Kenneth Molosi - EOH Consulting (and International Advisory 
Board member of USB-ED) and Refilwe Mpowe - EOH Consulting

USB Executive Development (USB-ED), the public executive development and training company of the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB), was recently awarded a PMR.africa Diamond Arrow Award under the category of Foreign Business Schools offering Executive Education (short courses) in Botswana.

This is the first time USB-ED was included in the survey outside SA. The University of South Africa (UNISA) Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) followed with a Gold Award and Limkokwing University of Creative Technology with a Silver Award.

The award was accepted by Kenneth Molosi from EOH Consulting and International Advisory Board member of USB-ED.

“USB-ED was voted ahead of all other foreign business schools doing business in Botswana. This speaks volumes about the credibility of the brand and the general acceptance of USB-ED as the de facto standard in terms of short-term management and leadership programmes.

“The stage is indeed set for USB-ED to establish a presence in Botswana as a consequence of this major feat,” Molosi said.

This follows the PMR.africa Diamond Arrow Award in a national survey of academic institutions offering executive education in South Africa that was awarded to USB-ED in February this year.

USB-ED CEO, Frik Landman, commented: “Our vision for Africa and our role in it, keeps us motivated and constantly reaching higher. The PMR award in Botswana is therefore a further affirmation and motivates us to continue on our journey."

Read more at http://www.usb-ed.com/content/Pages/USB-ED-top-executive-education-provider-in-Botswana.aspx#ieIgubpZwR6xAkdz.99

The Thuthuka programme, an initiative aimed at motivating previously disadvantaged learners to pursue a career as chartered accountants, is celebrating its 10^th anniversary on campuses countrywide.

Thuthuka is a Zulu verb meaning "to develop," which is exactly the purpose of this project of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). Through the Thuthuka Bursary Fund and the Thuthuka Education Upliftment Fund, SAICA has helped thousands of students to realise their dreams.

At a celebratory function in Johannesburg recently, Stellenbosch University (SU) was awarded with a certificate of excellence for the work it has done in promoting transformation, the success of the Stellenbosch Thuthuka programme and its contribution to transforming the accountancy profession. Project Manager Riaan Rudman received the certificate from Mr Sizwe Nxasana, Chairperson of the Thuthuka Bursary Fund Trust and CEO of FirstRand.

A decade ago a total of 322 African and 222 Coloured chartered accountants were registered with SAICA. By the end of 2013, these numbers had grown to 2 520 African and 973 Coloured chartered accountants – a significant achievement considering it takes seven years to qualify.

The Stellenbosch Thuthuka programme was launched in 2007 with 20 students. Since then, 75 students have graduated with a BAcc degree and 37 students with BAccHons. Earlier this year, one of the students from the very first intake, Mr Amber de Laan, now a registered chartered accountant, joined SU as a lecturer and Thuthuka project manager.

In marking these achievements, Stellenbosch Thuthuka students have organised various activities including poem writing, creating a special song and distributing cupcakes on campus. They also produced a video commemorating the history of the programme.

• To watch the YouTube video about the activities of the Stellenbosch Thuthuka students, click here.

​Gender inequality is sometimes so deeply ingrained at South African universities that women often do not apply for top jobs even though they may be fully qualified for the position.

​To put PhD behind ones name brings status, standing and respect, but requires many hours of high-level research and especially the competency to do it. This might nevertheless be worthwhile, as the demand for professionals with a business-related PhD is increasing world-wide.

According to University World News a 2014 global survey conducted by the Germany-based company DBA Compass indicates that there is a growing global trend towards professional doctorates in business management. 

A substantial 64% of professional doctorates in management had been launched in the past decade and a quarter of them in the past three years, with 58% of the new degrees in Europe and 35% in North America. Most universities saw the strongest increase in student demand from Asia and the Middle East (89%) and Africa (81%).

This is against the background of South Africa’s National Planning Commission’s (NPC’s) target of producing 100 000 PhDs by 2030. According to Science and Technology Minister, Naledi Pandor, South Africa currently turns out just over 1 800 PhDs a year. In order to reach this target the country need to train 6 000 PhDs per annum.

It is with this in mind that USB Executive Development (USB-ED), the public executive development and training company of the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB), has designed the Doctoral Research Training Programme (DRTP) to assist candidates to follow through with their PhD studies.

A doctorate, being the highest academic qualification that can be awarded, puts enormous emphasis on producing new knowledge and therefor the crux of the matter is research and the ability to do it well.

The programme will be presented in Cape Town from 8 to 12 September 2014. The DRTP is targeted at PhD students in all fields of study and from all higher education institutions  and business schools. It is ideal for prospective PhD candidates and those who have already started with a PhD. 

Head of open programmes at USB-ED, Willemien Law, says that at the end of the programme participants will have a clear understanding of the requirements for undertaking a doctoral study.

“It equips participants with the ability to begin to write a comprehensive research proposal, have the capacity to develop a suitable methodology for their research study and have an appreciation for the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of research.

“Furthermore, the programme provides exposure to the issues and learning philosophy surrounding qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. It also equips participants with the necessary knowledge to analyse both qualitative and quantitative data,” Law says.

The book The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research, written by Marian Petre and Gordon Rugg and published Open University Press, states that: ”Entering students often think of a PhD as a 'magnum opus', a brilliant research project culminating in a great work. This is rather a demanding model and few students win Nobel Prizes as a result of their doctoral studies.

“More realistically, a PhD is a demonstration of research competence. There are certain things that you are demonstrating through your dissertation: 
•    Mastery of your subject 
•    Research insight
•    Respect for the discipline
•    Capacity for independent research
•    Ability to communicate results and relate them to the broader discourse

“These reflect competence and professionalism, rather than greatness. Importantly¬, they are as much about comprehending others' work as about doing one’s own.”

According to Law this gives good insight into what the DRTP programme is about and what it offers participants.

More information on this programme can be found here.

For the second year in a row a member of the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science at Stellenbosch University has walked away with the esteemed Gold Medal award from the South African Chemical Institute (SACI).

Prof Len Barbour, an experimental chemist and research professor, received the award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field. Last year, Prof Bert Klumperman was a recipient, while Prof Helgard Raubenheimer received it in 2002 and Prof Ben Burger in 2004.

Another feather in the department's cap is the fact that Prof Klaus Koch has been elected as a Fellow of the Institute. In order to be elected as a Fellow a scientist should be in good standing with the Institute and must have demonstrated excellence and leadership in the areas of the profession, education and management, and volunteer service to the chemical community. He joins an élite list of only 15 Fellows of the Institute.

Prof Peter Mallon, head of the Department of Chemistry, says these are wonderful achievements and are deserved recognition for their outstanding contributions to the field of chemistry.​

​The text of the article follows below. Visit www.citypress.co.za for the original item. 

Women make up 51,3% of our population, yet 20 years after the dawn of democracy in South Africa, they are still seriously underrepresented at the upper levels of society – including at our universities.

Only 18,5% of professors and 29,8% of associate professors in our country are women, and only four of our 25 public universities have female vice-chancellors – that is just 16%.

At the risk of stating the obvious, why is this a problem? Well, not only is it unfair, it is also an underutilisation of the total capabilities of humankind. The former is intolerable, and the latter is scarcely something that we can afford in light of the need for accelerated human development everywhere.

In 2009, American NGO the White House Project said that the gravity of empowering women to take on leadership roles within institutions of higher education goes beyond mere numbers. The organisation argued that the "presence – or absence – of female academic leaders can have far-reaching influences not only on the institutions themselves, but … on the scope of research and knowledge that affects us all."

The big challenges that we face at this point in the history of humankind – managing global warming and climate change, achieving greater socioeconomic equality, reducing armed conflict – are complex and demanding. We cannot afford to handicap ourselves by not using all our human resources to the full.

To be fair, greater emphasis has since 1994 been placed on equal opportunities for women in higher education in South Africa. There are now more women students, women staff and women managers at universities than before.

According to the Council on Higher Education, South Africa's number of female students rose from 409 000 in 2006 to 543 000 in 2011. But, then again, the number of male students also went up, with the ratio staying more or less the same.

What about university staff and senior management? We see the same thing. Yes, there are more women, but there are also more men, so the ratio again stays constant.

In this regard, universities seem to reflect the general trend elsewhere in our society. According to the Commission for Employment Equity women comprise 43% of the skilled workforce, 42% of those with professional qualifications, 30% of senior managers, and 20% of top management. The trend is clear: The higher up you in the workplace, the fewer women you find.

Universities should be setting an example, though. Higher education is a very important site of contestation for the advancement of women – in various ways related to the different functions of higher education.

The university firstly has a pedagogical role, shaping young people at a crucial stage of their lives. They have to be guided to think critically and to re-examine existing practices in relation to the position of women in society.

In the second place, the university has an important role in generating new knowledge. This, in turn, has an influence on government and public policy at various levels.

Lastly, universities are situated in society and should therefore engage with communities in meaningful ways. This is where higher-education institutions should also exert an influence in terms of the status of women in society.

Improving the status of women in South Africa was very important to the country's first president in the democratic era, the late Nelson Mandela. He is credited with "opening … the door to women's empowerment" after the 1994 elections.

In the first session of South Africa's new parliament in 1994, Madiba said that "freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression." He added that women should be "empowered to intervene in all aspects of life as equals with any other member of society".

Sadly, 20 years down the line, we have not made enough progress in this regard. That is why we should invest in the empowerment of all children through education. And we should also carefully manage the process thereafter so that women's advancement is not left to chance, but is positively boosted at all levels.

* CAPTION: Prof Russel Botman with staff members of the University of Aberdeen on International Women's Day, 8 March 2014, from left, Prof Neva Haites, Prof Anne Glover, Ms Marie O'Hanlon, Ms Susan Shaw and Prof Lesley Yellowlees. PICTURE: Brian G Stewart

As computer scientist she is one of a handful in South Africa who strives to enable people with learning difficulties to reach their full potential through the use of technology.

"Quite by accident my path has crossed with a number of people, mostly learners and students, who were struggling with certain situations which I thought  could be improved through computers and technology," explains Prof Lynette van Zijl, head of computer sciences at Stellenbosch University.

This old-Namibian delivered her inaugural lecture this month (5 August 2014). Her argument is that the theoretical principles of computation (like that of automata theory) are fundamental to all aspects of computer applications, and that the field of computer science comprises much more than just programming. With this approach she has developed a number of practical applications.

In this way she initiated a project to translate mathematical formulae directly into Braille when she became aware of two visually impaired students in computer science, who were struggling to gain access to academic material. Both those students are currently working toward their MSc degrees in Computer Science. At present she is also the study leader for a student looking at the automatic interpretation of computer science diagrams (such as trees, graphs and automata).

She is proud of the fact that, through her contribution, SU reconsidered its policy regarding visually-impaired students studying mathematics. Those students now have 20 minutes per hour more time to complete a test.

While there are only a small number of computer scientists in South Africa specialising in assistive technologies, she says it is a huge field of research internationally, actively supported by major companies such as IBM. However, locally it is a struggle to get a private company interested in further developing her group's research prototypes.

Prof Van Zijl's research is not limited to assistive technologies for the visually impaired. She worked on projects such as the automatic translation of text to South African Sign Language, as well as the development of a prototype visual avatar to assist with the interpretation of conversations with people on the autism spectrum.

"Much of our research focuses on natural language systems. The system behind the avatar enables the user to pose questions and then observe 'typical' reactions. In the case of autism, reactions are sometimes more physical than verbal," she explains.

At present she is working with SU's Centre for Learning and Teaching on a project to enable those students who cannot cope with group situations, to attend class "virtually".

Apart from developing mobile apps for individual children, she is also interested in developing a language model that represents autistic thinking.

About computer science as a career, and about the fact that there are so few women in the field, she believes that it is much friendlier than other male-dominated careers: "In computer science you are not judged in terms of who or what you are, but rather how good you are. This also holds true on an international level."

"When I started with computer science at SU in the early 1980s, it was considered as the ideal career path for women with technical and mathematical interests. Back then we were six women and two men in the honours class."

However, worldwide there is a critical shortage of women with degrees in computer science. Since the middle eighties there has been a constant decrease in the number of female students entering computer science studies. A recent study, conducted in the USA, postulates that, if this consistent downward trend continues, there will be no women computer science students left to enter the market by 2032.

As head of computer science at SU, she feels that  she enjoys every aspect of her work and research (except, of course, admin): "I enjoy lecturing, especially to those students who are working hard but still struggling. Then one day the penny drops, and then they manage those difficult things!"

It is also a challenge to keep inspiring the students: "I enjoy showing the students that it is all about what you learn and how much you enjoy it, rather than only good marks. We are providing the leaders of tomorrow with new knowledge. We have to treat them like adults and allow them to think for themselves."

To this scientist research is per definition the best part of her job: "I enjoy finding solutions to problems. As a scientist at a university I can contemplate many issues, and then try to find a solution."

Because, she concludes, "this head is always switched on".

Background

Prof Lynette van Zijl grew up in Namibia and enrolled for a BSc degree at Stellenbosch University in the early eighties. She obtained a PhD in computer science from SU in 1997 and is at present head of the Division: Computer Science in the Department Mathematical Sciences (Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science). She is passionate about the theoretical aspects of her field, but then always ends up wanting to make it practical. One of her hobbies  is LEGO. Many of her students worked on the problem of automatically generating building instructions for LEGO sculptures from digital images. She even defined a new type of finite automaton in this endeavour, supporting the contention that all good solutions require solid theory.

Photo: From the left, Prof Louise Warnich (Dean: Faculty of Science), Prof Lynette van Zijl and Prof Eugene Cloete (Vice-Rector: Research & Innovation).

Prof Russel Botman's unexpected passing, the Afrikaans media, alleged discord within the SU Council, Afrikaans as teaching language and the future of Stellenbosch University (SU) are some of the topics raised by Mr George Steyn, Chairperson of the Stellenbosch University Council, in conversation with Mr Bun Booyens, Editor of Die Burger. The article under the heading, Strydbyle moet begrawe word (Hatchets should be buried), was published on the centre spread of By&Naweek+, a supplement to Die Burger, Beeld and Volksblad, three Afrikaans newspapers in the Media24 stable on Saturday 9 August 2014.

Click here for the English translation of the comprehensive interview.

​​We must change the way we think about Women's Day and Women's Month if we really want to celebrate South African women, writes Roxanne Eastes in an opinion article published in the Weekend Post and the Pretoria News on 9 and 11 August respectively.

Why we need to start celebrating Women's Day differently

​This month we celebrate South African women. We also use this opportunity shed light on the horrific daily realities of many of these women.

However, if we are serious about bringing about change, I believe we should first start by altering our approach to this day in particular.

I was a young girl when I first discovered the history behind Women's Day. My heart swelled with pride at the thought of 20 000 women marching to the Union buildings in Pretoria in 1956.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine how many sheets of paper it would take and how many hours of labour had to go in to accumulate 100 000 signatures. What a wonderful thought: on that day it matter not whether you were black, white, coloured, Indian or any other race for that matter.

What mattered was that you were a woman and that you were united in the cause to fight Apartheid and the pass laws.

I got goose bumps at the thought that for half an hour, in absolute silence, these women looked straight into the eyes of Premier JG Strijdom and challenged Apartheid. Just imagine the powerful sound of 20 000 women singing Wathint' Abafazi Wathint' imbokodo!  (Now you have touched the women, you have struck a rock). I wonder how Apartheid trembled in that moment.

At home, I memorised the names of the women leading the march: Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Albertina Sisulu, Sophia Williams-De Bruyn. I wanted to be as brave as they were when I grew up.

But when we hear about Women's Day, or Women's month for that matter, all we seem to hear about is the constant struggle of our women. We hear about the 66 000 rapes last year, only to be devastated even further when experts predict that so many rapes go unreported that a more accurate number is at least double that. We hear that more than half of our women are victim to some kind of domestic violence, whether physical, verbal or emotional.

Don't get me wrong, I do not deny this struggle for a moment and I do believe Women's Day (and Women's month) is vital in ensuring that the plea is heard. We must hear about these terrors so that our rage will spur us into action.

However, to take up our women's struggles for only a day, or even a whole month, is nothing more than a slap in the face of these women. To donate some money or some hours once-off is like washing our hands in their blood.

I'll say it again – yes, bring these struggles to light. But if we want to conquer them, I want you to tell me more about our victories too.

On Women's Day I don't want to focus only on the burden of being a woman, but also on my inherent strength as one. Allow me to celebrate those 20 000 and all the millions thereafter too. Tell me more of their stories.

I want to plead for a mind shift in the way we represent and think about the women in South Africa. Our women are victims, yes, but wow, are they victors too!

Only when we truly appreciate our women in their totality, will we give them the chance to rise from subordinate to equal.

I do not think for a second that the 20 000 that sang Wathint' Abafazi Wathint' imbokodo! ​on that day meant it lightly.

• Roxanne Eastes is a postgraduate student in the Department of Journalism at Stellenbosch University.​

A group of 33 professors at Stellenbosch University (SU) has been appointed as Distinguished Professors at a function held on Friday (8 August) at STIAS.

This was an initiative by SU's late Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Russel Botman, who announced the names of the recipients of this title at a Senate meeting in June.

The criteria for eligibility included: Having been appointed as a professor at SU for at least five years; continuous excellent performance over the last three years; international stature; proven exceptional performance and leadership in higher education in research and publications, postgraduate study leadership, learning and teaching, and community interaction.

The appointment is valid for five years and re-appointments can be considered. 

At the event on Friday, Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel, Vice-Rector (Teaching and Learning), said it is the first time that SU has created a formal position for recognition for the University's best academics. He said he would like to challenge the Distinguished Professors to prepare the next generation of academics for excellence.

"You are at the pinnacle of academic achievement. Who better to nurture the next generation? You have excelled at supervising at the Master's and Doctoral level. Why not pay back and also work more with undergraduate (even first-year) students, research interns and junior lecturers? Invest right at the broad base of future scholars. Inspire them, mentor them, and help cultivate the next generation of distinguished professors. That way we will have a sustained crop of academic superstars to guide this institution in the future," Prof Schoonwinkel said. (Click here for his full speech​.)

The names of appointees are:

Faculty of AgriSciences

Prof Jens Kossmann, Institute for Plant Biotechnology

Prof Louw Hoffman, Animal Sciences

Prof Michael Samways, Conservation Ecology and Entomology

Prof Linus Opara, Horticultural Science

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Prof Johann Mouton, Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology

Prof Bill Nasson, History

Prof Anton van Niekerk, Philosophy

Prof Ashraf Kagee, Psychology

Prof Keith Dietrich, Visual Arts

Prof Louise Viljoen, Afrikaans and Dutch

Prof Leslie Swartz, Psychology

Prof Nina Schumann, Music

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences

Prof Christo Boshoff, Business Management

Prof Mark Swilling, School for Public Leadership

Prof Servaas van der Berg, Economics

Faculty of Education

Prof Yusef Waghid, Education Policy Studies

Prof Lesley Le Grange, Curriculum Studies

Fakulty of Engineering

Prof Willem Perold, Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Prof David Davidson, Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Faculty of Law

Prof Jacques du Plessis, Private Law

Prof André van der Walt, Public Law

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Prof Nulda Beyers, Paediatrics and Child Heath

Prof Simon Schaaf, Paediatrics and Child Heath

Prof Paul van Helden, Biomedical Sciences

Prof Robert Gie, Paediatrics and Child Heath

Faculty of Science

Prof Dave Richardson, Botany and Zoology

Prof Kathy Myburgh, Physiological Sciences

Prof Jannie Hofmeyr, Biochemistry

Prof Harald Pasch, Chemistry and Polymer Science

Prof Bert Klumperman, Chemistry and Polymer Science

Prof Leon Dicks, Microbiology

Prof Emile van Zyl, Microbiology

Faculty of Theology

Prof Dirkie Smit, Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology

Photo: The group of distinguished professors who attended the function on Friday. Photo: ANTON JORDAAN

​

PREREQUISITE

No prior knowledge is required.

TEACHING METHOD

A communicative, interactive, and task and needs-orientated suggestopaedia. The method includes oral and speaking tasks at a lower beginner level and group-work interaction with the teacher. It comprises a communicative approach so that isiXhosa is learned in a fun and an exciting way.

EVALUATION METHOD

Students obtain continuous assessment through their presence and participation. Study material is provided on the first day of class attendance.

AIMS

• To introduce non-isiXhosa speakers to the isiXhosa language and culture.
• To empower staff members by developing their multilingual skills.
• To enable non-isiXhosa speakers to engage in meaningful conversation at beginner level.
  
   
  
  CONTENT
  
  Classes focus on the following themes for communication purposes:

• Greeting someone and introducing yourself
• Asking about someone's health and feelings
• Inviting someone for drinks and food
• Ordering drinks and food at a restaurant
• Identifying kitchen contents
• Making and answering telephone calls
• Describing weather conditions
• Naming the days of the week and the months of the year
• Setting up both informal and formal appointments
• Giving directions both on and off campus
• Asking for help at a filling station
  
   
  
  OUTCOMES
  
  At the end of this nine-week course, students will be able to use a basic isiXhosa vocabulary for social communication in a variety of contexts. The students will be able to demonstrate the following skills at a lower beginner level: 

1. Listening skills: Listen to and understand simple descriptions, actions and scenes. Show understanding of the identification and description of people and objects. Show understanding of oral suggestions given.
2. Speaking and oral interaction: Take part in short dialogues. Ask for goods, services and objects. Answer questions and give details of simple explanations emerging from listening content. Write short familiar sentences dictated.
3. Reading: Read sentences mastered orally about a variety of subjects. Read both short and longer, more familiar texts and understand the central content of paragraphs.
   
    
   
   DAYS AND TIMES OF PRESENTATIONS: [Please note: Tuesdays & Thursdays only]

16 September – 23 October                         Tygerburg Campus                          12:50 – 13:50

REGISTRATION: Please follow the link below to apply.

http://apps.sun.ac.za/SCD/ApplicationForm.aspx?offeringid=222f42da-7389-e311-828d-0050568000ff

We keep classes small to ensure individual attention. To avoid disappointment, please register as soon as possible.

For more information about the course, please phone or email Grant Ngidi at glngidi@sun.ac.za

Call: 021 808 9097.

​​The Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of The Netherlands, Ms Lilianne Ploumen, opened a brand-new solar powered artificial grass mini football field at the Lentelus Soccer Centre in Hammanshand Road in Stellenbosch on Tuesday 8 July.

The opening was done in honour of the late Prof Russel Botman, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, who passed away last month. Prof Botman was a driving force behind the development of soccer at the University.

At the opening Prof Leopoldt van Huyssteen, acting Rector and Vice-Chancellor, said: "Prof Botman would have been over the moon today. He believed in the power of sport to change lives. He specifically championed the Stellenbosch University Football Programme. One of his priorities was the empowerment of women – starting with the girl child. And environmental sustainability was close to his heart. All of these things come together right here at this soccer field." (Click here for his speech.)

In her address Minister Ploumen said that football brings people together and that the field will enable the young people of Stellenbosch to further develop their talents.

With regard to the specific aims of coaching girls she commented that empowering girls and women makes a better world for all of us. "For girls it is so important to have female coaches, but also to play in all-girls teams, to have role-models and to see that in sport and in other spheres of life, you can be who you want to be and contribute to society."

The football field is one of the benefits of the Stellenbosch University (SU) football development programme, which aims to invest in the promotion and advancement of football in the Stellenbosch region and the creation of an expert football environment.

"Thanks to our sponsors of the facility, PEC Zwolle, who is our official international football partner, the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) and Philips, we can now contribute to the Stellenbosch community reaching its dream of enriching people's lives through the vehicle of football," said Ms Anita Nel, CEO of Innovus, the University's industry interaction and innovation company that spearheads the football programme at the University.

The 5v5 football pitch (5 players per team) will benefit from the installation of four solar-powered floodlights, thereby extending the use of the facility into the evening hours. It is planned to install four to six more of these light centres in the broader Stellenbosch community.

"Our aim is to build the SU Football Programme into the leading football development programme in South Africa. I am confident that we are more than capable in this regard, given our world class facilities, expertise in the field of sport science and our geographical location," says Nel. "The programme aims to establish the building blocks of football development in the region and to nurture and develop talented players. In cooperation with the Local Football Association (LFA) we want to focus on holistic, inclusive sport and development of human potential, which will include the development of players, match officials, coaches and sport administrators."

According to Nel, the installation of these light centres enables and supports the KNVB's WorldCoaches programme worldwide. Since the start of WorldCoaches programme in 2009, the KNVB has trained over 3 800 coaches in 15 countries – including at Stellenbosch and the coaches of the surrounding communities. "It goes without saying that better coaches and coaching methods play a major role in the development of football talent.

"We are extremely proud of this new 5v5 football pitch and believe that the local players will benefit from it – and also enjoy playing on the pitch!"

Photo: Adrian Baillie-Stewart

​

The Endler Concert Series is proud to announce a performance of Handel's Theodora on Saturday the 30th of August in Stellenbosch.

'Theodora' is of one of Handel's largest-scale oratorios for soloists, choir and orchestra and was his own personal favourite. Featuring some of the composer's most glorious music, this tragic work depicts the self-sacrificial love between the Christian martyr Theodora and a Roman imperial bodyguard. It serves as a timeless parable of spiritual resistance to tyranny and an indictment of persecution, topics that still resonate with audiences today.

This production features the visiting L'Orfeo Barock Orchester from Europe, the St George's Singers and soloists, Eric Eloff, Clint van der Linde, Nick de Jager, Aubrey Lodewyk and Willem Bester, under the direction of Barry Smith. It is the first time a Handel oratorio has been performed in South Africa with an orchestra consisting of period instruments.

This concert will take place in the Endler Hall in Stellenbosch, at 16:30 on the 30th of August.  Tickets for R125 (regular) and R90 (pensioners and students) can be bought through Computicket.  A pre-concert talk will be presented by Dr Ruth Smith, a Handel expert from the UK, at 15:30.  For further information, please contact Leon van Zyl on 021 808 2358, or leonvanzyl@sun.ac.za

The Endler Concert Series is proud to announce several performances by one of the world's legendary violinists, Pinchas Zukerman. Mr Zukerman will be accompanied by his wife, Amanda Forsyth, Canada's pre-eminent cellist, both of whom will be touring South Africa courtesy of Charl van Heyningen Enterprises. Mr Zukerman's international acclaim of several decades also extends to the conductor's podium and audiences in the Western Cape will have a choice of two programmes in which to experience him as violinist and as conductor.

On 19 August, Zukerman and Forsyth will present a programme of the Vivaldi double concerto, Boccherini cello concerto and Mozart violin concerto no 5 in A major K219 with the SAMA winning Stellenbosch University Camerata that accompanied Joshua Bell to high acclaim in 2012. This concert will take place in the Endler Hall at 20:00.

At 20:00 on 22 and 23 August the duo will perform Malcolm Forsyth's 'Electra Rising' for cello and orchestra as well as Bruch's famous violin concerto with the University of Stellenbosch Symphony Orchestra in the Cape Town City Hall and Endler Hall, Stellenbosch respectively. Whilst Mr Zukerman will conduct 'Electra Rising', he will appear as soloist in the Bruch under the baton of resident music director, Corvin Matei.

Malcolm Forsyth (1936 - 2011) was born in Pietermaritzburg and as a citizen of Canada was named Canadian Composer of the year (1989) whilst in 2003, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. 'Electra Rising' is a complex and beautiful work that exploits the full range of the solo cello. These performances represent a homecoming of sorts for this internationally acclaimed composer.

Computicket bookings for the Western Cape concerts open on Monday 19 May and patrons are encouraged to book early for these gala affairs. Ticket prices range from R350 to R450 and further information can be obtained from Leon van Zyl: leonvanzyl@sun.ac.za / 021 808 2358.

The Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences (FMHS) will host its 58^th Annual Academic Day on 13 August 2014 on Tygerberg Campus and serves as a showcase of the latest research by researchers and students of the Faculty.

The Annual Academic Day (AAD) is a highlight on our academic calendar, and it showcases and celebrates the Faculty's ongoing world-class research. It also provides an opportunity to acknowledge the commitment and hard work of researchers and support staff, whose efforts are indispensable to the success of our research enterprise. Importantly, it is a time to take stock and reflect on the impact of our research, and to celebrate the positive difference it has made in the lives of individuals and communities.

This year the programme takes on a new format. Rather than the discipline-specific approach, research will be presented around central themes, which will allow researchers from different environments and disciplines to come together and interact around the health issues of greatest importance to our country. FMHS' current research priorities are well aligned with those of the National Department of Health with respect to the so-called quadruple burden of disease, in other words the four groups of conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality in South Africa. These are HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases; maternal and child health; non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases); and violence, injury and trauma. In addition, the FMHS recognises the importance of mental health in achieving health for all people. The Faculty also sees the strengthening of health systems and services and innovation in health professions education as key priorities to advance the health of our nation.

This year our programme includes around 80 oral and 80 poster presentations, as well as six State of the Art lectures, organised under six thematic areas: health systems strengthening; infectious diseases; non-communicable diseases; mental health and neurosciences; violence, injuries, trauma and rehabilitation; and women and child health.

The guest speaker, Prof Glenda Gray (President of the South African Medical Research Council) will deliver her presentation titled "Moving Medical Science forward", at 13:00 in the new Lecture Hall L11, Teaching Building.

In addition to re-focussing the main event, FMHS has at the same time expanded the AAD offering by introducing more discipline-specific departmental research days, which will take place throughout the year in all the departments in the Faculty. We hope that by doing this it will become more evident how our research is contributing to the Faculty's vision to advance health and equality in South Africa and beyond.

The full programme is available at the AAD website at www.sun.ac.za/aad

We look forward to seeing you at the AAD.

Stellenbosch University's health service is ready to implement measures and guidelines to provide the necessary support should any suspected Ebola virus cases be reported at its campuses. This is according to Dr Pierre Viviers, Senior Director: Campus Health Service (CHS).

"Stellenbosch University acknowledges the unprecedented outbreak of the Ebola virus in Western Africa. The deadly outbreak has been an international cause for concern for the past few months, but South Africa has put in place preventative measures and guidelines to detect and manage suspected cases in order to limit the spread of the disease to this country," Dr Viviers said.

He however emphasised that to date no suspected or confirmed cases exist in South Africa and that all national and provincial actions which were put in place as from Friday last week, were to keep South Africa clear. He also gave the assurance that the campus community will be updated with any changes to the current status.

According to Viviers, all healthcare systems (private and state) are informed of protocols to be followed should there be suspected cases and therefore CHS is implementing management guidelines which support government's actions.

Be on alert

"There is no need to panic, but I urge visitors to SU (students and lecturers) from the affected countries (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria) to be on alert for symptoms. All patients at risk (who travelled from the affected countries in the past 21 days, presenting with a fever and confirm a definite contact with an affected person in the affected countries) should report to CHS at Stellenbosch or Tygerberg for further management according to the statutory guidelines," Dr Viviers added.

They should also call SU's Dr Craig Thompson or sr Anneke van Heerden on 021 808 3496/ 808 3492 (office hours) or 076 431 0305 for assistance.  "This is the number to our Stellenbosch office, because it's best to keep all calls centralised.  Dr Thompson has direct access to Tygerberg Hospital and the consultants who will further assist us. A central number will also enable us to keep better track of the campus situation from an early point," Dr Viviers added.

What are the signs and symptoms of Ebola?

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Ebola is a severe acute viral illness often characterised by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.

The disease is reportedly transmitted through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. It then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.

Important numbers for staff and students:

• SU's Dr Craig Thompson or sr Anneke van Heerden could be contacted for any further information on tel: 021 808 3496/ 808 3492 (office hours) or 076 431 0305.

On the web:

• For more information on the disease: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/
• Provincial Health Department Response:
  
  http://www.westerncape.gov.za/news/western-cape-government-health-geared-ebola
• National Health Department Response:

http://www.health.gov.za/docs/other/DiseaseOutbreakNews.pdf

​Sometimes women can be their own worst enemy because they fight each other instead of breaking the snares and chains that prevent them from achieving success, writes Chelsea Johnstone in an opinion article published in the Cape Argus on Monday 11 August. The article appeared under the heading There's no need to out-woman each other.

Woman versus woman

​It's that time of the year again. We're using the month of August to honour and chant how wonderful South African women are, as we reflect on the hardships and power struggles endured over the centuries elapsed.

This is the time to celebrate the breakthrough of females who have made some or other difference in society.

But we also use this time to emphasise just how far we still have to go before "the woman" is fully emancipated. 

And while we point out the barriers facing our gender, we seem to miss one very important obstacle.

An obstacle so inconspicuous, yet we blindly stumble over it again and again, losing momentum just before our second breath kicks in: ourselves.

On 9 August 1956, a stronghold of women marched to the Union Buildings, in Pretoria, protesting against the heinous pass laws instated during the apartheid regime. This was a body of woman, armed with opinion and united for a cause.

It was the birth of our fearless female heritage.

Although 58 years later, it's a heritage still lingering in a confused adolescent phase.

We celebrate each other one day of the year and for the other 364 days we ruthlessly attack each other for not having the same superficial desires, morals or beliefs.

We judge women for the way they behave and dress, or we play down their talents because we feel we are equally as good at something – if not better.

What difference are we actually making and what change are we effectively instilling in the mind-set of our nation when we are constantly belittling our own?

Now some may argue that wisdom comes with age and that maturity dissolves this problem, but I see it every day and the age of the woman behind the snarky remarks, the insensitive judgement and the one who reluctantly applauses the other "she," has nothing to do with it.

Regardless of the phase in our lives, we fail to fully appreciate our fellow mothers, sisters and daughters – whether we choose to admit it or not.

We are perpetrators of gossip and victims of discrimination, however minute, imparted on us by the very "woman" we celebrate this time of the year. 

We demand external respect, yet the internal first needs fixing. How do we rally behind a cause that cries for the dignity of women to be acknowledged, yet we strip each other of that very thing?

For the 20 000 women who marched that day, their differences were put aside, but I can't help but feel that today's marching ends just a few steps too short.

It's not enough to support each other because the glare of the spotlight leaves us with no other choice but to make a contribution. And I choose the word "spotlight" intentionally, to illustrate that it is all a performance – an act.

For just like actors, we play our role when are prompted to do so and when that's over, we can go back to living a life so far removed from the show we have just lived out on stage. 

Without persistently poking at the taboos of feminism, I hope we can gain confidence in gender and that the need to out-woman each other stops – and stops quickly.

It is important that we remember, we are not fighting each other, but we are fighting the snares and chains that restrict us from success.

Let us not forget that a battle can only be won, if every member of its army is fully kitted and equally as co-operative as she who stands beside her.

So this year, when we hashtag and post online about how proud we are to be females, may the beautiful words we speak on this day, resonate long after the month has ended.

• Chelsea Johnstone is a postgraduate student in the Department of Journalism at Stellenbosch University.

​ 

​The University of Stellenbosch Business School has, for the third consecutive year, been rated the top school in the PMR.africa annual survey of accredited business schools offering MBA and MBL degrees in South Africa.

The respondents (employers) rated the MBA graduates and students in the workplace across 19 attributes – USB scored 8.00 out of a possible 10.00. For this achievement the school will receive PMR.africa's Diamond Arrow Award (highest rated).

USB's marketing director Marietjie Wepener commented: "This ranking demonstrates USB's excellent reputation as a foremost provider of business education in South Africa. It also shows how favourably South Africa's business and public sector leaders judge USB."

Wepener added: "The fact that USB has now been placed in the top position for three years in a row (2012, 2013 and 2014) and achieved an average 8 out of a possible 10 this year, shows the trust that employers have in the MBA students and graduates of this business school."

According to PMR.africa CEO Johan Hattingh human resource directors/managers and line managers at listed and large companies, national, provincial and local government departments/municipalities and state-owned enterprises participated in the survey. The ratings are based on the perceptions of the respondents.

Employees who are studying at or who have graduated from accredited business schools were ranked according to a list of criteria, including academic knowledge, application of knowledge in the workplace, communication skills/abilities, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurial skills/capacity/abilities, environmental awareness, ethical business conduct, financial management and human resource management.

The other attributes were implementation of corporate governance, information management, innovation, insight into sound sustainable development, international perspective, leadership skills/abilities, marketing management, operational management, quantitative abilities/skills and strategic management.

Hattingh said in a media statement: "The purpose of the awards is to celebrate excellence and to set a benchmark for others to aspire to."

A talk on "Towards a better Africa" hosted by the Stellenbosch Political Science Students Association (SPOSSA) and Stellenbosch University's Student Parliament will attract prominent local and international speakers, amongst them ex-Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, to Maties on 14 August.

Gordhan is currently Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

The event, which starts at 13:00 and will be hosted in the Endler Hall, forms part of the Student Parliament's Parliament Week.

Other speakers include Dr Mamphela Ramphele, a student activist during the Apartheid struggle, academic and businesswoman; Mr Dave Steward, the Executive Director of the FW de Klerk Foundation; His Excellency Mr Horst Freitag, German Ambassador in South Africa; and Mr Tim Harris, Democratic Alliance Parliamentary Counsellor.

SPOSSA's mission is to organise events to encourage discussion outside the classroom regarding the political science field and current political issues.

According to Mr Alexander Dyers, the Secretary-General of the Association and Mr Patrick Kadima, the President, the aim of this talk is to "critically analyse and discuss the current problems facing the African continent as a whole and provide viable solutions to address these problems".

"The idea was to get as many perspectives as we could and each speaker presents a new way of looking at the topic. The points of view and knowledge they have gained over the years from their different experiences will make for a stimulating and thought-provoking discussion," say Dyers and Kadima.

The media is welcome to attend a press conference which will start at 12:00 on the day in Room A201 in the Conservatorium.

For further information, contact Dyers at 071 640 6906 or 17644097@sun.ac.za or Mr Martin Viljoen at 021 808 4921 or 082 775 2396.