​

“Prof Russel Botman embodied an interfaith pedagogy of hope from the beginning to the end. He lived a life of hope in action and envisioned that this pedagogy of hope be part of Stellenbosch University."

This was the message by Prof Xolile Simon, Professor in Missiology at Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Theology, who delivered the online Russel Botman Memorial lecture on 19 October 2020.

The annual Russel Botman Memorial Lecture is hosted by the Faculty of Theology in collaboration with the Curatoria of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa and the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, as well as the Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology.

The lecture celebrates the life of the late Prof Hayman Russel Botman, former Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University (SU), and his vision for Theological Justice. The topic of this year's lecture was “Religious Diversity as Social Justice: An Interfaith Pedagogy of Hope in Times of COVID-19 pandemic."

Delivering the lecture, Simon, unpacked Botman's vision of hope, especially with regards to SU becoming a transformative and inclusive university for all. He also celebrated all the work that Botman did throughout his time at SU, specifically focusing on the role he played in creating an interfaith university.

“As much as Botman called for hope he also integrated Ubuntu in his life's work. Russel challenged Stellenbosch University to make Ubuntu real and to embrace all religions. The task now, especially during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, is that SU truly does the work and helps to make Botman's vision of hope a reality," said Simon.

In response to the lecture, Ashwin Afrikanus Thyssen, PhD candidate and tutor at SU's Department of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology, remarked that this pandemic has led to a need of Botman's intellectualism.

“By considering Botman's Pedagogy of Hope, Simon reminds us of the difficult and critical work that remains to be done to create a university that celebrates diversity in all its forms. We especially during this pandemic need a multi-cultural and generational dialogue, so that we can take his legacy and vision forward. Simon's lecture also reminds us that we are the hope and Ubuntu that Botman envisioned," said Thyssen.

At the lecture, Dr Beryl Botman, alumna of the Faculty of Education and widow of Prof Russel Botman, also announced the recipients of the Russel Botman Bursary Fund for 2020.

She called on people to donate to the fund, so that Botman's “dream of a just and equal society", where talented students with potential can have the opportunity to engage in higher education, could become a reality.

To contribute to the fund visit, https://russelbotman.com/.  ​

The JA Matthee Bursary Fund has recently been established after the late Prof Johan Matthee, former Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and longtime chair of the (then) Department of Accounting, bequeathed nearly R12 million to Stellenbosch University for postgraduate studies in economic and management sciences.

The capital income will be made available annually for postgraduate bursaries in two categories. The first category is for one or more postgraduate bursaries for studies within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, while the second is for doctoral studies at an overseas university.

Prof Matthee joined the Department of Accounting (now the School of Accountancy) in 1965, and became the youngest professor at Stellenbosch University in 1972. He made a significant contribution to the development of both the Department and the Faculty and was instrumental in formalising accountancy qualifications. He retired in 2001 after an academic career spanning 36 years at SU. He passed away on 1 July 2018.

“His generous bequest is heartwarming," Faculty Dean Prof Ingrid Woolard said. “As a respected academic, Prof Matthee shaped many young minds and now, thanks to the JA Matthee Bursary Fund, he will continue to inspire students."

Under the provisions of the will, Prof Matthee's two sons, Werner and Heinrich Matthee, will serve on the selection panel of the postgraduate bursary fund and the doctoral bursary fund respectively. Criteria for candidates include academic performance and quality of character and leadership.

“We are happy about the establishment of the bursary fund, and grateful that our father's wishes are being fulfilled," said Mr Heinrich Matthee.

Prof Matthee's fine figure, respect for others, professional conduct and the fact that he was always accessible to his staff, are just some of the characteristics invariably mentioned by former colleagues. There was also his legendary ability to add a long list of figures accurately by simply moving his finger over them.

Marie Malherbe, prof Matthee's former secretary, likes recounting the amusing moments in the Dean's Office. She said there were many because of Prof Matthee's mischievous streak.

At the time of his inauguration as Dean in 1996, he said, “I've never had a job. My work has always been my hobby – my work is exhilarating to me." Everyone who has been fortunate enough to work with him, will vouch for this.

“On behalf of the university community we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Prof Matthee. We honour his memory and look forward to implementing his wishes," Prof Woolard said.

• Photo: Prof Johan Matthee (second from left) with his former secretary, Ms Marie Malherbe, and former deans of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the Faculty's 90th anniversary celebration in 2015. F.l.t.r. are SU's COO, Prof Stan du Plessis; Prof Matthee;  Ms Malherbe; Prof Estian Calitz; and Prof Johann de Villiers.
  
  

​“I truly believe that the greatest innovation occurs when wildly disparate insights collide. My vision is to deeply focus on emerging Information and Communications Technology, and help to apply it widely to tough problems that face us as society," says Prof Gert-Jan van Rooyen, the holder of the new Research Chair in the Internet of Things (IoT).

This Chair, established in the Faculty of Engineering at Stellenbosch University, was created to encourage collaboration between research groups at the University that use connected technologies to solve prominent real-world problems.

“What I especially like about the Chair is that it encourages interdisciplinary work," says Prof van Rooyen. “The 'Internet of Things' is any way digital technology and connectivity observes, connects and affects the world around us, and it applies to many areas – from wearable medical technology to flying vehicles that support agriculture and new ways to create 3D objects. The Chair also puts emphasis on industry collaboration, and research that can have a real social or commercial impact.

“Like any research appointment, my most important responsibility is to help unlock new knowledge that can have academic, social or commercial impact. To do this, we need our best students to enrol in postgraduate research. We need collaboration across academic disciplines and industry. Therefore I am already in conversation with several industry partners.

“I will also do undergraduate teaching in Data Science, Information and Communications Technology, and related subjects. The Chair will also provide supervision for final-year projects of Electrical and Electronic, and Industrial Engineering students as well as co-supervision for students from other departments."

When asked about the Chair's research projects, and interdisciplinary research in particular, he explains: “The intent is to be involved with research activities in cross-sections between disciplines, rather than forming a new, distinct research group. Engineering and Mathematical Sciences are great at providing new technologies that could solve problems across a wide range of domains – but we are not always aware of the problems that exist. For example, a machine learning expert may not be aware that a new image classification technique could be the missing puzzle piece to detect certain types of crop disease – if we can just combine it with a self-driving robot. This mix of problems and interdisciplinary technologies lies at the heart of the Internet of Things.

“Although our research projects have not been finalised yet, there are some very exciting projects under development. In Agricultural Technology, we are looking at ways in which to use improved robotic and sensing technologies to support food security. We are working on blockchain-based IoT concepts to improve governance in community hubs like schools. Connected biomedical devices could vastly improve healthcare, especially in rural areas. We are looking for students – and final-year students are very welcome to contact me if they are interested in how emerging 'connected' technologies can impact the world around us. There are bursary opportunities available for postgraduate studies."

Prof van Rooyen's appointment also forms part of Stellenbosch University's new School of Data Science and Computational Thinking. “I am appointed 50/50 between Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Industrial Engineering – this is where I do my day-to-day work. However, the School ties together activities between many academic departments. As Research Chair in IoT, my teaching and research responsibilities fall under the activities that the School is promoting and developing.

“I am very excited about my new position. I have always been fascinated by the connections between academic disciplines, and with the connections between academia, industry, and the social spheres. The Chair presents a tremendous opportunity to help advance the impact of emerging technologies on real-world problems."

Prof Gert-Jan van Rooyen received his PhD in Electronic Engineering at Stellenbosch in 2005, where he continued to join the Faculty of Engineering's academic staff. In 2008, he co-founded the MIH Media Lab, a cross-disciplinary postgraduate research environment with a strong focus on using emerging technology to solve problems that have commercial application. In 2014 he co-founded Custos Media Technologies to commercialise one of the Media Lab's inventions, and left academia to pursue the business opportunity full-time. He was reappointed at Stellenbosch University in July 2020 in the Internet of Things Research Chair.

Photograph: Prof Gert-Jan van Rooyen, holder of the Research Chair in The Internet of Things.

​​​The Stellenbosch football club is pleased to announce that the newly renovated Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch will host its home matches for the DStv Premiership 2020/2021 PSL season.  The opening fixture behind-closed-doors takes place this Sunday 25^th October against Moroka Swallows FC.

Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS), the owners of Stellenbosch FC (SFC), and Stellenbosch University, have embarked on a strategic partnership to uplift football in the Winelands. The partnership not only sees the PSL Club utilise the University's excellent facilities as training base and match venue, but also details plans to uplift the quality of football at the University and create a holistic pathway for talented football players, support staff and administrators.  

SAS and Club CEO Rob Benadie says: “Our Club's strategic plan was fast-tracked with our elevation last year to the PSL.  Fortunately, we are based in a Town with a rich sport heritage and have the University and other key stakeholders partnering with us to assist our continued growth.  It is incredible to see how excited the Town is about the SFC brand and the prospect of building a home fortress at the iconic Danie Craven Stadium.  We hope to add to the incredible history that Maties Rugby has created and continues to create at this venue.  The Club sincerely thanks Messrs Rupert and Durand from Remgro and Prof Stan du Plessis and his Executives at the University in making this dream a reality."

Chief Operating Officer of the University, Professor Stan Du Plessis says: “It is incredibly exciting to welcome our partners, Stellenbosh FC, to the Danie Craven Stadium. Let's bring the same home ground advantage to Stellenbosch FC at Danie Craven as we have done for decades with Maties rugby. I hope that these home games will inspire especially young supporters to play at the highest level, along an aspirational path where Maties Football and Stellenbosch FC will both play a crucial role."

The long-awaited home venue brings excitement to the club who will finally be able to host its home fixtures in the town of Stellenbosch after going the entire 2019/2020 Premiership season without a designated home stadium.  Students and sport followers will now be able to enjoy quality rugby and football at the historic and beautiful dual-purpose stadium.

Club General Manager Garth Le Roux says: “Due to Covid-19 regulations unfortunately no spectators will be allowed in the Stadium on opening day. This is a huge moment for us as a club and we would have loved to have shared it with our loyal supporters and the broader Stellenbosch community, however, due to circumstances this is not possible.  We look forward to welcoming the supporters to regular PSL football in Stellenbosch in the near future."

Photo caption: 

Stellenbosch FC players pose in their new kit at Danie Craven Stadium. From left: Zitha Macheke, Marc Van Heerden, Lee Langeveldt, Robyn Johannes, Ashley Du Preez and Sibusiso Mthethwa. Photo: Courtney Williams.

We should cultivate healthier social media habits that are aligned to our better values, writes Prof Dion Forster from the Department of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology) in an article for The Conversation (21 October 2020).

• Re​ad the article below or click here for the piece as published.

​Recently a South African radio show asked, “If you had to choose between your mobile phone and your pet, which would choose?" Think about that for a moment. Many callers responded they would choose their phone. I was shocked… But to be honest, I give more attention to my phone than to my beloved dogs!

Throughout history there have been discoveries that have changed society in unimaginable ways. Written language made it possible to communicate over space and time. The printing press, say historians, helped shape societies through the mass dissemination of ideas. New modes of transport radically transformed social norms by bringing people into contact with new cultures.

Yet these pale in comparison to how the internet is shaping, and misshaping, our individual and social identities. I remember the first time I heard a teenager speaking with an American accent and discovered she'd never been out of South Africa but picked up her accent from watching YouTube. We shape our technologies, but they also shape us.

The potentially negative impacts of social media have again been highlighted by The Social Dilemma on Netflix. The documentary, which Facebook has slammed as sensational and unfair, shows how dominant and largely unregulated social media companies manipulate users by harvesting personal data, while using algorithms to push information and ads that can lead to social media addiction – and dangerous anti-social behaviour. Among others, the show makes an example of the conspiracy theory QAnon, which is increasingly targeting Africans.

Despite its flaws, the doccie got me wondering what our relationship should be to social media? As an ethics professor, I've come to realise that we must make moral choices about how we relate to our technologies. This requires an honest evaluation of our needs and weaknesses, and a clear understanding of the intentions of these platforms.

Tug-of-war with technology

Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens, contends it's our ability to inhabit “fiction" that differentiates humans. He claims you “could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven". Humans have a capacity to believe in things we cannot see – which changes things that do exist. Ideas like prejudice and hatred, for example, are powerful enough to cause wars that displace thousands.

The wall between Israel and Palestine was conceived in people's minds before being transformed into bricks and barbed wire. Philosopher Oliver Razac's book Barbed Wire: A political history traces how this razor-sharp technology has been deployed from farms that displaced indigenous peoples to the trenches of World War I and the prisons of contemporary democracies.

Technology is in a constant psychological, political and economic tug-of-war with humanity. Yet, some of today's technologies are much more subtle than barbed wire. They are deeply integrated into our lives – they know us better than we know ourselves.

I have thousands of 'friends' on social media – far too many to relate to meaningfully. Yet, at times I can be more present to people that I have never met than I am to my family. This is not by chance – social media platforms are designed to seek and hold our attention. They are businesses, intent on making money. Harvard University professor Shoshana Zuboff, who features in the documentary, explains in The Age of Surveillance Capitalism that social media “trades exclusively in human futures".

We are the product

Zuboff says that social media platforms exploit our emotions and pre-cognate needs like belonging, recognition, acceptance and pleasure that are 'hard wired' into us to secure our survival.

Recognition relates to two of the primary functions of the brain, avoiding danger and finding ways to meet our basic survival needs (such as food or a mate to perpetuate our gene pool). These corporations, she says, are hiring the smartest engineers, social psychologists, behavioural economists and artists to hold our attention, while interspersing adverts between our videos, photos and status updates. They make money by offering a future that their advertisers will sell you.

Or, as former Google and Facebook employee Justin Rosenstein, says in The Social Dilemma:

Our attention is the product being sold to advertisers.

If our adult brains are so susceptible to this kind of manipulation, what effects are they having on the developing minds of children?

The documentary also reminds the viewer that social media has a more subtle and powerful influence on our lives – shaping our social and political realities.

Fake news and hate speech

The documentary uses an example from 2017 in which Facebook use is linked to violence that led to the displacement of close to 700,000 Rohingya persons in Myanmar. Something that doesn't really exist (a social media platform) violently changed something that does exist (the safety of people). Facebook was a primary means of communication in Myanmar. New phones came with Facebook pre-installed. What users were unaware of was a 'third person' – Facebook's algorithms – feeding information that included hate speech and fake news into their conversations. In Africa, similar reports have emerged from South Sudan and Zimbabwe.

Another example used is the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which also played out in Africa, most notably in Nigeria and Kenya. Facebook user information was mined and sold to nefarious political actors. This information (like what people feared and what upset them) was used to spread misinformation and manipulate their voting decisions on important elections.

What to do about it?

So, what do we do? We can't very well give up on social media completely, and I don't think it is necessary. These technologies are already deeply intertwined with our daily lives. We cannot deny they have some value.

However, just like humans had to adapt to the responsible use of the printing press or long-distance travel, we will need to be more intentional about how we relate to these new technologies. We can begin by cultivating healthier social media habits.

We should also develop a greater awareness of the aims of these companies and how they achieve them, while understanding how our information is being used. This will allow us to make some simple commitments that align our social media usage to our better values.

​​Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused uncertainty amongst final-year students as to what they can expect in the coming year, there are a few opportunities available to them, writes Dr Leslie van Rooi, Senior Director: Social Impact and Transformation, in an opinion piece for University World News.

• ​Read the article below or click here for the piece as published.
  

Leslie van Rooi*

In all probability 2020 will be remembered as a year filled with challenges, agony, new possibilities and a sense of globality – we were after all 'stuck in this together'. At times, this year has left us uncertain and perhaps even dumbfounded. And, due to the harsh health and economic related impact of Covid-19, it is clear that things will remain uncertain for a while.

Many (if not all) sectors of society have been affected. The long-term impact cannot currently be fully understood and measured. But it is clear that there will definitely be some societal shifts. The possibility of fundamental change exists.  

It is perhaps the uncertainty, albeit relative uncertainty, that causes angst amongst many.

The uncertainty exists in a unique way amongst final-year students at our universities. For them the year, in a particular way, plays out differently. What would have been a year of rounding off and getting ready to enter a new and exciting phase now has as effect that future graduates must continuously adjust whilst at the same time holding a sense of uncertainty regarding what lies ahead. At the same time the possible long-term, negative impact on the job market, which they hope to enter in a couple of months, remains scary – more so than in previous years.

In what follows, I would like to highlight some of the challenges and possible opportunities that the graduates of 2020/2021 face.

Emergency Remote (Online) Learning

Like all other year groups, final-year students had to adjust to an online learning experience. For some it was an easy adjustment, whilst for others the challenges of studying at home, the effect of our deep-rooted societal problems, as well as the unpractical nature of doing research virtually loomed large.

Luckily some final-year students have in the meantime returned to our campuses to do, amongst others, lab and clinical work. Luckily lockdown regulations have allowed those, who would not be able to graduate whilst attempting to study remotely, to also return to our campuses.

At the golden end of the spectrum it is clear that most of our residential, public universities have been more than ready to attempt classes online. And perhaps even more important, the quality of degrees remains high – also by international standards. Time will tell how this will play out in future.

The job market(s)

Up to now the number of South African graduates who struggled to find a job within the first year of graduating has been relatively low – also compared to graduates in other parts of the world. But this picture might look very different in the next year or so. Whether the trends in job losses will continue locally and globally and to what extent they will affect graduates remains to be seen.  

In South Africa, we have been sliding deeper into the higher end of job loss figures over the last couple of years and it is projected that this trend will continue into the foreseeable future.

With most industries currently scaling down on labour force and as our formal unemployment rate increases, the job market will indeed remain under pressure.

But as the voices in Bruce Whitfield's 'The Upside of Down' (2020) point out, opportunity keeps knocking on the door amidst challenging times. And this will indeed be true for those who know how to reinvent themselves, who can take risks/afford to take risks and who seize opportunity at the right place and time. It will ask of all of our graduates to perhaps do more than what was expected of their predecessors.

Experience abroad

For many graduates globally, experiences abroad rate as one of the top post-degree 'bucket list' possibilities. In this regard, they go abroad to enter the temporary job market for work experience (3-6 months), or to grab a more full-time job opportunity e.g. completing articles. At the very least, graduates in the professional fields tend to join firms that will allow some international exposure. 

But things might look very different come December 2020 and January 2021. Borders might not be as tightly closed as is currently the case but it is almost certain that job opportunities – also for temporary job possibilities – will be fewer. This will probably limit graduates' opportunities to work abroad.

Changing political contexts and a growing sense of 'closing ranks' in some countries might cause this to be a longer-term phenomenon. Something that might hit South African graduates harder than their counterparts in other parts of the world.

At this same time, this might open more opportunities on our continent for graduates to enter into Africa's growing job market. This will, however, ask for a shift in focus.  

Further studies

Perhaps the safest bet for our soon-to-be-graduates is to continue their studies in a deliberate and focused way. There are many debates around what it means to be 'overqualified'. However, it is difficult to argue against upskilling. How you use these skills is of course something else.

Graduates must of course follow the golden rule: to choose a degree/research theme that you will enjoy. If this is not the case, in particular given the fact that postgraduate studies ask for constant self-motivation, you will struggle to successfully complete your degree.

If the opportunity of postgraduate studies presents itself during trying times, take it. The added benefit can be that graduates can partially or fully complete their studies internationally.

Financial woes

When discussing the possibility of studying further, one should also consider the financial impact of the pandemic on a personal, household and government level. As such our graduates might need to search harder and deeper to be able to afford their studies. But there might be more opportunities available than what we think.

It is, however, important to make sound financial decisions in trying times. This should not exclude taking calculated risks.   

Work experience

Getting work experience is always a good idea. It stimulates, you continue to learn and it might project you into a different (better) future career path. Opportunities might be tight with limited levels of remuneration but the benefits, specifically under the current circumstances are endless.

Sound mentorship is perhaps now more important than ever. Taking up that conversation, asking those questions and allowing yourself to be challenged, guided and informed, will remain invaluable.

In conclusion, after all is said and done, we must remember that our contexts and realities differ. And this will of course have a tangible impact on our outlook and opportunities. But what we will all have to learn is to create our own opportunities in the best way possible. This will also ask of us to seek support and to understand that failing is indeed not the end of the story.

Judging from the number of times I used the words 'might', 'perhaps', 'should', etc. it is clear that indeed we are in the midst of uncertain times. But dealing with uncertainty is better than allowing a false sense of certainty to guide our every move.

If the rules of the game change, we cannot but adjust. And this is where we are now.

• Photo: Students at Stellenbosch University. Photographer: Stefan Els

*Dr Leslie van Rooi is Senior Director: Social Impact and Transformation at Stellenbosch University. 

​​Stellenbosch University (SU) has achieved a remarkable feat in 2020 by being ranked among the best universities in the world on three different global university rankings. Confirming the outcome of other recent rankings, is the latest version of the US News & World Report Best Global Universities Ranking in which SU is ranked number 321 – occupying the third spot among leading universities in South Africa and Africa. With this achievement, it has cemented its place among the top 1% of universities in the world.

The Best Global Universities Rankings focus specifically on institutions' research performance and reputation overall. It encompasses nearly 1,500 top institutions spread across 86 countries and uses indicators such as global and regional research reputation, total citations, number of publications that are among the 10% most cited, and international collaboration.

Universities are also ranked according to Subjects and here SU performed well. It is the best in South Africa in Agricultural Sciences (#104 globally), Biology and Biochemistry (#266 globally) and Environment and Ecology (#100 globally). The University also ranked in the top 100 globally in Infectious Diseases coming in at #92. Other notable accomplishments are Arts and Humanities (#208), Clinical Medicine (#212), Immunology (#150), Plant and Animal Science (#141) and Public, Environmental and Occupational Health (#153).

Commenting on SU's most recent achievement, Prof Hester Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Strategy and Internationalisation at SU, said that the outcome of this ranking is further proof of the institution's rise in stature among universities worldwide and underscores one of its core strategic themes namely, Research for Impact. “As this ranking focuses more on research performance, it is also a fitting recognition of the calibre and stature of our researchers."

Earlier this year, SU was also ranked among the top universities on the 2020 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Rankings, and the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.

​

“Stellenbosch University has more than enough tools to give itself a massive transformation injection. The University can be a transformative and transformational 'machine' responsive to society and its needs."

This was the message from Prof André Keet, newly-appointed Vice-Rector for Social Responsiveness and Transformation at Nelson Mandela University, delivered the keynote address at Stellenbosch University's (SU) 2020 Transformation Indaba.

Keet reflected on the role that true transformation could play at higher education institutions such as SU, and said the University has the capacity to play a significant role in the call for transformation and equality throughout South Africa.

He also noted that there should be a return of the 'Transformation Barometer and – Indicators', which will help not only Stellenbosch but other higher education institutions in the country address transformation issues.

Over the last year, SU has seen a number of important changes and processes in the effort to transform itself into a home where all are valued, safe and loved.

At the 2020 Transformation Indaba, SU staff and students considered these changes and processes and had a moment to reflect on its impact, how close (or far) the University is from creating a dream home of transformation, and what the immediate next steps will be in getting there. Launched in 2017, the Transformation Indabas aim to address the many challenges, issues and opportunities for change at higher education institutions.

This year's Indaba, which is an annual event, was held online and facilitated by Dr Claire Kelly, Acting Head of Transformation at SU's Transformation Office.

According to Kelly, the Indaba is a “very important annual event", as it creates an opportunity for all the stakeholders at the University to come together to reflect and discuss all the burning issues of transformation on campus.

“As a Transformation Officer, it's very important to me that we check in with our University community and reflect on what has transpired over the last year regarding transformation issues on campus. However, it is important to note that the Transformation Indaba is but one moment, while our work of transformation still continues throughout the year in our respective departments at the University," said Kelly.

In his welcoming address at the Indaba, Prof Nico Koopman, Vice-Rector: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel, said that SU should become a home where there is dignity for all, healing for all, justice for all, freedom for all and equality for all.

“I hope we can nurture the vision of a home as described in our Transformation Plan following the South African Constitution and Bill of Rights. In the Transformation Plan, we speak about transformation as both quantitative and qualitative transformation. We also speak about the transformation of SU, and transformation through SU. May the Indaba take us forward toward the vision of SU as a home, a habitat for all its inhabitants," said Koopman.

During the Indaba, various University stakeholders also reported and reflected on the following transformation topics:

• How do we ensure more participative and transparent processes at our University? The case of rebranding. Presented by Christelle Feyt & Babalwa Gusha.
• Wilcocks is (almost) no more. What have we learnt and where to from here for Visual Redress? Presented by Aslam Fataar, Renee Kannemeyer & Khairoonisa Foflonker.
• What has COVID-19 response taught us? How do you measure up our institutional COVID-19 response? Presented by Nico Koopman & Fadeelah Williams.
• The Anti-GBV Working Groups have submitted their final report. Where are we now with regards to GBV on campus? Presented by Jaco Brink & Yamkela Tyapha.
• We have a new Transformation KPA for all staff. Now what? Presented by Claire Kelly & Bantubonke Louw.
• Siyakhula is back. Do we have enough capacity to deliver our vision for transformation? Presented by Katlego Letlonkane.
• The formal process following 'the article' is over. Have we resolved this as a University community; where to from here? Presented by Ronelle Carolissen & Nadine Bowers-Du Toit.

These topics were further discussed in small breakaway sessions, where the conversations were recorded and will be collated into an Indaba report for circulation early next year.

For more information on the Transformation Office and SU's transformation work, click here.​

Archives, in particular music archives, can help with curriculum reform and transformation at tertiary institutions, writes Dr Lizabé Lambrechts from the Africa Open Institute for Music, Research and Innovation in an opinion piece for Mail & Guardian (23 October 2020).

• Read the article below or click here for the piece as published.

Lizabé Lambrechts*

This year, Heritage Month was launched under the theme, “celebrating South Africa's living human treasures," and three women, including the musician Madosini Latozi Mphaleni, were honoured for their contributions in preserving local knowledges and idioms.

Madosini is widely celebrated, yet very few tertiary institutions in South Africa include her music as part of their curriculum. The call on music departments to critically engage with their curricula in order to reflect the broader music landscape wherein they function has been raised almost 40 years ago, yet most departments remain largely set in ideological practices, value frames and conservative syllabi conceived to serve the previous dispensation.

Musicologists Willemien Froneman and Stephanus Muller recently wrote in Fault Lines: A primer on race, science and society that “institutionalised music at South African universities historically assume white cultural interests as normative," resulting in the “embrace of a canon and its constituent ethnocentric and non-representative practices that is 'neither practical nor ethically defensible'." Whereas some departments have included more diverse musics into their curricula, Froneman and Muller argue that integrating diversity into the central 'tradition' of Western art music, “does not displace or affect institutional commitment to the Western art music tradition, in fact, it props it up and serves to strengthen its holds at tertiary institutions".  

South African music studies is not alone in this debate. In a recent article entitled Music Theory and the White Racial Frame Philip Ewell from Hunter College in New York argues that music theory as it is currently taught assumes Western notation, theory and harmony as normative, ignoring the rich music theories of India, Asia, South America and Africa. While adding black and female composers to our textbooks is important, he maintains, it is not enough as it still leaves intact the epistemological frame by which value is judged. 

It is within this field of discursive engagement and political actions directed towards change, that archives can play an important role in epistemic delinking and decolonising higher education institutions. While recognising that archives work to a slower beat than what is currently demanded in debates on decolonisation in our universities, this temporal differential is important in terms of long-term institutional and curricular reform, reform that does not fall into “solutionism" and quick fixes, but commits to the questions and thinking involved in epistemic delinking.

The archive is involved in this process in two fundamental ways. On the one hand, it serves as evidence of the past, and can be deconstructed to reveal the systems and rules imposed to maintain epistemological authority. On the other, it can be used to explore alternative structures and registers through engaging with new collections or by exploring previous collections in new ways to empower multiple paradigms and epistemologies. What does it mean to think with, and through, an interrogation of archival practices? How does one delink disciplinary thinking through such archival processed-based interrogations?

These are the type of questions that we are asking at the Africa Open Institute for Music, Research and Innovation through archive-centred music research projects on material preserved in the Documentation Centre for Music (DOMUS) at Stellenbosch University.

Established in 2005 by Stephanus Muller to collect, preserve, protect and promote South African music as well as advance research into this subject, DOMUS was conceptualised as an archive-centered music research project to affect change within conservative institutional spaces by promoting and gradually institutionalising forms of epistemic delinking.

This process was supported through an active expansion of the existing archive collections of mostly western art music to include jazz, indigenous African music (both orally composed and notated), opera, popular music, boeremusiek, klezmer, folk music, films and material from New Music composers. The increasingly diverse collections and projects it allowed the archive to launch, created a space for a wide spectrum of communities and musics in South Africa not accommodated within the dominant paradigms of the discipline to connect through the archive. This helped  to counter the carelessness towards individuals and communities practised by the historical and contemporary university.

From enabling academic discussions and seminars, curating a range of conversations about isiXhosa and Western art music, to recording albums and supporting avant-garde jazz and popular music concerts and events for new music composers, the projects launched through DOMUS strategically acted in expanding the academic musical imaginary while pursuing an eclectic collection strategy.

In this way, the archive not only challenges the discipline and the kinds of research and projects the discipline regulates as viable and possible through institutional structures like committees, curricula, guidelines, etc., but the execution of these projects and research starts to require different archival mechanisms of control, decision making, description practices and user strategies.

While one may argue that the archive driven projects at DOMUS has yet to fully engage with the potential of alternative ways of knowing, the pressure towards systemic change and reforming top-down instutionalised managerial systems, may point in the direction of how archives and their custodians can play a role in transforming our higher education institutions. It is through active archivists, invested in the task of decolonisation through constant evaluation of their practices and collecting material in tandem with in-depth and critical research, that our institutional doors will be opened to diversity and change as well as other ways of creating knowledge.

Embracing slower epistemic change driven by archival process-based interrogations, versus immediate changes called for by socio-political actors, will begin to cultivate long-term institutional and curricular reform. Archives are vital for the present moment of decolonisation and epistemic delinking, addressing the social and political imperatives of our time, while at the same time working towards the future by preserving the material remnants that will allow the next generation to ask the questions of the future.

*Dr Lizabé Lambrechts is a Senior Research Fellow at the Africa Open Institute for Music, Research and Innovation at Stellenbosch University. This article is based on her recent paper in the journal Social Dynamics titled The becoming of an archive:  perspectives on a music archive and the limits of institutionality.

​​​Members of Stellenbosch University's (SU) Convocation have been invited to nominate candidates to serve on the executive committee for a term of three years after three vacancies had arisen on the executive committee of the Convocation.

These vacancies had occurred after the resignation of the President, the secretary and one of the additional members.

Nominations are open for 30 days and will close on Thursday, 26 November 2020. Nominations must be submitted via e-mail to konvokasie@sun.ac.za on or before the closing date.

A member can be nominated for election by one proposer, and four other members must second the nomination. The nomination must be accompanied with a declaration by the nominee that he/she accepts the nomination and will abide by the rules for the election and must include a vision statement of no more than 50 words.

• ​CLICK HERE for the nomination form.

• CLICK HERE to read more on the procedure to nominate and elect the Executive Committee of the Convocation.
  

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The higher education sector can play a significant role in the call for transformation and equality throughout South Africa. This was the message from Prof André Keet, newly-appointed Vice-Rector for Social Responsiveness and Transformation at Nelson Mandela University, who delivered the keynote address at Stellenbosch University's (SU) 2020 Transformation Indaba.

Prof Keet, who is working on research that is exploring the Transformation Barometer for South African Higher Education, said the higher education sector has the capacity to play a significant role in the call for transformation and equality throughout South Africa.

Keet also believes that universities need to move away from “disciplined transformation" and the “restrictive measures" that come with that, but rather should create unrestricted spaces where transformation processes and new ideas can freely be formed.

Over the last year, SU has seen a number of important changes and processes in the effort to transform itself into a home where all are valued, safe and loved.

At the 2020 Transformation Indaba, SU staff and students considered these changes and processes and had a moment to reflect on its impact, how close (or far) the University is from creating a dream home of transformation, and what the immediate next steps will be in getting there. Launched in 2017, the Transformation Indabas aim to address the many challenges, issues and opportunities for change at higher education institutions.

This year's Indaba, which is an annual event, was held online and facilitated by Dr Claire Kelly, Acting Head of Transformation at SU's Transformation Office.

According to Kelly, the Indaba is a “very important annual event", as it creates an opportunity for all the stakeholders at the University to come together to reflect and discuss all the burning issues of transformation on campus.

“As a Transformation Officer, it's very important to me that we check in with our University community and reflect on what has transpired over the last year regarding transformation issues on campus. However, it is important to note that the Transformation Indaba is but one moment, while our work of transformation still continues throughout the year in our respective departments at the University," said Kelly.

In his welcoming address at the Indaba, Prof Nico Koopman, Vice-Rector: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel, said that SU should become a home where there is dignity for all, healing for all, justice for all, freedom for all and equality for all.

“I hope we can nurture the vision of a home as described in our Transformation Plan following the South African Constitution and Bill of Rights. In the Transformation Plan, we speak about transformation as both quantitative and qualitative transformation. We also speak about the transformation of SU, and transformation through SU. May the Indaba take us forward toward the vision of SU as a home, a habitat for all its inhabitants," said Koopman.

 During the Indaba, various University stakeholders also reported and reflected on the following transformation topics:

• How do we ensure more participative and transparent processes at our University? The case of rebranding. Presented by Christelle Feyt & Babalwa Gusha.
• Wilcocks is (almost) no more. What have we learnt and where to from here for Visual Redress? Presented by Aslam Fataar, Renee Kannemeyer & Khairoonisa Foflonker.
• What has COVID-19 response taught us? How do you measure up our institutional COVID-19 response? Presented by Nico Koopman & Fadeelah Williams.
• The Anti-GBV Working Groups have submitted their final report. Where are we now with regards to GBV on campus? Presented by Jaco Brink & Yamkela Tyapha.
• We have a new Transformation KPA for all staff. Now what? Presented by Claire Kelly & Bantubonke Louw.
• Siyakhula is back. Do we have enough capacity to deliver our vision for transformation? Presented by Katlego Letlonkane.
• The formal process following 'the article' is over. Have we resolved this as a University community; where to from here? Presented by Ronelle Carolissen & Nadine Bowers-Du Toit.

These topics were further discussed in small breakaway sessions, where the conversations were recorded and will be collated into an Indaba report for circulation early next year.

For more information on the Transformation Office and SU's transformation work, click here.​

The Faculty of Science's centenary book on a hundred years of science at Stellenbosch University (SU) is now available on TakeAlot.

The coffee table book, A Particular Frame of Mind – Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University 1918-2018, traces the steps of the first pioneers who laid the foundations for training and research in various disciplines in the natural sciences at SU. It also documents the contributions of various individuals to the establishment of research fields such as nuclear physics and polymer science in South Africa.

Prof. Chris Garbers, former professor of organic chemistry from 1958 to 1978 and president of the CSIR from 1980 to 1990, writes in the Foreword that key institutions such as the SU's Faculty of Science have contributed “to transforming South Africa from a mainly rural society to an industrial giant on the African continent".

“The book is a succinct summary covering the past one hundred years, with the exposition of diverse scientific findings in layman's terms, as well as the documentation of anecdotes about various eccentric characters. The book is further enhanced by the insets of colleagues with specialist knowledge and understanding of contemporary developments in science," he continues writing.

This limited edition red linen hard case book is embossed with foil on the front and spine, and contains more than 200 photographs and images from the SU Archive, the Africana section of the SU Library, and various artefacts from departmental collections, including scientific images of historical and current research.

Wisaarkhu, a multidisciplinary project aimed at humanizing mathematics, is one of the innovative projects that has been selected as a finalist in the science engagement category of the Falling Walls competition taking place during the Berlin Science Week from 1 to 10 November 2020.

The Falling Walls Conference was established on 9 November 2009 with the 20th anniversary of the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall. The aim of the conference, which has since grown into a World Science Summit, is to break down the walls between science and society.

Wisaarkhu is the brain child of Dr Sophie Marques and her colleague Prof Zurab Janelidze from the Mathematics Division at Stellenbosch University. It started in 2019 as a series of talks about the psychology of abstract mathematics, i.e. how we experience mathematics, and involved students and lecturers from mathematics, psychology, education and the arts. With the support of Prof Ingrid Rewitzky, head of the Department of Mathematical Sciences and Vice-Dean for Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Science, the initiative has since evolved into a community of practice with an online magazine and ongoing online talks with participants from all over the world.

Dr Marques says the seeds for the project was planted when she started feeling completely overwhelmed when confronted with the fears and anxieties of her students. While mathematics is supposed to empower her students, it more often than not had the complete opposite effect.

“If it is true that mathematics can empower people with essential life skills, then why are we failing so dramatically to do so? How can we share this knowledge as widely and fairly as possible? If education is about helping our students to be the best they can be, how do we do that with mathematics? How do we make mathematics accessible, valid and visible for most?" she writes on the Wisaarkhu blog.

One of the clinical psychologists involved in the project, Mariam Salie, says too many walls have been built around mathematics, creating anxiety and discomfort: “These walls disconnect the subject from reality and other disciplines and gives the impression that it is disconnected from humanity. With this project, we aim to break the stigma surrounding mathematics and give everyone the opportunity to learn maths, a very important life skill."

Dr Karin-Therese Howell, a lecturer in mathematics, says she nominated Wisaarkhu for the Falling Walls competition because the initiative encourages community and involvement with the field of mathematics: “As a lecturer, I was sad that most of my students would not engage with mathematics after they graduated. This project aims to change that."

Since the Wisaarkhu team learned that they are amongst the finalists in the competition, they have had to come up with a video about their work within a matter of days. This video was produced by lecturers Mariam Salie, Dr Karin-Theresa Howell, Dr Rizwana Roomaney, maths teacher Shaun Hudson-Bennet and students Ethan Quirke, Laylaa Motola and Lourens van Niekerk.

“This team effort is just one example of the amazing diversity and commitment of the entire Wisaarkhu community, working hard behind the scenes to make it a success," says Dr Marques.

Thus far she has attended a number of events, including discussions with the other finalists and exchanging ideas. The Wisaarkhu team now has to produce another video by 28 October in order to compete for the top ten positions in their category. The top ten videos will be screened during the Grand Finale on 9 November 2020, the day the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. All videos are freely accessible online at www.falling-walls.com/2020/finalists

The use of single-use items like nitrile gloves, disposable face masks and sanitiser bottles has surged in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Protective ​measures need to be taken against Covid-19 but it's time to start practising better habits at the same time, for the sake of our environment. 

This is the view of Professor Wolfgang Preiser, head of the division of Medical Virology at Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and member of the Faculty Dean's Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability (DACES). Excess packaging as a result of an increase in online shopping and takeaway food as well as disposable masks and gloves, visors and screens have meant a boom in plastic just as people were starting to wake up to its environmental impact but everyone needs to make a concerted effort to ensure we're looking after the environment. 

 “We are inadvertently creating more waste because of the use of disposable sanitiser bottles, wipes and masks. And while we don't have specific statistics for South Africa at the moment, I am sure that the more affluent parts of our society have created more waste than they might realise these past few months," says Preiser. 

A recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) lists the following as problems due to the pandemic: an increased amount of plastic waste (due to lockdowns),increased littering, illegal dumping and open burning, suspension of recycling activities and mixing of infectious waste such as gloves, masks, tissues, and gauze with other wastes (exposure to transmission). 

The International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) estimates that single-use plastic items has grown by up to 300% in the USA. In addition, recycling systems in large parts of the world – including South Africa – seems to have stalled. “I believe this is a mixture of economic turndowns and manufacturing slump during lockdowns. Recycling needs people to collect and then process, and someone to use the products. With many industries at a standstill, this stops," says Preiser. 

Waste management on Tygerberg campus

​With many industries picking up again, it is time to refocus our energies on ensuring long-term sustainability – one tenet of this is to actively avoid or minimise and if not possible, recycle plastic in its many forms as often as possible. “The environmental crisis, not limited to but including climate issues, have led academic institutions like ours to re-evaluate and redesign their solid waste management systems. Waste separation at source is possible almost everywhere but often not done at all, or done poorly. 

If you are back on Tygerberg Campus for work or study purposes, make a concerted effort to use the three-bin system, which is available in all of our campus buildings, to dispose of waste. And do it well – do not throw “contaminated" (e.g. with food still inside) containers into the recyclables but tip them out (into the compost bin) then toss them into the recycling." 

The campus coffee shop, Cups & Saucers also supports the Greater Tygerberg Project (GTP) (insert link:  https://gtp.org.za/portfolio/recycling-project/) whereby staff and students may drop their plastic bottles and cans in the trolley in front of the coffee shop. Staff and students are welcome to bring their recyclables from home and drop it off there, to benefit the environment and uplift those who make a living from recycling what others want to dispose of.

Waste management at home

If you find yourself still working from home at this time, do some research about recycling services available in your area and separate your waste in that way. Some areas in the northern and southern suburbs of Cape Town already have a municipal recycling collection system. Others, says Preiser, have access to facilities like primary schools where they are able to drop off glass, tins, plastic bottles and paper. In addition, try to compost your biodegradable waste, i.e. garden refuse and compostable kitchen waste. To support residents in minimising their waste, the City of Cape Town occasionally makes compost bins available free of charge. Preiser says that organic waste, when buried at rubbish dumps, aerobically converts to methane, which is a very potent greenhouse gas.

Contaminated gloves and masks

“If you need to wear disposable gloves or masks, these must be disposed of safely," says Preiser. Healthcare workers follow strict protocols with respect to the disposal of contaminated and potentially hazardous waste. “If you are sure your disposable mask or gloves are not contaminated, you should not have worn them", says Preiser. In general, disposable (latex or nitrile) gloves do not have a place in everyday life and should only be used by people in certain occupations, like healthcare workers. Disposable masks of any kind are unnecessary for the public, too – another advantage of cloth (non-medical) masks is that they are cheaper, often more comfortable and can simply be washed rather than having to be disposed of.

Preiser says potentially contaminated sanitary items do not belong into recycling bins because they are not recyclable and must not expose recycling workers or informal waste pickers to an infection risk. “If you're at home, the advice for potentially contaminated COVID-19 waste is to bag it separately and leave the bag for a week (tie bag closed and write date on it). By then any virus will have “died" and is no longer be infectious. Remember that wipes must never end up in the toilet. They are made from man-made fibres and not biodegradable (unlike toilet paper). If flushed, they may end up blocking your drain; those that make it through are likely to end up in the ocean adding to the “plastic soup" that is choking marine life."

Preiser warns against exaggerated precautionary measures: “There is no need to spray grocery shopping with disinfectants or wipe everything down with wet wipes all the time. Your shopping is not going to infect you with the coronavirus. The virus is not very stable and will be rendered harmless by normal cleaning, or simply with time. The risk of infection stems from close contact with infectious individuals, whether symptomatic or not, and this is why we all need to take universal precautions." 

For more information about recycling services in the Cape Town area, visit:

http://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/greener-living/recycling-at-home/recycling-guide

http://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/Residential-utility-services/Residential-solid-waste-services/recycling-services   

http://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/Residential-utility-services/Residential-solid-waste-services/Reduce-your-waste

http://www.capetown.gov.za/Family%20and%20home/greener-living/green-gardening-and-eating/start-composting-at-home

City of Cape Town Waste minimisation infographic http://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Graphics%20and%20educational%20material/Reduce%20your%20waste%20infographic.pdf

https://www.recycle1st.co.za/

https://regenize.co.za  

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-08-05-practical-guidance-on-disinfecting

https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/factsheet/covid-19-waste-management-factsheets

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report: Waste Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic: from response to recovery. 12 August 2020. https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/report/waste-management-during-covid-19-pandemic-response-recovery

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The Ombud has for long served as an independent channel through which people can seek help.

At Stellenbosch University (SU), the Office of the Ombud is an independent, neutral and confidential space for people to discuss their issues and concerns related to the University.

Students, parents of students, or staff can bring forward problems and complaints to the Ombud to be resolved that the existing University structures are unable to deal with satisfactorily.

The SU Ombud, Adv Rina Meyer, is an independent person appointed to facilitate the informal resolution of concerns regarding the University. Meyer shares more insight to the work her office does at SU.

1.            What is the role of the Ombud at Stellenbosch University?

The SU Ombud acts totally independently and does not form part of the SU structures. The Office of the Ombud is a channel through which appropriate attention can be given to all problems and complaints from the University community that the existing SU structures are unable to deal with satisfactorily. The Ombud does not replace these structures – therefore, complainants must exhaust the normal SU procedures before involving the Ombud. Only if their problem remains unresolved after a reasonable period has expired, or if it is extremely urgent, complainants may turn to the Ombud. If the available channels have not been explored thoroughly, the Ombud will refer complainants back to those channels.

2.            How can the Office of the Ombud help people?

The Ombud provides confidential, informal, independent and impartial assistance to individuals through dispute resolution and problem-solving methods such as mediation, facilitation and shuttle diplomacy. Visitors who wish to discuss matters relating to the University in confidence and seek independent guidance may find a place to speak freely. Those who want to report or discuss sensitive concerns confidentially are also encouraged to visit the Office of the Ombud. 

3.            Why is it important for a university to have an Ombud?

The Ombud is helpful to complainants but also to University leaders as the Ombuds's orientation is toward "fair process". The Ombud can also inform the University about issues or “hotspots" of which they ought to be aware, and the possible implications of those issues. Furthermore, the Ombud can identify serious potential problems that may be unforeseen or downplayed by management or employees. The Ombud may convey trends, systemic problems and organisational issues to high-level leaders and executives. The Ombud does not advocate for individuals, groups or entities, but rather for the principles of fairness and equity.

4.            Who can lodge a complaint or query with the Ombud?

The purpose of the Ombud is to provide an approachable, independent office that is available to all SU students, prospective students, students' parents, employees and former employees, alumni, visitors and service providers of Stellenbosch University or institutions who want to take action against the University under certain circumstances. In that manner, the Ombud can appropriately articulate the concerns of those whose voices often go unheard.

5.            What are the nature of the complaints or queries that people can lodge?

Complaints may be lodged in the following circumstances, namely where persons referred to above:

• Feel that they have been treated unfairly by or within the University.
• Need advice to solve a complicated problem regarding the University.
• Have a complaint, issue or problem that could not be addressed or resolved internally.
• Need an impartial listener who will keep any sensitive University-related matter that they may raise, confidential.
• Need a neutral mediator to assist in solving a dispute within the University.
• Require help to expedite a matter that is delayed unnecessarily by the University. 

6.            Can a person remain anonymous if they contact the Office of the Ombud?

The Ombud holds all communications with those seeking assistance in strict confidence. The Ombud does not reveal, and cannot be required to reveal, the identity of any individual contacting the Ombud Office, without that individual's express permission, and only to the extent of that permission. The only exceptions to this rule are situations of apparent immediate danger of serious harm and when a legal duty applies. The campus community should note that consulting with the Ombud would in no way place them at a risk. The University guarantees that no one will suffer reprisal, discrimination or victimisation for seeking assistance from the Ombud.

7.             What can the Ombud not help with?

The Ombud cannot help with the following:

• Make decisions on behalf of the University.
• Make or overrule University policies or established procedures (though the Ombud may comment on or recommend change, or do both, regarding these areas).
• Intervene if the complaint can be pursued as a grievance according to established University procedure.
• Accept notifications on behalf of the University or any party.
• Consider complaints that are already the subject of a lawsuit.
• Give legal advice or provide psychological counselling,
• Award compensation.
• Act as representative for any party.
• Handle purely academic matters.
• Attend to patently vexatious or frivolous complaints.

 8.            How can you lodge a complaint or query with the office of the Ombud?

To submit a complaint or concern for the Ombud's consideration, complete and submit the complaints form, which is available on the website www.sun.ac.za/ombudsman. The form is also available from the administrative officer of the Ombud Office and Mrs Grace Bruintjies can be contacted for appointments at graceb@sun.ac.za. Urgent matters may be reported at ombudsman@sun.ac.za.

As a means of protecting and hiding the identities of complainants, the Office of the Ombud has been strategically located off campus on Ryneveld Street to minimise any possibility of being noticed.​

Since September is International Deaf Awareness Month, it was apt for the Stellenbosch University (SU) Disability Unit and the SU Language Centre to collaborate to host the 2020 South African Sign Language Interpreters' Code of Ethics seminar from 7 to 9 September. The seminar theme, “Triangulation of the Code of Conduct for SA Sign Language interpreters in higher education," drew perspectives from Deaf students and lecturers, as well as South African Sign Language (SASL) interpreters, and highlighted the importance of a code of ethics for interpreters working in higher education. The articles are part of the 2020 Year of Disability series. 

Currently, there are no official or consistent guidelines for Sign Language interpreters working in the post-school education context in South Africa. A working document by the Higher and Further Education Disability Services (HEDSA), initiated by the Deaf Federation of South Africa (DeafSA), contains a code of ethics for interpreters and guides the work and employment of SASL interpreters in South Africa. However, this document is not used consistently in the post-school education and training (PSET) sector, and the code of ethics does not focus specifically on educational interpreting in higher education.

In 2019, the University of Cape Town jumpstarted the discussion around a code of ethics for SASL interpreters working in the PSET sector in South Africa with the very first SASL Interpreters' Code of Ethics seminar. This year, the discussion moved to SU, and what better way to give prominence to the fact that SU declared 2020 as the institution's Year of Disability?

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the seminar was hosted online over three consecutive days. The move online extended the seminar's reach, allowing discussions of the myriad of challenges faced by students who use SASL interpreting in university settings, educational interpreters, disability units and Deaf lecturers. One of the key seminar questions was: With only a generic code, how do we guide the process of interpreting and receiving interpreting in the specific post-school environment, and how do we protect SASL interpreters and users of SASL interpreting alike?

Natasha Parkins-Maliko, a PhD candidate and lecturer in SASL interpreting at Wits University, opened the floor by speaking about the importance of being reflective language practitioners. She felt strongly that SASL interpreters must be specialists in one or two spoken languages and be highly conversant in academic Sign Language to interpret effectively at this level of study, to do justice to the students they serve. However, can interpreters work effectively in the post-school context with no formal university training themselves? The conundrum is that very often SASL interpreters may have gained their expertise in interpreting outside the higher education context, and so it is counter-intuitive to make a university qualification in interpreting the benchmark for quality service in the current South African context. At the same time, it is important that interpreters understand the academic language used in higher education contexts, and this understanding can only come from studying at university. The answer could lie in developing a recognition of prior learning (RPL) programme for SASL interpreters that recognises prior experience for those enrolling for a qualification in interpreting, as is the case at Wits University.

Besides encouraging interpreters to develop their interpreting skills by enrolling for a higher qualification in interpreting, the seminar once again emphasised the need for SASL interpreters to do research to expand their terminology in academic disciplines in the field of higher education.

The question of the accountability of SASL interpreters employed in post-school and university environments drew much debate. Are SASL interpreters accountable to the students for whom they interpret, or does accountability lie with the interpreters' line manager or department, or with the institution, as SASL interpreters are also employees of this institution? As important was the positioning of SASL interpreters regarding their personhood, their students, the lecturers and the institution. This resulted in further lively debates.

Deaf university students Imran Bodalaji and Qobo Ningiza shared their experiences as Deaf students and users of SASL interpreters in classroom and meeting contexts. Their presentations and the ensuing discussions allowed participants to consider the role of SASL interpreters from the perspective of a student – the first stakeholder in the triangulation process. Like many other students, Imran and Qobo had to adjust to the academic language used in higher education. They both encountered terminology during their studies that they had never seen before: it was either new to them in SASL or had to be developed. This shows that SASL interpreters have a critical role to play in the classroom. In this triangulation between the student, the lecturer and the interpreter, what is the latter's role? Should the interpreter correct the information given by the lecturer when the lecturer is clearly wrong? How does the interpreter communicate that they are not sure of the sign for terminology used in the classroom? Imran and Qobo also shared some thoughts on the isolation that students who are Deaf feel in a hearing world.

SASL lecturer Susan Njeyiyana, who is Deaf and uses SASL as a primary mode of communication herself, shared her experiences on the third day. Hailing from the SU Department of Linguistics, she related how a Deaf lecturer experiences the hearing world of  classrooms and staff rooms. She did, for example, not have access to an interpreter for impromptu meetings with individual students or when she needed to communicate with colleagues. A common shortcoming she recognised in SASL interpreters is the quality of interpreting from SASL to voice, which has implications for how she, as a Deaf individual, is perceived. Her advice for interpreters is to try consecutive interpreting; the interpreter should first understand the meaning before they start voicing. Susan's presentation also led to discussions around cultural appropriation for personal gain, as well as terminology development and quality assurance.

SASL interpreter Marsanne Neethling shared her experiences during the final session of the seminar. Marsanne is an interpreter employed by the Interpreting Service at the SU Language Centre. She quoted Maartje de Meulder, saying that often Deaf academics play “interpreter roulette" – as a Deaf individual, you never know what the calibre of the interpreter you end up with will be. The same is true in the wider post-school context. How do we ensure accessible communication for Deaf students? Marsanne spoke about the need for interpreters to have a thorough understanding of the cultural and social background of both the source language and target language of the users in the classroom – something that is vital for mediating an understanding of the lectures. To achieve this, SASL interpreters sometimes may need to step outside the role traditionally assigned to interpreters. In her research, Odette Swift recorded a student saying in this regard, “Is it weird to say she's like a friend because she cares about whether or not we understand the work?" SASL interpreters do not make signs only – they make meaning.

The 2020 SA Sign Language Interpreters' Code of Ethics seminar provided a platform for Deaf students and lecturers and SASL interpreters who share a space in higher education environments to speak their minds, voice their needs and together build bridges that will ensure successful studies for students and growth for SASL interpreters – as collaborators. The seminar highlighted the need for an interpreting code of ethics in higher education that could guide stakeholders in the future.  

A working group has been established to develop a document that might serve as a guideline or code of ethics for interpreters working in higher education. The group consists of volunteers from all higher education institutions with experience in SASL interpreting, and includes members of the Deaf community.

The 2021 SA Sign Language Interpreters' Code of Ethics seminar will be held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.​

​​When we observe World Stroke Week (28 October ̶ 3 November) and World Stroke Day (29 October), we should also spare a thought for stroke survivors, their caregivers and community health workers (CHWs) in South Africa's rural areas who often lack the necessary support to deal with this disability.

“Stroke survivors, their family caregivers and CHWs in low-resourced areas don't have the knowledge and training about strokes, its risk factors, causes, symptoms, complications, recovery and treatment. They also don't have access to proper rehabilitation services," says Elsje Scheffler, a PhD student in the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University.

Under the guidance of Prof Bob Mash from the same division, Scheffler conducted a study to describe the experience and perceived needs of stroke survivors, their caregivers and CHWs in the Breede Valley subdistrict in the Western Cape where there are no stroke units and access to and support from formal rehabilitation services is limited. The research was part of a larger study to develop a home-based stroke rehabilitation programme in the Cape Winelands district. The findings of the study was published in the African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine recently.

 “This is a very serious issue given that the Western Cape has the highest incidence of strokes in the country and stroke survivors are being discharged and sent home to untrained family caregivers," says Scheffler.

“Stroke survivors, family caregivers and CHWs we spoke to said they often have to figure out for themselves how to cope. They also expressed an overwhelming need for emotional support, knowledge and skills training."

Scheffler says stroke survivors yearned for full recovery and did not anticipate living with a disability. “This portrays both denial and poor knowledge of the consequences of stroke and likelihood of recovery."

Scheffler points out that the organisation of health and rehabilitation services failed to meet the needs of stroke survivors, caregivers and CHWs.

“These people have to deal with limited service capacity and long waiting times for appointments. This was further compounded by inaccessible, costly and unavailable transport.

“They all wanted access to therapy services and rehabilitation exercises, which they viewed as the key to improvement."

According to Scheffler, there was a real need to know how to manage incontinence given stroke survivors' physical condition, their anxiety, embarrassment and apprehensiveness, as well as toilet facilities that are sometimes inadequate.

“Comprehensive incontinence management including specific bladder and bowel function assessment and treatment, medication, bowel and bladder training programmes, prescription of incontinence wear and products as well as toileting products can help to reduce the strain that caregivers experience when they look after stroke survivors."

Scheffler points out that the lack of assistive products not only impacted incontinence management but complicated all care tasks and prolonged dependence, including mobility, communication, eating, drinking and self-care.

She adds that caregivers had little or no training and CHWs lacked the necessary knowledge and skills.

“Caregivers of stroke survivors felt inadequately equipped to manage complications such as pain, stiffness, blood glucose levels and seizures. The CHWs perceived caregivers and stroke survivors to often be unsure of how to use their medication."

According to Scheffler, the burden of looking after stroke survivors caused stress, fear, anxiety and frustration in caregivers and they couldn't singlehandedly provide sufficient supervision.

“The CHWs experienced a fragmented healthcare system, which failed to support stroke survivors, caregivers and CHWs. We also found that the CHWs' rehabilitation scope of practice and their role is not well defined, resulting in conflicting expectations from both caregivers and CHWs."

Scheffler adds that the CHWs also reported that their role was not acknowledged or recognised by healthcare professionals and that they were not seen as part of the team and not consulted or informed of treatment planning.

She says their study highlights the need for an appropriate training programme that will equip CHWs to train and support caregivers.

“Such a programme should focus on practical caregiving tasks, incontinence management, providing psychosocial support and assistive products, and identifying at risk families."

With proper training, the CHWs can provide vital support to stroke survivors and their family caregivers, adds Scheffler.

• Source: Scheffler, E, & Mash, R, 2020. Figuring it out by yourself: Perceptions of home-based care of stroke survivors, family caregivers and community health workers in a low-resourced setting, South Africa. African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine 2020;12(1). 12(1): doi.org/ 10.4102/phcfm.v12i1.2629  
  
  

Email: viljoenm@sun.ac.za

The recent elections for the new student leadership structures saw two new leaders elected, and both are raring to go in order to serve their fellow students: Mbali Mkhonza was elected as chair of the Tygerberg Postgraduate Student Council (TPSC), and Kristin Arends is the new chair of the Tygerberg Student Council (TSR).

The FMHS is unique in having its own Tygerberg Student Council, as well as a Tygerberg Postgraduate Student Council.

Mbali Mkhonza – Chair: TPSC

Mkhonza, who is originally from the rural town of Mayflower in Mpumalanga, was secretary to the TPSC in the previous term. She is currently in her second year of doing a Master's in Molecular Biology, and her research focus is on tuberculosis. She completed her BSc at Stellenbosch University's main campus, followed by her BSc honours in Molecular Biology at Tygerberg. In her research, she is looking at gene expression in response to infections.

Mkhonza said she was delighted at her election and excited about her new role. “The previous chair, Sandisiwe Matyesini, has been amazing in the portfolio handover. I looked up to her in the role, and admired how she balanced her council work with studying. My fellow council members are also so supportive."

Asked why she believes it is important to be involved in student leadership structures, Mkhonza said: “It's a place for our voice to be heard. Post-graduate students have different needs to those of undergraduate students. As secretary of the TPSC, I saw the importance of advocating for post-graduate students within the faculty. For me it is all about being the link between faculty and post-graduate students."

She said her vision for the term was “to continue building on what the previous council worked on in terms of accountability and transparency, and looking at ways to personally develop the post-graduate community".

When asked about the challenges faced by post-graduate students, Mkhonza had the following to say: “Many post-graduate students are working as well as studying. It's not always an easy balance. We need to find ways of accommodating this.

“In terms of personal development, although we are students, we also want to grow as people beyond our lab work. I'd love to find ways to facilitate personal development, and create opportunities for students to, for example, learn communication and presentation skills, so that they can become well-rounded individuals."

Asked which special qualities she brings to the position, she said that she was someone who listened … rather than just responding.

In her spare time, Mkhonza loves reading and singing, and is learning to play the guitar. She also enjoys spending time with friends, volunteers at a baby shelter in Goodwood, and is very involved in her church.

When asked about her long-term plans, Mhkonza said she hopes to stay in academia. “I plan to do my PhD, to become a supervisor, and to contribute to the work being done in disease research, and to scale the academic ladder."

Kristin Arends – Chair: TSR

Arends, a fourth-year medical student, who is originally from East London, has been involved in student leadership since she arrived at Stellenbosch University. From being a mentor in the Hippokrates residence in her second year in 2018, to becoming Primaria for Hippokrates, she has just finished her term as TSR vice-chair.

Arends is clear about her vision for her new position: "I want the TSR to be a structure that truly represents students. My biggest role is to advocate for the students and their needs. In my role I have a seat on the Stellenbosch Students Representative Council, where I represent the Tygerberg students. This is very important as I can raise their needs on a bigger platform".

She takes deep inspiration from some of her leadership predecessors – including Dr Mokgohloe Chitsadi Thulare (the first black female Primaria of Hippokrates); Dr Tevarus Naicker, “who showed me how far resilience in student leadership can take you"; and Ms Wamahlubi Ngoma, who recently completed a term as the Stellenbosch University SRC vice-chairperson and who was the person who "inspired me not to be afraid to take the voices of Tygerberg students to bigger platforms".

“These powerful student leaders inspired me to be the best student leader I can be and to remember who I am doing this for, namely the students."

Arends said one of the biggest challenges facing students recently has been the transition to the online space during Covid-19. This included changes in how students were assessed. Also there has been “a lot of financial strain" among students, including changes to their accounts for residence accommodation.

“Students have struggled with mental health during the pandemic. They have been so accustomed to being on campus, around friends, in lectures, and working in the hospital. The adjustment has been very big. The Centre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD) has been working hard during this period."

Arends believes she has gained a great deal of experience already. “Students often bring issues to me and to the other student council members. We figure out together how to link staff members and students in order to get problems solved. I am good at working out who to speak to when a student comes to me with a problem. That is one of my assets in my role as chair."

Arends, who enjoys cooking, watching series, and exploring Cape Town in her spare time, always wanted to study medicine. She has been doing her elective at the Frere Hospital in East London. “I've now witnessed first-hand the broken health system in the Eastern Cape. This experience has motivated me even more to throw myself into my medical career," she said.

She is not certain of exactly where her future lies.

“I haven't experienced all the specialities, but do have a couple of favourites, such as emergency medicine and trauma," she said.  In the long run she sees herself working in a hospital with medical students.

“I enjoy teaching in a hospital setting and transferring knowledge and skills."

Caption: Mbali Mkhonza (left) and Kristin Arends (right).

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Matieland 1998 – Prof Rolf Stumpf’s appointment at Stellenbosch University is announced.

Dr Rolf Stumpf, former Vice-Rector: Operations and Vice-Rector: Teaching at Stellenbosch University (SU), was one of the most respected experts on higher education in South Africa. He passed away Tuesday morning (27 October 2020).

“The South African higher education sector has indeed lost a leading figure and an exceptional person. Our deepest condolences to the Stumpf family, in particular to his wife, Adrianne (Adie) and their three children,” says Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of SU.

“After his departure in 2002, Prof Stumpf always remained loyal to SU, and in recent years he was still been involved in our institution in various ways. Among other things, he was a participant in the Beste Professor dialogue series at the US Woordfees in 2017, which was led by Prof Andreas van Wyk, a former Rector and Vice-Chancellor of SU. Prof Stumpf's topic focused on tertiary education in South Africa,” says Prof De Villiers.

“In 2017-2018, he was involved in an advisory role in the renewal strategy for two of our faculties, and from 2019 until shortly before his death, he worked with Prof Hester Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy and Internationalisation, and Prof Ian Cloete, Senior Director: Information Governance, on a norms-and-standards model for SU.”

After a career in senior positions at the Department of Education, President of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and member of the late President Nelson Mandela’s National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) in the 1990s, he was one of the people with the most profound knowledge of the higher education system over many decades. He was one of the founders and intellectual leaders of the higher education system for a democratic South Africa. Prof Stumpf was

passionately committed to the higher education principles of inclusivity and broadening access, and to the democratic project in South Africa as a whole.

Shortly after the report of the NCHE was published, and in the year when the White Paper on Higher Education and the new Higher Education Act were adopted, Prof Stumpf joined SU on 1 October 1998 as Vice-Rector: Operations. In March 2000 he moved to the new portfolio of Vice-Rector: Teaching. SU was thus able to reap the benefits of his in-depth, first-hand knowledge and credibility, as well as the national and international networks in which he was deeply embedded at that critical time in the history of the university sector in South Africa. He played a key role in helping to manage and give direction to SU in the transition period to the democratic order.

According to Prof Andreas van Wyk, who was the Rector and Vice-Chancellor during Prof Stumpf's period of service at SU, Prof Stumpf played a key role in SU’s response to the government’s National Plan for Higher Education of 2000. “This plan changed South Africa’s higher education extensively and in some respects in a controversial way. He helped ensure that SU could adapt to that plan without being to its detriment. He was very involved in strengthening, among other things, the University's natural sciences offering and the development of the institution as a research university of international standard. His contribution to the establishment of a proper management information system at SU remains a monument to him,” said Prof Van Wyk.

In the Senate Report to the University Council, as set out in SU’s Annual Report (2002), Prof Chris Brink, the Rector and Vice-Chancellor at the time, wrote: “Prof Rolf Stumpf served as Vice-Rector: Teaching at the University with excellent leadership until his departure in 2002.”

It was widely known that Prof Stumpf managed his portfolios with great insight, technical knowledge and competence. In fact, as an executive member of a university’s management, not only his technical expertise of the higher education system was extraordinary; he helped invent it all for the entire South African university system. Some of his former senior SU colleagues describe Prof Stumpf as “one of the absolute best line managers” they had come across in their careers and “one of a kind”.

According to the SU Annual Report of 2001, the Academic Planning Committee under his chairmanship continued with the renewal of academic programmes. In 2000, SU started offering academic programmes instead of courses; it was aimed at developing training in general skills in addition to knowledge of subject disciplines. The aim was to meet the demands of the information and knowledge society, to look after South Africa's specific needs and to create international recognition.

In the same year, Prof Stumpf also played a leading role in the development of SU’s inventive e-campus project, which included presenting postgraduate programmes through the web and other electronic platforms, as well as e-activities for the institution's residential students.

Prof Stumpf was a strong candidate to succeed Prof Andreas van Wyk as Rector and Vice-Chancellor of SU in 2001, but he was appointed to the same position at the former University of Port Elizabeth. In that role, he also made an important contribution at national level in, among others, the Council on Higher Education.

The opening day of the seventh International Workshop on Sustainable Road Freight Transport hosted by Stellenbosch University's Department of Logistics kicked off via a webinar on Wednesday (28 October 2020).

This is the first time that the event, an initiative started by Cambridge and Herriot Watt University and expanded to researchers in the UK, Europe, South Africa, India and China, is hosted outside of the UK.

This annual event is now one of the most important around sustainability in logistics in the world, aiming to make logistics carbon neutral by 2050 and contributing to a global warming objective of less than two degrees.

This year's workshop will focus on transition pathways to low carbon freight transport systems in developing countries.

Over the next three days (28-30 October) there will be seven keynote speeches, 24 selected papers and two breakaway sessions where the 300 registered participants will discuss various topics.

Prof Jan Havenga, of SU's Department of Logistics, said in his opening address that having the workshop in South Africa is the first sign of it being a truly international initiative.

“We have been invited into a broader family which also include India and China – two fellow BRICS countries that make up 40% of the world's population and have a fast-growing middle class. It would be interesting to see what the carbon outcomes of that burgeoning middle class will be in the future," he said.

He said the purpose of the workshop is to take focus of two things - where we are going with this initiative and to take stock about decarbonation in general. What are the big things we need to do actually make this work and charting a global roadmap for it?

As the focus of the workshop is on the developing world, Havenga said by the end of the event they hope to “structure a research agenda for the future and think about the policy infrastructure interventions".

The first keynote speaker was Alan McKinnon of Kuehne Logistics University in Germany. McKinnon  is also the athor of the book Decarbonating Logistics.

His talk sought to look beyond the intensifying debate in Europe over choosing the right powertrain technologies for decarbonising long distance road freight.

He emphasised how important it is to reduce carbon immissions from the road freight sector.

David Cebon of the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight and the UK Future Vehicle Technologies for Minimum Carbon Emisions, was the second keynote speaker.

His talk was entitled, Vehicle Technologies for Minimising Carbon Emissions.

He highlighted option such as urban delivery, long haul and hydrogen for minimising carbon emissions from vehicles.

The Centre for Sustainable Road Freight – South Africa (SRF-SA) collaboration currently includes the University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University, the CSIR, the University of the Western Cape and Tshwane University of Technology.

The SRF-SA is based on and linked to the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight in the United Kingdom (SRF).

The South African initiative is independent of the SRF, but the two are joined by a common mission and share tools, data, and expertise.

Their ambition is to create an international network of practitioners and researchers working on all aspects of sustainable road freight transport, and to facilitate collaborative research amongst the specialists in the field.

• Photo: Josiah Farrow on Unsplash