On campus issue 5

on Campus Issue 5 • June 2013 • For daily updates visit www.uwc.ac.za

Inside Dialogue on Democracy page 5

Sanlam Cheque Handover page 6

Five Poets Event page 11

Fast ‘n Flat Race page 15

Your Source for University News

UWC joins international partnership for hydrogen research

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WC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Coventry University and Microcab Industries, both of the UK, for the joint development of hydrogen and fuel-cell platforms and technologies. The agreement was recently lauded by the Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom, in his parliamentary budget speech, as it could lead to the commercialisation of HySA technologies.

The agreement fits very well with the capabilities and philosophies of the three partners.

UWC is part of a national initiative in the field of hydrogen and fuel-cell technology. It hosts, with its South African Institute for Advanced Materials Chemistry (SAIAMC), the Hydrogen Systems Integration and Technology Validation Centre of Competence (HySA Systems), one of three such national centres of competence that form part of South Africa’s Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) strategy. HySA Systems has integrated Fuel Cell technologies into several prototype vehicles, including a golf cart that is often seen on campus.

Coventry University has long been recognised as a leading UK higher education institute for automotive engineering, and has a special interest in emerging low-carbon vehicle technologies, particularly those based on hydrogen fuel-cell power systems. Microcab Industries, which stems from Coventry University, has been pioneering the design of a new generation of light-weight, highly efficient hydrogen hybrid fuel-cell electric vehicles. Ten of their H2EV vehicles are now enetering operational trials in the UK Midlands.

The MoU includes proposals for Microcab to

The all-new Microcab H2EV hydrogen fuel cell car is just one example of the technologies to be produced by the partnership between HySA, Coventry University and Microcab Industries Ltd.

utilise Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) technologies – battery, battery systems, hydrogen and fuel cellrelated components and modular systems – and for HySA to become a supplier to Microcab.

The partners are all optimistic about the potential of the MoU. Professor John Jostins, CEO of Microcab Industries, believes his company can make an important contribution to South Africa’s hydrogen ambitions through its pioneering research and experience in the engineering of lean-weight fuel-cell vehicles. The MoU could accelerate the development of hydrogen-powered passenger

vehicles, agreed Bernard Porter, director of Low Carbon Vehicle Projects at Coventry University.

There are many benefits to be gained from this MoU, added Professor Bruno G. Pollet, Professor of Hydrogen Energy and Fuel-Cell Technologies at UWC and Director of HySA Systems. “Among other things, the manufacturing of fuel-cell components and products will help to create and develop a supply chain of South African businesses which can generate jobs and growth in these new technologies. It also presents an opportunity for UWC to extend its education further into the engineering field and open to new doors for technical entrepeneurship.”

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News

UWC signs MoU with DEA on oceans research

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o help look after South Africa’s oceans and its marine resources, UWC is just the kind of institution the national Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) wanted to partner with.

So said DEA Deputy Director-General, Dr Monde Mayekiso, when he visited UWC recently to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University. Mayekiso and UWC Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic, Professor Ramesh Bharuthram, acted as signatories at the launch of the partnership between the DEA and UWC at the University’s Life Sciences Building on 3 May. Among those to welcome the new agreement at the event (attended by biotechnologists, mathematicians and taxonomists, among others) was UWC Dean of Science, and marine products chemist, Professor Michael DaviesColeman, who affirmed the new agreement as a chance for UWC to expand its presence in multidisciplinary marine research. The MoU is timely, said Davies-Coleman, following as it does in the wake of the recent acquisition of a 500 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer, made possible through a grant from the National Equipment Programme of the National Research Foundation.

“I believe the stars are aligning in favour of UWC,” Davies-Coleman noted.

Andre Share, Chief Director: Oceans &

The Department of Environmental Affairs team joins DEA Deputy Director-General, Dr Monde Mayekiso, and UWC Dean of Science, Prof Mike Davies-Coleman, (both seated) at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

Coastal Research at the DEA, explained that the MoU aims to encourage collaboration in matters related to the management and conservation of South Africa’s oceans and coasts, in line with its 15-year strategic plan.

DEA has identified UWC as a critical partner in understanding more precisely, he said, the extent and potential sustainable use of the rich marine biodiversity off South Africa’s shores.

Both will benefit from the MoU, added Share. The DEA will have access to the intellectual capital of UWC (both staff and

students), and the MoU will also provide development opportunities for DEA staff. For its part, UWC will be able to train students via bursaries and research funding for postgraduate research, especially in areas of national importance.

“This is indeed a historic day, and I am absolutely delighted to see the fruition of a process to formally engage with the University of the Western Cape as a strategic partner,” said Share, a UWC alumnus and former staff member.

New SA-German partnership for UWC

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Standing: Director of the International Relations Office at UWC, Mr Leolyn Jackson; Ms Lioba Weitzel; Dr Matthias Klatt; and Prof Walter Claassen.

Seated: Head of Cultural Affairs and Protocols of the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of German, Renate Reichardt; UWC Rector Prof Brian O’Connell; Minister for Economic and European Affairs in Germany, Mr Ralf Christoffers; and President of the BUT, Prof Walther Zimmerli.

WC has extended its global footprint with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Brandenburg University of Technology (BUT) in Germany.

Signed at UWC on 15 May as part of an official visit to South Africa by Ralf Christoffers, Minister for Economic and European Affairs for Brandenburg (one of Germany’s 16 federal states), the MoU comes a month after the ending of the German-South African Year of Science initiative, a major partnership between Germany and South Africa that had been running since April 2012.

The MoU entails a student exchange agreement between the two universities

with the aim of advancing and enriching the academic programmes of both institutions by sharing resources and information.

As part of the five-year MoU, UWC and the BUT have agreed to the exchange of two undergraduate students and two postgraduate students from both institutions every year. In addition, there will be an exchange of resources and collaboration between researchers in the natural sciences and students on joint courses, colloquia and research projects.

Christoffers was upbeat about the MoU. “We enjoy good relations with South Africa, and this agreement will serve both countries well for the future,” he said.

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News

African culture elevated at UWC

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colourful display of African art, clothing and mouth-watering delicacies were the order of the day when UWC hosted its Africa Day celebrations on 14 May 2013.

Organised by the University’s International

Relations Office (IRO), in conjunction with the Student Representative Council (SRC) and the International Students Organisation (ISO), the event was abuzz with colour and spectacle as students from various African countries proudly represented their identities through art, song, food and dance.

Pictured from left: Dr Thierry Luescher-Mamashela (UWC Lecturer); Professor Joelien Pretorius (Political Studies); Leolyn Jackson (Director of International Relations Office at UWC); Jacob Cloete (postgraduate student); and Professor Gerald Ouma (UWC Lecturer).

The event marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor of the modern-day African Union.

On show in the student centre were flags of countries such as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and many others.

According to SRC treasurer-general, Reuben Kumwenda, crediting the IRO and the International Students Organisation for their contributions, the event was a resounding success. “It was a celebration of the African continent,” he said.

Kumwenda urged students to take part in events such as these because “our identities and cultures must be elevated here”. He also encouraged international students to visit the SRC office to learn more of the services available to them within the ISO.

Umngqusho (samp), pap and idombolo (steam-bread) were among the many traditional dishes served at the Africa Day celebrations.

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UWC celebrates Africa Day 2013

WC’s International Relations Office (IRO), in collaboration with UWC scholars and administrators, the Student Representative Council (SRC) and the International Student Organisation (ISO), staged yet another successful Africa Day Dialogue in May. UWC, according to the IRO, seeks to play its role in the development of the identities of African students by creating spaces for fearless contestation where issues of African unity, aspirations for a better Africa, and individual responsibility in the further development of Africa can be discussed.

The presenters for the day were postgraduate student Jacob Cloete, Professor Joelien Pretorius of the Department of Political Studies, and Professor Jimi Adesina, Head of UWC’s Anthropology and Sociology Department.

Cloete questioned whether independence really did translate into freedom, arguing that this was not the case in Africa. Colonisation was economic, political and cultural, he said. Yes, South Africans can elect a government and have some control over the economy, but it is not yet culturally free. “We are in cultural bondage because of the transference of Western liberalism during colonialism.”

He also advised that those in academia focus not just on the problems, but also the solutions; too many theses do not even offer recommendations, he said.

In her talk, Pretorius explored the stereotypes about Africa that are encountered in film, media and other forms of public discourse. These stereotypes structure understandings and experiences of Africa, she said.

Pretorius highlighted three such stereotypical images of Africa: Exotic Africa, Crisis Africa and Mbeki’s Africa. Deliberately exaggerating the stereotypes, she asked students to consider a number of questions, including how Africa and Africans are culturally and politically “produced” through films, academic disciplines, and politicians’ speeches; and the consequences of these images for Africa and Africans.

These are issues that students, especially, must come to terms with.

“Universities are not just ivory towers, but are engaged in public debate and construction of knowledge and hence realities,” she said. “But, the Africa Day celebration at UWC goes beyond that to encourage students to engage with UWC’s identity as a university on the African continent.”

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News

Historical ties bind archivists

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he liberation struggles of South Africa and Mozambique have often been mentioned in the same breath.

It is in this context that a delegation

from the Research Centre of History of the National Liberation Struggle, established by the Mozambican Council of Ministers to research and tell the story of that country’s political past and present, visited UWC recently. They were specifically interested in exchanging thoughts on the UWC Robben Island Mayibuye Archives, particularly the collection’s organisation, operation, and the methodologies used for research and investigation.

The Mayibuye Archives comprise a major collection of South African liberation struggle items; it consists of, by one count, more than 100,000 photographs, 10,000 film and video recordings, 5,000 artefacts from the Island and elsewhere, 2,000 oral history tapes, 2,000 posters and 10,000 political cartoons. The Archives are a joint

Thousands of grade 11 and 12 learners attending Open Day were provided with information on a large variety of study options and extracurricular activities.

operation between UWC and the Robben Island Museum, and are housed in UWC’s

UWC opens its doors

Main Library.

According to Mariki Victor, Manager of the Mayibuye Archives, the visit was an important contact-making opportunity for UWC. “We have collections relating to Mozambique,” said Victor, “and it is always a good thing for us to build relationships with Mozambique and neighbouring countries.”

Representatives from UWC’s Centre for Humanities Research and of the Mozambican Ministry of Combatants Centre for Research visit UWC’s Robben Island Mayibuye Archives.

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housands of learners, mostly grade 11s and 12s from communities surrounding UWC, flocked to the campus grounds for the annual Open Day in May. It soon became clear that attendance was considerably higher than previous years.

For one thing, the Main Hall was not the only venue utilised, as in the past, and the student centre, the student administration venue and the library auditorium were also utilised.

The on-campus Open Day was complemented by off-campus events where UWC reached out to surrounding communities. Two of the four off-campus Open Days were hosted in Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s Plain, and another two are scheduled for the Northern and Southern Suburbs in the second semester.

Parents, learners, alumni, teachers and prospective students were afforded an opportunity to learn more about UWC and its unique history and vision. They were provided with wideranging information – on the courses and extracurricular activities on offer, as well as on admission requirements, online applications, funding, and residence life.

Academics took the time to explain the programmes to the prospective students, and the Rector, Professor Brian O’Connell, provided a presentation on the importance of tertiary education and the benefits of further studies for learners, the country and the world at large.

He also focused on the role UWC can play in making quality education a reality. In addition, senior students shared their UWC stories with prospective students.

The University’s Student Enrolment Management Unit coordinated the programme with the support and input of all the faculties on campus.

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News

Democracy in action at UWC

Pictured from left: UWC’s Media and Communications Manager, Luthando Tyhalibongo; Kenny Bafo from UWC’s Department of Political Studies; Xolani Gwala host of AMLive on SAfm; Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, founder of Democracy from Below; and community activist Mzi Sibeko.

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emocracy in action was the gist of discussions when UWC’s Department of Political Studies partnered with civil society initiative Democracy from Below to co-host a SAfm live broadcast panel discussion titled Democracy from Below.

Making up the panel were Nozizwe MadlalaRoutledge, former Deputy Minister of Health and founder of Democracy from Below; Kenny Bafo, a lecturer in the Department of Political Studies; community activist Mzi Sibeko; and UWC student Patrick Lehman. Not surprisingly, they represented a diverse range of views on issues such as the progressive and transformative thrust of the South African

constitution, the challenges for South Africa’s democracy, and the importance of building a mass-based response to issues.

Madlala-Routledge argued that poor communities often do not participate in public dialogues, and that the councillors who were voted into power by these communities overlook them and do not consult with the members of these communities when making decisions.

Bafo said that South Africans must realise that democracy is not only about casting a ballot every four years. South Africans must own the process of democracy. “We need to know what democracy is, and we need to empower ourselves with it.”

Bafo also urged people to close the gap between themselves and democracy by remaining involved in community projects.

Community activist Sibeko contended that many South Africans have lost faith in South African democracy, withdrawing from dialogues and even not voting as a result.

Head of the Department of Political Studies at UWC, Dr Cherrel Africa, reminded the audience that South Africa was a society that was once on the brink of civil war, but forged a constitutional democracy instead.

“It is not that democracy is the wrong system,” Africa said. “It’s that we must also move towards achieving freedom, justice and equality.”

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News

Sanlam and UWC continue their good relations

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UWC-based initiative that looks at the development of high-quality mathematics teaching has received a boost of R290,000 from financial group Sanlam.

The donation to the Local Evidence-Driven Improvement of Mathematics Teaching And Learning Initiative (LEDIMTALI), based in the University’s Faculty of Education, springs from the 30-plus-year relationship between Sanlam and UWC. Head of LEDIMTALI, Professor Cyril Julie, described the donation as imperative to extending the expansion of the project’s work to the teaching of mathematics at the grade 8 and 9 levels.

All the more so, said Julie at a recent presentation of the donation, as teaching has taken something of a backseat in recent policy. “This programme is very important to UWC and the schools we work with.”

The initiative also offers Sanlam the chance to contribute to a programme that invests in the education of young people, said the company’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Francois Adriaan. It’s just the kind of partnership Sanlam is on the lookout for,

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Dean of Education, Prof Zubeida Desai; Head of LEDIMTALI project, Prof Cyril Julie; Rector, Prof Brian O’Connell; Head of Sanlam Corporate Affairs, Francois Adriaan; Prof Meshach Ogunniyi; and Prof Juliana Smith, Deputy Dean: Teaching and Learning, celebrate the partnership.

Adriaan added. “Sustainability is very critical in any institution, and the LEDIMTALI project seems to have a bright future.”

Julie’s passion for this programme was echoed in the words of the Dean of Education, Professor Zubeida Desai. “We, as the education faculty, cannot be divorced

from the community within which we operate, so with this programme, teachers from the surrounding schools are able to benefit,” said Desai. “This programme has a dual impact in the sense that it benefits both the school teachers and the broader community.”

UWC welcomes new Mellon Mays cohort

he distance between home/residence Harvard University-based publication distributed to and lecture theatre/practical venues participating institutions in the US and South Africa. is about as much mileage as most They are also attached to a faculty mentor who aids students expect to accumulate over their their personal and academic development. undergraduate years.

The recent event allowed University executives The new cohort of students on UWC’s and officials to prepare the students for life as MMUF Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) fellows, and to bid them adieu for their upcoming Programme, welcomed into the MMUF fold at a US adventures. Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic, celebratory get-together early in May, are going Professor Ramesh Bharuthram, explained that the to do a little more travelling soon. In June, the programme is a stepping stone to greater things, and Executive Assistant in the DVC: talented five – Maphelo Batyi (Political Studies), reminded students that this was a special moment in Academic’s Office, Dr Vanessa Mandihlume Dotwana (Sociology), Janine Harry their lives. Executive Assistant in the DVC: Academic’s Brown, is kind of the mother of the (English), Mapula Motana (Mathematics) and Office, Dr Vanessa Brown, talked of students going on MMUF programme, according to Malebogo Thabong (French) – leave for Emory to greater things.

DVC: Academic, Prof Bharuthram.

University in the US. There, they will take part in Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Brian the United Negro College Fund (better known as UNCF)/Mellon Summer O’Connell, gave the fellows a big-picture perspective on the Fellowship.

Institute, which, among other things, aims to prepare the students (all “This is about our country and our continent finding a way to understand in the final years of their undergraduate degrees) for their postgraduate the world, the changes in the world, and about the agents who must find studies. a way to respond to those changes if we are to flourish,” he said.

MMUF Fellowships run for two years – the final year of the Finally, Senior MMUF Fellow Mario Meyer (2009 cohort), recipient undergraduate degree, and the Honours year. Fellows receive financial of the prestigious Mandela Rhodes Scholarship described how the and development support, have access to peer-to-peer networks, Fellowship had changed his life by taking him to development are encouraged to attend research conferences and can even publish programmes in the UK and US. “Mellon Mays gave me the exposure I research in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Journal, a needed and showed me that I could achieve,” he said.

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News

UWC students help Manenberg RCL members be the best they can be

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earner representatives from three

Work programme, explained the importance

Manenberg high schools – Manenberg

of RCLs and their members. “The fact that

High School, Phoenix High School and

you are members of the RCL tells us that

Silverstream High School – visited

others already have confidence in you – and

UWC’s Department of Social Work to attend

now it’s about sharing the confidence and

the closing ceremony of the Representative

knowledge you gained from this course with

Council of Learners (RCL) Leadership and

other young people, in your schools and

Ownership programme.

community and beyond,” said Safodien.

The ceremony capped a life-skills project

The learners also had a final say, with

that had been run at the Manenberg

two learners from each school delivering

People’s Centre for eight weeks, designed

presentations. This responsibility fell to

to make learners more vision-oriented and

grade 11 learner Warda Benjamin and grade

socially aware. The programme also aimed

10 learner Zea Jameson, from Manenberg

to build and strengthen the RCL structure

High School; Phoenix’s grade 12 learners

at the schools by introducing learners to

Fazlin Abrahams and Laura-Lee Louw; and

the idea of sustainable development and

Silverstream grade 11 learner Astrid Isaacs

networks of opportunity. Sessions covered

and grade 12 learner Skhumbuzo Solani.

self-empowerment, the difference between

The presentations offered the learners an

gender and sex, and the unique role that

opportunity to reflect on the impact that the

women play in the world, among other

programme had made on their lives.

themes.

It was run by two second-year Social Work

“One positive benefit is that we got to connect with organisations in our community

students – Ashraf Arendse, who grew up in

that we never knew were there, and we also

Manenberg and attended Silverstream High

got to conduct ourselves in ways we never

School, and Jade Petersen.

could before,” said Isaacs. Added Solani: “We

Learners received certificates for their

got to learn how to become better leaders

participation at the closing ceremony

in our school and our communities.” And

attended by members of the sponsoring

said Louw: “Being on RCL means more than

organisations, namely Manenberg People’s

just looking pretty – we’re actually there to

Centre and Self-Help Manenberg. Mr Redau

make a difference and better the academic

Safodien, supervisor of the second-year Social

environment for our fellow learners.”

Sponsors, learners and Social Work student leaders of the RCL Leadership and Ownership Programme gather to celebrate their experience.

Members of Golden Key society assisting in the fundraising braai they held at UWC.

Golden Key to international network

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embership to the Golden Key International Honour Society would be a feather in any student’s cap. Recently UWC students had an opportunity to find out exactly how to earn a place in this prestigious international group.

As Charlene Gunter, director of Golden Key South Africa, explained while on an information-sharing visit to UWC, Golden Key is a non-profit organisation that started in the US in 1977. Its aim is to enable members to realise their potential through the advancement of academics, leadership and service. Members can access financial assistance, and a selection of international scholarships and awards. In addition, they can tap into a vast network of professional and social contacts.

Now said to be the largest honour society in the world, Golden Key spans over 400 chapters in nine countries, namely Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore (the latest to set up chapters), South Africa and the US. Its over 2 million members represent around 190 nationalities.

Membership is by invitation only, and limited to the top 15% of academic performers from all disciplines.

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Science

Galaxies merge to form star factory

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o big star-rich galaxies form slowly over long periods of time, with a slow absorption of smaller galaxies and the stately formation of stars?

Or do they form swiftly, in a furious burst of star formation, when smaller galaxies crash together?

These are the questions astrophysicists from the UK, the US, France and South Africa – including members of UWC’s Astrophysics Group – may have answered in a paper published in the 22 May 2013 online issue of Nature.

When HXMM01 was first identified by the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey, it seemed to be just one massive, bright galaxy (known as a sub-millimetre bright galaxy).

But observation by several telescopes on the ground and in space showed that it was actually composed of two smaller (though still massive) colliding spiral galaxies, connected by a bridge of material.

Further analysis using images taken by the Herschel Space Observatory of the European Space Agency, using instruments examining the galaxies in the infra-red or submillimetre range (with wavelengths of under a millimetre but larger than visible light), showed that the material in the middle is formed by gas that is rapidly coalescing into stars. It did this at a rate of about 2,000 stars per year – about a thousand times the rate of star formation in our own Milky Way Galaxy.

By measuring the rate of star formation in the merging galaxies, as well as the amount of gas that still remained in them (about 200 billion solar masses each, or enough to form 200 billion sun-sized stars), the researchers determined how long it would take before the gas resources were exhausted and the galaxies settled down into one big (supergiant) elliptical galaxy around 200 million years.

And while that may sound like a very long time, it’s really very short when compared to the age of the universe as a whole (around 14 billion years), or even of our own sun (around five billion years old). And since HXMM01 is 11 billion light years away, this merger happened during a time when our galaxy was only about three billion years old.

HXMM01 is composed of a rapidly-merging pair of galaxies experiencing a massive burst of star formation. [Image credit: NASA] “Our quest over the last 10 years has been to try to map these processes as we look back in time,” says Dr Mattia Vaccari, study co-author and researcher in UWC’s Astrophysics Group. “Because light takes time to reach us, observing galaxies far away in space allows us to look into the past. So we can use sensitive instruments to probe distant galaxies and see the various stages of their formation.”

These findings may help explain a persistent astronomy mystery – why examining the distant universe seems to show that, in its youth, the universe was already fairly heavily populated with large reddish elliptical-shaped galaxies. For

years, scientists have debated how these elliptical galaxies formed from smaller spiral galaxies like the Milky Way. One hypothesis has it that spiral galaxies slowly went elliptical by gradually absorbing many other galaxies with low star formation rates. Another holds that powerful collisions between galaxies led to increased star formation rates.

This work provides powerful support for the merger/collision idea: it seems that when it comes to star formation, the biggest galaxies may be the result of smashups rather than slow accumulation. And the big galaxies of the early days of the universe grew up very quickly!

The University of the Western Cape Astrophysics Group is heavily involved in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, which seeks to build, right here in South Africa, the world’s largest array of sensors in the radio wavelengths, as well as the equipment to detect it. Six SKA research fellows are in residence at UWC, funded by the SKA, to do SKA-related science.

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9

Science

Maths4Stats: Fixing education by the numbers

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n May, teachers from around Policy Statement (CAPS), and the Western Cape returned covered topics such as basic to UWC for the closing probability data interpretation, ceremony of a maths4stats regression and correlation, and training programme that they the principles of data handling had attended at the University. for grouped data.

Participating educators At the closing ceremony, Prof received certificates for taking David Holgate, head of UWC’s part in the programme, and were Department of Mathematics, presented with CDs and material Professor Mbulaheni Nthangeni to take back to their schools. A of Stats SA, and Dr Gasant of lucky few also won spot prizes. the WCED, congratulated the The event wrapped up a educators and spoke on the training programme – part of importance of mathematics Teachers from all over the Western Cape attend the closing ceremony of the initiatives like maths4stats and the maths4stats project, an Maths4Stats programme at UWC’s Library Auditorium. initiative of Statistics South lifelong learning for teachers.

Africa (Stats SA) to ensure that Professor Renette Blignaut of with workshops offered by staff from UWC’s the current school syllabus meets with the Department of Statistics and Population Department of Statistics and Population international standards and is also relevant Studies, presented the educators with their Studies, Stats SA and Stellenbosch University. to contemporary conditions in South Africa – certificates. “Even though involvement in A total of 91 mathematics and mathematics held at UWC over four Saturdays from March the maths4stats initiative was hard work, it literacy educators from high schools in the to May. proved very rewarding to all. Perhaps only Cape Town Metro (East, West and Central), The programme was hosted by UWC’s a small difference was made in the lives of Eden, the Metro East Education District and Department of Statistics and Population educators, but it is hoped that the ripple the Winelands took part in the training.

Studies, in partnership with the Western Cape effect will affect many learners in the years The programme was based on the grades Education Department (WCED) and Stats SA, to come,” said Prof Blignaut.

10-12 Mathematics Curriculum Assessment

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Treading water not good enough

elegates at a workshop on water governance were literally and figuratively testing the waters.

The workshop, held under the aegis of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Southern African Network of Water Centres of Excellence (SANWATCE) and organised by UWC, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Stellenbosch University, was designed to look at the challenges of the equitable use and management of scarce water resources.

More than that, delegates hoped to identify more holistic and cooperative approaches to sustainable water resource management.

An international concern, the discussions – held from 7 to 9 May – drew delegates from universities and water research institutes in South Africa, Botswana, Ghana and Mozambique.

Taking a practical approach, delegates discussed groundwater protection successes and failures in various countries, identified priority areas for future research, and examined options for capacity building, among

Delegates attending the NEPAD Southern African Network of Water Centres of Excellence (SANWATCE) Water Governance Workshop conduct important discussions over lunch. other things. Keeping it hands-on, they also took field trips to examine groundwater test sites on campus.

The meeting formed part of a series of SANWATCE workshops for joint learning on various issues of water development, utilisation and management at the country level – and at the level of the Southern African region as

a whole. The initiative particularly focuses on promoting cooperation and knowledge transfer between organisations, including universities.

“This workshop is a high level networking opportunity to bring together experts in the country so that we can put our brains together and identify gaps and research preferences for South Africa,” explained Dr. Jacqueline Goldin, WaterNet Professorial Chair, Water and Society at University of the Western Cape.

“Academic institutions have a major role to play in driving collaboration and in providing solid science for cooperation,” said Professor Yongxin Xu, Senior Professor of Hydrogeology at UWC and holder of the UNESCO Chair of Geohydrology. “We will need to create public awareness and foster a culture of widespread stewardship for the environment.”

To accomplish this, groundwater scientists will need to build relationships with water sector partners by country and within the Southern African region, and will require much greater involvement from the private sector and civic society.

10

Community Health Sciences

Natural Medicine passes on lessons to learners

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igh-school learners, on the verge of choosing a career path, need all the guidance and options they can get.

So a presentation by students and staff from UWC’s School of Natural Medicine (SoNM) went down well with learners of Scottsdene Secondary School in Kraaifontein on Saturday, 20 April 2013. Telling them all about natural medicine were the department’s Dr Wang Xu, Dr Zahira Kamdar, and three students from the Chinese Medicine and Unani-Tibb modality, Junaid Rawoot, Bernice Lottering and Fathima Osman.

The delegation introduced the learners to the department, talked about admission requirements, and demonstrated some treatments, including acupuncture and cupping (suction with mechanical or hand-held pumps, said to improve blood flow). Both learners and school staff were intrigued, and there were many requests for telephone numbers and more details.

Overall, it was an afternoon well spent at the school, as both the SoNM staff and students agree.

“We had a very positive response from the learners, as well as from the UWC students that took time off from their weekend to be part of this initiative,” says Wang. “The learners really need such information and related presentations to show them exactly what the School can offer.”

UWC student volunteers Fathima Osman, Bernice Lottering and Junaid Rawoot educating a class about natural medicine at Scottsdene High School.

Want to know more about natural medicine? The school of Natural Medicine will give you the chance in September, at their Annual Health and Wellness Market Day. Stalls will offer a wide variety of healthy foods, health products and natural therapies, and informative displays will provide the opportunity to learn about healthy lifestyles and alternative medicines. Yoga, tai chi and zumba demonstrations will allow the public to discover new ways of attaining relaxation. To find out more, or if you would like to showcase your products, foods or therapies in a stall, please contact Lameesa Lawrence at lalawrence@ uwc.ac.za.

Dentistry research breaks new ground

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Speaking at the Dentistry Research Day, Dean of Dentistry, Professor Yusuf Osman, encourages students and and staff to undertake research.

he largest producer of dentists on the continent, UWC’s Faculty of Dentistry has reason to be proud of its achievements over the past year, going by the ground-breaking research revealed at its annual Research Day on 15 May. Students and staff members could show off their findings to about 100 academics and 500 students, many from other institutions, who attended this celebration of research.

Presentations covered topics such as patients’ reasons for going to public instead of private facilities, health professionals’ and the public’s perceptions on hidden sugars, and treatment programmes in the Western Cape for users of methamphetamine (better known as Tik).

Dr Lesley Henley of the University of Cape Town delivered the keynote address.

Dean of Dentistry, Professor Yusuf Osman,

expressed his satisfaction with the research conducted in the faculty; UWC has done very well in both national and international dentistry meetings, he pointed out. He also encouraged more academics and students to undertake research and contribute to their fields of interest.

“We expect our students to do research,” added Osman. ”I urge all of you to work harder on your papers, so that you may also be able to compete nationally and be able to represent South Africa at international meetings.”

Awards in the form of book vouchers were presented to academics and students who, in the judgement of the adjudicating professors, delivered the best papers.

“This is not a competition,” Osman pointed out, “but a platform for students and staff to talk about their research and help build a culture of knowledge generation.”

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11

Arts

Lunchtime serving of poetry

Jolyn Phillips performing a wonderful rendition of the jazz song, “Imbali”.

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Ko Un prolific Korean writer performing one of his poems.

poetry caravan stopped at UWC on 9 May for a lunch-hour poetry special, part of a week-long poetry festival titled Dancing in Other Words, curated by well-known poet Breyten Breytenbach.

The lunch-hour event saw some of UWC’s home-grown poets performing alongside some big-name international contemporaries. UWC praise singer and BA student David Zuko Mabalarhane opened the festivities with one of his Xhosa poems. Participating poets included Bill Dodd (UK), Carolyn Forché (US), Ko Un (a South Korean, who is considered a frontrunner for the Nobel Prize), Tomaž Šalamun (Slovenia), Joachim Sartorius (Germany) and Yang Lian (a Chinese exile whose works have been translated into 20 languages), as well as acclaimed South African poets Antjie Krog, Petra Müller and Marlene van Niekerk. And, of course, Breytenbach.In closing, creative writing student Jolyn Phillip entertained the crowd with an African Jazz song titled “Imbali”.

Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Duncan Brown, highlighted the value of the historic occasion for UWC – any tremors the audience might feel underfoot, he said, were the architects of apartheid turning in their graves at the University hosting such a stellar event. “We are overjoyed to be hosting this festival of poetry in writing, with its emphasis on sharing diverse literary voices and languages in celebration of creativity,” he added.

The day after the UWC event, the festival moved to the Spier Wine Estate outside of Stellenbosch for a two-day run.

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Sport

More students picked for world games

Back, left to right: Glen Bentley, Athletics Manager; Ilhaam Groenewald, Head of Sports Administration; and Jerry Laka, Football Coach and front, left to right: students Freddie Muller, (Rugby); Kaylin Swart and Rachel Sebati, (both Football); and Rodwell Nlovu and Robyn Ferguson, (Athletics).

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WC will be well-represented in the University Sport South Africa (USSA) team that will participate in this year’s 27th World University Games, with no fewer than 11 students and administrators selected for the team.

That’s nearly double the six who went to the 2011 games in Bangkok, Thailand. The tournament, also known as the Summer Universiade and held every two years, is regarded as the second largest international amateur athletic event after the Olympics, and will be held in the Russian city of Kazan in July.

The UWC contingent in Team South Africa is led by Ilhaam Groenewald, head of the University’s Sports Administration, who will attend the International University Sports

Federation (FISU) conference, which is attached to the Games.

Football administrator Jerry Laka has been appointed as the head coach of USSA Football Women’s team, and four UWC footballing students – Vuyo Mkhabela, Rachel Sebati, Jermaine Seoponsewe and Kaylin Swart – were selected for his 18-member squad. Glen Bentley was chosen as the manager of the athletics team, and student Rodwell Ndlovu was named for the squad.

Also in the national team are Robyn Ferguson (swimming) and Leo Williams (beach volleyball), while UWC Rugby Club’s vice-captain, Freddie Muller, is in the rugby sevens squad, a code that will be included for the first time in this Summer Universiade.

“The World University Games is the pinnacle of participation for universities”, remarked Groenewald, “in particular for athletes, coaches, team management, medical and technical staff.”

Participation in the Universiade is also in keeping with Goal 1 of the University’s Institutional Operating Plan, where the focus of Sports Administration is to recruit talented athletes and utilise sport as a tool to empower them both as students and sportspersons.

In addition, the selection of female football and beach volleyball participants is a reward for the University’s focus on those niche areas, while investment in rugby, track and field and swimming has now also paid off at international level.

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13

Sport

UWC hosts America – through sport

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WC’s men’s football club welcomed their counterparts from the Grace College & Theological Seminary in the US for a friendly game of soccer (as the Americans know it) in May. And the score was a rather friendly one, too, with both clubs square at 0-0 after 90 minutes.

Based in the resort town of Winona Lake in the US state of Indiana, Grace describes itself as “an evangelical Christian community of higher education that applies Biblical values in strengthening character, sharpening competence, and preparing for service”.

In addition, Grace has earned a reputation for taking its football development seriously. Jerry Laka, UWC football administrator, noted that Grace is known for recruiting students who excel both academically and in sport. The aim of the match was to forge a partnership between the two institutions.

The game was a good rehearsal for the home team, as they were preparing for tough assignments in the Northern Suburbs Local Football League and the Western Cape University Sport South Africa men’s competition. In May, the UWC boys were leading both leagues.

Jerry Laka has been named as head coach of Team South Africa’s women’s football team for the World University Games.

UWC staffer lands top coaching post

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WC sports administrator Jerry Laka gets to travel to Russia in July.

Laka has been appointed as the head coach of the women’s football team that will represent University Sport South Africa (USSA) and South Africa at the 27th World University Games in the city of Kazan (which will act as host city for the 2018 FIFA World Cup) in Russia in July. The 2013 Universiade will also be the largest to date, boasting 27 sporting codes.

It is Laka’s second stint in the job; he coached the team that took part in the 2007 Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand.

But Laka, who is responsible for football administration at UWC, believes that the SA team for Kazan will be a totally different outfit to the 2007 one. In that campaign, South Africa managed to win only one game, drew two and lost three, finishing a lowly eleventh out of the 16 teams that took part.

For one thing, his team in Bangkok had only three Banyana Banyana players. This year, 12 of the 18 players in the squad – an impressive two-thirds – have represented or still are in the senior national women’s team.

“They have experience in competing in international competitions, and I hope their experience will make us succeed,” says Laka.

This year’s USSA team will definitely want to improve on previous performances, he adds. At the very least, he would want the team to reach the knockout stage.

“Once you are in the knockouts, anything is possible. Who knows? We may end up in the final.”

The South African team will have their work cut out for them, though. The women have been drawn with, among others, hosts Russia and South Korea who – respectively, finished second and third overall in the 2011 Summer Universiade in China. China, Japan and Brazil took the top three spots in women’s football that year.

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Sport

UWC Ladies’ Leandra Smeda beats an opponent during their home game against Dangerous Heroes.

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UWC Ladies excel

t’s agreed that the UWC Ladies Football Club members have all the attributes needed to persue their ambitions, and make a clean sweep of titles on offer this season. The team has a good structure, is tactically sound and has the right players at its disposal.

This explains the team’s impressive start to the season. Halfway into the first round in May, UWC Ladies won all their fixtures, which put them on top of both the South African Football Association Western Cape’s Sasol Women’s League and the University Sport South Africa (USSA) Western Cape Women’s League.

What went right this season?

According to head coach Nathan Peskin, the team has always had qualities that made them fairly competitive over the past years; in

2012, for example, the team ended fourth in its stream and eighth overall. But the signing of four Banyana Banyana (the senior national women’s team) players over the past two years has given the team a ‘shot in the arm’.

“Their recruitment has given the team the extra boost it needed to not only compete, but to go out and play to win trophies,” Peskin explains.

As expected, the Banyana Banyana recruits have become role models to the rest of the UWC team.

“The new players have lifted the standard of the team, and other players are striving to compete at their levels,” notes Peskin.

According to the coach, this year’s goal is simple: win both the Sasol and USSA leagues, as well as the SAFA Cape Town Coca-Cola Cup. “We have great expectations and have the

right team to get there,” he says.

Coaching a student team is not easy as players – and coach – have to strike a balance between sport and academics, which takes priority.

Even under those circumstances, the players remain committed, says Peskin. “No one wants to let the team down. They are prepared to work hard as a team.”

Although the team is doing exceptionally well, Peskin feels that the sport does not enjoy the same support on campus as that given to codes like rugby. But that’s not an institutional problem – he blames the poor support shown to women’s football in the country in general.

The coach would, however, like to see a concerted effort being made to get the University community behind the team.

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15

Sport

Fast ‘n Flat ‘n fun – but tough

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he UWC Fast & Flat 10km road race is known as one of the more comfortable races on the Western Cape calendar – many athletes set out to record their best runs over the distance in this race – but spare a thought for the runners and walkers that tackled the event this year.

Those 10km proved a gruelling task on 1 June, as participants had to contend with some wet and chilly conditions.

Men’s open winner, Lindikhaya Mthangayi, who crossed the finish line in a blistering 30:30, said the cold and rainy weather tightened his muscles and made running difficult. “But I was well-prepared for the race, having trained twice a day, and that helped me a lot,” says the ecstatic Mthangayi, who runs in the colours of the Khayelitsha-based Itheko Athletics Club.

It was the second time that Mthangayi won the race, having set the record for the fastest

finish in 2009 (a record that still stands). He considers his latest win to be his greatest achievement, though; especially considering, he points out, that he had just recovered from a groin injury.

Bulelwa Simae of the Nedbank Club, who took top honours in the women’s race, also felt the pinch of the wet weather, saying that the rain caused her leg muscles to contract. “But at least there was no wind,” adds Simae, for whom the 2013 race was her third entry. “And besides the rain and the cold, the race was very nice. I enjoyed it.”

The Fast & Flat is one of the most popular races in the Western Province Athletics road running calendar, attracting hundreds of athletes annually.

Mthangayi believes events such as the Fast & Flat race play a big role in keeping the youth away from crime and drugs, as competitors spend the first half of the year training hard to prepare for the race.

There were funny moments at the race, too. Among the contestants was a male runner who ran the race wearing only a bikini – to the delight of the crowd.

The event also featured Fun Run and Fun Walk competitions.

Fast ‘n Flat race winner Lindikhaya Mthangayi crossing the finish line.

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Sport

UWC students represent Africa

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laying in the sand can lead to great things.

Just ask UWC Beach Volleyball Club members Jerome Fredericks and Leo Williams, who took part in the International Volleyball Federation’s (FIVB) inaugural

Beach Volleyball World Cup Final in Campinas, Brazil, from 29 May to 2 June 2013.

The two are currently the top-ranked pair in Africa. Williams and Fredericks have managed to win every national competition they’ve participated in since the start of the year. Along the way, they managed to beat 2012 South African Olympians Freedom Chiya and Grant Goldschmidt, who are also UWC Club members.

Williams, who is doing his honours studies in marketing, was also selected to represent South Africa at the 2013 World Student Games in Kazan, Russia.

The South Africans expected some stiff competition at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Cup Finals, which is considered the crowning event of the three-year Continental Cup that ran from 2011 to 2013. Things did not go too well for Fredericks and Williams in Brazil, as the pair lost all four of their pool matches.

As a result, they finished last in a pool that also featured, in the order they finished, Germany, the US, Canada and Norway.

It was hosts Brazil who had cause to celebrate, their teams winning both the men’s and women’s events. Those wins also earned Brazil the Continental Cup title.

Jerome Fredericks is immersed in the game.

UWC set their sights on lifting the WPRU Super League trophy by the end of this season.

UWC Rugby aims for league title

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hose in the UWC Rugby Club are confident that the first team will lift the Western Province Rugby Union (WPRU) Super League B title this year.

After winning promotion from the WPRU Premier League A last season, UWC now looks to continue on their upwards trajectory.

UWC’s first team is currently unbeaten, having won six of its seven matches and drawing one (following games on 1 June). UWC is now in second place on the log with 31 log points, two points behind log leaders Primrose. They’re also creating some breathing room between themselves and third-placed False Bay, who have 24 points after six matches.

Naturally, Rugby Manager Mandisi Tshonti is pleased with this team’s performance thus far. And while Primrose promises to fight every inch of the way, the club is sticking to its goals.

“We made our intentions clear from the very beginning of the season,” says Tshonti. “They are to win the league and earn promotion to the Super League A.” The eight tough competitive games the team had in the recent Varsity Shield competition stood the club in good stead, believes Tshonti, as it helped prepare the players for the Super League B competition. “This is evident in the team’s performance and we will use this to our advantage,” he says.

It also helped that the team managed to retain the bulk of the Varsity Shield squad for the WPRU competition. And the addition of 19year-old William Scott, a lock who came through the ranks of the Blue Bulls, has further strengthened the squad.

A number of players are blossoming in the team. UWC vice-captain Frederick ‘Freddie’ Muller, for example, will be representing South Africa in the World University Games’ sevens rugby competition in Kazan, Russia, in July this year.

“It is exciting to see our players develop and do well in their careers,” says Tshonti.

UWC MEDIA OFFICE

Do you have any important UWC stories to share? Do you know of an event on campus that you’d like to see featured? Have you heard of UWC alumni who’ve done amazing things, which you think the world should know about? Or maybe you have a few suggestions, comments or questions about something in this newsletter? Whatever the case may be, the UWC Media Office would really like to hear from you.

Just email us on ia@uwc.ac.za , call us on 021 959 3637, or drop by our offices.

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