ISSUE 19 | JANUARY 2017
CONTACTISSUE THE ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE: 19 | JANUARY 2017
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
UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE
ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
UWC researcher Usisipho Feleni was honoured with the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO Fellowship for her work with drug dosages for breast cancer patients.
UWC science student scoops prestigious international award
U
niversity of the Western Cape (UWC) researcher Usisipho Feleni has been awarded the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women In Science Fellowship, her second prestigious science award in 2016. Earlier in the year she received an award at the Department of Science and Technology’s South African Women in Science Awards (WISA). The young researcher is doing groundbreaking work in determining medication dosages for breast cancer patients. Feleni’s research involves developing a device to determine appropriate dosages of tamoxifen, a drug routinely prescribed to breast cancer patients and patients at risk of developing
breast cancer. Feleni obtained her BSc Honours in chemistry in 2012 and her MSc (with a specialisation in nanochemistry) from UWC in 2014. She is currently enrolled for a PhD in Chemistry (specialising in nanobiosensors) at UWC. Her research projects during both honours and master’s degrees focused on how ARVs are broken down in the body. This led her to a better understanding of drug toxicity, how drugs respond differently in individuals, and how different patients have unique drug dose-response profiles. Feleni says she is fascinated with inter-individual variability in drug metabolism, particularly for antiretroviral, anti-tuberculosis and breast cancer
drugs, and how this is related to patients’ responses to treatment, drug toxicity and drug resistance. Her supervisor, Professor Emmanuel Iwuoh, says Feleni follows other female SensorLab PhD researchers who have won local and international accolades for the relevance of their research into national and global challenges. “Prominent among these awards is the L’Oréal-UNESCO Fellowship for women scientists from Sub-Saharan Africa, which SensorLab reseachers won in 2012, 2013 and 2014,” says Prof Iwuoh. Of the 6 500 applications received, only 250 L’Oréal-UNESCO fellowships are awarded annually.
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Editorial Welcome to the first edition of Three-Sixt-e for 2017. In this edition, we report on Usisipho Feleni, the recipient of a L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science fellowship for her research in breast cancer medication. UWC made gratifying progress in mobilising support for the Institution recently. Along with the 40th Cape Town Golf Day and the successful Alumni Phonathon fundraising campaign, we report on the generous donation of a block of flats by the Nagdee family. The tradition of intergenerational support for the University that is part of its legacy continues as evident in the Williams-Esterhuizen family’s experience of producing multiple UWC graduates in geology, education and arts. PhD candidate Samakinde Chris Adesola is forging ahead with his geology research. He is yet another successful international student from Nigeria.
FAMILY STORY
UWC transforming families Graduates are often role models, blazing a trail for members of their families and communities. The Williams-Esterhuizen family is a good example. When Adrian Williams completed his honours degree in geology in 2004 at UWC, he was following a path first walked by his late father, who studied at UWC before completing his studies at a neighbouring institution, and his stepfather, Derick Esterhuizen, who is a graduate of UWC.
completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees in geology at UWC and is now pursuing her PhD. Williams also helped his sister Shirwileta to return to campus to complete her BA, honours and PGCE after she had dropped out. Shirwileta is completing her master’s degree in creative writing while working as a writer in UWC’s Department for Institutional Advancement.
Adrian’s step-sister Joylyn Esterhuizen is a current BEd student and two of his sisters-in-law hold honours in geology and a PhD in social work respectively from UWC. After graduating, Williams worked at the Anglo Platinum Research Centre, Mineral Services, and De Beers Mining before returning to UWC to serve as a senior scientific officer while pursuing his master’s degree.
“We are the products of the University and in a way we are trying to give back,” Williams says. Shirwileta adds, “UWC is very personal to us as every degree we have comes from this university. And we work there.” Williams says one of the advantages of having family members on campus is the support and positive influences that one receives. “It was nice to see my wife graduate, my sister graduate and my sister-in-law graduate. You start to see that sense of accomplishment filter down into your family and extended family.”
His wife, Yafah Williams (they met on an annual geology field trip), has been working as a geology lecturer for 10 years,
We also welcome new staff member Nolusindiso Kayi and provide updates on developments in alumni chapters and sport. However the issue that dominated as the academic year approached its close last year was once again the student protests in pursuit of free education, with several stories reflecting on the way forward.
The Williams-Esterhuizen family have obtained all their degrees from UWC. From left: Adrian Williams, Shirwileta Williams, Joylyn Esterhuizen, Yafah Williams and Derick Esterhuizen.
We wish all our students and alumni a prosperous 2017 and look forward to engaging with you again.
Happy reading! Patricia Lawrence Director Department for Institutional Advancement
GREETINGS The University of the Western Cape wishes you all the very best for 2017. FROM HOPE TO ACTION THROUGH KNOWLEDGE.
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FUNDRAISING
First UWC Phonathon a success In just three weeks, UWC’s inaugural Alumni Phonathon and Faculty & Staff Appeal initiatives raised in excess of R1,5 million in pledges, with more potential funders eager to come on board. The initiatives were part of the Access to Success campaign, a partnership between UWC and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) that aims to ensure that academically performing UWC students have the necessary resources to complete their studies. SABC radio stations Good Hope FM, Radio 2000, SAFM and Umhlobo Wenene were actively involved in promoting the cause. Along with a corporate appeal initiative, the phonathon and staff campaigns targeted specific stakeholders to raise funds. The initiatives were led by the Alumni Relations Office in the Department for Institutional Advancement, and involved role-players from many other University departments. During the phonathon, 50 students telephoned UWC alumni across the country
The Alumni Phonathon team of students.
to encourage them to reconnect, update their contact details and donate funds to support students in need. Although it was scheduled to run for five weeks it was halted after three weeks, ironically due to the students’ fees protest. During this time the phonathon managed to raise R1 246 000 in pledges. The staff campaign saw a team from the Alumni Office visiting faculties and departments to invite staff members to pledge their support to the campaign. About R427 000 was pledged in two weeks. Alumni Relations Manager Samantha Castle says the phonathon initiative was rewarding for participating students as it linked them with graduates in their fields of study and positioned them to access
opportunities such as mentorships and internships. “For instance, a law student would interview a law graduate, and an opportunity for an internship would emerge in that conversation.” With almost 70% of registered UWC students unable to pay the required registration fee and upfront payments, the fundraising campaigns are critical, especially as the state-funded subsidy has declined by 11% since 2000. “Our students and our University need more help,” Castle says, urging more alumni and staff to join the fundraising initiatives. To find out how you can donate, please contact the Alumni Relations Office via email at alumni@uwc.ac.za.
LASTING LEGACY
Donation eases pressure on student accommodation A prominent Cape Town business couple has responded to the shortage of student accommodation at UWC with a generous donation of a block of 30 flats to the University. Solly Nagdee and his wife Khairu, own a number of Total filling stations around Cape Town, handed over ownership to the University in August. The twobedroom flats in Kuils River will accommodate 120 students.
Mr Solly Nagdee and his wife Mrs Khairu Nagdee with Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tyrone Pretorius, at the official handover of the block of flats donated to UWC.
“We are aware of the struggles the University of the Western Cape and students face,” Mr Nagdee says. “Too many students deregister because they cannot afford the cost of accommodation and transport. As business people in Bellville
South since 1963, we cannot turn a blind eye to the needs of our community.” Mr Nagdee was working as a storeman for Total in Johannesburg in 1963 when he bought a struggling Cape Town petrol station. Within months Modderdam Motors had turned around and was profitable. It later became one of Total’s most successful petrol stations in South Africa. Mr Nagdee settled in Bellville South when he got married two years later and in 1966 he purchased another Total petrol station – Klipfontein Motors in Athlone. Mr Nagdee was acknowledged as the top Total dealer in the country for 1972. During the official handover ceremony at UWC, the Nagdees revealed that they donate to various causes but education was at the forefront. Mrs Nagdee added that the flats donation was not their first to UWC. “Some vacant plots adjoining the university were donated in 2013, specifically for the much-needed administration offices. www.uwc.ac.za/alumni | PAGE 3
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INTERNATIONAL
Foundation for success laid on campus Dr Petunia Monchusie says her years at UWC were “an absolutely positive experience” for many reasons. She obtained her first degree there, met her husband (in her second year), learnt a lot about politics and acquired life skills. “I started my university career in the heart of student uprisings and the liberation of South Africa and I learned so much about politics,” she remembers. “UWC really played an important role in changing my viewpoints about the ‘old South Africa’ and helped me prepare for the ‘new South Africa’.” Potchefstroom-born Dr Monchusie (née Magobotha) obtained her BA degree in social work at UWC in the 1980s, following in the footsteps of her brother Sebastian. Dr Monchusie worked in the social services and recreation fields in Johannesburg. After doing honours in sport and recreation management at Rand Afrikaans University, she moved to the United States to work as a social worker and activity director. She completed two master’s degrees (in psychology and management) before achieving her PhD at the University of Kansas.
UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Tyrone Pretorius addresses students during the Fees Must Fall protests.
ON CAMPUS
Higher education in distress Student protests in support of a range of demands, including free, Afrocentric, decolonised education, interrupted campus operations at universities across the country for much of the fourth term last year, for the second consecutive year.
Two years ago, Dr Monchusie and her husband David established Healthy Recovery Options, an outpatient substance abuse treatment facility. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Park University and Kansas City Kansas Community College.
There were safety and security concerns at some universities after protests turned violent, with ensuing destruction of property, discovery of petrol bombs, and intimidation of staff and nonprotesting students. Campus conditions for working, teaching and learning became untenable amid huge levels of stress, uncertainty and confusion among staff and students.
She says UWC instilled in her principles of courage, motivation, tenacity, endurance, empathy and caring for fellow beings. “The University motto ‘Respice-Prospice’ also instilled in me to always examine the past, examine the present and look to the future,” she says.
In an effort to normalise the situation at UWC, a range of dialogues among staff and students was followed by a mass meeting in October, where Rector and Vice-Chancellor Professor Tyrone Pretorius provided preliminary feedback on student demands. Led by members of the Student Representative Council (SRC), protestors presented the University management with 40 demands, including no fee increments for 2017, writing off of historic student debt, free quality black-centred education, 10 gigabytes of internet data per off-campus student per month, insourcing of outsourced services, space for students to operate businesses, several accommodation and
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safety issues and the transport and safety of students living off-campus. Prof Pretorius explained that UWC’s central position was that higher education should be made more accessible to the poor and the missing middle. He cautioned against free education for all, saying “South Africa is a divided country and that will entrench those inequalities – the higher class will prosper while the lower and middle classes will remain struggling.” He estimated that UWC would need approximately R530 million to be able to make any further concessions to the students’ demands, R250 million of which would be a recurring annual cost. The disruptions didn’t prevent the University from completing the 2016 academic year. Students used online services to write tests and submit assignments, and some lecturers met with students off campus. Off-campus venues were used to write final examinations. Students who were unable to write in November will get another opportunity early in 2017.
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ALUMNI PROFILE ALUMNI NEWS
Tenacity is the key to success
Golf day reaches the big four-oh!
When Samakinde Chris Adesola left Nigeria eight years ago he had one thing in mind – to pursue his studies until he gained his PhD. Adesola arrived in the country with an undergraduate degree and completed both his honours and master’s at UWC. He found UWC a well-organised campus that offered him a conducive environment in which to conduct his research. Describing himself as “a very ambitious, tenacious and goal-oriented” person, Adesola was on the verge of achieving his goal of completing his doctoral studies in petroleum geology until stymied by student protests. “There is nothing in life that comes easy”, he says. “When you set targets there will always be challenges. But as a tenacious person, you are strong enough to achieve your goals. If I wasn’t, I could have lost my focus.”
UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Tyrone Pretorius, and the Golf Day organiser, Marlene Scholtz, congratulate first prize winners Franken le Roux and Shawn Thompson of the Dell South Africa team.
UWC celebrated the 40th anniversary of its Cape Town Golf Day event in style when scores of golfers competed at Bellville Golf Course in November – not just for the coveted prizes but also to raise funds for the University of the Western Cape. At the prize-giving ceremony, UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor Professor Tyrone Pretorius congratulated the winners and thanked all the participants and sponsors for their generosity. Prof Pretorius recounted how UWC beat the historical odds to become recognised as one of the leading institutions in South Africa and on the African continent for the quality of its teaching, innovations and research output. “We are on course to achieve regional impact and global recognition,” he said.
“It is the second year now that there are protests. The University management needs to find lasting solutions to end protests because it is affecting some of us big time. I need to enter the lab to access my data and do my work but I can’t.”
However, Prof Pretorius warned that the University stood on the proverbial precipice, under threat due to decades of under-funding and violent protests
in the higher education sector. “Unless as society we step in and make our voices heard, our university faces a dark and uncertain future.” Prof Pretorius appealed to the golfers to get involved “not for the sake of staff – our academics and support staff have degrees – but for the sake of this generation of students and those to come.” The University needed its alumni and friends “to support us more than before and be visible ambassadors for the University. We hope we can continue to depend on your generosity, not only financially but also in spirit, to deal with the impasse that we currently find ourselves in.”
Despite his frustration, Adesola believes much still needs to be done for needy students and he believes that more alumni should come on board. “We can’t shy away from the fact that many people are poor and the government can’t do it alone. The University should create more awareness for its alumni community to pay back to their alma mater.” www.uwc.ac.za/alumni | PAGE 5
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MEET THE MEMBER
Living his dream Having goals and planning to achieve them are key lessons that Mphathisi Mjadu took home after studying at UWC – lessons that have helped him to realise his professional and personal dreams. “Without plans and strategies chances are that you may not achieve your goals. That has helped me and thanks to that I have achieved almost everything that I have dreamt of in life,” he says. After he obtained his BA Honours in Development Studies and Higher Diploma in Education at UWC in the 1990s, Mjadu went to work at Volkswagen South Africa in Uitenhage where he is a senior buyer in the company’s purchasing division.
UWC Ladies’ Football Club enjoyed one of its best seasons on the football pitch last year.
SPORT
Another trophy for Udubs Ladies In what was arguably its best season ever, UWC Ladies’ Football Club won four out of the five competitions it entered. Early in 2016 the team won the Club Championships organised by University Sport South Africa. After narrowly missing a chance to add the Varsity Ladies’ Football crown when they lost in the final for the second consecutive year, the team bounced back to bring home the Western Cape Sasol League title for the first time in their history, the SAFA Cape Town’s Coca Cola Cup and the District Knockout Cup of the Northern Suburbs Local Football Association. Coach Nathan Peskin is over the moon and commended his players, both current and past, as well as his technical team for the team’s successes. “We have managed to do well because of the collective efforts of everyone. This is a huge honour and has further catapulted the institution
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into the forefront of the development of women and woman’s football. We are now one of the top football institutions in the country, if not the top institution, 2016's outstanding achievements in all competitions.” Peskin says the success of the team did not come overnight. “Our achievements are the fruition of very long-term goals. It took patience, focus and continuous hard work to achieve what we have as a team. As a coach of the team for the past six years, I am extremely proud of all the players. It has been a work in progress and everyone that contributed along the past six years needs to be saluted.” Ten UWC Ladies’ players were selected last year to represent regional, provincial and national teams. They included Leandra Smeda, Thembi Kgatlana and Amogaleng Motau, who were in the Banyana Banyana team that lost to Nigeria in the semi-finals of the Africa Women Cup of Nations in Cameroon at the end of November.
When Mjadu followed his cousin to enrol at UWC in 1993, many political activists were reviving their academic pursuits at the University and their presence gave Mjadu and other young students the mature guidance they needed to make university life easy. “UWC became a home away from home for me as I was spoilt with father figures and mother figures. Mixing with older students was motivational and encouraged us to do well. Seeing a student old enough to be your parent working hard gave us a push to work even harder.” Mjadu has maintained strong links with his alma mater, and was elected as the Uitenhage convenor for the Eastern Cape UWC Alumni Chapter. “Alumni should not forget where they come from and the role the University has played in their careers,” he says.
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NEW APPOINTMENT
New manager for international grants and research integrity UWC has appointed Nolusindiso Kayi as the new Manager: International Grants and Research Integrity. Kayi, who holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), has been in research management for the past nine years, having served CPUT, Stellenbosch University, the National Research Foundation and Tshwane University of Technology. She has worked to support and advance research in South Africa in various portfolios, mainly in grants management and support for early career researchers. Her role at UWC will focus on identifying and targeting dissemination of international funding opportunities, assisting researchers with the submission of research proposals, and advising on eligibility issues and funder requirements.
She will also be responsible for providing guidance on good research practice, ethics and governance, marketing of UWC’s research endeavours, as well as streamlining processes through the implementation of a Research Management Information System which will support researchers through the research process. “I am very excited about the opportunity to join UWC. The research profile of the University has grown significantly over the past few years. In my tenure, I hope to successfully streamline processes for our researchers where they will have fewer administrative burdens and rather focus on their research; contribute to increased UWC’s research outputs by providing the necessary support to our researchers; increase the number of researchers with international grants, which in turn will increase the visibility of research at UWC; and implement focussed interventions for early career researchers,” says Kayi.
OBITUARIES The University of the Western Cape mourns the passing of alumni, students and staff, including:
UWC alumnus Calvin (Cat) Smith passed away peacefully on 28 October 2016. Smith joined the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in 1980 to pursue a degree in Theology. He served as vice-chairperson of UWC’s SRC from August 1984 to March 1986. Smith was also an esteemed church council member and served as student deacon at UWC.
Dawid Basson passed away at the age of 77 on 17 October 2016 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Basson was employed by Campus Protection Services at UWC during the 1980s. He later became the caretaker at the Main Hall. He is survived by his wife Sarah and their children. Newly-appointed research manager, Nolusindiso Kayi.
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DID YOU KNOW?
UWC’s South African Herbal Science and Medicine Institute is the only institute in the country accredited to offer research degrees in Herbal Science , striving scientifically and clinically to unlock the value of indigenous medicine.
ARTS AND CULTURE
Alumni key to University success - Rector UWC alumni chapters in the Western Cape, Gauteng, the Eastern Cape as well as United Arab Emirates hosted a number of gatherings during 2016 to reconnect and strengthen their efforts to raise funds for the University. UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tyrone Pretorius, attended a dinner function of the Eastern Cape Chapter in Port Elizabeth in August. Prof Pretorius told the former students that UWC was an incredible place that faced challenges, like any other institution. He acknowledged the good work alumni were doing and lauded chapters “as the foundations that will make UWC strong”. He said, “There is a special role that UWC played in all our lives and there is a special gratitude that alumni feel they owe to the University.” The Vice-Chancellor presented the University’s recent achievements in research, innovation, teaching and learning, as well as infrastructural developments and capital projects. Prof Pretorius explained that UWC supported the concept of the holistic experience of students, and had invested
Celebrity Corner
significantly to upgrade sport facilities. “It is our aspiration that UWC becomes the home for high performance community sport so that the communities around us can participate in sport at a very high level.” Commenting on the ongoing higher education protests, the Rector said, while accessible education for the poor and the missing middle was as important as having high quality education, “If free education is going to be at the expense of high quality university education then the degrees the university will issue in the future are going to be worth nothing more than the paper they were printed on.” In spite of these challenges, Prof Pretorius was confident of the future and the strength of the UWC brand, saying, “We extend the hand to you, our alumni, to join us and make a bigger difference – not only by giving us money but by also telling the true story of UWC, of what UWC means for this country and for disadvantaged communities. UWC is a symbol of how South Africa can transform itself from the current state that it is in to what it can truly be.”
Keynote speaker, Advocate Hina Jilani of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, shares a moment with South African Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi (right), at the 6th Annual Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture held at the Artscape Theatre on 7 October 2016, in celebration of the 85th birthday of former chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission – and former UWC Chancellor – Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Join the UWC Alumni Association! Get your free UWC Alumni T-shirt and much more for only R170 per annum (or R70 for the first two years after graduation)! To join, download and complete the Alumni Membership form at www.uwc.ac.za/alumni Contact us at alumni@uwc.ac.za or telephone 021 959 2143 if you have any questions.
Stay Connected! UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Tyrone Pretorius, was the guest of honour at the Eastern Cape UWC Alumni Chapter dinner.
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Your alma mater wants to keep you updated with the latest UWC news, events and information. Update your contact details at www.uwc.ac.za/alumni or send an email with your details to alumni@uwc.ac.za.