Three postgraduate students in Mathematics had the privilege of attending the Heidelberg Laureates Forum which took place from 23 to 28 September 2018 in the historic town of Heidelberg in Germany.

This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to learn from and interact with the recipients of the most prestigious awards in the fields of Mathematics and Computer Science, namely the Abel Prize, the Fields Medal and the Nevanlinna Prize in Mathematics, and the A.M Turing award and the ACM Prize in Computing. These awards are on the same level as the Nobel Prize.

Sogo Pierre Sanon, Hosana Ranaivomanana and Dylan Nelson had to compete against postgraduates students across the world in order to be able to attend.

Sogo, who recently completed his MSc in Mathematics at SU, is now pursuing his PhD at the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany. While at SU, his supervisors were Dr Karin Therese-Howell and Dr Bruce Bartlett.

Dylan is busy with his Phd in Mathematics under the supervision of Dr Dirk Basson, while Hosana is an MSc student in Mathematics with Dr Bartlett as supervisor. 

​​​​​​​​​Academics, agriculturalists and former students from Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of AgriSciences have been acknowledged for their outstanding achievements in agriculture.

​The Adam Small Theatre Complex at Stellenbosch University (SU) was officially opened at a renaming ceremony on the Stellenbosch campus on Friday (23 November 2018). The University's renovated and expanded theatre complex was renamed after the late Adam Small, an award-winning poet and playwright. This name change forms part of a process of visual redress and renewal of public spaces, symbols, buildings and facilities at SU.

Small received an honorary doctorate from SU in 2015.

The Adam Small Theatre complex is a multifunctional facility that includes the large auditorium in the complex (until now known as the HB Thom Theatre), a seminar room and a smaller laboratory theatre. Although the name HB Thom Theatre will no longer be used, it will be contextualised in the refurbished building. The adjacent Drama Department will now for the first time functionally join the theatre complex.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prof Wim de Villiers, SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor, said the renaming was about recognition, redress and reconciliation.

“We are naming this theatre complex after Adam Small to recognise him as one of our greatest thinkers and authors, to right some of the wrongs done to him and other victims of apartheid, and to heal the wounds of the past … to bring together again those torn asunder by what Adam Small himself called an 'evil system'".

Small wanted to study at SU, but couldn't do so because of Apartheid.

Describing Small as someone with a moral conscience and a critical voice during Apartheid, De Villiers said SU was grateful and proud to be associated with his rich legacy.

“We would like to see the vision of human dignity and healing justice realised," he added.

After the renaming ceremony, guests were treated to musical performances by artists Natalia Da Rocha and members of the Applauz Arts Initiative. They paid tribute to Adam Small using some of his published and unpublished poems. Guests also had the opportunity to take a walkabout through the theatre complex. 

A prestigious national award was presented to Prof Susan van Schalkwyk for the contribution she has made to the field of teaching and learning in higher education.

Van Schalkwyk, who is the director of the Centre for Health Professions Education (CHPE) at Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, recently received the National Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award presented by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA).

Her selection for the award is a great achievement, HELTASA's Dr Rejoice Nsibande said in a letter of confirmation to Van Schalkwyk. “We hope that you [Van Schalkwyk] will be able to serve as a role model and leader in teaching excellence, both at your institution and in the higher education sector in South Africa," Nsibande's letter reads. The award was recently presented at the annual HELTASA conference and recognises excellence and leadership in teaching and learning in higher education.

“Receiving the award within the CHPE is a wonderful privilege and affirmation of our work," said Van Schalkwyk. According to her, the award gives voice to SU's new teaching and learning policy (2018), which speaks directly to strengthening the scholarship of teaching and learning and recognizes the professionalization of academics in their teaching roles.

Van Schalkwyk said that although she was “humbled and grateful" for being selected for the award, she also felt conflicted, as the success she has achieved throughout her career was made possible by the support and assistance of colleagues, family and friends. “I dedicate this award to all my wonderful colleagues in the CHPE, FMHS, SU's Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and the Health Professions Education community of scholars around the world with whom I work," she said.

To be considered for the award, candidates have to be nominated by their universities to submit a portfolio containing reflections of their career in teaching and learning.

“SU's review committee regarded Van Schalkwyk's portfolio as impressive," said Ms Jean Lee Farmer, a CTL advisor. “The portfolio provided extensive evidence of her leadership in teaching and learning and her related research. Both her teaching and research are underpinned by solid theoretical knowledge and deep critical reflection on her practice as an educationist. She engages with higher education in a scholarly manner and clearly has the enhancing of the science of higher education as her goal. Van Schalkwyk's portfolio illustrates the complexity of teaching in higher education and of the being and becoming of an educationist in this context."

In 2015, Van Schalkwyk obtained a C3 rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF), and was appointed as SU's first full professor in Health Professions Education in 2016. In 2017, she received the SU Teaching Excellence Award.

To date Van Schalkwyk has published 50 peer-reviewed articles and nine book chapters, and has presented her research at 27 national and 21 international conferences, workshops or symposia. She is also a member of the Bellagio Global Health Education Initiative (a worldwide collaboration seeking to develop curriculum for global health challenges) and serves on the editorial board of various academic journals in her field of study.

With spinach shoots pushing through the ground and paper butterflies decorating the walkways of Makupula Secondary School in Stellenbosch, the Kayamandi Vegetable Store Garden was launched on 24 November.

The Kayamandi Vegetable Store Garden (K.V. Store) is an outcome of the Young Entrepreneurship Project (YEP), a joint initiative by Stellenbosch University (SU) and the HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht in the Netherlands. Working in teams, students developed course material for an entrepreneurship workshop aimed at high school learners from local schools. At the workshop, held in July, start-up ideas and business plans were developed and the best four ideas won start-up capital of R4000 per group to make their plans a reality.

According to Mr Adolph Neethling, YEP programme coordinator and lecturer in the Department of Business Management at SU, three of the winning business plans came from Makupula Secondary.

K.V. Store was one of the winning groups. Their business plan stated that they are concerned about their community's health and that they wanted to plant vegetables at school, selling the fresh garden produce at low prices to Kayamandi residents to improve the health of and empower the people of the community.

“However, the challenge with some of these community initiatives is that the community beneficiary often struggles to implement the plans generated with the support of the university partner," observed Mr Neethling.

Ansonette Esterhuizen, a second-year BCom Management Sciences student who helped the K.V. Store team develop their idea, decided to continue mentoring the team.

Besides the prize money sponsored by businesses from the Netherlands, Ansonette obtained sponsorship for most of the implements needed to start the drip-irrigated vegetable garden.

“After the workshop, I realised that the students will need guidance to implement their concept and I decided to help them achieve this goal through mentorship, planning and finding sponsors. I was fortunate enough to find three sponsors who sponsored most of the gardening equipment and tools, including a drip irrigation system and new gutters for the school (Intelichem), a 5 000 Litre JoJo Tank (4evr Plastics) and shade to surround the garden with (Delta4 Financial Services)."

Sponsors and supporters attended the official launch of the garden over the weekend.

At the event Mr Paul Jaspers from the HU Business School Utrecht encouraged the students to use innovative entrepreneurship to break the poverty chain and to be the change the world needs.

Mrs Bulisa Dyushu-Gophe, teacher coordinator at Makupula Secondary School, also encouraged the learners to make use of every opportunity that could improve their future.

“When I heard the learners' presentations (after the course), I was so inspired," she said. Although the learners come from a community struggling with unemployment, poverty and a high crime rate, this garden gives hope, she added, thanking everyone involved.

“This isn't just a project for us," she said. “It is a great thing."

A group of 15 girls are involved with the K.V. Store. According to one of the learners, Tapelo Mashiyi, they are very proud of what they have achieved.

​​​​​​​​​Stellenbosch University (SU) has just introduced a limited series Pinotage as part of the commemoration of its centenary.

Only 2000 bottles of “Eeufees Pinotage" – the official centenary wine - were bottled by SU's Welgevallen cellar. Each bottle is individually numbered.

SU recently collaborated with the online store Takelot.com to make the “Eeufees Pinotage" available online.

Mr Riaan Wassung, winemaker at the Welgevallen cellar, said the wine was made from the best Pinotage vines of the Welgevallen and is therefore of an excellent quality with a dark ruby colour. “The wine has intense berry and forest floor aromas, with subtle spiciness which originates from the oak. The wine is full-bodied, with a form but soft tannin structure with good acidity and lingering aftertaste. The wine should still age at a cool temperature for 5 years."

A bit of luck

In the 1920's, Prof Abraham Izak Perold was the first professor in viticulture at SU. In his house, next to the Welgevallen cellar, he crossed the Pinot Noir and Cinsault noir (or 'Hermitage' as it was known) grape cultivars to create the first Pinotage seedlings.

In 1927 he took up a position at the KWV in the Paarl and left the four seedlings he cultivated in the garden. Through a twist of fate, a young colleague of Perold, Charlie Niehaus, cycled past Perold's former residence, and was just able to save the four seedlings where university workers were cleaning the garden. Niehaus was able to save the seedlings and were re-established at the Elsenburg Agricultural College.

In the mid-1930s, Perold enthusiastically supported the potential of this new variety. The first Pinotage wine, by CT de Waal, was made in 1941.

Innovation

Ms Anita Nel, Chief Director: Innovation and Business Development, says Innovus, SU's innovation and technology transferring entity, is excited about the release of the wine. “We decided to make the wine available online to offer it to our alumni nationally.

“Alumni and friends of the University will also soon by able to buy SU's centenary publication, , Stellenbosch University 100: 1918-2018, via Takelot, and we are also aiming for clothing with the SU brand and a wider range of our wine cellar's products to be made available online in this way."  

·       Liaise with Ms Christi Wiechers at christiwiechers@sun.ac.za or 082 737 9162 for more information.

·       Read more on origin of the Pinotage grape at www.pinotage.co.za/origin-of-the-grape (used as source for this media release)

·       Photo: Mr Riaan Wassung, winemaker of the Welgevallen Cellar and Prof Willie Perold, Vice-Dean: Research and Industry Liaison, Faculty of Engineering and grandson of Prof AI Perold (Photo: Stefan Els) – Close-up of the bottle also available.  

* Stellenbosch University, via Innovus, is in keeping with the latest innovation and not only uses Takealot as a point of sale for products, but recently also became the second university in the world to market non-student accommodation online through AirBnB.​

At a roundtable discussion with President Cyril Ramaphosa in Sandton last week (Thursday, 22 November 2018), Dr Nic Spaull, Senior Researcher of the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University, spoke about the importance of restoring our dysfunctional primary education system.

He remarked that, “Our primary education system is the binding constraint to economic growth and shared prosperity in the long-run."

Dr Spaull was one of 18 economists from academia and industry who were invited by the Presidency to give input on "Strategies for long term prosperity: What would it take to place South Africa on a higher-growth trajectory?"

“It was a fascinating discussion, and I think the university-throughput graph made a strong impact on the President, who spoke about education for 20 minutes after the presentations," he said.

“It was a strong reminder that some of the work we do at the Research on Socio-Economic Policy (ReSEP) programme under Professor Servaas van der Berg's guidance, has a huge impact on thought-leadership in the country.

“World-class research succinctly presented can rise to the very top," Dr Spaull added.

​Universities, government agents and members of the community should make a concerted effort to alleviate some of the burdens faced by students, particularly those from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, writes a postgraduate Matie student.​

In January 1977 my father, at the age of nine, started school by mistake. My grandfather never intended sending him to school as he felt that his young son was destined to become a bricklayer, like himself, making a formal education an unnecessary tool for him.

I remember being told the story of my father’s school enrolment: a woman in his community had tasked herself with the responsibility of rounding up all children who looked to be of school-going age and enrolling them, without their birth certificates or the consent of their parents. Apparently, most parents in this impoverished township community in the Eastern Cape shared my grandfather’s sentiments. Today, over forty years later, the actions of this anonymous woman has changed the trajectories of a number of families, resulting in the upliftment of many of these children and their families in one generation. My father, as one of these children, is now a UCT alumnus holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering as well as an Honours degree in Economics.

This anecdote contains a lesson of incredible significance, particularly for a country that faces problems such as high unemployment, low levels of skills and educational attainment and significant lags in technological advancements. The lesson is one we have had drummed into our ears countless times: Consider the possibility that the answers to our economic problems are trapped in the minds of children who do not have access to adequate education. What, then, are the barriers to receiving a good education? Who is left out? What can we do to rectify this? We have learnt that the solution is not just to open the doors of education to everyone on a policy level alone, but rather to do so on a more rounded, holistic level. We often overlook the impact of needs-based support, which can be both financial and emotional in nature.

‘My sponsor took care of all my problems’

 Let us return to the story of the young boy from the Eastern Cape to illustrate this. The school teachers took a keen interest in this Grade 11 school boy, who excelled academically (and who often picked up mistakes in their test memos), and recommended him for a scholarship. This specific scholarship offered more than just money. Firstly, it would take him out of his township to a private school with a superior syllabus, offer him a place in a boarding school, and provide in-depth personal development, mentorship and career guidance, as well as trips to arts festivals and seminars across the country. This is how the son of a bricklayer could learn of professions such as engineering, accountancy and other sciences. He often boasts and says: “My sponsor took care of all my problems.”

There is a lot for us to learn from this. Simply sending an individual from a troubled background into a foreign school system is seldom a fruitful exercise. People who come from difficult and poor backgrounds and who do not have support systems face greater challenges when trying to further and complete their education. A recent problem which has come to light is the issue of food security. It has been largely unknown at many world-class universities that there are students who, despite being on bursaries, often go to class and write tests and exams unsure of where their next meal will come from. Women, with brilliant minds and bright futures, are often not able to attend classes or leave their rooms during some months because they cannot afford sanitary towels. Can you imagine counting the number of days you have missed class in a semester because you had not eaten or had not had access to proper sanitary products? These constraints undoubtedly have a significant impact on the nature of education that students receive during their time at school or university.

This sounds yet another alarm related to access on university campuses. The importance of wrap-around services needs to be emphasised: the kind of services that ensure students remain in the classroom should be targeted. Decisions in this area can determine the route a student’s career takes. The wraparound approach is one that incorporates caring into the philosophy of education, as advocated by Albert Education (2009). This is achieved through offering coordinated services and support in the university model. Now, this is not to say that these do not exist on campuses around the world, but these offices are often overcrowded and do not have all the resources needed to adequately assist all students facing problems. This often means that students who are in need are turned away. When speaking to those who work in student support environments, these individuals will often recall having to care for students out of their own pockets by either buying them food or toiletries, or paying for student transport to and from campus, as these are needs that the average bursary does not cover.

The actual economics of education

During my studies, I have focused on and researched the actual economics of education. I have investigated not just the cost of school fees, but the actual cost of schooling, which includes the cost of clothing, transport, food and cultural changes (i.e. the cost of ‘fitting in’). I have spent much time learning about how these factors can have a substantial impact on where children go to school and how their performance is affected. It is these factors which, if not addressed, place strain on individuals and households wishing to obtain better education. I write this with the intention of highlighting how important well-rounded, holistic support is on university campuses. In the United Kingdom, student support services have been identified as one of the key factors when auditing the overall quality of all services offered by a university – as, according to Bartram (2009), the personal development of students is an integral part of professional academics.

We have often heard of the ‘student experience’, which we believe to be homogeneous for all. We have recently learned, through movements like #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall, that it is dangerous to assume that all students are enjoying a similar university experience. In doing so, we become blind to the harsh realities that students from different backgrounds are facing – some of which can be solved through existing university structures with relative ease. It is important, in the view of Temple and co-authors (2014), for universities to understand that some students need more systematic support to complete their undergraduate courses and that there is a link between added support and academic performance.

Research conducted on student affairs, in Africa, has examined the professionalisation of student affairs, where student concerns and experiences (unrelated to academics) are handled in a dignified manner. This implies offering students services associated more with changing environments, leadership, personal development and personal care, suggest Pansiri and Sinkamba (2017). The depth of such services offered by student affairs offices needs to be taken into consideration, and should include services that ensure that the most basic needs of students are being met as well. These needs include food, transport and sanitary products, which disadvantaged students are sometimes forced to go without owing to severe budgetary constraints. The lack of these basic goods means that these students experience life completely differently compared to their peers on campus and therefore shapes their development differently.

With the demographic profile of students changing and diversifying on South African campuses, so do the experiences of the average student. Therefore, university policies and services should adjust accordingly. The trade-off that comes with these problems (uncovered in recent years) requires a significant shift of resources – something universities cannot manage owing to being resource constrained.

It is because of this that a concerted effort needs to be made by various university offices, government agents and members of the community to alleviate some of the burdens faced by students, particularly those from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and others who fall within vulnerable groups. Actions from these individuals can significantly affect the trajectories and life paths of students on campus. ​

The Council of Stellenbosch University (SU) held its fourth and final scheduled meeting of the year on Monday 26 November 2018.

We can look back on a historic year marked by two very special milestones: the commemoration of SU's establishment 100 years ago, and the approval of a new vision and strategic framework that lays the foundation for the future.

As pointed out by the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Wim de Villiers, in his report (click here), 2018 has so far been another exceptional year for SU, even though it had its share of challenges. Council is satisfied that the University is on course to become Africa's leading research-intensive university, globally recognised as excellent, inclusive and innovative, where we advance knowledge in service of society – as SU's new vision indeed states.

At Monday's meeting, Council approved the University's budget for 2019, including adjustments to staff remuneration and student fees. We also adopted a revised Statute and approved an updated Institutional Plan and faculty renewal plans. In addition, we welcomed a new Council member and bid farewell to another.

Please read on for more about these issues as well as other decisions and agenda items.

All of the best with the final tasks of 2018. Do enjoy the upcoming break and return safely for the first year of our second century!

Kind regards

George Steyn
Chair: SU Council

Budget 2019

At the recommendation of its Executive Committee (EC[C]), Council approved the University's integrated budget for 2019 and financial planning for the period 2020 to 2024. Salient aspects include the following:

• Study fees will increase by 5,3% (and not 7% as initially planned, since the latest projected increase in the state subsidy for 2019 seems sufficient to enable SU to adhere to the request of the Department of Higher and Education and Training [DHET] to restrict the increase to the consumer price index).

• Student accommodation fees will increase by 7,3% (in light of the higher cost drivers associated with student housing).

• Staff remuneration will increase by 6,3% for those who achieved a performance score of 3 or more in the 2018 assessment cycle (being an inflation-linked adjustment).

Faculty allocations will continue as agreed with the respective faculties. The 10% cap on reserves in SU environments will be implemented in the first half of 2019.

In light of the additional state subsidy, SU's total integrated budget amounts to R6,3 billion. Council has noted the additional state funding with appreciation, but has also expressed concern over the persistent uncertainty and financial risks in the higher education sector.

The approval of the budget is subject to final confirmation of the state subsidy for 2019. Therefore, Council has agreed for the Rector and the chair and deputy chair of Council to approve any budget amendments that may arise from the confirmation of the state subsidy, following consultation with the chair of the Audit and Risk Committee. However, in the event of a significant deviation, Council itself will need to consider any amendments to the budget.

Faculty renewal plans

Council approved the final renewal plans for the faculties of Education as well as Arts and Social Sciences, and was pleased to note that these faculties had improved their financial and systemic sustainability since 2016, when challenges were identified. Council also conveyed its appreciation to Prof Hester Klopper, Vice-Rector: Strategy and Internationalisation, who had been heading up the renewal process. Monthly steering committee meetings were held in both faculties, and many recommendations have already been implemented to good effect.

Highlights of the final renewal plans are as follows.

Education

• A new dean will be appointed by the envisaged target date of 1 July 2019. (Prof Johan Malan is currently serving as acting dean following an earlier decision by the Rectorate to put the appointment process on hold while renewal was being planned.)

• The Department of Sport Science will be moving to the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, which has proven a better fit due to developments in the discipline over the past few years.

• Steps that are already paying dividends include:

• curbing expenditure on low-income modules;

• reviewing modules;

• support to improve M and D student throughput;

• reviewing the financial model of the Centre for Higher and Adult Education;

• commercialisation of educational psychology; and

• support to increase publication outputs, where necessary.

Arts and Social Sciences

• Commercialisation of the Adam Small Theatre Complex

• Improvement of the pipeline from M to D degrees

• Making the Conservatoire and other spaces centrally available

• The renewal or phasing out of identified programmes

• Steps that are already paying dividends include:

• the discontinuation of deficit spending;

• the cutting of costs;

• an increase in study fees for certain programmes – already from 2018;

• extensive academic programme renewal;

• the consolidation of undergraduate modules; and

• no intake for master's programmes with fewer than 10 student enrolments.

Council requested progress reports for its meeting on 25 September 2019.

ICRR increased

For the sake of financial sustainability, the University's indirect cost recovery rate (ICRR) on third-stream revenue will be increased from 17% to 20% now that Council has adopted a revised policy in this regard at the recommendation of the Institutional Forum and Senate. A task team led by Prof Eugene Cloete, Vice-Rector: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies (VR:RIPS), had been systematically reviewing the previous policy since December 2016. Stakeholders were widely consulted and various workshops held.

As was the case until now, the new rate of 20% will apply to all gross income from research (whether with or without a contract), consulting services, sponsorships, conferences and short courses. The arrangement with regard to equipment also remains in place, namely that only the first R1 million in external funding for equipment purchases is subject to the ICRR.

In terms of sponsored research chairs, the ICRR on academics' salaries remains at only 10%, although the normal rate will apply to the other staff costs and current expenditure of the chair. The ICRR on seconded positions is also retained at 10%.

No ICRR is levied on merit prizes, bursary funding or bona fide donations made via SU's Development Office. Also exempt from the ICRR are the membership fees that sport clubs receive from SU students, as well as printing fees and textbook sales via the Division for Student Fees.

State funding in the form of subsidies or earmarked awards qualifies as first-stream revenue and is therefore not subject to the ICRR. The ICRR does however apply to all other state funding, like any other third-stream revenue. Nevertheless, SU will continue to honour the restrictions imposed on indirect cost recovery by certain funding agencies.

In terms of national legislation on intellectual property, indirect cost recovery on third-stream revenue is compulsory for institutions receiving public funds. It is applicable to indirect costs such as legal services, financial services, human resource services, research services, information technology services, library services, corporate communication services, banking costs and audit fees, as well as assistance with intellectual property.

Of the indirect costs so recovered, 72% is channelled to the main budget, 27% to the faculty or other environment where the third-stream revenue is generated, and 1% to the research fund in the NINS responsibility centre (RC).

The new policy will take effect on 1 January 2019, with the next review in three years' time.

Institutional Plan 2019–2024

An updated version of SU's Institutional Plan (IP) must be submitted to the DHET by 15 December each year. The IP covers a rolling six-year period, which in this instance will be 2019–2024. Prof Klopper presented this year's update to Council, who approved it.

The updated IP is aligned with SU's new Vision 2040 and Strategic Framework 2019–2024, which Council adopted in June. Certain aspects of the new framework that are still work in progress, such as strategic management indicators, will be incorporated into the next plan (IP 2020).

The drafting of the IP started in October. The process was simplified thanks to greater alignment between the environmental plans of RCs and faculties, the new strategic framework and the IP.

Learning and Teaching report

At this Council meeting, it was the turn of the Vice-Rector: Learning and Teaching (VR:L&T), Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel, to report on activities in his RC over the past year. Click here for his full report (which also served before Senate on 23 November), and here for a shortened presentation.

Prof Schoonwinkel pointed out the linkages between the strategic focuses of his RC and SU's vision and strategic framework adopted in June. All six of SU's new core strategic themes are being promoted. Highlights include the following:

Transformative student experience

• This year, SU paid out R500 million in undergraduate bursaries and loans, of which R114 million came from its own main budget, and 68% went to black African, coloured, Indian and Asian (BCIA) students.

• Access is being broadened, while success is also being maintained. According to the DHET, SU has the second-lowest dropout rate (8% compared to the national average of 15%) and the highest throughput rate (84% compared to an average of 66%) of all universities in SA.

Networked and collaborative teaching and learning

• SU's project for implementing ICT in learning and teaching, which amounts to R358 million, is entering its fifth year. On Stellenbosch campus, 232 classrooms (83%) of all classrooms have now been equipped with WiFi, with sufficient bandwidth to access knowledge sources online.

Research for impact

• This year, SU adopted a new Teaching and Learning Policy that encourages lecturers to immerse themselves in the scholarship of teaching. The teaching and research functions are increasingly being recognised on equal terms.

Purposeful partnerships and inclusive networks

• In 2018, SU's telematic schools project reached around 1 000 schools in eight provinces with supplementary curricular support for Grade 10, 11 and 12 learners. This improves matric pass rates and broadens university access.

Employer of choice

• Through various initiatives, SU academics are given the opportunity to come into their own as educators, and lecturers are being acknowledged.

A thriving SU

• Revenue from learning and teaching accounts for more than 80% of SU's main budget.

• Thanks to its academic reputation, SU attracts top students. Eight out of ten of our new first-time entry students this year had achieved a Grade 12 average of more than 70%.

Revised Statute adopted

Council has adopted a revised Statute for Stellenbosch University (SU), which will now be tabled to the Minister of Higher Education for approval. The document is the product of an extensive consultative process that started in August 2017. A task team led by the Registrar, Dr Ronel Retief, collaborated with experts to review the Statute, which was also made available for comment during a month-long public participation process. A total of 12 workshops took place, and such stakeholders such as faculty boards, the Students' Representative Council and the executive committee of the Convocation were also consulted. A Reading Committee of Council, convened by the Law Faculty's Prof Sandra Liebenberg, advised on such aspects as the structure, content and applicability of the revised Statute. Adv Andrew Breitenbach SC certified that the document complied with the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) and the Higher Education Act (1997). The sixth version of the new Statute was finally recommended by the Institutional Forum (IF), Senate as well as the Executive Committee (EC[C]) and the Social and Business Ethics Committee (SBC) of Council. The existing Statute will remain in force until the Minister has approved and published the revised document in the Government Gazette.

Language Committee of Council

Council received feedback from its Language Committee, who had perused the VR:L&T's report on the implementation of the University's Language Policy. Responsibility centres and faculties had all contributed to the report.

Council's Language Committee also expressed its appreciation for the activities hosted to mark Language Day at the University on 28 September.

At the recommendation of its Language Committee, Council adopted the faculties' reports on their utilisation of the language modes in 2018. The chair of the Language Committee, Adv Jean Meiring, noted that, in general, very few language implementation complaints had been received from staff and students, and that implementation seemed to be relatively trouble-free. Another noteworthy trend is that an increasing number of students seem to prefer being taught in English.

Faculties' language implementation plans for 2019 were also adopted, on the condition that Council members would be supplied with the details of the language mode for each module. In addition, Council approved the RCs' 2018 language reports and 2019 language implementation plans.

Finally, Council approved recommendations on further language surveys in addition to the two conducted in 2017. These include a recommended language survey to be conducted among lecturers, support services staff and undergraduate students, a survey on downscaling the use of interpreters, as well as on the experience and preferences of students who switch to the parallel-medium option. With a view to next year, lecturers have also been requested to clearly contract with students in advance with regard to the accommodating use of more than one language in class, where applicable.

Appointments and member matters

Council appointed Prof Niel Krige of the Division for Development and Alumni Relations to the board of the Stellenbosch Trust.

Council also noted the report of the Joint Appointments Committee on Prof Louise Warnich's reappointment as Dean: Science for a second five-year term with effect from 1 February 2019.

We welcomed a new member, Dr Tsakani Ngomane, who attended her first Council meeting after being appointed by the Minister of Higher Education and Training for the period 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2022. Dr Ngomane holds a PhD (cum laude) in Agricultural Extension and Education from Pennsylvania State University in the United States. She is a policymaker with extensive experience in higher education. She has served as deputy director-general in the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency, and is currently deputy director-general of climate change, air quality and sustainable development in the Department of Environmental Affairs.

At the same time, Council bid farewell to Mr Lwando Nkamisa, outgoing SRC chair, who attended his last Council meeting. Council expressed its appreciation for Mr Nkamisa's regular attendance of meetings and valuable inputs, and wished him well with the completion of his master's studies.

Next meeting

The next Council meeting is scheduled for 25 March 2019.

-o0o-

Caption: From left, Council Chair Mr George Steyn, new Council member Dr Tsakani Ngomane, and Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers. (Picture: Stefan Els).

​A team of Stellenbosch University (SU) medical students will embark on an ambitious 902km cycle tour from Vioolsdrift at the Namibian border to Cape Agulhas, the most Southern tip of Africa, from 1 to 8 December 2018.

Tuesday, 27 November 2018, marked 100 days of the Stellenbosch University's #Move4Food campaign at SU – a student inspired initiative that aims to create food banks on the Stellenbosch and Tygerberg campuses to ensure that for the next three years, no Matie student will have to bear the indignity of going hungry.

“Our aim, to raise R10 million to build sustainable food banks at Stellenbosch University, is still paramount to our Centennial Drive," says Ms Karen Bruns Senior Director: Development and Alumni Relations. “Although we have not reached our target yet, we received overwhelming support on various levels. For this reason we have decided to extend the campaign until 19 April 2019, in order to allow students, alumni and friends of the University further opportunity to pour their energy into reaching the target."

We want to help our friends become doctors

Breda Reed, a Namibian national and third year medical student at Tygerberg, is pioneering the initiative with a group of four fellow students. “We want to help our friends become doctors. We don't think it's fair that some students drop out because they don't have access to basic necessities."

Watch the students' video of the project at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GysQdlfe4k&t=16s

The group aims to raise R100 000, primarily appealing to health care professionals, to help set up a fund that will be dedicated to ensuring that fellow medical students are not financially excluded. Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice Chancellor, who has a medical professional background, fully endorses the initiative and will ride with the group from Stellenbosch to Franschhoek. 

De Villiers completed the Cape Town Cycle Race earlier this year to raise funds for bursaries.

“It is so heartening to see the passion and enthusiasm of our staff, students and alumni to drive student success at SU. The passion of these young men to do something to address the pertinent issue of student funding gaps is inspiring," says De Villiers. 

The group consists of Breda Reed (Windhoek), Mias Marais (Ceres), Luke Titus (Worcester), and Christoff Greyling (Durbanville) – all students in medicine and Wonderboy Nkosi (Nelspruit) a student in dietetics

• Contribute to the “Hippocampus Fund" here: https://goo.gl/CF3DTH.
• Follow their trip by liking The Hippocampus Facebook page. 
  

Tour itinerary

November 30: Travel from Tygerberg campus to Vioolsdrift

December 1: Vioolsdrift to Springbok – 120km

Leaving at 04:00, Expected to arrive at 11:30

December 2: Springbok to Garries – 118km

Leaving at 04:00, Expected to arrive at 11:30

December 3: Garries to Vanrynsdorp – 148km

Leaving at 03:00, Expected to arrive at 11:45

December 4: Vanrynsdorp to Citrusdal – 133km

Leaving at 03:00, Expected to arrive at 11:00

December 5: Citrusdal to Malmesbury – 112km

Leaving at 04:00, Expected to arrive at 10:30

 December 6: Malmesbury to Tygerberg Campus – 63km

Leaving at 04:00, Expected to arrive at 08:00

December 7: Tygerberg Campus to Caledon (Via Stellenbosch and Franschhoek) – 133km

Leaving at 04:30, Expected to arrive in Stellenbosch – 06:00; expected to arrive in Franschhoek at 08:00, expected to arrive in Caledon at 12:00

December 8: Caledon to Cape Agulhas  – 110km

Leaving at 04:00, Expected to arrive at 10:30

​​​As many as 60 managers a year will be trained to provide professional leadership at primary health-care clinics across Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape provinces as part of a new programme established within the Department of Nursing and Midwifery at Stellenbosch University (SU) with philanthropic support from medical-aid provider Discovery.

The training started in 2018 after serious concerns were reported in annual inspection reports produced by a national monitoring body about non-compliance with health-care standards at clinics across the country, says Professor Ethelwynn Stellenberg, who is leading the new project.

The project team responded to a call by the Discovery Fund for funding in Human Capacity and Skills Development and submitted an application to finance the training. As a result, the fund pledged more than R1.5 million over three years.

The need for the training was identified after clinics in Mpumalanga and Northern Cape received particularly poor scores from the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC), which has a statutory duty to ensure the quality of health services nationwide.

Since 2012, the monitoring body has recorded consistently poor leadership and corporate governance and below-standard operational management at primary health-care clinics across the country.

In its 2014-15 review of 358 such clinics, more than 73% were rated as clinically poor and non-compliant. The following year, no improvement was recorded.

It was decided that intense intervention was required to address the problems of poor leadership, governance and management, which were limiting the quality of frontline service delivery at the clinics.

Accordingly, the training programme was established under the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences to provide the required skills to district managers and operational managers at primary health-care clinics which were failing to meet the required standards of care.

The trainees are taught how to analyse and formulate appropriate policies and methods for ensuring continuous improvement in the quality of services. They are also inducted in the nuts and bolts of management, including how to organise finances; how to manage their human resources and handle labour issues; and how to assess and plan for risk. Modules further cover the adoption of infection-control and disaster-management measures.

So far, a total of 58 trainees have been enrolled in the programme – 30 from Mpumalanga and 28 from the Northern Cape – and the diversity of the students, who are selected by provincial health authorities, has been a key priority. Over the three years of the project, 180 managers will be trained.

Entitled the Capacity Building in Leadership and Management in Primary Healthcare Programme, the project employs a blended-education methodology, including contact sessions and telematic satellite broadcasts, as well as continuous support from lecturers via the SunLearn e-learning platform over the phone or by Skype.

The programme, which was launched in May, started with two five-day workshops held in the two provinces to enable face-to-face contact between the learners and the facilitators from SU.

This was followed by a series of three-hour sessions in which training modules were broadcast remotely to the trainees. The first two of these sessions took place in June and August with a third in October.

The opportunity for funding the project arose after the Discovery Fund advertised the availability of philanthropic finance for projects that could support caregivers in their work, as well as broader social development.

Professor Stellenberg acknowledges the important opportunity afforded by the Fund’s support for the management capacity-building programme and is clear about its broad, practical benefits.

“The goal is to help local operational managers at these clinics to be good leaders,” she said.

 The first annual report on the programme’s progress will be produced at the end of the year in December. ​

​​Having established close ties with the university’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the fund is now also offering full bursaries to students in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.

This year, it is providing a full package of support – including payment of fees and money for books, as well as the provision of a mentorship and work-placement programme – to seven students at the university. Two of them are studying medicine and the other five are enrolled to study economics and management.

The fund was established by the Oasis Group, which offers a range of investment products and services, in the belief that private-sector support is crucial for education. The company views education as a fundamental pillar of the country’s development as a nation.

The fund adopts a holistic approach to choosing whom to support. Bursaries are allocated on the basis of academic performance as well as psychometric assessments that measure the cognitive abilities and emotional and personal strengths of prospective students. After selection, the academic performance of the chosen students is continuously assessed throughout the academic year.

The bursaries provide full tuition fees throughout the duration of the studies, including at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, subject to the students’ performance; and cover the costs of all prescribed books and materials.

The Oasis bursary package also offers guidance and a range of employment and outreach opportunities. A mentor is assigned to each student providing guidance as well as academic support. Twice a year, during the holidays, the students are provided with fortnightly work placements in line with their fields of study.

Upon graduation, the bursary students may be offered employment by the Oasis Group, which can entail an international placement with one of the firm’s global partners.

In addition, beneficiaries are encouraged to give back to their communities by participating in the outreach activities organised as part of the company’s public benefit initiative.

Medical graduates sponsored by the fund participate in a health awareness programme offered both to the firm’s employees and members of the local community.

Oasis has also identified early childhood development as a major area of development in the field of education; and has provided more than R5 million to develop the sector.

“The overall programme aims to foster excellence and success and to reward hard work and achievement,” says Juwairia Mallick, who administers the fund’s bursaries. “More broadly, the aim is to contribute to the growth and widening of the skills base in South Africa.”

Since its inauguration in 2002 by the late Professor Fatima Meer, the programme has granted more than 100 bursaries at the tertiary level and provided 48 school pupils with financial support. At present the fund is supporting 32 university students and 29 pupils.

“Our Maties students are some of our top-achievers and exceed bursary requirements year on year,” says Juwairia.

The success of the programme led to a recent meeting about forging closer ties between the fund and Maties between the Chief Executive Officer, Adam Ebrahim, and the Deputy Chairman of Oasis Group Holdings, Nazeem Ebrahim, and the Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Professor Ingrid Woolard, and Candice Egan, who raises funds from companies and the government for the university.

“We would like to expand our exposure and engagement at Stellenbosch University, hence our increased interaction,” says Juwairia.

It has been proposed that more students will be added to the current list of Oasis-sponsored students at Maties.

​​A bursary is the equivalent of a key – instrumental in unlocking students’ potential and enabling them to achieve the goals they have set themselves. This is especially true for Kelly Turner from Strandfontein and Thembalethu Seyisi from Uitenhage, the first recipients of the Ciucci bursaries awarded by the Stella Foundation.​

The founders of the Stella Foundation, Giuseppe and Kathleen Ciucci, are both alumni of Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Law and they have supported the Faculty for a number of years, both in the form of bursaries and by way of the Ciucci Law Development Initiative.

The objective of the Ciucci bursaries is to enable underprivileged students to obtain an outstanding academic qualification that will eventually lead to them making a positive contribution to society and the country in general.

Kelly, who is studying towards a BA Law degree, and Thembalethu, who is registered for an LLB degree, are both extremely grateful, not only because this full scholarship removes the financial burden of studying but also because it turned their dreams into reachable goals.

Kelly, who matriculated from Norman Henshilwood High School, chose to study law as a result of her circumstances. “I had plenty of friends who were sexually assaulted and had poor legal help and I saw the need for more legal action in the country. I want to improve the country I call my home and be able to address things that greatly disgruntle me.”

Thembalethu, who lost his mother when he was in Grade 7, moved to Cape Town in 2014 to live with an older sister and complete his schooling at Oaklands High School. He was inspired to study law after reading former president Nelson Mandela’s biography A long walk to freedom.

“I believe that law is a noble profession and that a law degree will open doors for me to move into the public space where I can help others. The leadership in SA is quite disappointing at the moment and this motivates me to keep on going.”

He believes that everyone has a responsibility to do whatever they can in their sphere of influence to improve the situation in South Africa.

Thembalethu’s desire to play a role in the public space was further encouraged by this bursary. He quotes Madiba who once said: “It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it”. For Thembalethu, the donors are a true embodiment of these words.

“They’ve made the world a better place for me and for that I’m very grateful.”

Kelly would also like to have an impact on her community and broader society.

“I would love to be an attorney, publisher and foundation/charity owner. I want to have a charity foundation named FLAG (Fight Like A Girl) aimed at uplifting women and children who are victims of abuse, albeit sexual, physical or mental. I also want to encourage children in crime-filled areas (like my neighbourhood at home) to stay in school.

“I know where I want to be in the future and what I want and I know that without education I couldn't do it. When I heard I was a recipient of this bursary I was filled with an unfathomable amount of gratitude.”

According to Kathleen Ciucci, they were very impressed with the students’ go-getter attitude.

“They are very mature as well as willing and able to work hard. It is a pleasure to spend time with them and listen to their enthusiasm for their studies, law and the future of South Africa. We are grateful that we could be in a situation to give back to the South African community in such a positive way. We believe that both of these students have the potential to be the leaders of the future and we look forward to watching then grow and develop.”

​​It was a case of smiles all round earlier this year, when the division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, supported by the German NGO, Big Shoe, performed 11 reconstructive procedures during the Tygerberg Academic Hospital Smile Week.

The procedures included operations to help children with cleft palates and other facial anomalies, as well as a rare procedure in which a six-year-old patient, who was born with a Tessier 10 facial cleft, underwent surgery to repair the condition.

Smile Week, operated by the Smile Foundation NGO, has been taking place across the country for years, and Tygerberg Hospital has been working with them since 2008. Big Shoe, which was launched in 2006 during the World Cup in Germany, is dedicated to raising funds for children in need of reconstructive surgery in Africa. 

Dr Alexander Zühlke, Acting Head of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, said the results of the procedures are life changing, not just for the young patients themselves, but for their entire immediate families.

“For me, this is something that I do on a regular basis – we do sponsored operations every Friday at Tygerberg - but any opportunity we have to do a successful operation that helps a child to live a normal life, is, in my opinion fantastic. It is truly rewarding. 

“In a Smile Week or a Big Shoe event, it is like our normal Fridays on steroids. We have a whole lot of children, all together in the ward and many of their parents are there too. It is a great opportunity for the parents to talk to each other as it becomes an informal support group. There is a lot of hype and excitement and it is always a special occasion.

“What is always amazing is to see the faces of the children and their parents after the operation. We always explain to them what we are going to do in the operation, but it is difficult for them to envisage it. There are different reactions – from being amazed to being overwhelmed with feelings, from both the children and their immediate family. It is just as rewarding for the surgeons and other staff involved in the operations."

The children operated on during a typical Smile Week are from the Western Cape. “Approximately one in 1000 children born have a cleft lip/palate," said Zühlke.

“The Smile Weeks are very important as, if we didn't have them, as well as our Friday theatre lists, it would take much longer to complete the needed operations. The waiting lists would build up – and the children would have to be operated on at a later stage, which is not ideal.

“These special weeks afford the children and their parents protected time and space that is just for them, when they are operated on at the right time and with the right treatment after their operation." 

During a Smile Week, a range of other activities take place aimed at the children and their parents.

“Besides the reconstructive procedures, the patients and parents are given psychological support. A private psychologist prepares the patient and their parents for the procedure as it can be a stressful and sometimes traumatic experience, even though it ends happily," said Zühlke.

“Sometimes during Smile Week, the nurses receive training in various skills, such as wound management and dressings.

Then there is usually a party for the children, at which volunteers come and play with them; we have face painting and other activities and the children get goody bags which include items like pyjamas, a toothbrush and a soft toy."

Zühlke and his colleagues also recently hosted the Western Cape Stormers at Tygerberg hospital, where they met with children who have received corrective surgery through the Smile Foundation. This season, Vodacom will reward every try scored by a South African Super Rugby team with a donation of R3 000 to the Smile Foundation.

“Those guys are huge heroes. It was great to have them here, to play with the kids. For the older children, it was a great opportunity to meet their heroes."

​​The question is actually not whether you can afford to spend time on public science communication. It's whether you can afford not to!

This was the message of Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University (SU) in handing over the inaugural Media Excellence Awards, giving recognition to 30 of SU's top media commentators and newsmakers for 2018

The awards were made earlier this week (Monday 13 October) and formed part of the launch of a special edition of SU's annual research report, Research@ Stellenbosch University, held at the Wallenberg Research Centre at STIAS.

The awards, an initiative of the Corporate Communication Division, were bestowed in three categories, namely newsmakers, thought leaders, and for co-workers – those contributing towards getting other colleagues in the media.

“Having a positive media profile is crucial in vision attainment at the institutional level, but research leadership and science communication go hand-in-hand. Investing time and effort in effective communication helps you to become a better scientist," De Villiers said.

Pointing to studies on science communication, De Villiers said sharing research with the public also holds benefits for SU and its academics. “Visibility in the media helps academics build their own research profile. We now have research evidence that a high media profile – mass media and social media – can boost your academic networks and citation rates, and that it provides a pathway to policy influence. 

He also highlighted the importance of communicating the institution's research to the public in an accessible way saying that it will inform, educate and inspire the public. “May these awards inspire more and more colleagues to communicate their work through the media."

He added that the University is among the top three universities most of the time in terms of total volume of media mentions and for the past two months number one in the country in terms of research reporting.

Recognition

Commenting on the inaugural awards, Mr Martin Viljoen, Manager: Media, said that the awards symbolised a start to giving recognition to not only those who regularly feature in the media, “but also to those who are always available to the media – even at the weirdest times of the day!"

He stated that the process and criteria must now be refined going forward. “For the inaugural awards we relied heavily on volume – the number of times our colleagues 'featured' in the media – according to data provided by the University's media monitoring service provider. This was also measured against our own list of colleagues who are always ready to provide comment and to be interviewed.

“In refining the process, one will need to, for example, compare the 'importance' of say writing an opinion editorial with being interviewed on a news programme on radio or TV to get to a score to be eligible for an award. Add to that comparing being featured seven times in a provincial newspaper versus being interviewed for a national newspaper and it is quite a challenge. Another consideration is increasing the  number of categories, distinguishing between commentators and thought leaders, for example. There should also be a way in which we can honour those who are always available to the media."

Categories

The Newsmaker category honoured entities at the University that ensured a great deal of media coverage. The recipients were the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences' TB Research (award received by Professors Anneke Hesseling and Gerhard Walzl), the Stellenbosch University Choir (Mr André van der Merwe), the SU Law Clinic (Dr Theo Broodryk), AgriSciences' Landscape Art Project (Prof Danie Brink) and Maties Sport.  The sward to Maties Sport Award were presented to Ilhaam Groenewald at the 2018 Maties Sport Awards function on 15 October. 

The Media Thought Leaders 2018 Awards gave recognition to those colleagues who either commented, who took part in interviews, who wrote opinion editorials and in some way shaped thinking in our country via their contributions in the media.

The recipients are:  Prof Thinus Booysen (Faculty of Engineering), Prof Nuraan Davids (Faculty of Education), Prof Faadiel Essop (Faculty of Science), Prof Abel Esterhuyse (Faculty of Military Science), Prof Johan Fourie (Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences), Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela (Research Chair, Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation), Prof Amanda Gouws (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), Prof Pieter Gouws (Faculty of AgriSciences), Prof Jonathan Jansen (Faculty of Education), Prof Chris Jones (Faculty of Theology), Prof Nico Koopman (Vice-Rector: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel), Ms Irene Labuschagne (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences), Prof Michael le Cordeur (Faculty of Education), Prof Thuli Madonsela (Faculty of Law), Dr Morne Mostert (Institute of Futures Research), Prof Piet Naude (Director of the SU Business School), Prof Renata Schoeman (SU Business School), Prof Erwin Schwella (School of Public Leadership), Dr Nic Spaull (Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences), Prof Jantjie Taljaard (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences), Prof Anton van Niekerk (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), Dr Leslie van Rooi (Senior Director: Social Impact and Transformation) and Prof Jimmy Volmink (Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences).

In the third category, awards were made to staff members who made a significant contribution to facilitating processes to ensure either the University or other colleagues are featured in the media. For 2018, Corporate Communication excluded their own staff to avoid bias. The recipients are Ms Wilma Stassen, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences; Ms Wiida Fourie-Basson, Faculty of Science and Dr Marina Joubert, CREST.

Photo: Prof Jonathan Jansen of the Faculty of Education, was a recipient of an award in the category Media Thoughtleader 2018. (Photo by Hennie Rudman)​​​

​​​​​​​What makes some cups of honeybush tea taste bitter and others not?

This is the topic explored by Lara Alexander as part of her PhD study. Alexander is a student in Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of AgriSciences in the Department of Food Science. She will be receiving her doctoral degree in December. 

Alexander investigated phenolic compounds in both “unfermented” (green) and fermented honeybush tea as potential indicators of bitterness. These (natural) plant c​ompounds are responsible for the colour of honeybush and other herbal teas, contribute to the health benefits associated with drinking it and are also involved in its flavour properties.

This is also the first study to investigate the reduction of bitter intensity of tea infusions due to the honeybush fermentation processes. 

“Bitterness is not acceptable in honeybush tea, known and marketed for its characteristic and pleasant sweet taste,” Alexander points out in her thesis. Some batches of Cyclopia genistoides (traditionally known as “coastal tea”) have a bitter taste profile. This species is one of the Cyclopia species currently cultivated for the production of honeybush tea. “Bitterness is even more prominent in the unfermented herbal tea,” she writes. “Yet, there is great variation in the bitterness of honeybush infusions, and the compounds responsible for this taste deviation have not yet been identified.” 

Alexander has been working on honeybush tea under the mentorship of Prof Lizette Joubert (her supervisor) since 2013 when she started in a temporary research assistant position. Joubert is a specialist researcher working on bioactive compounds and indigenous tea at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC). “It was an ideal position as I was working in a professional environment with absolute experts in the field. The topic of honeybush tea and the interdisciplinary nature of the work intrigued me and I continued to complete both my MSc and PhD in her (Joubert’s) laboratory.”

The study employed different research methods, including a descriptive sensory analysis of hot water extracts and fractions enriched in phenolic compounds like benzophenones, xanthones and flavanones. Alexander also developed a statistical model that can be used to help screen plant material used for tea production in future. 

She considered the effect of fermentation on bitter intensity and the content of hot water infusions. These infusions were prepared from genotypes of two of the 23 known honeybush species. Both species studied (C. genistoides and C. longifolia) contains high levels of xanthone and benzophenone and have been found to produce bitter infusions, she points out.

The two species differed in terms of bitter taste, phenolic content and response to fermentation. Different genotypes of the same species also produced infusions varying in phenolic composition and bitter intensity. C. genistoides produced bitter-tasting infusions even after fermentation, whereas the bitter taste of C. longifolia infusions was adequately reduced by fermentation.

“The results indicated that the benzophenone-rich tea fraction was not bitter, the flavanone-rich fraction was somewhat bitter, and the xanthone-rich fraction was distinctly bitter,” Alexander points out in her study. “Bitter taste reduction through fermentation was more effective for C. longifolia than for C. genistoides, highlighting the problem the industry often faces with inconsistent production batches.”

As several phenolic changes that affect compound concentrations take place during fermentation, care should be taken when plant material is chosen for propagation and cultivation, Alexander notes. 

Currently, demand for honeybush tea far outstrips supply. Most of the honeybush (about 80%) is wild harvested and the rest is cultivated. Growing the industry not only requires the expansion of commercial cultivation, but also the cultivation of plant material delivering higher yields and consistent quality. The ARC’s honeybush breeding programme is evaluating honeybush genotypes for improved product yield and quality, among others. 

“Honeybush is indigenous to South Africa and we hope that it will achieve the same popularity of the wider known rooibos industry,” says Alexander. “By supporting a local South African industry, we hope to achieve a socio-economic impact in support of the local economy,” she concludes.

The research was funded by the ARC (NRF-DST) professional development programme and the NRF Swiss-South Africa Joint Research Programme (SSAJRP). Alexander’s co-supervisors are Prof Daleen de Beer and Nina Muller.

More about honeybush tea
Although the earliest record of the early Cape colonists using honeybush tea as a medicinal plant dates back to 1830, South Africa’s honeybush industry is still relatively young. 

Like rooibos, honeybush is a uniquely South African herbal tea and endemic to the fynbos region. It is made from the leaves and stems of the indigenous Cyclopia shrub that grows in areas ranging from Piketberg (in the Western Cape) to Port Elizabeth (in the Eastern Cape).

Each of the 23 known honeybush species – all belonging to the genus Cyclopia – has a characteristic distribution in nature. Some species prefer sandy, coastal plains, while others flourish on cool, moist mountain slopes. 

Both fermented (oxidised) and unfermented (green) honeybush teas are produced for global markets. Consumers are increasingly interested in honeybush tea because of its unique flavour and health properties. Honeybush can also be used in value-added foods, dietary supplements and cosmetics.

For media enquiries:

Lara Alexander
Contact: 082 722 7388

Prof Lizette Joubert
Contact: 021 809 3444 or journbertl@arc.agric.za

​2018 was a very successful year for the Central Analytical Facilities (CAF). Some of the things to be thankful for, was the Vibrational Spectroscopy Unit which was added and the DNA Sequencer Unit that celebrated 21 years.

[Please see highlights of each Unit below:]

Highlights at the CT Scanner facility include major contributions to research as evidenced by 26 citations of the facility in 2018, as well as successful completion of many industry projects. The largest industry project involved analysis of steel samples using both micro and nanoCT for understanding the integrity of the material and analysing the distribution of unwanted defects. The second largest project involved analysis of the distribution of contamination occurring during the life of a commercial product, and attempting to understand the extent and origin of this contamination. The facility also developed new standardized microCT test methods for additively manufactured metals which are summarized in a review paper and an associated series of method papers.[1]

*** 

The Vibrational Spectroscopy (main photo at top) facility opened its doors at the Department of Food Science with an official launch in March. In February, a technician from Norsk Electro Otikk (NEO, Norway) successfully set up the three hyperspectral imaging systems in the unit. The instruments were optimized for routine analysis using software from Prediktera. Students were given the opportunity to learn more about this technology by attending a two-day workshop at the annual CAF training initiative held in June. During the workshop participants received hands-on training on the instruments and could experiment with the multivariate data analysis software (Evince), available on processing computers in the unit. Interest in the use of these instruments has been growing steadily as students and supervisors realize the benefits of incorporating NIR hyperspectral imaging into their research. By generating calibration models, this technique enables rapid analysis of several quantitative and qualitative properties. Large number of samples can be analysed non-destructively and imaging generates chemical maps to visualize spatial distribution of analytes within samples. Some exciting research projects, which are still ongoing, include identification of meat obtained from different species, detection of plant and cereal diseases, screening of fruit defects and quantification of lignin content in paper samples.

The Unit is managed by Dr Janine Colling. She completed her undergraduate and post-graduate degrees at the Institute for Plant Biotechnology at Stellenbosch University with the main focus on medicinal plant biotechnology.  She obtained a Joint PhD degree from the University of Stellenbosch and Ghent University in 2016. Before joining the Central Analytical Facility, she did a post-doc at the Department of Horticulture, investigating the biochemical factors involved in regulating dormancy in apple trees.

 *** 

The Electron Microscopy facility had a fast-paced year filled with exciting research and support challenges, outreach and networking opportunities, and moving forward in building a platform in biological electron microscopy. Maintaining instrumentation in an excellent working condition was an additional aspect of our day-to-day running that often held many challenges, even requiring some ingenious MacGyver skills. The midyear workshops in Analytical and Biological Electron Microscopy, as well as Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy (CLEM), were attended by keen groups of students from universities in the Western and Eastern Cape.

Lydia-Marie Joubert (manager) had the opportunity to introduce their work at the Crick African Network Symposium in January at Spier. Another opportunity for networking with local and international scientists arose at the SA BioImaging Symposium at the end of October at STIAS. “Here we strengthened ties with the Global BioImaging Network that was established by EMBL in Germany, and discussed major challenges in imaging sciences in Africa" Lydia said.

Dr Elrika Harmzen-Pretorius (senior analyst) attended a course in Advanced Quantitative Analysis at Oxford Instruments in London, to support our capacity building in engineering and earth sciences. Lydia recently attended an Array Tomography workshop in Oxford, UK, where academic researchers from Europe met with industrial partners who are involved in developing 3D Electron Microscopy.

Madelaine Frazenburg's (senior analyst) tireless efforts to meet deadlines and support the mineral exploration clients despite extended delays in instrumentation repairs was indeed remarkable. The Unit again recruited a small group of proficient EM users as student analysts, which gave excellent after hour support to their industry clients.

They gradually acquired small equipment for their bio-EM applications and are redesigning their lab infrastructure to also provide 'wet lab' services. Acquiring running water and a fume hood in the lab are top items on the list. With the publication of the Faculty of Science centenary book, 'A particular frame of mind', various images from EM students and staff were included to emphasize the importance of visual and analytical data in the growth of Natural Sciences. A copy was also presented to the Directors of Stanford Beckman Center, Lydia's previous academic home. “We are happy to report increased collaboration with our neighbours at UWC and from Tygerberg campus, and look forward to welcoming visitors from our international EM community" Lydia said.

Photo right: Prof Lydia-Marie Joubert with prof Lucy Shapiro, Director of Beckman Center and Mr Mark Shepard, Associate Director of Beckman Center with a copy of 'A particular frame of mind'.

 *** 

The Fluorescence Microscopy facility experienced a successful year, reaching cost efficiency in 2018, with growth in income of more than 20%. A new fluorescence microscope has been acquired for the Tygerberg Medical Campus, which should contribute greatly to research on this campus. With regard to flow cytometry, the first successful single cell sorting has been performed for a study on bacterial populations in soil, a protocol was optimised for the analysis of Protea pollen grains and a new course on flow cytometry data analysis was introduced this year. From the confocal microscope a few great publications saw the light, ranging from the first CLEM results on polymer fibres to modulation of mitochondrial bioenergetics. The first CLEM results using both super-resolution and SEM on fibrin fibres from patients with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes has also been accepted for publication.

Photo right: Lize Engelbrecht, manager, with students at a workshop during the CAF Training Initiative in June.

***  

The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance facility made important advances this year in expanding Solid State NMR to prominent commercial and foreign clients.

• Very reliable results were obtained on SS NMR coal profiling for AC Boilers, Italy. Fortunately for us no other NMR unit globally could help them measure and calculate the structural and lattice parameters required as input data for the combustion modelling of coal in their new low NOx emission burners. The client travelled to SU to observe the analysis and made important contacts with other CAF units regarding their coal profiling needs. With over 150 years' experience in Steam Generation and Burner Technology and a track record of 1000 units exceeding 80,000 MW installed worldwide, AC BOILERS  is the largest Italian original technology Boiler Manufacturer, providing the full range of Steam Generator Technologies.

• An important service contract was signed with Sasol on full solid and liquid state NMR profiling of their waxes. A variety on Carbon-13 and Proton NMR experiments were employed for their needs. These include direct observation, cross-polarisation and several proton and carbon NMR relaxation studies.

• A research collaboration on a SA wine profiling method was initiated with Dr Astrid Buica and her PhD student at the Department of Viticulture and Oenology. A Non-targeted fingerprinting approach is utilised, employing customised water and ethanol soft signal suppression in routine Proton NMR spectra of wine, to enable the direct observation of the wine metabolites in 20 minutes. Principal component multivariate analysis on the proton NMR 'fingerprint' is then employed to enable the generation variety of authentication parameters on the wines, including utilisation as a quality control mechanism. These authentication parameters include geographical origin, adulteration and differentiation of grape variety, amongst others. This research project plays an important role in initiating and motivating for the future fingerprinting of authentic South African wines and the resultant local and export authentication certification thus enabled through SU-CAF.

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The Mass Spectrometry Unit was appointed as the best performing CAF unit of the year for their enormous amount and diversity of research at SU. A new Mass Spectrometry laboratory was established at Tygerberg, the Biomedical LCMS laboratory with a new staff member Hannes van der Merwe. Hannes studied at KOVSIES, after which he worked for a year in the TB group at Medical Micro. In 2003, he received a position at Farmovs-PAREXEL, later just PAREXEL, as analyst involved in method development and analysis with LC-MS equipment. He then moved to the regulatory group where he was involved with GLP, GCLP and ISO audits of the labs and studies. In 2010, SYNEXA offered him a post where he was the head of quality and later the MS lab, until 2018 when he joined CAF. The new laboratory at Tygerberg follows from a number of collaborative studies conducted by researchers at Tygerberg and staff of the Stellenbosch CAF laboratory, involving the development of LCMS methods for determination of morphine, PAS, glutamine, rifampicin and esomeprazole in plasma from hospital patients. These studies are ongoing and the aim is to transfer all the developed methods to the new Tygerberg laboratory.

“We are not always aware of the final outcome of the data that we generate on behalf of clients, but there are certain achievements of which we are justly proud, including a paper published Dr Cluver et al in American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology on esomeprazole to treat preeclampsia, as well as a prize won by Kim Adams for the best presentation by a student at CoBNeST" Dr Marietjie Stander (manager) said.  

The Microbiology group of Prof Gideon Wolfaardt, with Edward Archer as the project leader has successfully conducted a proficiency test with SCORE. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction's (EMCDDA) Sewage CORE analysis group (SCORE).  The analysis involves urban water profiling through the detection of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in wastewater and environmental surface waters. This approach will assist to track pharmaceutical use and substance abuse patterns on a community level in order to address both public- and ecological health risk assessment.

The ion mobility functionality of the Synapt was used to publish 3 papers in 2018 by users, this is a first for South Africa.  One of the highlights is a paper by Pieter Venter and co-workers from Prof Andre de Villiers that was published in Analytical Chemistry: Comprehensive 3-dimensional LC×LC×ion mobility spectrometry separation combined with high resolution MS for the analysis of complex samples.

The UPC2 system is still an excellent tool for steriod research and a record number of papers were again published this year on it, four by the Dr Storbeck's group and four of the post graduate students won prizes for posters and talks at international conferences: Desmaré van Rooyen, Lise Barnard, Monique Barnard and Therina du Toit (two awards), post doc of Prof Amanda Swart.

The laboratory has conducted a few interesting industry studies this year, one on fruit juice quality and adulteration, another on the adulteration of honey.  They also improved our knowledge and experience on the analysis of polyphenolic compounds and flavonoids in a number of studies in conjunction with other universities including UJ and UP.  Several in-depth studies were conducted during the year with regard to what should be present and what shouldn't be present in rooibos tea, involving numerous samples from the South African Rooibos tea industry.

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The Neuromechanics facility significantly increased its services to neuroscience researchers in 2018, with applications ranging from athlete concussion management to reading comprehension and mind-controlled devices. More than 10 postgraduate students from Stellenbosch University's biomedical engineering research group made use of the unit's high-density electroencephalography (EEG) equipment, and the unit staff also facilitated their first two big projects for users from external universities. The unit also successfully delivered a number of long-term, large-scale projects related to the 3D analysis of how physical movement and posture are affected by factors such different prosthetic limb designs, accelerated aging due in the HIV population and the ergonomics of classroom furniture in schools. These projects dramatically expanded the unit's capabilities for collecting measurements of different functional activities as well as managing and analysing large datasets. Lastly, the unit also piloted a range of new analytical services for sports athletes and is now well positioned to expand on these services next year.

Tamsin Purkis joined the Neuromechanics team in January 2018. Before joining CAF, Tamsin obtained her Undergraduate, Honours and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Pretoria, while working in the Mechatronics and Micro-Manufacturing unit at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Her work and thesis centred around her passion for Biomechanics and included the development of a wearable gait analysis system and a low-cost paediatric prosthetic knee."

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At DNA Sequencing the biggest highlight of the year was the growth in the NGS service.  The number of runs increased from 129 in 2017 to 202 (until 16 Nov). The underlying increase in sample numbers (more than 1000 samples for the year) is driven by a larger pool of users making use of the facility (currently more than 34 different research groups in 11 different institutes) which also came with a greater diversity of types of analysis performed. Human exome sequencing remains the most frequently used service but other assays like 600bp partial genome sequencing and whole genome sequencing is now also being used more.  More than 150 bacterial and fungal genomes have been sequenced along with more than 60 viral isolates.

Photo right: The Unit celebrated 21 years since their start in 1997 with colleagues and clients in September this year.

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The ICP-MS & XRF laboratory had a challenging year, with a number of unexpected breakdowns, but the team excelled in making the unit as cost-effective as possible while continuously improving service to customers and expertise within the unit. To this end, Riana Rossouw (manager) and Dr Laura Bracciali (U-(Th)-Pb Geochronology division manager) attended a one week advanced Thermo SF ICP-MS training course in Bremen, Germany in early March. “The course was extremely well structured and tremendously valuable to our applications in the lab, and well worth swopping the SA summer weather for freezing cold Europe" Riana said. “We are looking forward to welcoming our ICP analyst Charney's little one next year, and hope she will enjoy temporarily swopping her CHNS sample boat folding skills for the fun task of nappy folding!"

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With so many highlights there are more than enough reasons to be thankful and look forward to next year. Prof Gary Stevens, director, is excited about 2019: “The Electron Microscopy Unit and the Fluorescence Microscopy Unit will be expanding to offer services at the Tygerberg campus. We will also be growing the Pharmacology Division." 

[1] du Plessis, A., Yadroitsev, I., Yadroitsava, I. and Le Roux, S.G., 2018. X-Ray Microcomputed Tomography in Additive Manufacturing: A Review of the Current Technology and Applications. 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, 5(3), pp.227-247.

​Youth should be placed at the centre of Africa's development. This was the key message as Stellenbosch University (SU) celebrated African University Day 2018. Every year, higher education institutions on the continent mark this day on 12 November, which coincides with the birth of the Association of African Universities in 1967. The theme for this year's celebration was “Achieving the Africa we want: The role of young people". At SU, the two-day celebrations included a seminar, film night and gala dinner.

“Africa has the largest youth population in the world. If we want a sustainable and prosperous Africa, we need to ensure that the youth are involved in that prosperity," said Farai Mubaiwa, co-founder of the youth-led organisation Africa Matters and one of three panellists at the African University Day seminar on 15 November. Speaker after speaker echoed her message, arguing that youth involvement can help address social issues such as inequality and unemployment.

Paying particular attention to the challenge of unemployment, Dr Nyambura Mwagiru, International Affairs Coordinator: Academic Customised Programmes at the University of Stellenbosch Business School, told the audience: “We have come to a point where we absolutely have to include the young people in Africa. More than telling young people they can do it and they are the future, we have an opportunity now to actually let them do it."

Panellist Eduard Beukman, Students' Representative Council (SRC) member and chair of SU's Academic Affairs Council, expressed the need for an Africa where “development is people-driven, relying on the potential offered by people, especially women and youth". In this regard, Beukman asked: “Are our teaching and learning systems creating and developing individuals with the competencies to address the complex problems of the 21^st century? Modern-day challenges require transdisciplinary and participative education."

Following the seminar, students were treated to an African film night. They enthusiastically filled up the Pulp cinema to watch the movies Five fingers for Marseilles and Half of a Yellow Sun.

The following night's gala dinner was a colourful affair with students from various nationalities gathering in the VV Hall in the Neelsie Student Centre. Hosted by SU International and the African Students' Board, the event showcased Africa at its finest – from arts and poetry, to fashion and music.

The gala concluded with a recognition ceremony where SU International awarded African leadership scholarships to Josephine Chileshe and Pamela Ncube, both members of the research group on host-pathogen mycobactomics in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. The scholarship is awarded to African students who have shown dedication and leadership, not only in their academic work, but also in the co-curricular field. Josephine was instrumental in creating the international student representative portfolio on the Tygerberg Postgraduate Student Council, and served as the first ever incumbent of this portfolio. Pamela, in turn, served as the sponsorship and events manager for the SRC arts and culture portfolio in 2015/16, is a member of the TH Children's Foundation, and tutors at a school in Kayamandi.

Watch a videoclip of the African University Day seminar here

Statement by Stellenbosch University

30 November 2018

An objective of the Recognition, Reparation, Reconciliation: The Light and Shadow of Historical Trauma conference at Stellenbosch University is to bring together scholars and practitioners to deliberate on important questions relating to historical wounding and haunting legacies as a result of trans-generational trauma.

To name but a few: What is the appropriate response to the echoes of historical wounding that extend far beyond the generation that experienced the trauma directly? What strategies might quell the haunting repercussions of genocide, slavery, colonial oppression, and mass violence that play out in the lives of affected individuals and groups from both sides of these acts? 

It is therefore regrettable that the Israeli | Palestinian narrative has now spilled over to the conference, achieving exactly the opposite of the vision for the event, and in the process attempting to vilify Stellenbosch University and Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, chair of the conference committee and incumbent of the Research Chair for Historical Trauma and Transformation at the University.

I would like to state the following unequivocally:   

• Stellenbosch University supports freedom of expression and academic freedom, and is no way anti-Semitic or anti-Palestinian.
• Terminology such as “disinvited, uninvited or invitation unilaterally cancelled" in reference to speakers who will no longer be attending, is simply not true. At no point did the conference organisers or Stellenbosch University request or suggest that any speaker should withdraw from the event. Neither were any individuals singled out or vilified on Stellenbosch University's social media platforms. The University has no control over the newsletters or social media platforms of external organisations. Prof Gobodo-Madikizela continued her engagement with the various role players in a spirit of reconciliation, expressing regret over their withdrawal and assuring them of their safety in South Africa if they were to attend.
• When the first statement expressing opposition to the participation of Israeli speakers came to the attention of the organisers, a strategic decision was taken to remove the names of individuals and their institutions from the website (not from the programme) as a precautionary measure to prevent academics and their institutions from being targeted, and to prevent the conference from derailing.
• Israeli delegates decided to withdraw their participation as a result of circumstances beyond the control of the University and the conference organising committee.

The most disappointing outcome of this sequence of events is the absence of robust debate on the Israeli | Palestinian issue at the conference.

Prof Wim de Villiers

Rector and Vice-Chancellor