SA’s short-sighted vaccine manufacture and procurement policy compromises Africa’s development
- Wits University
The continent is currently the only major world region that does not have any significant domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity.
The South African government’s decision to procure pneumococcal vaccines from India-based Cipla, rather than from local manufacturer Biovac (a bio-pharmaceutical company partly owned by the South African government), came hot on the heels of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) launch of an mRNA technology transfer hub at Afrigen Biologics in Cape Town.
In the broader context of continent-wide efforts to increase Africa’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities, the decision highlights the fundamental importance of having a harmonised approach to procurement as part of a coherent strategy that enables local manufacturing.
The stakes are high and deeply consequential for Africa’s development.
The continent is currently the only major world region that does not have any significant domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity. This has led to a long-standing cycle of dependence on foreign aid and procurement of vaccines that has hindered any efforts to build large-scale manufacturing capabilities.
The devastating consequences of this dynamic were seen most recently during the Covid pandemic: delays in procurement and distribution of both routine vaccines and Covid vaccines led to a reversal in decades of hard-won routine vaccine coverage and, as of 27 April 2023, only 30.8% of the African population has been fully vaccinated against Covid.
An important rallying point for developing vaccine manufacturing in South Africa and on the continent is the Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM), established by the African Union in 2021.
The PAVM Framework for Action sets the goal of producing 60% of Africa’s vaccines on the continent by 2040. Acknowledged in the framework is the need for agreements from African countries to initially pay a premium for locally produced vaccines in order to support nascent manufacturers.
South Africa’s decision to do exactly the opposite threatens to hinder the goals set forth by the PAVM, thereby setting an unfortunate precedent, and ultimately reflecting an uncoordinated vaccine procurement policy.
The largest purchaser of vaccines for Africa is currently the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi). About 90% of Africa’s vaccine procurement volume is driven by Gavi, with self-financing countries accounting for the remaining 10%.
Strikingly, Gavi-supported countries pay about one-third of the price-per-dose compared with their self-financing peers.
This unsustainable dynamic is currently one of the largest hindrances to new manufacturers on the continent, as nascent vaccine firms will initially have to charge significantly more per dose to offset training, start-up and operation costs.
As the largest purchaser in the African vaccine market, Gavi has recently committed to supporting the PAVM through its 10-point action plan. In addition to providing guidelines for its philanthropic and government partners to support African vaccine manufacturers, Gavi has suggested that it would support advance market commitments by leveraging its role as a market shaper.
If South Africa’s government can develop a more coherent policy surrounding the manufacture and procurement of vaccines, which will require partnering successfully with the private sector, the economic dividends and healthcare benefits of the resulting biotech and vaccine manufacturing ecosystem will be substantial.
Ironically, India can serve as a case study.
In 1986, India became one of the first countries to have a government unit dedicated to biotech with a budget of $835,000. After three decades of concerted effort, favourable regulations and investment in human capital, India’s biotech industry created hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs and reached a valuation of $70.2-billion in 2020. It is expected to be valued at $150-billion by 2025. South Africa can and must embark on a similar journey.
Moving forward, South Africa can provide greater support for local manufacturers by restructuring its vaccine manufacturing and procurement policy to include advance market commitments, investing in human capital to support the vaccine manufacturing industry, providing a streamlined and efficient vaccine regulatory environment, and providing greater support for the country’s research and development infrastructure.
(Greater detail on such a strategy can be found in a report prepared for the South African government titled, South African Vaccine Manufacturing Capabilities: Key Findings and Capabilities, which will be released on 4 May during a webinar on vaccine manufacturing in Africa).
Pursuing such a strategic approach will require significant upfront investment, but South Africa has a pre-existing infrastructure that can be leveraged:
South African vaccine manufacturers such as Biovac already possess significant fill-and-finish capacity and are already in the process of upscaling their end-to-end manufacturing capabilities.
Similarly, Aspen Pharmacare Holdings, who, during the Covid-19 pandemic, had repurposed one of their manufacturing plants to allow them to fill and finish vaccines, has recently concluded a 10-year agreement with the Serum Institute allowing Aspen to manufacture four Aspen-branded vaccines, from bulk drugs supplied by the Serum Institute of India, for marketing and distribution to selected organisations and markets in Africa.
Beyond this, and in line with the One-Health concept (that recognises the interconnection between people, animals and plants and their shared environment), Onderstepoort Biological Products, a South African government-owned company, is well-established as a manufacturer of vaccines for the veterinary market.
There is also no shortage of South African universities capable of supporting robust research and development programmes and providing high-level talent, while the South African Medical Research Council and National Institute for Communicable Diseases of South Africa are capable of further supporting research efforts and helping to train a resilient workforce. From the regulatory perspective, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has a well-earned reputation as an exacting and rigorous medicines approval agency.
With the recent launch of the WHO’s mRNA hub at Afrigen, South Africa has the potential to become a continental leader in vaccine development and manufacturing.
Ultimately, the government’s decision to procure vaccines from Cipla, because of the absence of a coordinated interministerial decision-making capacity, is a short-sighted one that undermines ongoing efforts in South Africa, and on the continent, to develop domestic vaccine manufacturing.
To rectify the situation, the South African government must reconsider its decision and show much greater support for local manufacturing.
It is the right thing to do for the country’s people and industry, and is also critical in supporting continent-wide efforts to achieve vaccine independence.
As the recent pandemic has shown, R2.4-billion is a modest price to pay to ensure that this happens. DM
Dr Wilmot James is a Professor (Health Services, Policy and Practice) at the School of Public Health and Senior Adviser to the Pandemic Center at Brown University, Rhode Island. Professor Martin Veller is the former dean of the Faculty of Health Science at the University of the Witwatersrand. They both thank Lewis Rubin-Thompson from the University of Rochester for his assistance.
New Sustainable African Futures doctoral programme
- Wits University
Call for Applications for the WESAF Programme now open.
The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and the University of Edinburgh (UoE) inaugurated the Wits-Edinburgh Sustainable African Futures (WESAF) Doctoral Programme, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program – a global initiative that enables learning and leadership development for talented young people, primarily young Africans, who face the highest barriers to accessing higher education. The WESAF doctoral programme aims to build sustainable development-focussed, interdisciplinary research capacity in partner higher education institutions in Africa.
Recruitment
The recruitment phase of the programme was initiated through a hybrid information sharing session held in April. Representatives from Wits, the UoE and several partner African institutions engaged around the unique opportunities for innovation and sustainability that WESAF offers to early career scholars. The session featured contributions from Professors Ruksana Osman and James Smith who together committed to leveraging the WESAF model to build advanced research capacity in African universities that will enable them to grapple with the complex, continental challenges to sustainable development on its own terms.
“Wits University is pleased to be contributing to this incredible partnership that will go a long way towards advancing teaching and learning and knowledge creation on the continent. We look forward to working with our partners to effect real change in society through this unique programme,” says Professor Ruksana Osman, Wits Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic.
Charlie Bevan, the Program Director for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the UoE showcased some of the previous Mastercard Foundation Scholar achievements. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is the largest scholarship initiative of its kind in Africa. Its focus is to enable talented and diverse young people, particularly young women, to lead, pursue their aspirations, and enrich their communities.
“Developing global challenge-focused research capacity is critical for Africa, and for the world. This programme in partnership with University of Witwatersrand will provide cutting-edge research training for talented researchers from across the continent and act as a catalyst to ensure that African researchers are at the forefront of addressing some of our most profound challenges,” adds Professor James Smith, Professor of African and Development Studies and Vice-Principal International, the University of Edinburgh.
Dr Barbara Bompani and Professor Brett Bowman, the Academic Directors housed at the UoE and Wits outlined the aims, outcomes and envisaged design of the WESAF Doctoral Programme.
The call for applications to the programme is open with some guidelines on how to apply. Applications close at 17:00 on Monday, 15 May 2023.
Successful applicants who will form the first WESAF cohort are scheduled to gather in person for a week of structured orientation as part of the official commencement of the programme in Johannesburg in September 2023. For further information please visit https://www.wits.ac.za/wesaf/about-the-programme
About the Wits-UoE Partnership
Wits and the UoE share a long-standing and productive partnership. Bound by common values, the universities are committed to developing knowledge collaboratively that will shape dignified, equitable and sustainable futures for people across the world.
Report on SA's vaccine manufacturing capabilities
- Wits University
VacTask is an independent advisory entity formed to support SA as a ‘front runner’ for the Africa CDC's Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing.
The South African ministries of State Enterprises; Health; Trade, Industry and Competition; and Higher Education, Science and Innovation requested an assessment of South Africa’s potential to produce end-to-end vaccines and to make strategic recommendations to turn an aspiration for vaccine independence into a reality.
The VacTask Sub-group comprises, amongst others, Wilmot James, Head of Health BioSecurity (a division of Wits Health Consortium – WHC) and Professor of Practice, Brown University; Professor Martin Veller, Former Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Co-Lead of Health Biosecurity (a Division of WHC); and Robyn Hayes Badenhorst, Head of Group Strategy for WHC and Head of Supporting Health Initiatives (a division of WHC, which funded this initiative).
Amongst other outputs, this team conducted a fact-finding mission in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town and prepared this report, which they presented to the South African Government in December 2022.
Witsies can now access eduroam wi-fi networks in SA airports
- Wits University
Witsies can access eduroam WiFi at Airport Company of South Africa's airports.
Members of the Wits community can now access eduroam WiFi networks in airports managed by the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA).
eduroam (education roaming) is a secure, world-wide roaming access service developed by the international research and education community. It allows students, researchers, and staff from participating institutions to obtain WiFi access and Internet connectivity at participating service providers simply, securely, and free-of-charge. Roaming is available in over hundred countries worldwide, a growing number of which are in Africa.
The eduroam networks are available to Witsies at the following airports:
O.R. Tambo international
Cape Town international
King Shaka International, Durban
Bram Fischer International, Bloemfontein
Chief Dawid Stuurman International, Gqeberha
Upington International, Upington
King Phalo Airport, East London
George Airport, George
Kimberley Airport, Kimberley
How to connect to eduroam
On your electronic device, connect to the eduroam network which will appear on your Wi-FI list if it is available in your location.
The public-private partnership between Wits, TENET and ACSA led to the success of eduroam being rolled out to the airports.
Speaking on this milestone, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), Chief Information Officer, Mthoko Mncwabe, said they are constantly looking for ways to enhance passengers' experiences across their airport. “As ACSA we constantly looking at ways to innovate and, in the process, ensure our airport users and passengers have a pleasant experience when they are at our airports. This partnership with Wits University is another example of that.
“Our partnership with Wits and introducing eduroam at our airports is a great example of how well Public Private Partnerships can work, and more importantly it gives us an opportunity to combine the expertise and innovation of private companies with the civic vision that government and state-owned entities provide, resulting in a more resilient and job-creating economy," concluded Mncwabe.
“Having eduroam in airports is a game-changer for students and academics on the go." says TENET's head of trust & identity services, Guy Halse. “It empowers them to access online resources, collaborate with peers, and even participate in classes while traveling." He adds “Although we narrowly missed being the first to deploy eduroam in an airport in Africa, our collaboration with ACSA is by far the most comprehensive. This partnership will showcase South Africa's capability to host and provide world-class infrastructure for research and education, highlighting our commitment to supporting academic pursuits."
“Deploying eduroam at the airports will significantly increases its footprint, allowing travelling students and staff access at no additional cost," says Dr Stanley Mpofu, Chief Information Officer​ at Wits. “This will improve the experience of university students and staff with the dual benefit of improving their productivity and reducing the burdens of high data costs whilst at the airports."
The partnership between Wits and TENET will continue as there are several plans to roll out eduroam in more spaces and places.
An African first as Wits School of Arts hosts Performance Studies international conference
- Wits University
The Performance Studies international (PSi) Conference #28 takes place in Africa for the first time from 2-5 August 2023.
Early bird registration is now open and closes at midnight on 31 May 2023 (SA time).
Performance embodied in Africa
PSi is a professional association founded in 1997 to promote communication and exchange among artists, thinkers, activists, and academics working in the field of performance.
Over the past decades, performance has developed as an umbrella term for scholarly as well as artistic research engaged with a wide variety of topics.
The research conducted under this umbrella term is interdisciplinary and is strongly rooted in the interaction between theory and practice.
Fiona Ramsay, Head of the Department of Theatre and Performance at Wits, says: “The Performance Studies international conference, organised and hosted by Wits University, positions both the Wits School of Arts and the University as the creative and scholarly hubs for knowledge production on performance studies research in Africa. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary nature of the conference reflects the integration of interdisciplinary practices within the School of Arts.”
Surrender to the journey
This blended conference focuses on embodied wandering practices as Performance Studies modalities internationally, with specific reference to the African context.
Uhambo is an IsiZulu word meaning ‘a journey.’ The phrase uhambo luyazilawula loosely translates to ‘a journey controls itself,’ suggesting that, while destinations may be planned, the journey itself and its outcomes cannot be controlled.
Performance Studies as a creative art and a research paradigm is a useful lens through which to interrogate the significance of journeying as embodied practices of movement, nomadism, migration, immigration, and cultural exchanges, amongst its many other dimensions.
“The PSi 2023 conference seeks to platform and engage the methods, practices and approaches by creative arts and performance practitioners, as well as thinkers, researchers and writers in the field and practices of Performance Studies in Africa, and its intersections with ways of being and belonging in the academy and arts faculties,” says Kamogelo Molobye, a Lecturer in Theatre and Performance at Wits and on the PSi Board.
As a PSi Board member, Molobye is responsible for digital communications, including communication strategy for PSi #28. He is also a choreographer, performer, researcher, writer, physical theatre course convener and a PhD candidate.
“To surrender to the journey connects us to ways of understanding and critiquing how we came to be,” he says.
Head of the School of ArtsRené Smith, says: “The conference theme is a relevant and necessary provocation within global and local contexts where freedom of movement and other human rights, as well as democracyper se, are increasingly under threat.
Mobility and journeying are universal and core to the human experience. Embodied Wandering Practices invites us to imagine a world of inclusion and interconnectedness.
We are especially pleased that the organising committee for this interdisciplinary conference includes creatives and emerging scholars from different disciplines in the Wits School of Arts.”
Chemistry student wins Wits leg of the Famelab
- Wits University
Taskeen Hasrod wins over the audience in explaining how to use AI in water research
Three outstanding Witsies win at the Wits’ leg of FameLab, an international science communication competition that seeks to inspire young scientists to share their research. The FameLab competition takes place annually on campus.
Taskeen Hasrod, a Masters student in Chemistry walked away with the honours in this years’ FameLab international science communication competition.
Hasrod beat runners-up, PhD student Kate Da Silva and Sameera Khatib to the post, as she captivated the judges with her passion, charisma and confidence when explaining her research focused on the applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Environmental Analytical Chemistry with a focus on water research.
“I really enjoyed the experience and especially enjoyed learning how to present my research in an exciting, engaging and understandable manner to a non-scientific audience in a short period of time,” said Taskeen Hasrod, Master of Science in Chemistry student. “The interactive workshops were incredibly useful, and I am very thankful for the feedback we received. FameLab is a great platform to showcase one’s research to the public,” she added.
As first place winner Hasrod will represent Wits University at the national FameLab competition later this year battling other University hopefuls for a chance to be crowned the South African winner and to represent the country at the International FameLab 2023 competition.
Da Sliva, who shared her impactful research that seeks to study molecules released from a healthy liver to develop a product that can assist liver repair as a therapeutic outcome said she was thrilled about the workshop. “I thoroughly enjoyed learning to communicate with a new audience and how crucial word choice and storytelling become when the general population is considered. The structure of the workshop allows for learning a lot of necessary content in a fun and understandable manner.”
The competition is split into two legs. In the first leg, students attend a science communication training workshop, where they learn how to communicate their science to a public audience without the use of jargon and how to easily explain concepts and phases without losing the integrity of their work. In the second leg, students participate in a heat session where they present their science in under three minutes to judges and the audience.
Outside of the technical skills acquired throughout the workshop, students are encouraged to engage with researchers outside of their field of study and area of expertise. “I learnt a great deal about research communication, and collaborating with researchers outside of my field whom I otherwise would have never met,” proclaimed first runner up Sameera Khatib, a Master of Pharmacy student.
Cross-disciplinary collaboration is an important pillar of Wits’ 2033 strategic plan, said Shirona Patel, head of communications at Wits.
“Wits seeks to encourage cross-disciplinary and transdisciplinary work to foster innovation from the global south,” said Patel.
Witsies between the ages of 21 and 35 are encouraged to participate in the competition. The focus of the competition is on the communication of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). However, students in fields outside the STEM family are also welcome to enter.
South Africa’s cold weather has arrived – some tips on how to stay warm and safe
- Wits University
Researchers share advice on how to keep yourself as warm as possible during the winter months.
Research shows that the world is undoubtedly warming. And, as the global average temperature keeps rising, heatwaves are increasing in theirfrequency, duration and intensityfor most of the world’s regions.
But that doesn’t mean cold weather will disappear entirely. While annual extreme cold events are becomingless frequent and less intense, as you’d expect in a warming world, researchers suggest the climate systems that drive anomalously cold weather will continue to cause cold snapsglobally into the 21st century. As we become more accustomed to a warmer world, we become less accustomed to these cold events, and therefore more vulnerable.
Being exposed to cold temperatures can increase the risk of hypothermia, frostbite, and other cold-relatedillnesseslike cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. That’s especially true for people who are homeless, live in poorly insulated homes, or who cannot warm their homes using heaters, hot water bottles and electric blankets.
As we’re writing this article, South Africa is heading into winter. The first cold fronts have already reached the country’s south-western regions of Cape Town and surrounds, and the interior has started to experience cooler weather. Rolling blackouts known as loadshedding exacerbate the situation; loadshedding is oftenworst during the winter monthsdue to the heightened pressure on the electrical grid as people try to heat their homes and keep lights on during the longer hours of darkness.
As researchers who have been exploring extreme temperature events and thermal comfort in South Africa, we have some advice about how to keep yourself as warm as possible during the winter months.
Our research
South Africa is often marketed to tourists as a “sunny” holiday destination. The country experienceswarm summers and frequent clear skies, providing an ideal destination for beach vacations.
But its winters can be bitterly cold, particularly in the mountainous regions of the Drakensberg-Maloti and the Cape Fold Mountains, and in towns such as Sutherland in the Northern Cape province.
Our researchhas explored trends in extreme climate events over the past six decades.
Using data fromindices developed by expert teamsfrom the World Meteorological Organisation, we have identified extreme cold events across South Africa’s nine provinces. Our research confirms that these events are occurring less often and for shorter periods than in previous decades. The duration of extreme cold events is decreasing at a rate of 1 day per decade; the number of these events is decreasing by 0.2 events per decade.
Provincial trends
However, for some locations in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and North West provinces, these average trends do not hold true. Cold waves in these locations are increasing in duration.
An analysisof the Universal Thermal Climate Index outputs for Southern Africa over the period 1979 to 2021 confirms that large areas of the South African interior still experience slight cold stress from June to August, while the high-lying mountainous regions experience moderate cold stress in the middle of each year.
There have been several newsworthy extreme cold events in recent years that have seen low temperatures and snowfall affecting various regions of the country. One, in March 2016, was unseasonal (South Africa’s winter months are June to August) – southern regions of the Western Cape experienced temperatures below -6°C, which is unusual for that time of the year.
In June and July 2019, Gauteng and the Western Cape experienced several cold fronts that led to consecutive cold days and nights and resulted in one reported casualty due to hypothermia inDobsonville, Sowetoand one inSea Point, Cape Town.
In July 2021, a severe cold snap, caused by a succession of cold fronts making landfall over South Africa, resulted inrecord-breaking temperatures and snowfallacross many parts of the country, including the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.
These events are a reminder of how dangerous extreme cold can be. Here’s how you can mitigate its effects.
Some tips
First, it’s important to know your risks:
Infants (younger than 1 year) lose body heat more easily than adults.
Adults over 65 are more susceptible to extremely cold temperatures due to their slow metabolisms and levels of physical activity.
People who spend longer periods outdoors, including homeless individuals, sportspeople and outdoor workers, are at increased risk for cold-related health problems.
However, everyone should take precautions to prevent cold exposure and minimise the risk of cold stress. These include the following tips:
Limit your time outdoors, where possible.
Dress warmly (thermal clothing, jerseys and closed shoes) and cover up exposed skin to reduce the risk of hypothermia.
Close windows and even use thicker curtains in the winter evenings to keep in the heat.
Identify and close gaps in doorways and window frames that could be letting in the cold.
Insulate homes and buildings to reduce the need for heating and retain any heat generated between loadshedding.
Intensify your physical activity.
Invest in some extra and thicker blankets.
Stay informed about the latest loadshedding schedules to ensure you can cook warm meals while the power is on.
Stay informed and monitor the local media about the latest weather updates and warnings.
Policy shifts
In addition to these individual measures, broader policy solutions can help mitigate the impact of loadshedding during extreme cold weather. These include increasing investment in renewable energy, improving the electricity grid’s efficiency, and implementing targeted measures to support vulnerable populations and communities during loadshedding periods such as by providing shelters and soup kitchens.
While the push for these policies continues, make sure you dress in layers and stay indoors as much as you can this winter.
Intelligent responses needed for artificial intelligence
- Wits University
Professor Ruksana Osman advocates that innovative technologies should be considered as tools that can be harnessed for the benefit of teaching and learning.
The advent of new open artificial intelligence (AI) models and the implications for teaching, learning and assessment practices have in recent months been the topic of many debates in institutions of higher learning across the world.
While some argue that these models can open a world of possibilities, others are ringing alarm bells around the limitations and risks associated with these platforms, including the ethical repercussions, cybersecurity threats, disinformation dissemination and privacy risks. This kind of mixed messaging does not bode well for what is possible and desirable. Full article on www.universityworldnews.com
Wits mourns the passing of Prof. Barry - SA's 'Grand Geek'
- Wits University
South Africa has lost an innovator, a strategist, a humanitarian, and a much-loved Professor who dedicated over 50 years of his life to Wits.
It is with great sadness that the University of the Witwatersrand announces the passing of Professor Barry Dwolatzky – an innovator, a strategist, a humanitarian, and a loyal Witsie who dedicated over 50 years of his life to Wits. His passing is a great loss to the Wits community where he touched the lives of students, staff, researchers, academics, industry partners, innovators, entrepreneurs and friends in so many ways. In addition to his many achievements and awards, he will be remembered for his humility and humanity, and his ability to make every person with whom he came into contact, feel special.
We extend our condolences to his family and friends, colleagues and students around the world, and those who knew him well. The Wits Flag above the Great Hall will fly at half-mast tomorrow in honour of Professor Dwolatzky. May he rest in peace, knowing that his legacy will live on for generations to come.
Young people have the creativity and energy, the drive and the reason to build a new South Africa
- Prof. Barry
Professor Barry Dwolatzky was known as the ‘Grand Geek’ of digital innovation in South Africa.
Most recently he served as the Director of Innovation Strategy in the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, where he used his experience and knowledge and his network of local and international collaborations to drive the strategy that supports research, innovation and entrepreneurship at Wits. He was instrumental in conceptualising, developing and imagining the Wits Innovation Centre which was launched in April this year.
Dwolatzky was also an Emeritus Professor in the School of Electrical and Information Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. He was the Founder and the Director of the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) and the Founder of the Wits Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, the University’s digital innovation hub located in Braamfontein.
A Wits alumnus, Dwolatzky started his undergraduate studies at Wits in Electrical Engineering in 1971 where he continued to excel until he achieved his PhD. After graduating, he left South Africa in 1979, and spent a decade in the United Kingdom as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, Imperial College London, and the GEC-Marconi Research Centre. Over this period, he worked on a number of large software research and development projects. He returned to Wits as an academic in 1989, worked his way up the academic ladder and became a Full Professor in 2000. He continued with his teaching and research activities until very recently.
His primary focus over the past 30 years has been the growth and development of the South African software engineering sector. In 2005, he was the major driver in setting up the JCSE at Wits. In 2013, he spearheaded the establishment of a major digital innovation hub in Braamfontein which became the Wits Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct. Tshimologong has attracted significant support from government and a range of major local and international companies, including the IBM Research Laboratory.
In recognition of his contribution to the South African IT industry, Dwolatzky was named the South African IT Personality of the Year in 2013. In 2016 he received an award for Distinguished Service to IT from the Institute of IT Professionals of South Africa as well as the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Academic Citizenship.
In 2020 Dwolatzky launched his own podcast series titled Optimizing: Leading Africa’s Digital Future. Last November, he launched his inspirational memoir, which smartly captured his extraordinary life. Coded History – A life of new beginnings captures Dwolatzky’s 'life of new beginnings'. The book revealed how he faced death at the age of 35, his life as an underground software engineer in the struggle against Apartheid, “the mission” that brought him back to South Africa from the UK where he lived in self-exile in the 1980s, and how, on the eve of democracy, he helped to build the country’s IT industry. He dedicated a chapter in the book to Wits that speaks to his love and connection with the University, and his reverence of young people. At the launch he said: “Young people have the creativity and energy, the drive and the reason to build a new South Africa, a new Africa and a new world. I believe in the future of our country. That is also the point of a university - to prepare people for the future.”
These are wise words from one of South Africa’s most influential academics that we take to heart, as we continue to celebrate his legacy. Professor Dwolatzky, go well – knowing that you have lived a fulfilled and well-lived life and that your impact and influence will reverberate through our society for decades to come.
Chair in Mobility and the Politics of Difference supports Gender and Geography
- Wits University
The 18th international architectural exhibition in Venice showcases urban spaces in the Global South - with African cities front and centre.
La Biennale Architettura runs from 20 May to 26 November2023.
You Will Find Your People Here is part of exhibition curator Lesley Lokko’s special project, Gender and Geography.
This special projectfeatures the book by sociologist Caroline Wanjiku Kihato, Migrant Women of Johannesburg: Everyday Life in an in-between City,published by Wits Press.
A migrant to Johannesburg herself, Kihato was previously in Urban Planning in the School of Architecture and Planning at Wits and is now associated with the University’s African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS).
‘A new language to speak about mobility and African cities’
The Mellon Foundation Mobility, temporality, and Africa’s future politics project at Wits provided support for the exhibition, as did the ACMS, and the Migration Governance Lab at Wits and Oxford University.
Dr Kabiri Bule, a postdoctoral Research Associate at ACMS, provided technical support.
The project is aligned to the general goal of Professor Loren B. Landau’s SARChI Research Chair in Mobility and the Politics of Difference in the ACMS.
“What will go on show is a mix of music, images, and the written word that envelop themes and text from Kihato’s book across multiple media, with composers, artists, and analysts from many parts of the continent and beyond,” says Landau, who collaborated closely with the project’s primary leads. “We need a new language to speak about mobility and African cities. This is one way to further that conversation.”
You Will Find Your People Here
Nestled between performance, film, composition, and exhibition, is a collaborative, interdisciplinary work by pianist Mareli Stolp (South Africa), sociologist Caroline Wanjiku Kihato (Kenya), composer Clare Loveday (South Africa), and artist Sedinam Awo Tsegah (Ghana).
The thirty-minute film, You Will Find Your People Here, premièred at William Kentridge and Bronwyn Lace’s Centre for the Less Good Idea in Johannesburg in July 2022.
Kentridge and Lace are both alumni of Wits University.
The film presents composer Clare Loveday and pianist Mareli Stolp’s creative response to the migrant women’s testimonies collected in Kihato’s book, Migrant Women of Johannesburg: Everyday Life in an in-between City.
Fabric maps on language diversity, family connections, and women’s mobility to Johannesburg adorn the walls, unsettling how we understand urbanity, social-worlds, and family. The maps draw on data collected by the Wits-Oxford Mobility Governance Lab in 2021.
Amplifying the experiences of migrant women in Johannesburg
Johannesburg is a global city remarkable for its affluence, inequity, and diversity. Roughly one in two Johannesburg residents were born elsewhere; one in five outside the country. In the city’s gateway neighbourhoods, few plan to stay. Lives are shaped by transience, ambition, uncertainty, and anxiety. In the shadows of repurposed office blocks, new arrivals dodge predatory police and hostile citizens. As they negotiate the unfamiliar, they continually refashion the space around them.
The installation moves us from census to senses; from demography and demagoguery to the fashioning of human futures.
Demagoguery refers to political activity or practices that seek support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument.
Beat the Heat with YeboGogga
- Wits University
The annual Yebo Gogga Yebo amaBlomo exhibition takes place from 17 to 21 May 2023 and entry is free.
Yebo Gogga Yebo amaBlomo is a unique annual 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. Every year the theme of the exhibition changes to reveal interesting information about the inhabitants of our planet.
This year the festival will run from 17 to 21 May and the theme is Beat the Heat and speaks to the topic of climate change. Beat the Heat explores how plants and animals cope with heat, and how climate change is impacting science and society. Are you doing your bit to ensure we thrive?
Since its launch Yebo Gogga has proved to be a success with over 8 000 visitors and 26 schools flocking to the show annually. The interactive exhibition provides an educational and social outreach service to the Gauteng community by addressing shortfalls in teaching life sciences at schools by means of the provision of live animals and plants which form an interactive framework round a theme and thus an educational situation for learners that is not encountered in the classroom.
The exhibition is a joint effort by the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences at Wits University; Johannesburg-based societies, government, and environmental organisations.
Entry is free and all are welcome.
Wits rolls out Save Our Resources campaign
- Wits University
Engagement with staff on climate change and its implications is crucial to creating a more sustainable campus collectively.
By now many adults and young people are familiar with the changes taking place in our environment – from the repeated floods, to droughts that kill livestock and destroy crops. The changes are there. However, the gravity of the situation and the understanding of the action required differs depending on who you ask.
Wits University has begun engaging the Wits community with the aim of raising awareness levels on environmental degradation and climate change. Ensuring sustainability is part of the University’s 2033 strategic framework.
The first of these sessions was held on 10 and 11 May at the Braamfontein and Parktown campuses and were geared towards key internal stakeholders. This priority group consists of staff from the Services’ Department, Property and Infrastructure Management (PIMD) as well as Campus Housing and Residence Life. Collectively, they are influential in efforts to create a green campus as they cross paths with many students and staff daily. Furthermore, they come in contact with essential resources in the execution of their jobs.
In order to facilitate information sharing and engagement, these sessions were predominantly conducted in isiZulu and Sesotho in partnership with social partners active in this field. Professor Imraan Valodia, Pro VC: Climate, Sustainability and Inequality kicked off the session by briefly highlighting the University’s commitment to reduce its carbon emissions and tackle the associated environmental and social issues.
Sizwe Tyiso from the National Labour and Economic Development Institute (NALEDI) unpacked the causes of climate change, the environmental and human impact, the global mission to reduce carbon emissions in order to slow climate change and the implications for South Africa as it moves away from coal-based energy which is the primary contributor of climate change. Tyiso, a worker-education trainer and researcher, also stressed the need to play an active role in creating a sustainable future as custodians of the University. He also appealed to staff to participate in discussions about the move to a carbon-free economy and the fight to ensure that workers and communities in coal mines do not suffer in the transition.
Questions from the audience following his presentation probed further about the health implications of a coal-based economy as communities in Mpumalanga province, especially in eMalahleni where coal is mined and communities, are deeply affected by air pollution. Other questions centred around South Africa’s preparedness to reduce emissions generated by transport and the fuel used to power cars and public transport. Staff believe the use of electric vehicles is a pipe dream considering the electricity crisis facing the country. There was also wide interest in the new skills required for the transition. Suggestions from the floor on promoting responsible use of resources, mainly water and lights, called on the University to have more educational sessions to empower both staff and students while others advanced the possible introduction of fines for reckless users.
Moeketsi Monyane, whose passion is capacitating communities on environmental justice amongst other socio-economic issues, shared how his community in Ivory Park is providing community solutions to the problems brought by climate change. A major focus for this grassroots organisation is promoting food security through establishing gardens in order to cushion communities against the rising food prices whilst also promoting nutrition. His key message to staff was about the importance of community activism and the power of individuals to effect change. Monyane is from the Midrand Solidarity Economy, Education and Communication Cooperative.
Save Our Resources. #ForGood
Wits University’s Senior Communications Officer Buhle Zuma shared the University’s awareness campaign aimed at promoting responsible use of resources. The Save Our Resources campaign encourages Wits staff and students to play their part in caring for the environment and the resources vital for our survival. The first phase of the campaign focuses on saving two critical resources: electricity and water, which is highlighted in the Wits Sustainability Strategy. South Africa is facing an electricity and water crisis. While the rolling power and water cuts are due to poor management of the infrastructure that delivers these vital services, the attitudes and behaviour of individuals, households and companies towards water and electricity are also a threat to sustainability.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in South Africa, on average, municipalities use 16% of the water withdrawn from the environment, an average of 885 litres per person per day. Formal, urban households are responsible for much of this usage. This daily average however hides inequality of supply (those in informal settlements with communal taps tend to use much less than this). To provide enough water for formal and informal settlements it will be necessary, especially for formal entities (such as Wits and other urban citizens) to use less. This becomes even more important during droughts. The rolling blackouts have meant that much of our electricity on campus is produced through generators burning diesel, which is much more expensive than coal and also contributes to global warming. If less electricity is used, we produce less greenhouse gases. This has a positive effect on the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the University.
To promote responsible use of electricity and water, the Save Our Resources campaign educates the Wits Community about initiatives already underway at the University to use less water and use less electricity, amongst other initiatives to build a green campus.
As part of the ongoing awareness effort, the University is working with various stakeholders including the Student Representative Council (SRC) to ensure that students, who are part of the generation that is likely to feel the impact of living under extreme weather and scarce resources, are brought on board and contribute to creating a sustainable society, university and secure future for all.
Professional and Administrative staff celebrate outstanding achievement
- Wits University
Wits staff achieve 90% success rate in Business Administration Learnership certification
One hundred and twenty staff members of Wits’ Professional and Administrative Staff (PAS) were awarded Learnership in Business Administration certificates.
Witsies from the Services department, Campus Protection Services (CPS), and the Property and Infrastructure Management Division (PIMD) received their certificates on 10May after completing a daunting two years of study.
The National Qualification Framework (NQF) Level three and four Learnership offers modules in Business Environment, Meeting Communication and Information, Business Calculations, as well as in Office Environment and Requirements modules, amongst others.
The Learnership seeks to nurture confident employees in the workforce by raising employees’ skills and aptitude.
“Attending the programme was very helpful”, said Goodness Makhanani Khosa from CPS. “I enjoy my work because I now understand what is required of me from management and how my role fits into the University, and it has also helped me with my logic and memory.”
Completing the Learnership was no small feat; staff had to balance their day-to-day work responsibilities with studying. The Wits cohort achieved an outstanding 90% success rate.
Professor Ian Jandrell, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Systems and Operations, applauded staff members for their sacrifices.
“It takes courage to do what you have done. Never stop daring to fail, because people who don’t make mistakes will never achieve anything,” said Jandrell.
The Learnership is in accordance with the University’s Policy on Staff Development and its philosophy on lifelong learning. Providing training opportunities like the Learnership enables Wits to develop a skilled workforce. Equipping staff with qualifications and skills enables them to chart a successful career path within the University.
Wits National Education, Health, and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) representative, complemented the Learnership, saying: “Today we come together to celebrate with the University, to plan and work together to create learning and development opportunities for our members. We urge the University to create pathways that will encourage internal mobility for members. Our hope is to see members progress from these Learnerships to qualifying for qualifications with Wits Plus.”
Celebrating Africa Day
- Wits University
African philanthropy champion, Dr Bhekinkosi Moyo, shares his views on Africa Day, youth and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Moyo is the Director of the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI) and an Adjunct Professor at Wits. He is a leading writer on issues of African philanthropy, a prolific author, researcher and thought leader with a keen interest in questions of African resources, democracy and governance.
Prior to joining the WBS, he was CEO of the Southern Africa Trust, worked as Director of Programmes at Trust Africa and was also part of the formation of the African Union Foundation, becoming one of the founding council members. He sits on the boards of the International Society for Third Sector Research, the African Union Foundation, and chairs the SIVIO Institute and Association for Research on Civil Society in Africa boards.
CAPSI will mark Africa Day on 24 May with a public event themed Accelerating AfCFTA. Voices of youth, social enterprises and businesses. Register to attend.
What does Africa Month mean to you?
Africa Day is the annual commemoration of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on May 25, 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by 30 leaders of the then 32 independent African states. Since then, May has remained a very important month to all conscious pan-African institutions and people. This tradition was picked up in 2002 by the African Union (AU), the successor of OAU.
For CAPSI, as a Pan African Centre, Africa Month celebrates the foundation of our being. Every year since our founding, we use this month to reflect on Agenda 2063 and the steps taken towards Pan African solutions in moving the continent ahead. We also celebrate our contributions as a Centre in teaching African philanthropy aimed at instilling African values and customs. For us, it is a month of hope, progress and unapologetic celebration of this beautiful continent we call home and its people.
Why was it important for CAPSI to co-host the Africa Day event themed Accelerating AfCFTA. Voices of youth, social enterprises and businesses?
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) came into effect on 1 January 2021, bringing about the dawn of a new era of free movement of goods and services across the continent. This step brought Africa a few steps closer to the dream of a united Africa as envisaged by our Pan African fathers. This aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 plans to integrate the continent based on the ideals of Pan-Africanism and the visions of Africa’s renaissance. This is praiseworthy for us as CAPSI and warrants rallying the youth to back this movement and fully make use of the opportunities that this free trade agreement brings. Highlighting such initiatives and accomplishments are essential for the #AfricaWeWant to materialise.
At CAPSI, we see this Africa Day convening as a special event to bring together various voices of young Africans who should benefit from the AfCFTA to see how having one Africa with free movement of goods and people can tackle social ills we face as a continent and empower the youth of today who are Africa’s future.
What are the top three things happening on the continent that excite you about the future?
We are living in exciting times for the continent. Africa is demographically, the youngest continent, a good number who are involved in innovative entrepreneurial innovations, especially in technology. This, combined with Africa's 1.4 billion people means that a fully implemented AfCFTA offers numerous opportunities for our young people especially those involved in entrepreneurship. This is in terms of larger market for scaling their entrepreneurial ventures.
A fully implemented AfCFTA means that the young people making these strides will play a vital role in lifting their communities. This could especially be through philanthropy. Studies by CAPSI over the past 3 years have documented growth of African philanthropy, in part, driven by rapidly growing economies in various countries in the continent. Supporting the full implementation of AfCFTA is therefore, expanding opportunities for young Africans. It is exciting to anticipate the harvest of the seeds planted to change the course Africa.
South Africa celebrates Youth Month in June, what’s your message to youth in the country and the broader continent?
The Africa population, the fastest growing in the world, is expected to increase from 1.4 billion people today to over 2.5 billion people by 2050 when it will continue to be the youngest in the world. This means that young people hold a special position through their numbers to drive the agenda and future of South Africa. Take the words from the scene of the preacher in the movie Sarafina:
“They fear you because you are young. They fear you because you are the future.”
Young people are thus encouraged to leverage on this strength and their numbers to bring positive change and move the country forward as a continental powerhouse. Take their place in being the change they want to see in South Africa and the continent overall.
Moving the continent forward requires all of us and you too can make a difference.
Cholera: What is it and how can you avoid getting sick?
- Professor Craig Sheridan
Water expert shares guidelines on how to purify water at home in areas where there is uncertainty over water quality or poor sanitation.
Cholera causes serious sickness and deaths. Although municipal water is still regarded as safe to use, there are areas that are vulnerable due to poor investment in water and sanitation.
Click on the YouTube link below to watch this educational video in your language of choice.
What is cholera?
Cholera is caused by a germ, which is found in the faecal matter (poop) of sick people.
It is highly contagious and can spread by contact mainly from drinking contaminated water, food, or from unwashed hands.
The symptoms of cholera are watery diarrhoea (runny tummy), vomiting and leg cramps. If you get any of these symptoms, go to a health care provider or your nearest clinic immediately and tell them your symptoms. Try to rehydrate yourself.
To prevent cholera, you should wash your hands often and take steps to ensure your food and water are safe for use. Following these simple steps greatly reduces your risk of getting cholera in areas where cholera is spreading. If you are uncertain about your drinking water quality, these 5 steps will help to make sure it is safe.
Be sure you drink and use safe water
Use bottled water to brush your teeth, wash and prepare food and drinks. If bottled water is not available, use water that has been properly boiled, chlorinated or purified (see below how to purify water).
Use bottled water with unbroken seals.
Water from pipes, drinks sold in cups or bags, and ice may not be safe.
If you think your water may not be safe—treat it with a chlorine product, boil it, treat with bleach, or purify it. (This is explained below)
How to purify your water
Boil water: Boil water for at least 1 minute. Preferably 2 minutes. This means once the bubbles start, wait for at least one minute. Once the water is boiled, cover it and keep it safe from being re-contaminated.
Treat with bleach (Chlorine): If the water is cloudy, first pass it through a filter paper (like a coffee filter paper or using a mutton cloth folded over 8 times). Treat your water with a bleach like the “original Jik”, unscented. Do not use scented products. Add 2 drops for every litre or add one teaspoon to 25L of water. Leave for half an hour. It should smell slightly of bleach. If it doesn’t repeat the process.
Treat with sunshine: If the water is cloudy, first pass it through a filter paper (like a coffee filter paper or using a mutton cloth folded over 8 times). Following this, put the water into a clear plastic bottle (like a Coke bottle with the label removed) smaller than 2L and leave the bottle in the direct sun for at least 8 hours. A flat roof made of corrugated iron is the perfect place for this. Put a few bottles on the roof so that you can get enough for today and also for the next 2 days. In cloudy weather the bottles must be on the roof for AT LEAST 2 DAYS.
Wash your hands often with soap and safe water
Wash your hands before, during, and after preparing food. If you don’t have safe water, use hand sanitiser.
Wash your hands before and after eating food or feeding your children.
Wash your hands after using the toilet.
Wash your hands after cleaning your child’s nappy and bottom. Don’t change their nappies where you prepare your food.
Wash your hands after taking care of someone who is sick with diarrhoea.
Use toilets
Use toilets or safely managed sanitation facilities to get rid of faeces (poop) if you can. This includes disposal of children’s poop.
Wash hands with soap and safe water after going to the bathroom or use sanitiser.
If you don’t have access to a toilet do not poop in the river or near any water source (taps, rivers etc). Use communal chemical toilets and follow the rules. Do not put plastic bags or disposable nappies in chemical toilets.
Boil it, cook it, peel it, or leave it
Cook food well, keep it covered, eat it hot, and peel fruits and vegetables.
Eat foods that have been thoroughly cooked and are still hot and steaming.
Avoid raw vegetables and fruits that cannot be peeled like lettuce.
Clean up safely
Clean your food preparation areas and kitchenware with soap and treated water and let them dry completely before reuse.
Try to bath yourself and wash clothes and nappies away from drinking water sources.
Clean and disinfect toilets and surfaces contaminated with poop. Clean the surface with a soap solution to remove solids:
Take a 1L bottle with 100mL of Jik and top up with water.
Use this to wipe down the surfaces afterwards by pouring onto the washing cloth.
When finished cleaning up, safely dispose of soapy water and dirty rags.
Wash hands again with soap and safe water after cleaning and disinfecting.
This resource was compiled byProfessor Craig Sheridan, Claude Leon Foundation Chair in Water Research and Director: Centre in Water Research and Development at the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Wits enables employable graduates
- Wits University
The Recruiters’ Breakfast attended by industry recruiters widens opportunities for Wits graduates.
At a Recruiters’ Breakfast held on 17 May CCDU shared the University’s Career Services Strategy and vision with recruiters at these organisations, senior members of the University, and student representatives.
The aim of the breakfast session was to enhance collaboration with these potential employers and to understand their needs when recruiting graduates.
CCDU strives to infuse career and professional development into campus culture by enhancing student awareness of the job search process and the world of work. The unit executes a graduate recruitment programme to increase employer engagement with students through using technology to better connect and expand access to career and industry resources.
“Our university attracts the most academically gifted students in the most unequal society in the world. It is our responsibility as an institution to help shape, explore, and broaden the boundaries of their possibilities, to graduate a resourceful and resilient student body that are active citizens in society and who are ready to make a meaningful contribution not only to your organisation, but to the world,” said Jerome September, Dean of Student Affairs, when addressing recruiters at the breakfast.
There is a parallel between the workplace and campus life depending on the approach to academic studies. Campus is not only for accruing academic and technical knowledge and skills, but also an opportunity to hone soft skills by engaging with students from different backgrounds. Student societies, sports clubs and resident life play a role in building a work-ready graduate who has the potential to achieve career success even before entering the workforce.
Witsies can access various career development services at CCDU that can enhance their job searching skills. Services include learning how to draft a CV, having job application cover letters reviewed, and interview preparation assistance, including a free mock interview session. Students also have access to career coaching, career pathing, and career counselling in preparation for interviews as well as an entrepreneurship awareness development programme through the Journey to Employability Programme.
“This session was very useful and offered a great networking opportunity for us and members of our society. I cannot wait to go back with all the knowledge and contacts to share with our members,” said Emihle Tshangana, School of Economics and Finance Student Council Chairperson.
Witsies are encouraged to join the Journey to employability (JEM) on ULWAZI to see career development offerings such as workshops, presentations, and resources to prepare for the job search process and the world of work.
Converse with your subconscious at Makhanda Arts Festival
- Wits University
Wits Theatre and Performance undergraduate students present ‘Temperance’ in the Eastern Cape in June 2023.
Undergraduate students in the Department of Theatre and Performance (TAP) in the Wits School of Arts (WSOA) were selected to perform at the prestigious National Arts Festival in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), which takes place from 22 June to 2 July 2023.
The Wits students’ production, Temperance, is on from 27 June to 1 July 2023 at The Fringe’s Theatre/Rehearsal Room, 1820 Settlers Monument Building, Makhanda, Eastern Cape.
Fabiano di Giandomenico, 20, wrote, directs, and plays the lead role of Being in Temperance.
He says, “When my cast and I first received the news, we were thrilled, but we also realised the challenges which lie ahead. We will have to prove our worth. This is no small project, but we all know, as our performance states, ‘we have all the answers and capabilities within ourselves, we must simply acknowledge our worth and act upon it,’ which is what we intend to do.”
The entire cast of Temperance are TAP undergraduate students at Wits University. They are:
Fabiano di Giandomenico, writer, and director, in the lead role, Being
Sibabalwe Dyaphu, an actress, pianist, and singer, plays Mother and Figure 1
Khanyisile Masondo, a dancer, singer, and choreographer, portrays Friend and Figure 3
Zukhanye Bulali Mgobo, an actor, dancer (spoken word; Hip Hop/Rap), plays Teacher and Figure 2
Philip Shelembe, an actor, plays Lover and Figure 4.
Sazikazi Bula, a multidisciplinary storyteller and already a Wits BA graduate now pursuing her ‘calling’ in TAP, is the stage manager/sound engineer.
Temperance, a work highlighting the importance of conversing with the subconscious mind, takes us on a deep and dark journey of reconnecting with the Self.
When Being, who represents humanity, becomes aware of his disconnection, he wrestles with what hinders him, confronts his past and in so doing returns to inner truths and resources.
Through the illusion of lights, physical movement, and a surreal setting, we travel through a roller-coaster of emotions that reflect both the utter agony and pure peace that form part of the process of self-discovery.
Di Giandomenico says, “I hope that by watching the piece audiences find courage and hope to overcome whatever it is they are dealing with, by finding the value in sitting with the self and having the tough conversations we all desperately need from time to time. What matters is that the audiences leave with some sort of insight or inspiration, understanding, healing and/or passion for being alive and being human.”
The importance of Being Temperance
The modern use of the word ‘temperance’ refers to what an individual voluntarily refrains from doing; it is the virtue of moderation, self-restraint, abstinence, and control over excess.
Di Giandomenico says the name of his play was inspired by the Tarot card, Temperance, “which is about creating an inner and outer sense of harmony and balance achieved through reconnecting to ourselves (our subconscious mind) and the world around us. In relation to the play, this is about sitting alone with the self and truly getting to know who you are, which can be a scary thing.”
Arts in the DNA
Di Giandomenico’s immersion in the arts is unsurprising, since he attended the National Children’s Theatre from the age of 13 and both his mother and grandmother are in the performing arts.
He has always had an interest in and a flair for dramatic and abstract works, and a deep admiration for physical theatre.
He aims to create works which function either as a form of healing, awareness, or education – which explains why all his plays thus far have been personal. In high school, he devised the play Loss, which spoke about the five stages of grief.
“It was inspired by my own experience of losing my dog at a very young age,” he says. “As someone who has never been very good at making sense of these abstract and slippery things we call emotions, the stage and the world of theatre became my area of exploration – my platform for self-therapy, self-discovery, expression, and healing. I suppose this is why I’m interested in Drama Therapy.”
Unlock therapy
He believes everyone has the means for self-therapy and self-healing, as we all have the answers inside. “It’s a matter of unlocking those means,” says Di Giandomenico, who plans to major in Acting and Applied Drama and to become a registered arts/drama therapist.
“As a creative, it is always hard to get recognition and appreciation for your work. It is always a vulnerable space to be in, as you never know how your creativity, your soul, will be received, if at all. So it is a great honour and privilege to have my performance, my story, representing the University, at the National Arts Festival.”
Donated books reflect on African achievers and gender issues
- Wits University
Wits Libraries receive a total of 30 books focusing on African leadership, excellence, and gender-based violence to encourage deep conversations.
Dr Judy Dlamini, Wits Chancellor, author, entrepreneur, medical doctor, and respected business leader has donated 10 copies of each of her books – Equal but Different and The Other Story.
Dlamini donated these in the spirit of Africa Day and said she writes to “tell stories about African Achievers to inspire our future leaders.”
Equal but Different is a conversion into a book of her doctoral thesis that used life stories and grounded theory to investigate the intersection of gender, race and social class and its impact on women leaders’ careers. It became a bestseller.
“It serves as a mentorship ‘handbook’ with lessons from women leaders’ life journeys in leadership.”
The second title includes African male achievers from the continent. “I hope the young leaders will be inspired to reach their full potential from reading about African achievers,” says Dlamini.
The Imperatives of Revoking our Silence by Hosia Malekane touches on the thorny issue of gender-based violence.
Malekane says, “I authored this book addressing the exacerbating gender-based violence pervading our campuses.”
Malekane donated copies “in acknowledgment that most of our students can hardly afford academic books” due to socioeconomic dynamics. However, with support from private sector sponsors, 10 copies of the book will now be available in each of the public institutions in South Africa, including at the Wits Libraries.
Market Day showcases products by students
- Wits University
Campus bustling with customers and learning opportunities for student entrepreneurs.
The Student Entrepreneurship and Education Development (SEED) programme hosted a Market Day on 19 May 2023, aimed at showcasing student entrepreneurship and innovation. The products on sale ranged from art, clothing, healthcare, gadgets, and more. Aside from creating a platform to sell goods, student entrepreneurs also had an opportunity to engage with current and prospective customers, receive feedback, and strengthen their products and services.
Market research is essential for business success and Kristan Sharpley from the Wits Development and Leadership Unit, whose team is responsible for the SEED programme, says Market Day facilitated this process.
"The event served as an experiential learning opportunity for student entrepreneurs. The feedback received prompted some entrepreneurs to rethink their marketing strategies and target audience. The exposure to different age groups, mindsets, opinions, and experiences of customers proved valuable for personal growth and business development,” explains Sharpley.
Another cherry on top is that sales exceeded expectations as entrepreneurs made more sales than anticipated and discovered new customer markets. SEED administrators plan to provide more opportunities for students to showcase their businesses. Entrepreneurs and those interested in students products can look forward to another Market Day during the annual Student Entrepreneurship Week to be held August.
In addition to Market Days, the SEED Programme offers additional avenues for student entrepreneurs to enhance their skills and resilience. These include masterclasses and competitive exposure through the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) intervarsity competitions. These initiatives provide students with valuable knowledge and experiences to further develop their entrepreneurial ventures.
"Overall, the SEED Market Day was a successful event, it provided access to a campus market, fostered competition, networking opportunities, and contributed to the growth of the student entrepreneurship community,” concludes Sharpley.
.jpg "Caroline_Wanjiku_Kihato is associated with the Wits African Centre for Migration and Society and her book Migrant Women of Johannesburg is part of an exhibition at the Venice architectural biennale 2023")
