"As his best friend, critical – perhaps most critical – listener and conversation partner, I would like to thank you for the countless golden moments you offered him, and by implication, also me and the family. Thank you for your warm-heartedness and love." 

With these words Mrs Beryl Botman, wife of the late Prof Russel Botman, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, expressed her appreciation for the University community's support for her husband during his term of office and the Botman family after his sudden passing on 28 June 2014. The Botman couple's two Matie daughters, Ilse and Roxanne, also wrote a thank you message each.  ​

In newspaper placements this week, Mrs Botman and the family also expressed their thanks and appreciation for the hundreds of messages of condolence and tributes received from the many individuals and interest groups after the passing of Prof Botman. 

Mrs Beryl Botman's message of thanks

"Hayman Russel Botman was an employee at Stellenbosch University for fourteen and a half years, initially as associate professor in the Faculty of Theology. While both his parents were still alive, he had the privilege to share his inaugural lecture as full professor with them. Russel and his brother, Deon, followed in their father's footsteps. His proud parents experienced his career and his great success with joy and appreciation.

"Thank you so much that he always received more invitations from the University community than he could ever accept. Thank you that many of those invitations also included me. Through these events we could get to know each other better as a couple, understand each other better and also cherish each other. 

"It was important to Russel to be successful – for the sake of the future and as he often said 'for the next generation'. In addition he was also known for the following: 'I do not work for myself, but for the next rector'. He devoted himself to this goal. It would be dishonest to infer that this commitment and dedication did not come at a high cost to himself, our marriage and our family ties. He roped us in, however, and included us so gracefully in his work and commitments that we did not even notice that he was working and that we were enjoying ourselves. But… he was most definitely working!

As his best friend, critical – perhaps most critical – listener and conversation partner, I would like to thank you for the countless golden moments that you offered him, and by implication, also me and the family. Thank you for your warm-heartedness and love. We were aware of it; we felt it; it gave us strength; we could rely on it. Our daughters, Ilse and Roxanne, have made their own contributions as Botman Maties, but as the rector's wife it was an enjoyable experience to engage with Maties. Together with Russel I also believe that our future is in good hands if it depends on you.

"To all of you who make SU work, thank you so much! Your success was Russel's success; your troubles and sadness, were also his; as was your humiliation, your joy and your happiness. Thank you to the vast majority of the University community who treated Russel with dignity and respect. With that very same dignity and respect – and style – you also laid him to rest. A million times over, thank you…

"And now I would like to conclude: firstly in the authentic Cape Afrikaans vernacular, and then in the many ways that I have been addressed on campus over many years.

"Is lekke om 'n Matie te wies!"*

Beryl, mev Botman, Mevrou, Juffrou, Tannie, Antie, Mrs Botman, Ma'am, Ma, Nkosikazi, Mme en Liewe Beryltjie.

* Translated: "Is nice to be a Matie!" A Matie is a student at Stellenbosch University. 

Ilse Botman's message of thanks

"The connection between my father and the Stellenbosch University community is a special one. The student body especially was close to his heart, with him often saying that he viewed the students as though they were his own children. I was fortunate enough to also be a student and I found it to be an environment where I felt comfortable to explore myself and other people and cultures that were new to me, over and above the good education I received. It's also a time when I realised that my experience and the skills I gained should to be used, unselfishly, for the good of the greater community.

"A special thanks to the support and general workers at the university. Whether it was a locked residence door, fixing a doorbell or even making a cup of tea – thank you. My father liked things to be aesthetically pleasing and for everything to work. The University is well maintained and immaculate and that is evidence of your dedication.

"My father was a man with vision and had a passion for the future – one of the pillars of hope he had. By playing a role in the education and foundation of the country's future leaders, he was doing his part to build the future he would have liked for us all. To produce productive members of society, and productive leaders.

"To the student body, thanking for making his passion come alive, keeping him positive, resilient and excited – his memory lives on in your successes. To the staff, thank you for buying into his vision and helping him make it a reality."

****************************

Roxanne Botman's message of thanks

"They say that my father lives on through his wife and four children, but my father also lives on through all his students. He has always been very proud of his students and he worked hard to create a fresh, exciting, and inclusive environment. Being one of his students as well, I was encouraged to make my time as a student less selfish. It is a privilege to be a student and it is important that the opportunity is used to improve communities and the world – not only ourselves.

"My hope for Stellenbosch University is that all students, as well as staff, embrace the transformation and vision my father worked hard for. But not only embrace it, also enjoy the changes that are already happening. Enjoy the fact that we are different in race, culture, sexuality, ability and religion. These differences made Russel Botman's life exciting and the beauty of bringing us all together kept his hope alive until the day he died. 

"May you respect the fact that your residence roommate has a lifestyle and background you are not familiar with. May your unfamiliarity spark conversations of understanding and new friendships. It is through such conversations that we learn how to make significant improvements to our society. 

"Thank you for making my father happy. Continue to make him proud."

​

The Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, Mr Alan Winde, paid a visit to Stellenbosch University as guest of the Faculty of AgriSciences.

Mr Winde is responsible for the provincial departments for Economic Development and Tourism, as well as Agriculture. The latter was added to his portfolio after the recent national elections.

According to Prof. Danie Brink, acting dean of the Faculty of AgriSciences, the University enjoyed a good and longstanding relationship with the previous provincial Minister of Agriculture, Mr Gerrit van Rensburg, who served in this position for three terms. Prof. Brink expressed the hope that Friday's first exploratory meeting had set the tone to ensure a continued good working relationship with the Minister's office.

Prof. Brink provided the Minister with a snapshot about the Faculty's training and research capabilities and key focus areas. In turn, Mr Winde explained his shortterm and longterm vision to ensure integrated economic development in the Western Cape. He also highlighted the importance of expertise, partnerships and innovation in reaching these goals.

The meeting was attended by chairs of various departments in the Faculty. Mr Winde was also shown the research facilities of the Department of Viticulture and Oenology, as well as the Department of Food Science.

Prof. Brink hopes that their first round of discussions will help to strengthen the relationship between the Minister's office, the provincial Department of Agriculture and the SU Faculty of AgriSciences. "This will help to ensure that we can focus our expertise even further, to the benefit of the agricultural sector and economic development in the Western Cape," he added.

Over the past ten years the Department of Botany and Zoology produced over 1,100 research papers, graduated 101 MSc students and produced 59 Phd graduates.

These achievements, and the ten year anniversary of the amalgamation of the former Department of Botany and Department of Zoology in 2004, were celebrated during a special occasion on Thursday 14 August 2014.

Among the attendees were Dr Albert van Jaarsveld, newly-appointed vice-chancellor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and former Dean of the Faculty of Science at SU; several former departmental heads, such as Prof Terry Robinson, Prof Sophié Reinecke, Prof Koot Reinecke and Prof Jan Nel; as well as Prof Louise Warnich, current Dean of the Faculty of Science at SU and Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel, Vice-Rector: Teaching and Learning.

Prof Conrad Matthee, executive head of the department since 2010, gave an overview of the Department's history and many achievements. This was followed by a commemorative lecture by Prof Marcus Byrne from the University of the Witwatersrand on "Science with balls: dung beetles show the way".

Prof Byrne, whose research team was awarded the so-called Ig Nobel Prize in 2013 for demonstrating that dung beetles use the Milky Way to navigate, said at the heart of science lies human curiosity in the world around us: "It is part of the human condition to be curious. There does not always need to be a monetary trade-off. And it should always be fun," he added.

The Ig Nobel prize is awarded annually to science "that first make people laugh, and then make them think".

After the lecture, guests gathered in the tea room of the Natural Sciences Building to enjoy drinks and snacks.

Five third year BSc-students have tapped into the brains and goodwill of two of the world's foremost specialists in microbial ecology – Prof Peter Larsen and Prof Jack Gilbert – to help them with a practical project.

Carl Bruce, Sam Delport, Wildene le Roux, Megan Cousins and Heinrich Kreuger formed a team after the class was given carte blanche and a budget of R2000 to act like real-life scientists and design their own practical project as part of the microbial ecology practicals. So when Carl stumbled upon an article about how Profs Larsen and Gilbert created music from complex dynamics in microbial ecology, aptly called Microbial Bepop, they decided this sounded like fun.

However, the fun was quickly spoiled when they found that a microbial ecology-analysis of the soil sample they had in mind, would cost more than R50 000.

"Without real data we couldn't do anything," explains Carl, an alumni of DF Malan High School in Belville and the principal investigator on the project. The only option left was to contact the authors of the article and ask for advice.

But first they had to get past the lecturer in question, Prof Karin Jacobs.

"I don't think the students realised who they wanted to talk to," laughs Prof Jacobs. "These scientists are major players in microbiology, and regularly publish in high impact journals."

Under the guidance of Prof Jacobs, the interaction started with an e-mail to the principal author of the article, Prof Larsen from the world-renowned Argonne National Laboratories in the USA, asking for his advice on how to duplicate the project, this time with a local primary school choir to perform the 'music'. This would be the first time for a musical score, set to microbial data, to be performed live.

Prof Larsen reacted by setting up a skype meeting with the students, and then brought them into contact with the co-author Prof Jack Gilbert at Duke University. By the second skype meeting, they were on their own.

Thanks to Prof Gilbert, they now have access to the microbial data from the gut and mouth of two real-life individuals who have been monitored on a continuous basis for a whole year.

The students now have seven weeks to not only figure out some really complicated maths in order to analyse the data and produce something meaningful, but also complete a plethora of forms to obtain ethical clearance working with data from real-life individuals, as well as involving children in the project. Furthermore, as part of the agreement with the American scientists, they have to set up a blog and twitter account to share their experiences and progress on a weekly basis. The blog is now live at http://stellenboschmicrobiomemusical.blogspot.com/

Writing in the article "Microbial Bepop: Creating music from complex dynamics in microbial ecology", Profs Larsen and Gilbert explain the aim of the project was "to transform highly complicated scientific data into formats that are engaging to the general community". Using datasets collected from marine monitoring stations in the Western English channel, they created four compositions entitled Blues for Elle, Bloom, Far and Wide and Fifty Degrees North, Four Degrees West.

But there is more to the project than involving the non-scientific community in ecological science: "While the principal intent of Microbial Bepop is to provide a novel way to symbolize the complex interactions within a microbial community and between microbial taxa and their environments, it is also conceivable that it may have additional applications. The power of harnessing human intuitive understanding to solve biological problems intractable to computational analysis has already been demonstrated. Perhaps transformations of complex biological data into music will become an analysis approach that takes advantage of natural human pattern recognition abilities to detect subtle differences in music to similarly leverage crowd sourcing for the analysis of highly complex biological systems," Profs Larsen and Gilbert conclude.

​A renewed focus on multilingualism is increasingly important when it comes to realising Stellenbosch University's vision of becoming an inclusive, innovative and future-focused institution in the 21st century.

In light of this, the University has devised an imaginative model to ensure that language planning and implementation, within an institutional Language Policy and Plan, is done in such a way that the University community accepts shared ownership and responsibility for language management.

According to Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel, Vice-Rector (Learning and Teaching), the essence of the University's language-management model is a multilingual approach where Afrikaans is used and developed as an academic language, while utilising the value of English as an international academic language.

"Furthermore we will pay attention to the discerning advancement and application of isiXhosa as an academic language and as a language of social engagement. By using Afrikaans and English in our teaching and engagement, inclusivity will be promoted. In the teaching context, the two languages will be applied in different usage configurations: parallel (class group is divided into two streams, one Afrikaans and one English), educational interpreting between English and Afrikaans, dual medium (English and Afrikaans in the same class) and in a minority of cases Afrikaans or English only.

"Study material such as module frameworks, study guides and assessment assignments (for example tests) are offered in Afrikaans and English. With this mixed language model we aim to deliver graduates who understand the multilingual context of our country and who will be able to function in that multilingual context."

Prof Schoonwinkel says the interests of students and staff are further advanced through a variety of mechanisms for language support, such as language courses, reading- and writing-skills development, the translation of teaching-learning material and other documents, as well as interpreting services.

According to Prof Schoonwinkel, SU's approach to language is also consistent with the National Development Plan 2030, a comprehensive plan that clearly articulates the importance of multilingualism, the sustained development of our country's languages and the necessity to develop proficiency in more than one language.

• Over the next few weeks SU's language approach will be communicated at several university forums with different stakeholders. All staff members are invited to send their comments to taalbeleid@sun.ac.za​. The revised Language Policy is available at www.sun.ac.za/language. Visit this website regularly over the next few weeks. The content will be updated with new developments.​

​​A strong corporate and brand image could help universities attract the best students to their brand and product offering.

This was one of the viewpoints of Prof Ronel du Preez of the Department of Industrial Psychology in her inaugural lecture in the Mathematical Sciences and Industrial Psychology Building on Tuesday (22 July 2014).

Du Preez said universities should build and implement strong and distinct institutional brand images – the general impression of a specific brand or product held by consumers  ̶  because students, as "consumers" of higher education, respond to such brand images.  

"Brand images influence the attitudes and behaviour of students (e.g. application, registration, retention and termination), donor behaviour (e.g. bursaries, donations, bequests) and partner behaviour (e.g. commission of syndicated research projects, collaboration with other higher education institutions, relationships with the state)."

Du Preez said creating a strong brand image will require institutions like Stellenbosch University to invest in student consumer research, especially decision-making criteria held by students, their decision-making processes, and their media preferences and need sets.

She added that universities should also invest in student support structures that cater for academic and socio-psychological needs as more students are underprepared for higher education.

"In the same way as companies build relationships with consumers through customer support and meeting consumer needs, universities will have to deal with the need sets and expectations of student consumers, such as additional academic and socio-psychological support

"Knowledge of learners' educational background, their general mind-set regarding teaching and learning and their interaction with information and communication technologies (ICTs) can provide valuable input for recruitment, teaching and learning initiatives which may contribute to student success – both personally and academically."

"We build our institutional and brand images and cater for the needs of industry, society and students through continuous programme and curriculum development and up-to-date programme offerings."

Regarding the importance of strong brand images for universities, Du Preez referred to  numerous studies which have shown that the internationalisation and globalisation of higher education, together with the changes in state funding formulas, act as drivers to use (some) principles of marketing theory to gain a competitive advantage and market share.

Du Preez said creating a strong brand image should not be done haphazardly but should rather be based on tested marketing and consumer psychology principles that have been applied successfully in commerce and industry. ​

• Photo: Prof Ronel du Preez with Prof Stan du Plessis, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, and Prof Arnold Schoonwinkel, Vice-Rector: Teaching and Learning, at the inaugural lecture.
  
• Photographer: Anton Jordaan
  

​Prof Eugene Cloete, Vice-Rector: Research and Innovation at Stellenbosch University (SU) has been appointed to the Board of the National Water Research Commission (WRC) by the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Edna Molewa.

The WRC helps South Africa cope with water-related challenges by, among others, developing capacity in the water sector, expanding the country's water-centred research and development base, and coming up with new methods to improve water supply and sanitation.

Cloete, a specialist in the field of water research, says the Minister's decision to appoint him to the Board of the WRC, is indeed a great honour. "The commission is the main funder of water research in South Africa and has over many years ensured that the country stays at the forefront of the latest technologies and applications."

Cloete says he'll be expected to play a strategic role in finding solutions to the challenges around water supply, sanitation and so on. He will serve on the Board until 30 June 2015.

In addition to his involvement in the WRC, Cloete is the chairperson of the Advisory Board of the SU Water Institute and Governing Board member of the International Water Association (IWA). He is also a Senior Fellow of the Water Institute of SA (WISA).

SU Water Institute

The SU Water Institute was established in response to the many water challenges facing the country. This multidisciplinary research enterprise across various SU faculties and departments draws on the fundamental and goal-directed research already undertaken by some of our most experienced scientists. Research is done in collaboration with government and industry to tackle water-related challenges, to ensure technology transfer and develop human resources.

In light of the recent accident claiming the lives of two Matie students at a railway crossing, staff and students of Stellenbosch University (SU) have created an innovation fund. A launch project will focus on improved safety at railway crossings.

The two Maties, Mr Christiaan Schultz and Ms Lezaan van Niekerk, died on Saturday a week before last when a train hit the vehicle they were traveling in. The accident happened at a railway crossing outside Stellenbosch.

Students forming part of the private wards Oude Molen (of which Mr Schultz was a member) and Equité (of which Ms Van Niekerk was a member) came together on Thursday to celebrate the lives of the two students.

At the event student friends read tributes while an innovation fund of R50 000, aimed at the improvement of the safety of students and members of the surrounding communities of Stellenbosch, was launched.  

Mr Johan Spamer, visiting head of Oude Molen and a lecturer in the SU Department of Logistics, says that the fund's launch project is a competition with prize money to the value of R10 000 to involve students in a creative and innovative manner in creating a greater awareness of safety.

"We strongly believe in doing something tangible to avoid similar incidents in future. We cannot undo what has happened, but we have been touched deeply and want to make a difference. The competition, as a launch project, will focus on increased safety at railway crossings. The search is on for practical and creative solutions that can be implemented to address the challenges in our communities and in particular safety among students – in a sustainable manner."

More information on the competition will be made available shortly.  

Mr Spamer expressed his appreciation towards those already contributing towards the fund namely Prof Eugene Cloete, Vice-Rector: Research and Innovation, the Department of Logistics, the Centre for Student Communities and the private student wards Oude Molen and Equité.

The event concluded with releasing balloons and lanterns with messages into the air.

• Liaise with Mr Johan Spamer at tel 084 428 9256 or via e-mail at jspamer@sun.ac.za, spamer.johan@gmail.com for more information on the fund and how to contribute towards the fund.

​​​

"It wasn't easy waiting for my results, but I am glad I went through it."

This is at typical  reaction from the many students and staff who have gone for an HIV test offered by the HIV Office at Stellenbosch University. Knowing your HIV status leads to improved health behaviours, such as condomising, determining the HIV status of your partner, and gaining sexual health education. Significantly, it gives you that little bit of added reassurance that you're in the know and taking responsibility for your health, and that of your sex partner.

The First Things First campaign, where roughly 2000 students and staff members at SU are tested, is run by the HIV Office on an annual basis during the month of March. Due to this success, the HIV Office has endeavoured to set up an on-site HIV testing facility at residences on campus, and one such drive has already been implemented at Academia with promising results. Over 50 students braved the winter cold to find out their status, and while all students reported feeling nervous, they reacted overwhelmingly positive upon receiving their results.

"Even though I felt that I had little reason to worry, I still felt anxious waiting for my HIV results. But sweating out 10 minutes is so much better than being in the dark," says one student who got tested.

While the sentiment expressed above is typical of clients who come in to test, we would like to point out that clients who do test positive have access to services to assist them on this new journey. If tested positive, the client is referred to Campus Health Services, where a confirmatory ELISA test can be performed at the client's discretion.  Clients are offered psychosocial support by the HIV Office to help them adjust to their positive status, and it is important to the HIV Office that the positive client knows that he or she is not alone.

If you are on campus, you are welcome to drop by the HIV Office to get tested for HIV, which is a  10-minute, painless procedure free of charge. Any House Committee members or primaria are invited to contact us to conduct an on-site HIV drive, free of charge.

HIV Office

808 3136

Admin A, Opposite Photographic Services and next to the IT hub

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has thrown his weight behind the first ever book on research ethics in Africa, which aims to help protect people who take part in research studies in African countries.

In his foreword to the book, 'Research Ethics in Africa' Tutu said it was vital that research participants, particularly people from poor socio-economic backgrounds and with limited access to health care options, were respected and protected.

Tutu acknowledged that research was vital and life saving, but needed to be carried out in a sensitive way.

"Most maternal deaths (99%) occur in developing countries, while 6.6 million children under five years of age died in 2012, mostly due to preventable diseases as they did not have adequate access to care. Research is essential to address these common preventable diseases."

Tutu said many African countries have had to rely on sponsors and researchers from high-income countries to initiate and fund most health research conducted over the past few decades. This was as funding for research was unaffordable for many African countries.

Some Western researchers have been criticized for conducting exploitative research in Africa which has taken advantage of vulnerable people in particular.

The book explores how to handle research in African countries in an ethical way – from regulating clinical trials and the need for consent and confidentiality around genetic research to protecting children involved in research studies.

Editors, Professor Mariana Kruger, a paediatric oncologist and ethicist and Doctor Lyn Horn, an ethicist and Research Integrity Officer, both from Stellenbosch University, say the book has a specific African outlook. 

"There are many guidelines and documents from both a European and US perspective, but these do not necessarily address the needs of many people in Africa, particularly those who are vulnerable, such as AIDS orphans, refugees and people living in poverty-stricken communities" according to Kruger.

"It's important for people to have trust in an institution, while research should translate into a benefit for the community. We're hoping the book will help to achieve this," said Horn.

This is the first book to be truly dedicated from an African perspective and is drawn from the experiences of leading academics involved in ethics in more than 12 African countries.

The book sprung from a workshop held in Cape Town in August 2011, when members of national research ethics committees across Africa were invited to discuss the research ethics issues and challenges they saw as most important in their work.

It provides guidelines for research ethics committees, both national and institutional. Their role is to protect participants from harm in research studies and should  be a valuable guide for research ethics committees across Africa, who need to review all research that is done by their institutions.

"Research Ethics in Africa: a resource for research ethics committees" was funded by European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and launched in Berlin, Germany at the 7th EDCTP Forum in July. 

Many of the authors are trainees from both EDCTP and Fogarty International Centre (US) research ethics training programs, including the South African Research Ethics Training Initiative (SARETI), of which Kruger is the co-director.

The book was also co-edited by Dr Paul Ndebele, the Director of the Medical Research Council Zimbabwe and ethicist with a SARETI PhD.

It'll soon be downloadable as both an e-book and a mobile application and will later be translated into French and Portuguese. The e-book will be available for free download to research ethics committees on the continent. 

Photo: Editors of ‘Research Ethics in Africa’, Dr Lyn Horn and Professor Mariana Kruger, hope to build greater awareness of research ethics issues in Africa.

​Ecologists from Stellenbosch University (SU) are undertaking an unprecedented field experiment to simulate "the world without birds".

Six netted cages or 'exclosures' of 400m² each have been erected in the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve outside Stellenbosch, known for its rugged mountains and rare endemic plant and animal species.

Prof Anton Pauw, an evolutionary ecologist at SU who specializes in plant-pollinator interactions, says the global decline in pollinators highlights the question of how plant communities and their interacting animals will respond when an important pollinator is taken out of the system.

"Many theoretical studies predict that the loss of an important pollinator species will trigger a cascade of linked extinctions throughout the community. Others argue that pollination is of little ecological importance because, in the absence of their primary pollinator, many plant species can compensate by self-pollinating or switching to other pollinators.

"All in all, real evidence for community-level impacts is lacking. We hope that this community-level study will help to provide the insight needed to conserve and restore plant-pollinator interactions," he says.

The focus of the experiment is on the interaction between South African nectar-feeding birds, the iconic sugarbirds and sunbirds, and bird-pollinated plants, particularly proteas, in a community context. Although there are only four species of birds that only rely on nectar for food, they pollinate about 350 plant species.

One of Prof Pauw's MSc-students, Mr Pieter Botha, has been studying the effect of bird exclusion on the pollination network since last year when the first three exclosures were erected. He is also comparing the seed production of plants inside the cages to that of plants visited by bird pollinators in the control sites (which are not covered by nets).

"We have already observed that the pincushions inside the cages have more nectar than those in the control sites outside where birds are actively feeding. In some cases we have also observed more ants visiting these pincushions," Pieter says.

Other possible changes in the community they are investigating include the potential local explosion of plant-eating insects, as well as spiders. Apart from feeding on nectar, birds are also predators that consume hundreds of insects every day. These exclosures will allow the researchers to determine how important birds are in controlling the numbers of plant-eating insects.

Prof Pauw explains that the effect of more insects on plants is not easy to predict: "It is also not at all clear to what extent plants rely on their own defenses, such as tannins, to protect themselves against leaf-eating insects, and to what extent they depend on predators, like birds, to act as their bodyguards."

After three years of excluding birds the veld will be burned, as natural fires are the trigger for germination in most fynbos plants.

"If the lack of birds caused a meaningful reduction in seed production, we expect to see that the new veld will lack bird-pollinated plants, and will instead be dominated by insect and wind-pollinated plants, including aliens. All in all, we hope to be able to give a definitive answer to the question, from an ecological perspective, of whether birds really matter," he concludes.

On the photo, Stellenbosch University's Prof Anton Pauw (far left) and MSc-student Pieter Botha being interviewed by environmental journalist John Yeld (far right) from the Cape Argus. Photos​​: Wiida Fourie-Basson

Enquiries

Prof Anton Pauw

Tel: 021 808-3314

E-mail: apauw@sun.ac.za

Mr Pieter Botha

Mobile: 072 786 4083

E-mail: pieterbotha@sun.ac.za

Issued by: Wiida Fourie-Basson, media: Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, science@sun.ac.za, 021 808-2684, 071 099 5721

​​​The Stellenbosch University Museum in close cooperation with the Nelson Mandela Museum will be officially opening two new exhibitions on 25 August 2014.

The two exhibitions to be launched are entitled:

1. Black man in a white man's court – The forgotten trial of Nelson Mandela
2. For Madiba with Love – a photographic exhibition by David Turnley

(a) Black Man in a white man's court – the forgotten trial of Nelson Mandela

On Sunday 5 August 1962 South Africa's most wanted man was arrested after almost 17 months underground – seven months of them out of the country. It was a coup for the apartheid regime and a blow for the liberation movement. Nelson Mandela was in custody.

Dubbed by the media as the Black Pimpernel for his ability to evade arrest, he was put on trial for leaving the country without a passport and for inciting workers to strike.

At this short trial he wore a bead necklace and a jackal-skin Karros draped over his left shoulder to assert his identity as an African.

It was in the Old Synagogue in Pretoria, which became a 'Special Regional Court' for his trial, that he made his first 'Speech from the Dock' – a statement an accused could make without fear of cross-examination.

On the first day of his trial on 22 October 1962 Mandela made the speech, now known as the Black Man in a White Man's Court speech, while applying for the magistrate to recuse himself because he did not believe that he would be given a fair trial.

The 44-year-old attorney ran his own defence with legal advice given by his comrade Bob Hepple, who substituted for the banned Joe Slovo, was forbidden to travel to Pretoria for the trial. He allowed the prosecution to expect a lengthy defence but he mounted none.

On the day of his conviction, 7 November 1962, the prosecutor D J Bosch came to the holding cells and embraced him, explaining how hard it was for him to ask for a conviction. After being found guilty on incitement and leaving the country without a passport Mandela gave a closing speech of about an hour long. He was sentenced to five years in prison which he began serving at Pretoria Local Prison. He would not be free until 11 February 1990.

b)  For Madiba with love – photographs by David Turnley

It was as a 13-year-old boy growing up in the American Midwest of 1968, around the time of Dr Martin Luther King's assassination, that photographer David Turnley first heard the word "apartheid" – and the name Nelson Mandela.

His father, who had protested the invitation extended to two pro-racism speakers by the local Rotary Club, had explained the term and told him about the imprisoned Mr Mandela. Little could that impressionable lad have imagined that, two decades later, he would become a close personal friend of the Mandela family, and document South Africa's transition to democracy from a very special vantage point?

This incredible journey, and more specifically the period between 1985 and 1995, is the subject of For Madiba with Love, Turnley's new exhibition at the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory in Houghton, Johannesburg.

Turnley (58) has photographed many of the seminal global events and flashpoints of the late 20th century and early 21st century – Afghanistan, the Middle East, the Berlin Wall, the student protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, Chechnya and many others – and the end of apartheid. He has won the Pulitzer Prize, two World Press Photos of the Year and the Robert Capa Gold Medal of Courage, among many other accolades, for his work.

He first crossed paths with renowned South Africa photographer Peter Magubane in 1978, when Magubane travelled to the United States to show his images of the 1976 Soweto uprising. "He had the most generous spirit, and his work was unbelievable," Turnley says of the man who would later also become a close friend.

In 1980 Turnley began photographing race issues in Detroit, "no more opportune" a place to document the ongoing civil rights situation in America – including race riots, and the de facto racial segregation of black inner cities and white suburbia. Five years later apartheid had become an international issue, and Turnley's attention was drawn to South Africa.

"The country was exploding," he recalls, arriving at a time when South Africa was in deep crisis. The national state of emergency was in force, and the country was torn by violent conflict and brutal State suppression of opposition to apartheid.

As he documented what he saw, and observed the intricacies of racial politics in South Africa, Turnley says that "what I think interested me was the daily humiliations, the nuances of ... this racial relationship".

He got to know Allan Boesak, then a leading light of the United Democratic Front (UDF), who invited him to an underground meeting of the UDF leadership in Durban. It was to be a defining moment. He says: "I went, and in walks the who's who of the struggle in the UDF, and the unbelievably beautiful Winnie Mandela."

It was there that he once again encountered Magubane, whom he respected too much to simply approach. But Magubane had already noticed the young American, whom he described as "one tough cookie", and their friendship was soon established. Turnley remembers Magubane's advice: "Don't talk, and if you do talk, don't say anything."

It was Magubane who introduced him to Winnie Mandela, "and we hit it off from day 1". He became a trusted friend of the Mandela family, enjoying "a very privileged relationship" with them – so close, in fact, that he even babysat for them.

But the apartheid regime, which kept a close watch on foreign media, was growing intolerant of Turnley's presence and work, and in 1988 deported him. This was a difficult time for Turnley, who had married a South African, but was now persona non grata.

A year later, in late 1989, things had changed again, and the apartheid government – aware of momentous things looming – invited him to return to South Africa and document what was to happen. Turnley would be one of those fortunate photographers who captured a jubilant Mr Mandela walking out of Victor Verster Prison with his wife, and his first public appearance on the steps of the Cape Town City Hall a few hours later. He was also in the Mandela home in Soweto when Mr Mandela took his first meal there in decades, along with the Sisulus and Ahmed Kathrada.

"I spent so much time with Madiba," he says of the ensuing years, covering Mr Mandela on the campaign trail, the first democratic elections in 1994, and Mr Mandela's presidency, retirement and family life. "I've really been photographing the family for 30 years."

And so it is that Turnley, too, has a South African family. His son, Charlie, was born in 1994 and has grown up South African. For Turnley, who has worked in 75 countries, "without even hesitation I say South Africa" when he is asked about his favourite place in the world.

"My life changed the minute I arrived in 1985, and I cannot say 'thank you' enough to the people of South Africa for letting me into their lives," he says.

​

The study, a collaboration between Prof Gerhard Geldenhuys of the Division of Applied Mathematics at the Faculty of Science, and the Divisions of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, and Neurology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, traced Parkinson’s disease in 12 Afrikaans families back to a specific couple of Dutch and German ancestry that settled in the Cape in the 1600s.

Other disorders such as Huntington’s disease and schizophrenia have previously been linked to specific Afrikaner genealogies, but this is the first time that Parkinson’s disease was linked to this group.

Afrikaner patients, which made up about a third of the 192 Parkinson’s participants in the study (initiated in 2009), were selected for further genealogical analysis on the basis of having a young age (under 60 years) at onset of Parkinson’s disease, as that is often predictive of a genetic component being the cause of Parkinson’s. These families were also characterised by having two or more family members with Parkinson’s.

By early 2013, 48 Afrikaner families had been investigated, and in most cases the ancestors could be traced back for at least eight generations.
After family trees were constructed, it emerged from detailed study of the first 12 families that all the families were linked to a single ancestral couple. The couple were married in South Africa in 1668. The man originated from the Netherlands and his wife from Germany.

In 40 of the Parkinson’s probands, at least one line of descent linked them to the ancestral couple – suggesting strong evidence that the couple could be the founder or originator of the disease in South Africa.

The remaining eight families were not able to provide information to trace their ancestry back for more than three or four generations. In 40 families there were two or more family members with Parkinson’s.

According to one of the study authors, Prof Jonathan Carr, head of the Division of Neurology, Afrikaners will need to be assessed carefully with accurate biomarkers which are currently being developed for the identification of early Parkinson’s. Hopefully, when effective treatments are available, those at risk for the development of the illness should be given priority.

Photo: Prof Jonathan Carr

Read more about the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences in the latest edition of Vivus
     

Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) recently held its 58^th Annual Academic Day.

"The Annual Academic Day is the highlight of our academic calendar, and it showcases and celebrates the faculty's on-going world-class research," says Prof Nico Gey van Pittius, Deputy Dean: Research. "It also provides an opportunity to acknowledge the commitment and hard work of our researchers and support staff… and to reflect on the difference our research makes to the world around us."

Research undertaken at the faculty addresses some of the toughest health challenges in the nation, on the African continent, and in the world, and the research priorities are aligned with the Department of Health's quadruple burden of disease profile (infectious disease, non-communicable disease, violence injuries and trauma and maternal and child health).

"Our focus areas also align perfectly with the goals of the National Development Plan, and specifically speak to the key focus areas of the National Development Plan such as improving TB prevention and cure, reducing maternal, infant, and child mortality, reducing the prevalence of NCDs, reducing injuries, accidents and violence, and completing the health care reforms," says Gey van Pittius.

The programme included 80 poster and oral presentations respectively, six state of the art presentation, and key note addresses from the dean, Prof Jimmy Volmink, and guest speaker Professor Glenda Gray, president of the South African Medical Research Council (MRC).

The programme for the Annual Academic Day was divided into six different tracks around central themes – health system strengthening; non-communicable disease; infectious disease; mental health and neuroscience; and maternal and child health.

"The research was presented around these themes in an interdisciplinary way to allow researchers from different environments and disciplines to interact," says Gey van Pittius.

In his talk, centred around the theme of inequality, Volmink illustrated how this issue negatively impacts all levels of society, and noted with concern the gender and race inequality in academia and research output in the country.

"In our vision of the faculty we state that we are committed to health and equality and we need to take that seriously. Inequality in research activities are undesirable and should be systematically addressed, and this will require a pipeline approach that will mean attracting, developing and retaining people from underrepresented groups," says Volmink.

Gray expressed the MRC's commitment to building a healthy nation through research and innovation. "The MRC is interested in big ideas, big science, and we want high impact. We want to promote the knowledge economy, and at the same time develop health solutions that are appropriate and address the health of our nation," says Gray.

According to her, there is a link between research and prosper, and that South Africa will be wise to invest in research to grow the economy.

Foto's:www.facebook.com/SUhealthsci
YouTube video: http://youtu.be/8Ol9lR1fN0w

​Stellenbosch University's (SU) Prof Marina Rautenbach has been honoured as an outstanding female scientist at the 2014 South African Woman in Science Awards (WISA) ceremony held in Johannesburg on Friday (15 August).

Prof Rautenbach, a professor in Biochemistry at SU, was named as one of the winners in the Distinguished Woman Scientist (Natural Sciences and Engineering) category. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) hosts these awards annually to reward outstanding female scientists and researchers, and to encourage younger women to follow in their footsteps. This year's theme was "20 years of democracy and freedom: The changing landscape of women's participation in science and technology education, training, and employment". 

Prof Rautenbach, a biochemist, has been working on natural antimicrobial peptides, which can be used in nurseries, viticulture, organic farming, animal health care and feeds, aquaculture, food preservation, air and water filtration, the paper industry, dental care and medicine.  She also started the Biopep Peptide Group in 1998 and with her entrepreneurial leadership Biopep has been operational for 16 years and generates sustainable research funding by contract research. Since 1999, Prof Rautenbach and her group of students and postdoctoral fellows were the inventors of three patents and generated 70 technical reports, conference proceedings and peer-reviewed journal articles as well as 67 conference presentations.

"This is obviously a tremendous honour to be recognised for me and my students' research, but it also comes with the responsibility to continue with a greater focus to be a role model and motivator for young female students and researchers," Prof Rautenbach said.

Her advice to upcoming researchers is to learn from setbacks, ask the right questions and to be innovative. "If you encounter problems and setbacks in your research, learn from it and use it as a compass for your research. The most negative outcome of a research project, is if you have all the answers and there are no more questions. Continue to ask the right questions that seek to address real problems! Finally, a shortage of funds just means that you'll have to be more innovative and to doggedly follow other researchers' work is not innovative."

Speaking at the awards ceremony, the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, encouraged more women to participate in science. "The WISA finalists and winners will be invited to participate in science awareness campaigns led by the Department to serve as role models for other women, particularly young girls," she said.

SU also had two winners, PhD students Caroline Pule and Theresa Beelders, in the Fellowships category.  They each received Fellowships for Doctoral degrees.

Beelders is currently enrolled for a PhD in Food Science and in 2011 she was the recipient of the Stellenbosch University Medal for Top Magister student in the Faculty of AgriSciences. Pule is doing her PhD at SU and her research focuses on understanding the physiology of drug-resistant and tolerant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 

Photo: Prof Rautenbach and Caroline Pule.

​​​A memorial service for Prof Hans Peter Müller (51) of the Department of Information Science at Stellenbosch University (SU) was held in the Stellenbosch Moedergemeente on Monday 18 August. Prof Müller passed away last week.

According to Prof Bernard Lategan of the Department of Information Science Prof Müller passed away after begin sick for some time.

"With his death the Department and University have lost a brilliant academic and pioneer who was ahead of his time on many terrains," writes Prof Lategan in a tribute.

Complete translation in English to follow.

Prof Müller se opleiding in filosofie, teologie en sosiale teorie aan verskeie universiteite, insluitende Stellenbosch, Tübingen en Utrecht het tot ʼn meestersgraad in filosofie en ʼn PhD in sosiale teorie gelei. Sy promotor (van sy meestersgraad), professor Anton van Niekerk, bestempel sy tesis as "tot vandag toe een van die bestes is wat ek die voorreg gehad het om as studieleier voor op te tree, en wat ek al male sonder tal aanbeveel het vir studente wat in die dialoogvraagstuk belang stel."

"Sy studie het die interdissiplinêre basis gelê wat sy akademiese aanpak en sy praktiese belangstellings gekenmerk het. Hy het ʼn sleutelrol gespeel die vestiging van die voorgraadse program in Waarde en Beleid-studie en in die nagraadse program in Besluitneming, Kennisdinamika en Waardes. 

Volgens Professor van Niekerk het hy hierin baanbrekerswerk verrig wat daartoe gelei het dat hierdie rigting (en Hans) in sinergie met Inligtingwetenskap sy niche aan SU gevind het. "Hans het merkwaardig daarin geslaag om homself te herposisioneer, vanaf ʼn teoloog en ʼn filosoof, tot ʼn sosiaal-wetenskaplike van formaat… Ek was altyd geweldig trots daarop om te dink dat iemand wat vroeër my student was, oor die jare ontwikkel het in ʼn leiersfiguur waarna almal in die fakulteit al hoe meer begin opsien het."

Prof Müller het voortdurend nuwe horisonne verken. In sy voortgesette navorsing in New York, Leuven en Tilburg het hy op sosiale teorie en die rol van kultuur, godsdiens en waardes gekonsentreer. Dit het gelei tot ʼn nuwe benadering in vergelykende waardestudies wat gestalte gekry het in die Southern African Values Project waarby ses Afrika-lande betrokke is. Verder het hy hom op besluitnemingprosesse in organisasies toegespits en as aktiewe medewerker van die Parmenides Eidos-groep talle sake-ondernemings en departemente met hul strategiese beplanning gehelp, onder meer die Ontwikkelingsbank, Departement van Toerisme, provinsiale regerings en ander staatsinstellings. Hy het wye erkenning vir sy werk in hierdie verband ontvang.

Hy was aktief betrokke by die omvattende sosiale transformasie wat die afgelope twee dekades in die land plaasgevind het. Lank voor dit algemene praktyk geword het, was hy deel van afvaardigings na Afrikalande en gesprekke met bevrydingsorganisasies. Hy het onverskrokke standpunt ingeneem ten gunste van ʼn inklusiewe, demokratiese bestel en voortdurend gestreef na groter sosiale gelykheid en geregtigheid. Hy was vir ʼn nuwe geslag studente ʼn toegewyde mentor wat hulle aangemoedig het om die geleenthede wat die nuwe bedeling bied, aan te gryp en konstruktief uit te bou.

As Voorsitter van die Institusionele Forum het Hans met onderskeiding op die Raad van die Universiteit gedien. Desmond Smith, destydse Voorsitter van die Universiteitsraad, sê in hierdie verband: "Sy heengaan is vir die hele Universiteit ʼn verlies. Hy was ʼn persoon van onkreukbare integriteit wat oral respek afgedwing het. Sy helder insig in komplekse sake en sy saaklike en onemosionele bydraes tot dikwels moeilike debatte het van Hans ʼn besondere waardevolle Raadslid en ʼn gewaardeerde kollega gemaak".

Die afgelope paar jaar was hy President van die Berg- en Toerklub. Hy was hartstogtelik lief vir die natuur en het die Bolandse berge soos die palm van sy hand geken het. Menige kan getuig hoe hy studente nie net in die lesingsaal, maar ook in die natuur geïnspireer het.

"Hans was ʼn beskeie persoon wat homself nooit op die voorgrond gedring het nie. Sy kollegas en studente sal hom onthou as ʼn uitmuntende akademikus, as ʼn inspirerende dosent, as iemand wat hoë standaarde aan homself en ander gestel het en as ʼn lojale kollega op wie onder alle omstandighede staat gemaak kon word. Hy laat ʼn groot leemte wat moeilik (indien ooit) gevul sal kan word," sluit prof Lategan af.

Die Universiteit wil sy opregte meelewing betuig aan Anneke, Anna-Marie, Peter en die hele familie in hierdie moeilike tyd.​

Staff and students of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are in mourning after the passing of two beloved academics, Prof Hans Müller (51) of the Department of Information Science and Mr Francois Pauw (63) of the Department of Ancient Studies, who both died last week. 

"In the 1970s I had Greek tutorials with Francois Pauw and I was always amazed at his enthusiasm about the texts which we read together," said Prof Johan Hattingh, Dean of the Faculty.

"In the early 1980s Hans Müller attended my Philosophy classes, and it was way back then that I learned to know Hans as an independent thinker who looked penetratingly and critically at society and the manner in which government structures and other power mechanisms tried to order and manage it. Hans later emerged as a strong leader in our Faculty, and he was an inspiration to his students. He always practised what he advised his students to do: namely to think laterally."

Francois Pauw was a lecturer at Stellenbosch University from 1981.

One of Pauw's colleagues, Dr Annamaré Kotzé, said of him: "Students will remember him for decades to come for his dedication, his precision and for his passion for Greek as well as his strong sense of fairness. Colleagues will especially remember him for his irreproachable work ethic, his keen eye for detail, his love for the refined use of Afrikaans and will miss his exceptional wit. Besides his passion for his subject, he often shared his great love for his dogs and the crags and crevices of the surrounding mountains with his colleagues. Until shortly before his death, he undertook countless climbing and walking expeditions and in his young days was known for being able to cover impressive distances in short spaces of time, something that anyone who ever tried to keep up with him can testify to."

Pauw's broad knowledge of the ancient world included expertise in Latin, classical and Biblical Greek, and various aspects of Greek culture, politics and literature.

"He was exceptionally well read and had an encyclopedic knowledge of world events as well as ancient and modern literature. His academic strong points included classical Greek philology, Greek tragedy and comedy, and especially the influence of classical drama on modern literature. The latter was the subject of his publications over the past few of years, and he was about to take another six months of research leave in September 2014 to do further research in this field," said Kotzé.

"Pauw was a sincere and humble person that never put on a façade. He treated everyone around him with great regard and respect and high moral standards at all levels of his own and others' lives were non-negotiable to him."

Pauw is survived by his twin sons who are currently working in London.

Hans Müller died on Thursday morning after a long illness.

"With his passing the Department and the University have lost a brilliant academic and a pioneer who was ahead of his time in many areas," said Prof Bernard Lategan of the Information Science Department.

Müller's studies in philosophy, theology and social theory – undertaken at various universities, including Stellenbosch, Tübingen and Utrecht – led to a master's degree in philosophy and a PhD in social theory.

According to Lategan, Müller continually explored new horizons.

"In his ever-continuing research in New York, Leuven and Tilburg, he concentrated on social theory and the role of culture, religion and values. This led to a new approach in comparative value studies which figured in the Southern African Values Project in which six African countries are involved.  Further to this, he focused on decision-making processes in organisations and, as an active associate of the Parmenides Eidos Group, he helped many business enterprises and departments with their strategic planning, among others the Development Bank, Department of Tourism, provincial governments and other government institutions. He received wide recognition for his work in these areas," Lategan said.

Müller was actively involved with the wide-ranging social transformation that has been taking place in this country for the past two decades. Long before it became regular practice, he was part of the delegations to African countries and discussions with freedom fighter organisations. He took a fearless stand in favour of an inclusive, democratic dispensation and continually strove for greater social equality and justice.

For the past few years he was president of the Berg- en Toerklub, the climbing, walking and camping club of Stellenbosch University. "He loved nature passionately and knew the mountains of the Boland like the back of his hand. Many can testify how he inspired students not only in the classroom but also in the outdoors," Lategan added.

"Hans was a modest person who never thrust himself into the foreground. His colleagues and students will remember him as an outstanding academic, as an inspiring lecturer, as someone who set high standards for himself and others, and as a loyal colleague on whom they could rely under all circumstances."

Müller is survived by his wife Anneke and their children, Anna-Marie and Peter.

An urgent global call for a new "Social Covenant" between citizens, businesses and government is the driving force behind a three-day, high-level discussion to be held in Stellenbosch (in South Africa) from 27-29 August 2014.

The objective of the event, co-hosted by the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Values and Stellenbosch University (SU), is to facilitate a discussion on how the concept of a Social Covenant can make a contribution to the improvement of society.

The event, which is sponsored by Barclays, has been dedicated to the memory of the late SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Russel Botman. As a strong proponent of greater social inclusion, equality and justice worldwide, he had agreed to open the event, but passed away unexpectedly at the end of June.

The discussion is in all likelihood the first collaboration of this nature between the World Economic Forum and a South African university.

"At the 2013 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, the Global Agenda Council on Values released a document entitled A New Social Covenant. The document describes how old social contracts have unravelled, and how former assumptions and shared notions about fairness, reciprocity, mutual benefits, social values and expected futures have all but disappeared," explains Daniel Malan, Director of the Centre for Corporate Governance in Africa at SU's Business School (USB). As a member of the World Economic Forum Council, he is the organiser of the event.

"The Council called for a period of global reflection and dialogue on this concept, and following an initial conference at Georgetown University in the USA in September 2013, the Stellenbosch University event will continue this discussion. We look forward to a few very exciting days of critical and constructive conversation."

Jim Wallis, Chairperson of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Values, says: "The moral measure of a society is not its GDP, military firepower, or the success of its popular culture — but, rather, how it treats the poorest and most vulnerable. I look forward to a deep conversation with leading South African thinkers about the values that can make this world a better place for the entire human family."

According to Leopoldt van Huyssteen, acting Rector of Stellenbosch University, the project is fully aligned with the University's institutional intent and strategy, "including our support for the proposed outcomes of the global development goals and the South African National Development Plan".

Stephen van Coller, Chief Executive of Corporate and Investment Banking at Barclays Africa Group says: "The Social Covenant presents us with a unique opportunity to shift our thinking about how we tackle deep systemic issues facing South Africa and the continent at large. Barclays Africa remains committed to engaging in robust, substantive debates about the role of values-based leadership and collaborating with others  to build a better society for all."   

Public discussions

The media and the public are invited to attend two public discussions – on Wednesday 27 August and on Friday 29 August.

Wednesday's discussion (13:00 – 14:30) will explore the underpinnings of the concept of a social covenant. Speakers include Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Professor and founding member of the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society at Columbia University and Tom Donaldson, the Mark O. Winkelman Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. The sessions will be moderated by Johan Hattingh, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at SU.

Friday's discussion (13:00 – 14:30) will see Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, join in via video link. The focus will be on how the concept of a social covenant can make a contribution to the improvement of South African society, with specific reference to the National Development Plan. Other speakers include Trevor Manuel, former South African Minister in the Presidency for the National Planning Commission and former Minister of Finance; Jim Wallis, Chairperson of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Values; and Derek Yach, Executive Director of the Vitality Institute and former Executive Director for Chronic Diseases at the World Health Organisation. The session will be moderated by Bronwyn Nielsen, Senior Anchor, CNBC Africa, and will be a live television broadcast on CNBC Africa.

• Both the public events will take place at the Wallenberg Research Centre at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in Marais Road in Stellenbosch.
• The two public events will also be streamed live at www.sun.ac.za/streaming and the Twitter hashtag #newsocialcov will be used during the discussions.

Further sessions

On Wednesday 27 August, invited participants from the student community will meet some of the participants for a dinner entitled "15 Toasts to Dignity". This event is presented in association with SU's Frederik van Zyl Slabbert Institute for Student Leadership Development.

On Thursday 28 August, invited participants will take part in a closed Round Table discussion where the concept of a Social Covenant and its practical applications within a South African environment will be discussed.

• Liaise with Sunelle Hanekom at the Centre for Corporate Governance in Africa at the University of Stellenbosch Business School at sunelle.hanekom@usb.ac.za or +27 21 9184381 for more information or visit www.anewsocialcovenant.org