On campus 2017 issue 2

PAGE 3 Say no to sexual violence

PAGE 6 Building change through science

PAGE 8 UWC Women in Maths Mini-Convention

PAGE 14 TOPIC 1 SAFA President returns ‘home’

For daily updates visit www.uwc.ac.za

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Becoming water wise UWC HOSTS 2017 GREEN CAMPUSES CONFERENCE ow could universities encourage students and staff to think green, act green and become the green leaders the world needs? These were some of the questions tackled at the 6th Annual Green Campuses Conference hosted by UWC. The conference ran from 27 to 30 July 2017 with the theme ‘Promoting sustainable campuses through preserving water’. The conference was attended by various student green clubs, societies and structures commonly known as Green Campus Initiatives, along with their campus advisers and academic staff members.

With news media reporting more frequent droughts and water shortages around the world, the wise management of potable water is becoming a growing issue for campuses, especially in the more arid parts of the country, and of course the drought-stricken Western Cape.

Conference attendees shared information on water conservation initiatives in a wide range of areas, including Eco-Reps programmes, residence hall competitions and behaviour-change outreach. The conference revealed that students are helping to influence and create sustainability-minded campus water policies and

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Representatives from the University of Durban were part of the 6th Annual Green Campuses Conference which this year focused on water conservation.

studies, and collecting data to identify key places where water could be conserved.

Since the inception of the conference five years ago at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University – where UWC was first declared Africa’s Greenest Campus (and again in 2014) – the annual green conference has grown from strength to strength.

“We would normally have about 100 green ambassadors, but this year we had over 300,” notes UWC’s Green Campuses Conference convener, Njabulo Maphumulo, who was recently appointed as an executive board member of the Association of Colleges and Universities Housing Officers International (ACUHO-I) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

“A lot of things have changed from last year, including the addition of the Green Business Breakfast which was introduced

and funded by UWC, in association with Nedbank for entrepreneurs in the green economy sector.”

In order to host the Green Campuses Conference, universities need to hold the Green Campus Award, which requires a demonstrated commitment to ecologically friendly and sustainable development of green facilities and green buildings, and a dedication to the green lifestyle. After being hosted at UWC for several years, the conference will be hosted by the Durban University of Technology (DUT) from next year.

“We would like to congratulate DUT and wish them the best of luck for the next three years,” says Maphumulo. “They have been doing well and have improved over the years, have great support from their university’s executive and have invested a great deal in their staff and students to be part of the conference.” AN ON CAMPUS

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NEWS

Revealing the secrets of science Research Open Day 2017 exhibitors showcased the work done by students and scientists of the Faculty of Natural Sciences.

cience literally drives the world and our understanding of it, but the pursuit of scientific knowledge involves unglamorous, solitary and long hours in the field and in the lab, as researchers bend their intellects and imaginations around some of the great challenges and problems humanity faces..

For many of the tireless researchers who can be found at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), the UWC Natural Sciences Faculty Research Open Day (ROD) held on 3 August 2017 was a rare and thoroughly enjoyed moment in the limelight.

Nineteen master’s and PhD candidates presented their research to the faculty, staff and students, and sponsors of ROD 2017. Topics ranged from forensics to physics education to cloud-based bioinformatic workflows, modelling TB transfer in prisons, and more.

The ROD 2017 keynote speaker was A1 NRF-rated Professor Roy Maartens, who holds the joint South African Research Chair (SARChI) and Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Research Chair in Cosmology at UWC and is one of the Africa’s foremost researchers in astrophysics.

Prof Maartens discussed the significance of the SKA and the work done at the SKA-funded Centre for Radio Cosmology (CRC) in the UWC Department of Physics and Astronomy.

“The SKA will be the biggest experiment ever carried out in Africa. This is a big step for putting Africa and South Africa in the forefront of the world of Astronomy.”

“In the next ten years the SKA will provide

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NATURAL SCIENCES FACULTY RESEARCH OPEN DAY 2017

the biggest maps of the galaxy ever imagined. And those maps will contain clues about what was happening in the first few seconds of the Universe, and the history of the cosmos since,” he said.

The CRC is helping to train a new generation of astrophysicists who will do world-class science with the data produced by the South African MeerKAT Radio Array, the precursor telescope to the SKA, and then the SKA itself. The MeerKAT Radio Telescope in Carnarvon will be the best in the world.

Prof Maartens said he looked forward to the SKA seeing the Cosmic Dawn, when stars and galaxies first appeared after the Big Bang.

Prof Michael Davis-Coleman, the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, thanked all the event’s sponsors and supporters who had made ROD 2017 possible, including Inqaba Biotec, Separations Laboratory Specialists, Whitehead Scientific, Merck, Celtic Molecular Diagnostics, Lasec SA and Kimix Chemical & Lab Supplies.

Expressing thanks for their “efforts and hard work in putting the day together,” Prof Davis-Coleman said, “This is the first year our Research Open Day was organised by the Department of Biotechnology. The programme was exceptionally well presented.” AVDH

RESEARCH PRESENTATION WINNERS • PhD First Prize: Robert Schlegel (BCB). Predominant atmospheric and oceanic patterns during coastal marine heat waves.

• PhD Second Prize: Amadeus Witzemann (Physics and Astrophysics). Model-independent curvature determination with 21cm intensity mapping experiments.

• PhD Third Prize: Lonnie van Zyl (IMBM). Novel phages of healthy skin metaviromes from South Africa.

• MSc First Prize: Shanice Adams (IMBM).

Investigating secondary metabolites in Thalassomonas viridans.

• MSc Second Prize: Aarifah Jakoet (BCB). Unbuttoning the button daisies: towards a refined taxonomy of the genus Cotula and its allies (Cotulinae, Anthemiidae, Asteracae).

• MSc Third Prize: Samantha Cairncross (MBS). The encapsulation and quantification of Olea africana in Nanoliposomes.

ROD 2017 FLASH POSTER PRESENTATION WINNERS • Danielle Leukes • Laetitia Piers • Kulani Mhlongo • Dewald Schoeman • Norman Bowers • Bradley Flynn

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Say no to sexual violence entre for Humanities Research Honours fellow Zuko Sikhafungana received a R10 000 bursary and a R3 000 cash prize for winning the UWC HIV and AIDS Programme’s film competition.

The UWC HIV and AIDS Programme is a resource centre, offering free voluntary counselling and testing services as well as capacity building and information workshops for staff and students.

The Programme responds to the HIV epidemic through teaching, research, care and support, community outreach, advocacy, prevention and management initiatives. The film competition, part of its peer education programme, required filmmakers to submit short pieces under the theme of ‘Sexual Violence’.

Sikhafungana’s poweful film, titled ‘Say No To Sexual Violence’, shows viewers how sexual violence can occur, how damaging it is and how, in many cases, the perpetrator is known to the victim.

“With this film I tried exploring how a young woman is affected by the act of sexual violence from a young age till her early twenties, still battling her dark past,” he explains. “My mother and every woman in my community, both young and old,

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inspired me,” the young filmmaker says.

“There is no appreciation for women in our society. There are rape cases every day and women are brutally murdered. I aim to raise awareness and speak out for those who are silent.”

The film begins with a poem (below) describing the victim’s experience of sexual violence. It was written by Inathi Matini, who plays the role of the older incarnation of the victim.

The scars you left are renewed Every night in my sleep The hatred The thirst The look in your eyes Still haunts me the most And at the sound of your voice I died A funeral that only I can experience A funeral with no ending Dead alive looking like bodies And for a second I am afraid You buried me alive

“The main message in the film is that it’s okay to talk about sexual abuse experiences. Children should know this from an early age. If they don’t talk, this dark cloud follows them for the rest of their lives, negatively affecting their interactions with other individuals, especially in their intimate relationships,” says Sikhafungana.

Sikhafungana says winning the competition made him feel proud, affirming his abilities as an artist with an important message. The competition encouraged him to stop thinking about his lack of resources and start concentrating on telling a story.

“During the process there were always inner voices telling me that I could do it with only a simple camera, editing software and people. So I began working with what I have,” he says.

Sikhafungana, who says he has always wanted to make films, plans to continue his studies while creating and learning about films at the same time, and honing his storytelling skills. NK Honours student, actor, writer and filmmaker – Zuko Sikhafungana aims to show how damaging sexual violence can be with his award-winning short film, ‘Say No To Sexual Violence’.

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WOMEN OF UWC

UWC’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, Professor Josè Frantz.

Distinguished educator prepares future generations niversity of the Western Cape Professor Josè Frantz has been chosen by the South African Association of Health Educationalists (SAAHE) as the 2017 Distinguished Educator of the Year. The award recognises Prof Frantz’s work in transforming health professions education and preparing future generations of health professionals to address difficult challenges through research.

Prof Frantz was the first black South African lecturer to be awarded a PhD in the Physiotherapy Department at UWC. She is a former Dean of Community and Health Sciences and now serves on the University’s Executive Team as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation.

She has an outstanding track record as a researcher in both health professions education (HPE) and physiotherapy with

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over 100 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and conference presentations.

She has supervised 47 master’s and PhD students, and is currently supervising another 19 postgraduate students. Her work has included exchanging ideas and promoting dialogue at South African universities and universities in Kenya, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Norway and the USA, among others.

Prof Frantz was honoured last year as the National Research Foundation’s Champion for Research Capacity Development and Transformation at South African Higher Education Institutions.

Prof Frantz is a member of the South African Society of Physiotherapy and the World Confederation of Physiotherapists and is a fellow of the Sub-Saharan African-FAIMER Regional Institute. She serves as editor of the South African

Journal of Physiotherapy and deputy editor of the African Journal of Health Professions Education and is a member of the editorial board of OpenPhysio.

As a reviewer for the National Research Foundation, Medical Research Council and SANPAD, the three largest national research organisations in South Africa – which provide most of the funding for health professions research – she makes a strategic contribution to promoting the scholarly paths of health professions educators in South Africa. Having spent the better part of her career developing health professionals, Prof Frantz says building the capacity of institutions in health professions education is critical.

“We have fewer than 200 medical schools in 40 Sub-Saharan countries that train medical and allied health professionals. Add to this the issue of the brain drain in the region where we lose our health professionals to better prospects in other countries. To hold onto the health professional educators that we have, we need to capacitate them more broadly than being clinicians and provide them with skills that build them as leaders, researchers and academics.

“Besides helping young academics obtain higher degrees, we should try to help them take the academic journey further in terms of publication, promotion and rating.”

Prof Frantz feels that UWC is well positioned strategically to guide capacity and capability development among health professional educators. “We have a population of students and staff who represent our society and can thus adapt our curricula to meet the needs of our society as we better understand it. Activities aimed at building capacity should not be once-off activities that only aim to improve knowledge and skills, but should be a process that would encourage behaviour change – and thus the shift from capacity building to capability development.” NK

To hold onto the health professional educators that we have, we need to capacitate them more broadly than being clinicians and provide them with skills that build them as leaders, researchers and academics.

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Using technology to transform the world he University of the Western Cape’s Dr Mmaki Jantjies, recently named one of the 2017 Mail & Guardian Young 200 Top Achievers Under 35, is passionate about using technology in education, and promoting the uptake of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in disadvantaged schools.

“There are many historical challenges that still plague our schools: high learner ratios; the limited number of teachers skilled in technology and mathematics; and the limited access of learners to technological resources. If we want to make a real change in society and the economy, we need to address those challenges with all the resources at our disposal,” says Dr Jantjies, who is Head of Information Systems at UWC. Dr Jantjies is the holder of a Google grant to develop curricula and train teachers to use technology to support computer science learning in schools, was a finalist in the MTN/Kagiso Media Women in ICT Partnership for Change Awards, and a panelist at the 2017 G20 Women20 Dialogue in Germany.

One of the first black South African women to obtain a PhD in computer science, Dr Jantjies holds degrees from four universities and has taught at three.

“My parents are both community builders, and this influenced me in my approach to a career. I wanted to be an engineer who could help build systems and policies that help make people’s lives better and computer science – which I found fascinating – allowed me to do just that,” says Dr Jantjies.

“I dedicate much of my research to seeing how I can develop mobile learning software systems, accessible in South African languages in STEM subjects, that support teaching and learning in this area,” she says. “Being able to impact on society through education and research on technology is the most fulfilling experience, as you always see the impact of the change you bring in your greater society.”

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In her ongoing research into how education technology can be developed and used to enhance learning in developing countries, one of the main issues Dr Jantjies is tackling is the lack of diversity in the technology space.

“The number of female software and online content developers from diverse linguistic, cultural and racial backgrounds is low, which affects the type of technology solutions developed. Low access to or the high cost of Internet access hinders women from diverse backgrounds from getting the benefits that come with being online. And the lack of role models from diverse backgrounds leads to young women not feeling inspired to join STEM-related fields.”

Dr Jantjies is addressing this issue as the coordinator of the Mozilla and UN Women technology clubs which create safe spaces for youth from Cape Town high schools to learn information and communication technology (ICT) and leadership skills.

Dr Jantjies says, “The clubs stimulate the idea of having a career in tech, while providing the necessary skills and positive role models to follow. We want the younger children to come into their Mozilla Club and feel like, ‘Wow, it’s like a debating club or chess club; it’s fun to be part of this tech club even while I learn.’

Even if they don’t choose a career in tech, they get the basics of tech before going on to university, while in a safe space where they can also talk about women’s and girls’ issues.” NK

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WOMEN OF UWC

Building change in a community through science With enough will-power any child can succeed, no matter the living conditions and background.

DR FANELWA NGECE-AJAYI, SENIOR LECTURER, PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY, UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE (UWC).

Dr Ngece-Ajayi, a research leader in the field of drug metabolism nanobiosensors for antiretrovirals and tuberculosis treatment drugs, tackles the lack of role models and negative attitudes to maths and science in Khayelitsha schools through the non-profit

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organisation, AmaQawe ngeMfundo (‘heroes through education’), which she founded. Using makeshift equipment to demonstrate experiments, she and five childhood friends and student volunteers from UWC’s Department of Chemical Sciences visit schools to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“We visit schools with our makeshift mobile laboratory and give learners access to interactive demonstrations and experiments to help make learning more practical,” she explains. “We also take them on outings – to the Cape Town Science Centre, for instance.”

Dr Ngece-Ajayi, who is from Khayelitsha says, “Lecturing at UWC showed me that students from the townships and rural-based schools struggle financially, and sometimes quit their studies due to a lack of a proper foundation in science and a lack of exposure in the field. I’d like to change that.”

The members of AmaQawe ngeMfundo aim not only to instil confidence in learners to study maths and science, but to encourage them to pursue careers in these fields.

She credits her husband, who is also the chief strategist of the organisation,

for encouraging her to pursue her advocacy of science education which led to founding AmaQawe ngeMfundo.

The organisation has conducted motivational seminars and workshops to provide learners with information regarding bursaries and scholarships, and assisted more than 60 learners with placement at institutions of higher learning.

AmaQawe ngeMfundo hopes to secure donations and sponsorships from the private and public sectors to open laboratories in marginalised schools as well as fully functional mobile laboratories. Dr Ngece-Ajayi says, “We are limited to Khayelitsha at this point because of inadequate resources and funding, but we would like to see this project expanding nationally.

“The idea of breaking the cycle of poverty by means of education is what motivated me. My mother, who worked as a domestic worker, pushed education and hard work because she never had the opportunity.”

Dr Ngece-Ajayi’s mother managed to pay for her schooling and that of her three siblings – a brother who qualified as an artisan, a sister who is a volunteer English teacher in the Eastern Cape, and the youngest sister, currently in matric.

“I contributed financially over weekends by braiding hair as well as helping my mom with her domestic work, until I eventually obtained a government bursary during my honours year,” Dr Ngece-Ajayi says. “That’s when I was able to stop working and concentrate on my studies.

“It is the most disheartening thing to see bright kids from my area pass matric and sit at home aimlessly. It makes a difference, going out to communities which don’t have Wi-Fi access to show youths how to do an online application.

When you’re right there in the community, learners can run home to get the necessary documents, instead of having to travel back and forth to campus. I’m doing what I would’ve liked done for me.” HB

WOMEN OF UWC

Charleen Duncan, Director for the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI).

Promoting entrepreneurial spirit and women in business healthy, stable and competitive economy needs entrepreneurs – job creators, not just job fillers. And entrepreneurs need role models, mentors and leaders who can journey alongside them. At the University of the Western Cape, Charleen Duncan, the Director for the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI), has a history tailor-made to fulfil those roles.

A UWC alumna, Duncan attained great success in the business world after leaving university. An executive at the age of 28, she worked on major international projects in Europe, the USA and across the African continent before undertaking projects at the Department of Health, the SA Medical Research Council and other

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institutions in South Africa.

She was headhunted by Absa and was the youngest and first black woman appointed in a senior regional position, looking after the Cape Region which comprises the Eastern and Western Cape.

Her portfolio at Absa included marketing, communications, the customer experience, and the public sector and corporate social investment activities of the Cape Region.

She returned to UWC with a huge wealth of experience and has built the CEI not only into the centre of entrepreneurship and innovation activities at the University, but the driver of a developing entrepreneurial mindset across campus. Duncan says, “I have had

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an awesome journey with many opportunities and firsts in my career, and I witnessed firsthand at home and abroad how an entrepreneurial understanding of the business world can impact on society.

All my experiences from the NGO, government, parastatal and corporate spaces provided me with the skills, appetite and networks to help the Centre grow into the great space it has become.

“Academia has been by far the most challenging space I’ve ever worked in, and the most rewarding. It’s a space where we can work across disciplines and within silos to create unity.”

Duncan says that since the CEI is self-funded and all the funds generated go back into teaching, learning and research, sustaining programmes through viable funding has been one of her biggest concerns and a constant challenge in running the CEI. “We have managed to keep the Centre going for five years with very limited resources, and every year we are able to develop new programmes. One of the most exciting projects currently, for example, has students from every faculty participating in our student entrepreneurship programme.”

Duncan says access to training, funding and opportunities are the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs.

“For student entrepreneurs, the need to identify entrepreneurship as a career option is vital. We need students who become job creators, especially in a country with a high youth unemployment rate.

“Female entrepreneurs need role models. They need support from other women and leaders who can journey alongside them, and we don’t need to just use men as a yardstick to measure success against. I am often dismayed at how we as women fail to support each other. Along with that, I think women have a fear of failure that is counterproductive for entrepreneurs. We try so hard to balance family and work life that we sometimes think too much effort on one side can lead us to fail on the other.”

Her advice to young woman entrepreneurs? Take opportunities that maximise your personality, lifestyle and skills, never stop learning, trust your instincts and don’t hesitate to ask for help and advice. NK

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WOMEN OF UWC

UWC celebrates Women’s Month with Maths Mini-Convention WC’s Science Learning Centre for Africa (UWC-SLCA) hosted the 2017 UWC Women in Mathematics Mini-Convention at the Capetonian Hotel on 3 August 2017.

The mini-convention saw 125 girls from 25 high schools in disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape in attendance, with their Mathematics teachers.

Professor Priscilla Baker, a lecturer and co-head of the UWC SensorLab and a past winner of the South African Women in Science Award, was among five role models to address the convention. The role models, all from disadvantaged backgrounds, represented various disciplines – including genetics, biotechnology, chemistry, chartered accounting and mathematics.

The other role models were Dr Ronalda Benjamin, a lecturer in Mathematics from Stellenbosch University; Nicolette Jacobs, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers; Dr Maryam Fish, a consultant at Allan Gray; and Dr Evodia Mathabatha Setati, who is a senior researcher at the Institute for Wine Biotechnology at Stellenbosch University.

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Professor Baker and Dr Fish spoke to the girls about the benefits of holding on to Mathematics at high school no matter what the difficulties faced.

“It is so sad to see how many of our learners are dropping pure mathematics for maths literacy in our schools,” said Ms Jacobs in support. “I want you to know that it has not been easy for any of us standing here today, but we stuck it out.”

“If there is one thing they never tell you in school, it is the fact that you will need mathematics wherever you go in life,” said Dr Setati. “So you might as well take it and make your own life easier, because it will make you favourable in any course you apply for at university.”

Dr Benjamin felt that most teachers were not passionate about teaching, and that this might be one of the reasons why our country is experiencing a crisis where Maths and Science were concerned.

“It becomes difficult because a lot of educators aren’t particularly passionate about teaching. To some, teaching was not even a first choice, but they have to do it because it’s a job. This then becomes a

Question and answer session at the Women in Mathematics Mini-Convention which took place at the Capetonian Hotel, hosted by the Science Learning Centre for Africa.

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problem for the learner,” said Dr Benjamin, who was the first member of her family in Worcester to attend university.

The learners who attended the miniconvention had all managed to maintain a reasonable level of achievement in Mathematics as a subject.

This year was the eleventh consecutive year that UWC-SLCA conducted the mini-convention. The programme has become so popular with schools that two more conventions were added in August to accommodate the demand. AN

If there is one thing they never tell you in school, it is the fact that you will need mathematics wherever you go in life, so you might as well take it and make your own life easier, because it will make you favourable in any course you apply for at university.

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UWC’s Access to Success campaign bearing fruit he 2016 Access to Success phonathon programme involved 50 students calling UWC alumni from across South Africa as part of the Access to Success campaign. The campaign exceeded all expectations, resulting in pledged donations of over R1,6 million (the target was R1 million) and also brought on board 557 new alumni and staff givers.

Samantha Castle, Manager of UWC’s Alumni Relations Office, says the success of the initiative was due to the collective efforts of students, staff, partners, the SABC and donors – both alumni and staff.

“Last year we called on alumni, staff, corporates and friends of the University to assist students by donating,” she says.

“This year we’re extending this invitation to the wider public and hopefully helping even more students in the process.” The 2017 phonathon ran from 7 August until 31 August 2017.

Students can apply for the funding through UWC’s Financial Aid Office. To date, 93 students have benefited from Access to Success but mere numbers do not tell the full story of how students, though well-prepared and determined to succeed, can be derailed by the financial demands of studying in higher education.

Khayelitsha-born Zandile Gqada is one of the beneficiaries of the Access to Success campaign. She is completing the four-year BCom degree, majoring in Information Systems.

Gqada has faced more than her share of challenges while studying – losing her father, Lizo, attempting to work part-time, failing her second year and falling pregnant in the third.

Determined to succeed, Gqada gave up her part-time job to focus on her studies.

Because of the severe financial challenges and stress, she considered dropping out at one point but her faith in God, combined with student counselling on campus, brought her back.

Gqada, who celebrated her 25th birthday this August, lives with her mother,

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a pensioner, and her four-month-old son, Landile. She dreams of working as an information systems programmer for one of the major oil and gas companies but hopes to first complete her Honours in Information Systems in 2018.

“I hope I find a job through which I can live out my love for problem-solving, my creativity and my keen interest in innovation.

And one that helps me pay off the study debt I have left, of course.

“My fondest memories of UWC will always be passing and the occasional good news when a bursary came along,” she says laughing. “And also helping my fellow students where I could.

“The Access to Success campaign has made a real and significant difference in my life.

I have received R9 000 through it,” says Gqada. “I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life and I thank everyone involved for their assistance.”

To make a contribution, or to obtain more information about the Access to Success campaign, please contact Ms Somayah Barnes at sbarnes@uwc.ac.za or visit accesstosuccess.uwc.ac.za. HB

The Access to Success campaign has made a real and significant difference in my life.

ZANDILE GQADA, BCOM STUDENT AND GRANT RECIPIENT

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EVENTS

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Ashley Daswa begins his inspirational journey to Fordham University PhD candidate Ashley Khumbudzo Daswa (pictured, centre), who graduated cum laude with a Master’s in Commerce degree from UWC’s School of Business and Finance, has been accepted into the International Political Economy and Development (IPED) Advanced Certificate Programme in Emerging Markets and Country Risk Analysis at Fordham University in New York.

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Iziko Planetarium and Digital Dome upgraded Thanks to a R30 million upgrade funded by the NRF, UWC, UCT, CPUT and the Department of Arts and Culture, the new and improved Iziko Planetarium and Digital Dome will provide an immersive multi-sensory edutainment experience, and assist in optimising South Africa’s research and data visualisation capacity.

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UWC and Tiger Brands launch food security programme Udubs beach volleyball team qualifies for world championship UWC beach volleyballers Tamlyn Thomas and Manana Mosia made history by becoming the first junior SA team to qualify for the world volleyball championships after winning bronze at the continental tournament.

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UWC and Tiger Brands have launched a campus nutrition and wellness programme to assist the campus community with food security.

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UWC Fast and Flat 2017 Nearly two thousand runners and walkers took part in UWC’s Fast and Flat Race 2017, testing their fitness and speed on the roads of Bellville.

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Andrie Steyn selected for the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup Deputy Minister addresses BLA symposium At the annual UWC Black Lawyers Association (BLA) student chapter symposium, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, John Jeffery, addressed the issue of how the #FeesMustFall movement related to, and the extent to which its activity was protected in, a constitutional democracy, and how students were using the justice system to advance the cause of free higher education.

UWC cricket star Andrie Steyn was selected for Cricket South Africa’s Momentum Proteas squad that competed in the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup in England. After sustaining an ankle injury in training, she was replaced by Odine Kirsten. South Africa managed to reach the semi-final, where they were beaten by England by two wickets.

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Absa scholarships support 300 UWC students

UWC students lead Team SA in 2017 International Supercomputing Competition

The University of the Western Cape has received a donation of R12 million from Absa to fund students.

University of the Western Cape (UWC) students led Team South Africa to second prize in the prestigious International Supercomputing Competition in Frankfurt, Germany in June.

Four of the six-member team were UWC students.

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Every year, the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) recognises the top young chartered accountants in the country for their contributions to entrepreneurship, corporate accounting and academia.

University of the Western Cape senior lecturer, Elton Pullen, was a finalist in the SAICA/Accountancy SA magazine 2017 Top 35 Under-35 competition.

UWC Dentistry partner honoured by UK Queen Dr Linda Greenwall, a former Cape Town dentist and UWC partner, has been awarded the British Empire Medal recognising her work in improving dental health in poor communities around the world.

Top Young Accountant Elton Pullen

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UWC launches development programme for high performance and community coaches UWC has launched an exciting leadership and development programme for high performance and community coaches, the first of a battery of courses focusing on personal leadership and social transformation.

UWC physicists reach for the stars at CERN A group of UWC students and their professor recently performed the first African-led experiment at the CERN laboratory in Switzerland, an indicator of the bright future of nuclear physics on the African continent.

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Nelson Mandela Day 2017 at Ikhaya Labantu On 18 July 2017, the University of the Western Cape Community Engagement unit celebrated Mandela Day by extending love and kindness to the elderly at the Ikhaya Labantu centre in Langa.

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UWC physics students excel at SAIP Conference UWC physics master’s students Siphesihle Magubane, Khanyisa Sowazi and Sinovuyo Tanci received awards for their research presentations at the recent Annual Conference of the South African Institute of Physics.

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Jakes Gerwel Award 2017 The annual Jakes Gerwel Award, which has been awarded since 2013, honours graduates of UWC’s School of Public Health whose leadership in research or practice has led to significant improvements in public health. The worthy recipients for 2016 and 2017, respectively, were Anne Mutunda and Dr Rolene Wagner.

UWC app provides virtual pharmacist for deaf people 19

Many Deaf people find it hard to discuss their illness and medication needs with pharmacists. Researchers at UWC have developed an app suite for mobile phones that provides Deaf people with the information they need - in sign language.

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Cornel Hart receives international community award

UWC thumps Wits in first Varsity Football game in Bellville UWC Football started its Varsity Football tournament campaign with a bang, handing the Wits University team a comprehensive 6-0 beating on 27 July 2017.

In July, University of the Western Cape lecturer at the School of Postgraduate Studies, Cornel Hart, received the inaugural International Community Development Practice Award from the Community Development Society, a global network of community development researchers, practitioners and policymakers.

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SPORT

SAFA President returns ‘home’

From left: Gerald Don, Prof Tyrone Pretorius, Dr Danny Jordaan, Prof Pamela Dube and Neil Tovey.

WC alumnus and South African Football Association (SAFA) President, Dr Danny Jordaan, visited his alma mater recently and was thrilled by the “tremendous” progress the University has made over the years.

“This is not the university I attended.

Even in our wildest dreams we never dreamt that this would be UWC. This is a university that can compete with any university in this country,” Dr Jordaan said.

“There were far more bushes than buildings during my time, but now there are more buildings than bushes. It is wonderful to see the transformation and the presence of every South African here.

It is just what we envisaged in the 1970s when we were struggling to take the University out of its context at the time and place it in a new context to make a contribution to a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa.”

Dr Jordaan, who obtained a BA at UWC in the early 1970s, was accompanied by fellow SAFA senior executive member and UWC alumnus, Gerald Don, who did his BProc in the early 1980s, as well as SAFA Technical Director, Neil Tovey.

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The SAFA delegation engaged with the University management led by Rector and Vice-Chancellor Professor Tyrone Pretorius, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Development Support Prof Pamela Dube and Institutional Planner Larry Pokpas, as well as UWC Sports Director Mandla Gagayi, Director for Institutional Advancement Patricia Lawrence, Alumni Relations Manager Samantha Castle, and Media, Communication & Marketing Manager Luthando Tyhalibongo.

After the SAFA delegation was briefed on the overview and vision of UWC sports, it was given a short tour of the revamped Sports Stadium. Dr Jordaan recalled how he lived in the hostel and ran across the road to play soccer at the football fields.

He also played cricket for the Tygerberg club. “It’s wonderful to be back and see these tremendous changes, the facilities,

Even in our wildest dreams we never dreamt that this would be UWC. This is a university that can compete with any university in this country.

the gym and the modern scientific support.

No wonder you have produced so many international players. In the current Banyana Banyana national team we have three players from UWC, and out of the 19 players playing abroad, four are from UWC. “They are playing and continuing their studies. It is a huge contribution that the University is making to sport, particularly football. For a long time it appeared that sport was an alternative to academic and career training. Today we know that education is an essential part of international achievement. It is wonderful to see that the University is recognising that education is key to performance and achievement in sport at an elite level.”

Dr Jordaan believes that success in academia should accompany success in sport. “In sport you retire at the age of 35 and then you have another 30 years between your retirement day in football and your final retirement at the age of 65.

You have to get life skills to sustain yourself beyond the sports field.

Sportspersons must recognise that while they are on top as sports stars, they need to be on top of their academic careers as well,” said Dr Jordaan. MG

SPORT

Enjoying the send-off function were (from left) Abongile Dlani, Thalea Smidt, UWC Sport Administration Director Mandla Gagayi, Thembi Kgatlana and Renaldo Learner.

UWC students compete at World Student Games 2017 ix top athletes from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) were selected by University Sports South Africa (USSA) to compete in the 29th World Student Games, also known as the Summer Universiade, in Taipei from 19 to 30 August 2017.

Female footballers Abongile Dlani, Thembi Kgatlana and Thalea Smidt were joined by their male counterpart Renaldo Learner, sensational sprinter Tamzin Thomas and water polo star Chad Roman.

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They would have been accompanied by another star female footballer, Amogelang Motau, but she had to withdraw from the squad to take up a scholarship in the United States. Ahead of their departure to join the Team SA camp in Johannesburg, UWC’s Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tyrone Pretorius, surprised the athletes by presenting them with cash gifts for the trip.

The Rector told the athletes that participating in the World Student Games

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was a wonderful experience for a student, and noted that at least two athletes who had competed in the Universiade in South Korea two years previously were representing South Africa at the World Championships in London.

“That is where I see you in few years’ time,” he said. “Representing us in Banyana Banyana, representing us in athletics, representing us all over the world.”

Prof Pretorius, who is a past president of USSA, advised the athletes not to put too much pressure on themselves at the Games. “You have already achieved so much by simply going to the Games. Just do your best and don’t worry too much.”

UWC Sport Administration Director Mandla Gagayi said that his department was fortunate to have a Rector who takes an interest in sport and who understands what sport can do for society.

“As much as you are representing your country,” Gagayi told the athletes, “you also carry with you the principles and values of UWC. Whatever happens there, or in South Africa, you will always be a UWC athlete.”

UWC Sports Council chairperson Olivia Williams assured the athletes of the University’s support.

“On behalf of the UWC Sports Council, we wish you all the best,” she said. “We are cheering for you and we will support you all the way.” MG

You have already achieved so much by simply going to the Games. Just do your best and don’t worry too much.

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 at ia@uwc.ac.za, call us at 021 959 9525, or drop by our offices.

CONTRIBUTORS Harriet Box (HB) Khanyisile Brukwe (KB) Nastasha Crow (NC)

Myolisi Gophe (MG) Nicklaus Kruger (NK)

Asiphe Nombewu (AN) Luthando Tyhalibongo (LT)

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I give a small amount each month through an HR deduction. It’s easy and hassle free. But over time, my contribution adds up and makes a meaningful difference. I give to Access to Success because I feel strongly about the mission of empowering our nation and the African continent. I appreciate the opportunity to give back to the community and our students.

Mandla Gagayi UWC Director of Sport

For more information, visit accesstosuccess.uwc.ac.za or contact Somayah Barnes at sbarnes@uwc.ac.za orONcall 021 SEPTEMBER 959 9568.

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