​​The people who collect, think and write about music

The people of the Africa Open Institute (AOI) are serious about music. That does not stop them from having fun in the process, to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow researchers and to push boundaries.

It's Tuesday morning. In the heart of the AOI's offices in Joubert Street in Stellenbosch, the Institute's weekly teatime ritual of shop-bought cookies and full-aroma coffee is in full swing before the scheduled staff meeting is to start. Amid laughter and fellowship around a long table, two colleagues are comparing notes while seated around a laptop's screen.

“My colleagues and the openness with which we work together is a major part of what my career means to me, and how it has developed. I cannot distinguish the two," it comes in all seriousness from Prof Willemien Froneman, the AOI's director of postgraduate studies as she introduces her colleagues one by one. "They are the Institute."

Froneman, a Y2-rated researcher, is the second speaker in the SU Division for Research Development's new Forward with Research Impact lecture series. It takes place on Thursday, 29 August at the SU Museum at 13:00.

She will reflect on her research about the ambivalent place that boeremusiek holds within the South African society, as well as about the activities of the AOI.

The AOI is an independent interdisciplinary research institute of the SU Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and was established in 2016 under the guidance of Prof Stephanus Muller. It has links with the SU Documentation Centre for Music (DOMUS). It creates an institutional space for voices within and outside formal academic circles to conduct research, innovate and provide socio-political commentary - all within the sphere of archiving music practices from South Africa and Africa.

Forging ahead through music

Froneman was previously linked to the AOI as an extraordinary associate professor of the AOI. Earlier this year she was appointed as the Institute's director of postgraduate studies. She takes care of fundraising and as a study leader guides students' research. The doctoral projects she is currently keeping an eye on are like postcards that provide a glimpse into the themes that the AOI tackles. For example, there is a study on the "koortjie" phenomenon, one on the place of wind bands in South Africa since 1987, and another on the difficulties that women experience within the sphere of music education. Another student is creating an art installation and is making use of music from the DOMUS collection.

“We want to establish music as a legitimate field of research that people take seriously. We work a lot between disciplines. We do it differently than a previous generation of music researchers did. We are more socially aware and definitely more focused on interacting with other humanities," Froneman reckons.

Her own academic path began in Potchefstroom, where she grew up in the home of a professor of Afrikaans and Dutch. In 2004 Froneman obtained a BMus degree (with piano) at Northwest University cum laude – as she would do for most of her later qualifications too. This includes a BA Hons in Literature Studies (2004) and an education qualification. In 2007, she completed an MPhil at Cambridge University thanks to a Commonwealth Scholarship.

After a year abroad, she deliberately decided to research niche themes specific to South African music and the country's history. That decision in 2012 led to her PhD at SU, entitled Pleasure Beyond the Call of Duty: Perspectives, Retrospectives and Speculations on boeremusiek. Later, with her supervisor and current AOI director, Prof Stephanus Muller, she became involved in the editing and management of SAMUS, the journal for studies on South African music.

Froneman says there's no clear boundaries to her field of research. It's about more than collating historical data about people and events. She also wants to reflect on the place that a genre such as boeremusiek has within an unequal political system.

 Boeremusiek tells the story of South Africa's history and race-based values. It's different from the one that we think we know. More complicated. Stranger. Closer to the body. I see writing about it as a kind of historical restitution," explains Froneman, who believes that such an in-depth investigation into Afrikaans popular music has not yet been undertaken on the same scale.

Music that chaffs

Her interests have already taken her from Britain to Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands to talk about her research. Last year, she contributed a 4000-word essay on peasant music to the Bloomsbury Encyclopaedia of Popular Music of the World: African Genres (2018).

And her own music tastes?

"There is nothing that I will not listen to. Nothing," she emphasizes.

She's willing to listen to anything Apple Music or her colleagues alert her to. She deliberately wants to give new music a chance.

“It's a perk of being here at the AOI. There are always music that you listen to that you've never heard before. It challenges you. There are constantly new ideas that at first might be counter to your own flow. Then you give it a chance. This environment challenges your boundaries and ideas about things. It's often difficult, but it's great too."

She hopes that the AOI will increasingly be able to play a similar challenging, transformational role in the broader Stellenbosch community by hosting events that do not shy away from addressing socio-political problems, attract new audiences and challenge those already in the know.

“We want to use music to write revisionist histories of South Africa, and at the same time make an impact on the here and now. That's what I also want to do with my research on boeremusiek."

• On September 9, 10 and 11 at 17:00 Prof Chris Ballantine will give an overview at the AOI about how oppression and emancipation have played out over a 150-year period in South African popular music. For enquiries, contact Stephanie Vos at svos@sun.ac.za.

• The Hidden Years Vinyl Session will take place on 5 September at 18:00 at the GUS Gallery. Ntone Njabe and Michael Shakib Bhatch will play records from the Hidden Years collection housed at the AOI. Entrance is free.​

​“The Circle", a bronze art installation featuring 11 phenomenal South African women thought leaders, is the latest project forming part of an extended visual redress process on the campuses of Stellenbosch University (SU).

Arranged in a circle on a grass embankment on the Rooiplein, the installation emphasises the dynamic role that women play in conversation.

Prof Nico Koopman, Vice Rector: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel, will on Monday 26 August open the art installation that is a prime example of the University's commitment to providing a transformed student experience.

The launch event, to start at 17:30, will take the form of a walking tour starting in front of the AI Perold Building and will include visiting the latest visual redress installations at the SU Library, the main building of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences as well as the Adam Small Theatre.

“The Circle" features Krotoa/Eva, the Khoi ancestress of many families in South Africa; Prof Thuli Madonsela, former Public Protector and the current Law Trust Chair of Social Justice in the Faculty of Law at SU; anti-apartheid activists Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Fatima Meer and Lilian Ngoyi; actress Quanita Adams; author and poet Antjie Krog; Wimbledon wheelchair tennis player Kgothatso Montjane; artist and activist Zanele Muhili; and music artist Dope Saint Jude. The last woman represents all the other women's voices who are encouraged to participate in the discourse.

The installation will enable staff and students on campus to meet and share ideas in a space where everyone feels included. This comes after the renaming of buildings over the last few years, art installations and welcoming messages in 15 languages (including braille, sign language and San) on benches on the Rooplein – all in an effort to cultivating an inclusive environment.

“The Circle" is wheelchair-friendly, while a short description of each person as well as a complete contextualisation of the initiative, will be added in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa.

“The project forms part of an extensive visual redress process on SU's campuses in an attempt to not only remove offensive symbols but also to introduce new visual symbols which point to a shared history, our diverse stories and public spaces that are welcoming to all," explains Dr Leslie van Rooi, Senior Director: Social Impact and Transformation.

 “This process was launched a few years ago and much progress has been made in recent years to create student- and staff-friendly living and work spaces that conform to the needs of a diverse group of students, staff and other stakeholders, and at the same time promote a welcoming campus culture.

 “The University made a concerted effort to create spaces for dialogue about public symbols and historical figures. In addition to that, specific committees have been put in place to facilitate university-wide discourse about and approach to public symbols and the naming of buildings," Van Rooi added.

• Contact Michelle Jooste on joostem@sun.ac.za to RSVP.
• Liaise with Leslie van Rooi at tel 021 808 3697 or lbvr@sun.ac.za for more information.

MORE ABOUT “THE CIRCLE"

“It differs from other forms of art in public spaces, e.g. statues, as the women are represented in a circle," explains Ms Stephané Conradie of SU's Department of Visual Arts and curator of the project. “This form of the collective artwork and the fact that they are all sitting, breaks a strong form of power and indicates interaction with the public in such a way that it invites us to become part of the conversation. The artwork is therefore not elevated above everyone else and aims to renew the culture of symbols in public spaces."

Mr Jacques Buys from Stellenbosch Art Foundry manufactured the artwork.

Aimed at dialogue

According to Conradie, bronze statues and monuments are often associated with large statues – usually larger than life size – of figures in a heroic position, emanating glory. “In contradiction to this, 'The Circle' brings together women leaders in a public space synonymous with vibrant interaction and everyday conversations. Therefore it becomes part of both the space and the conversations that take place there. Their 'speech' intertwine intense dialogue over serious topics with light-hearted chatter.

She adds that the figures represent all women, “but as they sit humbly on the ground, they also represent the universal human need to be heard. This way, the artwork opposes the normal hierarchy of power that is usually associated with historical monuments and statues."

You shouldn't let her delicate hands and petite stature fool you.

Dr Karin Baatjes' impressive title as Head of the Division of Anatomy and Histology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch, attests to her dynamism, hard work and intellect.

She saves lives, trains students and doctors and is a researcher of note.

Baatjes also has a heart for charity. For instance, she ran a marathon (42.2 km) and raised R53 000 for Reach for Recovery's Ditto project, a breast cancer support organisation. She is also involved in the Tygerberg campus' pantry project. “We collect non-perishable foods and hygienic products every month for students who struggle financially.

“I am also involved in a lot of work for Project Flamingo. It involves surgeons performing additional breast cancer operations every second month on Saturdays, thereby shortening waiting times at Tygerberg and Groote Schuur Hospitals. I want to make a difference where I can," she explains.

WORK ETHIC

She feels she has led a blessed life, with her parents paying for her studies. “I want to give back."

Her dad, Fred, died in 2000 and mom Evelyn was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. Her mother's diagnosis hit her hard. She had just qualified as a surgeon and soon realised it was completely different to be a surgeon for others than to treat your own mother. Evelyn turned 80 on 15 August last year and it was a joyous occasion.

Baatjes had dreamed of becoming a physiotherapist when she was at high school in Kraaifontein. “I liked the link with sport and to work with one's hands. Just like in surgery." But she has no qualms about her career choice.

“There are so many branches in breast cancer treatment. You have to look at factors like inheritance and operation techniques, but also metabolism, that is linked to genetic factors," she explains.

She was awarded her doctorate at the end of 2018. Her thesis examined bone health in post-menopausal women who had been treated with a specific anti-oestrogen medication.

She still finds the world of anatomy fairly new and exciting. “It offers growth and development, because I can still learn so much."

She admits finding it difficult to keep all the balls in the air. “Sometimes I feel as if the demands are increasing all the time. But I also often work during my free time and I don't procrastinate. I try to be organised and, for instance, prepare my lunches for the rest of the week on Sundays."

Self-care is important and is the way she handles stress. She makes time for relaxation whenever possible. “Then I cook and spend time with friends and family and we play board games." She jogs to handle her worries and reload her body and soul with happiness hormones (endorphins). And those hands that wield the scalpel so securely, can even prepare home-made jam and chutney. It is a hobby she recently mastered.

She reckons she inherited her work ethic from both parents. Karin is the youngest of five siblings. “My father was a school principal and my mother a teacher. I strive to honour their legacy through service to my fellow man.

I admire people who work effectively under stress and continue to overcome challenges."

She has always worked hard. Relaxing was a luxury. “I had no choice but to focus." In 2000 she was the only female clinical surgical assistant. In her world gender doesn't count, only efficiency. Therefore, she didn't experience overt gender discrimination, says Baatjes.

A HEART FOR OTHERS

Baatjes reckons one of the most significant tendencies being predicted in the treatment of breast cancer is “a programme being designed to fit a specific patient's cancer – personal medication or individual care".

She is fulfilled when she can help other people – either as a doctor, or with training, research or charity work. “During my life course people have helped me continuously.

To play my part is like being of service as a deacon in the church."

But she believes everybody can do charity work. “Even if it is only to point out to others that some people need help. You can always donate your time." 

She doesn't want to be praised. A simple “thank you" is enough.

“To see a patient's face light up after a successful operation – that is my biggest motivation."

Photo credit: Damien Schumann

​In yet another “feather to her bow", Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Executive Head of the Department of Psychiatry in the FMHS, Professor Soraya Seedat, has been appointed as a 2020 Women Global Chair by the University of Bath in the United Kingdom.

Seedat was appointed along with another world-leading academic and renowned scholar on gender-based violence, Professor Jacqui True from Australia's Monash University.

Seedat, who is recognized as an expert on global mental health, has more than 20 years of clinical, epidemiological and basic neuroscience research experience as a psychiatrist under her belt. Her research interests range from gender-based violence to post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, HIV/neuroAIDS, as well as early life adversity and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Her work has taken her to into the heart of some of South Africa's most vulnerable communities and she has collaborated to build research capacity among early-career researchers in countries on the African continent, in South-East Asia and Latin America.

Seedat, who qualified as a medical doctor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal before completing her specialist training in psychiatry at Stellenbosch University, was, in 2017, awarded the prestigious Chancellor's Award for Research at Stellenbosch University for her two decades of eminent research.

The winner of the 2013 Mail & Guardian Women in Science award has received many accolades and awards and has written more than 350 journal articles and book chapters, and has had her work cited in scientific literature around the globe.

In their announcement, on the Global Chairs of Seedat and True, the University of Bath said the appointments of the two visiting professors will “lend further support to Bath's core partnerships in Australia and South Africa and will strengthen our university's global research networks in the fields of mental health and gender".

“The Women Global Chair Scheme highlights women in academia through the funding of international visiting professorships. The two visiting professors will be able to use the Global Chair platform to enrich the celebration of women academics across all disciplines at the University of Bath."

Commenting on Seedat's appointment, Professor Sarah Halligan said: “I'm absolutely thrilled we will be welcoming Professor Soraya Seedat as a Global Chair. Soraya is an international leader in child and adolescent mental health, with expertise ranging from psychiatric genomics to intervention-based research. Her appointment will be a major opportunity to consolidate our existing links and to develop a wider range of collaborations in the global mental health field. I'm very much looking forward to hosting her in Bath."

Seedat said: “I am really honoured to be chosen as a Women Global Chair. The visiting appointment at the University of Bath will be for the period 1 September 2019 - 31 August 2020 and I will undertake two visits over this time.

“This appointment as Global Chair will allow me to further develop my relationship with Prof Sarah Halligan and her team. We have overlapping research interests in the longitudinal trajectories of youth from high adversity environments and in identifying early psychobiological signatures of persistent PTSD that may be targets for early intervention. I am very excited about engaging with other staff and students and generating new research projects and collaborations at a university level and across the G4 alliance (the GW4 Alliance is a network of four of the most research-intensive and innovative universities in the UK: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter)".

Photo credit: Stefan Els

​In yet another “feather to her bow", Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Executive Head of the Department of Psychiatry in the FMHS, Professor Soraya Seedat, has been appointed as a 2020 Women Global Chair by the University of Bath in the United Kingdom.

Seedat was appointed along with another world-leading academic and renowned scholar on gender-based violence, Professor Jacqui True from Australia's Monash University.

Seedat, who is recognized as an expert on global mental health, has more than 20 years of clinical, epidemiological and basic neuroscience research experience as a psychiatrist under her belt. Her research interests range from gender-based violence to post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, HIV/neuroAIDS, as well as early life adversity and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Her work has taken her to into the heart of some of South Africa's most vulnerable communities and she has collaborated to build research capacity among early-career researchers in countries on the African continent, in South-East Asia and Latin America.

Seedat, who qualified as a medical doctor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal before completing her specialist training in psychiatry at Stellenbosch University, was, in 2017, awarded the prestigious Chancellor's Award for Research at Stellenbosch University for her two decades of eminent research.

The winner of the 2013 Mail & Guardian Women in Science award has received many accolades and awards and has written more than 350 journal articles and book chapters, and has had her work cited in scientific literature around the globe.

In their announcement, on the Global Chairs of Seedat and True, the University of Bath said the appointments of the two visiting professors will “lend further support to Bath's core partnerships in Australia and South Africa and will strengthen our university's global research networks in the fields of mental health and gender".

“The Women Global Chair Scheme highlights women in academia through the funding of international visiting professorships. The two visiting professors will be able to use the Global Chair platform to enrich the celebration of women academics across all disciplines at the University of Bath."

Commenting on Seedat's appointment, Professor Sarah Halligan said: “I'm absolutely thrilled we will be welcoming Professor Soraya Seedat as a Global Chair. Soraya is an international leader in child and adolescent mental health, with expertise ranging from psychiatric genomics to intervention-based research. Her appointment will be a major opportunity to consolidate our existing links and to develop a wider range of collaborations in the global mental health field. I'm very much looking forward to hosting her in Bath."

Seedat said: “I am really honoured to be chosen as a Women Global Chair. The visiting appointment at the University of Bath will be for the period 1 September 2019 - 31 August 2020 and I will undertake two visits over this time.

“This appointment as Global Chair will allow me to further develop my relationship with Prof Sarah Halligan and her team. We have overlapping research interests in the longitudinal trajectories of youth from high adversity environments and in identifying early psychobiological signatures of persistent PTSD that may be targets for early intervention. I am very excited about engaging with other staff and students and generating new research projects and collaborations at a university level and across the G4 alliance (the GW4 Alliance is a network of four of the most research-intensive and innovative universities in the UK: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter)".

Photo credit: Stefan Els

​​Over the following month Information Technology will be conducting maintenance on servers and systems over weekends and some downtime can be expected. 

Weekend of 31 August: Critical maintenance will be taking place on Saturday, 31 August, from 07:00 to Sunday, 1 September, 13:00.

During this period a large number of functions and applications will temporarily be unavailable. This includes, among others, Financial Services; Student Administration Services; meal bookings; schedules; password change; ePayments and eApplications.

Weekend of 6 September: Quarterly, scheduled maintenance will be taking place from Friday, 6 September 22:00 until Monday, 9 September at 08:00. A wide range of systems and services will at times not be available during this period.

Due to the extent of this maintenance and the necessity for thorough testing of systems and services the possibility exists for continued interruptions into the new week.

Please rest assured that we will try our best to limit interruptions to a minimum. For inquiries please contact the IT Service Desk at 021 808 4367 or log a request on the ICT Partner Portal.

​“A woman's work is never done. To fulfil the enormous potential of Africa, women are central as change-makers." These are the words of Prof Sarah Howie, Director of the Africa Centre for Scholarship (ACS) at Stellenbosch University International. Prof Howie is one of multiple women at Stellenbosch University making a difference on the African continent through various programmes they are involved in.

As head of the ACS, Prof Howie helps implement programmes focusing on enhancing scholarship in Africa. In this role, she seeks to contribute to SU's strategic objective of networked and collaborative teaching and learning promoting the Joint Schools in Africa programme. Prof Sarah says the programme, which focuses on “developing and enhancing the scholarship of emerging scholars as well as those supervising them", has been conducted in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and will expand to Rwanda and Nigeria later this year. She also highlights the work of the African Doctoral Academy, a flagship programme of the ACS, which celebrates 10 years of existence this year and has attracted more than 4 000 participants from all over Africa attending its Winter and Summer Doctoral Schools.

Prof Howie who has travelled the length and breadth of Africa, most recently visited Ethiopia for a joint doctoral school with Mekelle University. She says knowing that there is so much work to be done and that time is precious and limited is a huge driver being a change agent of the continent.

“The more I travel in Africa, the more fascinated I become with its possibilities and the more I admire the resilience and innovation of the people in Africa. As a continent, it is diverse, vibrant, dynamic and has untapped potential."

Drawing on the contribution of Howie and colleagues in the ACS, Norma Derby, Coordinator: Africa Mobility at SU International, also believes in the important message that Africa is capable of developing itself, creating a better future for its people and being a fully-fledged role-player on the international stage. As a team member of the Centre for Collaboration in Africa, she coordinates donor-funded projects awarding scholarships to African nationals to undertake masters and doctoral studies at SU and other universities on the continent.

“I am fortunate to see Africa emerging, Africans educating themselves, providing solutions to our own problems."

Pleased to be part of a team of women who are developing academic scholarship and offering opportunities to students at SU, Norma says women are shaping the course of history.

“I am proud to be living in an era where I am surrounded by female role models. We are standing on the shoulders of our mothers, aunts, grandmothers and so many other women who sacrificed so that we can rise. Let's make them proud and let us become the inspiration for the next generation."

Promoting African initiatives at SU International. Back row, left to right: Corina du Toit, Programme Manager of the African Doctoral Academy and Norma Derby, Coordinator: Africa Mobility at SU International. Front row: Michelle Masango, Administrative Officer: Intra Africa Mobility and Prof Sarah Howie, Director: Africa Centre for Scholarship.

​​​​

Should you wish to undertake invigilation duties during the SU examinations from Tuesday 20 November 2019 to Saturday 07 December 2019, you now have the opportunity to apply till Thursday 12 September 2019.

Minimum qualification is Matric. Undergraduate students unfortunately do not qualify. Lecturing staff should obtain permission from their Deans but are not required to apply for leave.

Remuneration is R76,00 per hour, plus an additional half hour per examination session for invigilators, and an additional two hours per examination session for conveners. Remuneration for all invigilation until 20 November 2019 will be paid on 18 December 2019 and for the period thereafter at the end of January 2020.

Application forms are available as from Monday, 02 September 2019 at the Information Desk, Admin A. Closing date for applications is Thursday 12 September 2019 at 16:00. Submission of an application form does not guarantee appointment.

Contact Examinations Office at 021 8089111 for further enquiries.

​From 27 – 30 July a team of academics and postgraduate students visited the Faculty of Education to participate in discussions around postgraduate studies and the training of teachers.  On 27 July the whole team attended the Faculty's Postgraduate Saturdays and Prof Ted Hamann read a paper on how a little data can sometimes do big things.  On Tuesday 30 July the group split up to attend two local schools, while others toured the campus.  The aim of the visit was to investigate the possibility of further exchanges and collaboration.

The Nebraskans investigating the Neelsie!  From left to right: Prof Ted Hamann, Laura Hall, Samantha Thomas and Lindsey Culver-Johnson.

Samples from more than 3000 litres of sea water, 30 kilograms of frozen ice cores, frazil ice, snow and atmospheric dust. This is the precious cargo that a team of postgraduate students in Earth Sciences brought back after their recent winter cruise to Antartica on board the research vessel SA Agulhas II. 

This was the second time that members of the environmental geochemistry research group, under the leadership of Prof Alakendra Roychoudhury and Dr Susanne Fietz, had the opportunity to collect samples during winter time. In the winter of 2017 they sailed along the so-called Indian sector (along 30°East), and this year they covered the Atlantic section (along the prime meridian, 0°East).

They hope to shed new light on what may happen to the chemistry of the ocean under warmer conditions in a future climate: “Marginal ice forms around the Antarctic each winter and thaws in spring and summer. This freezing-thawing process changes the distribution of micronutrients such as iron, zinc and other bioactive metals present in the ocean waters. We want to understand this change – how and where does it happen and where in the ice the micronutrients end up," Prof Roychoudhury explains.

Within the ice, as well as once released into the water, the available nutrients in ocean waters affect the growth and prevalence of different types of phytoplankton, as well as the types of phytoplankton. This has consequences for the global carbon budget, as well as the sustenance of krill and higher trophic levels in the region.

The team also collected dust samples over the open ocean to investigate the impact of dust as an external source of micronutrients. Dust deposition in the area is typically stronger in winter, but very little is known about how it affects the winter phytoplankton community.

To date, most sampling has been done during summer times.

Sampling in sub-zero temperatures

PhD-student Jean Loock says they sometimes faced temperatures of minus 20°C, and once the freezing cold wreaked havoc on the instruments' sensors: “The water inside the salinometer pumps would freeze in under a minute, just before we were planning to deploy it."

Because of the harsh weather conditions, a lot of time was spent in discussion with the chief scientist on board the ship, Prof Marcello Vichi from the University of Cape Town, Captain Bengu Knowlegde and ship-based marine forecasters from the South African Weather Service, to assess the viability of planned deployments, as well as trying to ensure that their arrival at designated locations coincided with the optimal weather windows.

“Sometimes this meant the difference between a five meter swell permitting stationary scientific operations, or a ten meter swell battering the ship and forcing us to postpone," Jeans says.

Deployments were especially risky in sea-ice: “Large ice floes continually bumped along the stationary ship as they moved about in the wind or currents. In one instance, the ice floes risk severing the winch cable attached to our sampling equipment. The captain, crew and our operations room personnel had to carefully position the ship and continually monitor the conditions to prevent this, sometimes deploying the powerful bow and stern thrusters of the ship to push away floating ice," he explains.

Back in the lab

Back in Stellenbosch, the precious samples are now safely stored in containers and a deep chest freezer, awaiting analysis by the team of five PhD and four MSc students, as well as three postdoctoral fellows.

Thousands of these sample bottles were carefully labeled ahead of the cruise. Dr Fietz explains: “We had to agree beforehand on abbreviations for each purpose. For example, TM stands for trace metals, and WC19 for Winter Cruise 2019, as we have similar bottles from previous years and seasons and they are not be confused! This is followed by GT, which stands for 'sample from GoFlo bottle', and then IE, which is the sampling station's name. Then follows our own designations. GFO1, for example, refers to the first triggered GoFlo sample, and diss-Al for dissolved aluminum, as this sample will be analysed by MSc student Tara de Jongh for dissolved aluminum."

So, in summary, a label reading “WC19-GTIE GFO1-diss-Al" refers to expedition, sampling device, coordinates, sample depth and purpose.

But while the samples are patiently waiting in storage, a few of the students have already left the continent again to attend and present their research at the Goldschmidt Conference in Spain, and next month Dr Fietz and PhD student Johan Viljoen are leaving for Spain to attend the International Geotraces Summer School, with Dr Fietz presenting a few lectures on the biogeochemical cycles of trace metals.​​

​Irrespective of income, class, race, social status and age, many South African women today still do not know their rights when it comes to matters such as marriage, employment, housing, and finances. Furthermore, women face unique challenges in accessing the law and by implication, justice is often unattainable to them. To address this, Ms Monja Posthumus-Meyjes and a dynamique team of legal experts at the Stellenbosch University Law Clinic started the Women's Legal Empowerment Toolbox project to educate women about the law.

To showcase this project as part of Women's Month, Posthumus-Meyjes tells us more about how this project benefits women in their service area.

​Tell us more about the Women's Toolbox

The Women's Toolbox was born from the idea of trying to provide women with knowledge to empower themselves regarding their rights. We have had a few one on one sessions with women seeking advice on various matters. We, therefore, started a pilot workshop and called it a Women's Legal Empowerment Toolbox. This project has been nominated and shortlisted as a finalist in the category “Empowerment of Women in the Community" at the 2019 Gender Mainstreaming Awards. The winners of the award will be announced in September.

Why was this project started?

By just looking at our client base within the areas we service, we found that there was an immense need to educate women regarding the law, the justice system and their rights in general. Still in its pilot phase, we have started presenting workshops and awareness sessions to women in and around Stellenbosch and we hope to take it wider to reach even more women.

What is the biggest need among women who attend these sessions?

We found that there is a need among women for a better understanding of the law and their rights as women. Needs differ from person to person. Whereas one woman would like a better understanding of her rights as an employee, another might have problems understanding what her rights are against an abusive partner and another might be struggling with housing security. We also found that a lot of women needed a better understanding of the law and customary marriages. Through these workshops, we aim to provide as much information as possible on various aspects for them to empower themselves.​

South Africa's SA Agulhas II polar supply and research vessel has returned from its annual winter cruise to the Southern Ocean (SCALE). Four engineering students from Stellenbosch University were on board, along with a group of SU earth sciences students and researchers from other institutions. The engineering students investigate the vessel itself, and how those on board experienced its passage through the icy seas.

Armand van Zuydam of East London, Nicole Taylor of Stellenbosch, Martinique Engelbrecht of Concordia in the Northern Cape and Jesslyn Bossau of Windhoek in Namibia are working towards masters degrees in mechanical or mechatronic engineering. They are part of the Sound and Vibration Research Group of the SU Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering,

The three weeks on board the SA Agulhas II afforded them the opportunity to experience the ice landscape of the Antarctic region, to learn from researchers of different nationalities on board, and to experience the professionalism and service of the SA Agulhas II crew.

Martinique Engelbrecht, a member of the Maties Women's Cricket Team, made do with snowballs to fulfill her dream of playing cricket in the Southern Ocean. Nicole Taylor often thought about her grandfather, Constant McLachlan, who regularly travelled to the polar region to do construction work on South Africa's bases in Antarctica and its research islands.

“I wondered if he perhaps also felt the same excitement when he saw the ice for the first time, or saw his first swimming penguin," Taylor says.

“The power of the waves made me feel quite small," says Jesslyn Bossau, who was wowed by the different moods of the ocean, the everchanging ice landscapes and the sunsets.

Importantly, their time on board afforded the four engineering students the chance to experience the to's and fro's of the SA Agulhas II firsthand – and to even get seasick in the process! They are studying how the SA Agulhas II responds to the slamming of waves as it navigates rough seas and ice towards the polar regions.

“We conducted full-scale measurements using accelerometers placed on the ship and investigated under which wave states the vessel experiences wave slamming. These incidences were rated according to the level of discomfort passengers suffered. They also filled in daily motion sickness and slamming surveys," explained Armand van Zuydam. “With an acoustic dummy dubbed Mike, we measure the sounds experienced in cabins."

The students' work is part of an ongoing monitoring project since 2012 which started when the then newly built SA Agulhas II undertook its first ice tests in the Baltic Sea. Stellenbosch University has been part of the research project since its inception and continues the work in conjunction with Aalto University in Finland. The research is funded by South Africa's National Research Foundation, and the Academy of Finland.

Prof Annie Bekker, director of the Sound and Vibration Research Group of the SU Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, says the SA Agulhas II is currently the only polar supply and research vessel travelling on the world's icy oceans being monitored in such great detail. She hopes that their research will go far to help develop systems with which to better monitor and predict how ships and their passengers respond to different conditions.

All information gathered over the past seven years is open source, and is much more comprehensive than available commercial data.

“The Department of Environmental Affairs and the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) enables our research through availing berth space and crew support which is crucial to the success of this project," adds Prof Bekker.

“The SAA II was the first vessel in her class to be built according to a set of international SOLAS rules from 2009 about the safety and comfort of passenger ships. As such her design provides valuable operational experience towards the commissioning of other polar supply and research vessels by other countries," Prof Bekker wrote in a recent article she was the lead author of in the journal Ship Technology Research. “In a world where climatic changes are probable, and where the prediction of such changes relies greatly on knowledge and understanding of the ocean, the SAA II is strategic as a world-class research platform."

Prof Bekker's team have over the past few years already measured aspects such as the pressure of the ice, and the resulting force it has on the ship's hull and propulsion system, ice-induced structural vibrations and noise, whole-body vibration comfort, ship dynamics in ice, global ice loads, underwater noise and mechanical and physical sea ice properties.

“We have been able to 'colour in a more complete picture' about the environments that really challenge the SA Agulhas II," explains Prof Bekker.

She says the vessel is masterfully designed for ice operations, has a maximally strengthened hull and is well-protected against local hull damage.

“We do however see that the propulsion system operates very close to her design limit. It will be a priority to add live monitoring to alert the ship crew about risky operations," she notes.

Her team's data show that the ship only spends about 15% of a conventional Antarctic relief voyage in ice. The majority of her time is spent in the Southern Ocean where storms and high waves swells are prevalent.

According to Bekker, it is important to investigate the impact that the vessel's ice-going design has on how well she performs in open water and waves. Current data available to the SU team shows that the ship hull bends the most when she is navigated through high seas.

“That's why the SCALE winter voyage was of such value to our team. For the passengers it was not fun to be rolled around in their beds or have their tables shift away from them, but for my students the rough weather provided ideal conditions in which to measure how the ship and the people on board respond to these conditions," remarks Bekker.

Human 'digital' twins

As part of her masters thesis, Nicole Taylor is developing a human digital twin for passengers on board a polar research vessel such as the SA Agulhas II.

A human digital twin is a virtual counterpart of a person on a ship. It captures relevant information about people's state on board, to tell whether someone is suffering severe discomfort, is susceptible to sea sickness, might be woken by waves slamming or cannot perform his or her job on board because of excessing ship motion.

“The information that a human digital twin provides can help ship captains make tactical, strategic and operational decisions to ensure the safety and productivity of their passengers and crew. For instance, a captain learning that passengers are unpleasantly uncomfortable could change the orientation of the ship relative to incoming waves," explains Taylor.

Wave slamming

The experience allowed Namibian Jesslyn Bossau to experience wave slamming first hand – a phenomenon that she has been researching for the past year. Bossau took measurements to determine how the ship accelerates, when it is hit by waves and how these impacts propagate through the vessel structure.

“My project aims to identify, classify and rate slamming events using signal processing techniques to extract the wave slamming events from the acceleration data that is recorded," she explained.

Scaled model of ship

Armand van Zuydam is building a scaled model of the ship. Once completed, it will be tested in a special water-filled towing tank available in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering at Stellenbosch University where wave motion can be artificially generated. The scale model and specific computational software will be used to simulate how the ship reacts in the water when travelling through different sized waves at varying speed.

“Wave slamming occurs when a vessel's bow or stern emerges from a wave and re-enters the water with a heavy impact. It greatly influences the comfort of passengers and crew members aboard a ship," explains van Zuydam, who packing his trusty coffee maker to ensure some human comforts of his own while away from home.

Maths models

The experience was worlds apart from Concordia near Springbok in the Northern Cape where Martinique Engelbrecht grew up. She is developing mathematical models to predict how comfortable people are on board a ship, and how different sized waves and weather conditions influence their ability to continue with their work and other activities.

“Such models can be used along with detection and prediction algorithms to develop a ship-human interaction digital twin and to gain insights into how people perceive vibrations on board," says Engelbrecht, who believes that the research is helping South Africa to stake a claim in the international marine industry.

For media enquiries only

Prof Annie Bekker
Director: Sound and Vibration Research Group
Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering
Stellenbosch University
082 8782698
annieb@sun.ac.za

​Faculty of Education lecturer Dr Zelda Barends has implemented a Social Impact project aimed at improving Foundation Phase teaching and learning for both the student teacher and learner.

The “I Can Read – Read to Serve, Serve to Read" project was implemented in February this year, and is another example of how Stellenbosch University (SU) is an engaged teaching and learning hub that supports its students in developing the graduate attributes as set by the University.

According to Barends, the project started as a means to bridge the gap between the world of theory and practice for the student teacher. Through the programme, student teachers provide Home Language support activities focusing on phonics and word building (two of the core components for reading skill development) to learners in certain aftercare facilities in the Greater Stellenbosch community.

Currently 75 Bachelor of Education degree students are participating in the project. Activities include helping learners write a story which would later be published in a workbook for the relevant grade. The programme also adds to the development of the student teachers by preparing them to work with learners from various contexts.

“As a black woman, I had the privilege of going to schools my parents were unable to attend. At those schools, the teachers did not quite understand the issues each learner faced and what their barriers to learning were. Teachers often have a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching," she says.

“Teachers need to be aware of their bias and by engaging with learners early in their teaching careers they learn and consider each learner's context," adds Barends.

Barends says she wants SU's Faculty of Education to deliver teachers who understand and respect their learners, and who are equipped to deal with differences in the classroom.

Barends, who is also the coordinator of the Foundation Phase Bachelor of Education programme, says the project has had a positive impact on both the learners and SU students involved in the project.

 “There has been growth in the learners; they write longer descriptive sentences now. In addition to this, even my students know now not to be quick to correct the learners. The students have learnt that just because a learner uses a language differently, it does not mean they are wrong. The students had their 'aha' moments in the classrooms," she says.

“I was pleased to witness the engaged teaching and learning that happened during the sessions. The literature speaks of culturally responsive teachers who are skilled at teaching in cross-cultural/ multicultural settings; that is exactly what we want our students to become," says Barends.

Addressing gender inequality and decolonisation is a key part of the work that Dr Azille Coetzee, a postdoctoral fellow at the SARChI Chair in Gender Politics in the Department of Political Science, has been doing for the last few years.

As part of SU's Women's Month Campaign, Coetzee tells us how she uses her research to break gender hierarchies and help heal society.

Can you tell us more about your research?

In my research, I explore the role and place of gender in the logic of colonialism and I investigate the potential of (African) feminist thought to act as a decolonising force. We understand the role of race in the project of colonisation and decolonisation quite well by now, but we are only just starting to understand where gender comes in. It is becoming increasingly clear from postcolonial and decolonial feminist scholarship that race and gender are mutually constitutive categories, and that colonisation is an inherently patriarchal project. If we take this seriously, then gender liberation becomes key to the project of decolonisation. In my work, I look for the ways in which feminist thought helps to identify and dismantle colonial structures and hierarchies in South African society. In the process, I also bring African and Western feminist thought in dialogue and continuously try to identify the erasures committed by mainstream Western feminist thought.

Why or how did you become interested in this specific area of research?

Feminist philosophy provides powerful tools through which to critique Western thought. By the time I reached my doctoral studies, I was ready to start applying this critical framework to the enduring colonial paradigm that still structures social and political life in South Africa in very concrete ways. At the time I was living in the Netherlands, which heightened my awareness of the persistent colonial hierarchies that govern global politics, at the dire expense of societies like our own.

Why do you think this is such an important area of research for South African women?

In South Africa, we tend to think in terms of a hierarchy of struggles. Mainstream political discourse tells us in many implicit and explicit ways that we first have to tackle and solve the problem of race in this country before we can get to problems like gender inequality and sexual violence. In my research, I try to show from many different angles how the enduring problem of racial inequality in South Africa is deeply connected to the pernicious gender hierarchies that shape our society. My research is therefore important to South African women to the extent that I try to show how our feminist struggles are central rather than peripheral to the project of decolonisation and the healing of our society.

What would you consider the greatest impact of your research on women in the country?

Because I work in philosophy, my contribution is on theoretical and symbolic levels. I try to contribute to a deeper understanding of how power and oppression function.

Do you have any message for the next generation of women researchers?

I think it is important that we are bold and creative in our approaches, that we take care to not merely repeat and reinstate old patriarchal (colonial) ways of thinking and doing, but to use our research as a way of bringing about something new and different. 

Livestock research on the nutrition of sheep will henceforth be done more easily, faster and more precisely at Stellenbosch University (SU). This is thanks to the installation of an advanced autofeeder system at the Welgevallen Experimental Farm, a facility managed by the SU Faculty of AgriSciences. The system was donated by the agricultural company BKB to the SU Department of Animal Sciences.

It allows researchers to track exactly how much feed each sheep in a herd consumes per day, and what each animal's subsequent feed conversion is during a trial. It helps livestock researchers to do better efficacy studies, and to accurately calculate the effects of different diets on an animal.

The software and technology behind the autofeeder were jointly developed by firms in South Africa and Germany and then acquired by BKB.

Up to 100 sheep can currently be handled in the demonstration unit. The donation to the value of a quarter of a million rand also includes a mobile autosorter, with which a herd can be weighed and sorted more easily and efficiently.

​First in South Africa

"Such technology has not yet been used elsewhere in South Africa, on an experimental or commercial basis. Being able to put it to use provides special opportunities to researchers in the SU Department of Animal Sciences," acknowledges Dr Brink van Zyl, chair of the SU Department of Animal Sciences. "We will mainly be using it in trials that look at the intensive feeding of sheep."

The equipment consists of a plastic feeding system with a funnel on top. It stands on a very finely calibrated scale. If animals want to eat from it, they have to push their heads through an opening in the container, around which an electronic reader system is installed. This system automatically "recognizes" the individual yellow tags attached to each animal's ear.

The system calculates how much each sheep eats per session, based on changes in the weight of the feed falling into the container. The system records how much, for how long and how often each sheep feeds, and how much it has in one go. After each feeding session, the information is automatically sent to an overhead computer system. The specially developed software program then processes the data into a daily report which can be further analyzed by the researcher involved.

According to Dr van Zyl, it used to be quite time-consuming for the University's researchers to manually collect information about the feeding patterns of individual sheep for their experiments. They had to manually weigh the amount of feed every day left over after each animal had fed. Animals also had to be kept in separate camps, because it was the only way to determine how much each sheep in an experiment consumed.

"The new equipment not only automates our research but also promotes the well-being of the animals in our experiments. It allows us to keep them in a larger, more natural herd," Dr van Zyl reckons.

He says the hardware and software attached to the system can also be used to improve the traceability of sheep. It would be possible to adapt it to accommodate other types of livestock.

According to Schalk de Villiers, for BKB, the company is pleased to invest in technology that adds value to education, research, their customers and the livestock industry as a whole.

“The unit will enable research in several areas. This will be of great value to all role players in the industry and will help ensure more profitable production in an increasingly challenging environment," he says.

Three master's students in Animal Sciences at SU will, in consultation with the industry, be the first to use the equipment when conducting feedlot studies on lambs. One student is to investigate the manipulation of fat deposition in lambs based on options of different nutritional value. Seven different diets will be tested to determine the impact these have on how fat is deposited in Kalahari Dorper sheep and Karoo Dorper sheep. A second student will evaluate whether savings in Vitamin A and Vitamin E supplements can be incurred if bioflavonoids are added to the diets of feedlot lambs. A third student will investigate alternative dietary protein sources for such lambs.

According to Dr van Zyl, a high performance sheep testing facility is currently being considered. Several industry partners have already expressed their interest in conducting studies with the Department of Animal Sciences in the new facility.

• Main photo: Dr Brink van Zyl of the Department of Animal Sciences at Stellenbosch University, in the facilities at the Welgevallen Experimental Farm where the new autofeeder technology is to be put through its paces. Photographer: Engela Duvenage

• ​Photo 1: The autofeeder system automatically "recognizes" each sheep taking part in studies by the individual yellow tags attached to the animal's ear. Photographer: Engela Duvenage

​For media enquiries only.

Dr Brink van Zyl

Chair: Department of Animal Sciences

Stellenbosch University

brinkvz@sun.ac.za 

021 808 4746

For BKB

Mr Schalk de Villiers

schalk@rfid-experts.co.za

083 255 5110

​​​​​​​​​Faculty of Education lecturer Dr Zelda Barends has implemented a Social Impact project aimed at improving Foundation Phase teaching and learning for both the student teacher and learner.

The “I Can Read – Read to Serve, Serve to Read" project was implemented in February this year, and is another example of how Stellenbosch University (SU) is an engaged teaching and learning hub that supports its students in developing the graduate attributes as set by the University.

According to Barends, the project started as a means to bridge the gap between the world of theory and practice for the student teacher. Through the programme, student teachers provide Home Language support activities focusing on phonics and word building (two of the core components for reading skill development) to learners in certain aftercare facilities in the Greater Stellenbosch community.

Currently 75 Bachelor of Education degree students are participating in the project. Activities include helping learners write a story which would later be published in a workbook for the relevant grade. The programme also adds to the development of the student teachers by preparing them to work with learners from various contexts.

“As a black woman, I had the privilege of going to schools my parents were unable to attend. At those schools, the teachers did not quite understand the issues each learner faced and what their barriers to learning were. Teachers often have a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching," she says.

“Teachers need to be aware of their bias and by engaging with learners early in their teaching careers they learn and consider each learner's context," adds Barends.

Barends says she wants SU's Faculty of Education to deliver teachers who understand and respect their learners, and who are equipped to deal with differences in the classroom.

Barends, who is also the coordinator of the Foundation Phase Bachelor of Education programme, says the project has had a positive impact on both the learners and SU students involved in the project.

 “There has been growth in the learners; they write longer descriptive sentences now. In addition to this, even my students know now not to be quick to correct the learners. The students have learnt that just because a learner uses a language differently, it does not mean they are wrong. The students had their 'aha' moments in the classrooms," she says.

“I was pleased to witness the engaged teaching and learning that happened during the sessions. The literature speaks of culturally responsive teachers who are skilled at teaching in cross-cultural/ multicultural settings; that is exactly what we want our students to become," says Barends.

​​From the launch of the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking to the implementation of a new finance system, staff members were given an overview of the latest developments at Stellenbosch University (SU) during the recent Staff Assembly.

Speaking at the gathering, which was held on Tuesday, 27 August 2019, Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, provided insight into the SU's new School for Data Science and Computational Thinking, which was launched earlier this year. De Villiers said the School is unique because it is not restricted to a single academic discipline only, but operates across all ten faculties with interdisciplinary collaboration. 

​​​“The world is changing fast – especially in relation to the gathering, sharing and exploitation of data – and the new School is SU's stake in the unfolding future," he said.

“We have to prepare our students for the new world of work where the discovery of useful knowledge from data will be integral to what they do … We want to produce graduates who lead and excel in a diverse world. We want them to become engaged 21^st-century citizens, agents of change who make a positive societal impact wherever they go."

De Villiers also announced that at a recent meeting, the Rectorate had decided that SU will migrate from its current fragmented “house of brands and logos" to a unified monolithic brand architecture. “There is only one Stellenbosch University, so, there can only be one Stellenbosch University brand."

He said there were currently 170 brand logos being used to represent the different SU environments. “We operate in a highly competitive environment, simultaneously dealing with national and global challenges. How successfully we manage our brand, plays a decisive role in attracting the best staff and students. We need to have a congruent and consistent narrative."

Other announcements included that SU was considering adopting the “Global Code of Conduct for Research in Resource-poor Settings" as one of the measures to ensure that there isn't a repeat of the pain and anger caused by a controversial article on race and cognition by SU researchers that was published in an international journal earlier this year.

“We don't want anything like this to happen ever again; if there are shortcomings in our processes, we need to fix it," De Villiers told the staff members in attendance as well as those who watched online via live streaming.

But, said De Villiers, it was important to note that this single piece of research in no way reflected the quality, ethics and values of Stellenbosch University's stellar research programme.

“The Research Committee recommended that we adopt the global code of conduct in settings with poor resources, this matter is receiving attention along with other suggestions … we hold ourselves accountable to our highest values which are integrity, social justice and excellence in everything that we do," he said.

An overview of various institutional processes was also delivered by members of the Rectorate.

Prof Hester Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy and Internationalisation updated staff on the processes linked to the implementation of the University's Vision 2040 and Strategic Framework 2019–2024, and highlighted the various priorities for the six core strategic themes. Some of the critical priorities include the following:

• Financial sustainability and renewal (Faculties PASS and Education)
• Equitable access with student success in SU's taught programmes
• Optimisation of stakeholder relations, and the SU Internationalisation Strategy,
• ICT support for residential and hybrid learning students
• Increased international research contracts and funding
• Staff and student health and wellbeing
• Increase effectivity, efficiency and agility of HR processes and practices
  

​Less privileged schools in the Stellenbosch area recently were on the receiving end of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences' (EMS) generosity when they were awarded donations consisting of sanitary pads, toiletries and stationery.

The schools – Ikaya Primary School in Kayamandi, Weber Gedenk Primary School in Jamestown, Bruckner De Villiers Primary School in Idas Valley, Youth Outreach Stellenbosch, and Dorothea Special School in Cloetesville – received the donations as part of the faculty's contribution to Mandela Day and Month.

The initiative, which started at the end of June and concluded in early August, involved the collection of sanitary pads, toiletries and stationery from EMS staff, students and the wider university community.

This call to action is in line with the Mandela Day goals of providing quality education for all children, reducing hunger, providing safe shelter for families and sanitation in every school and community, and dedicating more resources to supporting poverty eradication.

The initiative was spearheaded on behalf of the Faculty by Prof Pregala Solosh Pillay, Vice-Dean: Social Impact and Transformation. The other team members included Reginald Kgwedi and Kurt Marais, both lecturers at the Department of Logistics; Jennifer Saunders, School of Public Leadership; Ursula Wanza, Department of Economics; and Mokgesang Ramaisa, member of the faculty's student committee responsible for social impact. Mrs Lesinda Daniels of the Dean's Office also contributed to the successful implementation of the project.

Said Pillay, “We understand the vision and significance of Mandela Day, and EMS strives to emulate this ethos by providing our support to uplift under-resourced communities. This is our first social impact initiative and we are hopeful to build it into a sustainable project. We are committed to making a difference and bringing positive changes to those in need."

In the spirit of selfless service, Pillay thanked everyone for their contributions and goodwill.

Ikaya Primary School's principal Mr Thulani Nofemele expressed his appreciation for the sanitary pads which the school received from the faculty. 

 “The faculty is helping us a lot because our learners are from the poorest communities and do not have the money to buy these sanitary pads, and sometimes have to ask teachers to help them. I hope that it is not a once-off and that the faculty will continue supplying us in the future," he said.

• ​Photo by Daniel Bugan: At the handing over of sanitary pads to staff and learners at Ikaya Primary School in Kayamandi, were (f.l.t.r.) EMS lecturer Kurt Marais; Ikaya principal Mr Thulani Nofemele; EMS Vice-Dean of Social Impact and Transformation, Prof Solosh Pillay; Ikaya science teacher Ms Tuswa Kutezwa; EMS lecturer Reginald Kgwedi; and a representative of the EMS Student Committee, Mokgeseng Ramaisa.
  
  

​Shark-deterrent technology developed by a team from Stellenbosch University is now being tested of the coast of La Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean.

The Shark Safe Barrier™ is the most advanced shark-specific deterrent technology currently available that do not injure or kill sharks and other marine animals, while keeping surfers and swimmers safe.

For mobile users click here.

The technology has been in development for the past seven years by SU's Dr Sara Andreotti and Professor Conrad Matthee, in collaboration with well-known conservationist Michael Rutzen, Dr Craig O'Connel from the USA and South African coastal engineer Laurie Barwell. The team combined two well-known aspects of shark biology, their natural dislike of dense kelp-forests and their sensitivity to magnetic fields, to come up with a barrier that will physically separate sharks and people from each other.

In practice it consists of several rows of staggered high-density polyethylene pipes that are positioned one meter apart on the sea bed in order to imitate a dense kelp forest. The ocean-facing row contains large ceramic magnets, creating a strong magnetic field to further deter the sharks from entering.

The concept has been piloted and tested in the stormy waters of Gansbaai, regarded as the mecca of great white sharks in South Africa. During the two years of trials not a single shark have entered an artificially-created kelp barrier of 169 square meters, even though tempted with fish bait and chum.

Invention to be tested outside South African waters for the first time

In 2014 the Shark Safe Barrier™ was commercialized with the help of SU's technology transfer company, Innovus.

Now its chief operating officer, Dr Andreotti was approached in 2017 by La Réunion's Shark Risk Management Centre to test their invention's effectiveness with bull sharks in the Indian Ocean.

“During January and February 2019 we installed a 100 square meter barrier of the coast of Saint-Paul. Twice a week, chum and fish bait are released in the middle of the square by Reunion researchers to lure sharks. The structure has already formed an artificial reef and has become a refuge for local fish, but so far, no sharks has approached the enclosure," she says.

The field test will be completed after the Réunion team has recorded interactions with at least 20 bull sharks.

Between 2007 and 2016, this surfers' paradise has seen seven fatal and 14 non-fatal shark incidents, with a subsequent drop in tourist bookings of 40% after each of these unfortunate events.

“In 2014 tourists totaled almost half of the population on the island. But today the authorities warn residents and tourists to stay out of the water" says Andreotti.

If successful, the installation of the Shark Safe Barrier™ along this popular coastline could mean a turn-around for the island's ailing tourism industry.

But, more importantly, it could also mean a turn-around for the oceans' threatened shark populations.

“Between 2011 and 2016, there have been 491 registered shark attacks worldwide, of which 43 proved fatal. Meanwhile, thousands of sea creatures have been killed by getting entangled in shark nets, or fished by drumlines," Andreotti says.

Crowdfunding for one more test

The team is currently working on improving the robustness of the Shark Safe Barrier™ technology by adapting the anchorage system to better secure the pipes on sandy sea beds. It then needs to be exposed to real sea condition for one more time.

For this exercise, the team plans to raise $24 000 through the crowdfunding platform Thundafund.

If this last test is successful, the Shark Safe Barrier invention is one step closer to be rolled-out to beaches all over the world, to the benefit of both humans and the oceans' marine animals, Andreotti concludes.

Media enquiries

Dr Sara Andreotti

E-mail: andreottisara@gmail.com

Cell: 27(0)72 321 9198

From 4-6 September, the South African Society for Research in Music (SASRIM) presents a Big Band Workshop and Festival at Stellenbosch University (SU), with courses in arranging, composition, conducting and performance. The workshop faculty consists of Felicia Lesch, Amanda Tiffin and Natalie Rungan.

This forms part of SASRIM's annual congress, hosted by Stellenbosch University's Music Department this year. The public are warmly invited to attend the talks, demonstrations, panel sessions and performance lectures that will take place from 4 to 7 September. More details are available on www.sasrim.ac.za.

The workshop culminates in a Big Band concert with the Stellenbosch University Jazz Band and Guests on Friday, 6 September, in the Endler Hall. The programme includes five world premieres of works written specifically for this event, by Claire Röntsch, Clara Marincowitz, Nicky Schrire, Haydon Harvey and Keith Moss. The Lady Day Big Band from Cape Town will make a guest appearance.

The audience can look forward to hearing old favorites for Big Band as well as brand new works written by young, emerging composers, performed by a dynamic group of Stellenbosch students and professional musicians. This is South African Jazz at its best – a performance not to be missed!

Tickets for R60 (regular) and R40 (students and pensioners) are available now through Computicket and at the door. For more information contact Fiona Grayer at concerts@sun.ac.za or 021 808 2358.