USolwazi Umenyezelwe Njengengwazi Evelele KwezeSayensi YaseNingizimu Afrika

BY: .

Click here for English version

USolwazi osathatha umhlalaphansi kodwa osasebenza u-Manfred Hellberg wase-School of Chemistry and Physics ubalwe namalungu amadala angama-62 ase-Academy of Science of South Africa (i-ASSAf) ebhukwini layo i-Legends of South African Science II.

I-ASSAf ibongele amalungu aphume ebhukwini oqhaza lawo lidlondlobalisa isikhungo.

‘Kwethenjwa ukuthi amagalelo alezi zingqwele azoqhubeka nokusikhuthaza sonke, andise isizukulwane esisha sabaholi abenza isayensi ibe nomsebenzi obonakalayo emphakathini,’ kusho i-ASSAf.

U-Hellberg wasebenza iminyaka engama-38 eNyuvesi yaseNatali, wathatha umhlalaphansi ngonyaka wezi-2004. Umndeni wakhe mdala eNyuvesi njengoba eminyakeni eyikhulu edlule uyise wayefunda khona kanti u-Hellberg uthi wakuthakasela kakhulu ukusebenza khona namathuba awathola eNyuvesi yaseNatali naseNyuvesi yaKwaZulu-Natali eminyakeni eyedlule. 

‘I-UKZN inomlando onothile kanti ngethemba ukuthi isikhungo sethu sizoqhubeka nokudlondlobala nakuba kunezinselelo endleleni,’ kusho yena.

Umlando ka-Hellberg uveza ukuthi ukulangazelela kwakhe ukwazi ngomhlaba kwaqala ukugqama esesesikoleni e-Cape Town egqugquzelwa uthisha wakhe kanti uyise owatshala uthando locwaningo. Wenza izibalo nefiziksi e-Nyuvesi yase-Cape Town (e-UCT) ngenhloso yokufundisa enyuvesi, wagxila kwi-plasma physics.

U-Hellberg wathola umfundaze wokuyofundela iziqu zobudokotela e-University of Cambridge, lapho ayehlala khona ehhovisi elilodwa no-Stephen Hawkins, wafunda izinto eziningi khona, wahamba izingqungquthela eziningi zomhlaba, wahlangana nabantu abamqoka abamsiza emsebenzini wakhe wonke.

Wafika eNyuvesi yaseNatali ngonyaka wezi-1965 lapho ayebambe iqhaza emakomidini amaningi khona, ikakhulukazi kwezocwaningo, ukuqeqesha abasebenzi, ukuqeqesha izitshudeni nokweseka ezokufundisa nokwaba izinto zokusebenza, waba ngumholi enyuvesi okubalwa kukhona ukuba yi-Dini yezeSayensi waba yi-Phini LeSekelashansela kabili. Ucwaningo lwakhe olucaba indlela nolwenziwe ngokubambisana belugxile kumagesi ashisayo anomumo wensimbi, kwazala amabhuku ocwaningo evile ekhulwini, kubalwa nalawo acashunwe kakhulu kuwona. 

‘Ngibonga kakhulu kozakwethu abaningi abenza lokhu kwaphumelela ngeqhaza abalibambile emsebenzini wami wokufundisa, bangicija,’ kusho u-Hellberg, obalule iSekela Shansela elidala uSolwazi u-Desmond Clarence, noSolwazi u-Dave Walker nosolwazi osathatha umhlalaphansi kodwa osaqhubeka nokusebenza u-Roger Raab.

‘Okuningi engikwenzile emsebenzini wami kwenzeke ngenxa yabalingani ababengeseka, benza okusemandleni benzela iNyuvesi nezinjongo zayo zokufundisa kanti ngahlomula ngokwazana nezitshudeni eziningi zamazinga ehlukene.’

Emagalelweni ka-Hellberg kubalwa ukuba ngumengameli we-South African Institute of Physics (i-SAIP), ukukhankasela ukugcinwa kwengqalasizinda yokuthwebula izinto ezingaphakathi nokusungulwa kwe-National Laser Centre, ukuhola ithimba longoti bomhlaba elaleluleka ngekusasa leFiziksi eNingizimu Afrika nokuba ngumeluleki kaNgqongqoshe wezeSayensi nezobuChwepheshe uDkt uNaledi Pandor ngamasu nenqubo yomkhakha weSayensi wezinto ezisemkhathini eNingizimu Afrika.

Ezingeni lomhlaba wayesesigungwini se-Plasma Physics Commission of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, nasesigungwini sabahleli bebhuku locwaningo i-Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion nochungechunge lwencwadi i-Editorial Advisory Panel for the Institute of Physics Plasma Physics.

U-Hellberg useke waba semakomidini amaningi elulekayo ezingqungqutheleni eziningi zomhlaba, waba ngusihlalo we-International Conference on Physics of Dusty Plasmas eThekwini ngowezi-2002. Waqokelwa umfundaze wase-UN, esiyi-UKZN manje, we-Royal Society of South Africa ne-UK Institute of Physics. Kusukela ngowezi-2000 eyilungu le-ASSAf kanti useke waba sesigungwini sayo.

U-Hellberg ungumcwaningi nelungu ngokuhlonishwa le-SAIP, wahlonishwa ngomklomelo omkhulu i-SAIP De Beers Gold Medal ngenxa yomsebenzi wakhe ovelele wocwaningo nomsebenzi weFiziksi eNingizimu Afrika.

Ngemva kokuthatha umhlalaphansi kwakhe, waqinisa ekucwaningeni nabalingani bakhe nabafundi e-UKZN nasemhlabeni kanti umsebenzi wakhe uyaqhubeka nokucashunwa kakhulu.

Phakathi kwezingwazi kwi-Legends of South African Science II yizitshudeni zakudala zase-UKZN, abasebenzi bakudala nabamanje okukhona kubona u-Walker, iPhini leSekelashansela uSolwazi u-Ahmed Bawa umeluleki kwezesayensi e-School of Clinical Medicine uSolwazi u-Miriam Adhikari, uSolwazi u-Arvinkumar Bhana wase-Centre for Rural Health, uSolwazi wezoCwaningo kwa-Humanities uSolwazi u-Saleem Badat, umfundi omdala nesisebenzi sakudala uSolwazi u-Diane Grayson, i-Dean yakadala uSolwazi u-Raymond Haines nowayebambe itoho lokufundisa ukuPhathwa kwezaKhiwo ne-Quantity Surveying uMnu u-Eugene Julies nomfundi wakudala noSihlalo womKhandlu wakudalal uDkt Vincent Maphai nomfundisi omdala uSolwazi u-Peter Tysons.

Leli bhuku locwaningo libungaza abafundi bakudala nezingqungqulu zakudala zase-UKZN noma zasezikhungweni eziyandulelayo okubalwa kuzona uDkt u-Neville Comins neSekelashansela lokuqala lase-Durban University of Technology uSolwazi u-Dan Ncayiyana, owayeyiSekelashansela lase-UCT uSolwazi Mamphela Ramphele noSolwazi u-Iqbal Parker.

Amagama: ngu-Christine Cuénod

Isithombe: Liz Clarke