Now, more than ever before, higher education institutions globally have to practise good citizenship and social responsibility, and promote civic engagement and partnership to counter the effects of COVID-19 on communities and institutions. This was the conclusion reached at the Talloires Network of Leaders Conference 2021 (TNLC 2021) co-hosted virtually by Tufts University's Tisch College of Civic Life and the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics.

Stellenbosch University (SU) proudly served as a satellite host campus for the event and joined 418 other higher education institutions from 78 countries for the four-day conference themed “Global universities, local impact: Power and responsibility of engaged universities". In particular, participants examined higher education's responsibilities to encourage COVID-19 recovery and help resolve the societal problems amplified by the pandemic.

All persons on this planet should be active citizens, working together to improve the well-being of all, said Dr Lawrence (Larry) Bacow, president of Harvard University, during the opening ceremony. With COVID-19 having exposed and exacerbated socioeconomic inequality and pushed another approximately 120 million people into extreme poverty in 2020 alone, higher education institutions need to act to make a tangible difference, and not wait for others to bring about change, Bacow added.

SU's Prof Nico Koopman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel; Dr Leslie van Rooi, senior director of Social Impact and Transformation Division, and third-year medical student Marc Nathanson each moderated an interactive session with academics and students during the event.

Koopman moderated the discussion on how institutions and their students could promote social engagement. The working group explored the future of learning, teaching and research, and how universities could actively connect academic interests to real-world issues in post-pandemic communities. In the session chaired by Dr Van Rooi, in turn, participants deliberated on ways to assess and measure universities' social engagement so as to constantly evaluate and improve their efforts. The group led by Nathanson discussed the effects of COVID-19 on students and communities, and how they had responded and adapted to the crisis.

A key theme emanating from all the discussions was that the global pandemic had revealed and compounded many other, underlying challenges, including inequities in access to health care and education, economic inequality, gender oppression, structural racism and climate change.

The conference culminated in the introduction of the 2021 Talloires Declaration (Boston) by two student leaders, Rowyn Naidoo from the University of Cape Town and Susan Azizi from the American University of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan. Some of the major commitments in the declaration are to:

• promote human rights and further the free exchange of knowledge, ideas and practices;
• realise the potential of university-community engagement to improve research and teaching and to address societal challenges through collaborations that are adaptable, respond quickly to emerging social issues, and encourage the co-generation of knowledge;
• embrace differences as an essential ingredient of productive collaboration;
• develop the next generation of active citizens to address global challenges;
• create socially inclusive institutions and promote quality education for all;
• amplify the voices and lived experiences of all marginalised groups, including women, refugees, indigenous peoples, children, people with disabilities, and the elderly; and
• declare climate justice an urgent priority and mitigate harmful carbon emissions.

* The Talloires Network of Engaged Universities is an international association of socially responsible higher education institutions. The network hosts conferences, produces publications on university civic engagement, provides financial and technical support to regional university networks, and awards the annual MacJannet prize for deserving student civic engagement initiatives.

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​Stellenbosch University works hard to change systems and processes on campus to more sustainable energy sources and reduce the impact on the environment. Environmental sustainablity principles guide new buildings, refurbishing and renovation projects, and planning new spaces for research, teaching, and interaction. But the best intentions, regulations and principles in the world will have no impact if we do not change our behaviour, says Nadeem Gafieldien, Director Property Services at Facilities Management.

“Students and staff may not always have the environment as top of mind in their daily engagement on campus. However, we must always be aware that where there are people, they will affect the local ecosystem in one way or another," says Nadeem.

The efficient and safe operations of all buildings and spaces depends on the interactions of people in accordance with the design intent of that space Detail sustainability initiatives are incorporated in the design of buildings and spaces, which when operated correctly will facilitate optimisation of the buildings's environmental performance which will during its lifecycle will yield benefits to not only the occupants, but to the community by reducing the strain on the environment.

As part of FM's Environmental Sustainability  team, Christine Groenewald is the driving force behind engaging our student and staff communities in projects that raise awareness around sustainability on campus. Her engagement sessions range from planting trees on identified spaces to involving students and staff in recycling projects.

Groenewald gave us ten ways to incorporate a bit of green-mindedness into our daily interaction with the built environment at our various campuses. Here is her food for thought:

1.     Coffee, that morning must-have, how do your drink it? In a disposable cup perhaps? Why not consider buying yourself a reusable cup (the Matie Shop has a few on special from time-to-time!). It might require of you to wash it every time, but soon there will even be a solution for this on campus, so watch this space. And while we on this topic, instead of buying yet another plastic bottle of water, consider buying yourself a nice reusable bottle as well.

2.     Buy second-hand. The one thing that SU have a lot of is students and every year they come and they go. And every year the first-years buy new desks and the final years sell of throw away old desks. Consider reselling your furniture (there are some second-hand shops around or use Facebook marketplace). Instead of buying a brand-new desk, look around for some good quality second hand ones – it costs less and with a fresh coat of paint, anything can look good again. The same goes for your old books, kettle, toaster, other furniture and even your clothes.

3.     Consider a minimalist lifestyle. While on the topic of getting rid of things, around the world people are becoming more minimalistic in their way of life. Less is more, is not just a saying. Why crowd your life with books you are never going to read (again) or clothes you never wear? You will be amazed how little you really need and you will feel a lot lighter and brighter too.

4.     Go digital. If there is one thing we learned from the COVID-19  pandemic, is that we do not need printed books, notebooks and even posters any more. We were almost forced into a world where digital is the new norm. Think before your print a document or your bank statement. Make notes on your mobile or computer and where you are able to submit a project or dissertationdigitally, do so. Reduced printing saves a lot of trees, water, energy and harmful ink.

5.     Walk or cycle to work or class. If you are fortunate to stay close to campus, consider walking or cycling there. You might have to wake up a little bit earlier, but there might be some sustainable worms to catch along the way – less carbon emissions, less fuel, saving money, getting fit and who knows, a healthier and happier you! For people travelling by car prevent single use occupants per car. Be part of a lift club.

6.     Keep the lights off. Rather open the blinds and let natural light show you the way. Opening the window for fresh air where possible and mechanically allowed, is much better than being stuck in a closed office with air-conditioning. Just let nature in! Heating of warm water is the second biggest consumer of electricity on campus. That is why FM replaced geysers with energy efficient heat pumps. So, showering for less time saves water and electricity.

7.     Recycle. Like re-using that coffee cup, should you buy a take-out, make sure you recycle. On campus there are three very visible recycling waste bins where you can recycle almost everything – paper, plastic, and nowadays also e-waste. Look out for the big yellow bins on campus where you can recycle all your old chargers, leads, batteries and even mobile phones.

8.     Do not waste food. Food waste is one of SU's biggest problems and every day lots of food is sent to the rubbish heap. Think before you dish up that extra spoonful of rice. Rather come for a second helping than to leave food on your plate. If you are not a big fruit eater, buy them loose instead of a whole pack of bananas that will go off easily. 

9.     Keep your eyes open. If you detect a water leak at your student house or residence building, please report it immediately to FM's service desk at (021) 808 4666 or fmhelpdesk@sun.ac.za

10.  Be green. Get involved in SU's sustainability projects. Contact your Green Ambassador in your residence or student community and make a difference for your campus, the town of Stellenbosch and the world.

"We saw with the drought and the response to COVID that we can overcome all sorts of challenges by collaborating. We noticed that we were able to make decisions to the benefit of all. This is how we should deal with all future challenges because siloed, self-interest decision making is no longer an option. Let us all do our part and support SU's environmental sustainability goals and projects to make our campus greener, says Gafieldien.

He says the Environmental Sustainable  teamis currently rolling out a series of projects and engagements on campus that form part of SU's overall environmental sustainability strategy towards becoming a sustainable university. In using their division as a living laboratory, SU's Facilities Management has since 2015 been putting systems and processes in place to start paving the way for the University to become a smart campus where data-led decision-making will result in contributing solving problems and providing sustainable solutions for the future.​

The Southern Ocean's role in driving the global carbon cycle may be stronger than expected as the biological carbon pump is not “switched off" in winter as previously thought.

Based on the most comprehensive winter study to date, conducted in the Southern Ocean during July and August 2017, scientists from Stellenbosch University's Centre for Trace and Experimental Biogeochemistry (TracEx) in the Department of Earth Sciences were able to show that phytoplankton were indeed active during the icy cold and dark winter months.

These findings are important for predictive global climate models, which currently are based predominantly on spring and summer seasons. With the addition of data from winter, the models can now better represent the atmosphere-to-ocean carbon transfer cycle over seasons. For scientists, this is a step forward in analysing the sensitivity of this transfer to climate change.

Phytoplankton are microscopic, single-celled plant-like organisms suspended mostly in the top 100 metres of the oceans. Using sunlight for energy and dissolved inorganic nutrients, phytoplankton convert carbon dioxide to organic carbon and form the base of the marine food web. It has been shown that phytoplankton are as important in modifying the planet's cycle of carbon and carbon dioxide as all the world's land plants combined.

Dr Ryan Cloete, a postdoctoral fellow in the department and first author of two recent publications on the topic, says their findings are contrary to the general view that the Southern Ocean is biologically dormant during winter.

“Akin to leaves falling off trees during autumn because of unfavourable growth conditions, the assumption was that phytoplankton would also not be active during the winter. One of our major findings is that phytoplankton are indeed active during winter in the Southern Ocean, although not to the levels we see in summer. How phytoplankton are able to adapt to winter conditions is not well understood, and our research on trace nutrients is the first step in figuring out these adaption strategies," he explains.

To date, scientists have had very little understanding of the conditions that characterise the Southern Ocean during winter. This is mainly due to the challenge of sampling an ocean in sub-zero temperatures while bracing gale force winds and waves of up to 20 metres. It is not without reason that early sailors nicknamed this stretch of the Southern Ocean between latitudes 40° to 60° south the “Roaring Forties", following by the “Furious Fifties" and the “Screaming Sixties" (see image 1).

Dr Cloete says the Southern Ocean plays a fundamentally important role in regulating the earth's climate: “It is estimated to store about 75% of the global oceanic uptake of excess heat and 35% of the global uptake of excess carbon from the atmosphere. The Southern Ocean is also the only ocean that directly connects the three major ocean basins i.e. the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans (see Figure 2). In other words, what happens in the Southern Ocean has an impact on the global ocean."

This global process is driven through a process called thermohaline circulation ('thermos' means heat and 'haline' means salinity). At the poles, the cold and dense surface seawater sinks to the deep ocean, from where it flows in large ocean currents to eventually return to the surface through mixing and wind-driven upwelling in the warmer latitudes. Scientists call this the great ocean conveyor belt, and it can take water almost a thousand years to complete the journey. The Southern Ocean therefore acts as a central hub whereby inflowing waters are modified and redistributed throughout the global ocean.

Dr Cloete says the winter season in the Southern Ocean is extremely important for setting the biological stage for the spring and summer seasons: “In winter, strong storms and winds serve to create a more unstable surface layer which penetrates beneath the stable summer surface waters, which are now depleted in nutrients after the growing season. This allows mixing with the nutrient rich waters found in the sub-surface waters. With the help of increased sunlight hours and calmer seas, this winter pulse of nutrients to the surface helps catalyse and sustain spring and summer phytoplankton blooms which, in turn, attracts whales, dolphins and penguins to the Southern Ocean buffet from up north.

“Observing winter systems is helping us understand various adaptation and survival strategies of phytoplankton under adverse growth conditions as well as nutrient recharge processes in extreme nutrient depleted surface waters at the end of the summer season. This is extremely important as the Southern Ocean circulation hub dictates that these waters are transported northwards, influencing ocean productivity throughout much of the global low-latitude ocean," he explains.

Prof Alakendra Roychoudhury, a specialist in environmental and marine biogeochemistry at SU and head of the TracEx research group, says that the findings reaffirm the Southern Ocean's global influence in regulating the climate and the marine food web: “The earth system is intricately coupled through physical, chemical and biological processes with self-correcting feedback loops to modulate variability and negate climate change. Our research is a prime example of this coupling where biochemical processes happening at microscopic level at the interface of water and microorganisms, is influenced by large scale ocean circulation and mixing.

“It is hard to fathom that these microscopic processes can influence global processes like warming of our planet because often we lack the knowhow of the linked processes and their feedback response," he concludes.

• All samples were collected on the SA Agulhas II, South Africa's polar research vessel, during a South African-led expedition from July to August 2017 (Figure 3). The sampling trip was funded by the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP), the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the National Research Foundation (NRF).
• The articles “Winter dissolved and particulate zinc in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean: Distribution and relation to major nutrients (GEOTRACES GIpr07 transect)" was published recently in Marine Chemistry, and “Winter Biogeochemical Cycling of Dissolved and Particulate Cadmium in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean (GEOTRACES GIpr07 Transect" in Frontiers in Marine Science in July 2021.

Captions

Image 1: High waves and icy conditions

During the July to August 2017 winter trip on board the SA Agulhas II polar research vessel, scientists from Stellenbosch University often had to endure high waves and icy conditions. Pictured here are icicles from the aft deck of the ship, with air temperature of minus 13°C (without wind chill). The second image shows the CTD rosette housing 24 Go-Flo bottles about to be lowered to a depth of 4 500 metres below surface. Photo credit: Ryan Cloete

For media interview requests, e-mail science@sun.ac.za​

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When Prof Karin Baatjes takes up her new position as Vice-Dean: Learning and Teaching of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) at Stellenbosch University (SU), her key aims will be to deliver graduates and educators who “serve society, are inspired towards lifelong learning – and who never forget that they have human beings in their care".

“My aim is to lead within an educational context that produces socially responsive practitioners because, ultimately, we serve society," Baatjes, currently Head of the Division of Clinical Anatomy, said in an interview shortly after her appointment was announced.

“I also want all the individuals I work with to be inspired towards lifelong learning, as learning never ends. This should not only hold true while students and staff are with us in the Faculty, but also as they progress in their careers. I wish for them to have a global viewpoint and to function in the digital arena, but also to remain aware of matters in our society."

The term of her appointment is for five years with the possibility of extending it to ten years. “I anticipate an immense growth spurt for myself in the next few years. I'm told I will be exposed to many new opportunities and avenues, which I'll embrace even if they are challenging.

“The legacy I want to leave is one that centres round positive interactions and influence. I've tried to practice that to date and will continue to do so."

Baatjes described her excitement at her appointment, saying that she has received many congratulatory emails and phone messages from colleagues in the medical fraternity, including SU.

“I've been part of this Faculty for a long time and know many people personally. I've also had emails from departments and I look forward to working in this bigger team context," she said, adding that team work will underpin her efforts in her new position.

“As a surgeon I've always functioned in a team, so it's the backdrop of my life. I believe very few things are achieved by the individual alone. We have to be aware of the role of all the people in what we do, no matter how big or small, leading to the outcome in what we strive to do."

She added: “I consider my task a big one, because of the impact it can have. It is important to me that, whatever I achieve, it benefits everyone in the Faculty – students and educators and all the stakeholders in learning and teaching."

As Vice-Dean, she will be part of the Dean's management team at the helm of running all aspects of learning and teaching in the Faculty. “The task will require a strategic outlook on how to take learning and teaching forward, while continuously being agile in all we do.

“Agility will be so important as we respond to change. The Covid-19 pandemic showed us the importance of thinking on our feet and of responding to different outcomes as they emerge."

Asked what special qualities she brings to the position, Baatjes said: “I bring energy. I'm always willing to try new things, to embrace innovative ideas from others and to step forward even when it is uncomfortable. I believe one must be willing to assert oneself to gain new ground and make an impact."

Born in De Aar in the Northern Cape, Baatjes moved to Cape Town when she was seven. After attending school in Kraaifontein, she went straight to SU to study medicine.

She completed her MBChB in 1997, became a fellow of the College of Surgeons (FCS), SA in 2004 and attained her MMed (surgery) in 2005 and her PhD (surgery) in 2018, both at SU.

She worked as a senior lecturer in the FMHS' Division of Surgery from 2005, before being appointed Head: Division of Clinical Anatomy in the Department of Biomedical Sciences in 2018 and, in 2019, as associate professor of surgery.

She chose medicine as her career because “I anticipated that I would enjoy working with patients. Surgery really enables one to bring about change. I am a 'doer' and a practical person. Quite simply, I like to think of what's wrong with the patient and how I can fix it. That's how I function in most aspects of my career."

Asked to name some highlights of her career to date, she said: “One of the biggest highlights was when I completed my surgical speciality. I was very proud, because I enjoy the surgical component. Another highlight is how, over the last three decades, I've evolved and grown. In my new position I will continue to do that. One should never become stagnant, no matter where you are. There's always something one can still learn."

With a wide-ranging body of research behind her, Baatjes said her biggest focus has been on breast cancer ­– as is evident from her PhD and her surgical career. Educational research, including educational leadership, has been another focus area.

When she is not working Baatjes, who comes from a close family of five siblings (she is the youngest), loves nothing more than spending time with her family. She also enjoys running.

She described her parents, both educators, as key influences on her life. “They both instilled a love for teaching and learning in me.

“There are so many individuals who play a part in one's growth. These, for me, include (Catholic nun and saint), Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Her philosophy 'I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples', has profoundly affected me.

“I am also very inspired by (American business executive and philanthropist) Sheryl Sandberg, who has said that leadership should be about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that that impact lasts in your absence."

Photo credit: Damien Schumann

South African universities are part of a society where “incredibly high levels of violence" are perpetrated – much of it against women. The responsibility to address this lies not only with universities but with the whole of society.

A country or a university can have the best policies and laws to deal with gender-based violence (GBV), but this often does not translate into adequately serving the rights of both victims and survivors.

This is according to Bronwyn Pithey, an advocate with the Women's Legal Centre, who has been working closely on issues relating to violence against women for the past 25 years. The comments were made during a webinar and in a panel discussion on putting an end to GBV on the Tygerberg campus of Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS).

The webinar, aimed at all students and staff, was titled 'Our campus. Our culture'.

Emeritus Professor Usuf Chikte, former head of the Department of Global Health in the FMHS, set the tone of the discussion by saying that "putting an end to GBV is our collective responsibility. Let's create a healthy, safe campus culture for all."

The webinar was started by listing South African women who have, in recent years, been victims of GBV.

Hennie Botha, provided some background on the task team, which was set up in July 2020 to address GBV on campus. He mentioned that in initially setting it up, it was hoped that it would facilitate a culture change that values, respects and protects each other on campus and beyond.

Universities face common obstacles in dealing with GBV on campus

Pithey, who has worked with various universities in dealing with GBV on campuses, stressed there was nothing unique about the efforts of Stellenbosch University in grappling with GBV.

She said there was indeed a deep understanding of the problem facing the campus as well as a commitment from the task team to make a difference, and that this should be acknowledged.

“Too often it's easy to criticise - because we are in pain and frustrated – the way a university or faculty does, or does not, respond, and a lot of that anger is expressed in a way that might not be constructive."

Pithey continued to say that despite SA's extremely good laws with regard to GBV, when one looks at the experiences of victims and survivors, within the criminal justice system in particular, one finds the attrition rate is extremely high – with women and children falling out of the system to the extent that we only have something like an eight percent conviction rate of reported matters to the police when it comes to cases involving sexual violence.

Policies alone will not solve the problem

"Many universities have fantastic reporting procedures and policies, but I have absolutely no doubt that unless you have the right people implementing those policies and procedures, victims and survivors may not feel supported, and may not stay in the process," said Pithey.

She added that it was absolutely essential there was information available to victims and survivors on how to report incidences of GBV. Even though things were in place, one has to remember that nobody looks at those policies, unless it affects them in some personal way.

She stressed that a policy that's neatly tucked away would not help anyone.

"Those who surround the person who is affected by such an incident, namely their friends, their family, their support mechanisms and people in the residences must be well versed in the policies and procedures that are required, when an incident of this nature occurs."

She mentioned that when we talk about access to justice, it's not only getting a perpetrator expelled, but it may be a whole lot of other things, such as making sure victims are fundamentally supported throughout the complaints process and that they are given assurance that they can continue with their studies.

A further concern students had communicated to her was a lack of transparency around investigation processes.

“Again it is the tension that exists in that the university has the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the students, but then they have to balance that with the rights of the alleged perpetrators."

Pithey also stressed the need for proper information to be given to the university community on the outcome of internal disciplinary proceedings.

“One thing happening at (some) universities is the naming of perpetrators. Universities have to try and balance their disciplinary process against a backdrop of a very angry student body who feels the university is not doing enough, and that they as the students have a right to tell everyone who the alleged perpetrators are."

“We need to look at why students are feeling frustrated. I think it is to a large extent because they feel the university is not responding in the way they want them to respond. Constant engagement with student bodies is extremely necessary."

Pithey stressed the need for a university to communicate openly and transparently with their student body, and to work as closely as possible with them, as silence leads to suspicion.

GBV on campuses needs to be seen in a wider societal context

Nina Burrowes, a UK-based psychologist, author, speaker, activist and founder of The Consent Collective, who was also a speaker at the event, provided a few valuable guidelines for campuses when dealing with GBV.

“It is vital to think about the wider context – to recognise that you have a problem with GBV on campus, but that every university and society in the world has a problem with GBV. If you just put it in a silo and talk about what is happening on campus, without considering what's happening in the wider society, you're much less likely to have a positive impact."

She said that the work on GBV should be embedded into the core purposes of universities and other institutions. She cautioned against putting the issue of GBV onto the side lines and into silos.

“This particular topic area and how we go about making meaningful change, has everything to do with how you are dealing with issues related to ethnicity and race on campus, and with gender in its wider context."

“The skills, conversations and relationships necessary to combat GBV are the same that are needed to make meaningful progress with regard to all these issues."

Burrowes agreed with Pithey that policy alone won't make a campus safe. She stressed that it was about the people, the culture and the community.

"A good result is not a wonderful reporting process. A good result is this doesn't happen on campus anymore."

“Justice is not just what happens to the perpetrator, justice is that you continue with your studies, that you don't have to drop out, that you're given all you need to heal and process your pain – so support is absolutely essential for that, " Burrowes stressed when talking about the meaning of justice for victims and survivors of GBV.

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Photo credit: PIXABAY

The following article by Johann Kirsten and Helanya Fourie was published in The Conversation of 15 October 2021 under the title Municipalities can play a key role in South Africa's economic development. Here's how: ​

Local economic development and better municipal service delivery are vital if South Africa wants to broaden economic participation and reverse its unemployment trend.

To achieve these objectives, it is necessary to strengthen municipal finances and investment. Good municipal governance is a prerequisite. Intermediate city municipalities have an important role to play, because urban development is critical for growth and investment. It may also reduce the pressure caused by urbanisation to metros.

Municipalities should:

• provide democratic and accountable governance for local communities
• ensure the provision of services in a sustainable way
• promote social and economic development as well as a safe and healthy environment
• encourage the involvement of communities in matters of local government.

Current outcomes suggest that South Africa's municipalities are failing in many of these respects.

The consequences for the country are dire and widespread. Municipal failure not only affects large businesses. It also has an impact on households, small, medium and micro-enterprises and other investors in local economies.

Economic growth, job creation and local economic development initiatives depend on municipal finances. They become constrained when local governments don't function well. Households directly suffer the consequences when basic service delivery is poor. But the problems extend beyond the household level.

Municipalities need to provide the infrastructure and basic services that support a favourable investment climate. Without this investment, deepening unemployment and poverty may follow. This has the further effect of eroding the local tax base, increasing municipal dependence on fiscal transfers and worsening South Africa's already constrained fiscal environment.

Ripple effects

Two examples illustrate how municipal failure can have a direct negative impact on local economic development.

The first is Clover, the food and beverage company. It has announced that it's closing its cheese processing facility in Lichtenburg in the North West province. Production will be moved to an existing plant outside Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.

The company attributed the decision to ongoing problems with service delivery by the Ditsobotla Local Municipality. It specifically mentioned water and electricity outages as well as the poor quality of roads. The move is estimated to lead to 330 job losses in the Lichtenburg economy.

Another example is Astral Foods, one of South Africa's largest poultry producers. The company owns a processing plant in Standerton in the Lekwa municipality. Astral took legal action against the municipality due to severe supply disruptions caused by disintegrating infrastructure. Power cuts and water shortages reportedly cost the company around R62 million in its latest financial year.

A court ordered the municipality to submit a long-term plan to repair and improve the infrastructure.

But this didn't improve outcomes. Earlier this year a new court order was issued. This required national government and the treasury to intervene and prepare a financial recovery plan.

The scale of the problem

We set out to better understand the degree of municipal failure across different types of municipalities. In our research note we drew a comparison between metros, intermediate city municipalities, and other local municipalities.

The population density, potential economic activity and resource base of intermediate city municipalities suggest that good local government could unlock substantial economic opportunities in these hubs.

Overview of different spheres of local government. Bureau for Economic Research/The State of South African Cities, 2016

Creating economic opportunities in intermediate city municipalities may also reduce some of the service delivery pressure caused by urbanisation to metros. It may help create a less skewed spatial distribution of economic activity and opportunities.

It is important to remember that municipalities have varying blends of service delivery responsibilities across rural and urban zones. They face different opportunities in terms of access to revenue. Hence, not all face an equal set of challenges.

In addition, municipalities form part of the broader architecture of government. They are therefore interdependent on national, provincial and district government functions. They also need entities such as the power utility Eskom and the water boards to function properly. Municipalities cannot influence local economic development in isolation from these agents.

Our research note identifies several cross-cutting problems within South Africa's local government sphere.

We look at service delivery and explain how issues in supply chain management and the audit process can cause poor or non-delivery of basic services. We also highlight some financial performance metrics that contribute to poor outcomes. Examples include low expenditure on repairs and maintenance and inadequate debt collection rates.

Finally, personnel vacancy rates are high. And there is a lack of competencies. Political influence and interference in the appointment of managers and other municipal executives contribute to the problem.

Solutions

It is important to ensure that professionals have the necessary qualifications.

It may help if municipal managers are required to register with professional bodies. What may also assist is ensuring that appointments are merit-based and made without undue political influence. This is particularly important within the administrative arm of local municipalities.

Also, a mechanism that sanctions or removes municipal officials from their positions if they are consistently underperforming might contribute to better outcomes.

Supply chain management and audit processes need to prevent fraud and corruption. But they shouldn't hamper spending. Nor should they shift the focus away from core municipal functions. The need to find a less cumbersome supply chain management process is critical. This should have a stronger focus on strengthening financial management and responsibility for service delivery. It wouldn't simply focus on the minutiae of compliance and post-facto audit interrogations.

The regulatory system should enhance rather than paralyse service delivery.

The complex developmental problems that South Africa faces cannot be solved with local municipalities operating in isolation.

There is a need for better management of inter-jurisdictional collaboration between the players. They include municipalities, water boards, provinces, Eskom and national departments.

Public-private partnerships may also provide valuable opportunities. These could, for example, help improve the management, expansion, maintenance and operation of select revenue-generating components of service delivery. Water, sewerage and sanitation and solid waste management come to mind.

But not all municipalities have the skills to manage such projects. Many may need technical support. These initiatives should be planned well and should not be the consequence of inadequate capacity or skills within municipalities. These considerations could contribute to better outcomes and improved service delivery.

The important developmental role that intermediate city municipalities can play in creating employment and stimulating economic growth suggest that these areas in particular should be prioritised.

• ​This article is an extract from South Africa's municipal challenges and their impact on local economic development, a research note published by the Bureau for Economic Research at the University of Stellenbosch.
  
  
• About the authors: Prof Johann Kirsten is the Director of the Bureau for Economic Research, and Helanya Fourie is a Senior Economist at the Bureau for Economic Research at Stellenbosch University.
  

​​​​A new open access book co-authored by our very own Miné de Klerk, Project Manager at Hybrid Learning, looks at what it takes become a digitally agile scholar. The manual explains how academics can comfortably navigate the digital world of today and tomorrow. It foregrounds three key domains of digital agility: getting involved in research, education and (community) service, mobilising (digital) skills on various levels, and acting in multiple roles, both individually and interlinked with others.

Overview

Aft​er an introduction that outlines the foundations of the three-dimensional framework, the chapters focus on different roles and skills associated with evolving as a digital scholar. There is the author, who writes highly specialised texts for expert peers; the storyteller, who crafts accessible narratives to a broader audience in the form of blogs or podcasts; the creator, who uses graphics, audio, and video to motivate audiences to delve deeper into the material; the integrator, who develops and curates multimedia artefacts, disseminating them through channels such as websites, webinars, and open source repositories; and finally the networker, who actively triggers interaction via social media applications and online learning communities. Additionally, the final chapters offer a blueprint for the future digital scholar as a professional learner and as a “change agent” who is open to and actively pursues innovation.

Informed by the authors’ broad and diverse personal experience, Evolving as a Digital Scholar offers insight, inspiration, and practical advice. It equips a broad readership with the skills and the mindset to harness new digital developments and navigate the ever-evolving digital age. It will inspire academic teachers and researchers with different backgrounds and levels of knowledge that wish to enhance their digital academic profile.”

Access the book at https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/50918

​

In a first colloquium on the way forward with the new Language Policy Framework for Higher Education Institutions hosted on 28 and 29 September 2021, higher education representatives agreed that collaboration would be key. The event was initiated by the Universities South Africa (USAf) Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL) and hosted by Stellenbosch University (SU).

The two-day online colloquium – the first in a series on the new Language Policy Framework – attracted nearly 200 participants. Delegates from across the higher education sector, including over 30 speakers from South African universities and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), tackled issues of multilingualism and how to implement the DHET's new framework. The framework, published in October 2020, specifically aims to “promote and strengthen the use of all official languages across all functional domains of public higher education".

During the eight plenary sessions – all with a focus on multilingualism as a mechanism to create space for the further development of African languages – key themes emerged. These included a continued awareness of collaboration and co-creation, social justice, implementation strategies, concerns around resources and funding, the role of the Department of Basic Education, the possibility of a national institutional audit of all universities' multilingualism activities, and the status of Afrikaans as an indigenous language.

Prof Wim de Villiers, SU's Rector and Vice-Chancellor, also touched on the importance of collaboration in his welcoming remarks. “Collaboration is key," he said. “Our honest conversations can lead to solutions. And through actions like these, we can come to a deeper understanding of the value of multilingualism."

He elaborated on SU's activities to promote isiXhosa, and also stressed SU's view that Afrikaans should be included in the DHET's list of indigenous languages. The new Language Policy Framework currently excludes Afrikaans from its definition of indigenous languages, namely “languages that have their heritage roots in Africa … and that belong to the Southern Bantu language family, where 'Bantu' is used purely as a linguistic term".

Dr Thandi Lewin, deputy director-general from DHET, said her department recognised the issue of Afrikaans having been excluded from the definition as something that required legal advice and clarity. She said weaknesses in the policy framework should be addressed in another forum.

During his address, former Constitutional Court judge Albie Sachs placed the Language Policy Framework within the context of the South African Constitution and recalled the tensions at the time when the language clauses in the Constitution were drafted back in the 1990s. “In South Africa, the minority behaved like a majority, and the majority were treated like the minority in terms of language, access to franchise, access to land, and access to all the things that mattered. It inverted the normal minority/majority relationship," he said. “And now we're in a South Africa where the majority are passing the laws, and the minority is hugely privileged because of the racism of the past. The question is how do we reconcile those two themes." He added that there should be a concerted effort, as there was with Afrikaans in the early 20^th century, to promote South Africa's other indigenous languages.

Prof Deresh Ramjugernath, SU's Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching, in turn, highlighted the human resources and funding challenges relating to the framework's implementation. “The Language Policy Framework must be achieved within the current resource constraints," he explained. “In the majority of cases, it is in competition with priorities that are viewed as more significant, and which are possibly seen as greater contributors to the academic standing and financial sustainability of institutions." The DHET did indicate that implementation resources would be allocated, and undertook to elaborate on the specifics in due course.

In his address, Prof Mbulungeni Madiba, dean of Education at SU, said “multilingual universities are very often understood from a more colonial perspective", and argued for change in this regard. He said the tension between English and other African languages over the past 27 years had caused these other languages to be marginalised.

Dr Antoinette van der Merwe, SU's senior director of Learning and Teaching Enhancement, joined Prof Langa Khumalo, CoPAL chair and associated with North-West University, in a call for an audit of all multilingualism implementation initiatives at universities nationwide. “The only way we would be able to pool resources at a national level is if we collaborate, otherwise each institution will go their own way, while, ultimately, there is much more value in synergy," Dr Van der Merwe said.

​​As countries across the globe have begun to roll out their vaccine programmes, we have seen the world opening up and returning to a sense of what we remember as being normal. But we have all accepted that our way of work and living has changed tremendously, and we're unlikely to return to the normal we knew.

The entire world has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet many innovative ideas and practices have also stemmed from this adversity. Technology is changing more rapidly than ever before in the history of mankind and has become an essential part of our world.

At Stellenbosch University (SU), we have done much to curb the impact of the pandemic and ensure the systemic sustainability of our institution. Over the past year, we have shared with you many of these innovations in this newsletter. These innovations have set us on the path towards augmented internationalisation as a means of strengthening our internationalisation efforts within a new global arena. They have also sustained us in our resolve to continue implementing SU's internationalisation strategy.

Augmented internationalisation has seen us develop programmes for students and staff at SU and its partner institutions to continue experiencing the benefits of mobility both physically and virtually. In October 2020 already, we presented our first online Global Week, when we encouraged students to take up hybrid mobility opportunities. Since then, we have seen an increase in students who choose to take up virtual mobility across the various programmes we present.

Our global partnership network and participation in international networks and consortia have also benefited much from our augmented internationalisation approach. In fact, SU has seen continued year-on-year growth in our partnerships since 2018, despite the restrictive conditions brought about by the pandemic since the start of 2020.

SU is determined to expand its internationalisation efforts, and moving towards augmented internationalisation has provided us with the opportunity to do so, enhancing and expanding our global footprint in the process. As we continue to navigate our new reality, we look forward to engaging with our international students and partners, whether in person or virtually.

• Prof Hester C. Klopper, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategy, Global and Corporate Affairs​

​

​​SU International's African Doctoral Academy (ADA) has been offering capacity development interventions for current and prospective PhD candidates, supervisors and researchers since 2009. With its flagship annual summer and winter schools, the ADA has built a significant following over the years. These schools are made up of a number of short courses on research design and methodology, academic preparedness, research dissemination and supervision, and are accredited by Stellenbosch University (SU) and presented by both SU and other experts.

Since February 2021, a new ADA initiative, Webinar Wednesdays, has been offering regular support and stimulation to the ADA's followers, and providing a platform for SU staff and ADA associates to share their work and research interests. The webinars, held on the first or second Wednesday of the month, also give the ADA a year-round presence, instead of only in the run-up to its annual schools.

Seven webinars have been presented to date:

• In “Creating an academic vision, and the habits that make it a reality", Prof Sarah Tracy, a qualitative researcher from Arizona State University, United States, helped delegates set research targets and reach their academic goals.
• Prof Kanshu Rajaratnam, director of the newly established SU School for Data Science and Computational Thinking, elaborated on “Data science and its relevance for us in Africa", including how data science has helped us understand the spread of COVID-19 across the world.
• In the webinar “Creating a functional home office", Prof Sebastian Kernbach, a fellow at Stanford and a lecturer at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland, shared ideas on how to use design thinking principles to create a productive remote work environment.
• SU's Doris Viljoen, a senior futurist at the Institute for Futures Studies, explored how futures thinking could open up doors when planning scenarios in both research and institutions in her session “Scenario Planning".
• Prof Brigitte Smit, an experienced trainer in computer-assisted software at the universities of Alberta and Johannesburg, offered handy tips and tools for data collection, transcription and analysis in “Use of Digital Tools for research".
•  In the session, “Tips to get published", novice writers wanting to produce articles for submission to scientific journals were shown the ropes by SU's Prof Leslie Swartz, who himself has published over 400 academic outputs.
• Finally, Intro to Data Visualisation, with Marié Roux of Stellenbosch University's Library and Information Services where she coordinates the #SmartResearcher workshops aimed at postgraduate students, researchers and academic staff. 

The response has been tremendous: On average, the webinars attracted over 100 participants each, from across all disciplines, with one reaching up to 260 people. All the webinars are publicly available on the ADA's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD4ct5mOJ1zpkB2HIB9xQtg.

The next Webinar Wednesday features Mr Kirchner van Deventer (SU Library and Information Services), who will be providing a hands-on demonstration of Mendeley referencing management software and share the main features of this powerful programme.

Save the Date: Summer School 2022

Webinar Wednesdays: 20 October 2021 at 12:00 - 13:30 (GMT+2)Mendeley referencing management software 

Register here

• Those who wish to contribute to Webinar Wednesdays and share their research are invited to contact ADA programme manager Corina du Toit (corina@sun.ac.za).

​

Next year, when medical student Jessica Davies continues in her role as Tygerberg Academic Affairs Council Chairperson as well as class representative for her fellow fifth-year MBChB V classmates, she will ensure that the changes she helped facilitate in the same roles during the past year will remain in place.

“I reapplied (for both positions) for the sake of continuity. I felt there was still work to be done," the Cape Town born-and-bred Davies said in an interview.

Davies is one of the recipients of this year's annual Rector's Awards for Excellent Achievement which celebrates the achievements of students in academics, sport, leadership, social impact, culture and service provision. She received the award in the Leadership category.

In the coming year, Davies will also serve as Chairperson for the Stellenbosch University Surgical Society and the Administration Officer for the International Association of Student Surgical Societies.

Davies, who has been an active member of the Tygerberg campus – including being involved in compiling the Tygerberg Academic Affairs Council Constitution and drafting and implementing the Council's Co-Curriculum – was also a volunteer at the Sisonke Trial's Tygerberg Hospital Vaccination Centre.

She was also part of the Quintin Robot Innovation Project at Tygerberg Hospital. “Quintin" is a remote-controlled tele-presence robot that, among other things, has helped to put patients in Tygerberg Hospital's COVID-19 ICU in virtual contact with their families.

Davies and fellow medical student Azhar Adam Nadkar participated in the John Hopkins School of Public Health's Innovate4Health Global Student Design Sprint – an initiative which aims to “inspire innovators for the future to tackle the urgent challenges and health inequities of emerging infections". They were selected out of many international applicants to expand Quintin's role. 

Turning to her role in the Tygerberg Academic Affairs Council, Davies said: “Before 2020, the committee itself did not really have a function. Class representatives were left to figure things out by themselves. My biggest goal last year, starting in this role, was to refine how the committee worked and the support it provides to class representatives and ensure it performs its functions. A lot of the changes we worked on were centred around finding our niche and voice. We wanted to come in and jumble things up a bit and challenge the norms. We experienced a few challenges but the growth has been wonderful to see."

Asked what drives her in her work and studies, Davies, who hopes to specialise in surgery, said: “I enjoy learning new things and constantly challenging myself, in leadership, academics and interpersonal skills."

Her inspiration has been Prof Julia Blitz, Vice Dean of Learning and Teaching at SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences who retired in April 2021. “She carried us through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. I was in awe of her ability to hold our entire campus together and navigate the immense challenges the pandemic brought. She always kept a level head and was the voice of reason in every situation. I could always rely on her to provide insight and assistance. She has played a huge role in shaping the leader I've become." 

Click here to read more about the Rector's Awards and  recipients. 

*A total of 82 top Stellenbosch University (SU) students were recently honoured with Rector's Awards for excellence in academics, leadership, social impact, culture, sport and service provision. During the next few weeks, we will feature some of the winners.

When Stellenbosch University (SU) fifth-year medical student Abdul-Mutakbir Aziz was 17 and attending school in Cape Town, an evening spent job-shadowing a doctor in a hospital was the turning point at which he decided he was going to study medicine.

“I did a night call with the doctor who performed an emergency C-section on a woman and there were complications. The doctor – with me in tow – stayed up all night resuscitating this struggling baby. I decided I wanted to do this job and make a difference – to fight for people when they couldn't fight for themselves," Aziz, who grew up in Rondebosch East, said in an interview.

Aziz is one of the recipients of this year's annual SU Rectors' Awards for Excellent Achievement. The awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of students in the areas of academics, sport, leadership, social impact, culture and service provision. He received the award in the Service Provision category.

Aziz, who has been a member of the Tygerberg Student Representative Council (2020/2021), was also chairperson of the Tygerberg Academic Affairs Council (2019–2020). He has been both a class representative and a vice class representative for three consecutive years.

It was in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 that Aziz's leadership skills and commitment to humanity came to the fore. When Stellenbosch University announced an early recess in response to government directives around the pandemic, he sprang into action as a natural coordinator of hundreds of students from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences who opted to give up their recess to do what was needed to help in the pandemic.

Aziz represented students in discussions with the heads of the FMHS and Tygerberg Hospital that served as the beginning of a historical collaboration which saw up to 600 students volunteering at Tygerberg and Victoria Hospital and in the Western Cape Department of Health in almost every sphere of fighting Covid-19 – from contact tracing to hotline management, information awareness and mask production to vaccination work.

The selfless, well-coordinated contributions of the students featured in a number of published news articles and interviews and Aziz was hailed for his leadership in this role.

“When Covid-19 arrived, I saw an opportunity as a student to make a difference as the health services were overburdened. I wanted to be that doctor I saw when I was 17," said Aziz, adding that he feels “honoured and overwhelmed" to receive a Rector's Award.

Next year he will do his final year of medicine, after which he intends specialising in emergency medicine, “because I want to have the opportunity to help people in an acute care setting."

Click here to read more about the Rector's Awards and​ recipients. 

*A total of 82 top Stellenbosch University (SU) students were recently honoured with Rector's Awards for excellence in academics, leadership, social impact, culture, sport and service provision. During the next few weeks, we will feature some of the winners.

The Stellenbosch University (SU) Language Centre invites postgraduate students registered at SU to apply for positions as part-time writing consultants for 2022 at the Writing Lab. Master's and Doctoral students will get preference.   

We encourage students from all faculties to apply.

Writing consultants' responsibilities include:

• Conducting individual writing consultations with students
• Participating in the writing consultant training programme
• Assisting with marketing and profiling of the Writing Lab's consultation service
• Meeting regularly with the Head of the Writing Lab
  
   
  
  If you are bilingual in English and Afrikaans it may be an advantage, but is not a requirement.
  
   
  
  Contact Anne-Mari Lackay  (amlackay@sun.ac.za) for more information. Please e-mail your CV to Anne-Mari.
  
   
  
  Applications close on 15 November 2021.
  

​

​​​Saturday (16 October) was World Food Day. In opinion pieces for the media, experts at Stellenbosch University focused on how safe and healthy food can help prevent us from getting sick and ensure good public health. Click on the links below to read the articles.

• ​Pieter Gouws (Cape Times)
  
• Catherine H Kaschula (Health24)
  

​

​​​​Keabetswe Masike was a PhD student under the supervision of Prof Marietjie Stander, manager of the Mass Spectrometry LC-MS Unit and Prof André de Villiers of Chemistry, and finished her PhD study successfully in 2021. She relied largely on the CAF LC-MS facilities.

Keabetswe Masike

Keabetswe Masike's research project focused on characterising plant phenolic compounds based on their liquid chromatography-photodiode array-ion mobility-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-PDA-IM-HR-MS) methods. The compounds were then characterised based on the retention time, mass spectral information (including high resolution and tandem MS data), spectroscopic data and collision cross section (CCS) value data.

Masike decided to embark on this research because the CCS as a feature can be beneficial in the development of an in-house phenolics compound library in analytical laboratories, which can help to expedite the characterisation of phenolic com­pounds in varying research fields, such as plant metabolomics and food science. 

Four Protea plants, comprising two hybrid cultivars and two pure species were collected from the commercial farm “FynBloem" and from the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden respectively for this study. As her research focused on optimising chromatographic and mass spectro­metric (LC-MS) methods for the analyses of a range of plant metabolites, this meant that most of her PhD studies required the LC-MS lab. Some plant metabolites isomerise, making it difficult to differentiate by MS. Thus, the integration of IMS into MS has become an appealing tool for the analyses of structurally similar metabolites. 

Some interesting discoveries were made:

The black beard of the flower head gets its colour from anthocyanidins, the same compounds that is responsible for the colors of berries and red wine.  The concen­trations of these red pigments are so high that they appear black.

The post harvest problem of leaf browning that cause losses especially in the export market was studied. The species and hybrids that are more prone to blackening have differences in their phenolic profiles compared to the species and hybrids that are not.

“The LC-MS lab staff were quite helpful. The collective knowledge regarding sample preparation, LC-MS analyses and data processing has been helpful for the progression of my research work.  As most of my PhD studies involved the analysis of plant extracts using the LC-MS lab, I was able to obtain advice from the staff regarding which options were available to me regarding sample preparation, LC-MS analyses and data processing."

Masike submitted and defended her thesis successfully. Her future plans involve being a committed researcher and an effective educator with a fascination for solving challenging problems in the biological sciences using analytical instrumentation. ​

The original article with images and more detail is published in the 2020-2021 CAF Annual Report.

​Final-year LLB student and secretary of the Black Lawyers Association Stellenbosch University Student Chapter (BLASC SU) Thembalethu Seyisi has one main long-term goal and that is to highlight social justice.

He especially wants to do this in traditionally conservative environments such as corporate South Africa. “They can be very rigid with their profit targets which do not necessarily embrace social justice projects," Seyisi, a recipient of this year's Rector's Awards for Excellent Achievement in the Social Impact category, said in an interview.

Seyisi, a co-founder of the University's BLASC– which, along with other chapters based in different university campuses around South Africa, works towards a “common vision of a transformed legal education, a better student experience and the advancement of human rights" – was also part of the #Action4Inclusion Campaign, a crowdfunding campaign aimed at alleviating student debt for the so-called 'missing middle' students. He was responsible for, among other things, coordinating fundraising activities and marketing the campaign to the media.

The Rector's awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of students in the areas of academics, sport, leadership, social impact, culture and service provision. Seyisi, who is from Kariega outside Gqeberha and who matriculated from Oaklands High School in Lansdowne, Cape Town, said he felt “honoured and humbled" by the recognition of receiving the award.

“It is an indication that I am doing something right and motivation to do more of the social justice work," said Seyisi, who is also a former board member of the non-profit organisation Salesian Life Choices, which was set up to encourage responsible choices among young people from disadvantaged communities in the Cape Flats.

Expanding on his passion for social justice, he said, “It's simply about treating everybody with equal concern. It's about making sure no one group finds it more difficult than another group to exist in an environment in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation and other markers of exclusion."

Asked what drives him in his activism, on top of his demanding academic studies, Seyisi said: “Currently, the stark inequality and dehumanising poverty drive me to be a force for change. I believe the advancement of social justice is the solution to many of our challenges and law is an instrumental tool to be the society envisioned in the Constitution.

“I grew up in a family of four kids. My mom was a domestic worker and my dad was unemployed. We had our basic needs met but it wasn't a lavish life. When you grow up like that, you think 'why do some have more than others?'. You question the notion of justice."

Seyisi, a bursary-holder from the Stella Foundation, also compiled a book, entitled 21 Life Lessons @ 21, which involved interviewing 21 successful South Africans. His mentors “who have made an indelible mark in my life" include Prof Thuli Madonsela, Prof Kgethi Phakeng and Justice Edwin Cameron.
Asked what his long-term career goal is, Seyisi joked, “To be Chief Justice!"

​​​​​When first-year postgraduate LLB student Willem Sterrenberg Horn first stood for election as a house committee member in 2019, he was the only non-heterosexual candidate. This year, however, there were multiple non-heterosexual candidates, which is a source of pride and happiness to Horn.

 “I believe one plays a role through being seen," Horn says, adding that he has seen a big cultural shift taking place in student leadership – especially in the traditionally male spaces. This is also evident in the PSOs which, he says, have, traditionally been hetero-normative spaces where only a certain group is allowed in the inner circle.

“Campus life has changed a great deal since ten years ago … when the culture (of student leadership) was predominantly white, male and cisgender. There was not always space for people like me in this kind of leadership. It made me happy to see this place is capable of change."

Horn, who served as Pieke PSO House Committee Member in 2019/2020 (with Culture as his main portfolio) and as Pieke PSO Vice Primarius in 2020/21, is one of the many recipients of this year's annual Rector's Award for Excellent Achievement. The awards celebrate the achievements of students in academics, sport, leadership, social impact, culture and service provision. Horn was recognised in the category of culture. He was commended for, as an openly gay man, breaking stigmas surrounding male leadership as Vice Primarius Pieke PSO, one of the oldest male PSOs on campus, and his role has set a standard for male communities who strive towards inclusivity and diversity.

Horn served as the Pieke Acapella group leader for 2020 to 2021 and was a KuKo Woordfees 2020 performer and first runner-up in the KuKo Toneelfees in 2019.

One of his nominators described him as an “enthusiast, participant and supporter of various official cultural events at Stellenbosch University …" including the renowned SU Acappella competition, Connect Vensters and the title-winning play, Kantlyn. 

“His actions and efforts did not only set an example but a standard that will long outlive his presence on campus …"

He was also nominated for, apart from being a high academic achiever, excelling on many levels. “He is the epitome of excellence through adversity as he has time and time again been dealt adverse blows, but continued to push through and maintain a very high standard of excellence".

Horn was born and raised in Newcastle in northern KwaZulu-Natal and moved to Cape Town with his family when he was 16. He completed his bachelor's in Theology and Psychology in 2020.

He still has two years of LLB studies ahead of him and hopes to still influence “a great number of productions and help artists along the way". His ten-year plan from here includes furthering his career as a candidate attorney, “but also allowing myself the space to create".

“I feel eternal gratitude to those who nominated me … this was a great reminder that the constant 'behind the scenes work' one does, does not go unnoticed."

​The Stellenbosch University (SU) community came out in full support of the University's annual Campus Giving Day held recently on the Stellenbosch campus.

Campus Giving Day 2021 formed part of the Annual Fund, Bridge the Gap, that aims to remove the obstacles that are hindering Maties from having a meaningful student experience and obtaining that sought-after degree. The University is raising funds for several initiatives under the umbrella of Bridge the Gap. These include, #Move4Food, the Tygerberg Pantry Project, #Action4Inclusion, #GradMe, #Zim4Zim, End Period Poverty, #MatiesHaveDrive and Caught in the Middle.

The Campus Giving Day activities – spread out over a few days to accommodate social distancing and curfews – included 5-a-side soccer matches and a speed tennis tournament, a megamovie marathon at Pulp Cinema, while residences and Private Student Organisations were asked to decorate the trees on Victoria Street between Dagbreek and Irene.

The Deans of AgriSciences and Engineering, Profs Danie Brink and Wikus van Niekerk, also got in on action. "Our Deans of AgriSciences and Engineering really set the bar high, and we are so grateful. Their faculties delivered trolleys and trolleys of donated non-perishable food to the Bridge the Gap campaign headquarters. Our social workers were blown away!" said Karen Bruns, Senior Director at SU's Development and Alumni Relations Division.  

Viwe Benxa, Bridge the Gap ambassador and one of the Giving Day organisers, said not even a lack of spectators (due to COVID-19 regulations), could stop the participants from showing their competitive edge. “We had so much fun, and of course knowing that all the activities were to benefit a worthy cause, made it even more rewarding."

Teams went head-to-head, until one team emerged victorious. The winners of the student communities tennis tournament were Silene and Eendrag (doubles); runners-up were Isa and Majuba; Lydia (singles) and runner-up Isa. Winners of the soccer tournament included an all-male team from Russel Botman House, women residence team winner was Irene and mixed gender team winners were Serruria and Huis Neethling.

“The movie marathon with all-day screenings of golden oldies such as The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump and Black Panther proved very popular. Black Panther was hands down the box office hit of the day and we managed to raise R8 000 in ticket sales!

“The tree decorators also put in a tonne of effort. We all agreed that while Monica's tree was incredibly pretty, the most impactful was Venustia – right up there in terms of effort and thought," added Benxa.

SU's Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Wim de Villiers, and a team of 19 cyclists consisting of alumni, staff, students and fighting-fit friends of the University, ended off the Giving Day activities on Sunday, 10 October, by taking part in the Cape Town Cycle Tour and raising funds for #Move4Food, one of the priority initiatives of the Annual Fund.

“For this Annual Fund to be a success, we need everyone to pitch in, and judging by the response and generosity we've experienced on Campus Giving Day, I can only see good things ahead. For those of you who are still wondering how to do your bit … there are ample opportunities. Efforts are now focused on our alumni, staff and friends making their contributions. Forego that extra cup of coffee; if you have a birthday coming up, consider asking your friends to donate instead of buying a birthday present; run a few kilometres in support of Bridge the Gap and get fit while you're at it … We are here and ready to help you set up a page on GivenGain for your fundraising initiative. Every little bit helps!" Bruns concluded.

The Bridge the Gap Annual Fund runs until June next year. If you would like to get involved, please visit https://www.matiesalumni.com/bridge-the-gap-annual-fund/, follow the various social media channels – Facebook (Bridge The Gap (SU), Instagram (@bridgethegapsu) and Twitter (@bridgethegap_su) – or send an e-mail to: bridgethegap@sun.ac.za

​

The Division of Nephrology was accredited as a Regional Training Centre for the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) for a period of five years. The accreditation runs from 2021 to 2026, and at the end of the term there will be an opportunity to reapply to renew the status.

The ISN has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and it aims to advance kidney health worldwide by means of medical training and research.

"This accreditation will further assist the division and the Tygerberg Hospital to play a leading role in developing nephrology in Africa," says Professor Razeen Davids, head of the Division of Nephrology at Stellenbosch University's (SU) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Tygerberg Hospital.

This division serves patients in the public sector with kidney disease in half of the Western Cape province. This includes patients with the following kidney diseases and conditions:

• acute or chronic kidney disease
  
• electrolyte and acid-base disorders
• severe hypertension
• poisonings requiring dialysis treatment

The division manages about 150 transplant patients and about 140 patients on chronic dialysis. It also offers dialysis to patients with acute kidney injury in several of Tygerberg Hospital's wards and units. Every year the division does approximately 6 000 acute and chronic dialysis procedures, and between 160 and 180 kidney biopsies.

The division aims to improve access to kidney-replacement therapy and to dialysis to patients within the state sector, and to this end has also established public-private initiatives.

The training of nephrologists, both from within South Africa and Africa as a whole, remains a high priority for the division, as does ongoing research and publication in this field.

Davids mentions that often in other African countries, there are no formal training programmes for doctors wanting to specialise in nephrology.

"Our trainees maintain a high success rate in the Certificate in Nephrology examinations of the South African Colleges of Medicine," says Davids. "Several of the trainees of the division now lead renal registries in their own countries, notably Vincent Boima (Ghana), Jonathan Wala (Kenya) and Kenneth Kapembwa (Zambia)."

The aims of the ISN in giving this accreditation

The ISN aims to establish and develop the study of nephrology in low- and middle-income countries, and it hopes that the SU Division of Nephrology will continue to promote ISN activities, and become an even greater hub of training and research within Africa.

This accreditation will mean the following:

• The ISN will promote the visibility of the division on a regional and a global scale by means of its website, other communication channels and its Fellowship and Sister Centres Programmes.
  
• The division will be given priority consideration when applying as a collaborator or host centre for support by the ISN Grants Programmes.
• It will give the division permission to use the ISN logo on its letterhead and other communications, and to call itself an ISN Regional Training Centre.

"There is no direct funding from the ISN to the Division of Nephrology, but students from other African countries wanting to specialise in nephrology have often been funded by the ISN," says Davids.

In return for this accreditation, the ISN asks that the Division of Nephrology do the following:

• Host fellows - the ISN provides up to one year of financial support to fellows.
• Hold educational meetings and workshops on regionally relevant topics.
• Share knowledge and expertise via the ISN Educational Ambassadors or Continuing Medical Education Programmes.
• Support emerging centres from low-resource areas through the Sister Centres Programmes.
• Contribute to the ISN Academy – either by developing educational materials or contributing to webinars.
• Develop and engage in advocacy activities and collaborations with local and regional authorities.

​"This accreditation is really just a formal acknowledgment by the ISN of the contribution we have been making to kidney care in Africa, and hope to make in the future," says Davids.

​

TAU Fellowship Programme 2022-2023

The TAU (Teaching Advancement at University) Fellowship Programme is a nation-wide intervention that was initiated in 2015. It is aimed at advancing teaching quality and the professionalisation of teaching and learning in the public higher education sphere.

The TAU Programme involves the professional development of a cohort of mid- to senior level academic staff from varying disciplines at all South African public universities, by means of a combined residential and distance learning approach. Participants, who are disciplinary specialists, are familiarised with developments relating to teaching and learning in higher education, introduced to Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research, and positioned as change agents at their institutions.

The next TAU programme – TAU 4 – will be offered over 18 months (July 2022 to December 2023). Participants will work on an educational project situated in their own environment as well as on a group project. They will build partnerships with colleagues from other institutions. On conclusion of the programme, they will be equipped to lead change processes relating to teaching and learning at their home institutions.

On the first TAU programme (2015-2016) Stellenbosch University (SU) was represented by Prof. Elmarie Costandius and Prof. Geo Quinot. The SU academics on TAU 2 (2018-2019) were Prof. Ian Nell and Dr Berna Gerber. For TAU 3 (2021-2022) SU is privileged to have three academics on the programme: Prof. Faadiel Essop, Prof. Ashraf Kagee and Dr Marianne McKay.

Nominations for the fourth cohort of the TAU Fellowships Programme are currently awaited. The due date for applications is 15 November 2021.

For more information, please contact Dr Karin Cattell-Holden at kcattell@sun.ac.za.