Airing Durban’s “Dirty Linen”
Photographs from UKZN’s Gandhi-Luthuli Documentation Centre were included in an exhibition of Durban’s “shameful past”.Historic photographs from UKZN’s Gandhi-Luthuli Documentation Centre were featured in an exhibition highlighting Durban’s ‘Dirty Linen’.
The exhibition, titled: Dirty Linen, “Other” Durban, was run by Mr Leonard Rosenberg, co-ordinator of the Research of Curries and Surrounds (ROCS) research project and the Durban University of Technology Campus Planner.
According to Rosenberg, Dirty Linen “airs” the shameful past of the former Durban City Council, which established workers’ compounds - Magazine Barracks, Railway Barracks and Somtseu Road Hostel - and engineered a “dual town” which became the “non- European” CBD of Grey Street and Warwick Junction.
The “dirty linen” theme was displayed with images on cloth to resemble washing on a line.
Photographs from UKZN’s Documentation Centre highlight Magazine Barracks in Durban’s city centre.
The Documentation Centre houses a wide variety of collections, including photographs and information on the Black Consciousness Movement, papers and documents on struggle stalwart Phyllis Naidoo and the Indentured Indian Collection, among others.
The Centre’s Mr Thiru Munsamy said he was pleased the photographs were seen by a cross section of people. ‘The Centre has a wealth of information on the history of the country, particularly that of indentured Indian labourers as well as volumes of information about South African Indians dating back to the time of their arrival in South Africa.
‘The information on the Magazine Barracks was donated by individuals who wanted to share their experiences and the experiences of others about living in the Barracks,’ said Munsamy.
Raylene Captain-Hasthibeer
author : .author email : .Promoting Employee Wellness at UKZN
Staff at UKZN’s Wellness Day on the Westville campus. UKZN hosted a series of Wellness Days in August aimed at improving the health of staff on all five campuses and at the Africa Centre in Mtubatuba.
Driven by the UKZN Medical Scheme and the Human Resources Division, the goal was to promote the physical, mental and social well-being of staff.
UKZN Medical Scheme Principal Officer, Mrs Philippa Hempson, explained the benefits for staff who attend the sessions. ‘Knowing your current health state is the first step in ensuring your body can help you live life to the full, using the Wellness Day Pedometer Gift is the second!’
Discovery Health nurses were on hand to do cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar level tests as well as calculate BMI (Body Mass Index) levels. After filling in a quick online survey and inputting their test results, staff were provided with their “health age” and feedback on how to improve their wellbeing.
Sister Gertie Ndlovu of Diabetes South Africa listed the complications associated with diabetes which include strokes, blindness, heart attacks, kidney failure, impotence and amputations. She advised staff to eat healthy, drink lots of water, exercise regularly, and use the stairs instead of lifts to ward off or manage diabetes.
‘Steam, grill, bake or boil, please!’
Mr Ndumiso Dludla of ER24 said UKZN staff should dial 084 124 in medical emergencies. While ER24 was the preferred service provider for UKZN Medical Scheme members, the ambulance service was happy to assist with emergencies for the general public.
The HRD Department and UKZN Medical Scheme thanked the following departments and companies which helped make the events a success: Discovery Health, Virgin Active, Diabetes SA, third-year students from the Optometry Department, UKZN HIV/AIDS Clinic and ER24.
Staff were pampered with massages and manicures courtesy of Revitalise Day Spa and refreshed with Kauai smoothies.
Raylene Captain-Hasthibeer
author : .author email : .Isishoshovu Sezobulili EsiyisiFundiswa Siqokwe njeNgomfundisi ohlelweni lwezoBulili nezeNkolo
Isishoshovu sezoBulili nesiFundiswa uDkt Fatima Seedat.Click here for English version
Uhlelo lwezoBulili nezeNkolo lwase-UKZN lusanda kwamukela isishoshovu esihamba phambili kwezobulili nesiyisifundiswa uDkt Fatima Seedat njengoMfundisi.
Umsebenzi ka-Seedat omkhulu ukuxhumanisa i-Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights eyingxenye yeSikole sezeNkolo, ubuNzululwazi, nezaseMandulo.
Ekhuluma ngokuqala kwe Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, umholi walolu hlelo uSolwazi Sarojini Nadar uthe ezemfundo nezempilo zilokhu ziyizinhlangothi ezibalulekile ngokomlando emsebenzini womxhasi omkhulu wohlelo okuyi-Church of Sweden (CoS).
Ngenkathi kubhekwene nesimo sokuthi izinhloso zesi-4 neyesi-5 zenkulungwaneminyaka - okuwukunciphisa ukushona kwezingane nomama bazo- okwakubukeka sengathi ngeke zifezeke, i-CoS ibambisene ne-Swedish Development Agency yathatha isinqumo sokungenelela.
Ekuqaleni kwezi-2012 iCoS yaphakamisa enye yamasu amathathu okuyizifundo ze-Masters kwezoBulili, ezeNkolo nezempilo ukuze kubhekwane nemibono yezenkolo namasiko emhlabeni mayelana namalungelo athintene nezempilo kwezokuzala nezocansi, ubulili nokuzazi ubulili.
Ngonyaka wezi-2013 uhlelo lwaqalwa eTopiya, Thanzaniya, e-Stellenbosch nase-UKZN.
UNadar uthe kuyamthokozisa ukwamukela uSeedat njengengxenye yohlelo. ‘UDkt Seedat ufika namakhono nesipiliyoni esikhulu okumenza abe umuntu ofanelekile ukuxhumanisa lolu hlelo. I-PhD yakhe yaseNyuvesi yaseMcGill e-Montreal ibihlola ukuphathwa ngendlela enokucwasa kwabesifazane emthethweni wamaSulumane.’
‘Uthathe izindlela zokuhlaziya zomlando wobunzululwazi kwezamalungelo abesifazane, izifundo ezimqoka kwezomthetho nezifundo ngomzimba wowesifazane ukuze ahlaziye ukuthi umthetho wamaSulumane uwuthatha kanjani umzimba womuntu wesifazane nobulili bakhe ngaphansi komthetho,’ kusho uNadar.
USeedat ugxile kakhulu ocwaningweni lwakhe ekubhekeni ukuthi ukwahluka ngobulili kwakha kanjani umehluko ngokwenhlalo. Ngokuzinikela kwakhe ezinhlelweni zoguquko kwezenhlalo nomthetho, umsebenzi wakhe wesikhathi eside uhlola ukuhlangana komlando namasiko ekwakhekeni kokuhluka kobulili, luhlole nezobulili ngokwezinkambiso zesimanje nezindlela zomthetho ezintsha.
Uphinde abe neziqu ze-Masters ezifundweni zobulili nokuguquka kwesimo senhlalo azithole kwi-African Gender Institute eNyuvesi yaseKapa neziqu zenkolo nezepolitiki zaseNyuvesi yase-Toronto.
Ngaphambi kokuqala izifundo zakhe zobudokotela ngonyaka wezi-1998 kuya kwizi-2001, usebenze njengePhini loMqondisi ehhovisi lephalamende lekhomishana yezokulinganiswa kobulili. Ubuye waba nezikhundla ezahlukene kwiHhovisi Lezamalungelo Abantu, uMnyango Wezangaphandle nezikhundla zokufundisa eNyuvesi yaseKapa neyase-McGill.
Ngonyaka wezi-2000 wasungula iShura Yabafazi okuyinhlangano ezimele yaseNingizimu Afrika elwela ukulinganiswa ngokobulili emthethweni womndeni wamaSulumane futhi kusukela ngezi-2009 ubengummeli we-Musawah okuyinhlangane yabesifazane yamazwe ngamazwe.
Emisebenzini yakhe emidala kubalwa ucwaningo nokubhalela i-Knowing Our Rights okuyincwajana yamaSulumane yezomthetho wasekhaya waphinde wabhala ngokuhlanganyela i-Women’s Rights in Muslim Communities : A resource Guide for Human Rights Educators for Equitas International Centre for Human Rights (eMontreal).
Njengoba ezalelwe eThekwini wakhulela Esiphingo, uDkt Seedat uthe, ‘Kuyangithokozisa ukubuyela ekhaya futhi kuyinhlanhla ukuba yingxenye ye-Genger and Religion Programme.’
‘Imibono ngamalungelo ezempilo yezokuzala nocansi akhiwe kakhulukazi, kodwa ngokungenhloso, yimibono yezokholo mayelana nokwehluka kobulili. Njengoba kukhula indima edlalwa yinkolo kwezobuhlanga, ubuzwe nezendawo eNingizimu Afrika, lokhu kuyithuba elihle lomsebenzi wokuhlangana kobulili, inkolo namalungelo ezempilo yezokuzala nocansi. Nginethemba lokuthi nezinye izinhlelo zizothola ubudlelwano nalo msebenzi futhi ngikulindele nokusebenzisana nabanye ukuze siqhube lezi zingxoxo.’
USeedat umagange ukuthuthukisa iqeqeba longqondongqondo emkhakheni wezobulili, ezenkolo nezempilo. Lolu hlelo lunemifundaze eyishumi yabafundi beziqu ze-Masters. USeedat utholakala ku-seedatf@ukzn.ac.za uma udinga eminye imininingwane.
Ibhalwe ngu-Mellisa Mungroo
author : .author email : .info4africa Launches KZN Series 7 Support Services Directory
info4africa staff with their new 2014 Series 7 Support Services Directory.info4africa, a self-funded Centre of the School of Applied Human Sciences, recently launched their 2014 KwaZulu-Natal info4africa Series 7 support services directory.
The directory contains detailed information on over 2 300 organisations in KwaZulu-Natal which are involved in health, wellbeing and development service provision.
‘Vulnerable people or families often need support in a number of areas. Our referral directory contains full details of organisations providing services and support to vulnerable groups in all areas of the province,’ said info4africa Director, Ms Debbie Heustice.
‘The directory is designed to assist support service providers in the valuable work that they do with vulnerable groups.
‘Service providers can use this directory to connect with service organisations in any area of the province and to refer clients to organisations for additional support and assistance,’ said Heustice.
The directory forms part of the info4africa national data base.
* For more information on the KwaZulu-Natal Series 7 Support Services Database and Directory or information on how to best use the directory or the networking forums to support your work, contact the centre at email: media@info4africa.org.za.
Melissa Mungroo
author : .author email : .Humanities Student part of Champion Choir
Third-year Social Sciences student Ms Zinhle Madela. Third-year Social Sciences student Ms Zinhle Madela recently featured in the televised reality talent contest Clash of the Choirs SA as a member of the victorious KwaZulu-Natal team - Team Robbie (Robbie Malinga).
The second season of the competition saw seven choirs from seven provinces, under the leadership of seven celebrity choirmasters, in the running for the title.
After battling it out against competitors from Gauteng and Mpumalanga, Madela and her team were crowned the reigning champions receiving a R750 000 cash prize of which they donated R250 000 to their chosen charity Ikhwezi Welfare Organisation.
It all began for Madela, when she underwent a gruelling audition before being selected to be part of the 20-strong KZN choir. ‘The experience was priceless and worth it. It has taught me to be persistent, to respect time, respect the people that I’m working with and to do my best at all times,’ she said.
‘Working on a TV show was cool and so is the fame that has come with it. All the calls and interviews have boosted my self-esteem. The spotlights, cameras and music were our daily bread. The taste of that lifestyle was great but it also demanded hard work.’
Madela’s love for music began at an early age while singing at church. Her career blossomed and she soon began performing for events before landing the spot on Clash of the Choirs SA.
Madela has managed to keep up with her studies, submitting assignments via email in between rehearsals. She returned to campus to write her exams before heading back to Johannesburg for the show.
‘This competition has allowed me to make a link between my talent and my career which is ?my dream. My education has been the main resource in furthering my talent in music.’
Her advice to other musicians? ‘It’s important to nurture, groom, manage and build? your talent and that comes with learning extra things that will help you. But mostly don't give up on your talent.’
Madela hopes to become a professional singer and business woman within the next five years.
Melissa Mungroo
author : .author email : .UKZN’s Centre for Jazz Celebrates Women’s Day
Jazz Vocalist Thobeka Langa.UKZN’s Centre for Jazz and Popular Music recently hosted up and coming Pietermaritzburg-based jazz vocalist Thobeka Langa, who gave a stellar performance against the backdrop of National Women’s Day.
‘Women’s month to me means celebrating the full meaning of being a woman in a profound and powerful way,’ said Langa.
‘It is an opportunity to celebrate the struggles and achievements of women. With the music that I played at UKZN, I celebrated the lives of our legends, the likes of Miriam Makeba and all those who fought for our voices to be heard.
‘My performance portrayed the music of the younger generation of women together with original compositions speaking about love as perceived by women,’ said Langa.
She developed her love for music at a very young age, singing at grass roots level with a community gospel group in Pietermaritzburg called Change. She later enrolled to study Performing Arts at the Mbongeni Ngema Academy. After completing her Matric, she pursued her music studies at UKZN.
Langa completed her BPrac MUS degree, earning a merit in performance. In her final year of study, she was a part of a group of students selected to represent the University and the School of Arts at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond in the United States for an ongoing Music Exchange Programme.
Her other achievements include being offered a scholarship to study towards her Master’s degree at the North Carolina Central University in the United States.
Melissa Mungroo
author : .author email : .F-Words Explored in Inaugural Lecture
Professor Sarojini Nadar (second right) with her family at her Inaugural Lecture. Negotiating the “F-words” in Academia: “Faith” and “Feminism” within Contexts of Gender-Based Violence, was the title of the Inaugural Lecture of Professor Sarojini Nadar of UKZN’s Gender and Religion Studies.
Delivering the Lecture to a packed hall on the Howard College campus, Nadar proposed that the persistence of gender-based violence was the result of an over-reliance on legislation to promote gender equity, without recognising that beliefs about gender were more likely to be deeply rooted within cultural and religious world views than the Constitution.
She thus identified the essential need for critical research and teaching in this area.
Nadar’s Lecture traced her decade-long journey researching and teaching within gender and religion; on feminism and faith and the intersections between them in a post-apartheid public higher education context.
The Lecture opened with a discussion about challenges facing this fundamentally inter-disciplinary field within South African academia and society. A critical review of Nadar’s publications, pedagogy, and praxis followed in order to identify the challenges and opportunities for future research and teaching in this area.
In the light of Women’s Month activities, Nadar said the feminist roots of the commemoration were lost in what she called “pink goodie bag” occasions.
‘Pink goodie occasions happen throughout the month of August. My biggest concern about these occasions is that big corporates open the doors to a few hours of facial pampering sessions for women in this month, while for the rest of the year they slam the boardroom doors of decision making in the faces of those very same women,’ said Nadar.
Referring to an opinion piece in the Mail and Guardian in 2008, she asked the question about how we got from ‘Wathint’ Abafazi! Wathint’ Imbokodo’ to pink goodie bags as the hallmark of what essentially should be a month for feminist reflection and action.
Nadar also proclaimed that she was an angry feminist. ‘I am angry about gender inequity and patriarchy in general but more specifically I am angry about how this gender inequity and patriarchy in popular discourse is not recognised as the root cause of the scourge of gender-based violence, particularly sexual violence.’
She went on to cite various cases such as the rape and beating of women at taxi-ranks for wearing mini-skirts, the killing of lesbians as part of a measure called “corrective rape” to “teach” them how to love men and even the abduction of 200 Nigerian girls by Boko Haram.
Nadar said had spent the last decade talking and writing about the anger created by gender-based violence as well as teaching about it and engaging communities on it.
‘People who study faith and religion such as feminist scholars are treated like a strange lunatic fringe. This of course is rather peculiar given that theology was the founding discipline of the modern university as we know it, and the pomp and ceremony you are witnessing here today is largely modelled on the church rituals,’ she said.
She also explored epistemic violence in relation to feminism and academia describing it as that ‘which occurs when scholarly discussions are silenced on the basis of a perceived lack of scientific rigour, or by denying access to certain groups of scholars through policing the intellectual borders of knowledge production. It is when a peer reviewer sends your article back with a comment: “This is not scholarly it is feminist”,’ said Nadar.
She went on to discuss her journey of negotiating faith and feminism in the academic world, including research studies with various other academics which added to the volume of work in such areas of research.
Her closing lecture remarks borrowed in part from Martin Luther King Junior. She said: ‘I have a dream that I will not have to negotiate the “F” words in academia anymore. That the “F” words will be mainstreamed and embraced as important for academic reflection as well as communal praxis; I have a dream that we will recognise the discursive significance of these words for political, academic and social freedoms.’
‘I have a dream that we will align these words with another “F” word – freedom. Just like the world shifted their understanding from Nelson Mandela the terrorist to Nelson Mandela the freedom fighter, I too long for the day when we will see how important fanatic feminism is for freedom fighting.’
Melissa Mungroo
author : .author email : .R32 Million Injection to Support and Encourage Breastfeeding in KZN
Together here are (from left) Centre for Rural Health (CRH) Director, Dr Bernhard Gaede; Associate Professor: Paediatrics and Child Health at UKZN, Professor Anna Coutsoudis; CRH Deputy-Director, Dr Christiane Horwood; Director for Nutrition: KZN Department of Health Ms Lenore Spies, and CRH Researcher, Miss Ntokozo Mntambo.UKZN’s Centre for Rural Health and Department of Paediatrics in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has embarked on a three-year project to support and encourage exclusive breastfeeding in KZN.
The project, which will cost about R32 million, is being sponsored by KZN’s Department of Health (DoH) and the Elma Foundation and is titled: “KwaZulu-Natal Initiative for Breastfeeding Support (KIBS)”. The project ends in May, 2017.
Speaking at the project’s official launch during International Breastfeeding Week, the Director for Nutrition at the KZN DoH, Ms Lenore Spies, said the province had a high breastfeeding initiation rate while mothers of infants were still in hospital. However, their rate of continuation dropped once they were discharged, notwithstanding that exclusive breastfeeding had multiple benefits for both the infant and mother.
‘Mothers also need to know that their milk is not only valuable to their own baby. It can save the lives of other babies too,’ said Spies.
In South Africa, HIV and AIDS and childhood infections (most commonly lower respiratory infections and diarrhoea) are the major causes of child deaths, and responsible for the majority of childhood illness. Malnutrition remains an important underlying cause of child mortality.
Optimal nutrition during infancy and childhood is critical to ensure optimal child health, growth and development. It has been estimated that 830 000 newborn deaths could be prevented each year if all infants were given breastmilk in the first hour of life.
A child healthcare problem identification programme audit of child deaths in participating hospitals found that 60% of under-fives who died were underweight for age while one third were severely malnourished.
According to KZN’s Department of Health, in order to help babies achieve optimal growth, development and health; all infants should be exclusively breastfed for the child’s first six months.
The KIBS project aims to improve breastfeeding rates among the most vulnerable newborns in KZN by strengthening the provision of human milk banking to increase access to the milk for sick and small neonates by 2017. To achieve this, human milk banks will be set up in 11 regional hospitals.
The second objective of the project is to strengthen, support and promote breastfeeding in health institutions in a bid to increase early and exclusive breastfeeding within KwaZulu-Natal communities by March 2017. To achieve this, the DOH will create posts for 56 lactation advisors to support initiation of breastfeeding in all hospitals in KZN. The Department has already employed over 500 nutrition advisors based in every primary health care facility, and this project will mentor and up-skill these advisors by providing additional on-site support.
This project will also develop the skills of 228 community health facilitators to support community caregivers to improve breastfeeding at the household level.
The third objective is to increase acceptability of breastfeeding and human milk banking within KZN communities through community engagement and media messaging. A number of publicity drives promoting exclusive breastfeeding will be held in communities to create an awareness of its importance and relevance.
The fourth objective is to monitor and evaluate the effect of interventions to promote breastfeeding on infant feeding practices in KwaZulu-Natal. Main activities would involve establishing the rates of exclusive breastfeeding at 14 weeks before commencing and on completion of the project. In addition an evaluation will be conducted on the use of community caregivers, nutritional advisors and lactation advisors to support mothers to exclusively breastfeed during pregnancy, delivery, and the first six months of life.
Patrick and Shannon Kenny who attended the launch of the KIBS project with their one-year-old daughter said exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of baby Anna’s life had been vital. Not only did she receive the necessary nutritional benefits from the breast milk, but this option saved on not having to buy baby formula.
Guests also heard from Ms Nokukhanya Nzama – a breastfeeding counsellor at UKZN’s Paediatrics Department and former member of the Cato Manor Clinic’s breastfeeding group – who shared a moving testimonial of why donating breast milk to orphans and vulnerable children was the best gift a mother could give. ‘It’s something they can’t get from anywhere else,’ she said.
In line with the Tshwane Declaration of support for breastfeeding which was endorsed by the National Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi in 2011, it is the shared vision of UKZN and the KZN DoH to see breastfeeding promotion go hand-in-hand with human milk banks in the province.
UKZN’S global expert in breastfeeding, Professor Anna Coutsoudis, said in addition to thoroughly educating health care workers, communities and mothers, this goal should be achieved through communication and awareness campaigns across KZN.
According to the World Health Organization, breast milk is the natural first food for babies as it provides all the energy and nutrients the infant needs for the first six months of life and continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to one-third during the second year of life.
MaryAnn Francis and Lunga Memela
author : .author email : .Genetic Study Indicates two Novel Resistance Loci for Severe Malaria in Africa
Professor Ziegler (middle back) and attendants at the Seminar.With malaria causing around one million fatalities per year among African children, it is important to understand how the disease is influenced by the environment, anti-malarial drugs and human genetics. However, the full impact of human genetics on resistance to the disease remains largely unexplored.
Professor Andreas Ziegler from the University of Lübeck, Germany, who is taking a 6-month sabbatical at UKZN, presented a lecture at UKZN’s Westville campus on his recent publication in Nature that has identified two novel resistance loci at Human Genome that protects for severe Malaria in Africa.
Professor Ziegler started his lecture by explaining that researchers cannot study malaria in a location where the conditions are not suitable for the parasite to thrive, which is why many researchers of malaria study the infection in Africa, East Asia and South America.
Professor Ziegler and collaborators examined 2 662 malaria cases and 2 200 controls in Kumasi, Ghana, in order to detect if there is genetic differences that predispose to the disease. The researchers conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS), an approach which has been used to identify genetic risk factors in many areas, such as cardiology, gastroenterology or oncology. However, in malaria and other infectious diseases, these studies have been only partly successful.
Professor Ziegler explained that malaria genetics are challenging due to the three components: the human being, the environment and the parasite. ‘Malaria infection depends on the age of the patient and their location of the disease, geographically. There are high exposition levels for those of younger age. Gender wise, girls who work in households and have to fetch water have a different exposure to infectious diseases than boys.
‘While age plays a role, there are big variabilities. The researchers took careful control to make sure that the cases and controls matched were in ethnicity, age and gender in order to determine if there were any patterns in the contraction of the disease.’
Through the use of GWAS approach his research group helped to unravel relevant genetic variants that protect against malaria. Professor Ziegler and his colleagues identified two previously unknown loci for severe falciparum malaria. ‘One of the loci was identified on chromosome 1q32 within the ATP2B4 gene, which encodes the main calcium pump of erythrocytes. The second was indicated by an intergenic single nucleotide polymorphism on chromosome 16q22.2, possibly linked to a neighbouring gene encoding the tight-junction protein MARVELD3. The findings underline the potential of the GWAS approach to provide candidates for the development of control measures against infectious diseases in humans.’
Publication details: Timmann C, Thye T, Vens M, Evans J, May J, Ehmen C, Sievertsen J, Muntau B, Ruge G, Loag W, Ansong D, Antwi S, Asafo-Adjei E, Nguah SB, Kwakye KO, Akoto AO, Sylverken J, Brendel M, Schuldt K, Loley C, Franke A, Meyer CG, Agbenyega T, Ziegler A, Horstmann RD 2012. Genome-wide association study indicates two novel resistance loci for severe malaria. Nature 489:443-6. doi: 10.1038/nature11334.
Professor Andreas Ziegler is Head of the Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics at Lübeck University, Germany. He is currently a visiting Professor of Biostatistics on sabbatical based in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, Pietermaritzburg campus.
The lecture was arranged in association with The Wellcome Trust Africa Centre Genomics Programme, UKZN MRC Flagship project and UKZN’s School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science as part of a monthly seminar series to present multidisciplinary and high-impact research in Africa. For more info on the seminar series, please visit http://www.bioafrica.net/seminars.php
Zakia Jeewa
author : .author email : .Scores of Projects Featured at Science Expo at UKZN
Mr Tyrique Byroo, a Grade 9 pupil from Star College, presented a project on Energy Innovations at the FFS Expo for Young Scientists titled: “It’s a Berry Bright Future”. About 250 youngsters from KwaZulu-Natal schools displayed more than 180 projects at the recent FFS Science Expo for Young Scientists.
Now in its 30th year, the Expo was held on UKZN’s Edgewood campus.
Chief organiser of the Expo and Associate Professor in UKZN’s School of Chemistry and Physics, Professor Bice Martincigh, said: ‘I was impressed with the quality of the projects this year. We awarded more projects than in previous years, which proves the higher quality.’
Main sponsors, FFS Refiners, are also sponsoring about 25 of the top achievers and a group of disadvantaged young scientists on a four-day tour in October of various sites of scientific interest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, including the Drakensberg Pumping Station, the Wits University Planetarium, the Hartbeeshoek Radio and Astronomy Observatory, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s Laser Research Centre, Pretoria Zoo, Tswaing Mereorite Crater, Sterkfontein Caves, and the NECSAR Atomic Energy Corporation at Pelindaba.
The award for the best Senior Project went to Tashic Nataal, a Grade 10 pupil at Star College in Durban for a project in the Electronics and Robotics category titled: “Autonomous Automobile”.
The award for the best Junior Project went to Dani Janse Van Rensburg, a Grade 7 learner at Kloof High School, for her project, “Alien: Friend or Foe”, in the Conservation and Environmental Studies category.
Said Chief Operating Officer at FFS Refiners, Mr Andrew Channing: ‘We believe that a country’s future is linked to the development of science and technology among high school learners, as this is where our scientists and engineers will come from.
‘We are proud to be sponsors of the FFS Expo for Young Scientists, as in so doing we are encouraging young learners to consider a career in the science and technology field.’
Article courtesy of the Pinetown Izindaba
author : .author email : .Energy Efficiency Pilot Project Achieves Healthy Results
UKZN staff and industrial partners at the Green Oliver Tambo Building Energy Efficiency Pilot Project. Encouraging results - including a 20% energy costs saving - have been achieved by a commercial building energy efficiency pilot project initiated at UKZN’s Oliver Tambo building in May last year, industrial sponsors of the project heard at a recent workshop.
The aim of the ongoing project is to determine the impact of double glazed windows and thermal insulation to establish whether they result in a reduction of energy consumption in air-conditioning and associated financial savings. For these purposes only two floors were selected one being totally retrofitted and the other serving as a reference floor as each had similar levels of usage and occupancy.
The four-storey Oliver Tambo building was selected for the project for a variety of reasons including:
• The front section of the building is sun facing and gets direct morning sunlight
• The rear section is shaded and only gets limited sun
• The rear and front offices are separated by a common passage
• There is no restriction for the sunlight onto the front facing offices
• The occupants of the front facing offices complain about the heat
• The occupants of the rear facing offices complain about the cold especially when the front facing offices have air-conditioning on
• Air-conditioning is supplied by a central chiller unit which only runs during the day with individual unit control for each office.
The industrial sponsors and project partners are REHAU, The Cape Windows Group, National Glass, GVK-Siya Zama, Saint-Gobain and Eskom.
Following initial research and based on measurements taken it was decided it would only be necessary to make changes to the sun facing side of the building as the rear facing side was hardly affected by the sun due to the shading offered by the bank and trees at the rear of the building. As such nine sun-facing, first floor aluminium windows were replaced with 20 mm double-glazed uPVC windows manufactured from the UV stable REHAU Ecotec system.
The Cape Windows Group manufactured the casement windows and fixed glazed units, National Glass sponsored the glass for the windows, a GVK-Siya Zama team removed the aluminium windows and installed the uPVC windows, and Saint-Gobain installed ETICS - a polystyrene thermal insulation panel system which was fitted to the outside wall of the installation area.
This specific floor of the Oliver Tambo building was chosen for the energy saving study as it receives direct sunlight, resulting in uncomfortably high temperatures in the offices and subsequent high usage of air-conditioning. In addition it was decided to run the chiller 24/7 instead of the normal daily operation.
The workshop was hosted at UKZN with participants from Eskom, the Department of Energy, SANEDI and the German Embassy representing the German Ministry of Economy and Technology.
The event was opened by Mr Gerhard Gross of Energy Consult and Trade who gave a brief introduction about the project and the different industrial role players. This was followed by the welcome and introduction by Mr M Mfusi of Campus Management Services.
UKZN Energy Consultant, Mr Gregory Diana, said results so far indicated that despite switching to 24/7 air conditioning and with 2014 experiencing much higher daily differential and average temperatures, a 20% energy cost saving was achieved in May 2014.
Diana said measurements of room temperatures on the pilot floor which were retrofitted with double glazed Upvc windows and thermal cladding were shown to have average temperatures lower than the reference floor above it.
A thermal camera was used to compare the heat of an uPVC window with an existing aluminium window on the same side of the second floor. Diana said at an outside temperature of 35°C, the thermal scan of a double-glazed uPVC window read 38°C and an aluminium window 52°C, representing an improvement of 36%.
The University will publish the results of the ongoing project.
Leena Rajpal
author : .author email : .UKZN Aerospace Systems Research Group unveils Phoenix -1A Hybrid Rocket
The Phoenix – 1A Hybrid Rocket was unveiled by UKZN’s Aerospace Systems Research Group.UKZN’s Aerospace Systems Research Group unveiled the Phoenix-1A Hybrid Rocket recently in front of excited onlookers who heard project leader Mr Jean Pitot outline the history of the projectile.
The rocket was designed and engineered by Masters students working within the Mechanical Engineering discipline.
Established in 2009, the Aerospace Systems Research Group led by Mr Michael Brooks and Mr Jean Pitot focuses on the development of propulsion systems.
The Phoenix Hybrid Sounding Rocket Programme aims to develop a series of small sub-orbital or sounding rockets that will eventually carry scientific instruments into the upper atmosphere. The instruments will be used to gather measurements and then be brought back to earth where researchers can analyse the data.
The Phoenix-1A rocket is a prototype that will be used to test basic systems, however it will not be used for sounding purposes.
After the launch of the prototype at a range in the Western Cape later this year, researchers intend to develop more powerful variants that will conduct upper atmospheric physics research.
The Phoenix is regarded as a “hybrid rocket”, meaning it uses a solid fuel made of wax and a liquid oxidiser consisting of nitrous oxide. The rocket will not go into space as it is sub-orbital with researchers expecting it to reach an altitude of about 5km. The motor of the rocket burns for 20 seconds and produces a maximum thrust of three kilonewtons.
The unveiling of the rocket was attended by Dean and Head of School, Professor Cristina Trois, and Mechanical Engineering Academic leader, Professor Glen Bright, who were both presented with Phoenix rocket shirts.
Trois and Bright addressed the gathering expressing their excitement about the rocket project and wished the team well in their future endeavours.
Prashina Kallideen
author : .author email : .Engineering Research Centres link with Industry
UKZN Engineering staff and students on site at Pfisterer.UKZN’s Vibration Research and Testing Centre (VRTC) and High Voltage Direct Current Centre (HVDC), which form part of the Eskom Centre of Excellence in HVDC Engineering on the Westville campus, recently linked up for visits to Pfisterer, Aberdare and Preformed Line Products (PLP), all situated in Pietermaritzburg.
The aim of the industry tours was to expose students to the engineering environment and to search for new partnerships with local industry.
All the companies visited are suppliers of mechanical components for overhead transmission lines which is a major area of research activity at the VRTC and HVDC Research Laboratories.
The tour group was accompanied by UKZN senior staff member and Director of the Eskom Centre of Excellence in HVDC Engineering, Dr Innocent Davidson, as well as Mr Pravesh Moodley of VRTC.
UKZN students included three undergraduate Mechanical Engineering final year students who are working on design projects at the VRTC engineering laboratory; two postgraduate students from the VRTC, and four postgraduate students from the HVDC engineering laboratory.
The students said that they found the exposure to industry very rewarding.
* Background on the Eskom Centre of Excellence in HVDC Engineering
The Eskom Centre of Excellence (CoE) at UKZN, which also serves as the Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute (EPPEI) Specialisation Centre in High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Engineering, is a multi-disciplinary research centre which focuses on research in technology relating to HVDC, power systems (including lines) and power electronics relating to AC systems.
The Centre engages in applied scientific research and technology development in support of the National Development Plan (NDP) of the South African Government, to improve the living standards of people in the South African society and to contribute towards nation building. The purpose of the Centre is to contribute to South Africa’s engineering and scientific expertise through its own fundamental and applied research, and through collaborative work with others. The multidisciplinary nature of the Centre is reflected in its current and future research activities with industry and community-based development projects. The Centre engages in inter-disciplinary approaches to the resolution of real-world engineering problems facing the electric power industry.
This CoE at UKZN has the following four operational research laboratories:
• HVDC Laboratory which focuses on High Voltage Direct Current (DC)
• HVAC Laboratory which focuses on High Voltage Alternating Current (AC)
• SMART Grid Research Laboratory which is a state-of-the-art modern facility, the first of its kind in Africa for training and research development (modelling,
• Vibration Research and Testing Centre (VRTC) which focuses on overhead transmission lines, mechanics of conductors, insulators, line supports and vibration analysis
Dr Innocent Davidson
author : .author email : .Agricultural Innovators build Problem-Solving Skills and Strategies for Africa
Discussing strategy are (from left) UKZN’s Dr Kwasi Sackey Yobo (Plant Pathology), Dr Rose Mboya (Food Security) and Dr Unathi Kolanisi (Food Security). Despite strong economic growth over the past years, food insecurity plagues more than 20% of South Africa’s population and threatens development gains.
Researchers throughout South Africa, including those at UKZN, are leading efforts to support both economic growth and food security at home and in neighbouring countries.
To advance collaborative efforts to solve food security challenges, US-based non-profit organisation, the Global Knowledge Initiative (GKI), recently convened finalists from the partnership-forging Learning and Innovation Network for Knowledge and Solutions (LINK) programme for intensive training hosted by the University of Stellenbosch.
GKI designed LINK to build networks of innovators and entrepreneurs primed to solve pressing challenges in the developing world. The Stellenbosch training launched the 2014 LINK programme, which is sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
In early 2014, an international Technical Review Committee chose Dr Geofrey Arinaitwe, Managing Director of BioCrops Uganda Ltd, and his research team as LINK winners; and one team from Uganda and two from South Africa as finalists – including a team from UKZN.
UKZN’s Dr Rose Mboya, Dr Unathi Kolanisi and Dr Kwasi Yobo focused on mitigating the negative effects of mycotoxin contamination in maize in Tanzania and South Africa. Dr Mboya and her team aim to improve food security and local health.
The other South African finalist team, made up of Dr Sandy Turketti and Dr Elke Crouch of Stellenbosch University, looked to develop training programmes with universities and government institutions to educate and empower farmers to address local agricultural needs.
To enable these teams to create viable, scalable solutions, GKI introduced them to problem solving tools designed to help them innovate collaboratively. Over three days of training, participants from the two South African teams worked to clarify the scope of their challenges, developed a common purpose among team members, identified areas for further fact-finding, and practiced techniques to prototype possible solutions
Training participants were keen to learn about new projects and challenges and also to apply their diverse backgrounds to help one another ask questions, develop prototypes, and envision possible pathways to change.
Mboya shared how the training activities inspired a shift in her team’s focus: ‘Initially we assumed raising awareness in agriculture communities was the way forward - the solution,’ she said. ‘But we realised that raising awareness is just part of the solution, along with education and training.’
Armed with these new insights and skills, the South African LINK teams can effectively take actions on their respective challenges.
- GKI is a non-profit organisation with the mission of stimulating collaborative networks of individuals and institutions to solve development challenges pertinent to science, technology, and innovation. With operations in Africa, Asia, and North America, GKI helps researchers, entrepreneurs, and others locate resources critical for problem solving; it enables effective collaboration by building skills and designing shared agendas, and connects resources and partners into durable networks, all with the goal of solving pressing development challenges.
- For more information on the LINK programme contact Program Officer Andrew Gerard at andrew.gerard@gkinitiative.org
Source: Global Knowledge Initiative press release.
author : .author email : .UKZN Student Law Review hosts Training Workshop for its Editors
UKZN’s Student Law Review committee.The UKZN Student Law Review (SLR) hosted a highly successful training workshop for its editors and reviewers from both the Howard College and Pietermaritzburg campuses as well as members of the SLR Academic Advisory Board.
Board members included the SLR Managing Editor, Professor Yousuf Vawda; the Dean and Head of the School of Law, Professor Managay Reddi; Professor Shannon Hoctor, Advocate Devina Perumal, Professor Nomthandazo Ntlama and Mr Chris Gevers as well as staff members Professor Ed Couzens and Mr Norman Raphulu.
The aim of the workshop was to train the editors and reviewers in the execution of their various duties on the SLR which was launched last year at two colourful ceremonies in Durban and Pietermaritzburg and has to date published its inaugural issue online while it is currently preparing the second issue for publication in September.
Hoctor, the current Editor-in-Chief of the South African Journal of Criminal Justice and Assistant Editor of the Obiter, addressed the workshop on the tasks involved in and skills required for the editing and running an academic journal.
Couzens, who is actively engaged in research in Environmental Law, spoke about the importance of having a consistently formatted journal as well as related presentation issues.
Gevers, whose research focuses on International Law, addressed the gathering on aspects involved in running a student law journal, giving comparative insights on how law schools in the United States ran their student law journals. He submitted a number of important suggestions on how to inspire students to write academic papers and how to nurture writing while identifying inspiring and nurturing student writing as key deliverables separating the UKZN SLR from other student journals in South Africa.
The workshop raised important concerns regarding originality of submissions with Vawda addressing the perennially topical issue of plagiarism. Other issues discussed included respecting the freedom of writers to decide how to express their academic opinions, the process of blind review, consistency in editing, and the possibility of publishing articles in isiZulu.
Going forward, a number of doors are open for the SLR to explore and expand, and to demolish hierarchical norms which are common place in law reviews.
Addressing this, Gevers said: ‘Write about things that are not popular and things that make people angry. Pair student writers with lecturers.’
The workshop was used as a forum for intellectual debate. Issues were raised, debated, questioned and answered. Solutions to research-related problems experienced by academics and students alike were proposed, making it a successful event that the SLR hopes to repeat annually.
Reddi praised the workshop and the SLR project, pledging the support of the Law School and expressing trust that the project would grow from strength to strength.
* The UKZN Student Law Review is run by student editors, among whom are its founders. The team comprises Editor-in-Chief Mr Musa Kika, Ms Aideen Ross, Ms Priyanka Naidoo, Ms Londiwe Goba, Ms Samantha Walford, Ms Beatrice Moyo, Mr Amin Matola, Mr Tafadzwa Dhlakama, Ms Lavanya Pillay, Mr Ngonidzashe Mupure, Ms Phumla Tom and Ms Ntokozo Memela.
To view the first issue of the UKZN Student Law Review, follow this link: http://ukznstudentlawreview.wix.com/home#!first-issue/c21y4
Priyanka Naidoo and Musa Kika
author : .author email : .UKZN Academic Represents SA at Conference in Ireland
UKZN Academic Development Officer, Ms Benina Mkhonto (second from right) with conference participants.The Academic Development Officer for the Discipline of Biokinetics, Exercise and Leisure Sciences, Ms Benina Mkhonto, was at the University of Maynooth in Ireland for a week representing South Africa at the Alternative to Violence Project International (AVPI).
Mkhonto, who also attended a pre-Conference on Discernment which is an advanced AVP training event, was selected for the opportunity through the AVP KZN-Network management committee via the nomination process. The trip was sponsored by the government of Ireland and the AVPI Board. At the conference she facilitated two workshops on AVP in schools and at universities.
AVP is a training programme that enables participants to deal with potentially violent situations in new and creative ways. Mkhonto said workshops were experiential, non-residential and run by trained facilitators.
‘Our workshops use the shared experience of participants, interactive exercises, games and role-play to examine the ways in which we respond to situations where injustice, prejudice, frustration and anger can lead to aggressive behaviour and violence,’ said Mkhonto.
According to Mkhonto, an AVP workshop can help participants manage strong feelings such as anger and fear; deal more effectively with risk and danger; build good relationships with other people; communicate well in difficult situations; recognise skills they already have and learn new ones, and understand why conflict happens.
She said AVP was a network of volunteers running workshops for anyone who wanted to find ways of resolving conflict without resorting to violence. The project organisers work in the community and in prisons.
‘The thinking behind AVP is that we understand that conflict is a natural and normal part of life, and that it is possible to learn new ways of handling it. By holding workshops in which the participants consider the underlying causes of friction and violence, practical ways of dealing with situations of conflict are worked out,’ said Mkhonto.
The workshops build on everyday experiences and are designed to help people move away from violent or abusive behaviour by developing other ways of dealing with conflicts.
‘They help us to increase the respect we have for ourselves and others,’ Mkhonto said.
AVP began in a New York prison in 1975 at the request of long-term prisoners. A workshop was held for youth coming into conflict with the law. The success of this workshop quickly generated requests for more, and the programme soon spread to many other prisons.
It soon became obvious that violence and the need for this training exist as much outside prison as within, and that people from all walks of life and circumstances were exposed to violence in some way, whether physical or psychological.
This programme has now spread to over 50 countries around the world, including New Zealand, Costa Rica, Israel, Russia and South Africa.
The Alternatives to Violence Project is an international voluntary movement which organises workshops empowering people to lead non-violent lives, based on respecting and caring for ourselves and others.
Mkhonto is currently the Chairperson of the KZN-APV-Network and based on her passion and great leadership qualities, she was nominated to stand for AVPI Vice-President. She has been involved with AVP since 2007 through student leadership courses run by Ms Mary Odendaal every mid-year vacation period.
Mkhonto said she was very grateful for the opportunity to attend the conference for the first time and had the privilege to interact and make friends with some of the 154 delegates from 43 countries at the workshop.
Nombuso Dlamini
author : .author email : .BCOM Accounting Students Excel at Student Leadership Summit
SAICA Leadership Summit participants Mr Pratish Hansjee, Mr Christian Ishimwe and Mr Ujir Soni.Proving their ability to think critically and analyse global commercial trends, five UKZN BCom Accounting students made it into the Top 30 in the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) Student Leadership Summit essay competition.
The students – Mr Ujir Soni, Mr Christian Ishimwe, Mr Ashton Harichand, Mr Pratish Hansjee and Ms Thozama Joyi - had an opportunity to network with the country’s top business leaders and chartered accountants when they were invited to attend a weekend-long summit in Johannesburg.
For the competition, the students used knowledge gathered in the classroom coupled with extensive research for essays they were required to write on one of the following three topics:
* 2014 marks the first year that teenagers who were born in “the new South Africa” have the opportunity to vote yet only 12% of South Africans aged 18-19 are registered voters. Among the age group 20-29, only 65% of those who are eligible to vote are registered. Why do you think they are not taking this opportunity that their parents fought hard to win? And, whose fault is it?
* The late former President Nelson Mandela’s legacy of showing love, peace, unity and forgiveness in the face of a country riddled with hatred and on the brink of war is known the world over. How are ordinary South Africans failing his legacy (if at all) and what can we do better?
* Rabelani Ramaali, the founder of SA Virgin Girls Awards, gives cash prizes to women who retain their virginity and says that this will curb unwanted pregnancies and the spread of HIV and AIDS. Do you think this is realistic? - Why? Why not? - If not, what would work better to curb unwanted pregnancies and HIV and Aids? If yes, how could this be expanded?
Soni, who wrote the essay on Madiba’s legacy along with Harichand, said the summit afforded him an opportunity to engage the country’s top business leaders. ‘I was able to gain a great deal of knowledge by talking to them on a one-on-one basis. They are extremely busy individuals and I appreciated having the chance to speak to them in a calm, relaxed environment.
‘The summit definitely benefited my studies as now I am more driven to achieve the CA (SA) designation. I also know that I have the support of other accounting student from around the country who will gladly help me achieve this goal,’ he said.
For Hansjee, the topic on teenagers not participating in the elections was the one that stood out as the country is celebrating 20 years of democracy and more especially since he was one of the born frees that voted this year.
‘The essay touches on the youth's perceptions of the voting process and the attitudes towards the government that resulted in poor voter turnouts. It is certainly a worrying trend because the youth are the future leaders of South Africa. Through the summit, I have gained a wealth of first-hand knowledge from many business leaders who have been down the CA route that I am currently travelling on.
‘I had the privilege of networking with some of South Africa's corporate big shots which was very insightful and it also improved my interpersonal communication skills,’ said Hansjee.
Ishimwe who also wrote about the youth not voting said the youth need inspirational figurer In this exciting yet challenging degree with a vision that speaks to the younger generation. He described the summit as an opportunity to harness his leadership skills as a future Charted Accountant.
‘Skills such as networking, leadership and presentation are critical in an ever changing profession and so i was motivated in accumulating such skills while still at university. I was also interested in meeting other like-minded accounting students from across South Africa that where achieving incredible things outside their studies. Meeting top CEO's and Directors really inspired me to persevere in this exciting yet challenge degree,’ said Ishimwe.
Thandiwe Jumo
author : .author email : .Scope Expansion Training for Optometrists to be Offered at UKZN soon
From left: Dr J Philpott, Dr A Beaton, Mr G Cele, Ms VR Moodley, Dr B Hall and Dr G Albieri. The Department of Optometry at UKZN’s Westville Campus, in collaboration with the State University of New York (SUNY), will soon offer a course for scope expansion training for optometrists in South Africa.
The expanded scope for optometrists to prescribe therapeutic drugs to patients was recently approved by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
Optometry academics in South Africa currently do not have sufficient experience and training in prescribing therapeutic drugs therefore in partnership with UKZN, the academics from the State University of New York (SUNY) will provide the Ocular Therapeutics modules while the Public Health module will be presented by the local faculty as part of a post graduate course.
A refresher course on the basic medical sciences was conducted last month by Dr Ann Beaton and Dr Brian Hall from SUNY to help prepare practitioners review their foundation knowledge required for the upcoming therapeutics course.
Academic Leader and Senior Lecturer at the Optometry department at UKZN, Ms Vanessa Moodley, who is responsible for initiating the collaboration, explained that ‘eye care services in South Africa are grossly inadequate, particularly for the underserved rural populations. We have a high prevalence of ocular diseases and as evidenced in many countries globally, optometrists with ocular therapeutics competencies can make a significant contribution in the management of preventable blindness and making eye care services more affordable’.
There are around 3000 optometrists across the country who will need to do the course in order to get the required licence to practice ocular therapeutics.
‘The scope expansion is the dawn of a new era for optometry in South Africa,’ said Moodley. ‘The department will also review and amend the current undergraduate curriculum towards graduates in the near future, exiting with the expanded scope. As a department, we are committed to being socially accountable in our curriculum, teaching, research and service, remaining locally relevant as well as internationally comparable. Hence, this international benchmarking initiative with SUNY, is one of the leading optometry programmes in the United States.’
Dr Jeffrey Philpott and Dr Guilherme Albieri joined the team from New York and conducted a strategic planning session with the UKZN optometry department to expand on the partnership. Additional areas of the collaboration that emerged were a residency/externship programme to allow students from the United States to stay and work at UKZN to gain experience while also sharing their knowledge with local students, joint research projects, PhD study opportunities for local staff and access to SUNY’s Chronus Mentoring Software Pprogramme for Undergraduate Student Academic Development.
The UKZN Optometry department plans to commence the programme next year, making it the first institution in South Africa to offer this expanded course to the profession.
Zakia Jeewa
author : .author email : .UKZN Students in Model United Nations Debate
Award winners, Mr Sibonele Gumede (left) and Ms Charanee Marimuthu (right) with UNASA-UKZN Chairperson, Mr Perminus Moinogu. Students under the auspices of the United Nations Association of South Africa - UKZN Chapter (UNASA-UKZN) assisted the South African Institute of International Affairs representatives with the organisation of a model United Nations Conference.
The event, the first of its kind in KwaZulu-Natal, was hosted by the New West High School in Durban under the sponsorship and leadership of SAIIA.
The event, which featured a typical United Nations Environmental Programme Committee (UNEP) session, debated on rhino poaching.
Pupils from schools all over KZN acted as representatives of various member countries most of whom are signatories to the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
UKZN was mandated with the task of representing and protecting the interests of three UN member states - China, Kenya and Yemen. Each delegate made a presentation, submitted position papers and negotiated with other delegates in a bid to find agreement in passing a resolution that would help put an end to the problem of rhino poaching.
During the UN session, which was chaired by the SAIIA and co-chaired by UKZN, delegates agreed and disagreed on various grounds. Some voted in support of legalising the sale of rhino horns in order to put an end to the scourge in Africa, while some others were sceptical of that position.
The session ended without a resolution and a motion of adjournment was successfully tabled by Yemen.
At the end of the debate, awards for debate were handed out with UKZN winning two best speakers’ awards, second and third place respectively.
Chiwueze Benedict Udeh
author : .author email : .College of Law and Management Studies hosts Successful Careers’ Exhibition
Students discuss their future careers with employers at the exhibition.Some of South Africa’s top employers interacted with students on career prospects at an exhibition hosted by the College of Law and Management Studies, Student Support Services on 8 August 2014 at the Westville campus.
The annual event, which attracted more than 2 500 students and 56 exhibitors, was open for all students - including first years - to enable them to experience all aspects of recruitment available to them in making informed career choices.
The exhibition co-ordinated by Career Development Officer, Ms Rosheena Jeawon created a platform for students to engage with prospective employers about opportunities for personal development, full-time job opportunities, vacation employment, training contracts, learnerships, international work-placement and bursary opportunities.
Exhibitors included Nestle, Massmart, Procter & Gamble and Old Mutual. Representatives from the Colleges Human Resources Department also took the opportunity to inform the students about UKZN’s Graduate Development Programme which aims to position the University as an employer through recruiting students to work for the Institution.
Brandhouse representative Mr Layekanani Mkhabela said his company enjoyed engaging with students as it helped them identify talent.
‘We have been part of the exhibition for years and we look forward to informing the students about what we have to offer and sharing with them success stories about UKZN graduates who are thriving in our company.’
Third-year BCom students, Mr Wandi Zulu and Ms Makeziwe Zondi, were pleased about getting more information on graduate programmes and requirements for their chosen careers.
‘As I am about to complete my degree it is helpful to know what is out there in terms of employment and where I need to start,’ said Zulu.
‘Getting the opportunity to engage with employers one-on-one is better than going online because it is more interactive and all the questions you have are answered on the spot,’ said Zulu.
Zondi added that hearing about the experiences of UKZN graduates and how they were succeeding in their chosen fields had inspired her to work even harder.
Thandiwe Jumo
author : .author email : .