UWC ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 12/MARCH 2015

THREE-SIXT-E | ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 12/MARCH 2015

ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 12/MARCH 2015

2015

Contact the Alumni Relations Office: Tel: +27 21 959 2143 | Fax: 021 959 9791 | Email: alumni@uwc.ac.za | www.uwc.ac.za/alumni http://twitter.com/UWConline | http://www.facebook.com/uwcalumni

New developments, innovation and a legacy continued

New Rector Inaugurated Professor Tyrone Pretorius was inaugurated on 16 February as the seventh Rector and Vice-Chancellor of UWC, the third alumnus to lead the institution.

The hall was packed to capacity with alumni, staff and leading representatives of business, higher education and government.

Keynote speaker, former president Kgalema Motlanthe, praised Prof Pretorius’s leadership capabilities and said he was “confident that his appointment is advantageous to the nation and the UWC community at large.”

Pretorius acknowledged his predecessors, Prof Richard van der Ross, for helping the University to “find its soul” and the late Prof Jakes Gerwel, for defining its intellectual tradition. He praised outgoing Rector Prof Brian O’Connell, under whose inspired leadership UWC had “forged ahead to become one of the nation’s acknowledged research-intensive universities and a formidable intellectual powerhouse.” Warning that, while UWC had a good foundation, a good foundation might not be enough in a changing

world to take the University to the heights it wishes to attain, Prof Pretorius said: “To get where we need to be as a nation, we have to deal appropriately with the question of access to higher education. However, for access to be real there can be no compromise on the aspiration to excellence. We need to tone up on our whole higher education system so that no student or academic is left feeling that second rate is good enough.”

“Only by building an effective academic network, and producing top-quality research, effective teaching and real learning, could UWC play a leading role in helping South Africa attain a greater future.” Pretorius believes the alumni community is key to the University’s success and encouraged graduates to plough back to their alma mater.

“Society has entrusted you and me, collectively, with a special university,” said Pretorius. “It is our duty to future generations to pass on the gift we have received in an even better state than it was in when we received it.”

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THREE-SIXT-E | ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 12/MARCH 2015

Like father, like daughter UWC alumnus Raymond Schuller is living proof that a good education lays the foundation for success in life. In his family of five siblings, Schuller is the only one who made it to university.

“It was a real sacrifice to get to matric, let alone to university,” Schuller remembers of his upbringing in the 1980s. “I remember my father taking me to campus and paying for my registration. It was a huge sacrifice.

Fortunately, from my second year onwards I managed to get bursaries for my studies.”

At high school, Schuller was politically active as a member of the Students’ Repre-

sentative Council. But it was on campus where he was exposed to the broader political dynamics of the country. “At university, I discovered that there was more than one truth and I became more mindful and respectful of other views and ideologies.”

After graduating with a BA degree in social work in the early 1990s, the Mitchell’s Plain-born Schuller worked for Grassroots Adult Education Trust, the University of Cape Town and his alma mater. He now holds a challenging position in marketing and public relations at Communicare, one of South Africa’s leading non-profit rental housing enterprises. Raymond also obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Management (with distinction) from the UCT Graduate School of Business. “Education is the only way we can break the poverty cycle.

I have seen it in my own family and continue to observe it in the community.

People with a higher education qualification tend to get better jobs and earn better salaries. That means a better quality of life. A university degree makes a huge difference in time.”

This year, 27 years after he first set foot on campus, his daughter Kim-Lee followed in her father’s footsteps and registered for a BA at the University. “It is a good sign and serves as motivation for the rest of the family,” he commented. “I hope this trend becomes generational and my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will follow suit.”

Proud dad and UWC alumnus Raymond Schuller with his daughter Kim-Lee Schuller at a UWC rugby match in February this year.

During Orientation, Schuller was impressed at how the University had developed. “It used to be literally a bush and flat but the new Life Sciences and Chemical Science buildings have transformed the physical landscape and improved the reputation of the institution tremendously. These developments further position the University as a leading provider of quality higher education in South Africa and indeed on the continent.”

The March 2015 Graduation will take place from Monday, 9 March to Thursday, 19 March 2015 at the UWC Main Hall.

The Alumni Relations Office will be hosting its annual Student Alumni Fashion Show on Tuesday, 14 April 2015 at the UWC Student Centre.

The UWC Alumni Eastern Cape Chapter launch will take place on Saturday, 18 April 2015 at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

The UWC Alumni Western Cape Chapter launch will take place on Saturday, 16 May 2015 at the University of the Western Cape.

Times to be announced.

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Editorial Welcome to the first edition of ThreeSixt-e for 2015. We hope that you have all enjoyed a well-deserved rest and we wish you a prosperous and productive year ahead.

In this issue we extend a warm welcome to our new Rector and ViceChancellor, Professor Tyrone Pretorius, and three new members of our leadership team. Ms Nita Lawton-Misra took up her position as UWC’s Registrar in February this year and was joined by Prof Frans Swanepoel, our new Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation). Prof Vivienne Lawack, our new Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), takes up her post in April.

We report on the renaming of Vanguard Drive to Jakes Gerwel Drive, in honour of the late Prof Jakes Gerwel, whose courageous leadership steered UWC through some of the darkest days of apartheid.

UWC continues to develop its academic capacity. The Brian O’Connell Visiting African Scholar Fund was recently launched, funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and the Kresge Foundation. The fund aims to promote international collaboration among young scientists of African heritage.

We also report on another application of hydrogen fuel cell technology by UWC’s HySA Systems that is providing environmentally sustainable power to our nature reserve.

Lastly, we catch up with alumni Freddie Cloete and Raymond Schuller, who share their perspectives on the institution, and update you on beach volleyballers Leo Williams and Grant Goldschmidt’s journey to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Happy reading!

Patricia Lawrence Pro Vice-Chancellor Department for Institutional Advancement

THREE-SIXT-E | ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 12/MARCH 2015

A lasting legacy BOOK REVIEW in science The tenure of retired UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Brian O’Connell, coincided with a strategic decision to improve research and teaching in the sciences.

Despite challenges in funding the necessary investment in infrastructure and staff, UWC is now one of the leading universities in the fields of physics, molecular biology, biochemistry and computer science. Fittingly, the University has established a scholarship fund in O’Connell’s name to attract top African scientists to the University in his honour. The Brian O’Connell Visiting African Scholar Fund was launched with a generous joint investment of nearly R6 million from The Atlantic Philanthropies and the Kresge Foundation.

UWC’s Professor Bruno Pollet (left) and DST Director-General Dr Phil Mjwara (right) celebrate the launch of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Generator at UWC.

Hope through Hydrogen Energy South Africa faces a severe energy crisis in energy generation and supply, the result of years of underinvestment in power infrastructure.

At the same time, increased demand and consumption of fossil fuels continue to impact on climate change.

UWC’s Hydrogen South Africa Systems Centre of Competence (HySA Systems), headed by Professor Bruno G. Pollet, has responded to this challenge by developing an experimental prototype Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) power generator, in collaboration with a South African power management and control electronics company, Hot Platinum (Pty) Ltd. At the launch towards the end of 2014, Director-General at the Department of Science and Technology, Dr Phil Mjwara, highlighted the critical role played by science, technology and innovation in ensuring the continued development of South Africa.

“We are currently facing a R60 billion deficit, of which 10–15% pertains to procuring technology products from abroad. We need to look at ways of reducing South Africa’s dependence on foreign goods. So I’m delighted that

today we are officially launching this HFC power generator, that compares to anything available internationally, and shows how we can innovate here in South Africa, and that we are able to do more with less.”

The 2.5kW power generator, which provides continuous energy to the UWC Nature Reserve building, uses hydrogen to generate electrical power, with only water vapour as the by-product. It produces electricity in an environmentally friendly way, without pollution or noise.

“This launch comes indeed at a critical point, a turning point for HySA and South Africa,” Professor Pollet explained at the launch.

“As we are all aware, South Africa – often seen as the ‘powerhouse of Africa’ – is facing major energy challenges. Decentralisation of energy by using Hydrogen Fuel Cell systems is one of the few solutions allowing electricity access to communities efficiently and cost-effectively. By using hydrogen, green electrical power can be produced in remote areas and communities without access to the grid.”

The fund will help bring international scientists of African descent to the University annually to participate in research capacity development and/or curriculum and instruction, community engagement and co-curricular activities.

The fund will enable scholars to build new networks and strengthen scholarly exchange within Africa. O’Connell, says the Fund will allow the next generation of South African scientists, researchers and innovators to learn from and be inspired by the world’s leading African and international scholars and scientists.

“Our challenge is to shift the minds of the majority of South Africans to embrace change, through science, in the shortest possible time and with the help of the best possible models,” explains O’Connell, who retired at the end of 2014 after 13 years at the helm of UWC. “We believe that can best be accomplished through exposure to the top Englishspeaking scientists of African descent, young and old from all over the world.”

Recently retired UWC Rector, Prof Brian O’Connell, was honoured by the University, which launched the fund in his name.

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Rector’s Inauguration 1. UWC Chancellor Archbishop Dr Thabo Makgoba installs Prof Tyrone Pretorius as UWC’s new Rector and Vice-Chancellor at the inauguration ceremony.

2. (from left) UCT Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price and Wits University’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Adam Habib enjoy the proceedings.

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3. UWC Council Chairperson Mthunzi Mdwaba greets UCT ViceChancellor Dr Max Price while acting Stellenbosh University Vice-Chancellor, Prof Leopoldt van Huyssteen, and CPUT ViceChancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu, walk alongside.

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4. Proud alumnus Prof Tyrone Pretorius salutes his alma mater.

5. Archbishop Dr Thabo Makgoba gives UWC Rector and ViceChancellor Prof Pretorius an encouraging hug before the start of the inauguration.

6. UWC alumna Marlene le Roux and former UWC Rector and ViceChancellor, Prof Richard van der Ross, chat at the event.

7. Director of the University of Missouri South Africa Educational Programme, Professor Rodney Uphoff, and his wife, Marsha Uphoff, alongside UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Tyrone Pretorius.

8. UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Tyrone Pretorius, addresses guests and the university community for the first time.

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11. (From left) UWC Council members Professor Emmanuel Iwuoha, Mr Onkgopotse Thabane, Chairperson of Council Mr Mthuzi Mdwaba, UCT Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price, UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor Professor Tyrone Pretorius, former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, UWC Chancellor Archbishop Dr Thabo Makgoba, and Wits University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Habib.

12. (From left) Ms Kamey Butler, Alumni Relations Office manager Samantha Castle, alumnus Prof Cudore Snell and Mr Kudah Mushambi.

13. Guests dressed in traditional attire in honour of the event.

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UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Pretorius greets Prof Richard van der Ross.

10. (From left) Fred Robertson, Executive Chairman, Brimstone Investment Corporation Ltd, with alumni couple Brenda and Fanie Sonn.

16. Popular Cape Town singer Alistair Izobell and his band entertained the guests at the event.

17. Singing sensation Vicky Sampson performed at the event.

14. (From left) UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Tyrone Pretorius, former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, UWC Chancellor Archbishop Dr Thabo Makgoba and Executive Chairman, Brimstone Investment Corporation Ltd, Fred Robertson.

15. UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Tyrone Pretorius and some members of the University staff.

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THREE-SIXT-E | ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 12/MARCH 2015

Gerwel honoured his leadership of UWC. The road’s official renaming ceremony took place in Athlone on what would have been Gerwel’s 69th birthday on 18 January 2015.

Cape Town Mayor, Patricia de Lille, joined members of the Gerwel family, former colleagues from UWC and representatives from the Mandela Rhodes Foundation at the ceremony. “As we travel along Jakes Gerwel Drive, may we reflect on the road that has been paved before us,” she told the gathering. “Professor Gerwel’s life, which was characterised by an unwavering commitment to a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society, exemplifies the kind of future we want for Cape Town,” De Lille added.

A strong contingent of UWC staff and alumni joined family members of the late Prof Jakes Gerwel to witness the renaming of Vanguard Drive to Jakes Gerwel Drive.

Former Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape, the late Professor Jakes Gerwel, was honoured when the City of Cape Town renamed one of Cape Town’s busiest roads after him. One of UWC’s greatest sons, Gerwel passed away in November 2012.

Vanguard Drive, an extension of the N7 from Acacia Park to Mitchell’s Plain, is now called Jakes Gerwel Drive after the Council adopted its Naming Committee’s recommendation. The proposal was submitted to the City by the Mandela

Rhodes Foundation, of which Gerwel was the founding chairperson. The City agreed that the renaming was geographically appropriate, seeing that Gerwel had a long professional and social involvement with many of the communities along that route.

More than 600 residents participated in the city-wide public participation process, and those who supported the proposal agreed that Prof Gerwel was worthy of the honour for his achievements as a senior member of former President Nelson Mandela’s administration and for

The professor’s son, Heinrich Gerwel, said it was important that all South Africans remember his ideas of nation building and peace. “His last words to us were: ‘Julle moet in vrede met mekaar saam lewe (You must live together in peace)’.”

Under his leadership as the Rector and Vice-Chancellor of UWC between 1987 and 1994, a generation of professionals was educated – many of whom have followed his example and ethos of service to the community.

No doubt the renaming of this particular road would have raised a smile from this great intellectual – after all, in life, Jakes Gerwel was always in the vanguard!

Accounting for success When Freddie Cloete started his studies at UWC in 1979, an accounting professor told the first-year class that they would not amount to anything in life. Like many of his peers, Freddie was determined to prove him wrong.

Northern Cape-born Cloete obtained his BCom (Accounting) in 1981 and a postgraduate Certificate in the Theory of Accounting at UWC. Cloete moved to the Cayman Islands shortly after qualifying as a chartered accountant, where he worked as an audit manager with Ernst & Young for a number of years, with short stints in the USA. “I was fed up with apartheid and

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the lack of real meaningful and challenging opportunities,” he explains. He returned to Cape Town in 1994 and became the first black partner admitted at KPMG. He left KPMG in 2006 to take up a position as Senior Executive for Professional Development at SAICA. In 2008, he rejoined KPMG as a partner in Dubai and has been there since.

Cloete attributes his success to the University, where he met his wife, Leonie Begbie-Cloete. “UWC gave me a sense of belonging. I had the opportunity to study at another university but when I was informed that I had to get a special permit from government, UWC felt a more comfortable choice and I have never regretted it. I’m always thankful for the political

UWC alumnus Freddie Cloete is a partner at KPMG, one of the world’s largest professional services companies employing more than 155 000 people.

awareness that was instilled in me at UWC; never taking things at face value, but making objective assessments of decisions and how they impact on one and the larger community.”

THREE-SIXT-E | ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 12/MARCH 2015

NEW APPOINTMENTS

New Leadership The University of the Western Cape has appointed three new members to its Senior Management Team. Law Professor, Vivienne Lawack, assumes the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic in April. Professor Frans Swanepoel, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, and Ms Nita Lawton-Misra, the new Registrar, have already assumed their duties.

Lawack and Swanepoel replace retired DVC Professor Ramesh Bharuthram (Prof Bharuthram however has stayed on as executive director for special projects). Ms Lawton-Misra takes the reins following the passing of alumna Dr Ingrid Miller, who passed away in 2013 (Deputy Registrar, Prof Judith Cornelissen, acted in the position in the interim).

Lawack will join UWC on 1 April 2015 from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, where she served as the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law from 2008. Previously she worked for the South African Reserve Bank. President of the South African Law

OBITUARIES

Professors Frans Swanepoel and Vivienne Lawack have joined the UWC Senior Management Team.

Miss Nita Lawton-Misra has been appointed as the new Registrar at UWC.

Deans’ Association since 2010, Lawack holds a BJuris, LLB, LLM from the University of Port Elizabeth (now known as NMMU) and an LLD from UNISA.

Both Prof Lawack and Prof Swanepoel have published widely and supervised numerous master’s and PhD students.

Professor Swanepoel was previously at Stellenbosch University where he was the Director of the African Doctoral Academy since 2012. Prior to this he was Senior Director for Research Development at the University of Free State (UFS) for 10 years. Prof Swanepoel holds BSc (Agric), BSc Hons (Agric), MSc (Agric) degrees (all cum laude) and a PhD in Animal Genetics, all from UFS, and Honours in Business and Administration from Stellenbosch University.

Ms Nita Lawton-Misra joined UWC in February from Wits University, where she served as the Deputy Registrar: Academic from 2009 (and was also acting Registrar).

Ms Lawton-Misra is a registered psychologist and holds a University Diploma in Education (UDW), Diploma in Specialised Education (UNISA), BA (UNISA), BEd (UNISA) and MEd degree (Wits).

The University of the Western Cape mourns the passing of alumni, students and staff, including:

Theodore Combrinck, lecturer at UWC’s School of Business and Finance for the last 14 years, passed away on 9 December 2014.

Described by former colleagues as “a very artistic, colourful and passionate person,” Combrinck earned all his degrees at UWC, having studied BEd, HDE, BCom honours and MCom. He was studying towards his PhD at Stellenbosch University.

Randolph Vincent Erentzen passed away in December. Randi, as he was affectionately known, began a threedecade-long association with UWC in 1971 when he began studying at UWC. He worked in the Department of History for 19 years from 1976, as lecturer and senior lecturer in South African and African history.

He obtained his BA honours in history in 1988. He later worked as an analyst/ researcher and retired as an intelligence analyst at the State Security Agency.

John Levi (Lefie) Engelbrecht, who completed his BA, BEd and MEd in Educational Psychology degrees at UWC, passed away on 30 August 2014.

After a stint in primary school education, Engelbrecht served as a lecturer and later senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education at UWC from 1975 until his retirement in 2000.

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DID YOU KNOW ?

UWC’s Community Law Centre played a key role in drafting the South African Children’s Act and the 2008 Child Justice Bill; and currently enjoys observer status with the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.

Big year for beach volleyballers Alumni Leo Williams and Grant Goldschmidt are South Africa’s number one male pair in beach volleyball.

The two are currently leading the pack in the Flying Fish National Beach Volleyball Series, and claimed their berths at the coming FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in the Netherlands in June/July this year, after shining at the African Nations Qualifiers in Tunisia in February. Representing the male pair in Team South Africa, the duo narrowly lost the final to the host country’s team.

The UWC Beach Volleyball Club members will need to continue their sterling performance when they compete to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and the All Africa Games in Brazzaville, Congo in September.

Goldschmidt, who obtained his degree in sport and exercise science in 2009, is the more seasoned player, having participated in the 2012 London Olympic Games and won a gold medal at the 2012 CAVB Beach Volleyball Continental Cup in Mauritius. Like Goldschmidt, Williams has been a member of the South African national team for some time. A graduate with BCom and honours in Marketing and Management who is studying a Post-

graduate Diploma in Management, he took part in the International Volleyball Federation (known as FIVB – Federation Internationale de Volleyball) Beach Volleyball World Cup Finals in Brazil in June 2013, among other competitions.

Celebrity Corner

As beach volleyball is not a well-supported sporting code financially, Goldschmidt and Williams often need to raise money to fund their trips. Despite the sacrifices, they believe sport has changed their lives for the better. “Sport is one of the tools for developing communities. It opens up opportunities for children to be empowered and to enjoy,” said Goldschmidt. “We have travelled to countries that we would never have visited if we were not in sport,” noted Williams.

Goldschmidt and Williams, who were both able to study at UWC through sport bursaries, feel the University has been supportive of their sport and career development. Aside from backing their Road to Rio funding campaign, launched last year, Goldschmidt said, “UWC has opened up big avenues for me.” Williams added: “Sport gave me an education, education gave me a job, the job gave me a better salary and I live a good life. I would not have any of these if I was not at UWC and in sport.”

Jazz sensation Judith Sephuma graced the Farewell Dinner of former Rector and Vice-Chancellor Brian O’Connell with a performance in his honour in December 2014.

Join the UWC Alumni Association!

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Stay Connected!

Beach volleyball stars Leo Williams (left) and Grant Goldschmidt (right) are aiming for the Olympics.

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