​​The ground-breaking research in the field of tuberculosis (TB) by Prof Rob Warren, Unit Director of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Centre for Tuberculosis Research, and distinguished professor with the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the FMHS' Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, has earned him a coveted Chancellor's Medal in Research at Stellenbosch University's December 2018 graduation ceremony.

Warren's research, spanning over 20 years, focuses on understanding the dynamics of both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB in South Africa. Much of his work has provided new understanding, which has allowed long-standing dogmas to be challenged. Highlights in his career include research demonstrating that there are thousands of different strains of TB in circulation within the South African epidemic, and that patients can harbour multiple strains.

“Prof Warren is a world-class scientist. Based largely on molecular epidemiology, his research has led to numerous landmark publications in the field of tuberculosis," says Prof Jimmy Volmink, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

“Through his research, Warren has challenged a dogma with respect to recurrent TB by showing the importance of endogenous reinfection. He has shown that previously treated patients are at a higher risk of endogenous reinfection and that patients may have multiple strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in their sputum samples – again emphasising the importance of reinfection in driving the epidemic in South Africa. These landmark publications have introduced new research avenues which continue to be investigated worldwide," Volmink explains.

“I am extremely honoured to receive Chancellor's award and to be recognised as having made a significant contribution to TB research in South Africa," says Warren. “At the same time, I also acknowledge that research is a team effort and that this award also recognises the contribution of my collaborators as well as the post graduate students I have mentored."

After graduating with a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Cape Town, Warren joined the Action TB initiative in the Department of Medical Biochemistry (now the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics) at Stellenbosch University in 1994. In 1996, he was appointed to the position of Senior Scientist in the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and currently holds the position of Chief Specialist Scientist. In 2015, he was awarded the title of Distinguished Professor at Stellenbosch University and, in 2017, he was appointed as Unit Director of the SAMRC Centre for Tuberculosis Research.

Under Warren's guidance, the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics established one of the largest archives of both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant isolates (cultures) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the world. This culture bank, housing over 45000 isolates, allows researchers to scrutinise the local epidemic in terms of outbreak investigations, within-patient evolution of drug-resistance, transmission and discovering novel drug-resistance causing mutations.

“Maintaining the culture bank will continue to be a priority for Warren as this resource remains the foundation of his research and research collaborations; and is a national heritage," Volmink comments. “The research emanating from this resource will be used to guide TB control policy, to improve diagnosis in collaboration with the National Health Laboratory Service and to ensure capacity development."

Warren's current research focuses on the development of novel diagnostics which are applicable in the developing world and understanding pathogenicity (the ability of an organism to cause disease) using 'omics' technologies (such as proteomics and genomics).

“We need to embrace technology to improve the health of our nation through basic and translational research," he says. “Our immediate goal is to use next generation sequencing to provide clinicians with the best possible strategies to treat patients and thereby prevent the emergence of resistance to the new anti-TB drugs."

Warren has published more than 270 papers in international peer reviewed journals in the fields of molecular epidemiology, drug resistance and bacterial evolution. He has also received numerous awards and accolades, most notably a gold medal for scientific excellence by the SAMRC in 2015 for his research in the field of the Molecular Epidemiology of Tuberculosis.

Photo: Wilma Stassen

​​

“This is a very historic occasion and I hope that twenty years down the line, when we look back we will really realise the significance of this agreement today."

This was the joyous words from Bongani Mgijima, Director of the Stellenbosch University Museum. Stellenbosch University (SU) made history yesterday (21 February) with Michigan State University (MSU), during an official ceremonial event, where members from MSU and SU signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that agreed to foster international cooperation in education, research and community engagement at both universities.

The agreement stemmed from a request by the two universities for Mellon Foundation support to deepen an existing initiative, the Ubuntu Dialogues project, over a three-year period; to develop replicable frameworks for university museums in Africa and elsewhere; and to collaborate in producing dynamic sites for the co-creation and dissemination of knowledge and practice through local and international dialogues.

According to Dr Leslie van Rooi, Senior Director: Social Impact and Transformation, the Andrew W Mellon Foundation grant is a significant one that links curricula at both institutions. “Given the substantial grant over a longer period, I hope that it secures the museums voice and position within a broader academic framework and allows academics to engage with our students on a different transformative learning experience."

The official agreement also had other historic significance since MSU and SU were on the opposite sides of the apartheid divide. In the 1970s MSU decided to disinvest from American companies doing business with South Africa. Before 1994, MSU took a conscious decision to work only with historically black universities in South Africa.

“Michigan State University in the 1970s wouldn't do business with South Africa, because of political reasons and before1994 it would still not work with universities like Stellenbosch for the very same reasons. This MOU agreement signifies a major turning point since both MSU and SU have undergone significant transformation. We are taking Ubuntu globally," says Mgijima.

The key aims and objectives of the Ubuntu Dialogues between MSU and SU are to build bridges between young people in South Africa and the USA, transform institutions through collaborative scholarship of engagement, transform the lives of young people through service learning, and bridge the digital divide between the North and the South.

On Wednesday (20 February), Prof Jamie Monson, Director of the African Studies Centre and Professor of History at Michigan State University, who was in attendance at the MOU signing event, kick started the Ubuntu Dialogues initiative and was the keynote speaker at the SU Museum Ubuntu Dialogues discussion.

She emphasised how remarkable the new partnership between MSU and SU was.

“We are very proud in terms of the impact and transformation and that the students that we recruit are named in the grant as coming from the underrepresented or historically underrepresented communities on both sides. We are transforming our university and hopefully transformation will occur here as well and we can learn from each other in a co-created project," said Monson.

The agreement between SU and MSU will help with the development of collaborative exhibitions and collections, exchange of professional staff, students and research, scholars, joint social impact projects between the two institutions, professional development and technical exchange and grant writing and fundraising for joint projects.

*For more information on the Ubuntu Dialogues contact Natasha Coltman at 021 808 3691 or email ncoltman@sun.ac.za.

In the photo seated left to right: Prof J Monson (MSU), Prof W de Villiers (SU) and Prof N Koopman (SU). Standing from left to right: Ms L Hinds (MSU), Dr L van Rooi (​SU), Ms N Coltman (SU), Prof K Dewhurst (MSU), Prof M Macdowell (MSU), Mr B Mgijima (SU), Mr U Wolff (SU) and Mr R Kotze (SU).

The structural details of concrete and asphalt construction materials are crucial to their mechanical properties and performance. These details (such as porosity, cracks, pore connectivity, relative volume fractions of different constituents, density, etc.) can help to understand and improve the material properties for various structural applications in civil engineering. There are numerous well known methods used to measure these properties, but one particularly well-suited method for this application is still not widely known: 3D X-ray imaging – technically known as X-ray micro computed tomography (microCT). A recently published review paper in the journal Construction and Building Materials by researchers at Stellenbosch University provides a comprehensive overview of the various applications of this technique relevant to researchers in this field – and also discusses industrial applications for these materials.

MicroCT is increasingly becoming known for its ability to measure porosity, especially in this area for small concrete samples. However, it has many other very useful abilities which are still underutilized. Recent improvements in hardware and software tools allow improved quality and simplicity of obtaining results, which in some cases start to make it a “routine" method. For more advanced analysis types, there is also a great potential to better understand material properties based on more than a simple “porosity" value. 3D information which cannot be obtained by any other means include pore shapes, connectivity and relative pore sizes and their location in 3D relative to important other features. While there is lots of potential for academic and industrial application of the technique, the wider uptake is limited mainly by a lack of understanding of the technique. One way to overcome this is by standardization of workflows – fixed sample sizes, parameters and image analysis “recipes" for specific outputs. This is something proposed by the authors in a first attempt towards standardization (and has been used in the Stellenbosch CT facility for some time).

Other applications of the technique which are useful in this field are: analyzing failures by inspecting the cracks and internal details of a sample without cutting it open; performing permeability simulations or structural mechanics simulations (finite element analysis); non-destructively viewing the internal details of ongoing processes to view “time lapse" of processes such as corrosion of rebar, leaching of minerals or cracking due to mechanical testing. The authors used examples primarily from their work over the last seven years to demonstrate these capabilities and are thankful to the students and post-docs involved.

Fig. 1. Schematic of the microCT scan process, as applied to an asphalt sample. The 2D projection images are recorded as the sample is rotated, and shown below isan example of a CT slice image which can be viewed and analysed after reconstruction.

Media contact only:

Prof A. du Plessis

CT Scanner Facility, Central Analytical Facilities, Stellenbosch University

anton2@sun.ac.za

http://www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/science/CAF/units/ct-scanner

www.sun.ac.za/ctscanner

Reference:

Du Plessis, A. & Boshoff, W.P. 2019. A review of X-ray computed tomography of concrete and asphalt construction materials. Construction and Building Materials. Vol 199 (2019): 637-651.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.12.049

​​The Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University (SU) will play a part in helping the Malawian economy move away from its dependency on tobacco farming towards other viable alternatives. The Faculty, and its Department of Agricultural Economics in particular, is a partner in the Centre for Agricultural Transformation in Malawi (M-CAT). Other partners include the University of Minnesota in the USA, the Malawi University of Science and Technology and Land O'Lakes International Development, the non-profit arm of the Forbes 200 commercial agricultural company Land O'Lakes.

Funding for the multi-million dollar five year project was secured from the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World in December 2018. The first planning session between the partners takes place at Stellenbosch University in May 2019.

Malawi is the most tobacco-dependent country in the world, despite being only the thirteenth global producer of tobacco by weight in 2016, tobacco exports account for 59 per cent of the country's total export value during that year. Around 32 per cent of the population works in tobacco industry.

There are many changes worldwide in the consumption of tobacco products, which could in the long run significantly influence the Malawian economy which is so specifically tied to tobacco.

According to the M-CAT partners, the current global trends in tobacco markets, health issues, and environmental concerns have exerted significant pressure on the Malawian industry. This has prompted the government to diversify the economy and to try to reduce the country's overreliance on tobacco as the largest foreign exchange earner. New agricultural avenues and markets must therefore be identified.

“Growing tobacco has never lifted smallholder farmers out of poverty. High-quality data and rigorous analysis can shape and inform effective, evidence-based policy creation and resource deployment to diversify economies and lessen country dependence on tobacco—better preparing farmers for the future while strengthening their countries' economies," says the partner institutions.

“The M-CAT project is a pre-emptive effort between a strong network of partners to help Malawian farmers identify lucrative alternatives that can still be exported and earn the country much-needed foreign earnings," explains Prof Danie Brink, dean of the Faculty of AgriSciences.

Malawi is not new to the partners. The University of Minnesota has for instance conducted tobacco-related research in recent years in the country, while a number of Malawian postgraduate students have graduated from SU in recent years. Land O Lakes International development has worked in Malawi for the past twenty years. It recently partnered with a Malawian tobacco company through the MSIKA project to provide extension services to support three thousand small holder farmers in their move towards other high-value horticulture produce.

As part of the new initiative, Stellenbosch University will provide support to the scientific and technology legs of the endeavour. A technology hub to analyse relevant agricultural, meteorological and geological data from Malawi will be set up within the Department of Agricultural Economics. In this SU will receive support from the University of Minnesota.

The Innovation Launch Lab of the Faculty of AgriSciences will help with the know-how around technology transfer in the Malawian agricultural sector, and the stimulating and supporting of new ideas through various development initiatives.

According to Prof Brink, the initiative will also see more Malawian postgraduate students come to Stellenbosch, initially to do research on Malawian agriculture economics and related fields. The programme will be extended once specific crops and produce have been identified as being suitable to support Malawi's economy.

“Students will also have the opportunity to experience a few months of study at our partner institution, the University of Minnesota," explains Prof Brink. 

Two senior lecturers from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) have been recognised for their excellence in teaching and learning at Stellenbosch University's (SU) Teaching and Research Excellence Awards ceremony.

The ceremony took place at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) on 4 December 2018.

Dr Elize Archer, head of the Simulation and Clinical Skills Unit at the Centre for Health Professions Education (CHPE), and Dr Eric Decloedt, coordinator of clinical pharmacology teaching in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, each received a teaching excellence award in the category “Developing Teacher", worth R25 000.

The awards were instituted in 2017 to acknowledge excellent teaching and learning in higher education and offer an opportunity to value reflective and contextually aware teaching. Lecturers are recognised in one of two categories: 1) The “Developing Teacher" award for staff with experience of three to ten years of teaching and learning, or 2) the “Distinguished Teacher" award for staff with experience of 10 or more years.

Applicants are required to submit a portfolio that demonstrates their reflection on and evidence of four main components: context, students, knowledge and professional growth. They are also required to share the lessons they learned on their journey to becoming excellent teachers.    

Dr Elize Archer

“I am very grateful for the recognition, as there are many other good teachers at Stellenbosch University," Archer said in reaction to her award.

“Putting together my portfolio as part of my award application took a lot of effort. In order to show that you're a good teacher, you need to provide evidence – so, I am extra happy that the hard work paid off! Receiving such recognition really motivates one to do more and better. I hope it will encourage other lecturers to apply in the future."

Archer, who has a background in critical care nursing and training, joined SU in 2005 as head of the Simulation and Clinical Skills Unit at the CHPE, and was subsequently appointed as a senior lecturer in 2015.

"I wear two hats regarding my current teaching role: On the one hand, I teach patient-centred communication skills to undergraduate MB,ChB students, and I coordinate and teach our master's degree in the health professions education programme. On the other hand, I am involved in faculty development in the CHPE, where we aim to equip lecturers to become more effective facilitators of learning.

“What I really like about teaching is to see how students grow and develop during their study years. You really get to know the person behind the student."

In 2016, Archer obtained a PhD in health professions education that focused on teaching and learning of patient-centredness in undergraduate medical students. Subsequently, in 2017, she was awarded a three-year fellowship by the SU's Centre for Teaching and Learning, which allows her to spend some dedicated time on the development of a teaching intervention that is focused on empathic communication skills in undergraduate medical students.  

“I am very fortunate to work for an institution that rewards and acknowledges good teaching," says Archer.

Dr Eric Decloedt

“It is a great honour to be recognised for my passion for teaching," Decloedt said in reaction to his award.

“This award acknowledges teaching as an important part of being an academic scholar and encourages teaching excellence. It also recognises the importance and value of clinical pharmacology in the MB,ChB curriculum."

It is not the first time that Decloedt has been recognised for his outstanding teaching skills. In 2016, he was named “Educator of the Year" by the South African Society for Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (SASBCP) in recognition of his contributions to excellence, expertise and demonstrable achievement in pharmacology education.

Decloedt, who has been teaching clinical pharmacology to undergraduates and registrars training in clinical pharmacology since 2012, says one of his biggest challenges was to make pharmacology (which was traditionally taught as a fact-heavy subject) clinically relevant to students working in the South African context, and to maintain engagement with students despite increasingly large classes.

“My primary teaching goal is to foster the essential skill among medical graduates to rationally prescribe medicine. I feel strongly that SU medical graduates should be equipped to work in any healthcare facility in South Africa."

Decloedt loves the interaction with students, including their sharp-witted responses in more light-hearted moments. “Students bring such a tapestry of experience and knowledge into the classroom, and I constantly learn from them."

He encourages other lecturers to make use of the excellent resources provided by SU's Centre for Teaching and Learning: “Many of my initiatives were inspired by learning from others. Be prepared to learn by trial and error based on the critique from students and peers. Students care about how much you care, not about how much you know. Don't forget, you once were an undergraduate student too – in fact, we all are students on our life journey."​

Caption: Drs Elize Archer and Eric Decloedt with FMHS Vice Dean: Learning and Teaching, Prof Julia Blitz.

​​This week, students at Stellenbosch University will run a huge recycling programme as part of EcoWeek – a week-long campaign aimed at promoting awareness of sustainable practices. ​​

EcoWeek, running from 4 to 9 March, is a collaborative initiative between Golden Key Stellenbosch, the United Nations Association of South Africa Stellenbosch, EcoMaties, Academics for Development and MatiesPAW.

The main form of communication will be the various social media platforms of all the societies, particularly Facebook and Instagram.

EcoMaties' opening function today at 18:00 serves as the launch event and will include a panel discussion with Misha Teasdale from Greenpop, a tree-planting initiative. The discussion will focus on environmental issues that will be addressed throughout the week. It will also be live-streamed on all the aforementioned social media platforms, such as www.facebook.com/ecomaties/.

Recycling Collection Challenge

The main event, running throughout the week, is a Recycling Collection Challenge, to which all residences and private student organisations (PSOs) have been invited to participate.

“All residences and PSOs have been invited to participate by collecting as much recyclable materials (such as paper, glass, cardboard, etc.) as possible and by showing the collection progress on our social media platforms by adding #EcoWeek, followed by the hashtags for all the relevant societies, residences or PSOs. There is a prize for the residence, society or PSO that collects the most recycling," Mr Jannu Nieman, the service director for Golden Key, explained.  

Various other events will be hosted throughout the week, including a beach clean-up at Strand beach on 9 March from 11:00 to 14:00 and a Day-with-the-Dogs, organised by MatiesPAW, on 5 March at the Rooiplein from 11:00 to 14:00.  

“During the week, our social media platforms will be releasing tips on how to be eco-friendly, run polls on some of the bigger issues regarding our environment, and of course post photos of our events," Mr Nieman adds.

“With this collaboration, we hope to inspire a more sustainable lifestyle among our fellow students; to show them the benefits and possibilities of living an environmentally friendly life and shine a light on those who make such a lifestyle possible."

For further information, please contact Jannu Nieman at 19835825@sun.ac.za or 082 524 ​9880

Researchers have presented results from the HPTN 071 (PopART) study at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle, United States. The study examined the impact of a package of HIV prevention interventions on community-level HIV incidence in urban and peri-urban communities in South Africa and Zambia. Findings from HPTN 071 (PopART) show delivery of an HIV prevention strategy that includes offering in-home HIV testing to everyone, with immediate referral to HIV care, and treatment for people living with HIV based on prevailing in-country guidelines, can substantially reduce new HIV infections.

“We saw a highly significant 30 percent decrease in new HIV infections with a prevention strategy where HIV treatment was started according to in-country guidelines," said Richard Hayes, DSc, HPTN 071 protocol chair and professor of epidemiology and international health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “We did not see a similar reduction in new HIV infections with another strategy where universal HIV treatment was offered from the beginning of the study. Additional analyses are underway to explore the reasons for this finding."

The HPTN 071 (PopART) study involved more than one million people living in 21 communities in Zambia and South Africa, making it the largest HIV prevention trial to date. The study measured the effects of two HIV combination prevention strategies offering HIV testing to people in their homes annually, with linkage to HIV care and treatment at the local health facility for those living with HIV.

“Overall, both strategies improved knowledge of HIV status and uptake of treatment," said Wafaa El-Sadr MD, MPH, MPA, HPTN co-principal investigator, and professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University in New York. “These findings show that a combination prevention strategy similar to PopART may be an effective tool to slow the global HIV epidemic."

HPTN 071 (PopART) researchers are currently examining the effects of the interventions on other study outcomes including herpes simplex virus-2 incidence, tuberculosis and HIV-related stigma. Work is also in progress to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the interventions.

“While the findings from the HPTN 071 (PopART) study are very encouraging," said Sarah Fidler, MBBS, PhD, protocol co-chair and professor of medicine at Imperial College, London. “Testing and treatment coverage fall short among young people and men necessitating the need for further research on how to fill these important gaps."

The research team in South Africa was led by Nulda Beyers, MD, PhD, and Peter Bock, MD, PhD, MPH, research clinicians, Desmond Tutu TB Centre (DTTC) in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at Stellenbosch University. The research team in Zambia was led by Helen Ayles, MBBS, PhD, director of research, Zambart, Lusaka, Zambia.

In both South Africa and Zambia, hundreds of Community HIV Care Providers went house to house in 14 Intervention communities over a period of four years, with repeated offers of HIV counselling and testing. The DTTC also worked closely with the Western Cape Department of Health and the City of Cape Town health department in linking HIV positive study participants to antiretroviral treatment at clinics. The DTTC hopes the lessons learnt will help to inform and change both policy and practice.

“Results from the HPTN 071 (PopART) study strongly support the ongoing expansion of the community-based platforms for health service delivery. There remain extensive opportunities for improved delivery of community-based health care services and more effective partnerships with communities to strengthen primary care health services in high-burden settings. Lessons learnt from PopART can be used to inform these activities going forward," said Bock.

The City of Cape Town welcomed the results.

“There have been a number of valuable lessons learnt from this study. Not only did we learn what capacity there exists within health facilities to increase the number of HIV tests conducted, but it also shed light on the difficulties clients face between diagnosis and accessing care. Most important were the lessons learnt around regular door to door HIV testing, which isn't currently part of the public health service offering and how effective it could be in ensuring that more people know their HIV status," said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.

James Kruger, Director: HIV AIDS STI & TB at the Western Cape Department of Health, said: “It will hopefully give us indications on how to tailor-make our interventions to a particular local context. This will allow us to reset our provincial, district, sub-district and local planning in accordance with the outcomes and voices of the community. We have also learned many lessons on the deployment of community care workers and will use this to reconsider what a community health service package could be and how to add to our current community based services package."

Beatrice Morobe, a member of the Community Advisory Board, which formed a link between the communities, the clinics and the researchers, said the study had a meaningful impact on people in communities.

“It helped so many people. More people got tested for HIV and went to the clinics to get treatment. The way people were encouraged to get tested and then assisted to get ARVs at clinics if they were HIV positive helped to break down stigma. It was done in a very positive way. I'm so proud to have been part of this study."

“The study team is deeply grateful to the South African and Zambian study participants, the implementing and community partners, research teams, Ministries and Departments of Health, study funders and sponsor, without whom this research would not have been possible," said Myron Cohen, MD, HPTN co-principal investigator and director of the Institute for Global Health at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

The HPTN 071 (PopART) study was sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) with primary funding from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which is administered by the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy in the U.S. Department of State. Additional funding was provided by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as by NIAID, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), all part of NIH.

About HPTN

The HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) is a worldwide collaborative clinical trials network that brings together investigators, ethicists, community members and other partners to develop and test the safety and efficacy of interventions designed to prevent the acquisition and transmission of HIV. NIAID, NIMH and NIDA co-fund the HPTN. The HPTN has collaborated with more than 85 clinical research sites in 19 countries to evaluate new HIV prevention interventions and strategies in populations that bear a disproportionate burden of infection. The HPTN research agenda – more than 50 trials ongoing or completed with over 161,000 participants enrolled and evaluated – is focused primarily on the use of integrated strategies: use of antiretroviral drugs (antiretroviral therapy and pre-exposure prophylaxis); interventions for substance abuse, particularly injection drug use; behavioural risk reduction interventions and structural interventions. For more information, visit hptn.org.

Caption: Community HIV Care Providers going door to door in the community.

Photo: Kim Cloete

If the South African Reserve Bank had no independence, then so-called 'better' objectives could be imposed on the central bank. But are those 'better' objectives just wishful thinking? This question was asked by SA Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor Lesetja Kganyago on Wednesday evening (6 March 2019).

Dr Kganyago, who received an honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University in December last year, gave a lecture on Why should central banks be independent? at SU. The event was hosted jointly by the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and the Bureau for Economic Research (BER).

"Maybe they reflect good intentions, but the test should be whether these objectives are right or even useful. It must be based on research."

He said the SARB works with government on how to best achieve the bank's mandate.

“We are at a time when our country is embarking on a course of political and economic renewal. In pursuing its mandate, the SARB must act independently and without fear and not cut interest rates just to accommodate someone, but to act in the interest of society."

According to Dr Kganyago, it is unrealistic for central banks to target specific employment levels after the ANC said the bank should broaden its focus.

"Employment levels are determined by many different things, so putting a specific target on it for the central bank to try to achieve is unrealistic." He added that the case for the SARB's existing inflation-targeting framework was very strong.

Dr Kganyago also emphasised that the SARB gets its mandate from the South African constitution.

"SARB's independence is about giving the central bank the institutional freedom to get on with our mandate. It must be conditioned by a complementary framework to ensure transparency and accountability," he said. "At the end of the day, SARB's independence allows the bank to hear what different interest groups have to say, but to make decisions to reach its mandate in a balanced and transparent way."

For the sustainability of the Reserve Bank, its independence is extremely important.

"Continuous fiscal deficits create a tax liability for citizens in the future - they create inter-generational inequity. We cannot allow the excesses of today's generation to put a burden on our children and our children's children," he told the audience.

• To read the SARB Governor's speech, click here.

• Photo (f.l.t.r.): With SARB Governor Lesetja Kganyago (second from left) are Professors Johann Kirsten (Director of the Bureau for Economic Research); Stan du Plessis (Chief Operating Officer of Stellenbosch University); Ingrid Woolard (Dean of the SU Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences); and Ben Smit (Member of the Board of Directors of the SA Reserve Bank and former Director of the Bureau for Economic Research).

​​​

Dr Lesetja Kganyago, Governor of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), inspired hope for economic growth in South Africa and reiterated the importance of an independent SARB during a public lecture on Wednesday evening (06 March 2019) hosted by the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU).

His lecture entitled, Independence and policy flexibility: 'Why should central banks be independent?', focused on the constitutional mandate and independence of the SARB, the implementation of monetary and fiscal policy coordination and inflation targeting as an expression of the SARB's mandate.

He expressed the importance of keeping inflation low, so it can help with economic growth and employment in the long term.

“We should by now be able to recognise the problem with allowing inflation to go up in ways that benefit some groups: The gain is temporary and costs other groups. Giving in to this desire, trying to conjure up temporary gains, lies behind many, if not most, historical instances of macroeconomic failure."

Dr Kganyago, who received the degree Doctor of Commerce (DCom), honoris causa, at SU during the December 2018 graduation, said that the losers of higher inflation rates are usually younger people, workers and the poor.

[In the photo above from left; Dr Lesetja Kganyago, (Governor of the South African Reserve Bank), Prof Wim de Villiers, (Rector and Vice-Chancellor at SU), Prof Johann Kirsten, (Director of the Bureau for Economic Research at SU)]

He believes that lower inflation will not only help these three most affected groups, but that in general the economy grows more strongly when inflation is low. “Without the power to demand higher compensation for inflation, the poor and those living off fixed nominal incomes; pensioners in particular, are most vulnerable. It is for these people, above all others that low inflation is both morally and economically right."

He also emphasised that keeping the independence of the SARB will be beneficial to the well-being of the country in the long term. “At the end of the day, central bank independence allows the SARB to hear what different interest groups have to say, but gives it the policy space to make decisions about inflation that on balance benefit all."

Kganyogo is the tenth Governor of the South African Reserve Bank and he was appointed chair of the International Monetary and Financial Committee in January 2018, the first central bank governor from Sub-Saharan Africa to hold this post.

Watch the full lecture at this streaming link here. 

Photos by Anton Jordaan.

Maties Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers will again lead a team of alumni, staff, students and friends of Stellenbosch University (SU) in the world's largest timed cycle race on Sunday (10 March) – this time to raise money for #Move4Food.

It will be the third time that De Villiers will be sweating for a good cause. In March 2018 he tackled the Cape Town Cycle Tour to commemorate the University's Centenary and raise money for student bursaries, and in September last year he ran the full 42 km Sanlam Cape Town Marathon – also in aid of #Move4Food.

This campaign kicked off in August 2018 with an ambitious target of R10 million. The aim is to end student hunger on SU campuses by establishing sustainable food banks. The campaign has been well supported so far in various ways. To date, over R1 million in donations and goods have been raised, with the campaign set to end on 19 April 2019.

In the 27-member #Maties100 team on Sunday will be students from SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences on the Tygerberg campus, who last year cycled all the way from Vioolsdrift on the Namibian border to Cape Agulhas in support of #Move4Food – a distance of 902 km. The group – consisting of Breda Reed, Mias Marais, Luke Titus, Christoff Greyling and Wonderboy Nkosi – managed to raise over R59 000. They will reunite again this weekend to take part in the Cape Town Cycle Tour. Follow the link below to support them.

De Villiers said: “A recent study by the National Research Foundation revealed that more than 30% of university students in South Africa are food insecure. This affects not only their academic results, but their fundamental human dignity. Maties students are creating food banks to ensure that none of their mates go to class on an empty stomach. The initiative has my full support. I would greatly appreciate yours."

Be our guest

All Maties riding in the #CTCycleTour2019 on Sunday (alumni, staff and students of the University) are invited to the Maties Hospitality Suite at the Cape Town Stadium on Sunday. They will have the opportunity to put up their feet, enjoy light refreshments and get a revitalising sports massage as they meet up with fellow Maties. Space is limited and admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis between 09:00 and 16:00.

• To support any of the #Move4Food projects, please visit http://bit.ly/Move4Food-projects

​​Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of TB that is resistant to at least two of the most potent antibiotics used to treat TB (isoniazid and rifampicin). Compared to drug-susceptible TB, MDR-TB treatment takes longer (2 years versus 6 months), is less effective (only about 50% of patients are cured) and more toxic (severe side effects include permanent hearing loss), and can be as much as 1,000 times more expensive. Without effective therapy, people with MDR-TB can infect others who have never had TB before.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is home to an estimated 81 million people and a high-burden country for TB, TB/HIV and MDR-TB. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 262,000 new cases of TB and 56,500 TB-related deaths occurred in the DRC in 2017. The second Congo war started in 1997 and caused massive disruption of healthcare services in eastern DRC, contributing to an increase in TB cases and TB-related mortality in the region. In 2011, despite continuing civil conflict and militia activity, the Xpert MTB/RIF assay (Xpert), a rapid molecular diagnostic test for TB that includes testing for rifampicin susceptibility (detects rifampicin-resistant TB, or RR-TB, an indicator of MDR-TB), was introduced in South Kivu province of eastern DRC. The rollout of this new TB test was made possible through a collaboration between the DRC National TB Program and the Stop TB Partnership's TB REACH initiative, funded by Global Affairs Canada.

In Clinical Infectious Diseases, a top-tier journal in the field of infectious diseases, André N.H. Bulabula, MD, MSc, PhD student, of the Department of Global Health, Division of Health Systems and Public Health, Stellenbosch University, South Africa and Infection Control Africa Network, with colleagues from the DRC National TB Program, South Kivu Provincial Anti-Leprosy and TB Coordination, and co-authors report a new cohort study of 16,448 patients evaluated for TB between 2012 and 2017 in post-conflict DRC. The authors found rifampicin resistance in 170 of 1,535 patients (11%) found to have TB. Nearly 47% of the RR-TB patients had never been diagnosed or treated for TB before, suggesting that many had been directly infected by contact with patients with RR-TB in their communities. Cure was achieved in 30/36 patients (83%) with RR-TB treated with a new 9-month regimen compared to 84/114 patients (74%) treated with 20- and 24-month conventional MDR-TB regimens. Factors associated with treatment success included lack of serious drug side effects, provision of socio-economic incentives and use of home-based directly observed therapy by trained community health workers and family members.

“In this challenging setting for MDR-TB treatment, it is compelling that our programmatic findings are in line with those reported earlier from observational studies in Bangladesh and other sub-Saharan African countries. Our findings are also in agreement with interim results of the ongoing multi-national STREAM randomized trial initiated by the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in 2012 with its main partner the British Medical Research Council, which showed that both the shorter and longer MDR-TB regimens achieved success in roughly 80% of participants. However, the shorter regimen is easier for patients to complete," said study co-author Zacharie M. Kashongwe, MD, PhD, Professor of Pulmonology at University of Kinshasa, DRC.

“The absence of resistance to oral fluoroquinolones and second-line injectable drugs may account in part for the high success rates of RR-TB treatment in South Kivu province," said senior study author Jean B. Nachega, MD, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at University of Pittsburgh and Professor of Medicine and Director of the Centre for Infectious Diseases at Stellenbosch University.

“These data have important clinical and public health implications and can inform models of MDR-TB care in low- and middle-income countries, such as: expanding Xpert scale-up; prompt initiation of shorter, less-toxic regimens (ideally fully oral regimens containing potent new drugs such as bedaquiline or delamanid); involving trained community health workers to deliver TB services; integration of TB and HIV testing and treatment; and developing and implementing community/household-based MDR-TB prevention strategies. However, confirmation of the impact of some of these interventions will require further prospective interventional studies and cost-effectiveness analyses," added Nachega.

“Prevalence, Predictors and Successful Treatment Outcomes of Xpert MTB/RIF-identified Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis in Post Conflict Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, 2012-2017: A Retrospective Province-Wide Cohort Study" was authored by André N.H. Bulabula; Jenna A. Nelson; Eric M. Musafiri; Rhoderick Machekano; Nadia A. Sam-Agudu; Andreas H. Diacon; Maunank Shah; Jacob Creswell; Grant Theron; Robin M. Warren; Karen R. Jacobson; Jean-Paul Chirambiza; Dieudonné Kalumuna; Bertin C. Bisimwa; Patrick DMC Katoto; Michel K. Kaswa; Freddy M. Birembano; Liliane N. Kitete; Martin P. Grobusch; Zacharie M. Kashongwe; and Jean B. Nachega.

The study was made possible with funding from Global Affairs Canada through Stop TB Partnership's TB REACH Wave-2 grant to the South Kivu Branch of the DRC National Tuberculosis Program in 2011. Funding was also provided by the VLIR/UOS through a supplemental grant under the Institutional University Cooperation 2017 Phase 3 from the Belgian government, which supports a partnership between Ghent University, University of Antwerp and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, and the Université Catholique de Bukavu, DR Congo.

More about Organizations and Funding Agencies:

1) Stop TB Partnership, TB REACH Initiative: http://www.stoptb.org/global/awards/tbreach/

2) Global Affairs Canada: https://www.international.gc.ca/gac-amc/index.aspx?lang=eng

3) The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease: https://www.theunion.org/

4) The British Medical Research Council: https://www.ukri.org/

5) VLIR/UOS, Institutional University Cooperation (IUC) 2017 Phase 3 UCB: https://www.vliruos.be/en/projects/project/22?pid=3610

6) Université Catholique de Bukavu (UCB): http://www.ucbukavu.ac.cd/

7) University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health: https://www.publichealth.pitt.edu/

8) University of Pittsburgh Center for Global Health: https://www.publichealth.pitt.edu/cgh

9) Stellenbosch University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences: http://www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/healthsciences/ 

​This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the full article here.

Tuberculosis is not just a human disease. Cattle also contract a similar type of bacteria, called bovine tuberculosis. Evidence suggests that it can be transmitted from cattle to humans as well as wildlife and vice versa.

Bovine tuberculosis has been well studied in cattle. This is particularly true in Europe where the disease was very prevalent during the 19th and 20th centuries. It's estimated that the agricultural sector, globally, has a total loss of more than US$3 billion annually due to bovine tuberculosis. In the UK more than 39 000 cattle were slaughtered after testing positive for the disease in 2016.

The disease made its way into Africa during the 18th and 19th centuries through the importation of cattle from the UK, Europe and Australia. Now wildlife, like lions and wild dogs which prey on potentially infected animals, such as buffalo and warthogs, have also become infected.

But only a few studies have investigated the effect its had on Africa's wildlife populations. This is starting to change, as the disease's impact on vulnerable and endangered species like lion, rhino and elephants with human TB are coming under the spotlight.

Lions potentially become infected through eating infected animals and rhino may become infected through environmental spillover, when sharing their grazing with infected animals such as buffalo.

There's also a new focus on the disease and warthogs, animals that are believed to be potential hosts of bovine TB. I set out to study the role these tusked mammals play when it comes to disease prevalence and to find out their susceptibility to bovine TB.

I found that warthogs have a high disease prevalence in bovine TB endemic regions and that they are susceptible to the disease in the wild. This is important information that will help us to develop effective disease management strategies to reduce and control the spread of bovine TB in South Africa.

Why warthogs?

Putting a number to the warthog population size in South Africa is difficult, but the estimate in 2016 was 22 250. This number means that they aren't in any way threatened. It also means, they're an important species when it comes to studying infectious diseases such as bovine TB.

Warthogs are also useful in studying the dynamics of this disease as they're free-roaming. This means that they aren't kept in by barriers, like fences, and can move freely between parks, reserves and farm land. This potentially increases their chances of contact with livestock and humans.

To begin my research I first had to be able to accurately determine which individuals were infected and which ones weren't. I did this by evaluating tests that were developed for other species and then optimised and modified them to develop new diagnostic tests for warthogs. An example was the Quantiferon assay used in humans that we modified to be used in warthogs.

One of my newly developed tests was used to investigate the disease prevalence from historically banked warthog samples. This allowed me to study the extent of the disease in warthog populations. Thus allowing the description of some key risk factors of the disease in warthogs.

The high prevalence of the disease, in some cases higher than 60%, suggests that warthogs are either prone to infection through contact with other infected species, or that they are spreading the disease within their own populations.

My research suggests that the answer is probably something in between the two scenarios. This is because warthogs are frequently seen scavenging on carcasses of other animals, such as buffalo, which are a potential source of infection. In addition, their burrowing behaviour allows for close contact between individuals in a confined spaces which increases the risk of transmission. I have, however, not been able to show yet that warthogs secrete (spread) the disease in to their ecosystem.

I also found that adult warthogs were at a higher risk of having the disease, than either sub-adults or juveniles. There are two possibilities for this:

1) adults have been exposed for a longer period of time; or,

2) younger individuals may die before being tested.

Both these scenarios could increase the risk of spreading the disease to other species indirectly. On the one hand there's a greater chance of an animal spreading the disease if they have it for a long time. On the other if they succumb to the infection as juveniles, scavengers may become infected who ingest the infected carcass.

Understanding and implications

A deeper dive into the information we'd gathered showed us that warthogs can be used as disease sentinels. Sentinel species are used to monitor the spread of a disease, and its presence or absence. Using sentinels is useful because it means that we don't need to resort to testing valuable or endangered animals which can be risky.

Warthogs are a perfect sentinel species for a number of reasons. There are lots of them, they're highly susceptible, they survive the disease and with the help of my new test, have easily detectable signs of infection.

This means that warthogs are an important species in managing the disease.

The next steps will be to determine whether warthogs transmit the disease to other species or does transmission stop at an individual level.

Photo: Pixabay

South Africans were caught off guard recently when Eskom announced the implementation of load-shedding. With more disruptions likely to occur in the next few years, perhaps the time has come to look at concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies to provide electricity when coal power stations fail.

“Mass deployments of CSP will not only provide clean and supporting energy to the grid, but will boost the local manufacturing of CSP components, support job creation and also create an avenue to export excess electricity and know-how to neighbouring countries," says Dr Toyosi Craig, a Project Manager with AEE Power in Sandton, Johannesburg. He recently received his doctorate in Industrial Engineering at Stellenbosch University (SU).

Craig's study sought to identify the key factors and forces pertinent to the development of CSP technology and to come up with a strategy and framework to accelerate the adoption of this technology in South Africa.

He used different methods and analyses to gain a better understanding of the state of CSP in the country and efforts to aid its adoption; to identify the most sensitive factors affecting CSP adoption, the fears, challenges and limitations in this regard; and to present possible ways to overcome them.

“I used different methods to address the knowledge gap in the innovation and adoption analysis of CSP in terms of cost, progress ratio, learning effect, technical, non-technical, social, trade and economic impact."

Craig says there is a lack of information regarding the impact of CSP technology on South Africa's trade and local manufacturing industries, as well as on local research, development and innovation communities.

“My study is important because recent events have shown that the future of CSP in South Africa looks bleak as the government's recent Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) updates gave no allocation to new CSP plants beyond 2030. At the moment, there are no plans to build new plants until 2030.

“This is worrying given that South Africa wants to generate 42% of its electricity from renewable energy technology sources by 2030."

Craig adds that his research serves as a framework for the improvement and deployment of CSP technologies, which in the long run is expected to lead to a reduction in cost and tariffs of CSP technology and improve its competitiveness with other renewal energy technologies.

“I found that if CSP is promoted, job losses due to the adoption of renewable energy will be reduced as experts from other conventional technologies can transfer their skills with little or no training."

“The cost of developing CSP is reducing, the technology is therefore going to be the major energy source of the future, and the nations who do not recognise these may lose out."

Craig does point out, however, that despite its storage ability and capability to supply uninterrupted power for 24 hours, electricity from CSP is still more expensive than other renewal energy technologies (RETs). He adds that one of the reasons is less installed capacity compared to other RETs and limited adoption and deployment strategies.

Craig explains that there are two types of technologies through which solar energy has been deployed to generate electricity in South Africa: solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies. The former refers to technology that turns sunlight into electricity through solar panels, while CSP turns solar energy into heat to drive turbines to produce electricity just like other conventional power plants.

Craig says that despite the available amount of sunlight in South Africa, electricity generated from solar energy is only a small percentage of the overall energy mix.

“Given that Eskom is under pressure to provide electricity, the Department of Energy (DoE) should let all renewable energy technologies compete fairly and justly. The DoE should also encourage the localisation of the CSP technology as this will boost the ability to maximise profit in the CSP innovation cycle."

Referring to previous studies, Craig adds that the potential to harvest South Africa's abundant sunlight through CSP has been proven.

“With CSP technology, the power from the sun can be used for heat and electricity anytime of the day, even when there's no sunlight. We are desperately in need of new/cleaner baseload and CSP seems to offer the way forward. This technology operates well on large scales and the more we adopt it the cheaper it becomes."

Not enough CSP plants

Unfortunately, South Africa doesn't have many CSP plants despite the fact that in 2010 CSP was one of the major renewable energy technologies prioritised by government, says Craig.

“Apart from Helio 100, a 100 kW demonstration plant at Stellenbosch University, there are four plants (KaXu, Khi, Xina and most recently Kathu) connected to the grid in the Northern Cape with a few others under development."

He says even though the adoption of CSP technology has been slow in South Africa because of political interest and global trends, high capital cost and tariff and politicians' lack of understanding of the values of CSP technology, the process can be accelerated through improved research, development and demonstration plants.

“The improvement of research and development will also create platforms through which CSP can be hybridised with other renewable energy technologies to cause a drastic increase in the rate of CSP adoption."

“Strategic policies, laws and the right funding for research can help South Africa to fully maximise its CSP resources potential to foster cost reduction and market viability of its solar innovations."

Craig adds that government should encourage the participation of local industries by raising the number of megawatts apportioned to CSP in the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme as this will increase competition and ultimately reduce the tariff cost. 

He believes South Africa can become a global leader in the manufacturing of CSP technology and CSP related services. ​“However, for this to happen, CSP must be allowed back in the IRP," Craig adds.

He says the general public, academics, policy makers, consultants and independent power producers, among others, would benefit most from his research.

• Main photo: The Khi plant in the Northern Cape. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
• Photo 1: Dr Toyosi Craig at the graduation ceremony.

FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES ONLY

Dr Toyosi Craig

Project Manager, AEE Power

2 Plaza Manuel Gomez Moreno

28020 Madrid

E-mail: omotoyosicraig@gmail.com

        ISSUED BY

Martin Viljoen

Manager: Media

Corporate Communication

Stellenbosch University

Tel: 021 808 4921

E-mail: viljoenm@sun.ac.za

The Graduate School of Economic and Management Sciences (GEM) welcomed a new intake of PhD students at a function in Stellenbosch on Tuesday, 29 January 2019. The School has 30 full-time students from 17 countries, while 21 members of staff are registered for the part-time programme.

Home of a full-time residential doctoral programme, GEM was established as part of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences' research strategy. In 2014, the first full-time PhD students started work on their 3-year research projects. The initiative was further expanded in 2015 with the Graduate School for Staff in Economic and Management Sciences (STEM).

"The first STEM person to graduate will be Ms Samantha Adams of the Department of Industrial Psychology, who will be receive her PhD during the April graduation ceremony," said Dr Jaco Franken, Manager of the School. 

GEM offers financial aid coupled with a partially structured support programme and helps students with the substance of their studies in order to obtain a PhD over three years. STEM provides a similar support programme which gives faculty staff an opportunity to work part-time on their PhDs over four to five years.

“The programme offers bursaries for full-time study for three years, which contribute significantly to its success," explained Dr Franken. “However, it also means there is a continued need for funding."

Although most of the full-time students are from elsewhere in Africa, the School has hosted students from China, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany.

• Carousel photo: Full-time and part-time PhD students of the Graduate School of Economic and Management Sciences were welcomed by the School at a function at Middelvlei Estate, Stellenboch. Also present were some of the students' study leaders.

For the second year in a row, Stellenbosch University (SU) Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Wim de Villiers, completed the Cape Town Cycle Tour with a group of Maties in a fundraising exercise – this time for #Move4Food, a campaign aimed at addressing food insecurity among students.

“It was pretty tiring because we faced a strong headwind for long stretches on the road. But we did it for a really good cause, so we are very happy," he said on Sunday after completing the world's largest timed cycle race.

De Villiers was one of 25 staff members, students, alumni and friends of the University who entered #CTCycleTour2019 as part of the Maties #Move4Food team. He finished in a time of 5 hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds – nine seconds after his daughter, Dr Gera de Villiers.

The fastest member of the group was Chris Norton, an SU alumnus and owner of the BMT bike shop in Dorp Street, Stellenbosch. His time was 3 hours, 33 minutes and 17 seconds. He had mobilised nine other cyclists to join him this year, some of whom who also rode for the #Maties100 team last year to commemorate the University's Centenary and raise funds for bursaries.

Also part of the group were five SU medical students who tackled the race on the iconic Matie Bike, a single-speed cycle more suited to leisurely rides on the flat Stellenbosch Campus than a demanding cycle race with such serious climbs as Chapman's Peak and Suikerbossie.

“Believe it or not, it was actually great fun. We did have to push our bikes up Chappies, but we killed most of the other climbs. And the important thing is, we finished – 20 minutes before the cut-off!" said Breda Reed, a Namibian national and fourth-year student at SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in Tygerberg. He is the founder of the Hippocampus Fund, which benefits medical students. Along with Mias Marais, Christoff Greyling, Luke Titus and Nkululeko “Wonderboy" Nkosi they cycled 902 km from Vioolsdrift to Cape Agulhas in December to “help our friends become doctors".

After crossing the finishing line at the Cape Town Stadium, Maties could visit the University's hospitality suite, where they could enjoy light refreshments and get a sports massage.

“It is always wonderful to mingle in the Maties family, and Sunday was no exception. The gees was great, and we can't wait to do it again with other sporting activities," said Marvin Koopman, Alumni Coordinator.

According to De Villiers, a physician by profession, “A recent study by the National Research Foundation revealed that more than 30% of university students in South Africa are food insecure. This affects not only their academic results, but their fundamental human dignity. Our students came up with the idea of food banks to ensure that none of their mates go to class on an empty stomach. The initiative has my full support. I would greatly appreciate yours."

Last year, De Villiers also ran the full 42 km Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in aid of #Move4Food.

• The #Move4Food fundraising projects of Maties who completed the Cape Town Cycle Tour are still open. To show your support, please visit http://bit.ly/Move4Food-projects
• Banner image: Prof Wim de Villiers, third from left, with fellow Maties #Move4Food cyclists at the start of the Cape Town Cycle Tour on 10 March 2019. PICTURE: HENK OETS
• Top photo in text: Maties #Move4Food riders Siyabulela Tutu, left, and Zola Ngxakeni ahead of their starting in #CTCycleTour2019. PICTURE: CHRIS NORTON
• Bottom photo in text: SU medical students Luke Titus, left, and Breda Reed, who completed the Cape Town Cycle Tour on the iconic single-speed Matie Bike as part of the Maties #Move4Food team. PICTURE: DESMOND THOMPSON

​​The ground-breaking research in the field of tuberculosis (TB) by Prof Rob Warren, Unit Director of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Centre for Tuberculosis Research, and distinguished professor with the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the FMHS' Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, has earned him a coveted Chancellor's Medal in Research at Stellenbosch University's December 2018 graduation ceremony.

Warren's research, spanning over 20 years, focuses on understanding the dynamics of both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB in South Africa. Much of his work has provided new understanding, which has allowed long-standing dogmas to be challenged. Highlights in his career include research demonstrating that there are thousands of different strains of TB in circulation within the South African epidemic, and that patients can harbour multiple strains.

“Prof Warren is a world-class scientist. Based largely on molecular epidemiology, his research has led to numerous landmark publications in the field of tuberculosis," says Prof Jimmy Volmink, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

“Through his research, Warren has challenged a dogma with respect to recurrent TB by showing the importance of endogenous reinfection. He has shown that previously treated patients are at a higher risk of endogenous reinfection and that patients may have multiple strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in their sputum samples – again emphasising the importance of reinfection in driving the epidemic in South Africa. These landmark publications have introduced new research avenues which continue to be investigated worldwide," Volmink explains.

“I am extremely honoured to receive Chancellor's award and to be recognised as having made a significant contribution to TB research in South Africa," says Warren. “At the same time, I also acknowledge that research is a team effort and that this award also recognises the contribution of my collaborators as well as the post graduate students I have mentored."

After graduating with a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Cape Town, Warren joined the Action TB initiative in the Department of Medical Biochemistry (now the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics) at Stellenbosch University in 1994. In 1996, he was appointed to the position of Senior Scientist in the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and currently holds the position of Chief Specialist Scientist. In 2015, he was awarded the title of Distinguished Professor at Stellenbosch University and, in 2017, he was appointed as Unit Director of the SAMRC Centre for Tuberculosis Research.

Under Warren's guidance, the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics established one of the largest archives of both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant isolates (cultures) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the world. This culture bank, housing over 45000 isolates, allows researchers to scrutinise the local epidemic in terms of outbreak investigations, within-patient evolution of drug-resistance, transmission and discovering novel drug-resistance causing mutations.

“Maintaining the culture bank will continue to be a priority for Warren as this resource remains the foundation of his research and research collaborations; and is a national heritage," Volmink comments. “The research emanating from this resource will be used to guide TB control policy, to improve diagnosis in collaboration with the National Health Laboratory Service and to ensure capacity development."

Warren's current research focuses on the development of novel diagnostics which are applicable in the developing world and understanding pathogenicity (the ability of an organism to cause disease) using 'omics' technologies (such as proteomics and genomics).

“We need to embrace technology to improve the health of our nation through basic and translational research," he says. “Our immediate goal is to use next generation sequencing to provide clinicians with the best possible strategies to treat patients and thereby prevent the emergence of resistance to the new anti-TB drugs."

Warren has published more than 270 papers in international peer reviewed journals in the fields of molecular epidemiology, drug resistance and bacterial evolution. He has also received numerous awards and accolades, most notably a gold medal for scientific excellence by the SAMRC in 2015 for his research in the field of the Molecular Epidemiology of Tuberculosis.

Photo: Wilma Stassen

​The first Field Skills course for this year's first-year students means being thrown into the deep end of studying rocks and beach sediments along the coast of Bloubergstrand. 

So much to absorb and learn about (1) how the beach sediments get deposited and sorted by constant wave action, tides and currents, (2) how older sediments have been lithified into the ~550 million-year-old Malmesbury Group sand- and mudstones that are exposed as the rocky coastline. Not only lithified into sub-horizontal sedimentary beds but also tectonically deformed into beautiful folds, faulted, fractured and cut by pale mineralized veins. It may be the first time that the student learns how to measure the orientation of planar surfaces with a simple compass, distinguishing between strike and dip, and locating it all correctly onto a Google Earth map. Finally, the students made a first attempt at constructing a lithological log across the steeply dipping Malmesbury Group stratigraphical pile, where the sand- and mudstones are overlain by andesitic lavas (with diagnostic amygdales) and other volcanic rock types. A lot to take in on your first field trip but bound to motivate you towards learning more about our fascinating Earth.