​Safety measures, legislation and disciplinary structures may act as deterrents to the rape and assault of women, but it will not prevent gender violence. A 'rape culture' goes beyond criminal acts or legal aspects. It reflects a general culture of disrespect and the acceptance of the harassment of women as the norm, Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor wrote in a communiqué to the campus community. He appealed to Matie men to assist with developing  an understanding that respect for women excludes verbal abuse, sexual harassment, inappropriate jokes, catcalling and wolf-whistling.  Read the communiqué here. A copy follows below.

* * * * *

Dear colleagues and students

On Saturday morning our University community woke up yet again to the sad news​ of the reported rape of one of our female students. As a community we are appalled and shocked by the gender violence perpetrated within our society. Such events leave deep scars and words cannot express the outrage at perpetrators who continue to terrorise our communities. As a campus, town and even a national community we need to work together, even harder and more coordinated to create communities where women can feel safe and are not exposed to disrespect and violent crimes. Our thoughts are with the student, her family and friends, as well as her fellow residents, and we appeal to our campus community to respect their privacy.

CAMPUS SAFETY

The safety of our students and staff is a primary concern and many millions of rand have been spent on safety and security measures over the past few years, especially after the sharp increase in street robberies in 2014. As an institution we want to offer our students a safe and crime-free university town to roam about unrestricted, but with rising crime statistics in our country, this is just not possible. Despite the various initiatives listed below, the open campus and constantly changing security situation in the country, pose a specific challenge.  

Over the last few years SU has:

• d​​​​iscontinued exams and tests at night;
• instituted a shuttle service on campus and surrounds, as well as a pedestrian escort service that is available at night;
• doubled the number of guards patrolling the primary routes on campus;
• upgraded pedestrian routes;
• rolled out a vast street camera network;
• established safety kiosks on campus;
• increased the visibility of security officers, patrol vehicles and motorcycles;
• started creating security zones such as the one on the Rooiplein, where a mast with cameras and lights has been erected;
• increased the use of technology, reaction capacity and awareness campaigns focusing on staff and students; and
• forged active partnerships with the SAPS, Stellenbosch Municipality and the broader security community in the town.

After the incident in February this year the University has again reviewed its safety and security arrangements and will continue to do so. When we appeal to staff and students to be vigilant and to avoid actions that put you at risk, the intention is not to shift the blame for incidents to our campus community. With 25 000+ individuals on our Stellenbosch campus most days of the week, it is just not possible to eliminate all criminal activity.  In Stellenbosch the same safety precautions should be taken as elsewhere in the country.

RAPE CULTURE

Stellenbosch University has one of the most extensive security and transport systems to enable safe mobility for students. There seems to be a misunderstanding that security prevents gender violence and rape. As with disciplinary structures, it presents some deterrents, but will not fundamentally shift gender violence.  What has been labelled as a 'rape culture' on our campuses goes beyond criminal acts, or legal and disciplinary aspects. These are complaints of a general culture of disrespect and harassment of women, which are accepted as the norm.

Rape culture – first named and described internationally in the 1970s – is defined as various acts in which sexual aggression or sexual victimisation is normalised due to societal attitudes on gender and sexuality. Behaviours commonly associated with rape culture include sexual objectification, victim blaming, refusing to acknowledge the harm caused by forms of sexual violence, or some combination of these. This should also be seen in the context of challenges in this regard in society as a whole, in South Africa, but also internationally.

At the beginning of March, the Rector's Management Team (RMT) appointed a task team to urgently look into rape culture at the institution and make the necessary recommendations. Existing counter-measures at SU include on-going activities on our various campuses to create awareness about gender issues and sexual harassment. Consciousness-raising sessions and sensitivity training for staff members and students take place both in and outside of residences. But more systemic interventions might be required to challenge entrenched practices. Coming up with recommendations in this regard will fall within the ambit of the task team's scope of work.

However, the task team cannot change the psyche of society. All Matie men have the responsibility to assist with the development of an understanding that respect for women excludes verbal abuse, sexual harassment, inappropriate jokes, catcalling and wolf-whistling. Let's all treat each other with respect.

• Women and men who are sexually harassed, abused or raped should not hesitate to report incidents to either the University's Crisis Service (tel: 082 557 0880) or Campus Security (tel: 021 808 2333; and 021 938 9507 for the Tygerberg Campus). Rape is a criminal offense and should also be reported to the nearest police statio​n. Staff and students who do not want to make use of the above reporting lines should at least report incidents to the University's independent Ethics Hotline – anonymously should they so prefer: 0800 204 549 (tel). The email address is sun@ethics-line.com. Complaints can also be sent to the University's Equality Unit: unfair@sun.ac.za 
  

Kind regards

Prof Wim de Villiers
Rector and Vice-Chancellor

​

The newly-established advisory board of the Faculty of Science at Stellenbosch University met for the first time on Friday 4 March 2016 at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies (STIAS).

Prof. Pieter Swart, Vice-Dean: Research, says the aim with the appointment of an advisory board is to foster a closer relationship with industry: “The management team of the Faculty of Science will meet with the advisory board at least twice a year to discuss issues such as skills development and the development of multi-disciplinary approaches to tackle the complex technological challenges of the future.

“We want to get feedback from industry on the skills that we need to develop in our future students to operate and flourish as professional scientists in the modern industrial era.”

Matters to be discussed at the next meeting will include internships for undergraduate and postgraduate students in different industrial sectors, while researchers from the Faculty of Science will present their research focus areas.

Serving on the advisory board for 2016/2017 are:

Dr Shirley Ferris (Managing Director: Whitehead Scientific); Dr Tertius Cilliers (Technical Director Sales: DuPont Nutrition & Health: SSA Danisco SA); Mr Kobus Viljoen (Managing Director: Airbus Defence and Space, AIRBUS DS OPTRONICS); Dr Einar Ronander (Director: Klydon Gas); Prof. Patrick Bouic (Chief Technical Officer: Synexa Life Sciences); Dr Luthando Dziba (CSIR: Natural Resources and the Environment); Mr Willem van Biljon (Chief Executive Officer: Takealot.com); Ms. Karin van Deventer (Chair, Mineral Education Trust Fund); Mr Carlos Costa (Executive Director Technical & Procurement: Kansai Plascon); Dr John Mellor (SASOL – Technical manager, polymers, nitros and solvents); Mr July Ndlovu (Executive Head Process: Anglo Platinum); Dr Thulani Dlamini (Vice-President: Strategic Research and Technology and CIBI, SASOL); Prof Barry Axcell (Advisor to the Board, SABMiller plc); Mr Luke Brouckaert (General Manager – Technical for RCL Foods, Sugar & Milling).

The Faculty was represented by the Dean, Prof. Louise Warnich, Prof. Ingrid Rewitzky (Vice-Dean: Teaching and Learning), Prof. Pieter Swart, Vice-Dean: Research, Ms Mariétta van den Worm (Director: Faculty Management), as well as the departmental heads.

In front, from left to right, Ms. Karin van Deventer, Dr Thulani Dlamini (SASOL), Prof Pieter Swart (SU), Prof Patrick Bouic (Synexa Life Sciences), Prof Louise Warnich (SU) and Dr Luthando Dziba (CSIR). At the back, from left to right, Dr Einar Ronander (Klydon Gas), Mr Carlos Costa (Kansai Plascon), Dr Shirley Ferris (Whitehead Scientific), Prof Ingrid Rewitzky (SU), Dr John Mellor (SASOL), Dr Tertius Cilliers (DuPont Nutrition) and Mr Kobus Viljoen (Airbus DS Optronics). Photo: Anton Jordaan

The first SANUM* meeting came into existence in 1975 when two eminent mathematicians, Prof. Lothar Collatz (1910-1990) from Germany and Dr Fritz John (1920-1994) from the United States of America, happened to visit South Africa at the same time.

A number of local researchers used the opportunity to organise a meeting at the (then) University of Natal, at which a total of ten papers were presented. From here the meeting grew in strength, with numerous famous numerical and applied mathematicians passing through.

Aside from missing a single year (1996) and on one occasion (1997) being a special session of a larger conference, the meeting has been held annually. This makes 2016 the 40th occurrence of this major event on the calendar of South African numerical and applied mathematics.

The organiser of the very first SANUM meeting, Prof. Gerhard Joubert from the Technical University of Clausthal, also attended the event and presented the after-dinner speech. Prof. Joubert is also a SU mathematics alumnus.

The 2016 organisers were Dr Nick Hale, Prof. Ben Herbst and Prof. André Weideman, all from the Division of Applied Mathematics at Stellenbosch University.

The 2017 meeting will be held at the University of the Witwatersrand.

*South African symposium of Numerical and Applied Mathematics (SANUM) http://sanum.github.io

​Last week, the Director of USB, Prof Piet Naudé, announced the sudden death of Dr Kobus Serfontein, head of Leadership Studies at USB. Dr Serfontein passed away on Wednesday afternoon, 30 March.

Dr Serfontein joined the USB formally in January 2015, but he has been involved with the Business School and with USB Executive Development (USB-ED) over the past 15 years.

Dr Serfontein was responsible for the Leadership Development track on the MBA and was head of the Postgraduate Diploma in Leadership Development. He also lectured at the Goethe Business School at the University of Frankfurt in Germany and at the Prince Sultan University in Saudi-Arabia.

He held a PhD in Business Management. Prior to joining USB, he was Chief Executive: Group Human Resources of the PSG Konsult Group. Before that, he was head of Human Resources at Woolworths International & Franchise.

Prof Piet Naudé conveyed his condolences to Dr Serfontein's family on behalf of students, staff, alumni and business friends of USB.

• Memorial service at Stellenbosch Golf Club House: Thursday, 7 April 2016 at 11:00
• Short ceremony at USB, Room 2059: Friday, 8 April 2016 from 13:00 till 13:30

The first SANUM* meeting came into existence in 1975 when two eminent mathematicians, Prof. Lothar Collatz (1910-1990) from Germany and Dr Fritz John (1920-1994) from the United States of America, happened to visit South Africa at the same time.

A number of local researchers used the opportunity to organise a meeting at the (then) University of Natal, at which a total of ten papers were presented. From here the meeting grew in strength, with numerous famous numerical and applied mathematicians passing through.

Aside from missing a single year (1996) and on one occasion (1997) being a special session of a larger conference, the meeting has been held annually. This makes 2016 the 40th occurrence of this major event on the calendar of South African numerical and applied mathematics.

The organiser of the very first SANUM meeting, Prof. Gerhard Joubert from the Technical University of Clausthal, also attended the event and presented the after-dinner speech. Prof. Joubert is also a SU mathematics alumnus.

The 2016 organisers were Dr Nick Hale, Prof. Ben Herbst and Prof. André Weideman, all from the Division of Applied Mathematics at Stellenbosch University.

The 2017 meeting will be held at the University of the Witwatersrand.

*South African symposium of Numerical and Applied Mathematics (SANUM) http://sanum.github.io

​Last week, the Director of USB, Prof Piet Naudé, announced the sudden death of Dr Kobus Serfontein, head of Leadership Studies at USB. Dr Serfontein passed away on Wednesday afternoon, 30 March.

Dr Serfontein joined the USB formally in January 2015, but he has been involved with the Business School and with USB Executive Development (USB-ED) over the past 15 years.

Dr Serfontein was responsible for the Leadership Development track on the MBA and was head of the Postgraduate Diploma in Leadership Development. He also lectured at the Goethe Business School at the University of Frankfurt in Germany and at the Prince Sultan University in Saudi-Arabia.

He held a PhD in Business Management. Prior to joining USB, he was Chief Executive: Group Human Resources of the PSG Konsult Group. Before that, he was head of Human Resources at Woolworths International & Franchise.

Prof Piet Naudé conveyed his condolences to Dr Serfontein's family on behalf of students, staff, alumni and business friends of USB.

• Memorial service at Stellenbosch Golf Club House: Thursday, 7 April 2016 at 11:00
• Short ceremony at USB, Room 2059: Friday, 8 April 2016 from 13:00 till 13:30

​The botanical garden's open evenings are from the 4th untill the 12th of March 2016, from 17h00 till 22h00 in the evening.  The Katjiepiering restaurant (please book timeously) and the garden gift shop will also be open during this time.  Everyone is invited to come and watch the night-time flowering of the Victoria cruziana water lily with its massive leaves. Entry is free.

Icelandic, Polish, Swedish, French, Spanish, Russian, English, Mandinka, Afrikaans and Xhosa.  A mouthful of languages understood and spoken by Stellenbosch University (SU) researcher Dr Alex Andrason.

With two doctorates under his belt, one focussing on African languages and the other on Semitic languages, learning a new language comes easy to the Icelandic-born scholar.

Andrason, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of African Languages, says languages fascinate him. "I love it so much. Where people take books to read while on holiday, I tackle the grammar of a new language. When I travel to a country, three to five months is enough to learn a new language."

Learning Xhosa has been a bit of a challenge. 

"I think this is the most difficult language I've encountered this far, but therefore I love it so much because it's so challenging. It's an extremely complex language, much more complex than any European language."

Andrason who picked up Mandinka while living in Gambia says there is a popular, but incorrect perception that African languages are primitive, underdeveloped and poor. "The brains of speakers of African languages must be differently wired because of the all languages they speak. These languages are so complicated. It's fascinating."

Andrason' love for new languages comes from travelling the world and studying and living in many countries.

He did his first PhD on Semitic Languages; Arabic, Biblical Hebrew and Akkadian in Spain. South America and Australia are the only two continents Andrason has not travelled to yet.

Coming to South Africa in 2010 he enrolled at SU for a semester course in Afrikaans. This was followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Ancient Studies a few years later. In January this year he started a second postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of African Languages.

Andrason has been widely published. In the first three months of 2016 he has already published in 10 accredited journals. He attributed this to the "positive academic environment" at SU.

The same goes for South Africa which he considers his second home.

"I never think of myself as an immigrant if I am in South Africa. I miss much more when I am in Europe than when I am in South Africa. Two years ago I went to Europe for three months to do research and I miss South Africa so much, I was counting the days to go back home, to Stellenbosch."

• Postdoctoral fellows are emerging scholars who have just completed their PhD. They make a substantial contribution towards SU's research output. SU currently has 252 postdoctoral fellows, of which 116 are international. They work closely with colleagues in the Division for Research Development and the Postgraduate & International Office. 

​Recently, USB director Prof Piet Naudé hosted the executive chairman of the Cape Union Mart Group, Philip Krawitz, at a USB Director's Table*.

In his wide-ranging talk, Krawitz explained how the business was started, what kind of books he reads, what challenges South Africa is facing and how he reckons it can be dealt with, as well as what he has in common with the late innovator Steve Jobs: "We are both university drop-outs."

Guests included the CEO of the Cape Town Partnership, Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana, Santam chief executive Lizé Lambrechts, and the director: Corporate Affairs at Distell, Vernon de Vries.

Krawitz emphasised the importance of believing in South Africa.

"If we live in this country we'll have to help it fulfil its potential. For too long we've ignored the true wealth of South Africa that resides in the quality of our people," he said.

On appointing his successor as CEO, he said it was important that such a person should be better than him to ensure growth. Krawitz said he and his CEO, André Labuschagne, who also attended the Director's Table event, "have a relationship based on absolute mutual trust and respect".

* The USB Director's Table series of events with top executives in business was initiated by the Stakeholder Relations Division of USB in 2015, and is held every quarter.

​Recently, USB director Prof Piet Naudé hosted the executive chairman of the Cape Union Mart Group, Philip Krawitz, at a USB Director's Table*.

In his wide-ranging talk, Krawitz explained how the business was started, what kind of books he reads, what challenges South Africa is facing and how he reckons it can be dealt with, as well as what he has in common with the late innovator Steve Jobs: "We are both university drop-outs."

Guests included the CEO of the Cape Town Partnership, Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana, Santam chief executive Lizé Lambrechts, and the director: Corporate Affairs at Distell, Vernon de Vries.

Krawitz emphasised the importance of believing in South Africa.

"If we live in this country we'll have to help it fulfil its potential. For too long we've ignored the true wealth of South Africa that resides in the quality of our people," he said.

On appointing his successor as CEO, he said it was important that such a person should be better than him to ensure growth. Krawitz said he and his CEO, André Labuschagne, who also attended the Director's Table event, "have a relationship based on absolute mutual trust and respect".

* The USB Director's Table series of events with top executives in business was initiated by the Stakeholder Relations Division of USB in 2015, and is held every quarter.

​Last year, the Department of Agronomy at Stellenbosch University (SU) was delighted with the donation of an Equalizer minimum till plot planter by the Cape Town firm Theebo Tech. This planter was to play an instrumental role in improving their research on the crop cultivation of grain.

However, they soon realised that they were faced with a new challenge: The department's tractor was not strong enough to handle the planter and as a result the planter could not be utilised optimally.

But a few of the department's industry partners – Overberg Agri, CLAAS and Kempston Agri – came to its rescue last week when they handed over the keys of a CLAAS tractor to Prof Nick Kotze, head of the Department of Agronomy.

Thanks to this tractor with its improved abilities, the department will now be able to use its new minimum till plot planter to do research on industry-specific problems and to supply the agricultural community with specific answers to problems based on scientific trials.

Among other things, the Department of Agronomy is involved in research in various cereal crops that are farmed in the Western Cape winter-rainfall areas – these include wheat, oats, lupine, barley and canola. With the department's outdated equipment, soil had to be tilled up to three times before wheat could be planted for research purposes. With the minimum tilling implement the fields only have to be tilled once.

"Industry-driven research is to the advantage of the farmer, the environment and agriculture as a whole," explained Kotze.

He quoted former American President Franklin D Roosevelt who, as long ago as the 1930s, said that: "The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself."

André Uys, an alumnus of the Faculty of AgriSciences and managing director of the Overberg Agri Group, emphasised that partnerships form an important part of the company's business model, especially partnerships with agricultural faculties at universities.

"It is our privilege to help you, because you help us," he said. "We want to be part of the research and training process and be able to provide input."

He explained that students of the Faculty of AgriSciences not only become their clients and employees, but that Overberg Agri and the farmers they serve benefit a great deal from the research that is undertaken by the faculty.

Dick David, manager of Kempston Agri who is the agent for CLAAS in South Africa, agreed with what Uys said and added that CLAAS is renowned for precision farming and efficiency.

"We like to support research that enhances precision farming," he said.

Prof Danie Brink, acting dean of the Faculty of AgriSciences, said that industry's support is essential to enable the Faculty to continue its good work.

Students in the Department of Agronomy is currently working on various industry projects. A total of 38 PhD students graduated from the Faculty of AgriScience in the 2015 academic year.

Read previous article: SU receives new Equalizer minimum till plot planter

Caption: Prof Nick Kotze (head of the Department of Agronomy), Dick David (manager of Kempston Agri), André Uys (managing director of the Overberg Agri Group) and Prof Danie Brink (acting dean of the Faculty of AgriSciences) next to the new CLAAS tractor.

A hands-on workshop exploring the wonderful world of ants and how that relates to biodiversity earned the Iimbovane Outreach Project the prize for "Best Workshop: Curriculum" at SciFest Africa recently.

Iimbovane, which means "ants" in iSiXhosa, is an outreach project supported by the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (C·I·B) based at Stellenbosch University.

The Iimbovane team, consisting of Dorette du Plessis, Londiwe Msomi and Sophia Turner, arrived at SciFest Africa armed with microscopes and a complete mini-laboratory: "Our aim was to surprise learners with fascinating facts about ants, their important role in the ecosystem, and how ants get their scientific names. We also included practical activities such as hunting ants and how to describe an ant's characteristics by using a microscope," says Ms Dorette du Plessis, Iimbovane project manager.

Did you know, for example, that ants have hair on their bodies? Or that some species build underground cities which go down as deep as eight meters?

The workshop also included information about the range of study fields in biodiversity and conservation science at Stellenbosch University.

A learner from Kimberley Boys' High, Lubabalo Nonkonyana, was full of praise after attending the workshop: "It refreshed my knowledge about ants, but I also learned a lot of new things about how important ants are to the environment. Thank you for an awesome show!"

Mr Clive Biggs, life science educator at York High School in George, says he and his colleagues were "absolutely fascinated by the workshop", especially with the microscope work: "It was interesting to see how ants can be used to teach biodiversity and biological classification, both concepts that are in the Life Science curriculum. Suddenly we now have ant experts on the Life Science staff!"

This is the second time that the Iimbovane Outreach Project was selected to be one of the 650 events and activities at Scifest Africa. The Iimbovane Outreach Project, established in 2006, is a long term monitoring project which focuses on ant diversity in different natural and modified landscapes. The project involves educators and learners from more than 18 schools, who assist with the monitoring of ants on their school premises. It is funded by Rand Merchant Bank Fund, AfriSam, and the C·I·B.

SciFest Africa is South Africa's national science festival and the largest in southern Africa. This year it was held from 2 to 8 March in Grahamstown with the theme "A matter of time".

Follow the Iimbovane Outreach Project on Facebook

Matie cyclist Mariske Strauss (24) overcame injuries and a bad tumble the week before to be crowned African cross-country champion at the 2016 African Continental Mountain Bike Championships this past weekend. This is her fifth continental title.

The event was held in Lesotho from 30 March to 3 April and cyclists were not only competing for continental honours but also for valuable UCI points. UCI points determine not only a cyclist's starting position in a race but ultimately also how many cyclists a country can send to the Olympic Games.

The week before, Mariske came second in the Elite Women's race at the third round of the Stihl 2016 SA XCO Cup Series hosted in Pretoria after crashing twice during the race. Apart from some bruising, she sustained no serious injuries.

She was beaten by her Novus OMX Pro team mate Cherie Redecker, who came second at the African Champs a week later.

After the race in Pretoria, Mariske decided to follow a different approach at the continental championships.

"I decided to race my own race, have a blast and see how the field and I responded to the altitude."

They riders had to complete five laps of a 5.4 km course at an altitude of approximately 3000m above sea level.

"The race started quite slowly. I then opened up the tap to the top of the first climb where I found myself in the lead. I kept things consistent and had a blast," she adds.

Strauss has been struggling with injuries since 2014 – first she tore her abdominal muscles and then she tore her ankle ligaments. This meant she couldn't defend her 2014 SA Cross Country or 2014 African Champs title in 2015.

"The past two years have been very trying but I had unbelievable support," she says.

She is now looking towards the future. Due to academic responsibilities her next race will only be at the end of the month when she will compete at the Pietermaritzburg MTB festival.

She also hopes to represent South Africa at the Olympic Games in Rio later this year.

Mariske is a third-year BSc Sports Science student at Stellenbosch University (SU). Before starting her course this former Stellenberg High learner spent a year at Mars Hill College in the USA.

If all goes well, she will complete the final two subjects of her degree this year and graduate in December. It has not been easy for her to pursue a degree while continuing with the sport she loves, but she believes it has been worth it.​ 

In a rape culture, violence against women has become the new 'normal'.

This was one the viewpoints of Prof Julie Claassens of the Discipline group Old and New Testament in the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University (SU) on Monday (4 April 2016). She was the speaker at a colloquium hosted by SU's Department of Psychology.

Claassens said rape is the pinnacle of a very patriarchal and violent context.

Highlighting South Africa's rape statistics, Claassens pointed out that a woman is raped every two seconds in the country. She said this led to South Africa being dubbed the Rape Capital of the world.

"What these statistics do not reveal, though, is the devastating effects of rape not only on the individual victims but also on women in communities around the world. Rape not only attacks the body but also threatens the innermost core of the human being."

Reflecting on the persistent reality of rape, Claassens related the biblical story of Tamar (2 Sam 13) and the case of Susannah in the Apocryphal addition to the book of Daniel. Tamar was raped by her half-brother Amnon, while Susannah rejected the advances of two judges and almost lost her life as a result.

Claassens said the stories of Tamar and Susannah not only reflect the complex reality of rape but also show the courageous responses of victims who refuse to accept the normalization of rape and hence resist in whatever way possible.

"For both readers who have been victims of rape and sexual assault, as well as women and men who stand in solidarity with those who have been violated, these narratives offer fertile space to reflect on what it will take for individuals and communities as a whole to resist the violence of rape and in some small way to transform a rape culture."

These stories "help us to name the violence of rape which is deeply systemic in nature and reflective of a much larger problem. They hold up female agency - the signs of female resistance - even though it may be slight, muted or limited in light of the overwhelming show of male power, helping us to not further relegate women to a state of powerlessness".

Claassens said the stories of Tamar and Susannah may play an important role in raising awareness regarding the reality of rape that persist to this day.

• Photo: Prof Julie Claassens speaking at the colloquium.
  
• Photographer: Justin Alberts.
  

In a rape culture, violence against women has become the new 'normal'.

This was one the viewpoints of Prof Julie Claassens of the Discipline group Old and New Testament in the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University (SU) on Monday (4 April 2016). She was the speaker at a colloquium hosted by SU's Department of Psychology.

Claassens said rape is the pinnacle of a very patriarchal and violent context.

Highlighting South Africa's rape statistics, Claassens pointed out that a woman is raped every two seconds in the country. She said this led to South Africa being dubbed the Rape Capital of the world.

"What these statistics do not reveal, though, is the devastating effects of rape not only on the individual victims but also on women in communities around the world. Rape not only attacks the body but also threatens the innermost core of the human being."

Reflecting on the persistent reality of rape, Claassens related the biblical story of Tamar (2 Sam 13) and the case of Susannah in the Apocryphal addition to the book of Daniel. Tamar was raped by her half-brother Amnon, while Susannah rejected the advances of two judges and almost lost her life as a result.

Claassens said the stories of Tamar and Susannah not only reflect the complex reality of rape but also show the courageous responses of victims who refuse to accept the normalization of rape and hence resist in whatever way possible.

"For both readers who have been victims of rape and sexual assault, as well as women and men who stand in solidarity with those who have been violated, these narratives offer fertile space to reflect on what it will take for individuals and communities as a whole to resist the violence of rape and in some small way to transform a rape culture."

These stories "help us to name the violence of rape which is deeply systemic in nature and reflective of a much larger problem. They hold up female agency - the signs of female resistance - even though it may be slight, muted or limited in light of the overwhelming show of male power, helping us to not further relegate women to a state of powerlessness".

Claassens said the stories of Tamar and Susannah may play an important role in raising awareness regarding the reality of rape that persist to this day.

• Photo: Prof Julie Claassens speaking at the colloquium.
  
• Photographer: Justin Alberts.
  

​​​​​​​​Last year, the Department of Agronomy at Stellenbosch University (SU) was delighted with the donation of an Equalizer minimum till plot planter by the Cape Town firm Theebo Tech. This planter was to play an instrumental role in improving their research on the crop cultivation of grain.

However, they soon realised that they were faced with a new challenge: The department's tractor was not strong enough to handle the planter and as a result the planter could not be utilised optimally.

But a few of the department's industry partners – Overberg Agri, CLAAS and Kempston Agri – came to its rescue last week when they handed over the keys of a CLAAS tractor to Prof Nick Kotze, head of the Department of Agronomy.

Thanks to this tractor with its improved abilities, the department will now be able to use its new minimum till plot planter to do research on industry-specific problems and to supply the agricultural community with specific answers to problems based on scientific trials.

Among other things, the Department of Agronomy is involved in research in various cereal crops that are farmed in the Western Cape winter-rainfall areas – these include wheat, oats, lupine, barley and canola. With the department's outdated equipment, soil had to be tilled up to three times before wheat could be planted for research purposes. With the minimum tilling implement the fields only have to be tilled once.

"Industry-driven research is to the advantage of the farmer, the environment and agriculture as a whole," explained Kotze.

He quoted former American President Franklin D Roosevelt who, as long ago as the 1930s, said that: "The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself."

André Uys, an alumnus of the Faculty of AgriSciences and managing director of the Overberg Agri Group, emphasised that partnerships form an important part of the company's business model, especially partnerships with agricultural faculties at universities.

"It is our privilege to help you, because you help us," he said. "We want to be part of the research and training process and be able to provide input."

He explained that students of the Faculty of AgriSciences not only become their clients and employees, but that Overberg Agri and the farmers they serve benefit a great deal from the research that is undertaken by the faculty.

Dick David, manager of Kempston Agri who is the agent for CLAAS in South Africa, agreed with what Uys said and added that CLAAS is renowned for precision farming and efficiency.

"We like to support research that enhances precision farming," he said.

Prof Danie Brink, acting dean of the Faculty of AgriSciences, said that industry's support is essential to enable the Faculty to continue its good work.

Students in the Department of Agronomy is currently working on various industry projects. A total of 38 PhD students graduated from the Faculty of AgriScience in the 2015 academic year.

Read previous article: SU receives new Equalizer minimum till plot planter

Caption: Prof Nick Kotze (head of the Department of Agronomy), Dick David (manager of Kempston Agri), André Uys (managing director of the Overberg Agri Group) and Prof Danie Brink (acting dean of the Faculty of AgriSciences) next to the new CLAAS tractor.

​Matie cyclist Mariske Strauss (24) overcame injuries and a bad tumble the week before to be crowned African cross-country champion at the 2016 African Continental Mountain Bike Championships this past weekend. This is her fifth continental title.

The event was held in Lesotho from 30 March to 3 April and cyclists were not only competing for continental honours but also for valuable UCI points. UCI points determine not only a cyclist's starting position in a race but ultimately also how many cyclists a country can send to the Olympic Games.

The week before, Mariske came second in the Elite Women's race at the third round of the Stihl 2016 SA XCO Cup Series hosted in Pretoria after crashing twice during the race. Apart from some bruising, she sustained no serious injuries.

She was beaten by her Novus OMX Pro team mate Cherie Redecker, who came second at the African Champs a week later.

After the race in Pretoria, Mariske decided to follow a different approach at the continental championships.

"I decided to race my own race, have a blast and see how the field and I responded to the altitude."

They riders had to complete five laps of a 5.4 km course at an altitude of approximately 3000m above sea level.

"The race started quite slowly. I then opened up the tap to the top of the first climb where I found myself in the lead. I kept things consistent and had a blast," she adds.

Strauss has been struggling with injuries since 2014 – first she tore her abdominal muscles and then she tore her ankle ligaments. This meant she couldn't defend her 2014 SA Cross Country or 2014 African Champs title in 2015.

"The past two years have been very trying but I had unbelievable support," she says.

She is now looking towards the future. Due to academic responsibilities her next race will only be at the end of the month when she will compete at the Pietermaritzburg MTB festival.

She also hopes to represent South Africa at the Olympic Games in Rio later this year.

Mariske is a third-year BSc Sports Science student at Stellenbosch University (SU). Before starting her course this former Stellenberg High learner spent a year at Mars Hill College in the USA.

If all goes well, she will complete the final two subjects of her degree this year and graduate in December. It has not been easy for her to pursue a degree while continuing with the sport she loves, but she believes it has been worth it.​ 

Photo credit: Andrew Mc Fadden/BOOGS Photography

A hands-on workshop exploring the wonderful world of ants and how that relates to biodiversity earned the Iimbovane Outreach Project the prize for "Best Workshop: Curriculum" at SciFest Africa recently.

Iimbovane, which means "ants" in iSiXhosa, is an outreach project supported by the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (C·I·B) based at Stellenbosch University.

The Iimbovane team, consisting of Dorette du Plessis, Londiwe Msomi and Sophia Turner, arrived at SciFest Africa armed with microscopes and a complete mini-laboratory: "Our aim was to surprise learners with fascinating facts about ants, their important role in the ecosystem, and how ants get their scientific names. We also included practical activities such as hunting ants and how to describe an ant's characteristics by using a microscope," says Ms Dorette du Plessis, Iimbovane project manager.

Did you know, for example, that ants have hair on their bodies? Or that some species build underground cities which go down as deep as eight meters?

The workshop also included information about the range of study fields in biodiversity and conservation science at Stellenbosch University.

A learner from Kimberley Boys' High, Lubabalo Nonkonyana, was full of praise after attending the workshop: "It refreshed my knowledge about ants, but I also learned a lot of new things about how important ants are to the environment. Thank you for an awesome show!"

Mr Clive Biggs, life science educator at York High School in George, says he and his colleagues were "absolutely fascinated by the workshop", especially with the microscope work: "It was interesting to see how ants can be used to teach biodiversity and biological classification, both concepts that are in the Life Science curriculum. Suddenly we now have ant experts on the Life Science staff!"

This is the second time that the Iimbovane Outreach Project was selected to be one of the 650 events and activities at Scifest Africa. The Iimbovane Outreach Project, established in 2006, is a long term monitoring project which focuses on ant diversity in different natural and modified landscapes. The project involves educators and learners from more than 18 schools, who assist with the monitoring of ants on their school premises. It is funded by Rand Merchant Bank Fund, AfriSam, and the C·I·B.

SciFest Africa is South Africa's national science festival and the largest in southern Africa. This year it was held from 2 to 8 March in Grahamstown with the theme "A matter of time".

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Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM) announced that it has signed an articulation agreement with Stellenbosch University.  This is the first articulation RUSVM has signed with a university in South Africa to increase opportunities for qualified students to pursue a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

Through this agreement, students from Stellenbosch University Faculty of AgriScience, who meet specified academic requirements, will gain direct admission to RUSVM.  Qualified students will have their application fees waived, guaranteed interviews and be considered for eligible international scholarships.

"The new partnership with RUSVM provides a direct pathway for our students interested in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine.  For some this may be a lifelong dream and for others it will be an opportunity to serve our society through the health of animals," said Prof. Danie Brink, Acting Dean, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University. 

According to a press release from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), there is a demand for a strong and well-trained veterinary network worldwide, due to the growing importance of animal diseases and zoonoses. Infectious disease agents and toxins found in animal populations and animal products are considered an on-going threat to animal health, economies, biodiversity, food security, food safety and public health.  A conference hosted by the OIE in October 2015 reviewed the important need for trained veterinarians and para-veterinary professionals in Africa.

"As part of the RUSVM mission, we are committed to providing training in areas strategically important to global health, thus enabling our students to become contributors to both human and animal medicine," said Dr. Carmen Fuentealba, Executive Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning.

"This is of strategic importance as we extend our reach to South Africa and the rest of the globe to train veterinarians in key areas from the latest in pet care to food safety and security issues to assist in the control of infectious and zoonotic diseases," she said.

About Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine
Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM), founded in 1982, is committed to preparing students to become members and leaders of an international public and professional healthcare team, and to advance human, animal and ecosystem health (One Health Initiative) through research and knowledge exchange.

The research programs initiated by RUSVM place emphasis on emerging infectious and zoonotic diseases, conservation medicine, and ecosystem health. RUSVM offers postgraduate Masters, PhD and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) programs, which are all accredited by the St. Christopher & Nevis Accreditation Board. The DVM program holds accredited status from the American Veterinary Medical Association. The RUSVM Veterinary Clinic is accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association. For more information on RUSVM, visit www.rossu.edu/vet.

About Stellenbosch University, Faculty of AgriSciences

The history of Stellenbosch University (SU) dates back as far as the 17th century, when regular school education was initiated in 1685 in the town of Stellenbosch. When SU was officially established in 1918, Agriculture was one of the first four faculties established, and since its establishment, made an immense contribution to agricultural education and research in South Africa. 

The Faculty of AgriSciences is recognized as a consultant by agricultural and forestry industries. Students enrolled in the Faculty's under- and postgraduate programs are expertly trained to become leaders and managers in the various sectors of related industries. In 2006 the Faculties of Agriculture and Forestry merged to become the Faculty of AgriSciences, as it is known today.  The Faculty, which consists of 11 departments, boasts more than 1270 undergraduate and 460 postgraduate students.  For more information about Stellenbosch University Faculty of AgriSciences visit www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/agri.

World Health Day is marked annually on 7 April and the theme for this year's celebration is "Beat Diabetes". Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is doing important research to elucidate the diabetes epidemic in local communities also affected by tuberculosis.

Globally more TB patients simultaneously have diabetes than TB patients co-infected with HIV – and the number is steadily rising.

This is according to Dr Katharina Ronacher, a medical biologist at Stellenbosch University (SU), who is leading a research group studying the TB-diabetes co-epidemic.

"In the South African population about 12% of TB patients also have type 2 diabetes," says Ronacher. She notes that this number is expected to rise, as the prevalence of diabetes is increasing dramatically in developing countries like South Africa as more people are adopting a Western lifestyle.

People with diabetes have a three times higher risk of developing TB than those without the disease.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) - commonly referred to as "diabetes" - is a metabolic disease that causes high blood sugar levels, and is increasingly common among South Africans.

A recent study found that in South African Coloured population in the Western Cape Province, up to 25% of people have diabetes. "This is very high," says Ronacher, who is part of the SU Immunology Research Group at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Research has shown that one fifth of people (19%) with diabetes are not aware that they have the disease. In South Africa the lack of early diagnosis of diabetes is exacerbated by poor screening services, and most people are diagnosed only once they develop complications from the disease.

"The dual burden of TB and diabetes is greater in certain regions than in others," Ronacher explains. "In India, for example, up to 50% of TB patients also have diabetes."

"Not only are people with diabetes more likely to get TB, they are also less likely to respond to treatment, which can lead to relapse or even death," explains Ronacher.

One reason for this could be that the levels of TB medication are generally lower in diabetes patients than patients without diabetes comorbidity. The cause for this is unknown and it is unclear whether it is due to interaction between the two diseases, or because people with diabetes generally have a higher body mass index and medication doses are not adjusted correctly.

Ronacher's research group also investigates whether patients with poorly-controlled diabetes (mostly due to not taking medication regularly), have reduced immune responses to the germs that cause TB than patients whose diabetes are controlled.

Ronacher has recently been awarded a grant of R25 million by the American National Institutes of Health to explore the risk of developing TB from household contacts with diabetes, compared to household contact without diabetes.

The Immunology Research Group is also involved in a project to screen TB patients for diabetes, and vice versa, to gain a better understanding of how these two diseases interact.

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