, Professor Sabiha Essack, said that the presentations were the culmination of months of intensive work encompassing the formulation of a researchquestion, the development of a research proposal, application for ethical clearance and funding, data collection/laboratory work and the analyses and discussion of results,culminating in a dissertation and/or a draft paper for publication. The Symposium will be held annually.

- Smita Maharaj

Visit by Carnegie celebrates partnershipVisit by Carnegie celebrates partnershipVisit by Carnegie celebrates partnershipVisit by Carnegie celebrates partnershipVisit by Carnegie celebrates partnershipFOLLOWING a relationship whichspans several decades, the Uni-versity of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)was honoured to receive a high-level delegation from the CarnegieCorporation of New York in July.Led by the Chair of its Board,Helene Kaplan, and its dynamicPresident, Vartan Gregorian, thedelegation was hosted by DeputyVice-Chancellor Professor AhmedBawa at a series of events whichhighlighted something of the in-valuable contribution made by theCorporation to the University overthe years.

The partnership with the Corpor-ation began when it providedseveral grants to what is now theNelson R. Mandela School ofMedicine during the seminal yearsof the community health move-ment. The modern-day field ofcommunity medicine evolved, inno small measure, as a direct resultof the work supported by thesegrants. After withdrawing from thecountry in support of sanctions

during the height of the apartheidera, the Corporation renewed itsinterest in South Africa in 2000 andhas since invested generously in arange of path-breaking initiativesat the University.

Owing to the Corporation’s interestin the area of library systems, thedelegation began by visiting the

Alan Paton Centre on the Pieter-maritzburg campus, where severalengrossing hours were spent ex-amining the Centre’s liberationstruggle collection and its largeselection of Paton’s belongings andwritings. This was followed by awonderful dinner amidst the manu-scripts, artworks and other culturalartefacts of the Campbell Col-

lection in Durban. Guests wereentertained by students from theUniversity’s Opera Studio andChoral Academy (OSCA) andheard an enlivening talk by Pro-fessor Catherine Burns on thehistory of community health inKwaZulu-Natal.

After a tour of King Edward VIIIHospital the following morning, thedelegation was treated to a seriesof presentations at the Doris DukeMedical Research Institute bysome of the University’s mosteminent scholars. Professor JulianMay outlined the current state ofpoverty studies in South Africa,whilst Professors Anna Coutsoudisand Eleanor Preston-Whyte spokeon biomedical and behaviouralaspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemicin the province. Chris Mokolatsie,Director of UKZN’s HIV/AIDSprogramme, described how theCorporation’s grant to the Centrefor HIV/AIDS Networking(HIVAN) has contributed to themost advanced in-house HIV/

AIDS support programme forstudents and staff of any universityin the country.

The Corporation currently has amajor interest in supporting highereducation transformation in SouthAfrica. It is a significant sponsorof the University’s Leadership andEquity Advancement Programme(LEAP), which aims to facilitatethe entry to full-time academia ofexceptional young black and fe-male scholars. To date, 43 youngscholars have been appointed toacademic positions at the Univer-sity via LEAP. The Corporation isalso currently supporting UKZN’sWomen in Engineering, Scienceand Agriculture (WOSA) Scheme,a scholarship programme intendedto attract young women to thesefields, as well as several importantinitiatives associated with theUKZN Library.

- Ahmed Bawa


DISTINGUISHED VISITORS: Professor Ahmed Bawa (centre) with HeleneKaplan (left) and Vartan Gregorian (right). Picture supplied

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Social work students areproviding much-neededservices for the youth in

Bhambayi, near Phoenix.

One of the projects is the Love Lifeoffice, which was launched on 22September. Hundreds of com-munity people and leaders gatheredto pledge support and appreciationfor the work of the students.

Part of the students' study project,the office helps young people todeal with the social problems theyencounter. The Love Life pro-grammes include group sessionswhich deal with issues like peerpressure, teenage pregnancy, moti-vates the youth to attend school,and provides individual counseling.The project also educates thecommunity about HIV/AIDS, howto prevent it and to live a positivelife when one is infected. It seeksto decrease stigmatisation of thoseinfected and to encourage peopleto know their status, to use con-doms and abstain.

"Our main role as social workstudents practicing in Bhambayi isto empower the community and

Students give backStudents give backStudents give backStudents give backStudents give backbring resources closer to thepeople", said Nhlanhlo Buthelezi.The students raised funds to pro-vide snacks and juice to the com-munity during the launch of theLove Life project. They have beeninvolved in an educational projecton how to access governmentresources, such as social grants andalso empowered the community toexercise their rights as SouthAfrican citizens.

Youth Committee member ThabisileMnguni urged the youth to makegood use of the Love Life Office toavoid problems such as early pregn-ancy, drug abuse, crime anddomestic violence. She said thatpart of her work is to counsel andmotivate the youth to go toschool. She helps those who needto apply for ID documents so theycan have hope for the future. Shealso advised the youth to seektraining and business opportunities.

Community leader in charge ofyouth programmes Mr EdwardMhlali commended the youth forworking together with students tohelp the community. Addressingthe community, HIV/AIDS activist

Mrs Phumzile Mthembu said thatAIDS is a reality and it kills. "Mostpeople attend gatherings of thisnature, go back home and neverchange their lifestyles to avoidbeing infected." Having lived with

AIDS for 16 years, Mrs Mthembuappealed to the community to helpthose infected and bed-ridden.After losing her child she realisedthat denial does not help. She urgedthe youth to test for HIV/AIDS so

they can plan and live longer."AIDS will not rule me, but I willfight it," she said.

- Bhekani Dlamini

Thabisile Ngcobo, Zama Buthelezi, Mrs Phumzile Mthembu, Nikkie Mlangeni and Patience Khuzwayo.

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TTTTTeaching historyeaching historyeaching historyeaching historyeaching historyin Europein Europein Europein Europein EuropeUKZN can pride itself on having the only historians outsideEurope involved in a 4-million Euro European Commission-funded research initiative that aims at drawing together historiansfrom behind the former iron curtain with those from westernEuropean nations. The University of Pisa-based project is entitled'Creating links and innovative overviews for a new historyresearch agenda for the citizens of a growing Europe' – or'CLIOHRES.net' for short.

About 170 lecturers and doctoral students from 45 universities areinvolved, stretching from Moscow to Reykjavik and from Bratislavato Lisbon. Of the six Thematic Working Groups into which thesecollaborators are divided, the UKZN group is part of the 'Europeand the Wider World' Thematic Work Group. They intend to sheda somewhat different perspective on Europe's contacts with theglobal community.

In 2005 Professor McCracken, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities,Development and Social Sciences, was invited to join thisconsortium, the largest EU Commission-funded grant ever madeto the humanities. In 2006 UKZN has come on-line as a full partnerin the consortium.

As well as team-leader Professor McCracken, other historiansinclude lecturer Dr Vukile Khumalo and two doctoral students,Prinisha Badassy and Vashna Jagarnath. Prinisha and Vashna arecurrently preparing chapters for the 2007 cycle of CLIOHRES.netbooks and Professor McCracken has two chapters in the 2006 series.

The project pays for three trips a year to Europe for each memberof the group. Each doctoral student also receives a generous studentgrant. The team has recently returned from a successfulCLIOHRES.net conference in Bilbao in Spain and in Decemberthey head off to chilly Iceland. In 2007 the team will confer withtheir counterparts in Brighton, Slovenia and Pisa.

- Donal McCracken

FOR the fourth consecutive yearthe University's exhibit featuredamongst the medal winners at theGarden and Leisure Show held atthe show grounds in Pietermaritz-burg.

The UKZN exhibit, which falls inthe 'Commercial' Category, wasawarded a silver medal, receivingan overall mark of between 70and 79%. Judging criteria in-cluded product display, relevantinformation on products, market-

ing of the product (including staffon stand) and plant display.

The following disciplines andcentres worked together and pro-duced an eye-catching display thatappealed to a diverse audience:Agriculture and Agribusiness,Audio Visual Unit, Botany, Centrefor Environment, Agriculture andDevelopment (CEAD), Entomo-logy, Electron Microscopy Unit,Horticulture, and Zoology. TheGarden and Leisure show, a spec-

Silver Medal atSilver Medal atSilver Medal atSilver Medal atSilver Medal atGarden ShowGarden ShowGarden ShowGarden ShowGarden Show

Nonkanyiso Maphumulo from the School of Biological and Conservation Sciences explains some interesting factsabout invertebrates to two high school learners.

tacular event on the 'green'calendar, attracts a national audi-ence of approximately 24 000visitors, making it South Africa'slargest ongoing three day show.This event serves to raise aware-ness of the University and providesan excellent marketing opportunity.The placement of the stand in aprominent position near the mainentrance makes it impossible forthe visitors to miss.

- Vicky Crookes

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Recycle your ukzndabaPlease don’t litter ... when you’ve finished with your ukzndaba, why not pass it onto someone else, or place it in a bin for recycling with other paper-waste.

Produced by PuProduced by PuProduced by PuProduced by PuProduced by Pubbbbblic Affairs and Corporate Communiclic Affairs and Corporate Communiclic Affairs and Corporate Communiclic Affairs and Corporate Communiclic Affairs and Corporate Communications ations ations ations ations www.ukwww.ukwww.ukwww.ukwww.ukzn.ac.za zn.ac.za zn.ac.za zn.ac.za zn.ac.za Tel: 031 Tel: 031 Tel: 031 Tel: 031 Tel: 031 260 124 260 124 260 124 260 124 260 1245/2027/2957/7115 5/2027/2957/7115 5/2027/2957/7115 5/2027/2957/7115 5/2027/2957/7115 Fax: 031 260 2813 Fax: 031 260 2813 Fax: 031 260 2813 Fax: 031 260 2813 Fax: 031 260 2813

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Sport CornerSport CornerSport CornerSport CornerSport Corner

T he 2006 annual UKZN GolfDay, sponsored for thesecond year by building

facilities management, the WSPGroup and several other smallersponsors, was a great success. Fourstudents from previously dis-advantaged backgrounds will scorewith bursaries next year.

One hundred and forty golfers teedoff at the Bluff National CountryClub. There were prizes galore,with Andrew Morgan winning theindividual stable-ford tournament.

In addition to the money raised forthe bursaries, Andrew Mather ofthe WSP Group, announced anadditional R10 000 grant from his

2006 Golf Day2006 Golf Day2006 Golf Day2006 Golf Day2006 Golf Daycompany for a fourth bursaryrecipient in 2007. The Golf Daywas funded to t he t une o fR120 000, with the WSP Groupsponsoring R60 000, Pricewater-houseCoopers R10 000, KPMGR10 000 and FNB R10 000.

Professor Dasarath Chetty, Ex-ecutive Director of UKZN's PublicAffairs and Corporate Communi-cations Division, said the tourna-ment provided an ideal vehicle forsponsors and alumni to support theUniversity's community outreachprogramme.

"I am delighted that the corporatesector is supporting the University'sscholarship programme. The Golf

Day provides the business com-munity with an opportunity tonetwork with one another whileraising much needed funds forbursaries to students from poorercommunities," he said.

The 2007 Golf Day promises to beeven bigger and better, with theDurban Country Club beingbooked for 30 August.

The recipient of the bursary fromthe 2005 tournament, MechanicalEngineering student Barry Nyuswa,has also been offered an internshipat the WSP Group.

- Marlan Padayachee

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Andrew Morgan (centre) celebrates his victory with Professor Dasarath Chetty and Shakila Thakurpersad ofUKZN and main sponsor Jay Ramchander of the WSP Group.

THE House Committee at FourSeasons Residence in Point Roadrecently organised a camp for the

Students' campStudents' campStudents' campStudents' campStudents' campstudents who live there. The groupspent a weekend at Forest Lake inPietermaritzburg.

Four Seasons students enjoyed themselves at the camp.

The aim was to foster communi-cation and build stronger relation-ships amongst students. The stu-dents were exposed to a differentsetting out of the busy and noisycity life.

This was one of many initiativesplanned by the House Committee,which feels that it is imperative thatstudent leadership address issuepertinent to students today, includ-ing HIV and AIDS, unplannedpregnancies and poverty.

The students enjoyed a variety ofgames and activities, includinghiking and canoeing.


26TH MEDICINE UPDATE SYMPOSIUMThe 26th Annual Medicine Update Symposium, which is organised bythe Department of Medicine, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicinewill be held on Sunday 26 November 2006 at the Holiday Inn Durban–Elangeni. The Symposium will be accredited for CPD points.

Enquiries should be addressed to:

Medicine Update Symposium SecretariatDepartment of MedicineNelson R Mandela School of MedicineUniversity of KwaZulu-NatalPrivate Bag 7Congella 4013

Enquiries: Sagree Pillay / Chandrika Vedalankar

Telephone : (031) 260 4217 / 260 4537Facsimile : (031) 260 4420E-mail : [email protected] / [email protected]

ON my way to work the other morning I was amused by these three goatswho were attempting to gain access to the Central Admissions Office viaGate 11 on the Howard College campus.

Text and Picture: Elaine Daker: Unite Programme, Faculty of Engineering

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Celebrating women S · Celebrating women PROFESSOR Patricia Berjak from the School of Biological and Con-servation Sciences was invested ... extent tended to undervalue work done

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