Umcwaningi Wase-UKZN Uklonyeliswe Ngokuba Usihlalo Wocwaningo Ohlelweni Locwaningo Kwezokuphathwa Kokuguquguquka Kwesimo Sezulu Kanye Nemfucuza
USolwazi Cristina Trois, Usihlalo Wocwaningo Ohlelweni Locwaningo Kwezokuphathwa Kokuguquka Kwesimo Sezulu Kanye Nemfucuza.Click here for the English version
USolwazi Christina Trois uklonyeliswe nge-National Research Foundation (i-NRF)/ i-Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (i-CSIR) i-South African Research Chair Initiative (i-SARChI) kwezokuphathwa kokuguquguquka kwesimo sezulu kanye nemfucuza.
‘Siyamuhalalisela uSolwazi Trois ngokuqashwa kwakhe’, kusho uSolwazi Albert Modi, iPhini LeSekelashansela eliyibamba eKolishi Yezolimo, Ezobunjiniyela kanye Nesayensi. ‘Lo mklomelo uyinkomba yocwaningo oluhle kakhulu olwenziwa eKolishi lethu. Siyaziqhenya kakhulu ngaye futhi sizoqhubeka nokumeseka kukho konke akwenzayo.’
ISikole SezobuNjiniyela sihlonishelwe ukuvuthwa kwethimba laso labacwaningi kwezokuphathwa kwezinsiza zokulahlwa kwemfucuza, lokhu kuwumsebenzi we-Waste Research, Development and Innovation (i-RDI) Roadmap. ISikole sithuthukisa amaklasi ezifundo ze-Mastazi Kwezokuphathwa Kwezinsiza Zokulahlwa Kwemfucuza sibambisene noMnyango WezeSayensi noBuchwepheshe (i-DST) esabuyekezwa.
Ingxenye yohlelo lwe-RDI Roadmap lufaka ukusetshenziswa kwezikhundla ezimbili ze-SARChI ukuze kwandiswe izikhala kumkhakha wezikadoti eNingizimu Afrika, isikhundla sika- Solwazi Trois sigxile kwezobuchwepheshe nezinhlelo zokulawulwa ukulahlwa kodoti.
‘Kumayelana nomthelela wezokuphathwa kokulahlwa kwemfucuza nokuguquguquka kwesimosezulu, ngendlela efanayo, uma kubhekwa izinhlangothi zokubhekana nesimo kanye nokuhlonzwa kokungaba yizinkinga’ kusho uSolwazi Trois.
USolwazi Trois uqhakambise imisebenzi ehlukahlukene yeSihlalo eyenza abacwaningi bakwezesayensi yokuphilayo, abakwezesayensi yendawo, abesifundo ngenhlalomphakathi, abezezindlu, abezokuhlela, abezomnotho kanye nabanye abasebenza kwezinye izindawo baziqhenye. Usihlalo uzohambisa phambili ukubambisana phakathi kwezifundo zobunjiniyela ezahlukahlukene.
Uthe, ‘Kwenzelwa ukuthuthukisa umphakathi kanye nokuthuthukisa ingqalasizinda’.
Lesi sikhundla sisuselwa emsebenzini wokuletha ushintsho owenziwa eminyakeni engaphezu kwama-20 e-UKZN kwinjulalwazi yokuvikela ezemvelo ngobunjiniyela, ebhekelele ukulawulwa kokuphathwa kwemfucuza namanzi angcolile kanye nokuwahlanza. Ukunikela kwakhe kwezesayensi kadoti, ukuthola okungasebenziseka kanye namandla aphuma kudoti afaka ukuthuthukiswa kwe ‘cellular method’ esetshenziswa kumgodikazi wokulahlwa kwemfucuza eThekwini.
USolwazi Trois, ongowesifazane wokuqala ukuba yiDini e-UKZN, wenza imisebenzi egqugquzela abesifazane abasebencane ukuba bengene kwezesayensi nobunjiniyela. Waphuma isibili ku-Department of Science and Technology’s (i-DST) Woman in Science Awards (i-WISA) yangonyaka wezi-2016.
Wasebenza ku-leachate treatment plant yokuqala eNingizimu Afrika, emsebenzini owawuxhaswe yi-World Bank i-landfill-gas-to-electricity project yokuqala e-Afrika lapho idolobha laseThekwini likhiqiza 10MW wogesi ovela kudoti. Uphinde asebenze kuma-multi-national hub e-African City of the Future.
USolwazi Trios uyingxenye ye-International Waste Working Group (i-IWWG)- i-Southern African Regional Branch, abe uNobhala weSifunda we-Southern Africa of the International Partnership for Expanding Waste Management Services of Local Authorities (i-IPLA) okuhlanganiswa yi-United Nations Centre for Regional Development (i-UNCRD)
USolwazi Trios, ongumcwaningi weNRF osezingeni lwe-C2, kanye nababili asebenza nabo baqala isikhungo socwaningo ku-Environmental, Coastal and Hydrological Engineering (i-CRECHE) ngonyaka wezi-2001. Waqala ilebhu yokuhlaziya kanokusho yocwaningo lwe-environmental engineering, wasungula ezokufunda, wahlelela abafundi abaneziqu abangaphezu kwama-20 nabacwaningi, waphasisa abafundi be postgraduate abangaphezu kwama-45, aphinde abambe iqhaza kumikhandlu eminingi yasekhaya neyaphesheya, emphakathini, ezikhungweni nakumabhodi okuhlela, aphinde abambisane nabacwaningi abaningi baphesheya.
Amagama: Christine Cuénod
author : .author email : .Fulbright Scholarship for UKZN Marine Geology Expert
Professor Andrew Green.Professor Andrew Green of Geological Sciences has received a Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar Program (FVRSP), enabling him to conduct research in marine geology in the United States for three to nine months.
The FVRSP aims to strengthen academic programmes or curricula at the scholar’s home institution.
‘This is the most prestigious fellowship awarded in science and receiving it will allow me to work together with the people at the forefront of my field of research,’ said Green.
Green, academic leader and Head of the Marine Geology Research Unit in the School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences (SAEES), has been at the institution, which is also his alma mater, since 2010. He chose to remain at UKZN, despite the offer of a postdoctoral fellowship in Texas.
The fellowship provides Green with the opportunity to draw on material collected from the United States in a new context and with new equipment; creating a good starting point for further mutual projects, both in South Africa and in the US. He hopes it will offer perspective on how research is conducted in South Africa, provide experience in writing of papers and supervision of students and widen his network of collaboration.
Green has focused his research in marine geology on the morphology and sedimentary building blocks of coastal and shelf systems.
‘The focus is on using old deltas left submerged on the seafloor to reconstruct the rates and magnitudes of sea level rise over the last 18 000 years,’ said Green. These data, when input into computer models, could contribute to understanding how shorelines may change with the rising sea levels predicted to occur in a changing climate. In some cases, the rate of sea level rise was 10 times that predicted in the worst case scenarios envisioned by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, so these are the times we especially hope to focus on,’ said Green.
He said he was excited about the prospect of being able to focus more on paper and grant-writing, and especially to do so in an academically fertile environment. He will visit colleagues at the University of Maine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the United States Geological Survey in Boston from September to December this year and plans to follow-up with a visit during his 2019 sabbatical. He also hopes to visit colleagues at the University of Rhode Island and the University of Texas.
Words: Christine Cuénod
Photograph: Dr Lauren Hoyer
author : .author email : .Of Conferences and UKZN Profile
.Conferences are usually stressful, rushed affairs where academics pout and position themselves; eyeing out the competition and missing each other during breaks.
Many are product displays where presenters parachute in and out after presenting their papers. Learning is not necessarily the object, but brief exposure/branding is. In the older, less hectic days, conferences would organise an outing; a day in the country, or paddle up the creek, to enable delegates to destress and refresh. Nowadays, there is no time. It’s too costly and conferences are perhaps considered distracting by academic auditors.
Not so in Cape Town. Having participated in international events in the city, I was struck by the lack of attendance after day one: the wine route, Table Mountain and Robben Island are compelling competitors. The tourist delights trump boring sessions.
This brings to mind the World Media Economics and Management Conference held in Cape Town in May organised by Rhodes University. This now 15-year-old event was well-attended and the delegates cheered impressively when told at the gala dinner that the next conference would be located in the eternal city: Rome. What a way to see the world and interact with one’s peers from everywhere at the same time. I had never previously heard of this conference but it seemed a good stop off for a few days. But when I and the UKZN delegation arrived in Cape Town, we were carted by shuttle into an industrial area where our hotel was located on the bay. Slipping off down Long Street or to the Waterfront was not an option, especially as the event coincided with the few days of rain not experienced by Cape Town for many years.
The delegates were mainly economists and media managers, largely located in business schools. One of the presentations by the Head of Digital at Tiso Blackstar on how they deal with fake news was astonishing. Tiso, the publisher of The Sunday Times, has reorganised its offices, editorial and national networks to maximise the effect of its network of trusted and experienced journalists. The company has instituted a number of steps to mitigate against fake news, including vetting sources via a news WhatsApp group, exiting from a deal with Outbrain to minimise the spread of disinformation (as this genre used to be called) and mounting legal challenges to domain squatters and aggregators. Predatory journals and conferences are small potatoes compared to what legitimate news media have to deal with by the minute.
At the conference themed: Media Management in the Age of Tech Giants, were several UKZN CCMS (Centre for Communication, Media and Society) graduates, all of whom gave import to the value of alumni relations. They were Professor Musa Ndlovu (UCT), Dr Mashilo Boloka (SA Communications Department), and Dr Nirvana Bechan (CPUT).
Following a masterful presentation by Ruth Teer-Tomaselli and Mpume Dludla on how the Cape-based Naspers media group has become a global behemoth muscling out and rivaling Facebook in Asia, Boloka, who is a long-time policy analyst in the Communications Ministry, commented to newly-capped MA graduate Mpume, who was sitting between me and his UKZN supervisor: ‘You are in good hands.’
Other CCMS graduates now working at various universities, approached us - sometimes through colleagues - to reveal how appreciative they are to have received a UKZN education which positions them to interact with scholars globally. They were especially excited with Mpume’s consummate skill in presenting a very dense and theorised political economic analysis of Naspers/Tencent and its Chinese, Indian, Russian and Brazilian forays.
Dr Francis Mdlongwa, the conference Organiser, told me that Mpume and his supervisor in fact became the stars of the show. When the Chair of our plenary, Percy Makombe of the Open Society Initiative, thanked us three presenters, he revealed that this was the first time that Mpume had spoken at a conference, an international plenary nogal. Loud applause followed. The conference organisers had taken a risk and backed an MA graduate to hold his own. Now that’s what I call tactical empowerment. Mpume, I am pleased to say, is now registered in CCMS as a PhD student.
A couple of years ago, a well-known Australian keynote speaker, Tom O’Regan, commented that CCMS MA student, Piwe Nota’s presentation at the SA Communication Association conference was a “game changer”. When Yonela Vukapi arrived in Columbia last year to participate in the International Media and Communication Association conference, no less than the Association’s President rolled out the red carpet for her, organising dinners with dignitaries. I have heard similar extraordinary tales from many CCMS students and graduates when they participate in international meetings.
My intention is not to polish CCMS’s achievements but to use these to illustrate something deeper. UKZN has experienced tough times over the past decade. Just getting through the day can be an exhausting trial. In the process, we sometimes lose sight of the constituency that we are tasked to educate: our students. Graduate students especially are our intellectual heirs, recognised by our peers everywhere as our apprentices, successors and legacy. As alumni, they continue to identify with their alma mater and are its best advocates at public events.
Where I am currently located, at the very well-resourced University of Johannesburg, no less than 16 folks, tutors, PhD students, lecturers, post docs, associate professors and SRAs in the huge School of Communication have been directly associated with UKZN in one way or another. On the one hand, this could be regarded as a regrettable outmigration from UKZN. UKZN did not have the resources to retain them and they have found homes elsewhere as actually should be the case.
On the other hand, this presence is clear and compelling testimony to UKZN’s enviable success in impacting the national education and research scene. That’s something for a small centre in the College of Humanities at a coastal university located on the elbow of a crooked dog’s leg. UKZN can bat with the big leagues that are connected by the more well-known Gauteng-Cape Town academic axis. I am sure that this experience is replicated across UKZN.
Take a bow, UKZN.
• Keyan G Tomaselli is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Johannesburg and a UKZN Emeritus Professor
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are the author’s own.
author : .author email : .Kuvikelwa Umhlaba Ngemfucuza Ephendulwa Umcebo
UMnu Prince Ndlovu (kwesobunxele) nemisebenzi yobuciko i-Plastic Artwork emcimbini wokuthulwa komkhankaso wezomcebo osuselwa emfucuzeniClick here for English version
I-Waste to Wealth umsebenzi othokozisayo ophakathi kwenhlangano yase UKZN ebizwa nge-UKZN Engineering Hub for the African City of the Future (Afrihub) kanye nenhlangano egaya futhi ivuselele kabusha imfucuza i-Planetcare (Pty) Ltd.
Lo msebenzi uthulwe emcimbini obubanjelwe ekhempasini i-Howard College esakhiweni i-Centenary Building umdwebi ohlonishwayo uNkz Coral Bijoux. Umcimbi ubuhlanganise nomkhangiso ka Bijoux womsebenzi wobuciko obenziwe ngopulasitiki.
‘Ukusebenzisana nabakwa-Planetcare kusukele esiphakamisweni sikaDkt Herbert Bernhardt waseMnyangweni weZobuNjiniyela BezamaKhemikhali sokubandakanya abafundi emsebenzini wokugaya kuvuselelwe kabusha,’ kusho uDkt Rudi Kimmie. ‘Lokhu kuhambelana nokusebenza kwe-AfriHub okugxile emadolobheni anekusasa ngokungagcini nje ngokugqugquzela ukugaywa nokusetshenziswa kabusha kwemfucuza kodwa nokutholakala kwenzuzo yezezimali ngokwenziwa kwalemisebenzi. Inhloso okwamanje nesikhashana esincane esizayo ukuphathwa kwemfucuza njengomsebenzi onengeniso futhi omuhle emhlabeni. Kodwa inhlosongqangi ukuthuthukisa umphakathi okuqaphelayo okulimaza imvelo, osomabhizinisi abasebenza ngobuchwepheshe obusekela ukulondolozwa kwemvelo nokugqugquzela amabhizinisi amasha,’ kusho uDkt Kimmie.
Lo msebenzi uthole ukwesekwa okukhulu kuMqondisi we-Planetcare uMnu Prince Ndlovu, othe, ‘i-Planetcare inentokozo enkulu ngokuba yingxenye yalo msebenzi ne-UKZN. Sinezimpawu ezikhomba ukuthi singaba nempumelelo enkulu futhi sinethemba lokuba nohambo oluyimpumelelo lapho sizobona ukuthi lusifikisaphi. Kunethuba elikhulu lokuthi abafundi abasebasha e-UKZN bangene ebhizinisini lapho okuvimbayo ekuqalweni kwalo kumbalwa ngokweminyaka yobudala, amakhono namazinga emfundo. Konke odinga ukukwazi ukuthi unentshisekelo nogqozi lokuliqhuba,’ kusho uNdlovu.
UDkt Bernhardt udlulise amazwi akhe okubonga ngobambiswano, waphinde wabalula nezinhlelo zangomuso ngomsebenzi. ‘Umsebenzi we-Waste to Wealth ususelwe ezinyathelweni ezintathu,’ kusho u-Bernhardt. ‘Esokuqala ukuthokozisa abafundi ngokubamba umncintiswano onomklomelo oxhaswe abakwa-Planet Care. Esesibili ukusungulwa kwenkampani yabafundi ezosetshenziswa ukufundisa abafundi ngezinzuzo zokusebenza ngemfucuza, yize esesithathu sithinta ukusebenza ngezinhlaka zase-UKZN nokubheka izindlela zokwakha ingeniso ngemfucuza yaseNyuvesi,’ usho kanje
UDkt Kimmie uchaze ukuhanjelwa kwalo mcimbi njengokuhle kakhulu. Izethameli bezimele abezobuciko, amabhizinisi, abaxhasi ngezimali kanye nabezokufunda.
Amagama: Manqoba Hadebe
Isithombe: nguAndile Ndlovu
author : .author email : .UKZN Academic Conducts Medical Law and Ethics Workshop in Ghana
Participants of the Ghana Medical Law and Ethics Workshop.Professor David McQuoid-Mason from the UKZN Centre for Socio-Legal Studies recently conducted a Medical Law and Ethics workshop for Ghanaian health professionals.
Organised by the Ghana Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (GIALS), the meeting held in Accra was attended by Ghanaian medical practitioners, health administrators, academics and policy makers. An affiliate of the London Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, GIALS is a legal scholarship and research-orientated independent institution and the second of its kind in Africa aimed at leading legal research in Ghana and Africa.
McQuoid-Mason used discussions of decided cases and presentations to expose participants to typical examples of medico-legal issues relating to the legal and ethical liability of medical professionals. He pointed out that medical malpractice and professional negligence may result in criminal and civil liability as well as disciplinary action by the Medical and Dental Council of Ghana. ‘While very few cases have been decided against medical practitioners in the country, an increasing number are being brought against hospitals because of negligence or malpractice by their administrators and nurses,’ he said.
Retired Supreme Court Judge and GIALS Advisory Council member, Justice Samuel Date-Bah, who attended the workshop said, ‘Medicine and the law are a battle area and we need to bring the rule of law into that area. In Ghana, it is said that health professionals never testify against themselves and therefore there is a real hurdle to litigation of medical malpractice. It is important that health professionals should put the public interest first. On the other hand, we do not want to go the other way such as in America where doctors may fear to touch patients for fear of malpractice. There has to be middle ground somewhere,’ said Date-Bah.
The organiser of the workshop, Mr Victor Chimbwanda, who is the Policy Dialogue and Projects Co-ordinator at GIALS, confirmed that the Institute would further engage with medical organisations in Ghana to offer future training programmes relevant to medical and health professionals in the country to increase awareness of medico-legal issues, ethics and health law in general. McQuoid-Mason would assist the Institute in these endeavours.
‘The Ghanaian doctors participated very enthusiastically helping me learn a lot about important medico-legal issues in the country. I really enjoyed interacting with them and sharing the importance of following bioethical principals in their daily practice. If they do this, they will be acting in accordance with the Ghanaian Constitution, Statute Law and the Common Law. I look forward to coming back and doing something similar for nurses,’ he said.
After the workshop several participants inquired about how they could enroll for the UKZN LLM programme in Medical Law.
Words: Ndabaonline
author : .author email : .UKZN Alumnus Does Her Bit towards Society’s Betterment
African Music and Dance alumnus, Ms Thabile Buthelezi, who is actively working towards societal change.UKZN African Music and Dance alumnus, Ms Thabile Buthelezi, is hosting a series of monthly dialogues and round table discussions aimed at the “betterment of society”.
Buthelezi recently created the Thabile Buthelezi Foundation which is a community development project to ‘improve the preservation measurements of South Africa’s intangible cultural heritage through progressive, innovative initiatives.’
As part of her endeavours, Buthelezi is hosting “Woke Queen” seminars which are monthly dialogues and round table discussions open to the public which also serve as fundraising initiatives for her Foundation. “Woke Queen TV” is the name of Buthelezi’s YouTube Channel through which the dialogues are tabled.
Each session showcases speakers who will present on various subjects that aim to contribute to the betterment of society. The sessions involve information dissemination and capacity building programmes for participants to gain “tangible and intangible resources”.
Buthelezi says the seminars are relevant to students as they are created and developed for the youth and community engagement. ‘The idea came from posts and topics I deal with on my social media account and realising the impact I was making. I saw a need for such dialogues so the youth can find solutions to their challenges and seek advice from others who are well informed on relevant topics,’ she said.
The first seminar which focuses on Empowerment Through Education will be held at the Howard College Theatre from 11h00 on 30 June. Entrance costs R100 while the price of VIP tickets (includes a goodie bag) is R200.
Said Buthelezi, ‘This seminar is co-ordinated for the benefit of the youth as it is Youth Month in South Africa.’
Speakers include Ntokozo Sbo Qwabe, Oxford Fellow; Thobeka Ndlovu, Career Development Coach; Akhona Sikutshwa, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Science; Dr Sanele Gift Mncube who has a PhD in Biochemistry; and Dr Darlington Tshuma who has a PhD in Public Administration (Peace Studies).
The seminar series will also feature on Woke Queen TV. ‘I am currently recruiting students in the field of videography to partner with me on this project. The YouTube channel will focus on the great things South Africa has to offer such as music, dance and beautiful destinations,’ said Buthelezi.
She advised other students to maximise their potential. ‘Start creating opportunities for yourself. Work on projects and your vision while at university, don’t wait for graduation. This will give you the opportunity to create a portfolio of initiatives to present when facing potential investors or employers,’ she said.
Words: Melissa Mungroo
Photograph: Thabile Buthelezi
author : .author email : .English Academic Delves into Hellenistic Literature
Visiting academic, Ms Valeria Pace, from the University of Cambridge, England. The Classics Department in the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics hosted visiting academic, Ms Valeria Pace from the University of Cambridge, England, who presented two papers on Hellenistic Literature and engaged with students in connection with their research.
Pace’s first seminar examined the poem by Theocritus - Idyll27 - in a paper titled Idyll27 as Fan Fiction: the Invention of the Bucolic Female Singer. The poem features an unusual plot in the Theocritean bucolic universe in which a character named Daphnis attempts to seduce a young girl, Acrotime, and, by the end of the poem, obtains sexual satisfaction.
‘None of the bucolic Idylls that are considered to be genuinely Theocritean have a woman in their cast of speaking characters, and never do we see an inhabitant of the bucolic world satisfy their erotic longing. Indeed, bucolic song is both respite from and rehearsing of impossible love,’ said Pace.
Pace argued that the poem’s unusual plot could be seen as the enactment of a readerly desire to see certain situations, characters and plots that are suggested as a possibility but never feature in Theocritean poetry come to be. Such type of readerly wish-fulfilment fantasies animate the workings of fan faction.
Pace suggested that the poem should be read as a creation of a new episode in the life of Daphnis, the mythical singer whose love troubles are sung in Idyll 1. Pace showed that the poem does not attempt to create a scene that explains why Daphnis was to become a famous bucolic singer, rather, that ‘the poem ought to be seen as using our knowledge of the Daphnis myth to tell a story of how Acrotime’s future fate is to become a bucolic singer.’
She presented a second paper titled: Aetiology in Moschus’ Europa which is the most ancient extant extended treatment of the myth of Europa, the Phoenician princess abducted by Zeus disguised as a bull. This mythological figure was connected to the name of the continent Europe from early on.
‘A striking feature of the poem is that no explicit connection appears to be made between the name of the girl and the naming of the continent Europe. Some scholars have argued that the origin of the name of the continent is not within the remit of the interest of the poem as the its main focus is the depiction of the emergence of Eros in an adolescent girl,’ she said.
Pace argues in her paper that the importance of desire in the poem, rather than shifting focus away from the connection between continent and the girl, is instrumental to the creation of an aetiological narrative. She said that in fact, the poem is primarily concerned with providing a foundation myth loaded with geo-political meanings.
Words and photograph: Melissa Mungroo
author : .author email : .African Music and Dance Students Screen Documentaries
At the screening of their films are students (from left) Mr Siphamandla Ngcobo, Ms Lihle James, Mr Eric Sunu Doe and Ms Nomfundo Zuma. Three Applied Ethnomusicology African Music and Dance (AMD) Honours students and a Doctoral student from the Music discipline recently screened their debut short films.
The honours students, Ms Lihle James, Ms Nomfundo Zuma and Mr Siphamandla Ngcobo, presented their films as part of their module: Ethnographic and Video Documentation of Ritual and Performance, while Mr Eric Sunu Doe who is studying towards his PhD, also screened his film.
The filmmaking was supervised by Senior Lecturer, Dr Patricia Opondo. The short documentary films by the honours students were recorded, edited and produced as part of their fieldwork for the first semester, marking their debut in research.
Titled: UMAKHWEYANE: The Sound of the Indigenous Bow, Ngcobo’s production showcases the story of how the bow instrument is made while also giving insight on how it is played and used in performances. ‘My documentary is relevant to African Music and Dance because it aims to preserve identity and culture through the indigenous traditional bow music instrument. Umakhweyane carries African identity, our history and sense of home,’ he said.
James’s documentary examines a group of UKZN students studying science but are passionate about music. ‘The students who appear in the film have formed a group called THE BAND SA. Through music, these students go on a journey of self-discovery, eventually finding themselves as a group through music. For them, music and playing together is their way of escape after long hours of working with chemicals,’ said James.
Zuma on the other hand looked at the performance of Umzansi choreography by the Pietermaritzburg Indumandumane group in the Kwamafunze rural area. ‘What I found very interesting in their choreography was the idea of combining three different styles of Zulu dance, namely Ushiyameni, Indlamu and Umzansi into one performance piece. ‘It was super creative of the group to use one rhythm in the choreography that has three elements of different Zulu dance styles which have completely different rhythms when separated from each other. This is particularly relevant for African music and dance since it shows alternative ways of performing difference dance styles,’ said Zuma.
Doe’s documentary explores the history of Ghana’s home-grown popular Highlife music and how the genre has been interpreted by successive generations. It presents the diverse styles of the genre - how these styles continue to grow and its (genre) future in the country.
‘It’s exciting to see students grow from their undergraduate performance specialisations and embark on their first Applied Ethnomusicology documentation projects,’ said Opondo. ‘There’s a lot for them to cover in just one semester including completing readings, fieldwork, filming, editing and preparing an ethnographic report that accompanies the research films. Most significant is how in the near future we will be able to integrate their research into the undergraduate AMD teaching/learning materials; demonstrating how research and practice can have a conversation and for the undergraduate students to reference research conducted by alumni from the AMD programme,’ she said.
Words: Melissa Mungroo
Photographs: Melissa Mungroo and Siphamandla Ngcobo
author : .author email : .Helping Pupils Succeed
Dr Msizi Mkhize, delivering an Accounting lecture to a venue packed with Grade 12 pupils. This Youth Day, 1 064 grade 12 pupils from Durban high schools benefitted from an Accounting examination workshop run by UKZN academic, Dr Msizi Mkhize, with the aim of preparing them for the upcoming mid-term Accounting exams.
Mkhize is an academic within the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, and the workshop sought to equip the pupils with step-by-step guides and revision techniques. The workshop was also attended by teachers in a bid to learn new teaching methods.
‘The Accounting teachers who attended the workshop said it was an eye opener as they learned new approaches of teaching Accounting and are calling on UKZN to offer training and workshops for all Accounting teachers in KwaZulu-Natal. As an Accounting lecturer, I wanted to show pupils our unique lecturing methods and infrastructure so that they make this Institution their first choice when applying for post matric studies,’ said Mkhize.
The workshop was also covered by Isolezwe, South Africa's largest vernacular daily newspaper.
Pupils said the workshop was informative, helpful and interactive. Mr Sbonelo Dlamini, a pupil from Amazimtoti High School, said not only did the workshop strengthen his basic Accounting techniques, he found Dr Mkhize’s unique approach inspiring; adding that he looks forward to pursuing his BCom studies at UKZN to which he has already applied.
Ms Ntombizonke Khoza, a pupil at Dassenhoek High School said, ‘The session helped me understand things that were puzzling me and as well as new methods and I am glad because I felt like I was going to fail Accounting but now I am hopeful that I can manage. I would like to thank Dr Mkhize and UKZN for this opportunity.’
Words: Thandiwe Jumo
author : .author email : .UKZN and uMgungundlovu Municipality Recognised for Leadership in Climate Change Adaptation
From left: Dr Joseph Matjila, Chair SANBI Board; Mr Lindokuhle Khanyile, UMDM; Ms Ntombifuthi Vilakazi, Umgeni Water; Dr Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi, UKZN and Mr Manelisi Ndaba, UMDM.UKZN researchers have been recognised by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and uMgungundlovu District Municipality (UMDM) for their leadership in a climate change adaptation project assisting those most vulnerable to adapt and survive in an environment where extreme weather events are becoming commonplace.
At Adaptation Futures, an international climate change conference held in Cape Town in June, there was a focus on the uMngeni Resilience Project (URP), an initiative supported by the global Adaptation Fund and administered by SANBI in partnership with the Department of Environmental Affairs.
The URP is led by the UMDM with UKZN as a sub-executing entity acting through the UKZN Foundation. At Adaptation Futures, SANBI presented certificates of appreciation to Professor Albert Modi of UKZN and to the uMgungundlovu District Municipality in recognition of their leadership of the URP.
The URP aims to increase resilience of vulnerable communities in the greater uMngeni catchment through interventions such as early warning systems, climate-smart agriculture, climate-proofing settlements and capacity building in municipalities and government departments. It uses four pilot sites in low-lying, high-density settlements on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg and in the rural areas of Vulindlela, Swayimane and Nhlazuka to show different ways that communities can build resilience and capacity to adapt to the changing climate.
The project - which began in 2015 - is one of two in South Africa receiving financial support from the Adaptation Fund valued at around $7.5million.
The URP is working towards the development of an integrated early warning system focusing on floods, fire and seasonal forecasts to help rally communities and disaster management officials when possible disasters approach. This component is already seeing results. Staff at UKZN’s School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences have installed a lightning warning system and Agrometeorological Instrumentation Mast (AIM) system at Swayimane High School near Wartburg to measure and collect real-time data about various meteorological parameters and proximity of deadly lightning strikes in the area. Such data aids farmers in planning for their crops and warn communities about extreme weather conditions. The information gathered is also used at the school which is home to crop trials and a research tunnel that facilitates climate-smart agriculture research.
Another aspect will involve climate proofing through examining of how homes and facilities are built and how protecting the environment can secure settlements against the harsh weather.
URP researchers are working to create platforms for reflecting on how South Africa, specifically different spheres of government, are preparing and responding to climate change induced disasters.
Local government practitioners have lauded the effort.
Words: Christine Cuénod
Photograph: Mpfunzeni Tshindane, SANBI
author : .author email : .Dozens Rally for Durban Harbour Clean-Up and Campus Recycling Drives
UKZN students with other volunteers after a successful day cleaning up Durban.Coinciding with World Oceans Day, PhD candidate and environmental activist, Ms Refilwe Mofokeng, organised two clean-up events in Durban intended to influence people’s opinions on the treatment of litter, particularly plastic.
The first was a recycling drive on UKZN’s Westville campus during which 40 volunteers spent almost two hours collecting 200kg of litter and learning about recycling drives that could contribute to solving pollution problems on campus.
‘We hope to involve other campuses in recycling and start monthly clean-ups,’ said Mofokeng, who is also an educator. She plans to approach businesses and potential partners to work with her organisation, perhaps even hosting inter-university competitions.
The second event was a harbour clean-up during which more than 200 volunteers from all walks of life joined Mofokeng and other volunteers to clear litter; collecting 400 bags which amounted to half a ton of refuse.
A PhD candidate in the School of Life Sciences, Mofokeng is passionate about education, ensuring that she incorporates education in her events to influence a psychological change in people’s approach to litter, thereby having an exponential effect. She has spearheaded beach clean-ups ahead of the festive season and a clean up after a severe storm in Durban in October 2017. ‘The dream is to have a sustainable South Africa by 2020,’ she said.
Mofokeng established the Refilwe Mofokeng Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) to execute her vision and through which she arranges clean-up events, measures the effects of pollution on marine life, assists with school food gardens and gives motivational speeches. She hopes these activities will help counter issues of pollution and littering; preventing them rather than attempting to fix the consequences.
Words: Christine Cuénod
Photograph: Itumeleng Masa
author : .author email : .Giving the Lowdown on Street Law
Street Law Train the Trainers workshop attendees.Acting Head of UKZN’s Centre for Socio-Legal Studies Professor David McQuoid-Mason was a lead co-trainer in a Street Law Train the Trainers Workshop for Law teachers from 11 European countries held in Prato, Italy.
The other lead co-trainer and host was Professor Jeff Giddings of Monash University in Australia, assisted by representatives from the European Network of Clinical Legal Education (ENCLE).
Professor Catherine Klein of the Catholic University, Washington DC, in the United States, and Dr Jose Garcia Anon of the Ministry of Justice in Spain also assisted with the two-day workshop.
McQuoid-Mason co-taught sessions on the potential of Street Law, interactive methods of teaching Law to lay people and best international practices in Street Law. He also made an interactive presentation on using Street Law mock trials to involve multiple teams of participants and led a discussion on starting a Street Law programme from scratch.
The instructors gave participants guidelines on how to develop and prepare an interactive Street Law lesson after which they prepared and presented lessons they had developed.
During the workshop, McQuoid-Mason mentioned that interactive teaching methods ‘turn traditional law school teaching practices upside down’ for the following reasons:
- Interactive teaching is about the students not the Law teachers. The focus is on keeping students involved and not showing how much the lecturer knows
- Interactive teaching requires Law teachers to ask for their students’ views first before telling them what the law is instead of the traditional approach of telling them what the law is first and then asking them about it
- Less is more. Law teachers should not overwhelm students with information. Instead, they should give them essential information and show them how to find the rest for themselves
The workshop ended with suggestions on how to develop Street Law networks so that Law teachers can draw on the international experiences of their colleagues in Europe and around the world.
Although many of the Law teachers were experienced academics, they found the workshop inspiring, saying they would like to incorporate interactive teaching into their classes in future.
Words: Ndabaonline
author : .author email : .Challenges Faced by Female Academic Thrust in the Spotlight
Professor Bandana Purkayastha seen with Social Science staff and students. The School of Social Sciences at the Pietermaritzburg campus hosted a seminar on Women in Academia: Gendered Challenges, Gendered Solutions presented by Professor Bandana Purkayastha from the University of Connecticut, USA.
Purkayastha, who is a Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies, shared her personal experiences in academia from a teaching, research and support perspective.
Adopting a positive approach, Purkayastha spoke about challenges she has encountered as a female academic and how she overcame them. Her overall constructive and optimistic outlook inspired guests, staff and students who attended the seminar.
Her insight and knowledge into gendered experiences in academia spurred a discussion by members of the audience on their own personal experiences. The seminar became a forum of information sharing and support.
Audience members realised that challenges experienced by women in academia in the United States were no different to challenges experienced by women in South Africa. Other notable areas of discussion were the so-called “old boys’ network” as well as academic bullying.
Offering advice to the audience, Purkayastha said, ‘At a very young age I learned to value difference, so now it’s a must to honour people in all their diversity and to effect social change so that we can all live in a just world,’ she said.
Speaking after the seminar, Purkayastha said she enjoyed sharing her personal experiences as well as reflecting on what she could have done differently given the opportunity to do so. ‘I very much appreciated the informal roundtable setup of this session and found it to be a great way to keep participants integrated in the discussion,’ she said.
Words: Melissa Mungroo
author : .author email : .Alumna Taps Into Her Own Greatness and Launches Book
UKZN graduate, Ms Zanele Njapha, with her new book.The University of KwaZulu-Natal is proud to continuously inspire greatness amongst all its students, employees and alumni.
Ms Zanele Njapha graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree in 2015. Before that (2013), she had the opportunity to study at the Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, as a UKZN exchange student. She then went on to pursue a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, USA.
During her years as a student at UKZN, she became very much involved in various programmes and organisations. She became part of the Executive Teams President of the UKZN Enactus at the Edgewood campus.
An Eye For Love, written by Njapha, is a book in which she shares her experiences. She dedicates the book to her grandmother, who was sad at heart for a lengthy period as well as anyone who may be looking for a lifeline. According to Njapha, the book also explores the passing away of loved ones, opportunities, habits, careers and relationships.
‘I wish to share the book so that people can live with an attitude of love and not merely go through the motions as the living dead’, she said.
Njapha plans to write more books, grow as an entrepreneur and continue to offer growth and strategies towards effective leadership and education.
The book is available at Exclusive Books, Bargain Books, Adams, CNA, Take-A-lot and online on https://myafricanbuy.com/.
Words and photograph: Sbusiso Lungani Hlongwa
author : .author email : .Strengthening Alumni Relations and Helping them Succeed
Dr Sheri Seetal and workshop attendees.Relationships between UKZN and recent alumni - many of whom graduated in April this year (2018) - have been strengthened through a Job Search Skills Workshop recently held and co-ordinated by the Alumni Relations office.
A follow-up workshop on Leadership Skills takes place in October this year.
The one-day Job Search Skills Workshop - facilitated by Dr Sheri Seetal, a former UKZN staff member - attracted graduates from all four UKZN Colleges with many having travelled from various distant parts of KwaZulu-Natal to attend. Feedback received on the workshop included ‘extremely interesting’, ‘packed with essential information’ and ‘a real learning curve’.
The workshop covered issues such as the job search process, job adverts and cover letters, CV writing, interview skills as well as workplace related issues including work ethics, customer care and office skills.
Similar workshops will soon become an annual feature on the programme of activities of the Alumni Relations office.
Alumni Relations welcomes feedback from graduates on other workshops they believe would be of benefit.
Words: Finn Christensen
author : .author email : .