​Eight years ago Lesley Schroeder-McLean's second son, Mark, died in a plane crash. He was 17 years old.

For her as parent it was a devastating experience, but she also witnessed how the other adolescents in her extended family struggled to come to terms with this death.

This experience was the trigger for her to continue her studies and after completing a degree in Psychology (UNISA) she enrolled for an MPhil in Social Science Methods at Stellenbosch University. In March she graduated Cum Laude.

"You can never be prepared for your child to die. I was shattered to the core," says Schroeder-McLean. "At the same time I realised I had to be there for the many other teens and my own sons whose lives were horribly disrupted after Mark's sudden death. Soon I realised that schools don't always have the resources to help bereaved teens."

According to Schroeder-McLean bereaved teenage siblings find themselves in two almost opposing environments. One is a totally unstructured family environment, torn apart by grief where they don't know what's going to happen from one moment to the next. Their escape from that is to be at school.

"The most important thing that high schools have to offer the child at this time is a familiar place where bereaved teens can feel comfortable and hang out with their friends. But while school is often a relief from the grief and chaos at home, being at school also underlines their feeling of being different from their peers and no longer fitting in."

Schroeder-McLean interviewed 25 children from 20 different high schools during her research.

"It was clear that the teens hated it when they were singled out for attention during assembly. Some felt that the news of the sibling's death was announced as a news item without true empathy. Bereaved siblings felt strongly about being consulted beforehand on such an announcement."

Schroeder-McLean says a number of schools told her telephonically there were no bereaved siblings despite her knowledge that there were indeed children who had lost their siblings.

"This is because they are often not informed of deaths by the parents so they are not aware that bereaved siblings in their school need support."

She also found that if the sibling who died was a learner in the school, the way schools respond to the death can be influenced by how they died. If it is stigmatised (like a death resulting from gang violence or suicide) there may be less memorialisation for the learner who died and less support for those left behind. From discussions with 76 schools in the Central Metro Education District, it seems that while they want to provide appropriate support, most schools lack personnel who are trained to deal with bereaved teens.

"Because teenagers spend so much of their waking hours at school, it is very important that educators are empowered to give them age-appropriate support and help foster their accomplishment. This helps them to feel that they can have hope for the future."

Schroeder-McLean works closely with the team of educational psychologists at the Metro Central Education district (Cape Town) to help teachers and principals develop a deeper understanding of the issues and put in place interventions to support teenage learners who are affected by the deaths of their siblings.

On the strength of her research, she was invited to deliver a paper at the International Death Grief and Bereavement Conference at La Crosse University, Wisconsin in America in June. 

So what do the bereaved teens say they need?

 "They want the death and the fact that they are going through a tough time to be acknowledged. However, they do not want to be singled out. They also need structured support, but they hate it when teachers speak to them in front of their classmates. Most are wary of counselling, but they welcomed structured support where they can meet with a teacher of their choice once a week to discuss how they are coping at school and whether they need any extra tutoring and extended time for assignments," says Schroeder-McLean.

They also need to know that counselling is available and where to access it but the majority of participants said they preferred to confide in people they already know and trust.

"Perhaps what was most helpful to the participants, was how cathartic focus groups were for them personally during the research process," says Schroeder-McLean. "It helped normalise their loss and their reactions – particularly as most of them had never talked openly about this before."

The teenagers said they would like their schools to facilitate more of this type of sharing which makes intuitive sense, given teenagers' increased reliance on their peers.

According to Schroeder-McLean bereaved brothers and sisters also wish someone had given them information in the early weeks. It would have helped them to understand recurring nightmares where either they or someone they loved died; and paranormal sensory experiences that frightened them – like seeing or smelling their brother. Many talked about traumatic responses like flashbacks and constantly scanning their surroundings for danger. They had panic attacks and most reported dramatic weight loss or weight gain. A number developed phobias after the death – like not being able to go into tunnels, lifts, be in big crowds, take a shower with the door closed, or go into shopping malls.

"When they do not understand what is happening, it can lead to depression and self-harm. Some of the teenagers in my study discussed self-hurting – cutting and picking sores. One of the surviving brothers said he would punch the punching bag at gym with his bare hands until they dripped with blood. For him, inflicting physical pain was a way of escaping from the emotional pain for a while."

Bereaved teens want factual information. Why does my body feel different? Why is adrenalin surging through me continuously? Will I ever be the same again?

They also often experience a loss of self-esteem. It is important to make the child feel worthy – teachers can help by encouraging them to become involved in activities like a school play. This is especially important in the early weeks when parents are often immobilised by grief and do not do the things they would normally be able to do. 

Many found they were able to honour their sibling through some of their accomplishments, particularly sporting and academic success and they drew on the memory of their sibling for inspiration.

As a 16-year-old brother said: "I find it a lot with sport. It helps. You do it for yourself but you feel a connection with your brother because they can't do it anymore."

However, a minority of participants in the study did not express a need to actively nurture a continued relationship with the sibling who died. Sibling relationships are ambivalent and are often characterised by conflict and rivalry.

The participants who said they did not really grieve their sibling gave as reasons for this: not getting on well together; having very different personalities and interests; not being close emotionally, geographically or in age or being step-siblings who lived with different parents.

But whether they got along with their sibling or not, all respondents spoke of disruption and said that their lives were turned upside down.

​ 

​The main story goes here

​South African scientists are now on a par with their international peers with the completion of the first 'Trace Element and Experimental Biogeochemistry Clean Lab' on the African continent at Stellenbosch University (SU).

The R2.2 million laboratory was funded by SU and the Department of Science and Technology through the CSIR's Southern Ocean Carbon-Climate Observatory (SOCCO) programme and took three years to complete.

Up till now South Africa did not have the facilities or capabilities to develop and set up methods to measure bioactive trace elements in seawater. Scientists had to send their samples to labs in the United States and Europe for analysis – a very costly and time-consuming exercise.

With this world-class facility now up and running, scientists are able to participate in long term international observational programmes such as GEOTRACES, which aims to improve the understanding of biogeochemical cycles and large-scale distribution of trace elements and their isotopes in all the major ocean basins over the next decade.

This facility is part of an integrated research infrastructure development strategy, which also includes new analytical equipment and ultra-clean container labs for ocean sampling in the new research ship SA Agulhas II, managed by the Department of Environmental Affairs.

This kind of research is important to understand how the chemistry of the oceans is changing in response to changing environmental conditions.

Prof Alakendra Roychoudhury, head of the Department of Earth Sciences at SU and responsible for the new clean lab, explains: "Our understanding of trace elements like iron and how it interacts with life in the oceans is surprisingly incomplete. We all know that iron is essential for phytoplankton growth and productivity, but we still need to understand how and in what form iron becomes available to phytoplankton."

Having access to this kind of facility also offers the university the opportunity to train and develop the next generation of scientists, he adds.

According to CSIR oceanographer and head of the SOCCO-programme Dr Pedro Monteiro, recent estimates indicate that approximately 50% of all CO₂ emitted by human activity is stored in the Southern Ocean: "The future trajectory of atmospheric CO₂ concentrations – and thus the constraints on the minimum emissions reduction rates – thus depends critically on how the Southern Ocean carbon cycle will adjust to climate change, and iron biogeochemistry is a key part of this response," he says.

What is a clean lab?

A 'clean lab' is a sterile environment and the air is virtually free from any form of contamination – only ten thousand (>=0.1 µm) particles per 1 cubic metre of air floating around – enabling scientists to measure minute quantities of iron and other metals in seawater samples.

Prof Roychoudhury says he had to project-manage the construction of the lab to the tiniest detail. For example, they could not use any nails in the construction of the lab and all plugs had to be covered, all to prevent any form of metal contamination of the samples.

The 20 square metre lab consists of three separate rooms with the air pressure from low to high to ensure that contaminated air does not enter the third (and cleanest) room. In other words, when you open a door to open the lab, air will flow out of the room and not the other way round.

Scientists also have to wear protective clothing, foot covers and gloves when they enter the lab.

Future research will focus on the development and setup of methods to measure bioactive trace constituents in seawater; the speciation, distribution and uptake of iron by phytoplankton; and global and regional scale numerical modeling of bioactive trace metals.

On the photo above, the research team from Stellenbosch University (SU) and the CSIR are finally ready to start operating from the first 'Trace and Experimental Biogeochemistry Clean Lab' in Africa at SU. From the left, Prof Alakendra Roychoudhury, a geochemist and head of the Department of Earth Sciences at SU, MSc student Ms Natasha van Horsten, the CSIR's Dr Thato Mtshali, who specialises in iron-biogeochemistry, and SU's biogeochemist Dr Susanne Fiets. Photograph: Wiida Fourie-Basson

Technical enquiries

Prof Alakendra Roychoudhury

roy@sun.ac.za

(021) 808-3124

Dr Thato Mtshali

tmtshali@csir.co.za

(021) 888-2528

Media enquiries

Wiida Fourie-Basson

Media: Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University

science@sun.ac.za

​​Stellenbosch social anthropologist Kees (C.S.) van der Waal traces the history of racial indexing in South African ethnographic research. This opinion article was published in Die Burger on 8 June.

The announcement in April of new anthropological research at Stellenbosch University (SU) following the discovery of anthropometric material in the University Museum – a human skull, the hair colour chart of Eugen Fischer and the eye colour chart of Rudolf Martin – immediately caught the public's attention and elicited extensive commentary in the media.

This was to be expected in a society that is deeply divided into racial castes and accommodates notions of perceived cultural purity. Unfortunately, though, the responses focus too much on the colour charts and the allocation of blame about crimes against humanity. It is necessary to identify the underlying issue, namely how ideas about human classification continue to shape society to this day.

Most comments draw on a defensive neo-Afrikaner perspective to deny the importance of the find, or vehemently question the link to the work of Fischer, the German physical anthropologist who promoted Nazi racism. Leopold Scholtz argued in Die Burger (3 May) that the relationship between the excrescences of racial classification and apartheid is far-fetched. He insists that recognition should be given to the work of Maties (SU) volkekundiges (ethnologists or cultural anthropologists) such as P. J. Schoeman and P.J. Coertze who, according to him, tried their best to push apartheid into a morally acceptable direction.

It is too early in our historical reconstruction of the production of knowledge in the former volkekunde (ethnology or cultural anthropology) department of Maties to arrive at any definitive conclusions about the influences of Fischer's brand of physical anthropology. However, from the historical work of David Hammond-Tooke, Robert Gordon and John Sharp on anthropology and volkekunde in South Africa, and from my own experience, there is enough reason to question Scholtz's positive reading of volkekunde.

We know that eugenics, racial hygiene and hereditary genetics formed part of the student curriculum and that the notion of "racial distinctions" was deemed non-problematic. The challenge to critically track the destructive impact of thinking tools used for social classification – such as "ethnos", "race", "culture", "population" and "community" – into the present is academically and politically very important .

Volkekunde was established at Stellenbosch by Werner Eiselen, one of the intellectual architects of apartheid, in 1926 as an Afrikaans variant of anthropology. This was after social anthropology had already come into being at the Universities of Cape Town, Pretoria and the Witwatersrand. From the beginning, a strong Afrikaner-nationalist element prevailed in volkekunde. Anthropologists like Eiselen, Schoeman, Coertze and J.P. Bruwer approached their work as volksdiens (service to the volk, or Afrikaner people). They viewed "the poor-white question" and "racial purity" as important challenges.

Political activism, including membership of the Ossewabrandwag (Ox-wagon Sentinel), was for some of these academics (Coertze and Schoeman were members), a logical extension of their work. In 1943, Coertze, F.J. Language and B.I.C. van Eeden published Die Oplossing van die Naturellevraagstuk in Suid-Afrika: Wenke Ooreenkomstig die Afrikanerstandpunt van Apartheid (The Solution of the Native Problem in South Africa: Suggestions According to the Afrikaner Standpoint of Apartheid). This document by Stellenbosch volkekundiges would inform the ideological debates in Afrikaans religious and cultural circles for the rest of the decade, and after 1948 its ideas would systematically be turned into government policy.

Volkekunde developed its own theoretical approach, especially under the leadership of Coertze, who was later based at the University of Pretoria (UP). Together, the departments of volkekunde and applied volkekunde at Afrikaans universities comprised an academic industry for training thousands of civil servants and soldiers involved in the administration of separate development in the cities and Bantustans, and in the army.

The theoretical and methodological approach of volkekunde was unsophisticated and ideologically determined. The core concept was the idea of the "ethnos", a group of people who, in terms of physical similarity ("race"), formed a strong unit and were guided by their culture.

During colonial times, this concept of people also prevailed elsewhere in the world, but it would gradually be undermined in other academic work by the realisation of the importance of cultural borrowing, mixing and variation in all populations. Volkekunde, however, continued to use race and ethnos as core concepts.

My training in the subject in the late sixties at UP was also stamped by these ideas. As students we received no training in participant observation, the main method of ethnographic work. We were supposed to maintain a social distance from black Africans and to use only interviews for research and not stay with black people.

The work of volkekundiges, quite predictably, emphasised the importance of the cultural traditions of peoples [stet]. This knowledge was obtained primarily from older male informants during short field visits, and was then presented as the general state of affairs although it was largely a patriarchal ideology representing a single dominant variant. The results of this research seamlessly slotted in with the ideals of separate development.

Much of the volkekunde research was instrumentally focused on identifying and using traditions for modern public administration, for example the use of customary law in courts and the strengthening of tribal authorities in the homelands.

In time, the differences between volkekunde and social anthropology grew bigger, and in 1977 the majority of volkekundiges left the professional society for anthropology in South Africa to establish their own exclusive disciplinary association.

There were also young scholars who gradually moved away from the volkekunde laager. It was my privilege in 1983 at the former RAU (Rand Afrikaans University, now the University of Johannesburg) to resign from the Vereniging van Afrikaanse Volkekundiges (Association of Afrikaans Volkekundiges) and to leave the highly restrictive anthropological training that I had received at Tuks (UP) behind.

We tackled new research with practising participant observation, approached "race", "ethnos" and "culture" critically as ideological concepts, and adapted our curricula to increasingly reflect global anthropology's rich variety of theory and ethnography.

After 1990, the historical role of volkekunde had expired and the volkekunde paradigm went through its last convulsions. In 2001, the two societies merged, and these days very little of volkekunde is left in academic circles. A Kuhnian paradigm shift away from race and ethnos had taken place around the world and eventually also in much of the Afrikaans intellectual circles.

The significance of our new research into the use of anthropometric instruments by volkekundiges is not only historical in nature. In fact, the impact of devastating social classifications serves as a starting point for extensive work on the impact of social divisions, which continues to this day.

The new anthropological research agenda that we recently launched in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at SU is called Indexing the Human. One of our focus areas is the history and influence of the volkekunde approach in teaching and research.

The anthropometric instruments discovered in the Stellenbosch University Museum will have a lasting value when they become the catalyst for engaging with the thinking tools of the past that continue to separate humans, and when our new anthropological research helps us to think about humanity in a more inclusive and humane way.

* Prof Van der Waal teaches Social Anthropology at Stellenbosch University.

​Every destination has its own journey.

Today I form part of a medical research team into heart diseases at Tygerberg Hospital, while completing my PhD.

But what people don't know is that at first I did not gain a university entrance pass.  I started my career when I was accepted to join the Scimathus post matric programme at Stellenbosch University, which gave me the opportunity to improve my matric results and get an exemption.

My name is Gerald Maarman and my story started at Stellenbosch University.

SMS "enrol" to 32261 and find out how to jump-start your success story today.

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Or visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/stellenboschuniversity

​From next year, prospective accountancy students who would one day like to qualify as chartered accountants, will have the option of studying in English or Afrikaans at Stellenbosch University.

The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences has announced that first-year students who enrol for the BAccountancy degree in future, will be able to attend classes in English or Afrikaans throughout their undergraduate and postgraduate honours years of study.

This will be the Faculty’s second undergraduate degree programme that will be offered entirely in both languages. The BComm (Management Sciences) degree has been taught in English and Afrikaans since last year.

The Department of Accounting also introduced its new name. From 2014, it will be known as the School of Accountancy. The Department has some 1 250 undergraduate BAcc students and is by far the biggest in the Faculty.

“Our degree programmes are highly regarded, therefore we attract top students,” Prof Pierre Olivier, chairperson of the Department, said. “Enhancing our language offering will add to this.”

According to him, the Department’s popularity can be ascribed to its successful track record. “Our internal pass rates, highly qualified lecturers and their research outputs bear witness to this, while our former students achieve remarkable results in the qualifying examinations of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).”

Prof Johann de Villiers, dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, pointed out that the Faculty and the Department of Accounting have produced many prominent South African business leaders and entrepreneurs. “Some 4 230 undergraduate students are currently enrolled in the Faculty. Of these, 21 percent is made up of Black, Coloured and Indian students.

“The Faculty takes pride in the fact that student diversity is on the increase from year to year as Stellenbosch becomes more popular amongst these students,” he added.

​​This is the seventeenth in a series of articles about sustainability and specifically sustainability within the University. ​

Climate change is a problem that bridges the borderline between social action and ecological effects, between society and nature, and is closely related to many areas of environmental, political and economical concern. Prof Oliver C Ruppel is an internationally accredited expert on climate change and contributes nationally, regionally and internationally to this important issue.

His one focus area in the Faculty of Law is International World Trade Law. He is one of the worldwide 14 founding academic chairs of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which he established at the University of Namibia in 2009. He has been advising the WTO on Africa-related matters for a number of years. "I am steering trade in a direction where it can contribute to sustainable development. So I am looking at needs on the continent and how trade can contribute to improve poverty reduction, policy development and everything related thereto."

Prof Ruppel's other focus area is that of Environmental Law. But he is not researching environmental law only to serve the preservation or conservation of the environment. "I actually don't see the necessity of preserving or conserving the environment if human beings cannot be accommodated in this process. Overall, what I do is to concentrate on Sustainable Development Law which is a combination of International Trade Law, Environmental Protection Law and Human Rights Law – all of these embedded not only in law but also in policymaking and international diplomacy."

How do you deal with the complex problem of climate change?

Such a hybrid problem is marked by a high degree of complexity in respect of causal processes running along different spatial, temporal and social scales – from local to global, from current events to long-term consequences, and from everyday action to policies of national and worldwide regimes.

A problem like this can be dealt with only if a society's capacity for taking action is at the same time increased in a sustainable manner and its knowledge base is deepened and broadened.

This demands new forms of knowledge production capable of adequately grasping the challenges faced. An interdisciplinary approach to research on climate change could provide the pools of critical knowledge synergy needed.

Stellenbosch University is enormously rich in terms of its capacity and intellectual resources and can be an engine of sustainable development and the rule of law for the whole continent and perhaps beyond. However, for problems to be resolved, different disciplines have to work together.

We must learn to move away from working in isolation of other disciplines. The law has the obligation to also guide people and politicians in such a way that we prevent things from happening and not only respond to things once they have already happened. I find it absolutely essential to involve all other disciplines wherever possible to establish the best information base to craft the law to become effective.

What role do you play with regard to climate change?

I am trying to improve, by means of legal or policy advice, the current situation in Africa. We have multiple stresses – poverty, water scarcity, energy security issues and even corruption and political instabilities. If you put climate change on top of these stresses they deteriorate.

In that sense I am advising the United Nations in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established to give governments advice on climate change-related matters and how they can shape their policies to improve the situation on the ground for the people. I am heading the chapter on Africa. A number of people from Africa, Europe and the United States are working with me on assessing the human vulnerability aspects of climate change for the people of Africa.

We are currently working on the fifth assessment report, which is expected to be released early in 2014.

In what other projects are you involved?

The Future Okavango Project is significant and involves various countries around the Okavango River Delta. It investigates how access to water and water security can contribute to conflict and political unrest. It is a huge project that will ultimately contribute to a management solution around the Okavango River Delta that could also serve as an example in other river wetlands in Africa, such as the Nile. 

People have always lived around the Okavango River, but this formerly remote area is now increasingly being made accessible to developers and markets. People are thus faced with the rapidly changing world that is affecting not only their social lives and culture but also their consumption patterns of natural resources.

Already, the dry woodland belt faces ongoing degradation and is regarded as one of the global tipping-point regions regarding loss of biodiversity, impact on climate, and biogeochemical cycles of other regions. Such threats can amplify land and water conflicts. Combined with the overarching and omnipotent effects of climate change, pressure on resources is expected to increase.

I also have a particular interest in the BRICS Project – the partnership between Brazil, India, Russia, China and South Africa. BRICS is a very promising partnership of countries with emerging economies and a high potential for development. From a legal perspective, the way in which it can actually create opportunities for South Africa and the rest of Africa also needs to be analysed.

In the context of Africa, South Africa can play a significant role in facilitating trade laws, because BRICS has a high interest in tapping the natural resources of the continent. But in the context of sustainable development these natural resources can be a curse and a blessing at the same time. If sustainable development law and quality are applied in a sensible manner in the interest of the people, natural resources should actually be a blessing rather than a curse, which hasn't been the case over the past decades during which only very few people have benefited from these enormous resources.

In terms of figures we have billions of USD development aid per annum coming into Africa, whereas many more billions USD income are being generated from exporting natural resources from the continent. We need to question where this money is actually going!

BRICS can be the motive for controlled development and sustainability around the world if certain mechanisms are put in place, like the BRICS Development Bank recently created at the last BRICS Summit held in Durban in March 2013.

But again, laws and regulations and also the legal setting of such a partnership need to be investigated and then negotiated at a diplomatic level in order to craft this new partnership in a manner that it is also an engine for sustainable development, poverty reduction and not only an income generator for the large players at the cost of the weaker players.

What lies ahead in terms of sustainability and climate change?

Climate change is both a challenge and an opportunity. The winners of the past, of industrialisation, are doomed to perhaps become losers in the context of climate change and vice versa. People from Africa might benefit from certain developments if, for example, climate finance is made available to the extent where it can contribute to sustainable development and at the same time adapt to and mitigate climate change.

The challenge is to not wait too long because as the earth and its waters become warmer and temperatures rise, we are deemed to have more droughts, floods and natural disasters. Funds need to be made available to provide disaster prevention and relief where necessary and must be managed in a proper and organised manner. This will have the additional benefit of also remedying other stresses and contributing to more development, technological advancement and job creation.

Do you have hope?

Yes, I always have hope and it is most important to have and to generate hope. There are many positive developments and opportunities around the corner in terms of sustainable development. It will be regulated better for people in future and will thus inevitably lead to a redistribution of wealth assets between the traditionally economic stronger North and the emerging economies such as ours in the South. The people will have to benefit from that.

I just hope politicians will be strong enough to defend their people's interests and channel funds where they are needed most in order to empower people, protect them from harm and at the same time help them to overcome the disparities of the past.

Decision-making and Knowledge Management. This is the new name of the Stellenbosch University (SU) degree course that until recently was known as Value and Policy Studies.

The BA degree in Value and Policy Studies produced its first students in 1996. It was a particularly successful course that attracted a great deal of interest, especially from leaders in the business world.

In the mean time, the course content grew as the knowledge economy expanded and changed.

"It became necessary to give the course a new name that linked to its dynamic nature and reflected the changes in the field," explains Prof Hans Müller, Chairperson of the Department of Information Science. 

"The BA in Decision-making and Knowledge Management is unique in that it combines economic and management sciences with social sciences. SU is the only university in South Africa and in Africa to offer this degree course." 

Ms Elaine Fouché, a lecturer in Information Science, adds that the course contributes to the shaping of  versatile professionals.

"Students are given the opportunity to compile their own course from subjects in the social sciences as well as the economic and management sciences."

According to Müller and Fouché, the current technological work environment is of such a nature that someone who is fired from a certain position or leaves it by choice cannot be certain that the specific work will exist somewhere else in the same format.

"Companies are constantly looking for creative thinkers and people who can solve problems in a creative way," says Fouché.

Müller adds: "Something like decision-making analysis entails a combination of analytical elements and elements of knowledge management that simultaneously requires analytical and creative abilities. Knowledge management is the ability to do real-time analyses and to use the knowledge immediately to address possible problems."

Fouché uses the following practical example: "In mining, the experts know immediately how many tons are being mined and the grade of the mined product. Should a problem arise, for example if mining is being done in a mineral-poor area, a manager would be able to use information technology and analysis to take an immediate decision to rather mine elsewhere so that valuable manpower hours are not wasted."

Students who complete the BA in Decision-making and Knowledge Management therefore become versatile professional people – although they are not trained for a specific job, they can find work in almost any field (the economic, marketing, analytical or business world).

Admission requirements include matric geometry with at least code 6 (70%) for those who want to take Mathematics at first-year level, and code 5 (60%) for those who do not want to take Mathematics at first-year level, and code 5 (60%) in the home language or first additional language.

Third-year students have to do an internship of three weeks. They apply for the internship themselves. Before the work period they undertake a strategic analysis of the company and then do an investigation in the company on the basis of previously devised problem statements during the internship. At the end of the internship they have to do a complete submission on their research.

"The BA in Decision-making and Knowledge Management is the only three-year programme that requires an internship from students," says Müller.

The degree course is not offered as an extended degree programme, but provides many opportunities for a postgraduate programme in social sciences or in economic and management sciences.

For information on the course: 021 808 2423. 

​Inhibiting the ability of cancer cells to recycle their damaged parts could reduce the amount of chemotherapy and also spare patients the debilitating side-effects of this treatment, writes Dr Gina Leisching in an opinion article that was featured on Health24 (June 13).

Each year around 7 million people die of cancer globally, and according to the World Health Organisation, this number may increase by 80% by 2030 if immediate action is not taken. Annually, most cancer-related deaths are due to lung, breast, liver, colorectal, stomach, prostate, and cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide despite effective screening programmes. It is still a burden in developing countries such as South Africa, where 16.48 million women are at risk of developing the disease.

Globally, more than 270 000 women die each year from cervical cancer, with more than 85% of these deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries. This number is expected to increase to over 474 000 women per year in 2030.

Cervical cancer is caused by an infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV) which is sexually transmitted.

The chemotherapy drug, cisplatin, is widely used to treat cervical cancer. Unfortunately, cisplatin-based chemotherapeutic treatments, particularly at high doses, cause severe side-effects, such as kidney and nerve damage. Cancer cells have also become resistant to this drug. As a result, cisplatin has limited efficacy and use.

In a recent study, I tried to find new ways of administering lower concentrations of cisplatin, while still maintaining its ability to destroy cancer cells. It was important to break down the resistance of these cells and to reduce damage to non-cancerous cells.

I used a special chemical to inhibit the ability of cancer cells to “eat” and “recycle” parts of themselves that have been damaged by chemotherapy. This survival mechanism is called autophagy (literally ‘’to eat oneself’’), which is regarded as one of the main reasons why chemotherapy is “not working” or “the cancer comes back”.

Once important parts of the cancer cell are destroyed, the cell develops balloon-like structures that store all these damaged components. With the help of certain enzymes, these components are broken down and recycled for more energy.

After inhibiting autophagy, I treated the cancer cells with a low-dose of cisplatin. Results have shown that even by administering a lower dose of the drug, large amounts of cervical cancer cells were destroyed. Normal, non-cancerous cells were not damaged.

The inhibition of autophagy prior to a low-concentration of cisplatin treatment significantly improves the drug’s ability to destroy cervical cancer cells, and enhances its clinical efficacy.

The value of this treatment method, if moved into clinics, is that it allows for a prolonged exposure to cisplatin treatment with a minimal amount of side-effects. My study has provided a possible new avenue for research on cervical cancer treatment that is more patient friendly. New and improved therapeutic strategies could help relief the burden of cervical cancer.

• Dr Gina Leisching is a post-doctoral fellow in the Division of Molecular and Human Genetics in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU). This article is based on her recent doctorate in Physiological Sciences at SU.

​​It is extremely satisfying when students say they understand the content of prescribed books thanks to a terminology list in their mother tongue, says Ms Anita Jonker, co-ordinator of the First-year Academy in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Thanks to her initiative, close on 1 000 political terms are now available in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa.

"While I was presenting an introductory module on Political Science to students in the extended degree programme, I realised that they understood the work much better if the technical terms were translated into their mother tongue," says Jonker. "These students often arrive at the university with academic backlogs."

The seed was planted and she applied for FIRLT funding to have the terminology lists of two of the prescribed books in the Department of Political Science (Heywood, Andrew, 2007. Politics and MacGowan, Cornelissen and Nel, 2007. Power, Wealth and Global Equity) translated into Afrikaans and isiXhosa by professional translators, as well as edited. The result is 488 new translations of the English Heywood terminology list and 496 new translations of the English McGowan et al. terminology list.

"The terminology lists help students to enjoy the course more, and this increases participation in the lecture hall," says Jonker. "When they understand the technical concepts better, their self-confidence grows."

Just how much the terminology lists help the students is reflected in the reactions of two students.

"One of the Afrikaans-speaking students said everything suddenly makes sense, while an isiXhosa speaker said that although he had received his entire school education in English, the translations into his mother tongue made it possible to understand the concepts in the textbook even better," says Jonker.

Research is currently being done on the use of the two trilingual terminology lists as instruments to determine whether they can have an influence on the academic success of EDP students with Political Science as a major.

Besides for the potential academic value, and the investment in Afrikaans and isiXhosa as academic languages, multilingualism also contributes to the creation of a welcoming culture. "When an academic institution makes provision for students in their mother tongue, it helps the students feel at home sooner."

"Some of our students come from remote rural areas with considerable academic backlogs. Some of them are first-generation students and they are already experiencing the university environment as alienating. When they are then also confronted with a unilingual subject language, it only worsens their sense of alienation and makes their academic adjustment much more difficult."

"The Western Cape Province has three official languages. We can at least try to make provision for students from those three language groups, although we are also enriched by other language groups from our own country and from overseas."

In the long run, multilingualism increases the employability of graduates. "I would like, at the start of every academic year, to give every first-year student a language course and sound recording in the two languages that are not their mother tongue so that they could acquire basic listening and speaking skills in their own time to assist their social interaction with student and lecturers who do not speak their mother tongue. In this way they would have improved their employability when they leave the campus after three or four years, even if they have only acquired listening skills in one of these two languages that are not their mother tongue."

The University's Language Centre has already developed trilingual terminology lists in the following subjects: Law, Economics, Social Work, Sociology and Psychology. These are available to both staff and students at very affordable prices.

A new development in trilingual academic terminology lists is that the latest prescribed book for first-year Psychology students was published in 2011 with an Afrikaans translation of the textbook's English terminology list, which can be downloaded from the book's website. The Xhosa translation is currently being undertaken. Furthermore, funds have been granted for the development of a trilingual terminology list for Visual Arts.

"I hope that these multilingualism projects will contribute to mutual appreciation and sensitivity in the diverse university community, and that they can contribute to a broader definition of first-year success beyond merely through-flow rates."

​Stellenbosch University (SU) launched an exciting media campaign this week which is aimed at positioning the University as an option for further study among students who would previously not even consider applying to Maties.

In the campaign successful alumni encourages prospective students to pursue their dreams and start their own success story at the SU. Among the alumni is the editor of The Sowetan, Mpumelelo Mkhabela; Gerald Maarman, medical researcher; Janine Jellars, editor of Seventeen Magazine and Fatima Jakoet, senior first officer at South African Airways.

Mobile billboards, radio advertisements and an integrated social media campaign are used to spur on school leavers to apply for study in 2014 before 30 June. The mobile billboards will be seen in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, in Port-Elizabeth, East-London as well as in the Johannesburg metropole and surrounds.

The radio ads kicked off on Monday, 10 June on Metro FM, 5FM, Good Hope FM, YFM, Algoa FM, Vukani FM in the Eastern Cape and Zibonele FM in Cape Town and will continue until June 28. To listen to the ads, click on the names below:

Mpumelelo Mkhabela

Gerald Maarman

Janine Jellars

Fatima Jakoet

Prospective students who would like to apply, can SMS the word "Enrol" to 32261. They will then be contacted by advisors from the Centre for Prospective Students who will help them with the application process or give them advice. Information is also available on the University's Facebook page at facebook.com/stellenboschuniversity.

This recruitment drive fits in with the University's transformation objectives, as set out in the Institutional Intention and Strategy, which is aimed at having a diversity profile where coloured, black and Indian students will make up 50% of the number of enrolled students by 2018.

​​Let you light shine. Let you voice be heard. Don't conform, challenge the norm. Take each other's hands and build a better future.

With these words speakers at Stellenbosch University's Youth Day celebration welcomed and challenged learners, students, visitors and adults.

The theme of this year's Youth Day celebration is 'Speak UP and Speak OUT!' and the event was hosted at the Sasol Art Museum on Thursday 13 June.

"We chose the Youth Day theme 'speak-up, speak-out' to encourage the youth to use their voice and other forms of expression to convey their thoughts on a range of societal issues," said Ayanda Verbasa, SRC member and Youth Day project leader.

"Youth Day is celebrated to commemorate the role that the youth have played in striving for social justice. Today the voice of the youth is as important as we face on-going challenges for a more inclusive and just society."

Dr Llewellyn MacMaster, student dean, welcomed everyone.

"In 1976 young people took a definite stance – not just against tuition in Afrikaans, but against oppression, disenfranchisement and also against the system of apartheid.

"We should take hands and create a better future for all."

Dylan de Nysschen, a grade 12 learner at Paul Roos Gymnasium, encouraged learners to spend time with people who have better skills than they, to be challenged to raise the bar and even to rise above.

"Who says you can't be the trendsetter, pulling others from their complacency?" he asked.

Ziyanda Stuurman, a member of the Student Representative Council (SRC), said leadership lies in the details.

"Invest in someone else's well-being. When you share your passion, your voice and your thoughts, you give others the chance to do the same.

"We all have the capacity to be a leader every day. Speaking up becomes easier to do and harder to ignore the more often we do it."

Various cultural activities added further colour this occasion. These included music items by students of the Department of Music, acappella song by Swanesang, poetry in collaboration with SLiP/InZync/SU students and community youth as well as an exhibition by visual arts students.

Amongst others, Allison Hoskins gave a powerful performance with her spoken-word poem, while the Ink-credible group entertained the audience with their recital in various languages, spreading the following message: "In the loudness of the stillness I value my voice."

The event, coordinated by the Divisions for Community Interaction and Student Affairs, was supported by the Departments of Music, English and Visual Arts and the Sasol Art Museum. 

Over the past few years, social media have changed marketing, public relations and communication. These days you can promote your brand worldwide with innovative plans which won’t cost you a fortune – as long as you know how to do it well.

This was the opinion of speakers at the annual international Global Communications Project, in short called GlobCom.

University students from twelve countries on five continents gathered at Stellenbosch University (SU) from 13 to 15 June to learn more about new communication strategies. The participants come from Australia, Germany, India, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Stellenbosch, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the USA.

It is the first time that GlobCom is presented in African, with SU’s Department of Business Management as the host. SU is the only university from Africa to take part in the project.

GlobCom aims to increase awareness and understanding of issues in international communications among university students studying public relations and communications.

“Unique to the project is that participating students are grouped into seven international project teams with each consisting of students from all the respective participating countries,” explains Dr Chris Pentz, local organiser of the event and lecturer in Marketing at SU.

The groups are given the same brief: this year it is to develop a public relations solution of international quality to put the culturally historic, yet technologically advanced town of Stellenbosch on the world map by developing practical and creative communication strategies on a global scale.

The brief was developed by Stellenbosch360, the town’s overarching tourism company, in conjunction with local organisers and Pentz and Ms Debbie Human, co-organiser and SU marketing communications lecturer at SU’s Department of Business Management.

Prof Eugene Cloete, SU Vice-Rector (Research and Innovation), opened the event on Friday morning (14 June). Thereafter Dr Volker Stoltz, GlobCom’s founder, explained the project’s aims: “It is about working together to find solutions for international communication issues.”

Ms Cilnette Pienaar, part-time SU lecture and public relations consultant, spoke about communication strategies for non-profit organisations.

“The approach is to create a sustainable community around the cause of the organisation. You need to know the full power of digital media because it is a platform where people are given a voice,” she said.

Mr Paul Raphaely, owner of the food company NoMU, explained how he and his wife built there business without much capital by employing social media cleverly.

Ms Amelia-May Woudstra of Ogilvy PR said in her presentation that PR is becoming increasingly important for companies worldwide. “PR is no longer the poor cousin of the communication industry. It’s becoming an exciting industry because the media landscape has changed so much.”

She showed examples of campaigns in which Ogilvy PR used social media to build their client’s brand.

In his presentation, Mr Wouter Lombard of M&C Saatchi Abel discussed ways of getting messages noticed in a complicated world. “How do you make your product stand out? You must find a space somewhere where you are unique and where you can differentiate your product from others in the same category,” he said.

A panel discussion about current issues in public relations was held Friday afternoon.

*Photo caption: From left to right are Mr Paul Raphaely, Ms Amelia-May Woudstra, Dr Volker Stoltz, Ms Cilnette Pienaar and Mr Wouter Lombard. Photo: STEFAN ELS

​Second and third-year students of the Department of Visual Arts at Stellenbosch University are showcasing some of their projects in the Sasol Art Museum in an exhibition that formed part of the University's Youth Day programme.

The exhibition was opened on Thursday 13 June during a Youth Day celebration coordinated by the Divisions for Community Interaction and Student Affairs, and supported by the Departments of Music, English and Visual Arts and the Sasol Art Museum.

Prof Keith Dietrich, a lecturer in the Department of Visual Arts, said it was a great pleasure and wonderful opportunity to be part of the event.

Three students – Carmen Titus, Tessa Wessels and Lize du Toit – shared the journey their projects took them on with the audience and invited everyone to walk through the exhibition and chat with the artists.

According to Prof Dietrich he was approached with a request to participate in the event and he agreed because the second- and third-year students had just completed three "stunning projects".

He encouraged the students to participate, firstly because it is an opportunity to be part of a curated exhibition, and secondly because he believes it is important for the students to become involved in Community Interaction initiatives.

According to information provided by Prof Dietrich, the different projects introduced students to artists' books and painting and intended to stimulate and encourage self-discovery, originality, independence and individuality of thought.

The different projects on show are:

THE LIFE OF AN OBJECT

Each student was given a sealed lucky packet containing a single wrapped-up object. They were required to investigate and construct a life for this object without initially unwrapping the object. The project took the form of a bookwork (artists' book), and the end product was to be an accordion-fold book narrating the life of each student's object.

THE POETICS OF SPACE / THE POETICS OF REVERIE

The students met at the old compost factory on the Blaauwklippen Estate outside Stellenbosch. Given the specific nature of the site, the main aim of the project was to explore conceptual and formal issues relating to the poetics of the everyday, the poetics of spaces and the poetics of painting. Given their fieldwork investigations, the students were required to work through a number of phases culminating in three or more advanced paintings.

IMAGE & TEXT - Second-year book project

In this project each student was provided with a sealed envelope containing a random word, image and a Plascon colour swatch. They were required to respond to and investigate these elements by developing a free image and word association as a method to explore and describe their material. They were required to make a "one-off book" created from original two-dimensional material (drawings, photographs, collages, etc.).

The exhibition runs from 13 – 21 June in the Sasol Art Museum.​

Research and training in viticulture and oenology will receive a huge boost with a donation by Mr Johann Rupert, Chairperson of the Richemont Group and Chancellor of Stellenbosch University (SU).

The donation of R25 million over five years are made to the Institute of Viticulture and Oenology (IVO) in the Department of Viticulture and Oenology. Mr Rupert made the announcement at his wine farm L'Ormarins near Franschhoek recently.

Mr Gary Baumgarten, Managing Director of Anthonij Rupert Wines, says the donation will give momentum to the Institute. "A main aim is to create a wine chemical platform for progress in viticulture and oenology. The donation will make acquiring new equipment possible and to buy in overseas expertise."

Prof Maret du Toit, Chairperson of the Department of Viticulture and Oenology, adds that the donation will ensure that University conducts research in viticulture and oenology that is of the highest quality by applying cutting edge technologies and to acquire the needed expertise to the advantage of the wine industry and in the process ensuring its international competitiveness.

The Institute was established in 2012 as a joint effort between the University and the wine industry to significantly enhance the international competitiveness of the country’s wine industry.

Housed in the Department of Viticulture and Oenology, the IVO aims to promote world-class teaching, research and technology development, focusing on projects that will strengthen the relevance and quality of the country’s offerings on international markets. The Institute facilitates international relationships, serving as a platform for exchanging research findings and best-practice with other wine producing countries. It maintains close ties with industry partners, Government and the private sector.

According to Prof Marius Lambrechts, Research Manager at Distell and Chairperson of the Institute’s Board, it is an amazing experience to be involved in an initiative where individuals have a passion for the industry as a whole as well as a vision to ensure the long term sustainability and competitiveness of the wine industry locally and in overseas markets. “With the financing provided by Mr Rupert various initiatives can now be launched to realise this ideal.”

When a 25 year old walks up to the editor of Seventeen Magazine and declares that she wants her job, what reaction do you expect?

Well you’re right, none. But through determination and writing skills that I learned at university, two years later that editor phoned me offering me that exact job.

My name is Janine Jellars and my story started with a degree at Stellenbosch University.

SMS "enrol" to 32261 and find out how to jump-start your success story today.

Listen to the Radio Ad here

Or visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/stellenboschuniversity

Related article:

• SU recruitment campaign sets sights on new frontiers

"Joanna Marx was unique. Her passion for conservation, music, architecture and cuisine was her life." This was according to Marx's cousin, Leanna du Preez, on Friday (June 14) at the launch of the Joanna Marx Collection at Stellenbosch University's (SU) JS Gericke Library.

Marx, who died in 2012, was very involved in the preservation of buildings and mills in South Africa as well as abroad and was working with the Council for National Monuments now known as the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA). One of her biggest projects was the restoration of the well-known Mostert's Mill.

According to Lynne Fourie of the JS Gericke's Documentation Centre, they received the collection in September 2012, and immediately set up an inventory of the contents, so that it could become accessible for students and researchers.

The Joanna Marx Collection 422, housed in the library’s Special Collection Division, has been divided into Heritage Materials South Africa, Mills South Africa, Heritage Materials England and Mills Netherlands and England.

The collection consists of articles, talks, conferences, laws, maps, illustrations, plans, museums, monuments, pamphlets and brochures as well as slides. Marx has also done a lot of research for the conservation of places eg. Bredasdorp / Elim, Swellendam, Kaaimansgat, Gamkaskloof, Knysna (Noetzie & Thesen Island), Two Rivers Urban Park, Cape Peninsula National Park and District 6, and this information also forms part of the collection.

Among the guests at Friday's event were several friends and former colleagues, who remembered Marx as a loyal friend, formidable opponent and strong supporter. Du Preez thanked Fourie and her colleagues who worked on the collection. "The scope of the work took my breath away," she said.

"This collection is Joanna's professional and conservation legacy."

Photo1 : Here are Lynne Fourie (left) and Leanna du Preez (right) at Friday's event.

Photo2: Gwen and Gawie Fagan, former colleagues of Joanna Marx, take a look at the collection.

​Four Stellenbosch University staff members feature in 200 Young South Africans, an annual authoritative supplement of the Mail & Guardian.

From the Faculty of Science, Dr Nonjabulo Gule, Prof Florian Breuer and Dr Balindiwe Sishi were listed in the category science and technology, while Mr Nicolas Spaull, an education researcher and lecturer in the Department of Economics, was listed in the education category.

Writing in the Editor's Letter accompanying the publication that came out today (14 June 2013), Mail & Guardian executive editor, Tanya Pampalone, says the list of 200 Young South Africans has become "one of the most inspiring reads of the year".

"Each year we find 200 young people, aged 35 and under, who were born here or have made South Africa their home, and who are full of talent, dreams and drive. This is one of the most inspiring reads of the year. And the future looks bright and beautiful."

The 200 young South Africans listed were selected by a handful of independent researchers and included more than 1 200 nominations from Mail and Guardian readers.

Dr Gule, currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science, is described as someone whose work can help to provide clean, cheap drinking water to those most in need: "Her research, which has been patented, is of consequence to the one-billion-plus people who die every year from water-related ailments. Gule produced a point-of-use filtration system using nano-sized fibres that not only destroy bacteria but also prevent bugs from attaching themselves to the surface of the fibres," the text reads.

Dr Shishi is currently a junior lecturer in the Department of Physiological Sciences and she is recognised for her sterling work as a researcher: "Her study of the way science can be used to delay the onslaught of chemotherapy on heart cells won her recognition at the 2011 Congress of the South African Heart Association".

Prof Florian Breuer, head of the mathematics section in the Department of Mathematical Sciences (Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science), is recognised for "his role as professor, inspiring students to take up the numbers quest", even though "the impact of his own research may only be fully realised in the far future".

Mr Spaull is a member of the Research on Socioeconomic Policy team which analyses data that inform South Africa's education policies. As a statistician, he is one of the few people in the country "who can interrogate problems in empirically rigorous ways…because, if you don't truly understand the data about low and unequal performance…you can't fix the problem".

Read an article here.

Stellenbosch University alumni who also made it onto the list include Tanja Lategan, Chief Executive: Primedia online; Mandy Rossouw, Former International Correspondent: Media24 who passed away earlier this year; Prudy Seepe, Researcher: Traditional Medicine Laboratory: UKZN; and Gavin Silber, Deputy Secretary General: Social Justice Coalition.

Released by Wiida Fourie-Basson, Media:Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, science@sun.ac.za, 071 099 5721

This year marks the 10th Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (SICMF), and to celebrate this achievement a coffee table book capturing the memories of the past festivals will be launched on Friday, 5 July at the Endler Hall in Stellenbosch.

The festival organisers wanted a way to celebrate the 10th festival and a book seemed a fitting way to say thank you to all who have participated over the years.
From 5 to 14 July, the SICMF will again present 10 concerts of chamber and orchestral music by acclaimed musicians from South Africa and across the world. Coupled with this, public master classes, coaching sessions and lectures will also be held daily.

The glossy hard-cover book, which will also be available as an e-book, is edited by Adriaan Fuchs, who was part of the SICMF team from its inception in 2004 until 2007, first as Public Relations and Marketing Officer and then as Festival Director.

"While compiling this book I realised again the huge impact this amazing festival has had on the lives of so many young South African musicians, as well as the value of this festival for Stellenbosch University and the wider community," says Fuchs.

The 10th festival was a great opportunity to showcase the impact of the SICMF and to give recognition to the musicians from all over the world, the participants who come from across the country, as well as the sponsors and organisers. But Fuchs also wanted to capture the spirit of the festival.

“There is a special bond and friendship between everyone at the festival, almost like an extended musical family who come back to Stellenbosch year after year to make music – something which is repeatedly referred to in the book. I hope this book captures the special vibe that makes this festival a unique experience,” says Fuchs.

The book contains photos and essays by many of those who have been involved with the festival over the years. Also, there are extracts from concert reviews and articles which were published in the media. It tells an inspiring story of how the passion for music is expressed at the SICMF.

Fuchs started working on the book at the end of last year. Through social media he could source many photographs from musicians all over the world who had at some point attended the festival.

“One of the greatest challenges was that the photographic material from year to year differed in quality. There weren’t many photographs from the 2004 and 2005 festivals – in those days we didn’t have enough money for marketing, let alone a photographer to document the festival! I believe the photographs in the book should itself tell a story and should take the reader on a journey,” he says.

After late nights, long emails and scouring through archives, Fuchs had enough material to compile this book.

“It was important to document all aspects of the festival as a personal record of the events, the people, the musical highlights and the spirit of the festival. Some of the participants literally and figuratively grew up with this festival – we all grew with it – and it is therefore essential to capture these experiences and memories. In ten years’ time we might look back again, but from a different angle,” Fuchs says.

“The Chamber Music Festival lies close to my heart. Compiling this book was a wonderful experience and I was extremely fortunate to be in the position of editor,” he adds.
• The book can be purchased at the festival, or online at www.sicmf.co.za.
• Tickets for the festival concerts are available from Webtickets. Visit www.sicmf.co.za for more information about the programme or call the SICMF office on 021 808 2343 during office hours.
• Follow the SICMF on Twitter and Facebook.

For media enquiries, please contact: Louise Howlett: 021 808 2358 / 084 682 1337.

Stellenbosch University (SU)  would once again like to present an opportunity to staff, in the spirit of Madiba and his vision to spread justice and freedom for all, to give a little of your time to make a change in an area that is close to your heart or by giving a little of your time to make a difference to the life of someone less fortunate.

Mandela Day is celebrated on 18^th July 2013 and staff members are encouraged to give of their time during 12h00 – 14h00 on this day.  This could be a wonderful team-building opportunity for SU Departments and Divisions.

So what are YOU doing on 18 July or any other day in lieu of Mandela Day? Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. If you are already involved in volunteerism, plan to render your service to your charity/organisation/project of choice between 12h00 – 14h00.
2. If you are looking for an opportunity in Stellenbosch, please see the two dates below:
   
   
   18^th July 2013

a)    Youth Outreach - Jeuguitreik - Indawo Yo Lutsha! needs helping hands with various tasks and activities with which SU staff can assist.  Please note, long term involvement with this centre is a possibility. (Read more)

 NB! Transport will be available to and from the centre on the 18^th July 2013

          24^th July 2013

b)   Golden Key Toasties for Tummies

The Golden Key International Society will be hosting a Toasties drive.  This entails an opportunity for individuals to prepare sandwiches (part of feeding scheme project) which will be distributed to the needy.  The preparation will take place in the Vrouevereniging Hall, in the Neelsie between 12h00 – 14h00

If you are interested to participate on any one (or both) of the above activities please complete form. (Click here)

• For further enquiries please feel free to contact Maureen Kennedy at 021 808 4824 or Michelle Jooste at 021 808 2755.

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