The University of the Witwatersrand now occupies sixth position on the Times Higher Education BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings 2016, moving up from 14th place last year.
The rankings that were released on 2 December 2015 include institutions from the 48 countries classified as emerging economies.
The ranking uses the same 13 performance indicators as the THE World University Rankings. It examines each university’s strengths against all of its core missions – teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
“We are indeed pleased that Wits has risen from position 14 to 6 in the last year in the Times Higher Education BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings,” Wits Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi said.
He said that the rise in this ranking could be largely attributed to the significant increase of research output by approximately 32% in 2013 and 2014 with about 85% of all publications in accredited international journals.
“In addition, we have had an increase in the number of highly rated scientists at Wits, leading local and international scholars joining Wits, as well as hosting the largest number of DST/NRF Centres of Excellence in the country.
“This is part of Wits’ commitment to being a nationally responsive and globally competitive institution. However, we believe that as a University we should not be detracted by the various ranking systems,” Vilakazi added.
Witsies share their holiday reading lists
- Buhle Zuma
What’s missing on your night table? Some must-reads for the festive season.
The holidays are upon us. With some free time on hand you can now catch up on all those titles you have always been dying to read. But where to start?
Wits Communications asked Witsies to share some of their favourite books and best-reads for downtime. The lists are as diverse as the people and interests of the Wits Community.
Veronica Klipp, publisher at Wits University Press
The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. “Devastating and revealing of our colonial past, in retrospect it was an appropriate book to start this turbulent year with.”
Askari by Jacob Dlamini. “His skill lies in showing how our usual frames of reference can fall short when trying to make sense of our complex history.”
101 Detectives by Ivan Vladislavic. “It can be read as attempts to come to grips with the sometimes banal mysteries of our contemporary lives, as in The Trunks: A complete history.”
Thrive by Arianne Huffington. “This a very enjoyable book about finding a work / life balance, especially for women, in a world obsessed with success, work and the constant intrusions of social media.”
“Books by German writer of Iranian origin, Navid Kermani, are highly recommended. He was awarded the Peace Price of the German book trade. His essays, novels and journalism focus largely on the interconnections between Europe and its immediate neighbour, the Middle Eastern region.”
Mpho Matsipa - architect, exhibition curator and lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning
The God of Small Things by Aranduthi Roy. “Beautiful storytelling about post-colonial identity, caste and power. The author trained as an architect and this gives me hope that architects can engage meaningfully with larger social issue beyond technocratic approaches.”
Stars of the New Curfew by Ben Okri. “He pushes the limits of language to account for traumatic experiences and ruptured political-social landscapes.”
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin. “A humorous perspective on polygamy that subverts many gender stereotypes.”
Planet Savage by Tuelo Gabonewe. “This is a quirky story about a precocious nine-year-old boy and his relationship to his parents. I enjoyed it because it disrupts romantic narratives about the traditional family form.”
Concubines and Power: Five Hundred Years in a Northern Nigerian Palace by Heidi Nast. “This is the only non-fiction book on my list. It provides rich insight into complex African states, power and the role of women in shifting patriarchal social structures.”
Professor Dilip Menon, Director of the Centre for Indian Studies
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. “Incredibly moving letters from an African American father to his adolescent son on growing up black in the US.”
Voices from Chernobyl: the oral history of a nuclear disaster by the 2015 Nobel Prize winner, Svetlana Alexievich. “Told with a unique intimate style of interviewing that makes for searing literature.”
A prehistory of the cloud by Tung-Hui Hu. “A reflection on the contemporary digital environment written in a lyrical and historically informed way.”
Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball by Haruki Murakami. “The first English publications of the earliest novels by this Japanese master: cool, urban characters and an exploration of relationships and technology.”
Stalin Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928, vol. 1 by Stephen Kotkin. “A much awaited biography by the greatest living authority on Stalin; great narrative and exhaustive research.”
Dr Boni Zungu, acting Head of African Languages in the School of School of Literature, Language and Media
Amagalelo by NG Sibiya (ed). “This is an anthology of short stories, essays and poems by different authors. It is suitable for both mother-tongue and non-mother tongue speakers of isiZulu.”
Igazi lezibi by ME Ngcobo. “A novel about an illegitimate child, rejected by his father, who has to donate blood in order to save the father’s live. It’s an interesting read for mother-tongue speakers of isiZulu.”
Uthando lungumanqoba by M Shange. “A novelette about the struggle of an orphaned teenager who ends up in the streets of Durban, selling herself for survival. How does she overcome these challenges?”
Wathint’ imbokodo by NG Sibiya (ed). “An anthology of short stories dealing with different life challenges, from relationships to criminal acts.”
National Orders for Witsies
- Wits University
Father of rock art archaeology among recipients of prestigious Order of the Baobab (gold).
The Wits recipients of National Orders for 2015 are Professor Emeritus James David Lewis-Williams, journalism student Dough Anderson, and alumni Justice Yvonne Mokgoro and William Frankel, Chair of the Wits Foundation in the UK. They were honoured by President Jacob Zuma during the ceremony on 8 December 2015.
Making us proud
“Wits congratulates all those honoured, and especially those Witsies who have made a mark in our society. The work undertaken by Professor David Lewis-Williams and Doug Anderson must be commended because it contributes in powerful ways to South Africa. By preserving our history and working to stop the marginalisation of people with disabilities, these two individuals have ensured that we respect and honour the diversity of South Africans. We are proud that our people are being honoured at the highest level of government,” says Professor Adam Habib, Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal.
Father of rock art archaeology
Professor Emeritus James David Lewis-William from Wits University received the prestigious Order of the Baobab (gold) for his outstanding contribution to South African archaeology.
His work on rock art of ancient people in southern Africa has contributed valuable information about the life and history of San people in the region. Known as the father of rock art archaeology, Lewis-Williams has published 19 pioneering books and over 100 articles on the subject of rock art.
He taught archaeology at Wits University from 1978 to 2000 and is one of South Africa’s most frequently cited scientific writers with more than 1 000 citations in fields as diverse as genetics, art history, anthropology and the neuropsychology.
“I am quite proud to receive such an honour. I was not expecting an award at this level,” says Lewis-Williams.
In 2000, former President Thabo Mbeki invited Lewis-Williams to translate the South African national motto into the /Xam San language, because of his command of the now almost extinct /Xam language spoken by the San people.
Beating the odds
Dough Anderson was awarded the Order of the Baobab (silver) in acknowledgement of his tremendous work to uplift the lives of children and people with disabilities.
He is the brainchild of several fundraising campaigns for children with disabilities, such as the Differently Abled 24/7/36 initiative. He also supports various charities dealing with disabilities, animal welfare, vulnerable groups and the environment.
His life is testament to his work. Born with a spinal defect, dislocated hips, club-feet and hydrocephalus (water on the brain), his fighting spirit spurred him to achieve at the highest levels.
“I was a boy who was given a 98% chance of dying but I grasped the two percent chance of living. I have had 42 operations to date. I have faced severe discrimination at schools and in the workplace and was considered a ‘risk’ because of my disability,” Anderson explains.
“After struggling to find employment, I got a job at a call centre. While working there, I saw a course being offered in the newspaper for radio training. I got into the course and shortly after was given an opportunity to present my own disability talk show on a community radio station in 2004,” he adds. “I am just a regular Joe Soap, who has been blessed on my journey and choose to try and make a difference in the world whenever and however I can. Being recognised for this at the highest level, is both inspiring and humbling.”
Anderson is now a senior content producer at Radio 2000 and is enrolled in a postgraduate course as a precursor to his BA Honours degree.
Justice prevails
Justice Yvonne Mokgoro is a Wits alumnus and received the Order of the Baobab (bronze) for her outstanding contribution to the field of law and the administration of justice in a democratic South Africa. Wits awarded Mokgoro with an honorary degree in 2013. She was recognised for her commitment to sociological jurisprudence particularly in the fields of human rights, customary law and the impact of law on society generally, and on women and children specifically.
Fighting apartheid
William Frankel, Chair of the Wits Foundation in the UK received the Order of Luthuli (silver) for his contribution to the fight against apartheid. Frankel played a significant role in raising funds for those detained by apartheid security forces and those charged under apartheid legislation.
Gender and food security
- Refilwe Mabula
Food insecurity for women goes hand-in-hand with economic, political and cultural policies and attitudes.
Food insecurity is an issue of growing global and regional concern, causing intergenerational health problems, compromising educational attainment, productivity and human development.
The recent droughts in South Africa severely affected the agricultural sector. Food insecurity is compounded by global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, rapid urbanisation, energy constraints and water scarcity.
On World Aids Day, the Wits Siyakhana Intiative and the School of Geography, Archeology and Environmental Studies hosted a discussion on the challenges that women face in getting access to food, including challenges with HIV/Aids, where they also shared initial findings into their research.
The event also coincided with the national 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign.
Although commonly considered an agricultural problem, a food systems perspective reveals that food insecurity is the result of a very complex interplay of global, regional and local factors operating along food value chains from production through processing, storage, distribution and retail.
In light of environmental, social, economic, political and cultural dimensions that go hand-in-hand with food insecurity, access to food for women is often a challenge.
According to Teresa Dirsuweit, an Associate Professor in the School of Geography at Wits who delivered the keynote address at the event, women tend to be less food insecure than men. One of the many impediments restricting women’s access to food is education and their disempowered position in society.
“Women tend to be less educated and in terms of what people think of women or how they are valued, and they have little or no presence in decision making”.
However, research showed that there was a 55 % improvement in food security as the position of women improved in society, she said.
The event was attended by members of the public, and representatives from Toro Global Consulting who also shared their research findings on rural women, gender equality and economic and social issues affecting food security.
China not in land grabs in Africa
- Buhle Zuma
It is a myth that China is using Africa as a food farm.
Professor Deborah Brautigam, an expert on China-Africa relations, has dismissed claims that China is engaged in land grabs across Africa.
“The belief that China is acquiring large amounts of land in Africa to grow food to feed the massive Chinese population is a myth,” said Brautigam during a presentation at Wits University.
China’s population is estimated at 1.4 billion.
Drawing on her research and her recently published book entitled: Will Africa Feed China? Brautigam said there is no evidence to support media reports on this issue.
Brautigam and her team from the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University undertook what she terms “forensic internet sleuthing”, digging into highly publicised cases about China acquiring land in Africa. The researchers also conducted field trips to Angola, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“We looked at sixty different cases … and we were able to find that a number of these cases turned out not to even be Chinese companies,” she said.
Some of the firms were Korean and Indian, but reported as Chinese. She pointed out that some Chinese efforts to buy land had not been successful, and where they were granted land, the amount was nowhere close to the reported millions of hectares.
What are the Chinese doing in Africa?
Brautigam argued that Chinese entrepreneurs are genuinely interested in partnerships and African development.
“They are doing agricultural demonstration projects, but these involve Chinese businesses looking at African food security and agricultural development,” she said.
“It is not that different from what we, as the United States, are doing in addressing food security in Africa. The Chinese are also interested in selling agricultural machinery to Africa, high-tech advanced seed and agri-business high-tech.”
Brautigam said what was happening was “all about globalisation” and not about building a new empire in Africa.
“They are also interested in contracts and building state farms and new generation state farms in countries such as Angola.”
Brautigam said Brazil, Argentina and the United States were the top three countries feeding China and accounted for the highest imports by China.
“That’s where China’s food is coming from.”
Brautigam said China’s number one food commodity that originates from Africa is high quality sesame seeds.
Brautigam was hosted by the China-Africa Reporting Project at Wits. Her lecture was entitled Feeding Frenzy: Fiction and Facts about China, Africa and the Media.
Recipients of Vice-Chancellor's awards for Teaching, Research and Academic Citizenship honoured at function.
Wits had an “incredible”, “momentous” year, and to be honoured in a year such as 2015, makes you one of the “best of the best”. This is the message that Professor Adam Habib, Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal, told the recipients of the 2015 Vice Chancellor’s awards on Tuesday, 15 December. Handing over the awards at a small ceremony at his house, Habib said Wits excelled in 2015, not just by grabbing headlines for the #FeesMustFall campaign, but also through its research, teaching and social citizenship.
“Wits has become an incredibly special place – at the level of political activity; at the level of research output; at the level of teaching; at the level of citizenship, all kinds of things,” said Habib.
“Our research output is up another 15 or 16%. So, in the last two years, we are up 35%. Our research output now sits above 1500 units, which is the highest in our history. That is a fantastic turnout.”
Several of the University’s academics also were awarded with “A-ratings” from the National Research Foundation, with Professor Achille Mbembe receiving an A1 rating in December.
“I don’t think people realise what it means to be A1,” said Habib. “It means that, effectively, you are at the cutting edge of the world. You are in the top 3 to 5 of the world. That is what it means. You don’t get higher than that.”
In terms of teaching, Wits is producing far more graduates than ever, with 50% of the country’s medical specialists, as well as actuarial scientists being produced at the university.
VC’s Reseach Award
Habib awarded the VC’s research award jointly to Professors Frederick Raal and Christopher Henshilwood this year
“The Committee could not separate the two strongest contestants in the 2015 round and decided to make the award jointly to Henshilwood and Raal.”
Henshilwood, from the Institute of Human Evolution, is the holder of the Thompson Reuters Lifetime Award for being in the top 1% most cited authors in the ‘Social Sciences and General’ Category for 2013 and 2014. He is the holder of an NRF A2 rating. He has been largely responsible for a paradigm shift in his discipline, in that he overturned the previous orthodoxy that modern human behavior first appeared in Europe and has shown beyond reasonable doubt that it emerged from southern Africa, as long as 100,000 years ago.
His interests as an archaeologist, scientist, project leader and teacher encompass the development of complex technology, social systems, subsistence, environment, syntactic language and material culture associated with early Homo sapiens, especially those groups who evolved in southern Africa between 100 000 – 50 000 years ago.
Derick Raal is a Wits product, both as a student (MBBCh in 1981 and a PhD in 2000, with various qualifications in between) and as a career-long employee. Two of many markers as to his standing as a researcher would be an H-index of around 30 and the fact that he is a reviewer for two of the highest impact journals in medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Lancet. Locally, he marches steadily up the NRF rating system, reaching a B2 in the 2014/15 re-rating process.
“One of the astonishing aspects of his research achievements is that he carries a full clinical load and conducts most of his research in his spare time,” said Professor Rob Drennan, director of research at Wits.
Academic Citizenship – Individual
The individual Academic Citizenship award for 2015 was awarded to Denise Nicholson from the Wits library, for her unique contribution to the educational, library and scholarly community to improve access to knowledge and help build capacity and sustainable communities, both nationally and internationally.
“Her work was beyond the call of duty and raised the international profile of the University,” said Professor Andrew Crouch.
Academic Citizenship - Team
The Team award for Academic Citizenship was awarded to the Centre of Applied Legal Studies for their work on the Marikana massacre, as well as other matters of national importance like the World Heritage Sites and issues of National Heritage.
Teaching award – Team
The VC’s award for teaching went to the Health Systems Dynamics (HSD) Team based in the Biomedical Engineering Research Group in the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, who developed a course that was viewed as a unique opportunity for our students. The team had developed practical approaches to introduce Systems Dynamics into medical education in a manner that was well suited to the needs and educational background of Health Science students.
Transformation award
Activate Wits, the SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) student society on campus was the recipient of the VC's Transformation Award.
Presidential task team's recommendations on student funding
- Wits University
Task Team statement: Presidency commits R6.5 billion to resolve challenges around student funding.
On 6 October 2015, I appointed a Presidential Task Team to investigate and make recommendations on short-term student funding challenges at universities.
The Task Team had to report on possible solutions to the immediate funding challenges at universities. The task team also had to look at the implementation of the agreement on the zero per cent fee increment for the 2016 academic year, and the shortfall in National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding for students registered in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 academic years. In addition, it needed to advise on a short-term plan to mitigate against possible student protests and unrest at the start of the 2016 academic year.
The Task Team undertook its work within the context of a highly politicised and volatile climate on university campuses across the country related to a number of factors, including calls for free university education for the poor and no-fee increases for university students.
The Task Team identified four key factors that could lead to potential protests early in 2016 for which universities need to prepare.
These are:
Upfront fee or registration payments at the start of the 2016 academic year.
The NSFAS shortfall - this refers to accumulated student debt accrued by students who qualified for NSFAS loans but were either unfunded or underfunded due to insufficient funds over the period 2013 to 2015, and therefore have accrued university debt.
Funding challenges experienced by students who do not qualify for NSFAS funding because their income is above the NSFAS threshold, i.e. the so-called “missing middle”.
Increased demand for academic spaces by new first time entry students and previous financial dropouts in the university system.
The Committee made a number of short-term recommendations to address financial challenges, as well as a range of short to medium term recommendations to address other issues discussed in the report.
The short-term recommendations on funding include:
A short-term solution for the 0% fee increment. R2.3 billion will be made available to address this shortfall. Government and the universities will make contributions towards addressing the shortfall.
Upfront fee and registration payments should be implemented across the system for those who can afford to pay. Students who meet the NSFAS means test should not be required to pay upfront payments.
The NSFAS shortfall has been quantified at R4.582 billion. The report recommends that R2.543 billion of this amount must be made available from the fiscus, in the form of loans to provide short-term debt relief to 71 753 students who were funded inadequately or were unable to access financial aid over the 2013 to 2015 academic years. The further R2.039 billion is required in the 2016/17 financial year to ensure that currently unfunded continuing students receive NSFAS support in the 2016 academic year.
This amount will also be made available through reprioritisation from the fiscus. Additional recommendations include;
NSFAS should improve its administrative systems and engage with universities and students to ensure that the rules of the Scheme are clearly understood.
Rules pertaining to academic eligibility of students for NSFAS should be applied consistently. Continuing students who meet the NSFAS academic criteria and the university's criteria for proceeding, should continue to be funded for their whole qualification.
Universities should review and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their communication system with students on all issues including NSFAS matters.
A process must be put in place immediately to develop a new financing model, which includes the private banking sector and other business interests, to incorporate options for funding the “missing middle” that provides loans at favourable interest rates without having to provide surety. This must be developed during 2016 with the view to testing it in the 2017 academic year for full implementation in 2018. Investment should be solicited from the full range of stakeholders to enable implementation on the scale required.
Additional prospective students seeking spaces at universities, and who did not apply in time during 2015 must be directed to the Central Applications Clearing House (CACH), an integrated service providing career advice and development services and referrals to post-school education and training opportunities. The CACH can be accessed through the call centre on 0800 356 635, by sending an SMS to 49200 (SMS name and ID), or via the website: http://cach.dhet.gov.za.
While the right to protest in a democracy is protected and supported, all students, student leaders and formations should disavow anarchy and the destruction of university and private property;
I would like to extend my appreciation to the Task Team for the intensive work they undertook in less than two months. I believe that the recommendations will assist all of us as we pursue our mission to ensure that no poor, academically deserving student is denied access to higher education and training, and that affordable higher education for all is achieved, while ensuring sustainable quality public higher education provisioning for our country.
I will soon announce the members of the commission that will look at among others, the introduction of free higher education to improve access for the children of the poor and the working class.
Work has been ongoing to finalise the terms of reference for this commission.
Committed to the quest for access to quality higher education
- Wits University
Joint statement: VCs, Principals and Rectors welcome R6.5 billion made available to address higher education funding challenges.
We, the vice-chancellors representing all 26 universities in South Africa, remain committed to continuing the widening of student access to university study and to the transformation of our universities consistent with the founding provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. A quality higher education system, we believe, is necessary for realising a democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and economically and socially inclusive society.
We support the quest for access toqualityhigher education and we have a collective responsibility to safeguard the integrity and credibility of our higher education system. We believe that all students are entitled to the same quality of education, regardless of their economic or social standing, and we cannot compromise on this aspect if we are serious about real socio-economic transformation.
We appreciate the work done by the recently appointed Presidential Task Team regarding immediate funding challenges at universitiewels and welcome the President’s acceptance of the Task Team’s recommendations. We recognise that mobilising more than R6.5 billion for this purpose within a short period in an environment of fiscal restraint is exceptional.
We do, however, continue to call for adequate financial aid to allow all academically qualified students to enrol at universities, accommodated within our enrolment plans, without prohibition. We also amplify the call for better subsidisation of the university sector by the state, in line with the current and projected growth of the sector.
It is our view that the zero percent increase in fees for 2016 will offer some reprieve to students as government will make a contribution towards this shortfall. However, the funding of a higher education system is based on a cost sharing model in which the state subsidises each student and students, in turn, are expected to pay their own contribution. Students will therefore still be required to pay their student fees in 2016, even if these have not increased. This is one of the key revenue streams that keep universities financially sustainable. Universities, in turn, commit to mobilising new funds, where possible, to support financially needy students. It is our contention that universities are not profit-generating organisations, but do have to be financially sustainable. We as vice-chancellors have to ensure that we safeguard our universities so that they can also benefit future generations.
Academic requirements will continue to be a determinant of admissions policies at universities which will allow deserving learners the best opportunities of success. It must be noted that every student who repeatedly fails and remains at university effectively takes the place of someone else.
We recognise the constitutional right of students to lawful and peaceful protest and ask students to act responsibly during protests and to respect the constitutional rights of others to learn and work.
While we agree that reducing the cost of higher education and increasing access are a noble cause, we cannot condone some of the methods used during the recent protests. In this regard, we condemn all acts of violence, criminal acts, damage to property and behaviour that impinge on the constitutional rights of others.
We urge students, parents and other stakeholders to recognise that university management and staff generally do not have the internal capacity to manage violent forms of protest action that place students, staff and facilities at risk of serious harm. We also do not have the desire to develop such capacity because we do not believe that this should be a normal part of the form of engagement in a university community. However, in the event of violent protest action, we will take whatever steps may be necessary to protect everyone on campus as well as the universities’ physical assets.
We recognise that 2016 may be a difficult year and we are willing to partner with all stakeholders, including the student movements and others to work towards our common goal of access to quality and affordable higher education in our collective quest for a just society.
The underfunding of the higher education sector has been recognised by the state, the Department of Higher Education and Training and other stakeholders. This matter is also highlighted in the 2013 Report of the Ministerial Committee for the Review of the Funding of Universities chaired by Mr Cyril Ramaphosa which acknowledges that “government funding has not kept pace with the growth of enrolments in the system”.
We welcome and will participate fully in conversations around a new funding formula for universities, which is expected to take effect in 2017.
We call on all actors in society – the state, the private sector, individuals, civil society and others – to prioritise the funding of higher education with urgency, to support one of the best functioning sectors on the continent, and in so doing to invest in developing the high level intellectual capacity that is desperately needed to secure our collective futures.
Issued by:
The Vice-Chancellors of the Universities of South Africa
Siemens boosts search for sustainable energy
- Buhle Zuma
Wits and Siemens enter in a partnership to establish a microgrid laboratory.
The training of young people in real-world settings helps to bridge the gap between theory and industry requirements.
Having laboratories fitted with the latest equipment is one way of ensuring that students come face-to-face with real-life problems that will better prepare them for the professional world.
Students from the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, with an interest in finding sources of renewable energy, will benefit from the partnership between Wits University and Siemens South Africa that saw a second tranche of equipment being delivered to the School.
The delivery consists of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) equipment, both hardware and software, that will work with Siemens Simatic power electronic converters, that were donated two years ago, and can be used to control the speed of electrical machines.
The PLC’s are important for the automation and control when studying the dynamic interactions between solar photovoltaics, energy loads and storage. “What we have received now is state-of-the-art control equipment that is currently used in industry.
Thanks to the Siemens, we are getting closer to our dream of having a microgrid laboratory in our school,” says Prof. Willie Cronje, Head of the School. Microgrids are currently a worldwide phenomenon closely associated with the introduction of renewable energy sources into power systems.
Sabine Dall’Omo, CEO of Siemens South Africa, was present at the event on 2 December 2015. Dall’Omo said the company is committed to skills development and being a valuable good corporate citizen. The company invests in various skills development and education programmes that are well aligned with the country’s skills development needs and jobs creation.
Witsies crowned 2015 African debating champs
- Wits University
Media release: Mighti Jamie and Nonhlanhla Masanabo were crowned overall winners at the Pan-African Universities Debating Championships.
The Wits Debating Union team has ended a five year drought at the Pan-African Universities Debating Championships. Mighti Jamie (a third year law student and social activist) and Nonhlanhla Masanabo (a first year law student), one of three teams that represented Wits University, won the championships that were held from the 8 until 17 December 2015 at the University of Ghana in Accra.
These championships seek to examine the solutions to African and global challenges and to promote the discipline of debate which is critical to creating correct discourse in policy making and civic engagement. Teams from across Africa with diverse representations from Gambia, Nigeria, Togo, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Liberia, Cameroon and others fruitfully contributed to the debates.
The Wits team was the last South African team in the final against Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. The Wits team argued that the African Union should attempt to broker a deal with the International Criminal Court (ICC) that requires the indictment of George W Bush by the ICC in exchange for the enforcement of the already existing indictment of Omar Al Bashir by African states.
Jamie and Masanabo also scooped the top two individual speaker awards. Jamie was ranked the best debater in Africa for 2015 while Masanabo was ranked second overall. Jamie was also the runner-up in the public speaking division.
Bongani Masilela, also from Wits University, was ranked fifth overall speaker in the tournament.
“These achievements are also a reminder that there are young people who are preparing to lead the continent into a new era with competence and with excellence.
“There is a community of young people stretching and reaching out to be better than the status quo. There are young people who still love to reason and to read and to challenge themselves,” said Jamie.
Wits teams:
Mighti Jamie and Nonhlanhla Masanabo
Naomi Lubinsky and Bongani Masilela
Rubin Valodia and Lebogang Moloko
South African entrepreneurship PhDs to receive vital funding boost
- Wits University
Media release: R4 million funding awarded to the SASIE Programme and Network project.
The South African PhD Partnering Network for Inclusive Growth through the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SASIE Programme and Network) project has just been awarded a funding grant of R4 million, distributed over a three year period from 2015.
The SASIE Programme and Network project comprises five South African institutions (Wits Business School, University of Cape Town, University of Pretoria and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University), and the University of Essex in the United Kingdom.
Professor and Chair in Entrepreneurship at the Wits Business School, Boris Urban has headed up the SASIE project since inception and submitted the request for funding. He says, “We are delighted with this news, the grant is a critical boost for social entrepreneurship and its research here in South Africa.”
The grant is a collaborative funding agreement between South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) Doctoral Training Centre in social sciences at Essex. The ESRC is predominantly focused on social enterprise research at a PhD level. This agreement falls within the Newton Fund, a GBP375 million endowment which, through science and innovation partnerships, aims to strengthen science and innovation capacity to support poverty alleviation within 15 countries that are partnering with the UK.
Urban says, “Social entrepreneurship and social innovation are increasingly promoted by policy makers, civil society, businesses and public sector bodies as a way to address complex poverty and sustainable development issues as part of a quest for inclusive growth, especially for the marginalised and disenfranchised here in South Africa.
We are seeing a number of non-profits and for-profit socially orientated small businesses emerging in response to a host of social, environmental and economic issues predominantly in townships and poor rural areas. Larger South African multinationals are also working with social enterprises as part of their corporate social responsibility and economic empowerment initiatives. As a result, we are seeing a corresponding rise in academic research and interest in this field. We certainly see it here at our own Centre for Entrepreneurship at WBS.”
While the project is focused on social enterprises, other activities within the network will offer capacity building, knowledge transfer and networking opportunities to PhD students across all South African universities and research institutes.
In addition, the programme will develop a researcher database open to researchers across the world to facilitate networking and collaborative research around the broad themes of the SASIE network associated with development initiatives for inclusive growth.
Urban says, “South African scholars in these fields can often be isolated in the global research environment. Sharing their own insights and learning from others is critical to developing rigorous and relevant research that has the potential to improve the quality and impact of the research being undertaken.Developing research capacity across South Africa through exposure to cutting edge methodological techniques offers the opportunity to strengthen the collection and analysis of data to produce empirically rigorous work.”
The SASIE programme themes will focus on the broad role of enterprise-based development models and in particular all aspects associated with social innovation, social entrepreneurship and enterprise based inclusive growth initiatives.
Ten South African PhD students will be drawn from across the five South Africa universities and a further ten from the University of Essex. A series of activities are planned over the three year programme that will facilitate sustainable links between partners, improve research capacity and training, and build a research community in South Africa and internationally linked to the SASIE research themes.
Steve Bluen, Head of WBS says, “We are very proud of Professor Urban for securing and driving such a significant contribution to this important field of research. The positive impact of this project on the social enterprise sector of South Africa cannot be underestimated. As a business school that aims to be at the forefront of critical issues facing the continent today, we firmly believe that we have a role to play in creating more inclusive and sustainable economic growth for all. Initiatives such as Professor Urban’s SASIE programme reinforce this promise.”
South African organisations selected to address HIV/AIDS globally
- Wits University
Media release: Wits RHI is one of two organisations selected by USAID to tackle HIV/AIDS challenges.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has recognised the expertise of two South African-led consortia to address the global challenge of treating those infected by HIV/AIDS. These consortia are led by Right to Care and the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (Wits RHI). They will apply the innovations and lessons learned in South Africa to strengthen programmes in countries across Africa.
Right to Care, a non-profit organisation that offers prevention, care, and treatment for HIV, TB, cervical cancer, medical male circumcision and sexually transmitted infections is leading the Equip consortium of five organisations that have developed a variety of innovative approaches to HIV care and treatment.
Wits RHI, a leading academic research institution working in the fields of sexual reproductive health, HIV and vaccinology, will lead efforts to simplify treatment by investigating how medicine for HIV can become more effective and affordable.
“Our international consortium offers a coordinated attempt to establish the best and most affordable treatments for those living with HIV/AIDS. We will work with academics, researchers, business, and governments to achieve this goal,” says Dr Eugene Sickle, Deputy Executive Director of Strategy and Development at Wits RHI.
The organisations will work together to simplify treatment; increase HIV testing and access to treatment; link people living with HIV to care; develop laboratory capacity; target most at-risk populations to ensure they continue to follow prescribed treatment and receive the proper care, and reduce the cost and increase the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) through research and innovation.
In his message on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2015, President Obama reinforced the commitment of the United States to end the spread of HIV and improve the lives of all who live with it.
“To achieve these global HIV/AIDS targets, the global community must more than double the number of people being served. However, in a landscape of finite financial resources we must seek simple, sustainable, and inexpensive ways of delivering (ART) programmes throughout the world,” said David Stanton, Director of the Office of HIV/AIDS at USAID.
Over the past three decades, innovations in ART have converted HIV/AIDS from a fatal illness with few treatment options to one that is treated with a single daily tablet. However, UNAIDS estimates that global treatment targets of 30 million HIV-positive individuals on ART by 2030, which is double the present figure of 15 million individuals on ART, will create significant cost, as well as operational and manufacturing challenges for governments and health systems.
As ART makes up a significant cost of HIV treatment programmes, reducing costs through research and innovation will result in substantial resources being available to treat more people.
CEO of Right to Care, Professor Ian Sanne, expressed his gratitude for being selected by USAID as one of the two consortia to address HIV/AIDS challenges globally.
“We are delighted to have been selected by USAID to provide technical assistance and share the innovations which have been developed in South Africa with the rest of the world. That South African organisations are leading projects of this scale indicates that our experience, expertise and skill have been recognised by our peers in the healthcare sector.”
Both consortia, supported by USAID and PEPFAR, stand poised to revolutionise treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS. Through collaboration and innovation to develop and sustainably provide simpler, cheaper, more effective drugs, the global community can achieve the reality of an AIDS-free generation.
Goodbye 2015!
- Wits University
If you are in Cape Town on New Year’s Eve, don’t miss Wits physicists’ high performance laser shows at the V&A Waterfront.
A Wits teams, led by Professor Andrew Forbes, will present high performance laser shows on New Year’s Eve at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
These scintillating light shows will bring to an end a series of events held globally and South Africa to commemorate the 2015 International Year of Light (IYL), a UNESCO event to celebrate light and light-based technologies.
There will be two major laser projections on landmark sites at the V&A Waterfront from 21:00 until midnight. The projections will “tell a story” about the impact of light in South Africa.
“The public will see the spectacular display and will be encouraged to ‘follow the light’ to the source. At the source they will find the story of the IYL and the impact of light-based technologies,” says Forbes, Distinguished Professor in the Wits School of Physics.
The Wits team will be on site from 20:00 to engage with the public and explain the relevance of the IYL and the meaning of the projections. The IYL 2015 programmes promoted improved public and political understanding of the central role of light in the modern world.
The programmes also celebrated noteworthy anniversaries in 2015 such as the first studies of optics 1 000 years ago to discoveries in optical communications that power the Internet today.
South Africa has hosted events around the country over the past 12 months, from Mamelodi to Hogsback, in most of the provinces.
As part of the awareness campaign, community members in Mamelodi were asked to build solar cookers and demonstrate their application by cooking a meal with them. This was organised by the Mamelodi Environmental Science Centre, where Forbes gave a public lecture and then acted as the judge for the cooking competition: “It was remarkable to see mothers and pensioners take up the challenge of doing something to celebrate the IYL in a practical fashion. But in the end I made a very poor judge as all the ladies seemed like winners to me.”
Surgery can prevent up to 15 percent of deaths – Smith
- Kemantha Govender
Professor Martin Smith says that the role of surgery in achieving universal access can no longer be sidelined.
Surgery is raising its voice and 2015 has been a year when it has been most vocal.
Professor Martin Smith, Academic Head of Surgery at the School of Clinical Medicine at Wits University, said that the role of surgery in achieving universal access to health care has been highlighted through a number of key activities.
He was speaking at the recent two-day national forum on Global Surgery 2030, which took place on 7 and 8 December 2015 at Wits University.
Unmet needs
Smith said surgery has been considered to be an inefficient and expensive treatment modality with limited impact on communities for far too long.
“Even in middle income countries, there is a significant unmet need with regard to surgically treatable conditions. The consequences are an increased burden of disability and poverty. It has been estimated that up to 15 percent of all deaths are due to surgically preventable conditions,” said Smith.
The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery (LCoGS) published in April this year, stated that five billion people do not have access to safe, affordable surgical and anaesthesia care when needed. Access is worse in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, where nine out of 10 people cannot access basic surgical care.
Making a case for surgery
In May 2015, the World Health Assembly passed resolution on essential surgery.
The World Bank published the 3rd version of the Disease Control Priorities (DCP3) with a whole volume dedicated to surgery. In September 2015, the United Nations sustainable development goals replaced the millennium development goals with a new set of targets for achievement.
Professor Martin Veller, Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences said the forum is an important step in ensuring that surgical servicesbecome part an integrated health service in SA and universal primary healthcare.
“A substantial global gap exists between surgical needs and the equitable provision of state surgical care. Low income and middle income countries carry the greatest burden of untreated surgical diseases,” said Veller.
Focus on the poor
Professor John Meara, Kletjian Chair in Global Surgery Professor of Surgery Director, who provided background to LCoGS, stated that 143 million more procedures are needed annually, and this remains a daunting challenge because there is a shortage in the surgical workforce globally.
Meara said the poorest – one third of the world’s population – receives only 6.3% of worldwide procedures.
Smith said that unlike treatment specific diseases, surgery is a treatment system that requires procurement and maintenance to ensure its efficiency.
Skills development
“The development of the district hospital is crucial to increased delivery of surgical services.” Smith added that the challenge is to identify the basket of care package and key surgical competencies necessary as determined by the burden of disease.
“Without adequate skills development, having functional district hospitals will not meet the needs determined by the burden of disease,” Smith said.
“In absence of surgical care, care-fatality rates are high for common, easily treatable conditions including appendicitis, hernia, fractures, obstructed labour, congenital anomalies, and breast and cervical cancer.”
Smith argued that surgical and anaesthesia care are essential for the treatment of many of these conditions and represent an integral component of a functional, responsive and resilient health system.
Meara suggested that investing in surgery is affordable, will save lives and promote economic growth.
