When asked what flags they missed in the build-up to the Arab Spring, the American and British embassies in South Africa listed three things: abnormally high youth unemployment, combined with active social networks, and growing dissatisfaction among young people for the government of the day.
South Africa has all three – we are one random event away from our own version of an Arab Spring. It could be completely different to what happened up north because those countries were dictatorships. The Arab Spring in our case could be expressed in the 2014 elections, if the EFF got 20 or 25% of the vote, for example.
This is according to world-renowned strategist and author, Clem Sunter, who delivered the annual John Orr Memorial Lecture titled: The World and South Africa beyond 2013: The latest scenarios, flags and probabilities on Thursday, 28 November 2013 at Wits University.
According to Sunter, there are three mega trends in the world today. The first is aging populations. “Of all the people who have ever lived beyond the age of 65, over 50% are alive today. The average lifespan of an American and a Brit in 1900 was 40. By the end of the century, it was 83.”
Sunter said this trend was having enormous impacts – on pensions and welfare programmes – but also on business. “Yes, if you sell walking sticks and hearing aids and anti-wrinkle cream, it’s good for business, but for most other things, it’s not good for business. Old people don’t eat as much. Our food exports to Europe have declined over the last three years and one of the reasons given is that the collective appetite in Europe is declining.”
The second mega trend was picked up from a conversation with the head of the scenario planning team at the Department of Homeland Security in the US who said the second biggest threat to their national security was climate change. She said they’d been studying the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and that there was absolutely no doubt that there had been a huge pick-up.
This year was a terrible year, with record temperatures of close to 54 degrees centigrade and bush fires in Australia, record floods along the Danube, and twisters which took out towns in Oklahoma and Illinoi. “If it were terrorists who were doing that, America would have gone on a full scale war footing,” said Sunter.
The third mega trend is the changing nature of work. “When I went to school, you were told to get good A-levels, or a good matric, and you were told to get a good degree. You could then wave your CV in front of a large employer and you would get a job. But the nature of work has been transformed by firstly, technology, which has completely driven a spike through many jobs, but secondly, it’s been changed by the different employment model which many large companies have which is that instead of doing everything yourself, you actually subcontract a large amount of the non-core activities to other businesses.”
There are record levels of youth unemployment in the world today. Spain has a youth – that’s 18 to 24-year-olds – unemployment rate of 52%, which is about the same as in South Africa. Greece is at 58% and Britain is at 21%. Germany is the only European country which still has a modest rate of around 7%.
According to Sunter, academic institutions are still teaching kids for the job market that existed 50 years ago. “They’re not teaching kids to create a job, which is very different to finding a job,” he said.
Against those mega trends, Sunter and his partner Chantell Ilbury are offering their global clients two scenarios. The first is what they call “hard times” – a flat, low growth scenario until 2020. What do companies do to grow in hard times? Sunter and Ilbury have come across three strategies. The first is innovation.
“To create a culture of innovation requires a totally different management style to what most companies have at the moment. You’ve got to pay people if they come up with bright ideas. In the 1920s, Anglo American gave bonuses to geologists who discovered ore bodies. Now their geologists are not paid any bonuses – they’re just part of the Paterson banding system like everybody else. So guess what? They don’t find anything. You’ve got to incentivise a culture of innovation in your business.”
The second strategy is to live your brand – to adopt rules of engagement that differentiate you from your competitors and convince customers that you offer value for money – and the third is to be the cheaper alternative.
“This generation of young people is probably the first generation to have less disposable income than their parents. They truly are in hard times. Stock markets may be hitting record highs, and so the super rich are getting richer, but for ordinary people, life is very tough. Therefore offering the cheaper alternative is a very good option.”
The second scenario which Sunter and Ilbury are offering their global clients is what they’re calling “ultra-violet”. “It’s a two speed world – the old world of aging, advanced economies are going to have a long, flat U and the new world economies, like Africa, are going to have a V like recovery and grow three times faster than the old world economies. Most of our multinational clients believe in that second scenario so they’re all over Africa like a rash, they’re chasing the V,” said Sunter.
The principle decider between hard times and this two speed, ultra-violet world will be China. “If China continues to grow at 8 to 10% per annum we’re in the two-speed world because lots of emerging economies are supplying China. If China has the kind of moment that Japan did in 1990 and falls from grace from a 7 to 8% growth economy down to 1%, then of course it’s hard times for everybody.”
Sunter and Ilbury have gone more negative on China for three reasons. Firstly, China is facing a demographic cliff, resulting from their one child policy. Secondly, they’re becoming a much more expensive economy, as indicated by the fact that many Chinese factories are relocating to Vietnam. “Vietnam is now China’s China,” said Sunter.
Thirdly, there’s a lot of empty property in China, not in Shanghai and Beijing, but in cities of 15 to 20 million people. Municipalities borrow money from banks and they build entire suburbs. Previously, people would then move in. Now, they’re not moving in and there is concern that there might be a property crash in China which would affect the banking system.
“We give a 60% probability to hard times, and we give a 40% probability to the two speed, ultra-violet world. But we say to most businesses, bet on both. In other words, go for the cheaper alternative, go for something new, live your brand for hard times, but at the same time, chase the V in the emerging economies with the younger demographics. You can do both without any inconsistencies,” said Sunter.
There is another possible scenario, an outlier, in which the world sees another massive crash. Fund managers in the US agree that this would happen if there were an increase in the interest rate on US 10 year treasury bonds from 2.8% into the 4 to 5% range. American debt right now is $17 trillion and a 2% increase in the interest rate would mean that the American government would have to fork out an extra $340 billion in interest.
What about SA? In May 2013, South Africa was ranked 53 out of 59 in the World Competiveness Survey. According to Sunter, the country should rank 32 because it is the 32nd largest economy in the world, but it was 21 places lower because of policy uncertainty which is deterring investors.
“We’re in the ‘relegation zone’ of the ‘premier league’ and there are three scenarios. The first is that we get our act together and we get back to the middle of the premier league where we rightfully belong. We’re the only African nation listed in the premier league at the moment.
“The second is that we don’t get our act together and we decline peacefully and gracefully down into a scenario called ‘second division’. This is where the bulk of the third world lies – poor but peaceful. Yes, companies will still make money in the second division, but for the government it will be a very tough scenario because they won’t get the same tax revenue that they got in the premier league, just as they have to finance the National Development Plan and National Health Insurance.
“If the flag of violence goes up, we move into a completely different scenario called ‘failed state’. It’s where we join the likes of Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia where people don’t touch you with a barge pole because you’re too unpredictable and you’re too violent.”
Eighteen months ago, Sunter and Ilbury were giving a zero probability to the failed state scenario. Now they have raised it to a 25% probability.
There are several flags for this scenario, including nationalisation (the principle platform of the EFF), clumsy implementation of National Health Insurance leading to a decline in private health care and a mass exodus of young talent, and – the most toxic of all – land grabs.
But these flags have stayed down and the event which caused Sunter and Illbury to raise the probability of a failed state scenario was the tabling of the Protection of Information Bill in parliament. Sunter said it was critical for South Africa to have an independent media to prevent levels of corruption from going through the roof.
Another alarm bell was Marikana which, according to Sunter, has changed many things, particularly in the sphere of labour, and has resulted in levels of anarchy which haven’t been seen before.
In light of the failed state scenario being jumped up to a 25% probability, Sunter and Illbury are offering two options. The first one is to look after yourself – keep your passport up to date. But the option they are recommending is to help to keep the red flags down. They challenge all their corporate clients to think about how they can reduce youth unemployment. “Corporate social responsibility becomes a central part of your strategy if you’re thinking about your long term interests,” said Sunter.
The “premier league” scenario has been given a 50% probability and the “second division” scenario has been given a 25% probability. Inclusive leadership will be critical to remaining in the premier league. “The 2014 election is important because we have to emerge as a more united country,” said Sunter.
Another deciding factor will be how we treat our pockets of excellence. How can we replicate the brilliance of SARS in other government departments?
Finally, we have to create a balanced economy – an outward economy that earns us enough foreign exchange to pay for our imports, and an inward economy that creates jobs. According to Sunter, in the outward economy, we have to play to spaces which we can dominate – resources, tourism, and being a gateway to Africa. How can we position ourselves as the place where people should start chasing the V in Africa?
“One of the statistics that the World Bank tossed out the other day was that six of the top 10 fastest growing economies in the world are African countries. Only four are outside Africa. So in a way, South Africa is now part of the most thrilling continent to be on in the world today,” he said.
The success of our inward economy will in large part be determined by our attitude to entrepreneurs. “We looked at the two largest economies in the world – China and America. They couldn’t be more different except for one thing: they both now respect their entrepreneurs in terms of influencing the prospects of those countries,” said Sunter.
“Jacob Zuma should stop talking about creating five million jobs by 2020 and start talking about creating one million new enterprises by 2020 because the only way you’re going to create five million jobs is through one million new enterprises. Big business is going to be a net job destroyer over the next five to 10 years because of the mega trend (the changing world of work). Government can’t power another five million civil servants because they haven’t got the money. Public works programmes can transfer skills but they’re temporary. So the only place where we’re really going to create jobs on a big scale is going to be in small business.”
With a 50% probability of staying the premier league, a 25% probability of dropping into the second division, and a 25% probability of a failed state, South Africa is on a 50/50 tipping point between good and bad. “Our first tipping point was in the early 90s when we could have tipped into civil war but we didn’t because we had Codesa 1 and 2 to negotiate a new constitution which led to a perfectly reasonable election,” said Sunter.
“We need an economic Codesa now where you get the captains of industry together with government to come up with a way of creating a space for a new generation of entrepreneurs and industrialists, because that is not addressed in the National Development Plan.
“How do you create that space? Personally I’d start with a rule that every major company has to put aside 20% of its supply chain for generating a new group of entrepreneurs. That would be just for starters.”
The South African Institute of Mechanical Engineering hosts the prestigious John Orr Memorial Lecture each year to commemorate the achievements of Professor John Orr (1870 – 1954) in engineering education in South Africa. The history of this prestigious lecture dates back to 1961 when the first lecture was initiated to honour Orr.
Madiba: Media Resources
- By Wits University
To celebrate and commemorate the life and tremendous achievements of the late president Nelson Mandela, Wits University has compiled this resources page comprising material and historical papers hosted in our archives. Below is also a list of commentators who can speak on the life and times of Madiba from a political, historical and cultural perspective.
MULTIMEDIA RESOURCES:
A video produced and directed in recent years by Lieza Louw, Wits School of Arts, and featuring Prof. Phil Bonner from the Wits History Workshop.
For images of Nelson Mandela at Wits University – as a student, receiving his honorary doctorate and other visits, click here
Links to digitised archive material on Madiba. It is free and open for the public to view but some items may be subject to copyright and permission if it is to be republished. Permission can be obtained from Michele Pickover, Principal Curator: Archives and Digital Library, Historical Papers Research Archive on 27 11 717 1940 or email michele.pickover@wits.ac.za
OTHER RESOURCES:
A statement issued by Wits University on the passing of former president Nelson Mandela can be accessed here
Wits University conferred an honorary doctorate on Mandela on 6 September 1991. The citation can be accessed here
Wits Review, the University's alumni magazine, reflected on the icon's life in its July edition this year.
WITS EXPERTS:
Prof. Sarah Nuttall (Mandela’s legacy) Director: Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research Email: sarah.nuttall@wits.ac.za Cell: 27 82 887 7169 Tel: 27 11 717 4232
Prof. Adam Habib (Political analyst) Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal Email: adam.habib@wits.ac.za Cell: 27 83 301 6536 Tel: 27 11 717 1102
Associate Professor Noor Nieftagodien (Historical perspective) Head: History Workshop at Wits School of Social Sciences Email: noor.nieftagodien@wits.ac.za Cell: 27 82 457 4103 Tel: 27 11 717 4284
Prof. Daryl Glaser (Political perspective) Head: Political Studies at Wits School of Social Sciences Email: daryl.glaser@wits.ac.za Cell: 27 76 140 7340 Tel: 27 11 717 4373
Professor Glaser can speak on Madiba’s significance in relation to the achievement (or non-achievement) of values like liberty, democracy, social justice, shared prosperity and domestic peace; political controversies surrounding Mandela; his importance as a symbolic resource for the ANC and country; and the struggle by competing groups to appropriate his legacy.
Prof. Tawana Kupe (Mandela as an icon) Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Finance and Operations Email: tawana.kupe@wits.ac.za Cell: 27 78 459 6041 Tel: 27 11 717 1141
Prof. Anton Harber Head: Wits Journalism Email: anton@harber.co.za Cell: 083 303 9497
Prof. Susan Booysen (Political analyst) Graduate School of Public and Development Management Email: susan.booysen@wits.ac.za Cell: 27 83 290 1636 Tel: 27 11 717 3632
Wits team back from Philippines mission
- By Vivienne Rowland
Professor Efraim Kramer, Head of the Wits Division of Emergency Medicine, recently led a 50-person South African trauma team from Rescue South Africa to the Philippines in the aftermath of super typhoon Haiyan.
Kramer and two Witsies formed part of the team, who was given the go-ahead by the Minister of International Relations and Co-Operation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane last month, and the team spent 13 days there.
Listen to their experiences:
Energy efficiency and greening of the skies
- By Wits University
As the host university of the National Aerospace Centre (NAC) in South Africa, Wits partners with a global network, including Airbus, in cutting edge-global aerospace design and development.
The Wits team includes:
Claudia Polese, Associate Professor in Aerospace Manufacturing and Design and Advisory Aerospace Research Director at the NAC
Philip Haupt, Chief Operating Officer at the NAC and the NAC’s Director of Aerospace Manufacturing Processes and Materials
Professor Lesley Cornish, Director of the Centre of Excellence in Strong Materials (CoE-SM), funded by the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation
As the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer, Airbus is constantly seeking the best minds in the world to ensure that their innovation and development remains on the cutting edge in this era of energy efficiency and the greening of the skies.
Enter the NAC whose relationship with Airbus dates back to 2007 when the Department of Trade and Industry launched the Centre. It has been hosted by Wits ever since and is tasked to support all relevant local universities as well as industry partners, of which Airbus is one. Through the Centre, four South African universities par- ticipate in the NAC/Airbus partnership.
It’s a natural fit because, as Haupt explains: 'South Africa has a strong history in aerospace manu- facturing. We have the second oldest air force in the world, second only to the British, and we have been manufacturing aircraft parts under licence since the 1960s. Airbus recognises our capacity for innovation and our industry offers strong career opportunities for leaders in the fields of engineering, metallurgy and mathematics.'
The NAC and Airbus co-sponsor scholarships for 12 masters and PhD students at the par- ticipating South African universities at any given time; and Wits is proud to have five of the 12 stu- dents in the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering supervised by Polese. The first intake of students for specific research areas in welding, laser and titanium was in 2012. The research is divided into three thematic areas: titanium machining, friction stir welding and laser shock peening.
The NAC collaborates closely with the CoE-SM, which is a major South African research network hosted by Wits in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, the Universities of Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Stellenbosch, the Council for Minerals Technology and the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa. More than 30 researchers and over 80 postgraduate students from a number of disci- plines, including physics, chemistry, metallurgy, chemical and mechanical engineering are active in the Centre.
Titanium machining
'Titanium machining is a collaboration between ourselves and Airbus, where we are working on evaluating the performance of a new cooling system that requires a minimum quantity of lubri- cation,' says Polese. Basically it entails machining titanium samples using the minimum quantity of lubricant on the metal’s surface, whereas the conventional system uses litres upon litres. 'It’s a far greener system and it significantly reduces the cost of the final machining aspect, which is 17% of the overall aircraft production cost,' she adds.
The modelling, machining and evaluation tests were all done in-house at Wits, including, for example, the use of highly advanced software for the simulation of the machining process during the modelling phase. Airbus provided the titanium and Polese’s counterpart from Airbus UK collaborates on the project’s direction.
'Titanium is increasingly being used in composite based airplanes because of its corrosion resist- ance and high strength-to-weight ratio. The lighter the airplane, the less fuel it uses, signifi- cantly reducing its carbon emissions,' explains Cornish. The European Union has a massive ‘greening of the skies’ programme, with huge penalties for excessive carbon emissions.
South Africa hopes to develop its titanium industry down the line and is on a beneficiation drive.
'South Africa has the world’s second largest reserves of titaniferous sand – Australia has the largest,' says Haupt.
The first Wits masters student who will graduate from this programme is Jordan Eckowitz.
Friction stir welding
'In conventional welding, you melt the metal components to join them together, but in so doing you get undesirable results such as a weak- ening of the section of metal that is melted,' explains Cornish. 'With friction stir welding (FSW), however, you don’t actually melt the metal; instead you plastically deform it, so you don’t get the weakening, which is a strong selling point.'
Haupt adds that if they can prove that they have developed a reliable welding process based on friction stir, they can replace a number of conventional aircraft joints more safely and cost-effectively.
'This process can significantly add to the calcu- lated life of aircraft components, because with- out the weakening you don’t have to replace parts as often. A reduction in parts manufac- ture is also far more environmentally friendly,' he explains.
The CoE-SM is conducting the FSW project in collaboration with a network of organi- sations, including the NAC and the African Materials Science and Engineering Network, which includes five universities in Africa – Wits in South Africa (administered by the Centre of Excellence), the University of Botswana, the University of Namibia, the University of Nairobi in Kenya and the Federal University of Technology Akure in Nigeria. One student was funded by AMSEN for the friction stir project.
Several postgraduate students worked on this project in 2012, which included the modelling of the FSW process, obtaining the right weld and working on the qualification process of the obtained weld.
Laser shock peening
Laser shock peening (LSP) is the next genera- tion of shock peening, where laser is applied to the surface of aircraft metal components, thereby producing shock waves that increase metal fatigue life, by plastically deforming the surface material and adding a compressive residual stress.
There are currently only two major aircraft pro- duction companies in the world that use this process – one in the US and one in Japan – and both Airbus and the NAC were reliant on them to process all metal samples and ship them to South Africa. 'There was still not sufficient knowledge or flexibility in the process, and while the research is advanced when it comes to steel and titanium, nothing has been done on thin aluminium alloys,' says Polese.
This led to a workshop hosted by Bologna University in Italy in 2011, which was attended by specialists in the field from the US, Europe and South Africa – represented by Polese and Francois Prinsloo from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s National Laser Centre – where they discussed possible research pro- posals to refine the LSP process. The National Laser Centre has some of the best laser facilities worldwide and Polese and Prinsloo’s subsequent proposals were successful.
'In 2012 we started processing samples with dif- ferent parameters to find an optimised setup for airframe structures (which are convention- ally aluminum based) whereby we can repro- cess these structures with laser shock peening,’ explains Polese.
'We are very excited about this project and are working towards commercialising the process in South Africa for a range of industrial needs, including the aeronautical industry, but also in mining, transport and power plants. The process can be used for new structures and for mainte- nance and repair.'
The future
'We ultimately want to grow expertise in certain fields and cultivate areas of specialisation and local design ability, including those discussed above,' says Haupt. 'The future in aerospace design is very much about energy efficiency and greening the air space. Ten years from now air- craft companies globally will use fleets of smaller aircraft that are more flexible with a significant increase in regional flights offered.'
Memorial service at Wits
- By Wits University
The University of the Witwatersrand invites you to share the life and times of Madiba as his contemporaries engage in conversation.
Other speakers include Professor Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Parks Tau, Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, Wits President of Convocation andShafee Verachia, Wits SRC President. Lira will pay tribute with a song.
Date Thursday, 12 December 2013 | Time 16:30 for 17:00 | Venue Wits Great Hall
An exhibition on Nelson Mandela, featuring some of his most valuable papers, will be on display. All welcome. Enquiries: Anna 27 11 717 1195
The School of Law is leading a new niche knowledge area through the Wits Programme on Law, Justice and Development in Africa (Wits PLJDA) which is contributing substantial research towards the growth and development of the rule of law, governance and justice on the continent.
Africa and the Future of International Criminal Justice, published in 2012, is a seminal book based on a conference organised by the Wits PLJDA that deals with an African dimension to international justice. The book was edited by Head of the Wits PLJDA, Professor Vincent Nmehielle, who wrote the introduction, con- clusion and a chapter. The book also features a chapter by Professor Ntombizozuko Dyani- Mhango from the School of Law.
'Three years ago when we founded the Wits PLJDA, our purpose was to establish the University as a research leader in justice, peace and devel- opment in Africa,' explains Acting Head of School Professor Mtendeweka Mhango.
The Programme’s first major project was to host an international conference in 2010 on the future of international criminal justice in Africa and how to promote peace and justice in Africa. It was a resounding success with a strong international attendance, including United Nations (UN) digni- taries, prosecutors from the International Criminal Court (ICC) and chief justices.
This led to the publication of the book and sev- eral accredited journal articles by lecturers and postdoctoral and PhD students from the School, including an article by Mhango in the Journal of African Legal Studies in 2012. The article was titled Governance, peace and human rights violations in Africa: Addressing the application of the right to self-determination in post-inde- pendence Africa.
The Programme’s research deals with a variety of issues, including heads of states in Africa who are being taken to trial at the ICC; impunity for atrocity crimes; self-determination and multina- tional corporate complicity in Africa’s conflicts. These and other issues affecting peace and justice in Africa are discussed by members of the School below.
The right to self-determination in post-independence Africa
'Self-determination is a right in international law in the UN Charter, which states that people who share the same ethnic group, or religious or cul- tural affiliation should have the right to express themselves,' explains Mhango. In Africa, many of the conflicts are about people trying to express this right, which needs to be recognised as per the ruling by the African Commission on Human Rights in the Kantangese People’s Congress v. Zaire.’
The African Court of Human Rights in Tanzania and the African Commission on Human Rights in Gambia are legal bodies where Africans can bring human rights violation complaints. People should feel that they have access – subject to certain conditions – to these tribunals, which can issue a judgment to address the problem before human rights violations escalate.
'Once they have escalated, with deaths and displacement, human rights violations can be presented to the ICC in The Hague, but we are advocating a preventive rather than reactive approach,' says Mhango. 'The problem with the African Commission on Human Rights is that its decisions are recommendations, they are not binding on the state. It needs to be far stronger, like the African Court of Human Rights, whose decisions are binding.'
Most African countries have good human rights NGOs that could help escalate human rights violations to the appropriate courts. Where gov- ernments don’t respond, various pressures, such as the limiting of trade, could be imposed by the international community. The aim is to bring human rights violations to book before vast num- bers of people are killed or displaced.
Taking credible ownership of justice for atrocity crimes
This is addressed by Nmehielle in the chapter of the book he authored, titled, 'Taking credible ownership of justice for atrocity crimes in Africa: The African Union and the Complementarity Principle of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court’.
'This chapter makes the point that Africa must find a way of effectively dealing with accountability for the seemingly daily occurrence of atrocity crimes in its various territories, as provided for in the Rome Statute under international humanitarian law. The African Union (AU) must focus on this if it does not want to see more cases going to the ICC,' explains Nmehielle.
Multinational corporate complicity in Africa’s conflicts
In the book, Nmehielle emphasises that the ICC and governing Rome Statute do not account for all notions of international criminal justice that have a direct impact on Africa, such as corporate criminal liability:
'The failure of this regime to recognise corporate criminal liability is a major limitation,' he explains.
'The relevance of multinational corporate com- plicity in Africa’s numerous conflicts, particularly those that are based on a struggle for natural resources, is unquestionable. Increasing and important attention is being paid to corporate complicity in international crimes in Africa. It is thus a new frontier on the future of international criminal justice on the continent. The fact that the AU is beginning to think of extending criminal responsibility for international crimes to corpo- rate activities is instructive in this regard,' says Nmehielle, whose team is planning a major con- ference on Natural resources and development in Africa in 2014.
Six of the PhDs that Nmehielle is supervising are researching issues around development and informed consent, and the implementation of the UN guidelines of corporate human rights responsibility and accountability.
Extraterritorial obligations
Professor Lilian Chenwi is researching the human rights, economic, social and cultural obligations that states have beyond their territories, known as extra-territorial obligations (ETO), another new area of human rights law.
She is part of an international ETO consortium that includes academics, NGOs and human rights organisations that have adopted a set of principles known as the Maastricht Principles on Extraterritorial Obligations of States in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
'We are working towards translating the princi- ples into practice,' says Chenwi. 'For example, in the case of the eviction of over 2 000 people in Uganda to make way for a coffee plantation owned by a German company through a local Ugandan subsidiary company, the home state of the main company (Germany) has extrater- ritorial obligations to respect and protect the rights of the Ugandans affected.'
Chenwi is working on a book project with Assistant Professor of International Studies at the University of Canberra, Dr Takele Bulto, look- ing at extraterritoriality in relation to the African human rights system. She was the co-recipient of the 2012 Vera Chirwa Human Rights Award for her contribution to the development of economic and social rights in South Africa.
Sexual violence during armed conflict
For Professor Ntombizozuko Dyani-Mhango,
2012 was a very productive year. She com- pleted her doctorate in juridical science with a thesis titled ‘Sexual violence during armed conflict in Africa and the African Union’s right to humanitarian intervention: Implications, challenges and solutions’. This led to a chap- ter in the book and an article published in the Brooklyn Journal of International Law.
'I looked at the obligations of African states and the AU in combatting sexual violence during armed conflict from the international law per- spective,' she explains. 'My question was: does the AU have a legal duty to intervene if sexual violence is committed? My answer was: yes, it does, with or without the consent of the state. If peaceful means of intervening are exhausted, the AU should use military intervention to stop the sexual violence. This has not been happening and the AU has a lot of work to do as its laws are progressive but the implementation is lacking.'
Witsies join Spanish research programme
- By Vivienne Rowland
Three Wits students have joined their peers in Spain for the first time to take part in the CRG-Wits-Novartis mobility programme at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona.
This initiative highlights the strategic value of the CRG in the international biomedical research world and is one of the activities of the Scientific Capability Development Department at Novartis, a global leader in pharmaceuticals, generics, vaccines and consumer health products, aimed at training scientists and exchanging research talent with developing countries.
The Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) at Wits has signed collaboration agreements with the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), an international institution of biomedical research of excellence and Novartis to promote joint scientific projects and train scientists of excellence through the CRG-Novartis-Wits Mobility Programme.
It is a bid to reinforce the presence of the Catalan research centres worldwide and drive forward a new model of public-private partnerships in research.
The three PhD students, Jacqueline Frost, Nikki Gentle and Kiashanee Moodley left for Spain last month and will return in April 2014, upon which they will then complete their PhDs at Wits.
“The SBIMB has been able to setup a programme that directly benefits the faculties and will take these students’ research projects to a cutting edge level, allowing Wits to produce graduates who are working at the leading edge of their field,” says Caryn McNamara, Project Manager at the SBIMB.
Frost, Gentle and Moodley will join three of the CRG laboratories for six months and work on projects related to breast cancer, systemic sclerosis and HIV. The purpose of their stay at the centre is to carry out high-quality scientific projects directed and supervised by scientists from the CRG and Wits.
“We are all excited about the work that we will do here. This extraordinary opportunity will enable us to further our research in ways we didn’t think would be possible. We will be trained in areas which are becoming increasingly important in modern science, such as genomic and transcriptomic profiling using Next Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics. Learning these techniques at the CRG, from leaders in these fields, is an opportunity that is not afforded to many scientists, and we feel extremely lucky to be in this position,” says Frost.
McNamara says the exchange programme is a wonderful opportunity for Witsies to travel abroad to discover and learn the latest scientific techniques available.
“The scientists will then bring these techniques back to Africa with them whilst they complete their degrees at Wits. Whilst building scientific research capacity, this programme also allows the opportunity for the scientists to build new research collaborations and network with expert scientists. We hope that this programme is only the start of many such exchanges and joint research projects with the CRG researchers in the future,” says McNamara.
2014 Admission and registration
- By Wits University
Wits welcomes all new and returning students. Admission and registration for first years, new students and returning students will commence from 6 January 2014 onwards.
FOR THE MEDIA: To assist with media enquiries regarding student admission, enrolment, registration, fees, funding and accommodation, Wits Communications has compiled a list of Questions and Answers (below) to cover all related enquiries.
FOR STUDENTS: For all enquiries regarding student admission and registration 2014, visit the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC) webpage. For online registration enquiries, click here.
MEDIA RESOURCE: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON ADMISSION AND REGISTRATION 2014
CONTENTS:
STUDENT ADMISSION, ENROLMENT AND REGISTRATION
FEES AND FUNDING
ACCOMMODATION
COMMENTS FROM WITS VICE-CHANCELLOR AND PRINCIPAL, PROFESSOR ADAM HABIB
STUDENT ENROLMENT AND REGISTRATION:
Q: Can students still apply for the 2014 academic year?
A: No.
Q: When was the closing date for applications for 2014 cohort?
A: 30 September 2013.
Q: Does Wits accept late applications and walk-in applications?
A: No, Wits does not accept late applications. Late walk-in applicants will be informed accordingly.
Q: If a student has not applied yet, what are their options at Wits?
A: The University also offers part-time studies and short courses via the Wits Plus Centre for part-time studies; the Wits Language School and the Wits Enterprise.
Q: What are the criteria used for selecting students?
Wits University’s admission requirements are based on merit, and we have an automatic computerised admissions system, which based on the number of points a student has, automatically issues an offer to a potential student, without any human interference in vetting the offer.
There are however, different programmes within the University which have different admission requirements and, depending on the programme, need to be taken into consideration, including a rating system, admission points score (APS), questionnaires, selection tests, interviews, auditions and/or written assignments; for example students applying for a Bachelor of Music would participate in an audition as part of the selection criteria.
Almost 70% of Wits’ student population is Black African, so transformation of the student body at Wits is not an issue.
The Faculty of Health Sciences considers a combination of factors before admitting students into any of its programmes. This includes the scores of certain subjects taken at school, a biographical questionnaire score (which includes questions related to the applicant’s non-academic achievements), and the National Benchmark scores (NBT). The NBT scores are used only by the Faculty of Health Sciences as part of its selection. All other faculties use the matric results.
For the 2013 academic year we received well over 35 000 applications for approximately 5 500 first year places. We do indicate very clearly in our admissions literature that meeting the likely admissions levels of acceptance does not guarantee you a place. The number of places available as opposed to the number of applications is a national issue and not unique to Wits.
The discussion on the number of places available at universities is part of a broader question around access to further education. It is crucial for the profile of FET colleges to be raised as they play a significant role in allowing students options for further study. Not all students who matriculate are ‘university material’ and not all students necessarily want to go to University. As places in Universities are limited, it would be best for students to apply to more than one University.
Medicine always receives the most applications – we had over 4 900 applications for this degree for 2013 and we allocated approximately 250. Our seven different engineering degrees, as a collective, attract over 12 000 applications whilst the general B Com is also extremely popular. The BA degree generally attracts the third highest number of applications.
The University makes approximately 5 500 places available for first-year students and in total, Wits can accommodate about 30 000 undergraduate and post-graduate students.
Q: How does Wits make sure registration takes place in an orderly fashion?
A: Registration information is sent to all qualifying applicants with details (of dates, time and venue) when registration will take place. In addition, Wits students registering for fixed curriculum can register online. Wits strives to improve its student admission and registration process annually and has a Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC) dedicated to deal with any enquiries related to applying to study at Wits. This includes accommodation, financial aid, sport and other bursaries, career education, curriculum advice and selection test information. We can also help with registration, timetables, syllabi and booklists. This one-stop service is also web-based and students are encouraged to apply online as well as follow their applications status online. This is in support the broader national government campaign which encourages Grade 12 learners to apply early to institutions of higher learning.
Q: When do first-year students register?
A: From 10 January 2014 onwards.
Q: When does registration for all students take place?
A: From 6 January 2014 to 6 February 2014.
Q: When do classes begin?
A: The first teaching block runs from 10 February 2014 – 28 March 2014
Q: How many first-year students do Wits accept?
A: Wits offers space to approximately 5 500 first-time, first-year students.
Q: How is Wits preparing for the first years of next year?
A: As is tradition, the University will hold its Welcome Day, an event attended by both new students and parents/guardians. This day will be held on Sunday, 2 February 2014.
Parents and students will have an opportunity to engage with the Vice-Chancellor, Deans of Faculties, SRC, senior students and other members of the Wits community; and explore the campus. Following the formalities a light lunch will be served on the University’s library lawns with entertainment.
Orientation Week, also known as O-Week, kicks off on Monday 3 February and concludes on Friday, 7 February 2014.
The O-Week programme features a variety of workshops and activities to address the needs of new students, including campus tours, meeting faculty and staff, numerous campus resource seminars and many fun events. Attending O-Week is extremely beneficial to students as it softens the transition from high school to university, new comers have a chance to make friends and get a sense of how the University operates before the academic programme begins.
In order to ensure academic success, Wits students have access to the First Year Experience (FYE). The FYE programme is a support structure aimed at empowering and equipping first year university students with the necessary skills required to navigate successfully through university. The programme has significantly contributed to the retention and student success at Wits by minimising the number of students at risk due to academic or social factors.
The Wits Student Development and Leadership Unit, the Careers and Counselling and Development Unit and the FYE programme are just some of the student support structures designed to ensure the holistic development of students.
Q: How many first-year applications do Wits receive annually?
A: Approximately 35 000.
Q: How many students can Wits accommodate annually – from all years of study?
A: In total, Wits can accommodate about 30 000 undergraduate and post-graduate students.
Q: Has there been a marked increase in undergraduate applications over the last five years?
A: Ms Jeannette Phiri, Wits Head of Student Enrolment says: “Wits has 5500 places for available for first-year students for 2014. Over the last five years there has been a marked increase in applications. At the Student Enrolment Centre, we have employed extra staff for a short period to keep up with the increased number of applications and documentations.”
Q: How has Wits sought to keep up with the increasing demand for tertiary study?
A: The infrastructure of our University also had to expand to take into account our increased numbers, thus our recent expansion and development of the Science Stadium with state of the art lecture theatres, among other capital expansion projects. The University ensures that our academic staff to student ratio remains optimal to take into account the increase in enrolment numbers.
Q: What are the most popular courses?
A: Medicine and Surgery attract the most number of applicants, but the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Science are also very popular.
Q: Passing requirements for academic year-on-year progression.
A: Each faculty has different ‘Progression Rules’ which have minimum requirements which students have to meet each year which takes into consideration the individual courses. The passing requirements for each programme vary, i.e. in a Bachelor of Arts a student needs to pass a minimum number of points allocated to each course that he/she has registered for in order to proceed to the following year.
Q: How many years does the University give a student to repeat a year or course?
A: The standard procedure is to allow a student to repeat a course three times. This may vary from faculty to faculty.
Q: By how much have student fees increased over the last three years?
A: By approximately 7 – 10% in the last three years.
Programme
2010
2011
2012
2013
BA degree
R29 330.00
R31 700.00
R33 200.00
R35 800.00
MBChB (Medicine)
R39 300.00
R40 150.00
R43 520.00
R47 030.00
Engineering
R31 930.00
R34 760.00
R37 710.00
R40 920.00
Q: How does the University arrive at the fee increase of the degrees?
A: Various factors impact on the fee increases and the costs of each programme is determined individually based on numerous factors that impact on the delivery of the course. Unlike most businesses, the University is obliged to order many of its consumable products like textbooks and specialised equipment from abroad using a currency that remains relatively weak in terms of foreign exchange. The costs of running libraries and laboratories exceed the national inflation levels. The costs of printing are again expected to far outstrip average inflation. These and many other line items which are critical to the operation of the University increase year on year therefore necessitating an increase in student fees or the upfront fee.
For example, the international costs that impact on the running of universities are goods such as: specialist equipment, IT software and hardware licences, consumables such as chemicals, university-level books and journals, etc. These goods cost a premium because they have a small market worldwide. A best-seller novel with huge print runs costs much less than a scientific textbook with low print runs for medical students. In addition, all goods needed from outside South Africa attract import duties. Imported books (the life-blood of the libraries) also attract ad valorum tax. These taxes are imposed to protect local publishers and industries. However, they can add some 40-50% to the costs.
Locally, electricity is on the increase and the University will also have to bear the brunt of increased fuel costs to ensure that buses for students continue to operate between campuses and property rates hikes, etc.
In some academic programmes, scarce and rare skills have led to higher costs of delivering the courses thereby necessitating an increase above the norm.
Q: What is your most expensive course?
A: MBBCh (Medicine)
Q: What financing & funding opportunities exist for future and current students?
A: Wits University administers about R500 million in scholarships, bursaries and financial aid per annum. This includes Wits’ own funds and scholarships and monies that it administers on behalf of government, the public and private sectors and individual and corporate donors.
Student can apply for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), funding applications for 2014 closed on 30 September 2013. The University also has its own internally funded scholarships which recognise excellence across a variety of areas of achievement. Secondly, from 2014 the University will introduce the Vice-Chancellor's Equality Scholarship targeted at the top students in quintile one and two schools. Top performing students from these schools will be given scholarships to ensure that talented students from economically marginalised communities have access to Wits.
There are also external financial institutions that students can approach for funding or a loan. The private sector (business, NGOs etc.) advertises available bursaries a year prior to registration.
Q: How much is owed to Wits in student debt and how do the University collect outstanding monies?
A: The 2013 student debt figures will only be available in 2014 after registration. Wits’ bad debt is less than 1.7% of its total revenue, making it one of the institutions in the country with the lowest burden of debt.
The outstanding fees for 2012 are approximately R17 million but the figure decreases on a daily basis as monies are collected. In January 2011, the University had R13.3 million outstanding in student debt. It was R14 million in 2010.
Q: What arrangements are in place to help students who cannot afford to pay their fees?
A: The University has a number of flexible payment options for students and most monies are recovered in January, before registration for the current academic year.
The University continues to collect any shortfall throughout the year and does not permit a student to escalate their debt through a further year of registration. It would be irresponsible of the University to encourage an escalation of such debt. Fortunately, over 50% of Wits’ students are on financial aid or external bursaries.
If an individual who owes money does not voluntarily enter into discussions about an appropriate schedule of repayments, the University then follows a process which includes contacting the person responsible for payment and developing a repayment schedule. Only if this process is not successful, does the University embark on implementing the formal debt collection process.
If a student has outstanding tuition fees at the time of graduation, the student unfortunately cannot graduate and the qualification will be withheld until the amount has been settled.
Q: How many Wits students are on financial aid or scholarships?
A: Over 50% of Wits’ students are on financial aid or external bursaries.
ACCOMMODATION:
Q: What are the residence fees for 2014? How much is the increase from 2013?
A: Residence fee: Residence fee increase proposals will be presented separately in conjunction with the Residence budget for 2013. FINCO approved an 11.55% fee increase.
Q: How many students stay in residences and how many does Wits have/operate?
A: Wits accommodates 20% of the student population in 18 residences.
Q: Who does not qualify for to stay in a residence?
A: If you stay within an 8km radius of the University, you do not qualify to stay in res.
Q: Are there any race/religious or cultural issues with residences?
A: No, all residences are integrated and have been so for about two decades.
Q: Who gets preference?
A: Wits tries to give preference to first year students to live on campus. This is particularly because first year students often do not know the city and may need more assistance to adapt to university and city life. Each residence has a house committee which forms part of the All Residences Council. A senior staff member also looks after each residence and is there to support and guide students both academically and otherwise. Research has shown that students who live in residences on campus tend to do better academically than day students. This can be attributed partially to the environment, support structures and extra academic and non-academic activities held in residences. For example, Sunday night lectures on various topics by Wits lecturers are hosted in some residences. A strong tutorial system in some residences also sees senior students mentoring first years.
COMMENTS FROM WITS VICE-CHANCELLOR AND PRINCIPAL: PROFESSOR ADAM HABIB:
Comments from Wits Vice-Chancellor and principal, Professor Adam Habib, on admission and registration 2014 at Wits University:
“Only one in seven learners will go on to study at a Higher Education institution and Wits chooses the cream of the crop. We need to address the problems facing the Higher Education system. We need diversification of the system, new universities, FET colleges and others; we need to expand the capacity of Higher Education.
There has to be post-secondary education such as technikons and artisan training colleges; colleges that focus on vocational training for teachers, nurses, etc.; comprehensive universities such as the University of Johannesburg that has a strong focus on undergraduate studies; and research-driven universities such as Wits, University of the Western Cape and Stellenbosch University that traditionally focusses on expanding their research capacities.
We have 25 universities in South Africa but we need more. The US has between 5 000 and 6 000 universities. In Dubai there are more than 600. In South Africa we need universities that are more diverse and not all the same as that are an old colonial model.
As we celebrate 20 years of democracy this year we also notice that Higher Education in this country has doubled in the last two decades, from 420 000 students to over 900 000 who currently access higher education.
While our student cohort has expanded, our number of academics has stayed more or less the same and we must invest and grow the number of academics needed in higher education and uphold the quality of academic teaching.
The tragedy with secondary education is that whilst more leaners have access today, we lose 50% before they even finish matric, or they don’t pass or they can’t enter university. Our higher education training should also focus on investing in students when they are in the system and improving the throughput rate.”
At Wits we have a no walk-in policy. We do not have any problems. Prospective students apply in advance. We have 35 000 applications for 5 500 first year places. For top students we offer places provisionally awaiting their results and for others we offer places once the results come out.
We will not have an increase in undergraduate student numbers as we want to increase our post-graduate numbers. Wits focusses on training and creating high level skills sets.”
You are in our hearts
- By Wits University
THE PASSING OF TATA NELSON MANDELA: A TRIBUTE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, JOHANNESBURG
The University of the Witwatersrand extends its deepest sympathies to the friends and family of former president Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the father of our nation and an international icon, who passed away on Thursday, 5 December 2013 at the age of 95. May his soul rest in peace.
Founding president of democratic South Africa, Tata Nelson Mandela changed the world as we know it. He has left a legacy that will benefit and inspire generations to come. He set an example for the rest of the world and created history on his journey through life.
We must celebrate his humility, his principles, his commitment to justice, peace and freedom during this time and we must never forget the values for which he fought so hard and for which he was prepared to die.
Tata Madiba, we walk in your footsteps, we are guided by your principles, and we live by your humanity. You are with us today, and your contribution as an alumnus of our University, as a fellow South African, as a comrade, and as the father of our young nation, is etched in history, and will live on forever.
The father of our nation, Madiba was Wits University’s most illustrious student and alumnus. He was a close friend of the University and blessed us with his presence over the years in several roles - as a student, a politician, an activist, as an Honorary graduate, as a President, a Nobel prize-winner, a guest and as a world leader.
Wits University bestowed an upon Nelson Mandela in 1991 for his ‘commitment to justice (which) drew him out of his profession and into national leadership’.
You were of us, but you belonged to the world. You lived amongst us now, but your legacy will inspire for eternity.
Hamba kahle Tata - You are in our hearts.
Professor Adam Habib Vice-Chancellor and Principal University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
STATEMENT FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF CONVOCATION
The Executive Committee of Convocation of the University of the Witwatersrand mourns the death of Wits Alumni and first President of democratic South Africa, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.
We pay tribute to this great leader who taught us what servant leadership is really about. With his courage, tenacity and patience, he led our country towards democracy during a difficult time. While he was humble he also had incredible presence and influence; he made us understand that true leadership is not just about leading only those who agree with us or are like us. He taught us that the real test of our leadership comes when we have to work with those we do not like or those who do not always agree with us.
He met, listened and engaged with South Africans of all cultures and political persuasions, from the AWB to the Ximoko party, irrespective of their representation (or not) in parliament. Mr Mandela was a true Witsie who understood the importance of diversity in building a vibrant democracy in our country. He epitomised the human spirit in its complexity, diversity and optimism.
We pay tribute to his memory, send our condolences to the family and share the sense of loss felt by all true South Africans and freedom loving citizens of the world.
Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng President of Convocation (on behalf of the Executive Committee of Convocation)
Professor Marcus Byrne is profiled in a two page spread in the November 2013 edition of Forbes Africa, billed as the magazine that delves into the art of getting rich in Africa and brings forward the cutting edge issues influencing wealth and shifting paradigms on the continent.
In September 2013, Byrne won an Ig Nobel prize for his work on dung beetles. The Ig Nobel is a prize for research which first makes you laugh and then makes you think. According to Forbes Africa, Byrne does the same.
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Giant breakthrough after long search
- By Wits University
After first being predicted by Peter Higgs in 1964, the most sought after elementary particle in modern physics – the Higgs boson – was finally discovered in July 2012. Experimental particle physicist Dr Trevor Vickey, a senior lecturer at Wits and a visiting lecturer at Oxford University, was there.
‘It’s like searching in a huge grassy field for the spot where you dropped your car keys, and you think it’s just got to be there somewhere, so you keep searching for decades, marking off bits of the search area as you go. Then one day you actually find your keys, and it’s an abso- lutely crazy feeling because that key – the Higgs boson – was predicted by the mathematics, but now you know that it really does exist,' says Vickey, describing the discovery of the Higgs boson particle, which was announced by ATLAS on 4 July 2012.
ATLAS is an experiment at the world’s biggest atom smasher – the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), in Switzerland.
At the time of the announcement of the long- sought particle, Vickey was leading a team of 100 scientists searching for the Higgs boson using a signature involving two tau particles (a heavy but unstable cousin of the electron). To have been part of this groundbreaking discovery is the stuff of which physicists’ dreams are made.
'I’m not sure that there will be a discovery in my lifetime to beat it,' says Vickey, who has been col- laborating on the ATLAS experiment as a ‘Higgs hunter’ since 2005. He took up the position of senior lecturer at Wits in 2010, and since then has made many trips back and forth between the University and CERN.
The Higgs boson was hypothesised nearly 50 years ago by a group of physicists, including the notable Peter Higgs, a British theoretical physicist and now emeritus professor at the University of Edinburgh, who published his first paper on the Higgs boson in 1964. It provided the missing key in the Standard Model of Particle Physics as to how other fundamental particles get their mass.
The Standard Model asserts that a Higgs field exists everywhere, spread throughout the uni- verse, explains Vickey. This field can be thought of as an enormous tub of treacle and as other types of particles pass through the Higgs field they are slowed down by the sticky substance, which makes them heavier. The Higgs boson particle is responsible for transmitting this mass-giving field, which is quite similar to how particles of light (the photons) transmit the electromagnetic field.
'In our search we kept excluding mass ranges where it could possibly have existed and by December 2011 we had the first hints of its exist- ence. Then in 2012 ATLAS collected more collision data, which we added to our search to determine if it was a bona fide discovery; by July 2012 it was confirmed – a new fundamental particle had been discovered.'
The process they use is akin to smashing two cars together at high speeds and examining the debris from the crash. 'The ATLAS detector is built around one of the LHC collision points, where beams of protons travelling close to the speed of light are aimed at one another,' explains Vickey.
'Two protons smack together, which then annihilate, freeing up enough energy to create the Higgs boson.'
It is a highly unstable particle that exists for a small fraction of a second and then decays into other (known) fundamental particles. Five different subgroups in ATLAS, each one focussing on a unique decay signature, furiously worked on the search simultaneously to come up with the final result. 'Collision data recorded by ATLAS was analysed using a world wide computing grid, which is like the Internet on steroids,' says Vickey.
Such is the importance of the Higgs boson search, and other fundamental particle phys- ics questions, that it warranted the construction of the R55 billion, 27 kilometre long LHC, one of the most expensive and complex experimental facilities to date, capable of creating and study- ing Higgs bosons and related questions. To spot the Higgs, they built gigantic particle detectors: ATLAS (25 metres tall and 45 metres long) and CMS (12 500 tons).
The poignancy of the breakthrough is that Peter Higgs himself was able to see his theory proved.
'He was in tears. He is now 83 years of age and you can only imagine what it must have felt like to have the theory he wrote down nearly 50 years ago confirmed because we finally had the right tools.'
What this discovery means is that physicists are on the right path in terms of the theoretical approach to understanding our Universe. They work at the frontier of science, which is not a means-end pursuit, but in the process of attempt- ing to understand the Universe, they open door- ways to new knowledge in many fields. As part of this they are pushing the boundaries of tech- nology, particularly detector technologies that find their way into industry and medicine, as well as the limits of computing and communications.
‘CERN, for example, developed the Internet so that physicists could analyse their data and com- municate with each other across the world,’ he explains, adding that ATLAS is like a mini United Nations, with 3 000 physicists from 175 participat- ing institutes in 38 countries, including, for exam- ple, Israeli and Palestinian scientists, all working towards the same goals. 'It’s a fascinating mix of diverse cultures and strong-willed scientists,' he comments.
To facilitate their global collaboration, they use a software tool called Vidyo, which is like an enhanced version of Skype, and can handle hundreds of simultaneous connections from physicists all around the world participating in the discussions. 'This is another example of particle physicists helping to push the limits of technology,' says Vickey.
With this big year under the belt, where to from here? 'The searches and measurements con- tinue. Some theories predict a total of five or even seven Higgs bosons, and if additional bosons are discovered then it means new phys- ics beyond the extremely successful Standard Model,' he explains. ‘We know the Standard Model is not perfect and multiple Higgs bosons would suggest an extension of the theory such as supersymmetry. If supersymmetry exists, then with regard to experimental discoveries of fundamental particles in high-energy physics, we are only halfway there.’
The team is continuing to analyse the data and to look for the Higgs boson in some of its more rare decay modes. 'We are also measuring its mass and lifetime as well as its quantum prop- erties such as spin and parity. Precise measurements of these quantities take years, sometimes even decades,' explains Vickey who collabo- rates on the ATLAS experiment with Professor Bruce Mellado and Dr Oana Boeriu in the Wits School of Physics. Between them they have eight postgraduate students and three postdoctoral fellows, most of whom spend a significant per- centage of their time at CERN. 'It’s crucial for their careers because this way they become known in the field and they are able to network worldwide.’'
As to how the Higgs boson will benefit you and me: 'We’re working at the frontier of physics, so we don’t really know,' he responds.' To give you an analogy, when the electron was discovered in the late 1800s, electricity was just a novelty, there was no notion of how indispensable it would become to us. Only time can tell.'
Mandela at Wits
- By Wits University
Former president Nelson Mandela spent six years at Wits University. Below are some tributes in the media from the likes of George Bizos, Ahmed Kathrada and other contemporaries whom he met while studying at Wits.
Wits University joins the world in mourning the passing of former president Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the father of our nation and an international icon, who passed away last night - Thursday, 5 December 2013 at the age of 95. May his soul rest in peace.
In honour of the memory of Tata Madiba, the University’s flags are flying at half-mast across our campuses, and will remain so until he is laid to rest.
An informal gathering space has also been created in the foyer of the Great Hall where staff, students, alumni and friends of the University can pay personal tribute to Tata Madiba’s legacy. Staff, students and visitors can enter their thoughts and memories into a book of remembrance or leave their own flowers, candles, posters and messages on the steps of the Great Hall. The book will remain open to the public for the duration of the national mourning period, and weather permitting, so will any flowers, candles or other memorabilia.
The public can also pay tribute to the late icon on the steps outside the entrance of the Wits Theatre in Jorissen Street, just a few meters from the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Braamfontein, where they can light candles, leave messages or flowers and pay personal tribute to him.
A public memorial service will be held at Wits next week, as well as an exhibition containing memorabilia, his archived papers and other special treasures. Details of the service and exhibition will be announced as soon as they become available.
Rest in peace Tata Madiba.
Tributes, condolences and images can be sent to wits.news@wits.ac.za for inclusion on the Wits website, the memorial booklet and presentation.
TRIBUTES
Official tributes by the University of the Witwatersrand, Executive Committee of Convocation and the Student Representative Council.
David Roche-Kelly, Lecturer at Wits University, pays tribute at .
The Guardian website has featured Professor Yasien Sayed, describing him as a researcher who is pioneering treatments in Africa, for health challenges unique to the continent, in an article which was published on Monday, 2 December 2013.
Sayed is the research leader of the HIV Proteins Research Thrust, Protein Structure-Function Research Unit in the School of Molecular and Cell Biology. He has led his group to international acclaim by solving the three-dimensional X-ray crystal structure of the South African HIV-1 subtype C protease.
Says the article: "This groundbreaking work is a prime example of how research institutions across Africa are working hard to solve Africa-specific problems."
In June, 2012 The Guardian website reached 30.4 million unique users across the globe, making it the third most popular newspaper website in the world (source: comScore MMX, June 2012).
According to Food Bank South Africa, more than 20% of the South African population is food insecure. That means that approximately 11 million South Africans do not know where their next meal will come from. Like in many other parts of the world, those hardest hit are women and children.
The issue of food security is not only high on the South African agenda; it’s a crisis that’s drawing attention from all corners of the globe. The European Union, through their Edulink programme, has invested in a three year project dedicated to finding ways to navigate the challenges of food security.
Together with four other higher education institutions, Wits University – through the Wits Siyakhana Initiative (WSI) – has been awarded an Edulink grant to develop and offer masters courses in food security and social development.
In recognition of its reputation for academic excellence, the WSI was selected as the lead institution, with the Centre for Health Education and Appropriate Health Technologies (CESTAS) selected as an accredited training institution, and the Euro-Mediterranean University of Slovenia (EMUNI) and two southern African Universities – Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) and the University of Namibia (UNAM) – selected as co-collaborators.
The objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of higher education institutions in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) countries through the development of new skills and through the mentoring and training of future leaders in the fields of food security and social development.
Two representatives from CESTAS, Nada Karaivanova and Francesco Zatta, met with Professor Michael Rudolph, Florian Kroll, Nikki Richard and Dr Danny Simatele representing the WSI and the School of Geography Archaeology and Environmental Sciences (GAES) respectively to implement the planning and management of the initial activities. A kick-off meeting with the other institutions is scheduled for January 2014.
While this intercontinental assignment echoes Wits’ strategic aspiration of cultivating international engagement by bringing together African and European universities, it also requires a more internal collaboration. Bearing this in mind, the WSI in collaboration with GAES is committed to fostering existing academic alliances within the university, as well as creating new trans-disciplinary networks to ensure that the project is a success.
Picture (left to right): Francesco Zatta, Nikki Richard, Florian Kroll, Professor Michael Rudolph and Nada Karaivanova
Hassim appointed to top gender posts
- By Kanina Foss
What drives the exploitation of women, and why is it so pervasive – across nations, cultures and histories? These are good questions, and ones which have provided the basis of Professor Shireen Hassim’s intellectual curiosity, driving a rich academic career that has resulted in two recent prestigious appointments.
The first appointment, in January 2013, was to the Expert Advisory Group of the UN Women’s flagship report, Progress of the World’s Women, which aims to frame and explore key gender and women’s rights issues for a broad audience of gender equality advocates, other policy actors, and students and researchers. “It helps people to understand women’s status around the world,” says Hassim.
Each issue takes up a particular theme and the working title for the next edition is Progress is Making the Economy Work for Women: Claiming, Provisioning and Realising Rights. It is due to be published in 2014.
Women have borne the brunt of the economic crisis all over the world. They work in the most vulnerable sectors, with little legal protection, and are often not unionised. “At one level there’s recognition that women’s rights are human rights, but what does that mean in practice if women don’t have equal access to the economy, or if they bear disproportional costs in good and bad times? Those rights become very empty,” says Hassim.
In South Africa, gender equality is entrenched in our constitution, we have institutions dedicated to developing it, and we have good representation of women in parliament. But South African women are still more likely to be poor and to earn less than men.
“South Africa is interesting because, formally, we have so many things in place which other countries would like to have. We do very well in the Gender Empowerment Measure. But it hasn’t translated into many real gains,” says Hassim.
The schism between gender policy and practice in South Africa is particularly relevant to Hassim’s second appointment, in October 2013, to the expert committee of the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), a constitutional entity which is committed to the transformation of gender relations in the country.
The role of the advisory committee is to make sure the CGE has a credible evidence base to help it pursue its work.
Both appointments are incredibly prestigious, and are exciting to Hassim because they involve finding and promoting the latest statistics, research and analytical thinking on the status of women. She says good research is critical to our ability to “challenge the spin”. “It reveals the contradictions between rhetoric and reality.”
About Professor Shireen Hassim:
Shireen Hassim is a Professor of Politics and her research interests are in the area of feminist theory and politics, social movements and collective action, the politics of representation and affirmative action, and social policy. She is co-editor of No Shortcuts to Power: Women and Policymaking in Africa (2003); Gender and Social Policy in a Global Context (2006) and Go Home or Die Here: Xenophobia, Violence and the Reinvention of Difference in South Africa. She is the author of Women’s Organisations and Democracy in South Africa: Contesting Authority (2006), which won the 2007 American Political Science Association’s Victoria Shuck Award for best book on women and politics. Her new book, The ANC Women’s League: Sex, Gender and Politics will be published by Jacana in early 2014.
Steve Biko Centre awarded prestigious title
- By Wits University
The Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics at Wits University has been awarded the prestigious title of World Medical Association Cooperating Centre.
This accolade comes at a time when the Director of the Centre, Professor Ames Dhai, has been working relentlessly with the World Medical Association (WMA) on the revision of the Declaration of Helsinki, a statement of ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects, including research on identifiable human material and data.
The Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics at Wits is the fifth centre to be given WMA Cooperating Centre status, joining the Centre for Global Health and Medical Diplomacy at the University of North Florida on Medical Leadership and Medical Diplomacy; the Centre for Study of International Medical Policies and Practices at George-Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, USA on Microbial resistance and development of public health policy; the Institute of Ethics and History of Medicine at the University of Tubingen in Germany; and the Institut de droit de la santé at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.
“Over the past one and a half years Professor Dhai has participated in the World Medical Association’s revision of the Declaration of Helsinki. As such the WMA has come to recognise the contribution that she can make to their work,” says Professor Mkhululi Lukhele, Head of the School of Clinical Medicine in the Wits Faculty of Health Sciences.
“Being a WMA Cooperating Centre will add substantially to the international and national profile of the Centre and it is a great compliment to the Centre, the country and the continent for what it stands for and what it does in the medical world. It is quite an achievement and one I am extremely proud of,” says Professor Dhai.
The Arts as research
- By Wits University
Wits is one of the few South African universities that recognises and evaluates peer-reviewed creative output as research. The Wits School of Arts (WSOA) has been a powerful driver of this recognition, for which several submissions by highly acclaimed Wits academics and artists were made in 2012.
'In 2009 the Senate of the University of the Witwatersrand accepted the policy and procedure for recognising peer-reviewed creative work as research output within the University,' explains Professor Gerrit Olivier of the WSOA.
'In accordance with this policy, submissions from members of staff are assessed by peer review- ers in terms of criteria approved by Senate, after which a sub-committee of the University’s Research Committee determines the level of the internal award or subsidy.'
This system does internally what happens externally with conventional research because there is not yet this kind of recognition for creative output on a national level. The national system is something of a contradiction at this stage. Creative output is recognised for peer-reviewed rating by the National Research Foundation (NRF), yet the Department of Higher Education and Training (DOHET) still restricts research to textual output.
'The DOHET has received recommendations on the inclusion of creative work in the national research subsidy from a working group appointed by itself, and consulted universities on the pro- posal,' says Olivier. However, it remains unclear if and when the DOHET will change its current ‘tex- tual output’ restriction on recognised research.
In the meantime, Wits is going ahead. The Wits sub-committee determining the internal award and subsidy is chaired by the Assistant Dean: Research for the Faculty, and further comprises the heads of the School of Literature, Language and Media; the School of Architecture and Planning; and the WSOA, as well as two members nominated by the University’s Research Committee and two external assessors.
Three examples of creative output submitted for peer review as research by members of the WSOA in 2012 are outlined below.
Composer, performer and lecturer Chris Letcher from Wits Music submitted the following:
Musical scores for three films, including two South African films – Elelwani and Black South Easter – and one British film: Challenger: Final flight (produced by the BBC starring William Hurt). Letcher submitted the scores in the form of a DVD of each film and as separate music- only CDs. He included various reviews.
Music for a play called Little foot performed at the Market Theatre in 2012. This submission took the form of musical recordings as well as reviews of the play.
Work as a songwriter and performer with a German string quartet with whom Letcher toured Germany, France and the UK in 2012. This submission took the form of a multi-tracked live recording from a performance at the Sendesaal Bremen, Germany, as well as the printed scores of the string arrangements.
Full orchestral arrangements for the Kwa Zulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, composed in collaboration with guitarist Guy Buttery.
Letcher is currently working on his PhD which looks at issues of musical representation in South African cinema. 'My final submission will include my own compositions as well as a written thesis on issues around representation and the use of music in films from and about South Africa over the past 20 years,' he says.
He believes that Wits is doing ‘absolutely the right thing’ by recognising creative work as equivalent to academic text-based work. ‘These are important debates and it’s encouraging that Wits has taken them on.’
Theatre designer Associate Professor Sarah Roberts from Wits Dramatic Arts submitted the following:
Designs for The miser. The production garnered a number of Naledi awards, including Best Costume Design.
Designs for the return season of Tranceformations, first staged in 1991 and regarded as a landmark in South African con- temporary dance and design.
Designs for two new productions at the National Children’s Theatre: Goggas (which won the Naledi Award for Best Children’s Theatre) and Annie Junior.
A portfolio of return seasons of seven award-winning productions: Shwele bawo; Kwela Bafana ; Charlotte’s web; Race; Ons vir jou Suid-Afrika; Aladdin; and The Pirates of Penzance. The significance of a return season, and for so many productions, is noteworthy.
Roberts submitted floor plans, drawings and portfolios of photographs for peer review, along with brief framing documents. 'In addition to this, I try to make sure a scholarly member of the peer review process is in the audience to experience the production first hand, including the response of the audience,' she says.
'I also include reviews, which, while they might not be regarded as a scholarly critique, repre- sent the voice of the audience. Having one’s work visible in the public domain, especially in the professional and creative disciplines, serves an important function of the University – to bridge the gap between campus and the world.'
Head of Wits History of Art, Rory Bester submitted the following:
‘My main creative output is curating exhibitions, and it is new and exciting to be able to submit this work as research,' says Bester who opened an outstanding exhibition of photographs he co-curated at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York in September.
Titled Rise and fall of apartheid: Photography and the bureaucracy of everyday life, it features 600 photographs by 80 South African photographers and artists who have used photography as their medium, and whose work spans the period 1948 to 1994.
It won the Lucie Award for Best Exhibition, and was included in the 2012 Top 12 exhibitions list in Artforum – America’s premier critical art maga- zine. In 2013, it will travel from New York to Munich, Milan and Johannesburg.
'We start with the photography around the National Party victory in 1948, the premise being that South African documentary photography as we know it today really emerged as a result of both apartheid and resistance to apartheid. Before then, our photography was mainly in the ethnographic mode,' explains Bester.
'The exhibition conveys the complexity of the resistance to apartheid and includes an epilogue featuring young, contemporary photographers who are re-visiting the archives and spaces of apartheid.'
For his research submission, he submitted a 106- page document that included 49 installation photographs from the exhibition in New York. He also submitted all the promotional material for the exhibition, the press coverage, the reviews, and the promotional material and contents of his guest lecture at the ICP.
Gauteng debating teams takes it all
- By Wits University
The SA National Schools Debating Championships (SANSDC) which began a week ago at Wits culminated with teams from Gauteng walking away with the most coveted prizes of the tournament.
Early speculations by teams from other provinces came true on Wednesday, 11 December 2013, when the Gauteng province won both the senior and junior division of the Championships. Gauteng is revered for its strong debating culture in schools; consequently, according to the rumour mill, they were the firm favourites to win, next to Kwa-Zulu Natal.
The annual championships were attended by over 200 learners from Grades 7 to 12 who were selected as the strongest debaters by their respective provinces.
The first four days of the tournament were held in the Wits Science Stadium on the Braamfontein West Campus. Wits also served as the residential site for the young delegates.
Cementing the importance of debate in society, the final rounds of the tournament were held at Constitution Hill which houses the South African Constitutional Court.
Paula Rainha, Director of the Education Project at Constitution Hill says the staging of the finals at Constitutional Hill is consistent with their mission to educate young South Africans about human rights, democracy and constitutionalism.
“The SANSDC2013 is one of the best ways of accomplishing this as debating increases knowledge and engagement with human rights and constitutional issues. Furthermore the nationwide, inclusive and democratic nature of the Championships promotes the skills, values and attitudes needed for young people from all over the country to become agents of change in their communities,” said Rainha.
The best adjudicators’ awards were given to David Harris from the Western Cape, and Lisha and Geena Seham Areff from KwaZulu-Natal.
The South African team chosen from the children of this tournament will surely be something spectacular, said Debby Nixon, conference coordinator.
They will represent the country at the 26th World Schools Debating Championships in 2014. The most recent Championships took place in Turkey and South Africa was ranked 4th in the world.
Socials
Debaters prefer to talk and they will proudly declare that it is an intellectual sport. However, their social programme at Wits ensured that they were exposed to a healthy dose of culture and exercise whilst on campus.
Wits hosted a welcoming dinner on Friday, 6 December 2013.
Welcome dinner
The triumph of 10 years
- By Wits University
Ten years of long, hard research towards the development of an HIV vaccine is showing such positive results that there is renewed optimism in the field. A recent collaborative South African and American HIV research team is conducting key research towards this goal, described here by team member Dr Penny Moore of the Wits School of Pathology and the Centre for HIV and STI at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service.
When in 2012, Nature Medicine, with an impact factor of 22, published an article titled, ‘Evolution of an HIV glycan-dependent broadly neutralizing antibody epitope through immune escape’, it caused a worldwide stir, attracting attention even in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
Those in the academic research world know that an impact factor of 22 is stellar – it signi- fies outstanding international recognition in a grading system where an impact factor of 5 is considered great.
'Recent research and clinical trials mean that we have a better chance than ever before of developing a vaccine for the HIV-1 virus, with which 42 million people are currently infected worldwide, 30 million of them in Africa,' says Moore.
For a vaccine to be licensed, it must ideally protect more than 90% of people, as is the case with the polio and smallpox vaccines. Several trials still need to be run before a possible HIV-1 vaccine can even be considered for production and licensing, but there is more hope now than ever before that it can happen.
'In South Africa, millions of people are on antiretroviral drugs or ARVs, which saves their lives but does not solve the problem of halting infection, which is what a vaccine does,' says Moore, explaining that vaccines work in two ways:
They stimulate the cellular arm of the immune system, or they cause the immune system in HIV uninfected people to produce antibodies that pre-arm them and stop them from ever becoming infected.
In the context of an HIV vaccine, researchers are working on both arms, but Moore’s research team has been working exclusively on the second one for the past 10 years.
'Our approach is to look at people who become infected with HIV and to question how their immune system sees the virus and reacts to the virus, and to ask whether we can learn from that to develop a vaccine,' she explains
Since 2003, the research team has been studying a group of several hundred women who are part of the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa cohort in Durban led by Professor Salim Abdool Karim.
These women live in a high HIV risk area. KwaZulu- Natal has the highest HIV infection rate in South Africa; hence the risk that these women will become infected in their lifetime is high.
The women were not infected when they were enrolled in the study and Moore’s research team has predominantly been studying 40 women who have become infected during the 10 year period.
'The women have shown incredible commitment to the process, initially returning for testing once a month and subsequently once every three months over the past five or more years,' she continues. 'They give blood for testing each time they visit and they receive good care at the two clinics – one in Durban and one in a rural area – where they also receive ARVs if or when they need them, as per the South African guideline for CD4 counts.'
'We look at the antibodies that develop in these women to see whether they mount a good immune response to HIV. Everyone who gets HIV develops antibodies but the problem is that the antibodies are strain specific, meaning that their antibodies will only recognise their specific virus. Adding to the com- plexity is the fact that the HIV virus mutates very quickly,' says Moore.
A key step forward in this field of HIV research worldwide is that 20% of people develop what is called ‘a broadly cross-neutralising antibody’, which is what is required for a vaccine. In other words, a percentage of people are able to produce antibodies that recognise most viruses. Seven of the women in the group of 40 are able to do this.
'Most of the seven are on ARVs and it seems that only people with very high viral loads develop the special kind of antibodies required,' says Moore. The paper in Nature Medicine mainly focussed on two women from the group who go by the anonymous numbers of CAP177 and CAP314.
'We observed that what the virus does to escape from the first antibodies produced by the immune system approximately three months after infec- tion, is to coat itself with a sugar called 332. The immune system then starts producing antibodies to the sugar.'
'In these two women this results in antibodies that bind to the sugar of 80% of all HIV viruses and therefore become broadly cross-neutralising, and that is exactly the kind of antibody we would want in a vaccine. It’s a big step forward and while it is still a long way from making a vaccine we can now use this research to design a new approach to making a vaccine,' says Moore who presented this research at two major inter- national conferences in 2012: the AIDS Vaccine 2012 Conference in Boston, US, and the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, in Seattle, US.
Collaboration on this research is essential, as the Nature Medicine paper attests, with no less than
20 authors (16 from South Africa and four from the US) who have partnered on this research over the past 10 years. ‘The best science these days is based on collaboration as you bring people with widely differing skills to address the question,’ comments Moore.
'We also have a wonderful team of students working with us, including two exceptional PhD students from Wits – Kurt Wibmer and Jinal Bhiman – who are co-authors on this paper.
Moore gives special credit to Professor Lynn Morris, also of the Centre for HIV and STI and the School of Pathology, who has been her mentor for many years and is a co-author on the paper.
'She is an exceptional scientist and mentor who has spent many hours helping me learn how to do science and opening doors for me to increase my exposure to leading HIV scien- tists at universities worldwide,' she says. Moore emphasises the importance of strong mentor- ship for scientists trying to establish themselves as independent researchers developing new areas of research. 'There is a huge shortage of mentors in South Africa.'
The final question is when can we hope to see an HIV vaccine become available?
'There is no immediate answer to this,' says Moore. 'All I can say is that another trial is cur- rently being run in South Africa, and that with all of this research, there is a better chance than there has ever been of producing one. In the meantime we will continue teaching people how to avoid getting infected. One day when a vaccine is hopefully licensed, it will be used in combination with other prevention measures as one of many tools in the HIV toolkit.'
Fitting farewell for an icon
- By Wits University
“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." – Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
Johannesburg – Wits University will honour and preserve the legacy of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela by erecting a wall of remembrance in his name and in the name of those who fought in the struggle with him.
This was announced by the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits, , last night during a memorial service in honour of the great icon and Wits alumnus.
“Madiba was Wits’ most renowned student, our greatest asset. It was at Wits where he met Ismail Meer, JN Singh, Joe Slovo, Ruth First, George Bizos and Bram Fischer. At Wits, he met the very people who stood by his side and defended him during the Rivonia trial,” said Habib.
The Vice-Chancellor said he would table a resolution to the Wits Council in the new year to erect a wall of remembrance for Madiba and his comrades, as a visible sign of Wits’ pledge and commitment to making education the most powerful tool in transforming the campus, the country and the world.
The memorial service was graced by renowned struggle veterans and longstanding friends of Mandela, Dr Ahmed Kathrada and Advocate George Bizos, in conversation with Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke. Kathrada and Bizos regaled the audience with stories about how they met Mandela, their time during the Rivonia trial and their subsequent jail sentence.
Bizos and his fellow legal counsel represented Mandela, Kathrada, Walter Sisulu, Denis Goldberg, Govan Mbeki, Rusty Bernstein, Raymond Mhlaba, James Kantor, Elias Motsoaledi and Andrew Mlangeni in the trial, which took place in 1964 and lasted for eight months. Personal tales and anecdotes abounded and Kathrada and Bizos had the audience hanging onto their every word as they told of what a great man Mandela was, not just as a fellow freedom fighter, but also as a friend and comrade.
“The world has united in his illness and upon his death. He was a great man, but he always emphasised that he was part of a collective. He always said he did not make policy, but that the collective made policy. I will be very disappointed to see the policies that he helped to form, be changed,” said Kathrada.
Bizos spoke with great emotion about the man he called one of his best friends, and said Mandela saved South Africa from war when he was released after 27 years of incarceration.
“Mandela saved South Africa from a bloody civil war because he believed that fanatics were responsible for civil wars. He was not a fanatic, he was a conciliator. For him, South Africa was not a one-man state,” said Bizos.
The memorial service was attended by more than a thousand mourners who came to pay tribute to Madiba. Other speakers included Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau; President of the Wits Convocation, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng; and President of the Wits Student Representative Council, Shafee Verachia, who received a standing ovation after his moving tribute.
Award-winning South African songstress Lira performed “Something so strong inside”, one of Madiba’s favourite songs, while the Wits School of Music and the Wits Choir, in their usual colourful and poignant fashion, also entertained the guests.
The nanotechnology revolution, which is starting to impact everyday life, is closely associated with graphitic carbon nanostructures, such as nanotubes (discovery reported in 1991), fullerenes (1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry) and graphene (2010 Nobel Prize in Physics). There are indications that the diamond structure of carbon, which has not received sufficient attention, has great promise for nanoelectronics in particular.
The Nanoscale Transport Physics Laboratory in the School of Physics and the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Strong Materials hosted a workshop on Nanocarbon on 21 and 22 November 2013.
Four international experts in various aspects of nanocarbon attended the workshop to give keynote addresses and Southern African researchers from Namibia, Wits, UKZN, CSIR, UP and UCT gave oral presentations. The international visitors were Professor David Tomanek from Michigan State University in the US, Professor Milos Nesladek from Hasselt University in Belgium, Professor Gehan Amaratunga from Cambridge University in the UK and Professor Ravi Silva from the University of Surrey in the UK.
The purpose of the workshop was to bring together South African researchers working on nanocarbon with overseas experts working in related fields in order to investigate the crossroads of nano-diamond and nano carbon and the benefits that this synergy can bring. Around 80 academic staff and postgraduate students attended the workshop, highlighting the interest and high level of activity in nanocarbon research.
The international visitors commented very favourably on the advanced level of the presentations from both academics and postgraduate students. These visitors also toured some of the research facilities doing nanocarbon research in Gauteng and indicated that South Africa is very well equipped in terms of the infrastructure necessary to train postgraduate students in this field.
South Africa is already developing into a regional hub for nanocarbon research and has strong potential to become an international destination for nanocarbon researchers. The workshop has already resulted in discussion around several new collaborative ventures between attendees. As a result of this strong positive feedback, an expanded event is being planned for 2015.
Further information is available from Professor Somnath Bhattacharyya, School of Physics, on 011 717 6811 or somnath.bhattacharyya@wits.ac.za
Witsies take on Cape2Rio 2014
- By Wits University
Seven young sailors from Wits University have their sights on Cape to Rio glory.
The prestigious yacht race kicked off on 4 January 2014. It has captured the imagination of these current and alumni members of the Wits Yacht Club who plan to fly the Wits flag high all the way to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
The last time Wits participated in the race was in 1984, said skipper Bradley Robinson (22), the youngest skipper of the race, in an interview with the SABC.
The Wits team is one of 37 teams participating in this year’s race. According to the team, the Cape to Rio yacht race has for many years captured the imagination of the Wits Yacht Club members. This interest was boosted further by the participation of three of the members in the 2011 race which served to ignite a spark throughout the club. The involvement of these fellow members revealed the wealth of knowledge and experience that can be gained by participation in a transatlantic passage.â
The team are excited to put forward the wealth ocean racing talent that has been hidden within the walls and put Wits University back on the map as a competitive sailing university. Read more and follow the team’s progress on their website: http://www.witscapetorio2014.com/
