Africa is doing well in ensuring that children of school going age have access to primary education, but the issue of quality education is still a blemish on the achievements of its governments.
Goal 2 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) which calls on governments to ensure universal access to primary education came under the spotlight at an event commemorating Africa Day, hosted by the Wits Faculty of Humanities. Education is a key to unlocking the growth of Africa and this issue dominated the debate on Monday, 19 May 2014, ahead of Africa Day, which is celebrated annually on 25 May.
Discussant Professor Brahm Fleisch from the Wits School of Education said one of the key areas of the achievements in the past 15-20 years for Africa has been the access to education for school-aged children.
However not all African governments can claim this success.
“Eritrea, Somalia and South Sudan have massive gaps in universal primary school access. It is extraordinary to see that the majority of children in South Sudan currently are enrolled in Grade 1 but when you look at the percentage of children in the age band for Grade 8, it is only 12% of that the expected population,” said Fleisch.
“Many children start but very few complete the primary school phase of education.”
Fleisch was part of a panel featuring Dr Babatunde Omilola, chief economist at the United Nations Development Programme in Pretoria, Professor David Andrew from the Wits School of Arts and Dan Legoete from the Gauteng Department of Education.
Andrew zoned in on the role of arts and arts education in promoting universal quality education. He argued that the arts have a key role in contributing to the “strengthening of individual and institutional capacity, improving community participation and unlocking human capacity”.
“South Africa has invested heavily in the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics) but there is something missing,” says Andrew. “If you add A (Arts) to STEM you get STEAM,” he said.
Fleisch noted that quality education is turning out to be the one of the more difficult challenges.
“How do you translate access to genuine substantive quality so that all learners are able to use the tools of learning to effectively participate not just in the economy but in the cultural, social and political life of their countries?” asked Fleisch. Listen to and .
Omilola confirmed that many countries have been struggling to implement the MDGs since its inception in 2000.
“With the deadline of 2015 fast approaching countries need to look beyond 2015 and decide what should happen,” he said.
The economic standing of Africa was at the heart of Omilola’s presentation.
It is projected that in 2025 there will be 41 middle-income developing countries in Africa.
“This means many developed countries will no longer be interested in funding development in these countries. Africa must look for its own resources to cater for development. It is extremely important to manage both domestic and external resources,” said Omilola.
It will be good for Africa post-2015 to start implementing proven initiatives and to begin doing South-South learning and draw from its diverse experiences, concluded Omilola.
Discussion convenor, Professor Felix Maringe from Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, was optimistic about the prospects for the continent.
Africa is shedding its label as the lost continent and is now described as a region of the world that is going to experience the greatest economic growth with the highest number of economically active people between the ages of 18 and 35 in the next 20 years.
“Africa is showing a lot of promise going ahead but is also emerging from a lot of difficulties from the past,” said Maringe.
Yebo Gogga Yebo amaBlomo
- By Buhle Zuma
“The more colourful the creature the deadlier it is” – so goes the common warning passed onto explorers.
Red, blue, green, yellow, white – what’s in a colour? Colour in the animal and plant kingdom is loaded with information and carries different meanings. Discover and decode these colour codes at the 11th 2014 Yebo Gogga Yebo amaBlomo exhibition hosted by the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences at Wits University.
The Yebo Gogga Yebo amaBlomo exhibition is a unique annual Johannesburg event that brings animals and plants together under one roof complete with tailor-made talks from experts, making it a fun and educational experience for kids and nature lovers of all ages.
The main objective of the exhibition is to engage and educate the public, particularly school learners about animals and plants and their context within natural sciences. The theme for 2014 is Rainbow World, celebrating the diversity of nature.
Venue: Oppenheimer Life Sciences Building, Braamfontein Campus East
Free entrance
A blast from the past! An exciting feature of the show is the unveiling of life-sized dinosaurs which previously roamed southern Africa. International artist David Huni, working closely with the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Wits, has produced the life-size dinosaur replicas from sheet metal. He will present talks on his work on the Saturday and Sunday at 10:30. Huni’s nature inspired exhibition titled The Big Bugs Expo which ended in January 2013 at the Botanical Gardens was a resounding success.
On the weekend visitors can also look forward to interacting with young leaders from RhinoSA and meeting Jedi, the Anatolian sheep dog.View .
This interactive exhibition is a joint effort by Wits, Johannesburg based eco-friendly societies, government and environmental organisations. It attracts over 10 000 visitors annually.
Six Wits students will be furthering their studies in the arts thanks to a generous bursary from the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA).
The bursaries have been awarded to four masters and two honours students in the Drama for Life (DFL) programme in the Wits School of Arts with interests in the Applied Drama and Theatre; and Drama Therapy fields of study. The grants fall under the CATHSSETA Discretionary Grant for 2013/2014.
Bongani Ntshingila, Limpho Kou, Monique Hill and Faith Busika, all masters students, will each receive R57 500 towards their studies, while Gcebile Dlamini and Thobeka Sinxo, both honours students, will receive R45 000 each.
Applied Drama and Theatre, and Drama Therapy fields involve theatre in education, communities and social contexts, drama therapy, and drama in education. Through applied drama, Drama for Life engages future leaders in the field to become artists who understand the ethical and contextual issues related to drama that is used as a learning method; drama that shapes research; and drama that can be used to bring about social behaviour change.
“The Wits School of Arts is very excited to receive the CATHSSETA Award as it helps to increase the Wits School of Arts and Wits University’s postgraduate enrolment which will contribute to research output. Furthermore, the award helps to increase the diversity of the student body in the School as CATHSSETA prioritises female students from previously disadvantaged groups,” says Munyaradzi Chatikobo, DFL Programme Manager for Cultural Leadership, Fundraising and Partnerships.
Chatikobo adds that the DFL is also very excited about the support as it helps to increase the knowledge base, skills and professional recognition of Applied Drama and Theatre Facilitators and Drama Therapists who work across the arts and culture, education, social development, and health sectors.
“There is an urgent need to upgrade, professionalise and increase the knowledge and skill base of those working in this highly specialised field of Applied Drama and Theatre, Arts Education and Drama Therapy in South Africa,” says Chatikobo.
“I am thankful to Wits for opening up these opportunities for us. Being awarded this bursary means a lot to me and my future because it opens up new chapters of empowerment – not only empowering the woman in me but also the people who surround me. Now I can continue my studies with peace of mind,” says honours student Dlamini.
Drama for Life, an award winning transformation programme, is about fostering dialogue for social transformation through the arts. It is the only programme of its kind internationally, and it is the only programme in Africa that qualifies young people as accredited Drama Therapists with the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
Drama for Life’s unique curriculum nurtures arts and culture teachers, community-based theatre practitioners, theatre-makers and storytellers, arts project managers, and drama therapists.
The CATHSSETA Discretionary Grant under which the bursaries were granted is aimed at boosting the arts, culture and heritage sector with critical and strategic thinkers. The focus is to develop the much needed knowledge and skills in and about arts and culture education, and addressing the urgent skills shortage in this category in the national education system.
The Asian-African spirit of partnership
- By Wits University
The Wits Department of International Relations in the Faculty of Humanities hosts the Indonesian ambassador, His Excellency Suprapto Martosetomo and Hikmawan Saefullah, lecturer in International Relations at the Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia for a public lecture titled The Asian-African spirit of partnership: the optimisation of the relationship between Indonesia and South Africa within the framework of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP).
The lecture will be held to provide a better understanding of Indonesia and the NAASP.
The details of the lecture are as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 20 May 2014 Time: 13:00 Venue: Senate Room, 2nd Floor, Senate House, Braamfontein Campus East
Liberation Diaries
- By Wits University
A new book, Liberation Diaries – Reflections on 20 Years of Democracy, edited by Busani Ngcaweni, was launched at Wits University on 6 May 2014.
Published by Jacana Media, the book is a compilation of 38 essays written by South Africans reflecting on the journey of 20 years of democracy – against expectations, aspirations and outcomes.
Contributors were asked to reflect on what freedom means to them in the collective sense and to write about their experience of democracy.
“There are many untold stories about the Struggle,” said Lindiwe Zulu, International Relations Adviser to the President Jacob Zuma. She was the guest speaker and part of a panel consisting of the Ngcaweni and contributors Raymond Parsons and Bandile Masuku. Dr Siphamandla Zondi from the Institute for Global Dialogue facilitated the discussion.
According to the publishers, South Africans have unique personal journals to share, influenced by personal or collective circumstances that continue to shape their perspectives. The essays in Liberation Diaries reflect the trials and tribulations, high and low points of the contributors’ stories of post-apartheid South Africa and the journey towards building a democratic, non-sexist, non-racial, united and prosperous country.
The contributors also include Nstiki Sisulu (women and children’s activist); Moloto Mothapo (ANC Caucus spokesperson); Bongani Mkongi (former Member of Parliament); Wayne Duvenage (former Avis CEO and leader of anti-tolling lobby OUTA); Nono Simela (clinician, global expert on reproductive health); Dr David Saks (South African Jewish Board of Deputies); and Dr Chengiah Ragaven (academic and former activist).
About the editor:
Busani Ngcaweni is an avid reader, commentator and writer. He has written articles for publications such as Business Day, City Press, The Thinker and Public Sector Manager. He holds BPaed and BEd degrees, an MSc in Urban and Regional Planning (Natal) and an advanced project management diploma from the University of South Africa’s School of Business Leadership.
Help the platinum belt
- By Wits University
There is a humanitarian tragedy unfolding on the platinum belt. While supporting current attempts to reach a settlement to the dispute, the reality on the ground is that children, women and men don’t have food, and hardship will persist after the strike is settled. We cannot allow a situation in which people are starving. No society can tolerate such inhumanity in its midst. It is especially unacceptable 20 years into our democracy.
As a gesture of humanity, we call on all South Africans to assist in stopping the starvation among our poor communities affected by the strike. We appeal to citizens of South Africa to make small and big gestures in support of children, women and men who are affected. In particular, we appeal to South Africans to donate food.
Endorsed by:
The Most Reverend Dr Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town
Bishop Ziphozihle Siwa, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, President of the South African Council of Churches
The Right Reverend Dr Johannes Seoka, Bishop of Anglican Diocese of Pretoria, and past president of the South African Council of Churches
Reverend Moss Nthla, Evangelical Alliance of South Africa
Bishop Molefe Ditlhale, Bishop of the Western Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
Bishop Lunga kaSiboto, Presiding Bishop of the Ethiopian Episcopal Church
Professor Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor, University of the Witwatersrand
Professor Ihron Rensburg, Vice-Chancellor, University of Johannesburg
Food parcels can be donated at:
1. Gift of the Givers (call toll-free 0800 786911 for details)
2. SkyNet courier branches anywhere in South Africa
3. All campuses of the Universities of Johannesburg and the Witwatersrand
4. Khotso House, 62 Marshall Street, Johannesburg
5. St George’s Cathedral and Anglican Church Warehouse, 12 Plantation Road, Wetton, Cape Town
6. Alternative Information and Development Centre, 129 Rochester Road, Observatory, Cape Town
7. St Albans Anglican Cathedral, Frances Baard Road, Pretoria
Further drop-off points will be announced on the Gift of the Givers website: www.giftofthegivers.org
Bank account details for donations:
ACCOUNT NAME: Gift of the Givers Foundation ACCOUNT NUMBER: 052137228 BANK: Standard Bank BRANCH: Pietermaritzburg, South Africa BRANCH CODE: 057525 SWIFT CODE: SBZAZAJJ REF: Platinum Strikers
Pumeza Magona at 27 (21) 763 1323 Marcus van Wyk at 27 (83) 471 1021
AfriCAN Climate Award Winners
- By Wits University
The AfriCAN Climate Consortium, in conjunction with the University of the Witwatersrand and FANRPAN, hosted the Third AfriCAN Climate Award for excellence in research in climate change adaptation and mitigation in an African context on the 23 April 2014 at Leriba Lodge, Centurion, Pretoria. Nominations were of an extremely high standard and the AfriCAN Climate editorial committee decided to announce two winners. The award was jointly conferred on Dr Aster Gebrekirstos Afwork and Dr Debra Cynthia Roberts.
Gebrekirstos specialises in dendrochronology or the study of tree rings. She uses the width of the rings and the size of the vessels in the rings, together with stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios in the wood, to elucidate the patterns of temperature and moisture at the time the ring was formed in the tree. Thus Gebrekirstos uses the information she deduces from these tree rings to infer historical local climates. Her work using tree rings has shown that the periodicity of drought in East Africa has shortened from every 2 to 8 years to every 2 to 3 years over the last 70 years. Taking into consideration the poor spatial and temporal record of historical climate data on the African continent, Gebrekirstos’ work has immense importance to developing accurate predictions of future climate at a local and regional scale. To this end she raised funding and established a state of the art dendrochronology lab at the World Agroforestry Centre, ICRAF, in Nairobi, Kenya.
Gebrekirstos leads or participates in projects in a number of countries in East, West, Central and Southern Africa, as well as projects in Asia and East Asia. These projects focus on elucidating recent historical climate patterns in these areas and testing the vulnerability or suitability of agroforestry species and local indigenous trees to climate variability. As can be seen from her substantial publication record, Gebrekirstos also has extensive international collaborations in the field of dendrochronology and climate modelling. She supervises MSc and PhD degrees and thereby develops Africa’s skills base in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Gebrekirstos also contributes to a number of organisations that focus of forestry, ecology and science in Africa, as well as organisations dedicated to developing women’s contributions to African Science.
Roberts is Deputy Head of the Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department of the eThekwini Municipality, Durban, South Africa which serves nearly 3.5 million people in an area of 2,297 km2. Roberts initiated and leads the departments planning and implementation of its Climate Protection Programme which was recently profiled by InsideClimate News as one of the top six worldwide urban mitigation and adaptation programmes. The underlying paradigm is that climate change adaptation and mitigation is a vehicle driving a holistic multitude of urban, social, economic and environmental renewal and developmental initiatives. This includes ecosystem-based reforestation programmes rehabilitating degraded areas, improving biodiversity and enhancing natural ecosystem services and thereby promoting climate resilience. Labour is sourced from the poorest local communities to increase economic activities in these communities while providing a means to deliver social and skills development programmes. The Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Community Reforestation Project was featured on the AfriCAN Climate Portal as a Good Practice Project.
Roberts also includes developmental and research aspects through partnerships with the local university which has included designing and testing various metrics and tools for evaluating and promoting municipal adaptation planning, implementation and community participation. These efforts have been documented in a number of acclaimed articles published in peer-reviewed scientific and urban development journals, as well as chapters for various books. On the national and international stage, Roberts is a lead negotiator for South Africa at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. She initiated Durban’s winning bid for COP 17-CMP7 in 2011; and is one of the authors of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report.
WAM After Hours
- By Buhle Zuma
Poet Lebo Mashile held Wits students captive at the Wits Art Museum (WAM) where she featured as the star attraction of the WAM After Hours event. Mashile, who holds a Bachelors degree from Wits, with majors in law and international relations, engaged the audience with a selection of poems from her canon of work.
She told the audience between the ages of 18 – 35 that it was at Wits that she discovered her creative talent before taking them on a poetic journey.
Prior to Mashile’s performance, the WAM After Hours attendants went on an odyssey into the past through the exhibition, Ngezinyawo – Migrant Journeys, on show at WAM until 20 July 2014.
This exhibition is rich and diverse bringing together the heritage of many southern African language groups. Works on display include film, photography, contemporary artworks, artefacts from ethnographic collections, archival documents and interviews. In addition, the rich forms of art, dress, dance, music and song performance that migrants crafted to assert and express their humanity feature prominently in the exhibition.
The exhibition has been organised by Fiona Rankin-Smith, veteran WAM curator and the force behind important exhibitions such as Figuring Faith: Images of Belief in Africa (2005) and Halakasha, the soccer exhibition mounted to coincide with the 2010 Fifa World Cup held in South Africa. For Ngezinwayo, she has collaborated with Peter Delius, a highly respected history Professor and widely published author at Wits University.
A book titled: A long way home: Migrant Worker Worlds 1800 - 2014 has being published to accompany the exhibition and includes essays by leading local and international academics.
The Museum is home to an extraordinary collection of African art, including contemporary and historical art from South Africa and art from West and Central Africa. It hosts a dynamic program of events and art exhibitions.
The Wits Art Museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday at 10:00 – 16:00. Entrance is free and open to all.
About WAM After Hours:
WAM After Hours was launched in 2013 with the aim of drawing young audiences into the Museum. By opening the Museum after hours, students and young adults who have limited time during the day have the chance to explore the featured exhibitions and art works at their leisure before immersing themselves in the main cultural offering of the night.
The Faculty of Humanities commemorates Africa Day on 19 May 2014 from 12:00 to 19:30 with a keynote address by Dr Babatunde Omilola, chief economist at the United Nations Development Programme in Pretoria, followed by a panel discussion with respondents Dan Legoete and Professors Brahm Fleisch and David Andrew. the full programme.
This will be followed by of a documentary about the Marikana massacre, Miners Shot Down, directed by Rehad Desai, and a panel discussion with Professor Tawana Kupe, Desai, Zwelinzima Vavi (Cosatu), Teboho Mosikili (attorney representing the 23 Marikana families) and Gavin Capps (Society, Work and Development Institute) at 19:30.
All events take place in the Senate Room, 2nd Floor, Senate House, Braamfontein Campus East.
The transformation of Medellín
- By Kanina Foss
The World Urban Forum (WUF), a biennial gathering of urban and city people (including governments, donors, NGOs and academics) took place in Medellín, Colombia from 5 to 11 April 2014 and was attended by 22 000 people, including Senior Lecturer Sarah Charlton from the School of Architecture and Planning.
Charlton hosted a side event titled: State-sponsored mass housing programmes: Outcomes for households, in collaboration with colleagues from the UK, Mexico and Angola, and presented PhD research on RDP housing in Johannesburg, as well as the outcomes of this for beneficiary households.
On 25 April 2014 she delivered a presentation at the School on her experiences at WUF and what it was like to encounter the city of Medellín, a high density, high poverty area, which has been lauded for overcoming a violent history plagued by drug cartels to provide one of the most innovative built environments in the world.
The city has an integrated transport system that includes an overhead metro, cable cars which traverse Medellín’s hilly areas, a BRT and lots of private buses. There are plans to bury underground a highway that runs through the centre of the city and reclaim the space for a green area.
“There seems to be a lot of money going into fantastic quality of public spaces,” said Charlton.
The city planners themselves attribute their achievement to continuity of policy throughout terms of successive leaders. According to Charlton, they spoke about the importance of being able to plan things into the future and follow up.
Click below to access photographs from Charlton’s presentation to the School that give a glimpse into some of the innovation and creativity to be found in the public infrastructure in Medellín.
Through the Talloires Network the annual prizes awarded by the MacJannet Foundation serve to recognise university programmes globally that are achieving excellence in student engagement initiatives and ongoing public service efforts.
“We are truly honoured to be acknowledged by the international community for our efforts,” says Nontsikelelo Mapukata-Sondzaba, co-ordinator of WIRHE
Founded in 2003, the project’s aim is to recruit disadvantaged students from rural areas into health science programs and support them to become health professionals. It started as a pilot program with nine students supported by seed funding and in 11 years, has grown to include more than 50 students with funding provided by the North West provincial government.
When students are accepted into the program, they are required to a sign a commitment that upon completion of the program and their necessary medical training, they will return to their communities. They are also required to return to participate in community engagement activities in their home communities during vacations. The hope is that through this connection with the community, a culture of service is nurtured so that the contracts become unnecessary.
A challenge for students coming from rural backgrounds is adapting to the academic standards of the university. However, with the support of the WIRHE program, both academic and personal, the pass rate of students in the program is around 90%, which is much higher than the average for students from similar backgrounds without this level of support. Many of the WIRHE program’s graduates are now professionals working in rural public hospitals in their districts of origin.
Testament to the success of the program, recent WIRHE graduate, Dr Justice Mautjana explains, “I learned through the scholarship that, no matter how bright you are, it takes people who care to change your life. As the former students of the WIRHE, we are grateful for what the scholarship has done for our community and the skills it has empowered us with as we re-build our community from the foundations of poverty, violence and drug abuse.”
Professor Ian Couper, Director of the Centre for Rural Health adds: “It is gratifying that our efforts over the last decade are being acknowledged, although ultimately the success of the graduates of our programme is what brings the greatest rewards. The struggles of disadvantaged, rural origin students to fulfil their dreams to train as health care professionals in order to serve their communities inspire and encourage us.”
“The WIRHE is completely dependent on funding from external donors to function. The costs of running the programme are much greater than the costs of the student bursaries provided by the North West province. Staff members involved are in academic positions, so the grants go directly to student support and not to salaries. This award brings with it a huge sense of accomplishment and under these circumstances is a remarkable achievement,” concludes Professor Couper.
Inequality: The achilles heel of South Africa
- By Professor Adam Habib
South Africa in 2014 is a far better place than it was in 1994. It is truly nonsensical to even debate this. The democratisation of our political system, the deracialisation of our public sphere, the enormous access in education and health provided to so many, the social support grants disbursed to the poorest third of our citizenry, overwhelms even the gross corruption of Nkandla, the service delivery failures of our municipalities, and the tragedies of Marikane. No sane person who lived through apartheid, at least one who is committed to humanist values, can truly argue that apartheid was a better political system.
The Centre for Applied Legal Studies at Wits University is part of a research group which recently released a report that found that sexual violence by educators against learners in South African schools is widespread. The gaps in accountability are said to be perpetuating the shameful conduct by teachers.
The report titled Sexual Violence by Educators in South African Schools: Gaps in Accountability concludes with recommendations aimed at informing the efforts of the South African government and civil society to address the gaps in accountability. To read the full report, . .
Meetali Jain, Senior researcher at CALS on (011) 717 8606 06 or email Meetali.Jain@wits.ac.za Professor Bonita Meyersfeld, CALS Director on (011) 7178622 or email Bonita.Meyersfeld@wits.ac.za
Plenty of reasons to go Gogga
- By Buhle Zuma
The wide-eyed young trio nervously shuffle towards the snake display. Gingerly peering into the glass boxes, they recoil back in horror and screech as one snake slithers and twists itself around a branch.
Too close for comfort it seems. Finally, one asks the snake handler which of the snakes is less dangerous.
Behind the three glass displays, Christopher Jacobson from Snake City lifts up the lid and picks up a red and black snake and offers it to the trio for closer inspection. Minutes pass with neither one being brave enough to reach out and touch it.
Lebogang Mongane, Sibulele Myoli and Caesar Msibi, all molecular and cell biology students at Wits, cite an inborn fear and cultural upbringing behind their temporary paralysis while being in close contact with the reptiles. Msibii at some point pronounces that he is grateful that he doesn’t have to deal with live animals and instead looks at their cell structure under a microscope when it is dead and harmless.
Sarah Jansen van Vuuren, a Bachelor of Arts student, however, almost effortlessly manages to overcome her fear of snakes on the first day of the 2014 Yebo Gogga Yebo amaBlomo exhibition. Delight registers on her face as she grabs hold of the Honduran milk snake. The annual exhibition on all things nature celebrates the natural world and allows visitors to explore exhibits in a hands-on, interactive way.
The show is hosted by the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Studies (APES) along with Gauteng based eco-friendly societies, government and environmental organisations.
Three-year-old Liam is animated by the animal and plant displays. His mom Teresa Dirsuweit says the show helps to build a natural relationship of love and care for the animals.
“I don’t want him to have a phobia of animals,” says Dirsuweit, a lecturer in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies.
“The kids absolutely love the hands-on experience and learning about new things says,” Lynette de Jager, a Grade 3 teacher at Delta Park Primary School in Blairgowrie. “The Yebo Gogga Yebo amaBlomo displays fit nicely with the themes being presented in class,” she says.
The natural fest celebrated its 11th anniversary this year of thrilling and exciting the public about the wonders of nature. Themed Rainbow World, many of the displays used the theme to reveal the significance of colour in nature.
Exhibitors put on equally eye grabbing display titles such as Seeing Red! The biology of biting insects by the Wits Medicinal Entomology unit; Butterflies: The earth’s living confetti by the Lepidopterist Society of SA, Rhino SA’s stand was titled Bright horns for brighter futures, and the APES tables titled Colour me Chimpanzee and Kaleidoscopic chameleons are just some of the colourful titles aligned to the 2014 Rainbow theme.
Speaking post-event, Donald McCallum, exhibition coordinator from APES, declared the five-day event a success.
“The event was very successful with over 5000 visitors enjoying a range of activities from finding cell organelles in a giant cell, to seeing minerals glow in UV light, drinking tea made from locally indigenous plants and learning how bees can be trained to select colours.”
“Kids enjoyed holding millipedes and the talks were great. The highlight was the live Egyptian vulture from Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre that flew to members of the audience to receive meat treats,” he says.
The Alumni Pub in the Barns for Wits staff members and alumni opens on Wednesday, 14 May 2014. Unwind after work and socialise with your colleagues and Wits alumni over some pub grub every Wednesday between 16:00 and 21:00. Situated in the well-known Wits Club precinct, the new Alumni Pub in the Barns is managed by Olives and Plates and will not only serve beverages of all kinds, but also a mouth-watering menu. .
New Dean of Health Sciences
- By Wits University
Professor Martin Veller, MBBCh, FCS(SA), MMed(Surg), has been appointed as the new Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University.
Veller, a vascular surgeon, was Head of the Department of Surgery in the School of Clinical Medicine at Wits from November 2001 to February 2013. He will assume the deanship on 1 July 2014.
Veller received his pre- and postgraduate training at Wits where he qualified in general surgery in 1987. He subsequently undertook a one year research fellowship at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College, London.
Veller was appointed ad hominem Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits in April 2002. He is currently the President of the College of Surgeons of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa as well as the President of the World Federation of Vascular Societies.
“It is a privilege to be given the opportunity to lead a very large and productive Faculty of Health Sciences into an era when this country faces extensive health care reforms,” says Veller.
“Our society has experienced many challenges in the provision of high quality health care. Amongst the most important is the dire shortage of health care professionals who are responsive to the needs of the society in which this Faculty exists. This is one of the most significant contributors to the social and economic disparities in our society.
“Wherever we, as the Faculty, focus our efforts into the future, we must always be cognisant of our primary aim. This is that we want to help improve the health care provision for every individual, based on the fact that a country whose citizens are healthy will flourish.”
A new dawn for School
- By Wits University
A Wits School in existence since before the dawn of democracy in South Africa 20 years ago has modified its name to better reflect the vastness of its expertise in governance.
The Graduate School of Public and Development Management which played a midwifery role in delivering public servants to serve in the post-apartheid South Africa has given way to a new name and will now be known as the Wits School of Governance.
The Wits School of Governance officially launched its new name, branding and corporate identity on Tuesday, 13 May 2014 at a launch event attended by key stakeholders gathered to witness the ushering of a new dawn.
Sharing the logic behind the renaming, Professor Thomas Mogale, Director of the Wits School of Governance told guests that the concept of governance resonates with the purpose and mission of the School.
“The focus on governance is a reflection of a new phase in the history of both the School and the country as our democracy matures and the role of good governance in the public and development sector becomes vital for our future as a nation,” he said.
“The name change allows the School to reflect current thinking whilst still retaining its commitment to building capable, developmental public administrations. The new name heralds a refreshed thinking thus creating a space to explore how the world works while analysing related regional and global trends,” said Mogale.
Dr Richard Levin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Wits School of Governance, was present to lend support.
Levin expressed a wish for the School to continue training highly professional public leaders with a shared ethos and understanding of strategic global challenges and the art of governance. He said that there is an urgency to develop leaders who would assist governments to negotiate rather than impose solutions, governments who would not view citizens as threats but as a reservoir of knowledge and key agents.
The Graduate School of Public and Development Management was established in 1993. Since then it has been a leading institution in the field of public development and training, research and advisory services in South Africa and in the Southern African Development Community region. In the past 20 years, the School has played a pivotal role in the restructuring of the public service and development sectors.
More: http://www.wsg.wits.ac.za/
Mining a 'poison gift'
- By Buhle Zuma
Dr Olivier Blanchard, Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has described mining as a “poison gift” which needs to be carefully managed. It is not inclusive and can lead to poverty if there are no competitive sectors to take over once operations cease.
Blanchard was at Wits University last night and delivered a keynote address titled: The Global Economic Outlook and Emerging Markets at the Mandela Institute in the Wits School of Law.
“Mining is in some ways the poison gift, it helps but it is not inclusive. It doesn’t naturally lead to the next step and can lead to corruption in some countries. When you have mining you have to use it carefully and use the revenue to prepare for the next step. The question is what the next step is?”
Natural resources are not infinite and countries need to use revenues from mining to invest in infrastructure and other sectors which will take over when mining comes to an end, advised Blanchard.
To listen to Blanchard answering questions ranging from mining to the indebtedness of African countries, . For the main address, and for the powerpoint presentation, click here. Blanchard's visit was coordinated by the Mandela Institute and the Economic Diplomacy Programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs
Asia-African relations still going strong
- By Vivienne Rowland
South Africa and Indonesia share similar problems and challenges, which can be solved with better cooperation between the two countries, says a prominent Indonesian academic.
Hikmawan Saefullah, a lecturer and researcher in International Relations at the Universitas Padjadjaran in Indonesia delivered a public lecture at Wits yesterday, titled The Asian-African spirit of partnership: the optimisation of the relationship between Indonesia and South Africa within the framework of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP).
Saefullah, who is in the country as a guest of the Indonesian ambassador to South Africa, His Excellency Suprapto Martosetomo, said that Indonesia and South Africa, together with other nations such as India, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Turkey, suffer from the same social ills.
“Asian and African [countries] face issues such as poverty, hunger and security, ethnic and religious conflicts, territorial disputes and HIV and AIDS, but we seem to have a new problem that is different from the ones in the past: state sovereignty today is often violent and carried out under the name of humanitarian interventions. We should work together to end the crisis in countries with this problem,” said Saefullah.
His lecture also revolved around Making the bridge useful: “Bandung Spirit” and the Indonesia-South Africa relations, which focused on the 1955 Asian-African Bandung Conference, which resulted in formulating common concerns and in preparing operational guidance for cooperation among Asian and African countries.
“Indonesia and South Africa were once strongly connected before the colonial era, which ended in 1945 in Indonesia. The Bandung Conference gave rise to what is known today as the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership. The conference rebuilt the bridge between Asia and Africa. Through this bridge we can interact with each other and build our countries’ future development and cooperation. We can use the bridge for strengthening ourselves by creating solidarity, prosperity and mutual understanding between the nations,” said Saefullah.
*The former South African president, Thabo Mbeki, visited Indonesia on a state visit which coincided with the Africa-Asia Summit held on 22-23 April 2005 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
School of Accountancy lauds star students
- By Buhle Zuma
Instilling good values at the foundation level is the winning formula behind the School of Accountancy prize winners.
Parents behind the success of the award winners at the 2014 School of Accountancy prize-giving ceremony concur that setting a good foundation based on hard work and good habits are behind the stellar performance of their off-spring. It was a show of the females trumping their male counterparts at the ceremony held today, 16 May 2014.
Dayle Malherbe, a second year student studying towards a Bachelor of Accounting Science degree, collected a string of awards for her first-year performance. Malherbe distinguished herself from her peers by obtained the highest first year class mark in Accounting, Computational Mathematics and Business Statistics and scoring the highest aggregate in 2013. Beaming parents Leigh-Anne and Marcus Malherbe were thrilled by her multiple prizes, and were later swamped by well-wishers keen to find out the secret behind the family’s success.
Marcus, an alumnus of the School of Accountancy said his wife’s most famous saying is “if you are going to do something do it properly” and this has translated into excellence for them. The attraction to numbers runs in the family as the youngest of the Malherbe family, Keryn, is in her first year of actuarial studies at Wits. For a list of prize winners and sponsors,.
The Head of the School Professor Nirupa Padia used the occasion to share some of the School’s achievements since she stepped into the position last year.
With schools and universities across the globe competing to produce the highest number of research, Padia says the School is on an upward trajectory publishing 13 papers in 2013, the highest number thus far in the School. Local accounting schools as well as their international counterparts have only recently embraced the research agenda to give balance to their extreme focus on teaching and training graduates for industry.
A major coup for the School is the whopping figure of approximately 1200 registered first year students.
“To have this many first year students is really a big achievement for us. Last year we had 750,” said Padia.
The rising interest in accounting careers is good news for the financial sector which has a skills deficit. “The challenge is now ensuring that the throughput is just as high,” said Padia.
To produce the required skills, Padia appealed to the big firms and sponsors to not only dedicate funds to top performers but increase their investment by contributing to support programmes aimed at average students.
“I am really passionate about getting the throughput and assisting the students who really need us.”
Nana Madikane, a partner at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, delivered the keynote address urging students to continue in the path of excellence.
Bamford to deliver inaugural lecture
- By Wits University
You are invited to the inaugural lecture of Professor Marion Bamford from the Wits Evolutionary Studies Institute. Entitled The many branches of the tree: a personal view of palaeobotany in Africa, Bamford will give a brief overview of the current status of palaeobotanical research in South Africa and parts of Africa. She will highlight some of her own research accomplishments, with an emphasis on the Olduvai Landscape and Palaeoanthropology Project, and conclude with some ideas on the way forward.
Date: 15 May 2014
Time: 17:30 for 18:00
Venue: Senate Room, Second floor, Senate House, Braamfontein Campus East
Marion Bamford was born and educated in Zimbabwe, obtaining her A levels from Townsend Girls High School, Bulawayo in 1979.
She came to Wits in 1980 to begin a BSc degree, majoring in Botany and Microbiology and graduated in 1983. She completed her BSc Honours in 1983 doing a combined course in Botany and Palaeobotany. Her Master’s degree dissertation was on the Palaeobotany of the Early Cretaceous Kirkwood flora for which she was awarded a distinction in 1986.
Before she completed her doctoral thesis she began working at the Geological Survey in Pretoria as a palaeobotanist under the guidance of Dr Eva Kovacs-Endrody. She completed her degree in 1989 and graduated in 1990.
After a short break, Bamford rejoined Wits to take up a postdoctoral fellowship with funding from De Beers, this time doing research on fossil wood, dating and palaeoclimate associated with the diamond deposits on the West Coast.
As there were no fossil wood experts in Africa Bamford went to Brussels for training with the late Roger Dechamps at the Musée Royale de l’Afrique Centrale and then also to the University Paris-6 for training from Dr Jean-Claude Koeniguer and the University of Claude Bernard in Lyon with Professor Yves Lemoigne and Dr Marc Philippe.
Apart from working on the ancient fossil gymnosperm woods of southern Africa Bamford also works on dicot woods, charcoal, fossilised seeds, leaves, culms, pollen and phytoliths from archaeological sites and early hominid sites in South and East Africa. Marion is a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa, and a National Research Foundation B3-rated scientist, having published over 80 scientific journal articles, eight book chapters and over 50 conference presentations.
Currently she is a Personal Professor in the Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) at Wits.
Professor Bamford lectures palaeobotany to geology and biology students at Wits at undergraduate and Honours level.
Currently she is supervising seven PhD students and hosting two postdoctoral fellows. Apart from reviewing many manuscripts for journals and funding proposals for the NRF, PAST and other international bodies, she serves on the Wits Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee, the ESI management Committee, the ESI Postgraduate Committee and several local and international professional societies.
Her life's work
- By Wits University
Professor Melissa Steyn has been working on her dream for more than 20 years.
When she received a Fulbright Scholarship in the early 1990s to study in the USA, she knew she wanted to bring back knowledge that would have application for change in South Africa.
She has had great success – first establishing the Intercultural and Diversity Studies of Southern Africa (Incudisa) at the University of Cape Town in 2001 and now she pioneered the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies (WiCDS). Steyn, who joined Wits in 2011, officially opened the Centre in February 2014.
“I have always been interested in questions of social transformation. While I was in the USA I had the idea of starting an institute that would address these issues of how relationships between people who have been positioned differently by society can be reframed,” says Steyn.
The establishment of the WiCDS coincided with Steyn being awarded the DST/NRF South African Research Chair in Critical Diversity Studies. The Chair is located within the WiCDS and commenced this year.
Research to be undertaken will involve theorising contextually-grounded understandings of diversity, difference and otherness, as these become salient through the current operations of power; researching how these dynamics are “at work” empirically in specific sites and locations; and developing knowledge and materials that address South African needs. The Chair’s work within the WiCDS will create spaces for interdisciplinary engagement, both within Wits and internationally.
Steyn says the most important issues in terms of diversity studies that we need to look at are the ones that have given rise to the field of study in the first place.
“The big ones that have been in the arena for many years, are still race, gender, class, sexuality, disability, urban and rural, all of those are still very much there. Those are all dynamics that we need to wrap our heads around – there has been a lot of movement on certain issues,” says Steyn.
Steyn is well known for her publications on whiteness and white identity in post-apartheid South Africa, including her celebrated book Whiteness just isn’t what it used to be: White identity in a changing South Africa (2001, SUNY Press).
Her co-edited books include The Prize and the Price: Shaping Sexualities in South Africa (Vol 2) (2009, HSRC), Performing Queer: Shaping Sexualities in South Africa (Vol 1) (2005, Kwela), Under construction: Race and identity in South Africa Today (2004, Heinemann) and Cultural Synergy in South Africa: Weaving Strands of Africa and Europe (1996, Knowledge Resources).
Her ambition for the Centre is simple: “I would like Wits to become an international hub for studies related to diversity in contemporary societies and draw a lot of really good work and people who are interesting to listen to. I would also like us to be an interface between the University and the rest of society,” says Steyn.
Cambridge Companion to Mandela launched
- By Vivienne Rowland
On the eve of the fifth democratic national elections and the five-month anniversary of the death of former president Nelson Mandela, a new scholarly book has hit the book shelves with the former statesman as the topic.
The launch was attended by renowned struggle veterans and longstanding friends of Mandela, Dr Ahmed Kathrada and Advocate George Bizos, as well as Zanele Mbeki, wife of former president Thabo Mbeki.
Titled The Cambridge Companion to Nelson Mandela, the book published by Cambridge University Press and compiled and edited by Rita Barnard, Professor in English and Comparative Literature at the University of Pennsylvania and publisher of extensive literature on South African politics, contains essays by experts in history, anthropology, jurisprudence, cinema, literature, and visual studies, examining how Mandela became an icon during his lifetime; and consider the meanings and uses of his internationally recognisable image. The book contains contributions from several Wits academics. View all the contributors here.
Their overarching concerns include Mandela’s relation to “tradition” and “modernity”, the impact of his most famous public performances, the oscillation between Africanist and non-racial positions in South Africa, and the politics of gender and national sentiment. The volume concludes with a meditation on Mandela’s legacy in the 21st Century and a detailed guide to further reading.
At the launch of the book, , a researcher from the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research and a contributing author, said that with the upcoming elections and in the wake of Mandela’s death recently, South Africa needs to think about the questions Mandela asked in his time, and apply it to our current contexts.
“Mandela was a major political thinker – a typical 20th Century thinker – and the 20th Century ended for us not in 1999, but when Mandela died. The political questions he translated in his time are still valid today, but what are the new questions we could ask about him? Maybe we will never know him completely,” said Mbembe.
The launch coincided with a short discussion about the spectre of Mandela and the project of freedom by Mbongiseni Buthelezi from the Centre for Law and Society at the University of Cape Town.
Buthelezi’s comments centred around questions regarding reconciliation. “What are the questions Mandela allows us to ask and which ones do we need to ask now? What future do we have without Mandela? One of the angers and hurts people feel is how we maintained the status quo during the apartheid era and how we are dealing with reconciliation in terms of our difficult past and post-Mandela,” he said. Listen to Buthelezi .
Verne Harris, Director of Research at the Nelson Mandela Foundation also commented on the book and its significance. Listen to Harris .
Barnard said that the book places emphasis on politics redefined in a few different ways: “The book examines how Mandela looked, how he presented and carried himself and inspires ongoing debate about Mandela, modernity and tradition,” said Barnard. Listen to Barnard .
honoured the occasion by speaking fondly of his erstwhile friend and said that it is important for the country that Mandela’s memory be preserved because he genuinely cared about people. “We know that his memory will live forever, but before we say that we will follow in his footsteps, let us first inform ourselves where his footsteps would have been. It might not have been in the way that some purport it to be,” said Bizos.
The Alumni Pub in the Barns for Wits staff members and alumni officially opened last week – and it was a roaring success.
Staff members, students, and alumni came together to mingle over a pint and some pub grub and relax in the beautiful surroundings of the Wits Club precinct.
The new pub, an initiative of Wits Alumni Relations and managed by Olives and Plates, is open every Wednesday between 16:00 and 21:00.
Peter Maher, Director of Wits Alumni Relations, says he wants to ensure that Wits remains a “home” for alumni and that there are opportunities for networking and socialising between alumni and staff at Wits.
“In the long term we need to consider the possibility of an alumni centre with a lounge area for staff, guests and alumni, but in the meantime a pub was a practical option. The venue also serves a range of non-alcoholic beverages and a delicious pub grub menu. The turnout of alumni on the opening day was fantastic but it would be wonderful if more staff members were able to attend. Eventually we hope that there will be sufficient interest to allow us to extend the opening to more days of the week,” says Maher.
View the mouth-watering .
Finding solutions
- By Wits University
Local government needs to embrace citizen participation and move beyond being just a vehicle for the delivery of services. This is if the crisis of democratic representation in municipalities, evident in widespread community protests, is to be addressed.
This was the opinion of Dr Zweli Jolobe from the University of Cape Town’s department of politics, who presented a short paper on the crisis of democratic representation in local government at Wits University on Monday. Read the full story on Mail & Guardian online.
Public Positions on History and Politics. It is hosted by the Department of Political Studies, History Workshop and the Wits Institute for Economic and Social Research (WiSER) at Wits University – in partnership with the Mail & Guardian and with support from the Raith Foundation.
Jolobe’s paper dealt with the breakdown between those who hold elected office and the communities they represent. The reasons for this collapse and for the political protests that it generates are complex and entrenched – drawing on local and party political factionalism; an enduring mistrust of local government; and competing levels of power within political parties. to his address.
Taking the discussion further were Wits Associate Professor of Politics, Daryl Glaser (chair), Professor Achille Mbembe (WiSER) and Dr Mcebisi Ndletyana (MISTRA).
to Glaser.
to Mbembe.
to Ndletyana.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
Most solutions offered to the problems of social justice in South Africa have unrealistically short time frames. Almost all the serious problems of injustice have deep institutional and cultural roots. Drawing upon historical and other research in South Africa and learning from the histories of peers such as India and Brazil, this series aims to make broad and insightful research based at Wits University accessible to those designing policies for better social justice.
Other topics in the Public Positions series are: Property, communal land, and traditional leadership; Politics and poetics of infrastructure; Public and private health systems and the quality of care; No register, no rights? Property ownership in South Africa; Race, media and the rupturing of the public sphere; and more.
A short paper produced by Julia Hornberger, senior lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Wits University, formed the basis for a lively discussion by a panel chaired by Firoz Cachalia (Professor in the Wits School of Law), and consisting of Kelly Gillespie (senior lecturer in the Department of Anthropology, Gareth Newham (Head of the Governance, Crime and Justice Division of the Institute for Security Studies) and S'bu Zikode (founder member of Abahlali baseMjondolo [Residents of the shacks] movement). Read an edited version of the paper on Mail & Guardian online.
This series was opened by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Habib. Professor Jonathan Klaaren from WiSER presented a short, provocative briefing paper, followed by a panel discussion with Judge Kathy Satchwell, attorney Teboho Mosikili and Advocate Geoff Budlender SC.
Wits appoints new Registrar
- By Wits University
Carol Crosley has been appointed as the new Registrar of Wits University beginning 1 June 2014.
Since starting at Wits in 1998, Crosley has held various positions. She is the former Deputy Registrar: Enrolment at the University, a position she held from May 2013. Before that, from 2001, she was the Deputy Registrar and Head of the Student Enrolment Centre (SENC), which she played a pivotal role in establishing.
As the Deputy Registrar and Head of SENC she was responsible for all matters related to admission and enrolment at the University, including the overall management of SENC, the Schools Liaison Office and the International Students Office. During this time she played an active role in championing the implementation of two student management systems.
Her prior positions at Wits include Faculty Assistant Registrar in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (1999-2001). She also managed the public relations portfolio in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office (1998-1999).
Crosley’s passion has always been education – she was a high school teacher for 10 years: first at King Edward V11 School from 1983 to 1987; and then at Sandown High School from 1992 to 1997.
Maintaining close contact with her colleagues in secondary education has proved to be advantageous to Wits as she has built up a strong network in both the private and public schooling arena as well as with other higher education institutions over the years.
She completed her masters degree in education last year, with her research dissertation focussing on how students can bring about change in their school environment.
“I recognise that crucial conversations need to take place on how students are serviced and supported; and about trust in the internal processes. However, I am looking forward to working with staff members across the spectrum in developing a collective sense of priorities and strengths, and professionalising the administrative environment so that administrative excellence can be achieved,” says Crosley.
Holding his head above the parapet
- By Wits University
The former anti-apartheid activist and veteran ANC MP, Ben Turok, released his latest book, With My Head above the Parapet – An insider account of the ANC in power, at the Wits School of Governance in Parktown on 5 May 2014.
Published by Jacana Media, in the book Turok relates his experience as a participant in the political life of this country since 1994. It is also an insightful account of the ANC’s decline and current malaise, told by an insider intent on holding his party to its historical mission of liberating South Africa from poverty, inequality and discrimination.
“There is no room for sentimentality in politics and I am no mood to put a rosy gloss on where we are now,” said Turok. Listen to an edited audio clip of Turok discussing his book.
Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said about Turok and his book: “There is no doubt that he is among the formidable political thinkers in South Africa today. He is definitely not a ‘politician’, but a well-rounded human being with a political attitude.”
Citing medical and personal reasons, Turok confirmed in February 2014 that he will be retiring from Parliament after the elections. Among his many contributions to South Africa’s democracy is the key role he played in the writing of the Freedom Charter, in particular its chapter dealing with economic equality. In November 2011, he broke party ranks and did not vote for the controversial Protection of Information Bill, also known as the Secrecy Bill. As co-chairman of Parliament’s ethics committee, he enforced strict compliance among MPs with the asset disclosure policy and presided over two controversial cases – those of former communications minister Dina Pule and ANC MP Yolanda Botha, who faced charges of fraud and corruption.
Elections 2014: Make your mark
- By Erna van Wyk
Wits University together with media partners, eNCA and the Independent Newspapers Group, hosted a series of televised election debates in April in the run-up to Elections 2014.
The Wits Great Election Debates were broadcast live eNCA, channel 403 on DSTV, and facilitated by News Night anchors, Jeremy Maggs or Iman Rappetti. A panel consisting of Wits academics, Independent Newspaper Group editors as well as representatives from political parties asked the hard-hitting questions.
The first debate, themed: How far have we come in 20 years? featured Gwede Mantashe (ANC), Dr Wilmot James (DA) and Dr Mamphela Ramphele (Agang SA). Read more.
The second debate, themed: Fighting for the hearts of the youth featured Bonisile Modise (ANC), Mbali Ntuli (DA) and Floyd Shivambu (EFF). Read more.
The third debate, themed: Is it the ANC, DA or nothing? featured Bantu Holomisa (UDM) vs Farouk Cassim (Cope) vs Mkhuleko Hlengwa (IFP). Read more.
The fourth debate, themed: The fight for Gauteng featured Paul Mashatile (ANC) and Mmusi Maimane (DA). The final debate, themed: The Final Countdown featured Ebrahim Patel (ANC) and Tim Harris (DA). Watch the videos below.
Karabo standing in Iziko Museum
- By Erna van Wyk
The Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town has become the first museum in Africa to exhibit a standing replica of Australopithecus sediba - one of the most complete skeletons of early human relatives ever found.
In celebrating International Museum Week (12 – 18 May 2014), Professor Lee Berger, team leader of the Malapa Project of the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Wits University, in partnership with the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site (COH WHS) Management Authority, handed over a replica of a reconstructed upright ‘Karabo’ – the type skeleton of Australopithecus sediba discovered at the Malapa Site in the Cradle of Humankind. Berger is a Research Professor in Human Evolution at Wits and a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence.
Berger also delivered a public lecture, titled: The origins of our species – Australopithecus sediba and our changing understanding of human origins
Berger said: “As Iziko Museums of South Africa has been such a wonderful supporter of Palaeoanthropological discoveries, it was agreed by the stakeholders that it should be the first museum in Africa to display a standing replica of ‘Karabo’. It will become part of the exhibition titled: The search for our early ancestors, currently on show at the Museum.”
This standing replica forms part of the casts available through the Marapo Stones and Bones project - a community-based and driven fossil casting facility in the COH WHS that is the result of a partnership between the ESI at Wits and the COH WHS.
As part of this partnership, a gifting component has been created to allow for the donation of casts of fossils from the COH WHS, on behalf of all the stakeholders, to partners around the world, including to public institutions and universities such as Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, and to museums including the Natural History Museum (Museum für Naturkunde) in Germany and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC.
The production of casts forms an important part of the goal towards developing the economy and people of the COH WHS and other heritage rich areas of South Africa, as well as developing the science of palaeoanthropology in Africa, and the continued promotion of the COHWHS as one of the world’s foremost fossil hominid-bearing sites.
The sites of Malapa and the newly excavated Rising Star site, together with the world famous Sterkfontein Caves, have yielded the richest early human ancestor sites on the planet. Work on Australopithecus sediba alone has been featured in a large number of prestigious scientific works as well as the popular media including National Geographic, Scientific American, Time and many other media outlets. The Malapa site still holds precious fossil material and excavations are likely to continue at this site for decades to come. The site is also situated in one of the more pristine areas in the COH WHS.
The Cradle of Humankind was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on 2 December 1999. Wits has had a long association with the COH WHS in terms of scientific discoveries and research. The primary focus of this longstanding and successful relationship has been to work towards the mutually beneficial goal of promoting and conserving the scientific and heritage values of this unique area not far from Johannesburg. Spanning 50 000 hectares it has yielded some of the most incredible fossil finds of extinct fauna, particularly fossils of ancient human ancestors dating as far back as more than 3 million years before present. Together with the Makapan Valley site in Limpopo Province and the Taung Child site in North West Province, these three sites together constitute what UNESCO has inscribed as the Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa.
These are indeed sites of outstanding universal value because of the wealth of significant hominin fossils that have been unearthed at these sites including Mrs Ples, Little Foot, Taung Child skull and the recently described Australopithecus sediba, revealed to the world by Berger in April 2010. This fossil has been dated at an astoundingly precise 1.97 million years before present and therefore offers an incredible window into our distant past and how we have evolved as a species.
About Iziko Museums of South Africa (Iziko):
Iziko operates 11 national museums, the Planetarium, the Social History Centre and three collection specific libraries in Cape Town. The museums that make up Iziko have their own history and character, presenting extensive art, social and natural history collections that reflect our diverse African heritage. Iziko is a public entity and non-profit organisation that brings together these museums under a single governance and leadership structure. The organisation allows free access to all individuals on commemorative days (excluding the Castle of Good Hope and Planetarium). Visit our webpage at http://www.iziko.org.za/museums/south-african-museum join our online community on Facebook (www.facebook.com/IzikoMuseums) or follow us on Twitter (@Iziko_Museums) for regular updates on events, news and new exhibitions.
Raising Wits’ A-game in sports
- By Buhle Zuma
The arrival of a new director at Wits Sports Administration is igniting hope that Wits may finally prove its mettle in sporting achievements, which lately has been a mixed bag posing little threat to its competitors.
In an informal opinion poll among sportsmen and women on campus, it was clear that they felt a sense of revival, confidence and desire to work closely with Adrian Carter, the new director, in building the image and performance of Wits Sports.
Carter comes from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) where he has achieved remarkable success by nurturing talent development systems which paid huge dividends for UJ. To illustrate, in 1997 UJ had two hockey teams – the first team comprising of students and the second team made up of learners from neighbouring schools.
However, Carter created a turn-around in merely four years building 17 formidable hockey teams (nine men’s and eight women’s teams) winning countless provincial and national titles. In 2001 the University’s men’s hockey team achieved international success when they returned to South Africa with a silver medal from the highly competitive World Student Games held in Malaysia. The University now boasts seven Springbok hockey players and teams from various sport codes play in the top tier of varsity sports.
Turning Wits sports around
Carter says Wits can realise its ambitions to be competitive in sports. For this to happen two things need to occur. “Wits needs to create systems that would feed its talent pool; secondly, the University needs to create a more enabling sports environment which will make it possible for the athletes to perform at a high level,” says Carter.
His wish is to promote a “student-athlete friendly” concept where the student-athletes have certain obligations such as meeting the academic requirements; and the University has obligations to provide the best coaches, facilities and academic support, he says.
Wits has the Academic Support Programme run by Sports Administration in conjunction with the Counselling and Careers Development Unit, monitoring the academic progress of student athletes and intervene where needed. However, Carter says this programme could do with a few improvements.
A believer in balance who says that practicality and experience go hand-in-hand with theory, Carter has over 17 years’ experience in sports administration and is currently studying towards his Master’s degree in Long-Term Athlete Development which he hopes to complete this year. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree in Sports Management from UJ.
Although it might seem like UJ played a pivotal role in his studies and subsequent career path, it is in fact at Wits University where the thoughts of professional sports management first took root in his mind.
“My whole career started on Wits fields. It started in 1988 when the first hockey interprovincial tournament was held in Johannesburg and was played on Wits grounds,” he says.
As a 16-year-old from Wynberg Boys’ High School in the Western Cape, he along with other team members travelled by train to take part in the tournament hosted at Wits.
Since then, his blood has slowly been turning blue, he jokes. Proof of this is his wardrobe which he says is almost entirely blue.
A believer in practising what he preaches, Carter maintains a healthy lifestyle which involves exercise and training six times a week. He has run eight Comrades Marathons consecutively with his ninth coming up next month; participated in five Two Oceans Ultra Marathons, one ABSA Cape Epic race and three Sani2C races.
His toughest physical challenge will be in November when takes on the Salomon Skyrun, an epic 100 kilometre mountain run considered by many athletes to be the toughest trail run in South Africa.
Asked why he would push himself to such extremes, he responds with characteristic humour saying that “there is no cure for stupidity” before adding: “It’s a lifestyle. I also believe that in my capacity as the director I want to set the right example. If I am active and put in the training and the discipline, I expect our students to do the same. I choose to set the right example.”
Gender equity and health sciences education
- By Wits University
The Department of Family Medicine in the School of Clinical Medicine in the Wits Faculty of Health Sciences hosts Cheryl Levitt, Professor of Family Medicine at McMaster University, Canada and Fellow of the Carnegie-Wits Alumni Diaspora Programme presenting a public lecture titled Gender Equity and Health Sciences Education.
Date: 21 May 2014
Time: 17:00 for 17:30
Venue: Marie Curie Lecture Theatre, Wits Medical School, Parktown Health Sciences Campus
Professor Cheryl Levitt is a family physician and tenured professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University. She was born in South Africa, trained at Wits and did her internship at Baragwanath Hospital, Soweto. In 2012, Levitt was appointed as the College of Family Physician of Canada Senior Research Advisor and in 2011 as a member of the Discipline Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons. From 2008 - 2011, she was the Provincial Primary Care Lead for Cancer Care Ontario.
Levitt was Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University from 1996-2006 and President of the Ontario College of Family Medicine from 2005-2006. She has lead the Quality in Family Practice project from 2000 – 2009 and authored the Quality in Family Practice Book of Tools in 2010. Levitt has published widely on primary care issues, medical migration of foreign doctors, gender equity and maternal and child health.
Amongst her numerous awards are the South African Women for Women Health Award in 2004, the Wonca (World Organization of Family Doctors) Fellowship Award in 2010, the Jean Pierre Depins award from the College of Family Physicians of Canada in 2010 and the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for Health Wellness for the City of Hamilton in 2011.
