UKZN Hosts Webinar on Intellectual Property Rights
Guest speaker at the intellectual property rights webinar, Mr Vishen Pillay.UKZN InQubate’s Technology Transfer Office (TTO), which is responsible for the identification, protection, use and commercialisation of intellectual property (IP), presented a virtual workshop on intellectual property rights.
UKZN alumnus and partner in the patent department of Adams & Adams Attorneys, Mr Vishen Pillay, hosted the event designed to educate the UKZN community about IP and how to protect it.
Describing IP as a tangible asset created by human beings for economic value, Pillay said the law protected various forms of IP such as trademarks, patents, copyright, design rights, know-how, trade secrets and plant breeders’ rights.
He said a patent was an instrument used to protect inventions and discussed key requirements needed for an invention to be patented which include being inventive and novel. Examining the exclusions of patents in South Africa, Pillay noted how applications differed from country to country.
Pillay examined the patent of the PageRank technology (a method used to analyse the relationships between websites and rank them according to relevance) owned by Stanford University in the United States and which Google has exclusive rights to. He also explored the ownership of patents, highlighting how inventions created by staff members during the course and scope of their employment positions belong to the employer.
He explained how ‘a registered design can protect a specific product entering the market through an extra layer of protection’.
Pillay reviewed the two categories of registered design: aesthetic design in which features are judged solely on what is seen, requiring the product to be new and original and protected for 15 years; and functional design where the features are necessary for the product’s function, requiring it to be new, not commonplace, and protected for 10 years.
Examining the design timeline for registrations - which are cheaper to acquire than patents and requiring only one application - he said an applicant had six months to decide in which country to register a design.
Pillay also spoke about the importance of having confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in place until a product had been formally registered.
Moving onto copyright law, which he said in South Africa was automatically generated and used to protect original works, he noted how the author or the creator of the work was usually the owner and how the lifespan of copyright law was valid for 50 years from the date of the author’s death and 50 years from the date copies of the work were made available to the public for software developers.
Pillay encouraged owners to keep accurate records of when their work was created and advised software developers to put in dummy loops for their codes. He said work could not be copied or recreated without copyright permission.
Reviewing trademarks, Pillay said it was important to distinguish and identify goods and services in the marketplace. He evaluated the unlimited lifespan of trademarks, mentioning brands such as Coca-Cola and Mercedes Benz as excellent examples.
He said it was wise to always file for trademark registration from a strategic perspective and explained how trademarks were closely vetted before registration, a process which takes up to three years.
Said Pillay: ‘You use ™ before your trademark is registered and once it is registered you use ® which is a powerful mark to have.’
In conclusion, Pillay explained how businesses should use multiple forms of IP protection to increase their competitiveness.
For queries on IP-related matters contact Innovation Officer Mr Mandla Hlongwane at hlongwanem4@ukzn.ac.za.
To watch the webinar, click here (password: NS+QF8+U).
Words: Hlengiwe Khwela
Photograph: Supplied
author : .author email : .UKZN Celebrates International Women’s Day
Guest speaker at the International Women’s Day webinar, Ms Nene Molefi.UKZN’s Human Resources Division together with the Imbokodo Women in Leadership and Academia Programme hosted a webinar to mark International Women’s Day.
Celebrated annually on 8 March, International Women’s Day seeks to acknowledge the achievements of women globally as well as their contribution towards building an equal society.
Themed: Breaking the Bias, the webinar aimed to spark conversations around bias giving both men and women pointers on how to identify it within themselves, and what to do to rectify the behaviour.
Facilitated by UKZN’s Clinical Sociologist, Dr Mariam Seedat-Khan, the guest speaker at the event was the owner and CEO of Mandate Molefi Human Resource Consultants, Ms Nene Molefi.
In her welcoming address, Mrs Busisiwe Ramabodu, the Director: Human Resources Development and the Chair of the Imbokodo Women in Leadership and Academia Programme, highlighted how the day accentuated issues faced by women on a global scale. Noting how bias continued to hinder women empowerment, Ramabodu highlighted how inherent it was in people and how it could be countered ‘by identifying it in yourself and others; and altering those behaviours for the benefit of women, gender equity and gender equality.
‘Part of the goal of this webinar is to encourage men to join in the conversation and examine their own bias towards women and women in leadership and be able to alter their behaviour accordingly.’
In her presentation, Molefi began by discussing the importance of psychological safety, going on to unpack the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion (which bias falls into).
Defining diversity as a ‘collective mixture of differences, similarities, related complexities and tensions,’ she noted how related complexities and tensions which contribute to the issue of gender inequality should never be under estimated, she also used the analogy of how ‘diversity is being invited to the party and inclusion is being asked to dance,’ and added that women seldom get to ‘choose their own song’ and feel like they belong.
Molefi highlighted the concept of intersectionality as a ‘complex cumulative way in which the effects of different forms of discrimination combine, overlap or intersect on one individual or group,’ and used that as the starting point of addressing issues of inclusion.
She also listed some key areas that need to be reviewed in order for inclusion to be achieved including intrapersonal development; analysing policies, systems, practices and procedures that reinforce sexist standards in the workplace; addressing systemic and structural eras at a societal level, and exploring internalisation which can also create the imposter syndrome.
Examining unconscious bias ‘as a hidden inclination or preference that influences judgement from being balanced and even handed,’ Molefi said bias didn’t make one a bad person, just human and emphasised the importance of talking about it, countering it and interrupting it.
Reviewing the various forms of bias that exist - such as confirmation bias, affinity bias, bodyshape bias, accent bias and even beauty bias - she encouraged individuals in positions of power to focus on people’s behaviours and not opinions to avoid bias when advertising, recruiting, interviewing, hiring and mentoring in the employee life cycle.
Molefi used everyday examples of micro inequities, defining them as 'the ways in which individuals are singled out, overlooked and discounted because of unchangeable characteristics'.
Quoting American poet Maya Angelou’s ‘people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel,’ she encouraged people to be conscious of what they say and who they say it to.
In closing, Director: University Relations Ms Xoliswa Zulu commented on how the webinar urged both men and women to work together on the challenges they faced in the workplace and in their personal spaces as well as to fight for themselves and what they believed in.
Zulu also thanked the guest speaker, the Imbokodo team and the Corporate Relations Division for making the webinar possible.
Words: Hlengiwe Khwela
Photograph: Supplied
author : .author email : .COVID-19 – A Fifth Wave in the Pipeline?
Webinar participants (clockwise from left) Dr Richard Lessells, Professor Mosa Moshabela and Dr Nokukhanya Msomi.Click here for isiZulu version
The real impact of the Coronavirus on the South African population as well as forecasts of what possibly lies ahead was the focus of an informative College of Health Sciences webinar.
Facilitated by the College’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation, Professor Mosa Moshabela, the robust discussion delved into the importance of vaccinations, understanding the risk of transmission and the different waves of the pandemic, strengthening herd immunity and finally learning to co-exist with the virus.
Dr Richard Lessells, an infectious diseases specialist at the KwaZulu-Natal Research and Innovation Sequencing Platform (KRISP) at UKZN and an honorary research associate at the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), said: ‘We’ve seen the waves being driven by the different variants and at this stage it is impossible to predict what the next variant will be but we can expect a fifth wave.’
Lessells went on to describe the importance of a person being fully vaccinated in order to avoid getting a serious illness if infected with the virus. ‘Unfortunately, the majority of people in South Africa over the age of 50 - the group most at high risk of hospitalisation and even death - have not received their first dose of the vaccine. As one moves to the lower age groups, the uptake is much less. Thus far, fewer than a million of the population have had the booster vaccine.’
According to Lessells, although the 4th wave may be over in South Africa with transmission levels relatively low it is not the time to relax and stop following basic protocols such as sanitising, wearing a face mask in closed spaces and practising social distancing. ‘The virus is still with us but in a different phase. We need to think about the long-term public health response but currently the protection of people highest at risk is where the focus should be. Adherence has been good but going back to the basics is key to safe guard environments favourably predisposed for high transmission rates.’
Clinical Virologist and Head of Department in the UKZN Discipline of Virology and KZN National Health Laboratory Service Dr Nokukhanya Msomi told the audience that antibodies reduce the risk of infection whilst T-cells play an important role in controlling disease. ‘We need to have all levels of immunity,’ said Msomi. ‘Antibodies do wane over time so one layer of defence is not enough. Vaccinations followed by recommended booster doses enhance protection. The vaccine also minimises the chances of getting Long COVID-19.’
She mentioned that at present the public health benefit of vaccinating youngsters aged between 5 and 11 was marginal.
Msomi added that it was still essential to test people who were symptomatic as well as those following an outbreak in a congregate setting. ‘The virus is not going away. We must strengthen our protection.’
The speakers predicted a fifth COVID-19 wave in April or May, possibly with a new variant, but felt that it could be a smaller resurgence, saying it all depended on what the new variant was. ‘For now, it is clear the virus is here to stay and it is vital to maintain basic prevention protocols.’
The webinar can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcGmJRkL-Oc.
Words: MaryAnn Francis
Image: Supplied
author : .author email : .UKZN Partners with Government in Job Training and Creation Project
Highlights from the launch of the UIF LAP project.Click here for isiZulu version
UKZN and the South African Government are involved in a project which will train unemployed people and give them jobs in the fibre optics, food handling and mixed farming sectors.
The project was launched by the National Minister of Employment and Labour, Mr Thulas Nxesi at UKZN’s Innovation Centre.
The partnership agreement is between the Fuze Institute for Humanitarian Praxis within the College of Humanities and the Department of Employment and Labour’s Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).
The UIF, through its Labour Activation Programmes (LAP), has set aside 551 million Rands for three training and job creation projects involving nearly 20 000 people - 70% of whom are former UIF contributors who lost their jobs. Of the total number, 14 771 will undergo training in Food Handling, 5 000 in Mixed Farming and 150 in Fibre Optic Technology.
Fuze Institute CEO Ms Thandi Ngcobo said: ‘The 14 771 being trained in food handling will be employed by the Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal after completing their training, while the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal has pledged to support the 5 000 in mixed farming by purchasing their produce. Intermediate Data Systems has committed to employing the 150 beneficiaries as Fibre Optic Technicians.’
Trainees receive monthly stipends.
Nxesi said there was no dignity in unemployment. ‘In spite of the pandemic and the prevailing inclement economic conditions, we as government believe we must continue to pull out all stops to ensure that people are either employed or at least have the opportunity to put into practice their innovative ideas and display their entrepreneurial spirit,’ he said
‘In light of our Department’s employment mandate, we urge the private sector and all potential stakeholders to partner with us to reduce and end unemployment in the country because partnerships are key to creating jobs. Therefore, all UIF training projects must be linked to employment creation because we do not want learners to be idle at home after completing their training,’ said Nxesi.
Director-General of Employment and Labour Mr Thobile Lamati said the Department was committed to playing its role in creating jobs. ‘We are worried about growing unemployment in the country. We pledge to play our role in projects such as this which include job creation, especially for young people. ‘To our trainees, I urge you not to waste this opportunity because it comes along only once in a while,’ said Lamati.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Humanities Professor Nhlanhla Mkhize said the pandemic had caused an increase in the number of unemployed young people. ‘This employment creation project is very welcome. Young people are being afforded an opportunity to develop entrepreneurial skills. We will support the project.’
A beneficiary of UIF training Mr Bayanda Zaca was previously a construction worker. ‘Today, I am head chef at a top restaurant in Durban after undergoing the training. I also help new trainees at the food-processing centre in Ndwedwe. I am truly grateful to the UIF for turning my life around,’ said Zaca.
Ms Lethabo Tsonope, who was also funded by the UIF, is a commercial pilot for FlySafair, flying a Boeing 783-800. ‘I never thought I would become a pilot because training is so expensive. I am grateful to be where I am today and urge young girls to put God first to succeed.’
Words: Melissa Mungroo
Photograph: UIF Twitter
author : .author email : .Astrophysics PhD Candidate Selected for Prestigious International PhD Programme
Mr Brandon Bisschoff has been selected to participate in the “100 PhDs for Africa” programme.Click here for isiZulu version
PhD candidate at UKZN’s Astrophysics Research Centre (ARC) Mr Brandon Bisschoff is one of 10 doctoral candidates from across the African continent selected to participate in the “100 PhDs for Africa” programme through the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland.
The programme forms part of EPFL’s Excellence in Africa (EXAF) research centre founded together with the Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique (UM6P) in Morocco to enhance research, training and innovation in Africa.
This EXAF programme, one of the centre’s three pillars, supports doctoral candidates registered and supervised at African institutions of higher learning by funding their studies, providing co-supervision by a professor at EPFL as well as opportunities to visit EPFL and UM6P for summer and spring schools, workshops and conferences. The programme aims to contribute to the establishment of these researchers’ careers and their advancement of Africa’s economies and societies.
This first call for proposals for the programme attracted 854 doctoral candidates from 37 countries in Africa with only 10 selected, based on the quality of their research after a competitive round of proposals and interviews - a selection rate of 1%.
‘I feel very excited and honoured to receive such an excellent opportunity to meet, collaborate and work with some of the best researchers in the world, especially in a field I am very passionate about,’ said Bisschoff.
‘This programme will help me to become a better researcher with guidance from experts in the field of astrophysics and cosmology and contribute as an African to this arena, and who knows, maybe even win the Nobel Prize one day!’
Bisschoff’s PhD research involves the magnetic field in the early Universe - he will investigate how the inter-galactic magnetic field (IGMF) can affect star and galaxy formation 10 billion years after the Big Bang.
Being a recipient of “100 PhDs for Africa” programme will elevate international collaboration on his research as Bisschoff is supervised by the ARC’s Professor Yin-Zhe Ma at UKZN and Professor Jean-Paul Kneib at EPFL.
Kneib heads up EPFL’s Astrophysics Laboratory and is a leading expert on the large-scale structure of the Universe. He also leads Switzerland’s participation in the Square Kilometre Array project in South Africa’s Northern Cape.
Bisschoff, who completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of the Free State, developed the concept for his PhD studies while still a master’s student and took the initiative to approach Ma to take the research forward.
He summarised his research by explaining that the IGMF, the weakest predicted magnetic field in the Universe, should permeate the entire Universe and can be used as a probe of the Big Bang given that it has likely not been amplified like the magnetic field in denser regions of the Universe.
‘The IGMF should be the oldest magnetic field within the Universe and might contain critical information on the very first process that occurred,’ explained Bisschoff.
Direct measurements of the IGMF strength have not yet been obtained, so Bisschoff plans to simulate the IGMF and test these simulations to obtain a better understanding of its properties, of the early sub-galactic structure formation and the epoch of re-ionization from which magnetic fields emanated. He also aims to obtain more robust, accurate and consistent constraints on the IGMF through a combined simulation and observation approach.
‘To fully understand the dynamics, past and evolution of all baryonic matter, it is necessary to study all the different scale magnetic fields within the Universe that govern the interactions and dynamics of this matter,’ said Ma. ‘The electromagnetic force controls a significant amount of this within the Universe - from small scale planetary to large-scale galaxy cluster magnetic fields.’
Words: Christine Cuénod
Photograph: Supplied
author : .author email : .A Challenge to Current Surrogacy Laws: What do Genetics have to do with It?
.Last month, a constitutional challenge arrived at the doors of the Mpumalanga High Court. The applicant in the matter is a 46-year-old woman known in the court papers only as “KB”. She is contesting the constitutionality of South Africa’s current surrogacy law which requires at least one of the commissioning parents to contribute a gamete - either an ovum or sperm - to the prospective child’s conception. This requirement at its core ensures a genetic link exists between the commissioning parent and the child born of the surrogacy arrangement - but not all individuals are able to contribute a gamete to the conception of a child.
KB’s road to motherhood is potholed with devastating disappointments. KB and her husband married in 2011 and were eager to start a family together. The next five years consisted of a gruelling battle to fall pregnant. Sadly, notwithstanding their immense efforts to conceive using their own gametes via in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI), they were unable to have a child. The couple refused to give in to despair and resolved to consult another fertility expert, who informed them that they had a low prospect of success using their gametes.
After careful consideration, the couple decided to use donor gametes. They found suitable donors, and seven viable embryos were successfully produced. The first embryo transfer into KB’s uterus resulted in a successful pregnancy and the birth of the couple’s much hoped-for son in 2018. Thereafter, the couple desired to provide their child with a genetically related sibling, and so KB underwent a second embryo transfer. While this resulted in pregnancy, tragically at 23 weeks’ gestation, KB suffered life-threatening complications and had to undergo an emergency hysterectomy. In the process, the couple not only endured the agonising loss of their daughter, but also the devastating reality that KB would be unable to carry any remaining embryos.
The only option available to realise their hopes is surrogacy. However, due to the requirement for a parent-child genetic link contained in section 294 of the Children’s Act, the couple is barred from making use of a surrogate in order to have a child. KB has approached the High Court in an endeavour to have the genetic-link requirement changed to allow for a situation like theirs.
Is the parent-child genetic link requirement a necessary prerequisite for surrogacy arrangements? The problem with this requirement is that it presupposes that a genetic link is essential to the creation of well-functioning families and well-adjusted children. However, psychological researchers studying this very issue at Cambridge University paint a rather different picture. Their studies suggest that donor-conceived children and those born via surrogacy enjoy strong relationships with their parents, have high self-esteem and are generally unconcerned about their origins or the nature of their conception. While there are questions as to the applicability of this research to the South African context, it nevertheless makes a compelling case and one we ought to consider before mindlessly jumping on the genetic link bandwagon.
For many couples, having a genetically related child is simply not an option that is available. Some may seek out adoption as a way to build their families, while others may choose to utilise current medical advancements, such as the use of donor gametes. Surrogacy is often the option of last resort. One cannot say that these families are somehow less valuable than families where children are naturally conceived.
Surrogacy in South Africa is strictly regulated by the Children’s Act - and for good reason. The legislators seek to protect the interests of all parties involved in the surrogacy arrangement - and most importantly those of children. Still, it is worth asking whether the genetic-link requirement does in fact advance children’s rights, or whether it merely hinders infertile couples from accessing the means of having a much hoped-for child.
KB has suffered a great deal. Her sincere wish to give her son a genetically related sibling is understandable. Other infertile couples have very different, but equally valid, painful stories to tell. Professor Donrich Thaldar and Dr Bonginkosi Shozi, Law academics from UKZN, came up with a golden-mean solution: Retain the current parent-child genetic link in the Children’s Act, but add a sentence to that Act that gives the court a discretion to dispense with this requirement upon good cause shown. This will provide a solution not only to KB’s case, but also provide a general, flexible solution to others in future in merit-worthy cases.
South Africa’s constitutional commitment of being a more humane and caring society surely compels our courts to treat people like KB with respect, care and compassion. Permitting surrogacy where good cause is shown, despite the absence of a parent-child genetic link, will better reflect our constitutional values.
(This above was originally published in The Star, Cape Argus and Daily News on 9 March this year).
Ms Aliki Edgcumbe is a doctoral research fellow at UKZN’s School of Law. Her master’s dissertation explored the use of psychological evidence in constitutional litigation.
Photograph: Supplied
*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
author : .author email : .UKZN Social Sciences Academic Awarded University of Oxford Fellowship
Professor Kalpana Hiralal at the University of Oxford.Click here for isiZulu version
Professor Kalpana Hiralal of UKZN’s Department of Historical Studies has been awarded the AfOx Senior Fellowship by the University of Oxford in England.
Hiralal is currently in Oxford taking up the Fellowship and will return to Durban in July.
The AfOx Visiting Fellows Programme is designed to enhance academic mobility and network building with scholars in Africa. As an AfOx Fellow, Hiralal will be affiliated with the African Studies Centre, the Oxford Department of International Development (ODID), and Wolfson College.
She will have access to various colleges, archives, and the world-famous Bodleian Library (one of the oldest libraries in Europe) and the Weston Library which has valuable material on the anti-apartheid struggle. Whilst at Oxford, Hiralal’s research will focus on The Struggle for Gender Equality on South Africa’s Road to Democracy during which she will present her findings at seminars, workshops, and conferences.
Hiralal says her experience thus far at Oxford has been simply amazing - it is in many ways a dream come true! ‘It is a fantastic environment for academics and scholars and world-class research is being done there. Oxford is so steeped in history, it is as if you are walking in history. The architecture of the buildings is breath-taking, in particular the Bodleian Library, Christ Church and the Keble, Magdalen and Trinity Colleges,’ said Hiralal. ‘The city is stunningly beautiful, there are museums, including the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, theatres, restaurants, coffee shops, markets, the Botanic Gardens, rivers and canals.’
She has met several scholars, academics, and postgraduate students since her arrival.
An NRF-rated researcher, Hiralal’s two key areas of interest - Gender and South Asian Diaspora and Gender and Resistance in South Africa - have significant international and local import and have led to collaborative projects with a variety of international projects and universities.
Her previous international Fellowships include Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) Guest Researcher (Sweden 2007); School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in the United Kingdom in 2015, and the Erasmus Mundus Inspire Scholarship at the University of Valladolid in Spain in 2017.
Whilst at Oxford, Hiralal - in collaboration with the India-Oxford Initiative (IndOx) and ODID - will launch her upcoming book Sisters in the Struggle (UNISA Press, 2021), a three-volume book, which covers about 100 years and documents the lives of 61 women of Indian origin and their contributions to the liberation struggle in South Africa.
Words: Melissa Mungroo
Photograph: Supplied
author : .author email : .UKZN Psychiatrist Wins Research Award
Dr Vuyokazi Ntlantsana who clinched the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) 2021 Research Fund Award.Psychiatrist and PhD candidate, Dr Vuyokazi Ntlantsana has won the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) 2021 Research Fund Award.
SIRS is committed to directly supporting early career researchers who have important and novel ideas that may have an immediate impact on improving the lives of people with schizophrenia.
The SIRS Research Fund Award provides research funds for junior investigators who have an important idea or hypothesis to test but lack research funds to do so.
Ntlantsana’s proposal, titled: A Pilot Study of Brief Relaxation, Education and Trauma Healing (BREATHE) in patients with first episode psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder, was the ideal project for SIRS as it has great potential for “societal impact”.
‘The award has enabled me to culturally adapt and pilot BREATHE in patients with first episode psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder. This intervention brings new hope for improved outcomes in patients with early psychosis,’ said Ntlantsana.
She highlighted the important role played by her various supervisors, especially Professor Bonga Chiliza, who instilled in her a love for research. ‘I feel really privileged to have been chosen by SIRS as I am sure I was among many worthy candidates. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge Professor Chiliza, who encouraged me to apply for this opportunity. With many previous grant rejections, I was pessimistic about a successful outcome, especially as there was only one grant. From this experience I have learned to never give up and to reach for your dreams,’ said Ntlantsana.
Chair of the Awards Committee, Ms Sohee Park, believes Ntlantsana’s research will introduce a culturally appropriate behavioural tool to ameliorate disability caused by trauma and psychosis. This approach could pave the way towards developing strategies that are uniquely suited for local communities. Park wished Ntlantsana great success in the coming year.
Having completing her Master of Medical Science degree in the Discipline of Obstetrics, her goal now is to complete her PhD in the Discipline of Psychiatry. She thanked SIRS for their funding.
Words: Mandisa Shozi
Photograph: Supplied
author : .author email : .UKZN and eThekwini Maritime Cluster Collaborate on Maritime Research Initiative
Event attendees (top from left) Ms Nomali Port, Mr Hans Modipane, (bottom from left) Dr Dusty-Lee Donnelly and Ms Anisa Chotoo.The eThekwini Maritime Cluster (EMC) will host five UKZN postgraduate students who will do research into some of South Africa’s pressing maritime challenges.
This initiative is part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the EMC and the University’s Unit of Maritime Law and Maritime Studies and was officially launched at a function attended by representatives of the Department of Works and the private sector as well as industry stakeholders. It is envisioned that the students research findings will enable the industry to make use of research capacity within the University and so assist in its work and its aim of becoming globally competitive.
EMC’s Managing Director Ms Zenzile Gwamanda said the collaboration fitted in well with the Cluster’s vision of growing South Africa’s maritime industry to be a formidable global competitor through co-operation with stakeholders such as government, maritime professionals, academia and civil society.
Gwamanda said the aim was to position eThekwini and KwaZulu-Natal as the centre of maritime knowledge. ‘Hence, as a cluster, our interest is in efforts to grow our base and solve maritime industry challenges.
Addressing the UKZN representatives, she said: ‘We are now family. We need you to engage with us for this project to be a success.’
The postgraduate students include Mr Nyadu Kabongo, Ms Nomali Port, Mr Matthew van Maasdyk, Mr Musawenkosi Mpofana and Ms Nomvelo Luthuli. Their research topics include the economic efficiency of South African port systems; congestion challenges at port terminals; readiness and response of the maritime organisations to cybercrime, and meeting the demands of custom modernisation and trade facilitation in South Africa.
Acting Director of the Unit of Maritime Law and Maritime Studies Dr Dusty Donnelly said she was looking forward to the students producing excellent and meaningful research.
‘Our valued partnerships with key industry stakeholders such as the EMC are central to our vision of positioning the Unit as the leading knowledge institute for maritime-related studies on the African continent, providing inter-disciplinary teaching and research excellence in the areas of shipping and international trade law and economics,’ said Donnelly.
Words: Noluthando Zondi
Photograph: Supplied
author : .author email : .Academic Publishes Book on Genocide Against the Tutsi, and the Rwandan Churches
Professor Philippe Denis with his new book.UKZN Theology academic Professor Philippe Denis launched his new book: The Genocide Against the Tutsi, and the Rwandan Churches: Between Grief and Denial (James Currey/Boydell & Brewer) at the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre.
The book, all about the response or lack of it to the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, focuses on the period of the genocide in 1994 and subsequent years up to 2000, examining the responses of the Catholic Church - the biggest and most complex - and the Presbyterian Church, which made an unconditional confession of guilt in 1996.
Drawing on interviews with genocide survivors, Rwandans in exile, missionaries and government officials as well as church archives and other sources, the book is a comprehensive academic study on Christianity and the genocide against the Tutsi. It explores contentious questions in depth and reveals the extent of internal diversity within the Christian churches.
Through a case study, Denis analyses in detail the role of the French Catholic priest Gabriel Maindron at La Crête Congo- NilCongo-Nil in which genocide survivors accuse the priest of having failed publicly to oppose the genocide and of having close links with the authorities and some of the perpetrators.
‘The book is the outcome of my research project funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) which spanned seven years and required half a dozen trips to Rwanda,’ said Denis. ‘I interviewed close to 100 witnesses in Rwanda and other countries in Africa and in Europe, some of them several times, and visited numerous archival collections. This resulted in an MOU between UKZN and the Protestant University of Rwanda in Huye (also known as Butare) and a joint conference in 2019. The proceedings were published by Cluster Publications under the title Memory Work in Rwanda.’
The new book is considered to be a key work for historians, memory studies and religion scholars and Africanists. The launch included a talk by historian and outgoing president of Ibuka France Dr Marcel Kabanda, titled: Rwanda 1994, the Catholic Church at the test of the Tutsi genocide.
To buy the book go to: https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781847012906/the-genocide-against-the-tutsi-and-the-rwandan-churches.
Professor Phillipe Denis, a Senior Professor at UKZN in the History of Christianity, is the founder and currently a Board member of the Sinomlando Centre for Oral History and Memory Work in Africa and an associate member of the Royal Academy of Belgium.
Words: Melissa Mungroo
Photograph: Supplied
author : .author email : .Academic Launches IsiZulu COVID-19 Animated Film for Children
Dr Maud Mthembu (left) hands Professor Matshepo Matoane (Dean of the School of Applied Human Sciences) a copy of her isiZulu book for children.Social Work senior lecturer, Dr Maud Mthembu has produced a short IsiZulu animated film for children.
The film is based on her book about COVID-19 titled: Uhambo Lwami Ngesikhathi seKhovithi - My journey during COVID-19.
The 10-minute film tells the story of Nsimu, a 10-year-old child whose family was affected by COVID-19 and the impact the disease had on the family. The story is told from Nsimu’s perspective and is intended for children aged six and older. It has subtitles in all South African languages and is used by non-government organisations in different communities in their child protection work.
Social workers and teachers used the book as a tool to help children share their journeys during COVID-19; however, children who could not read were left out unless someone read to them.
Said Mthembu: ‘Children enjoy animation and this was a cost-effective method to reach more children. Animation can also be used as a tool to initiate conversations with children about their personal life journeys during the time of COVID-19 and to teach them about the virus. Children need a platform to share these experiences and identify the type and form of support they need.’
She noted that caregivers in many families have experienced anxiety and distress as a result of COVID-19 and children observe these tensions.
‘Caregivers tend to avoid talking about difficult feelings and events because they want to protect children from distress. Others don’t know how to start such conversations. Animation can be used as a starting point to explore all family members’ personal stories. It is a child friendly resource that facilitates reflection and sharing of experiences and feelings as a family. We must come up with innovative methods to protect the psychological well-being of our children,’ said Mthembu.
She believes that the use of vernacular language brings the story alive, promoting inclusivity and social cohesion. ‘The use of IsiZulu was intentional in that as UKZN, we are committed to promoting the language that is widely spoken in the province. The story told in the book and animation is deeply rooted in the socio-cultural context of KwaZulu-Natal. It is therefore our responsibility to ensure that it is shared in IsiZulu. Children love hearing stories in their language and we want them to grow up with a sense of pride in speaking and reading their language.’
Mthembu hopes to obtain funding to make additional episodes ‘so that we can continue to tell the journey and adventures of children through the life of Nsimu. The book is now into the 7th language. We are already conceptualising a follow-up one about Nsimu’s journey.’
The video is available free of charge from Uhambo Lwami on the following link:
https://www.uhambolwami.org
Words: Melissa Mungroo
Photograph: Supplied
author : .author email : .UKZN Medical Alumnus Awarded French National Order of Merit
Dr Fareed Abdullah received the French Ordre National du Mérite.Click here for isiZulu version
A graduate of UKZN’s Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine (Class of 1987), Dr Fareed Abdullah, has received the French Ordre National du Mérite (National Order of Merit) for his work as a clinical researcher and public health scientist in the fight against HIV and TB.
The National Order of Merit, launched in 1963, is awarded by the President of France.
Abdullah currently serves as Director: Office of AIDS and TB Research at the South African Medical Research Council while holding a part-time appointment as an HIV clinician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria.
His illustrious career spans three decades during which he was:
• A member of the Steve Biko Academic Hospital Outbreak Response Team working as a clinician in the COVID-19 wards and assisting with fundraising and the provision of COVID-19-related equipment, staffing and infrastructure;
• A senior manager in the Western Cape Health Department for 12 years leading the implementation of antiretroviral treatment in the public sector;
• Africa Director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (Geneva) from 2008 to 2011;
• Chief Executive Officer of the South African National AIDS Council from 2012 to 2017;
• Co-chair of the South African National TB Think Tank.
Abdullah has received a variety of prestigious accolades for his work in public health medicine.
In 1996, he was awarded the Oliver Tambo Fellow in Public Health Leadership which recognises the outstanding potential and commitment to provide leadership through public health service towards improving health and healthcare for all South Africans; in 2004, he received the Gift of Life Award from the Elizabeth Glazer Foundation in recognition of work done to reduce the transmission of HIV from mother-to-child in South Africa, while in 2005, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Cape Town for his contribution to public health as head of the Provincial Antiretroviral Treatment Programme.
Commenting on his latest accolade, Abdullah said: ‘This award is really recognition for the entire collective of clinicians, academics and activists who have helped turn the tide against the HIV epidemic over two decades and frontline health workers who bore the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years.’
Words: MaryAnn Francis
Photograph: Supplied
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