Built Environment & Development Studies - Newsletter 2016 by UKZN College of Humanities

School of Built Environment and Development Studies Newsletter

Volume 1, Issue No 1

2016

INSPIRING GREATNESS

TABLE OF CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP The Dean and Head of School

ACADEMIC LEADER: Community Development Housing and Planning Development Studies and Population Studies Research and Higher Degrees Teaching and Learning MANAGER: School Operations and Support Staff

4 9 11 13 14 15

IN THE NEWS SoBEDS Academics Part of the College Humanities’ Academics That Partnered with Codesria & The Comparative Research Programme on Poverty for Poverty Research

CLIMWAYS: Climate Change and Urban Water Governance: Pathways to Social Transformation

SoBEDS’ Academics Involved in an International Collaborative Research on Community-Led Informal Settlement Upgrading

SoBEDS Hosts Young Professional Planners’ Workshop

SoBEDS’ Researchers Link Farmers to Market

Development Studies and Population Studies’ Academic Leader Named Among Top 30 UKZN Publishers in 2015

Fau Erlangen-Nürnberg Exchange Students Share Their Experiences in SoBEDS

UKZN Academic Part of Exchange Programme in Germany

Academic Development Officer Supporting Programmes in The Built Environment

Academic Development Officer Supporting Community Development Students

Town and Regional Planning Masters Students Participated in The 2016 Salga KZN Provincial Conference

Students of the Housing Discipline in SoBEDS Attend the Inaugural Human Settlements’ Conference 5-7 October 2016

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP Message from The Dean: School of Buit Environment and Development Studies operational and strategic leadership.

Dean: Professor Betty Mubangizi

t has been a long time since the last issue of the School Newsletter. Much water has passed under the bridge and with it have come many events, achievements and challenges. My message in this newsletter is a summary of some of those events/ achievements/challenges, and it is with great pleasure that I introduce this issue of the newsletter of the School of Built Environment and Development Studies (SoBEDS). When I took on the role of Acting Dean at the beginning of 2015, there were hardly any Academic Leaders in place and my first task was, therefore, to appoint ALs for all the programmes and set up a functioning School MANCOM in line with the appropriate Committee Charter. This allowed us to be more efficient and effective in providing

Another immediate challenge was the consolidation of all the disciplines of the School into the Denis Shepstone building. The decision to move Population and Development Studies from MTB to the Denis Shepstone Building had already been taken in 2012 during the college restructuring. However, for a range of reasons, implementing the decision was delayed. In 2015, we set about implementing the move with the support of staff across the disciplines. I am happy that the move eventually happened and we are now together in the same building. In the meantime, we have also made significant improvements in terms of an infrastructure upgrade and aesthetics for both staff and students. Worth noting are our well-equipped seminar rooms, board rooms, and the staff lounges and Deanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suite. While addressing the issue of consolidating the School into one building, we also had to deal with accreditation of the Planning programme. The Master of Town and Regional Planning (MTRP) was under conditional accreditation from its professional accreditation body â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the South African Council for Planners. In 2015, we were at the proverbial tipping point, and faced with the real danger of having the MTRP de-accredited. To

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP avert this, we reflected on the Planning discipline in relation to the University’s mission and the needs of the profession. Our reflections were documented in a Self-Evaluation Report (SER). Based on the self-evaluation and the potential of the programme highlighted in the SER, dedicated preparation by staff in Planning, and with support from other university structures, we were pleased that, in 2015, SACPLAN granted a further two-year conditional accreditation for the MTRP programme. This demonstrated the great confidence that SACPLAN has in the School and the university, because a second conditional accreditation status is rarely, if ever, granted. I am happy to report that we have had another visit and the programme was, on 30th October 2016, granted full accreditation. Besides Planning, Architecture’s undergraduate and postgraduate programmes were also under conditional accreditation. Following the accreditation visit by the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) from 16 to 18 November 2015, it is pleasing to state that after two years of conditional accreditation, the Architecture Programme at UKZN is now fully accredited. Another notable event in the recent past is the External School review. I commend the staff of BEDS for an objective, critical, yet constructive selfevaluation report which preceded the School review. I also commend them for their openness and willingness to engage the process during the

review sessions that took place from 13 to 15 October 2015. This year, the staff were presented with the School Review Report, which noted numerous commendations and recommendations. To date, we have a Self-Improvement Plan to guide our progress as a School. Among our other achievements is the hosting of some major events. In 2015, the School hosted the 10th annual Population Association of Southern Africa (PASA) Conference. The conference provided an opportunity for the sharing of population-related research and for the interaction of scholars and practitioners on matters of demography and development. Another highlight was our involvement in the 52nd Congress of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) – held in Durban (12-16 September), the first held in Africa. The conference was preceded by the Young Professional Planners Programme (YPP), which is usually hosted by a university in the city where the ISOCARP is held. Our school was privileged to host the conference with a grant from the NRF. In terms of research, we are making slow but steady progress. The role of the research Chairs which continue to serve as a nucleus for research in the School, must be commended. There are a number of ongoing research collaborations, including a recent MOU between UKZN, the Comparative Research Programme on Poverty (CROP), and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA).

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP Despite the departure of a few staff members, we have been privileged to welcome new academics. We appreciate the fresh ideas and energetic vibrancy that they have brought to the School. We also appreciate the contribution made by the young and energetic AADP lecturers. In this regard, it is impressive to note that one of these has already been credentialed as a fully-fledged lecturer in the School. Our congratulations to Dr Mbokazi. On the other end of the academic scale, we also congratulate Professors Bracking and Maharaj – who recently attained full professorship.

achievements too – the details of which appear in this newsletter. Despite the current challenges facing higher education institutions, including our own, we wish our students the very best.

Our students have made notable

Wide format Printers

New Dean’s Boardroom

The Updgraded LAN

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP Message from the Academic Leader: Community Development and throughput.

AL: Professor Ernest Nene Khalema

ince joining the Community Development Programme earlier in 2016, we have taken some proactive steps to prioritise the focus of our programmes in the discipline. One focus has been to reflect and brainstorm on how our programmes (both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels) can be improved and refined to meet the needs of an ever-growing student population. We have had discussions about the curriculum, the teaching approach, and the relevance of what we teach to our country and to the profession of community development. We have refocused our Honours and Master of Social Sciences in Community Development programmes, revamped our PhD programme, and discontinued the structured undergraduate programme in order to focus on quality

In addition, our Postgraduate Diploma in Community Development is being evaluated for relevancy, and, as we grapple with ways to reposition the programme in the near future, we are affirming its uniqueness and importance in meeting the transformation challenges of our country â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly (as our coordinator of the programme, Mr N Tshishonga has emphasised) the program is still impactful for community practitioners, government officials, and other influencers in South Africa. We have made efforts to accommodate completion of the programme. Our aim is to offer relevant programmes that will meet the transformation needs of our country, while at the same time improving the learning experiences of our students in the ever-volatile, contested, and challenging environment of higher education. Despite this, the discipline of community development boasts having the biggest chunk of undergraduate throughput in the SoBEDS. In the past one year, we have seen a significant increase in the number of our postgraduate students (Honours, Masters, and PhD). The doctoral programme has witnessed the most significant increase â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from 1 enrolled student to 10 in 2016. The senior team

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP has worked hard to ensure that good local South African and international students are part of our student body, and we project that in 2017 the postgraduate programmes will grow even more. By reprioritising our focus, we are now beginning to attract a good calibre of students who, although working in the field of community development and related fields, would previously go to other disciplines within the school and elsewhere for postgraduate studies. We are now able to address their needs (be it research focus, supervision, or otherwise) and this is evident in the sudden increase in postgraduate student numbers. We have a larger pool of students already applying for the PhD programme in 2017 and have also witnessed increased interest in our masters programmes. We are planning to reintroduce the masters coursework programme in 2017. Quite a few more, than previously, are also graduating with their masters in 2016. There are currently over 30

students registered in the 2016 cohort of the honours programme â&#x20AC;&#x201C; compared to 10 when it started about five years ago. Most of these students are from our undergraduate cohort, while we have a few from other disciplines. Some students are finding it difficult to catch up with the demands of the honours programme, particularly in areas of writing and critical thinking. Besides those challenges, we have adopted a more proactive approach to student support and collective supervision. This included a collective approach in terms of the expectations on the quality of work produced, an insistence that students attend school-wide research workshops and seminars, a team meeting by the supervisory team to discuss student progress and adherence to quality and timelines, and providing additional support in terms of sharing of resources (methodological, conceptual, theoretical) as well as tips on effective reading and writing for our students in order to ensure quality.

Higher School Learners from Umbumbulu and KwaMashu engage with graduate students and faculty members from St Andrews University (Michigan) and Community Development/architecture academic leaders at the Youth Development Workshop: October 10, 2016

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

We are confident that our collective interventions will assist the current honours cohort to complete their studies successfully. We are, however, concerned about staffing constraints, as we need additional staff to cope with the expected increased number of students - particularly in terms of supervision. We are currently in the process of recruiting additional staff members and we hope to finalise that before the end of the year. The additional staff members will assist in bringing fresh ideas that will assist the discipline’s growth path, and will also be an asset to our student population. The team of academics in the discipline of Community Development has been involved in a number of community engagement activities in previous years – facilitated by Ms N Thabethe. This year, we engaged NGOs, FBOs, and government departments for our community-based learning module, in collaboration with the Municipal Institute of Learning (MILE) – to place over 160 students in and around Durban for service-learning experiences. These students are having first-hand experience working with organisations that impact on communities. Our community-based learning coordinator, Dr Sandile Mbokazi, recently visited these NGOs, FBOs, and government department sites to facilitate our placements, and he was able to confirm how rewarding the experience is for students. Dr

Mbokazi was quite impressed with the quality of work experiences that the students are getting. For example, one of the NGOs we have engaged with this year – Siyabanakekela Youth Empowerment Organisation – recently hosted a learning exchange on youth development in partnership with Professor E Khalema and a collaborative team within the disciplines of Community Development, Architecture, the eThekwini Municipality, and the American-based St Andrews University. The event hosted learners from the rural areas of Umbumbulu and KwaMashu as part of the community-engagement visioning initiative. The learners were asked to work in groups of 10, alongside architecture students from St Andrews University, in an effort to uplift the communities of Umbumbulu and KwaMashu through innovative community-development solutions and through architectural designs that would be implemented in stages by the collaborative team. The learners were offered an opportunity to present what they had learned through interactive storytelling. This allowed them to think of possibilities for post-secondary learning, in either community development or architecture in SoBEDS. For community development, partnering with the municipality and the NGO community is part of our engagement strategy to engage with projects that mutually benefit our students, but which also positively impact communities and help

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

build strategic partnerships locally and abroad.

community health, public participation, and gender and development.

In addition to a robust communityengagement agenda, the discipline is doing its very best to balance the demands of teaching and its research agenda. Our faculty members are engaged in a number of national and international research projects as PIs, Co-PIs, content experts, and research advisors. We have plans to source third-stream income to support our students in developing research skills, in accessing bursaries to attend local and international conferences, and in developing writing skills. By next year, most of our staff will have completed their PhD.

Earlier this year, we had a very productive planning meeting where we developed a strategic plan to be implemented over the next three years. In the planning meeting, we discussed curriculum issues, teaching approaches, student support and throughput, supervision challenges, empowerment, support, and professional development for staff (including support staff ) to name a few. We also had a rare opportunity to engage with postgraduate students (Masters and PhDs), as they presented their research proposals to the faculty for feedback.

This is very important and encouraging for the discipline, as we need more supervisors for an ever-expanding postgraduate programme. We also have been working very hard to re-brand our discipline in order to increase our visibility in terms of our research niche â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to attract new students and academics. Although the discipline has had some progress in the recent past in terms of publications (e.g. academic papers, conference papers, policy briefs), we are still ploughing ahead in this area and I am confident that next year our publication outputs will improve further. Currently, our staff are specialising in several research areas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including child protection, community crime prevention, migration, traditional authorities, local government,

This provided the team with an opportunity to engage with students informally. As a result, there are ongoing discussions on how we teach, do research, engage with students, and what is relevant to our students and how this impact the profession of community development. We further are engaged in the revision of our modules, templates and teaching approaches and aim to eliminate redundancy. We have also agreed that staff should not teach a particular module for more than three years. This is to ensure that fresh ideas and perspectives are brought into the different modules we offer our students. We also have experimented with collective teaching approaches at different levels (i.e. from introduction undergraduate to honours) and have

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP re-doubled our efforts to facilitate team teaching as a strategy, which began in previous years. A good example is an Honours module we never taught previously entitled: Power, Participation, and Social Change. This module was taught by Dr Hargovan and Professor Khalema, with an emphasis on interrogating issues of social justice, participation, and activism.

We have a new breed of students who are technology-savvy and we need to adapt our teaching approach to be relevant to them. Leading lecturers such as Ms P Shangase, Professor T Xaba, Dr S Mbokazi, Mr E Ntini, and Dr H Hargovan, have led the discipline in ensuring that we meet the needs of our students and use technological solutions in our teaching and learning. Related to this is the need to decolonise knowledge. This Some of the contents were found to be requires that we develop new materials, relevant to the ongoing #FeesMustFall strategies, and produce contentstudent protests and provided students relevant research and scholarship. with an avenue to think about their We acknowledge that most of our place and space in transforming their students are under pressure to perform society. The module also provided with limited academic foundations, students with opportunities to and often within very hostile environments. As academics, we also need to acknowledge weaknesses on the part of our students, and support them Community Development Staff Members at the Planning Meeting: July 22, 2016 accordingly. This entails moving away from looking for ideal students and committing engage with guest speakers from to shaping our students to the ideal our partner organisations (MILE, students we want. Going forward, we HSRC). The experiences they shared want to provide a conducive learning with students have been very much environment for our students, based on welcomed by students. Other lecturers, the principles of fairness, opportunity such as Mrs Mbatha, Mr Ntini, and Mr and equal access. Tshishonga, have also team-taught at undergraduate level, and have developed innovative approaches to delivering content for students at this level.

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

Message from the Academic Leader: Housing and Planning

AL: Dr. Sithembiso Myeni

joined the discipline of Housing in August 2015, but only officially became an AL for Housing and Planning in 2016. This year, we have seen more masters students entering the housing programme. We have been able to attract officials in housing from the Department of Human Settlements, including a senior manager for Construction and Project Management, and from different municipalities in the province. This success is partly due to our motivation to the School management – to consider the experiences of some applicants in the built environment who marginally miss the entry requirement, as a motivation for admission. That said, even in Planning there are several officials from different municipalities in KwaZuluNatal. This is important as the built

environment is a scarce skill and we need to leverage on applicants’ experiences to increase our enrolment, while also working towards fulfilling the vision of South Africa’s National Development Plan. So far, those that have been admitted using this criterion have performed quite well, despite working full-time. Through staff dedication and student commitments, these disciplines attained more than 80% pass rates. Most of our lecturers in both Housing and Planning have PhDs and are all supervising students at doctoral level. In Planning, we are getting more students than our staffing capacity, but it is barely felt as we are aware of the interconnected nature of our School and our staff offer supervision across disciplines in the School. This is done to encourage collegiality and to ground our research in the interdisciplinary paradigm. We are happy to congratulate Dr Hangwelani Hope Magidimisha on her graduation. She is the first black woman to be awarded a doctorate in the discipline of Town and Regional Planning at the University. Some of our PhD candidates are recipients of a scholarship from the National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS). This is important for our candidates as they can now devote their time to

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP studying rather than sourcing money for their studies through employment. Moreover, these recipients benefit from NIHSS Regional Workshops which are conducted every month; they attend these workshops with their supervisors. Besides scholarships, we are also running postgraduate programme workshops which are normally attended by masters students who are busy with their dissertations. The purpose of the PG workshops is to facilitate the timeous completion of their degrees.

Dr Hangwelani Magidimisha We supported our undergraduate and postgraduate students to attend the inaugural human settlement conference in Port Elizabeth, which was held in October 2016. Through this, we wanted to give them exposure in the field and to build networks with their peers from other institutions. We also continue to provide motivations for students to be funded by their local

municipalities. The Human Settlements Department in the province also requested us to encourage our Housing students to apply for the bursary that they administer. We will continue to support our students at all levels with information that would be important to them for advancing their careers. Our undergraduate programme is doing very well. We attained more than 80% pass rate in all the modules. This is, however, not the case with the PG, where several students are spending more than the required time in the system. We are also faced with capacity constraints. The Dean has been supportive in making part-time lecturers and studio facilitators available for Housing and Planning. We are currently involved in a number of projects, including one on community-led informal settlement upgrading (also known as Isulabantu) with Dr Claudia as the PI. Grassroots approaches towards self-reliance in South Africa: the ISULabantu Project (Informal Settlements Upgrading led by the community), was presented at the Habitat III Conference in Quito. Personally, I am interested in several research areas, including sustainable housing, poverty reduction, rural transformation and decolonization in South Africa, change at local level, and the role of traditional councils in local government. I have published journal papers as well as book chapters during this academic year. I am also involved in publication collaborations including an edited book examining the provision

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP of government sub-subsidised housing in South Africa. I have also presented several papers at different conferences, including one presented in China by my co-author (Bongekile Mvuyana) from the Mangosuthu University of Technology. I am also involved in a third-stream project funded research through the Human Sciences

Research Council (HSRC). The research is implementing a rural innovation assessment toolbox to understand how people in rural areas are surviving by tapping into locally available resources. The study is led by Professor Mtapuri as the principal investigator – with two research assistants.

Message from the Academic Leader: Development Studies and Population Studies

his year has been an exciting one for the disciplines of Population Studies and Development Studies. The Population and Development Studies programme graduated 3 PhD students and 22 masters students. There were 15 masters students from Development Studies and 7 from Population Studies. The Cluster hosted a series of seminars which were well attended by staff and students. These seminars were very important in terms of highlighting the work done by colleagues in the cluster. We hope to continue with the seminar series as a way of showcasing our research and maintaining our strong research agenda. The cluster also hosts two SARCHI Chairs: Professor Sarah Bracking currently holds the University of KwaZulu-Natal SARCHi Chair in Applied Poverty Reduction Assessment, under which a programme of research is being implemented to help reduce the scale

and scope of poverty in South Africa, by designing better means to assess policy intervention and implementation. This programme begins from the concept of poverty being multi-dimensional and multi-causal, such that research covers the economic, political and environmental domains – focusing on how we can ensure poverty reduction at micro and macro scales. Prof Maharaj is currently the acting SARCHI Chair in Economic Development. The focus of the Chair is to explore the interface between households and labour markets, advance knowledge across a range of socio-economic areas – e.g. union formation, migration and mobility, livelihoods and survival strategies and resource sharing, labour force participation and employment, evaluate the experiences of economic development in communities – as well as assess the economic and social policy that seeks to reduce poverty and

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP increase wellbeing. The Population and Development Studies Cluster attracts both national and international students. Our students have been awarded prestigious scholarships including the Chevening Scholarship awarded to Menzi Bhengu and the European Mundus Scholarship awarded to Zaneta Kubik from the University of Paris, to spend a year working on her PhD studies at UKZN. These scholarships are testaments to the wonderful commitments of colleagues in the disciplines, and also the dedication of our students. We continue to provide ongoing support to our postgraduate students through training workshops. Our academics are also making important contributions through engagement in research collaborations and professional bodies. An academic from the Population Studies Programme, Ms Nompumelelo Nzimande, was elected President of

the Population Association of Southern African (PASA) for a second term. Staff and students from the Population Studies Programme presented their research at the annual PASA conference. In addition, students showcased their advanced demographic and statistical skills, by presenting their work at the 5th ISIbalo Conference of African Young Statisticians held in Pretoria. This is an important initiative for young scholars and an excellent opportunity to showcase their skills to potential employers. Employers include national and local government, universities, NGOs and private consulting firms. In addition, our students currently hold positions in public-sector areas like census taking, educational planning, labour-market analysis, health administration, immigration, urban planning, and social policy.

PhD Graduates Efe Mary Isike and Laura Corrigall

MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

Message from the Academic Leader: Research and Higher Degrees being in the system beyond the allowed time. To improve throughput, we have been running a series of workshops starting with a workshop for our PhD students which ran from 18-25 July.

AL: Professor Oliver Mtapuri

y mandate as the AL for Research and Higher Degrees includes coordinating issues related to research topics, research proposals, research ethics application and approval, postgraduate admissions, and appointment of examiners. My priority is to ensure that these processes are effectively coordinated for the timeous completion of postgraduate studies. We are not doing well in terms of enrolments. We need more students, especially at the Masters level, in many disciplines. Other disciplines have very few PhD students. Many PhDs are in Development and Population Studies. At the moment, we have more than 50 PhD students enrolled across the disciplines in the School. However, we are still faced with issues of students

We have also been running workshops for our masters students. These workshops cover various thematic areas, including research proposals, literature reviews, theoretical and conceptual frameworks, and research methodology. The workshop series also covered topics such as plagiarism and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. Each of the workshops runs for approximately three hours and they are facilitated by our staff. We have also been providing support to staff to attend conferences and training workshops. We recognise that some staff, particularly the newly appointed ones, do not have money in their research codes. We, therefore, decided to support them as much as we can with funds from the College to attend conferences. Going forward, we hope to organise a research day for staff to present their current and future research to colleagues in the School. The intention is to, firstly, use this platform for senior staff to showcase their work, secondly, formulate a School of Built Environment and Development Studies research project, and, thirdly,

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for senior staff to mentor their junior counterparts on how to increase their productivity through involvement in collaborative projects. As such, part of our plan during this research day is to map out what our staff are doing individually, and work towards establishing a consortium which leverages on our combined expertise and apply for research grants as a way to forge more research collaboration within the School. There is a lot of research potential which we can harness to strategically position our School both locally and internationally as a centre of research excellence, scaffolding on the strong foundation which already exists. We also want to encourage colleagues to complete their PhDs and encourage others to become rated NRF researchers. For next year, we plan to organise a Postgraduate Research Day at which our postgraduate students will present their research work. The goal is to encourage supervisors to work with their students to publish what the students present during the postgraduate research day, in a special edition of a journal, which we will coordinate. We hope to make the postgraduate research day an annual event. While we want staff to publish with their students as a way to mentor and increase productivity, we are aware of the need to balance quality and quantity. We also want to enhance the prompt turnaround of proposal reviews by ensuring that they are adequate and complete in the first

instance. We are doing this to improve throughput in the school. At the moment, we have ensured that we have regular meetings of our School Research and Higher Degrees Committee and have made these meetings a platform for learning and collegiality.

Message from the Academic Leader: Teaching and Learning

AL: Dr Lovemore Chipungu The Teaching and Learning portfolio in the School of the Built Environment and Development Studies has been under the leadership of Dr Lovemore Chipungu for the last two years. As per the University Charter, the aim of this portfolio is to oversee the academic integrity of the programmes in the School, by monitoring and coordinating activities in the School. In order to fulfil the mandates of this portfolio, a number of tasks were executed over the period in question, with the support of other

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leadership structures in the School. The School, since its inception in 2012, saw the creation and appointment of two Academic Development Officers in the Community Development Cluster and the Built Environment Cluster, whose task to provide academic monitoring and support to students has been commendable. Through the appointment of tutors and mentors to monitor students at risk, there has been a significant improvement in the pass rate of the School â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with most modules achieving over 80% pass rates. It is also exciting to note that the School is earmarked for new developments, as new honours programmes in Housing, Development and Population Studies are under consideration. On the other hand, the need to reach out to everyone has seen some modules in Architecture, Community Development and Housing being translated into IsiZulu. It must be emphasised, however, that the success of this portfolio in all its mandates, largely depends on the unwavering support of other structures in the School. It is therefore gratifying to note that support from both academics and support staff has been overwhelming. But what makes the position most exciting is the level of services rendered to students directly or indirectly, which, in essence, underlines the responsibility of the School and the university at large. It should always be remembered that as leaders, we remain subservient to our responsibilities and to the community which we serve.

Message from the Manager: School Operations and Support Staff

Ms Slindo Shamase

t has been a great pleasure to serve our school as a Leader of Support Services and Professional Staff. It has been almost 2 years of great team work and we all have been stretching ourselves to be of better service to a great university community, our staff, and, importantly, to our students. At the beginning of my term it was very important to observe what worked and what does not work in order to appropriately address the gaps. The gaps were notably in higher degreesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; administration which has since expanded from one staff member servicing all disciplines in the school, to two. This ensures quality provision of services to all our staff and students in the school. The post of School Administrative Officer was filled by Ms Danisa in 2015 - making us a team

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that is near complete and able to better support our school in all its core businesses of Teaching and Learning, Research and Community Engagement. As support staff, it is important for us to serve our school with integrity and align all our activities with the values of the university, to enable it to reach its goals and objectives. We are always upgrading our knowledge and skills to better support our school, and to better skill ourselves. Two of our staff members

the 4th International Empowered Administrators Conference arranged by the College, to help identify future leaders within the school. This workshop was attended by Kanagie Naidoo and Priya Konan as they have shown leadership potential - to help groom them for future school administrative leadership roles. It gives me great pleasure to lead a team that supports all the school’s activities in an excellent manner. We have seen

Service Excellence Award for Ms Slindo Shamase (centre) with Prof Betty Mubangizi (right) and College Director, Professional Services Mr Kishore Gobardan (left) graduated last year. Michelle Jacobs, a Senior Technician in the Media Library, graduated with a Master’s degree in Art History (cum laude) and Lindile Danisa obtained her Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resources – we congratulate them whole-heartedly. Their achievement has been a source of motivation and is evidence that we can work full-time and still study to ensure a better future for ourselves. Two of the support staff in the school also attended

many positive developments in the past two years that far outweigh any negativity and challenges. We have, at times, worked Monday to Sundays, and many hours each day, to ensure that all our visitors, students and the university at large see our school shining and being exemplary in the services we provide. This service will be cemented by the appointment of an additional Senior Technician, a post which the Built Environment had been in dire need

IN THE NEWS

of and has finally been advertised. We thank all members of the school for being our great teachers, supervisors, friends and caring colleagues, in ensuring that we are made part of all important initiatives and trusted to do the job well.

Our hard work earned us an award in last year’s College Excellence awards. I was nominated by some members of the school, and won the Service Excellence Award. This award goes to all our support staff who work tirelessly for their school and who are exemplary

to others. The award was not just for me, as a School Manager, but it meant that I had a great team behind me who never let me down and always made me shine. Thank you all support staff in the school and research centres for all your hard work.

SoBEDS Academics Part of the College Humanities’ Academics That Partnered with Codesria & The Comparative Research Programme On Poverty for Poverty Research

Back row (from left): Prof Donal McCracken, Prof Stephen Mutula, Prof Pholoho Morojele, Prof Albert Cimadamore, Mr Andrew Okem. Front row from left: Dr Sharmla Rama, Prof Betty Mubangizi, Prof Oliver Mtapuri, DVC Prof Cheryl Potgieter, Prof Sarah Bracking, Ms Kathleen Diga, Prof Sozinho Franscisco Matsinhe.

cademics from SoBEDS were earlier this year engaged in a workshop that saw the signing of a research MOU between the UKZN College of Humanities, CODESRIA and the Comparative Research Programme on Poverty for Poverty Research. The SoBEDS team was led by the Dean, Professor Betty Mubangizi. Also in the team were Professor Oliver Mtapuri, Professor Sarah Bracking, Ms Kathleen

Diga, and Dr Andrew Okem. The overall purpose of the workshop was to review and develop plans for a collaborative partnership between UKZN, the Comparative Research Programme on Poverty (CROP), a programme of the International Social Science Council (ISSC) hosted by the University of Bergen, and The Council for the Development of Social Science Research (CODESRIA) in Africa, headquartered in

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Dakar, Senegal. Also in attendance at the workshop were the DVC of the College of Humanities Professor Cheryl Potgieter and the Acting Dean of the School of Arts Professor Donal McCracken, Dean of the School of Social Sciences Professor Stephen Mutula, the College Acting Dean of Research Professor Pholoho Morojele, and Dr Sharmla Rama from Sociology. The workshop gave participants the opportunity to brainstorm on the best approach to establishing a Pan-African epistemic community of young scholars passionate about issues of poverty and sustainable development. In her welcome statement, Professor Potgieter said ‘The College of Humanities has a number of strategic MoUs with universities around the world, and the current partnership is in line with the College’s strategic goal of collaborative research.’ She further noted that ‘the College is committed to addressing challenges of poverty from a transdisciplinary approach.’ Director of CROP, Professor Alberto Cimadamore, is excited about the partnership since it will enable the partners ‘to work in collaboration with knowledge networks, institutions and scholars, in order to build independent, alternative and critical knowledge and education on poverty, and to help shape policies for preventing and eradicating poverty’.

While Deputy Executive Secretary of CODESRIA, Professor Sozinho Franscisco Matsinhe, stated that ‘As an organisation that is committed to filling the research gap in social sciences and humanities in Africa through research excellence and research capacity training (as well as documentation and archiving), CODESRIA is happy to be part of the partnership.’ In her presentation, Professor Sarah Bracking, Chair of the South African Research Chair Initiative in Applied Poverty Reduction Assessment, highlighted the poverty reduction research initiatives being implemented by the Chair and expressed confidence that the partnership will contribute to furthering the frontier of poverty reduction research in Africa. The workshop ended with parties agreeing to some tangible outcomes, including, in principle, the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of the partnership as well as a planning meeting in Dakar later in the year and a workshop in 2017. There were also discussions on the contribution of a summer school and further commitment by the Director of the Library, Ms Joyce Myeza, who will help to develop a virtual library platform which would allow for access to resources and materials in the area of poverty studies. Myeza said, ‘The UKZN Library will facilitate a virtual library for the project. There will be a virtual platform with

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all recommended readings in a portal that will be accessible to all registered students. The facilitators/lecturers will

forward their recommendations of materials they want to be added.’

CLIMWAYS: Climate Change and Urban Water Governance: Pathways to Social Transformation

The Palmiet Rehabilitation Project Committee, including UKZN researchers, eThekwini Municipality, River Watch, eThekwini Conservancies and the Quarry Road West Community

he interface between climate change and water governance is currently being explored by a research team from SoBEDS through a three-year research project, CLIMWAYS, which started in mid2014. This comparative multi-disciplinary research project analyses institutional challenges to climate change

adaptation and water resources’ management in the cities of Durban and Cape Town – exploring different forms of governance, innovation and adaptation in the two cities at different scales. The project is funded by SANCOOP (South Africa-Norway Research Co-operation on Climate Change, the Environment

and Clean Energy), a partnership between the Norwegian Research Council and the South African National Research Foundation. It also forms part of a broader Water Research Commission (WRC) study exploring the value of restoring ecological infrastructure to counteract threats of

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water insecurity and climate change in the uMngeni catchment. This study is supported by the uMngeni Ecological Infrastructure Partnership (UEIP), a multi-stakeholder partnership between the South African National Biodiversity Institute, uMngeni Water, the WRC, municipalities, UKZN, and environmental NGOs. The CLIMWAYS research team represents a collaboration between UKZN, the University of Cape Town, the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research, and the University of Oslo. The SoBEDS team is led by Catherine Sutherland with the support of researchers Vicky Sim, Sibongile Buthelezi and Duduzile Khumalo, as well as a number of local and international masters students. In Durban, the research focuses on two case studies based on two tributaries of the uMngeni River – the Palmiet and uMzinyathi catchments – to explore climate/water governance in very different parts of the city (urban versus peri-urban/rural) and subject to different governance arrangements. These case study areas were identified by the UEIP as part of the broader WRC work in the uMngeni catchment. The team’s work in the Palmiet has emphasised a participatory action research approach. A range of research activities have been undertaken at a broad catchment level and has focused on the Quarry Road West informal settlement, a highly at-risk settlement situated on the floodplain at the bottom

of the catchment. The catchment-wide stakeholder engagement process has included an actor mapping exercise based on stakeholder interviews and a two-year stakeholder engagement process (including three stakeholder workshops) in collaboration with the eThekwini Municipality and River Watch – a community-based organisation that monitors pollution and environmental impacts along the Palmiet River. This process has culminated in the establishment of a Community of Innovation, a small group of stakeholders, including SoBEDS, committed to driving specific actions in the Palmiet to address challenges that have emerged during the stakeholderengagement process. More intensive research has been undertaken in the Quarry Road West informal settlement, including focusgroup meetings, community surveys, ongoing engagement with the Quarry Road community over issues that arise relating to the relationship between the river and the community, the initiation of a waste recycling project with the Wildlands Conservation Trust, and to some degree an advocacy role with various departments in the eThekwini Municipality. The research team has built up considerable trust with the community and intends to continue working with the community beyond the CLIMWAYS project term. The Mzinyathi case study explores water governance and climate change within the dual governance context

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of the eThekwini Municipality and the Qadi Traditional Council. Rapid densification of the area in recent years due to the opportunities provided by the traditional land-allocation process, is a key focus of the research particularly in terms of the impacts on ecological infrastructure in the area. The research team has conducted several interviews with governance stakeholders at local and provincial level to unpack the governance landscape. In-depth community surveys relating to local households’ perceptions

and use of ecological infrastructure, have been done to explore the social construction of environmental services. The Mzinyathi and Palmiet case studies have also been the focus of the minidissertations undertaken by students in the SoBEDS Housing programme third-year module, Research Techniques in Housing. Several papers relating to the research have been presented on the CLIMWAYS research to date, and the research has been presented at a number of conferences and municipal workshops.

SoBEDS’ Academics Involved in an International Collaborative Research On Community-Led Informal Settlement Upgrading

Principal Investigators and Officials of the Department of Human Settlements

cademics from the School of Built Environment and Development Studies continue to engage in cuttingedge international collaboration

research. One of these is a 3-year ESRC/NRF Collaborative Grant on Urban Transformation in South Africa. The Project, entitled “Community-

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led Upgrading for Self-Reliance in South Africa: Integrated Construction and Environmental Management Systems in Informal Settlements” has been renamed by the research team “ISU Labantu” (visit www.isulabantu. org), which stands for Informal Settlements Upgrading planned and driven by the community (labantu).

construction management and service provision, but will also promote the creation of partnerships with other stakeholders such as local businesses, policy makers and academics. Furthermore, the knowledge generated through the research will have a wider relevance for cities in South Africa and other countries with similar challenges.” The project is currently focusing on Durban, with the goal of working with local communities in “data collection, capacity building and community mapping, in collaboration with Principal Investigators Dr Maria Christina Georgiadou (left) and Dr Claudia residents, to feed Loggia (right) into the creation of an integrated This interdisciplinary project seeks to toolkit”. The ultimate goal is to upscale co-produce sustainable and integrated from the Durban scenario by deploying approaches for community-led the tools to assess community-led upgrading of informal settlements. It informal settlement upgrades in other explores construction, environmental South Africa cities, and other cities management and urban governance around the world. in slum-upgrading processes in the Durban Metropolitan area. Dr Claudia Loggia from SoBEDS is the principal investigator leading the The Project recognises the limited South African team of researchers. roles of local actors in informal Other collaborators from SoBEDS settlement upgrades, as well as the include Mrs Judith Ojo-Aromokudu, skills and resource constraints of local Professor Oliver Mtapuri, Dr Sithembiso communities in the implementation Myeni, Catherine Sutherland, and of local informal settlement upgrading Vincent Myeni. Sinenhalanhla Khanyi, initiatives. To address these constraints, Lethu Magubane, Ronald Ncube, the ISULabantu Project “will not Njabulo Zungu and Nolwazi Qumbisa, only build the capacity of residents are local Masters students involved in on community-led approaches to

IN THE NEWS the first phase of the research. These students are gaining invaluable research experiences through their involvement in this international research collaboration. Professor Chris Buckley from the Pollution Research Group and Dr Alfred Odindo from the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, are other UKZN academics involved in the research. The International team is led by “Dr Maria Christina Georgiadou, from the Department of Property and Construction at the University of Westminster, together with Dr Isis Nunez Ferrera and Ben Fagan Watson from the University’s Policy Studies Institute, and Dr Priti Parikh from University College London’s Department of Civil Environmental and Geomatic Engineering”. In addition to these collaborators, “collaborators from uTshani Fund, a local South African NGO, are also joining the team from the outset, and advisory services will be provided by EcoLtd, an independent consultancy focusing on international development and project formulation”. Under the auspices of this research collaboration, a number of research events have been held in both the UK and South Africa. More recently, two papers entitled “An overview of topdown vs bottom-up models of informal settlement upgrading in South Africa’,

and ‘”Normal” Informal living spaces in low-income human settlements in South Africa’ were presented at the 2016 ISOCARP in Durban. The team of researchers involved in the project also attended a youth event at the Methodist Church in KwaMashu, Durban. A component of the research entitled “Grassroots approaches towards selfreliance in South Africa: the ISULabantu Project (Informal Settlements Upgrading led by the community)”, was accepted as a side event by the UNHabitat3 committee and was presented at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, HABITAT III, in Quito, Ecuador, from 17 to 20 October 2016. At the event, Dr Loggia, in collaboration with Dr Georgiadou and Dr Nunez, presented some preliminary findings since the beginning of February 2016. The project team led an interactive presentation, followed by a panel discussion with experts, including: Marie Huchzermeyer from the University of the Witwatersrand; Emily Mohohlo and Rose Molokoane from Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI); Dr Zoleka Sokopo from the South African National Department of Human Settlements; and Ms Beryl Mphakathi, Head of Human Settlements in eThekwini. Other panel members also attended.

Researchers Involved in the ISU Labantu Project at the Conference

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SoBEDS Hosts Young Professional Planners’ Workshop

Left to Right: Dr Magidimisha, Prof Ric Stephens,, MEC Pillay, UKZN YPP Representative and Minister Jeff Radebe

he Young Professional Planners (YPP) workshop is an event that precedes the annual conference of the International Society of Cities and Regional Planners (ISOCARP). The School of Built Environment and Development Studies was privileged to host this prestigious event. The workshop targets planners aged 35 years and below, who are either in academia or working as professional planners. This year, 90 Young Professional Planners attended the 3-day workshop. Half of the workshop participants were from South Africa,

with 13 students from the UKZN Masters in Town and Regional Planning. Other YPPs that attended the workshop represented 19 countries from different continents. For the first time, the Dean’s award was introduced into the YPP programme. Young planners in the programme were grouped into teams of 7, and were given planning issues to address. Each team was paired with an experienced planner who provided guidance. The Dean’s award was based on scientific merit and was given to the team with the best idea for a solution based on a

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number of criteria - including alignment to national policy and financial feasibility. The team that won the award was led by Dr Chipungu, Academic Leader Teaching and Learning from SoBEDS. In attendance at the award ceremony were various dignitaries, including the Minister in the Presidency,

Mr Jeff Hadebe, the YPP coordinator, Dr HangwelaniÂ Magidimisha, the Dean of SoBEDS, Professor Betty Mubangizi, the MEC for Public Affairs in eThekwini Municipality, Mr Pillay, and ISOCARP Vice-President for the YPP Programme, Professor Piotr Lorens.

From left: Mr Eric Aplegren (eThekwini Municipality), Professor Piotr Lorens (ISOCARP), Dr Hangwelani Magidimisha (UKZN), Dr Malindi Neluheni (Transpace Technologies), Prof Betty Mubangizi (UKZN), Prof Urmilla Bob (UKZN) and Mr Lennox Mabaso (COGTA-KZN).

YPP Chairperson and academic Dr Hangwelani Hope Magidimisha (middle: in bluedress) with the participating students and UKZN academics

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SoBEDS’ Researchers Link Farmers to Market

Team of SARChI Researchers and Farmers at the Scorpio Place

he lack of access to market is a persistent challenge for most smallscale farmers. This is a problem that a team of researchers under the South African Research Chair Initiative in Applied Poverty Reduction Assessment (SARChI) in SoBEDS recently attempted to address, as part of research into Food Systems in eThekwini Municipality. The research on Food Systems is led by Dr Mvuleso Ngcoya, a Senior Lecturer in the Development Studies programme. This is part of a broader research project entitled Climate Change Adaptation and Poverty Reduction Co-Benefits: Human Capabilities towards Micro-Enterprise. The research is funded by the European Union through the Programme to Support Pro-Poor Policy Development (PSPPD II) and is administered by the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

The linkage to market was part of a field engagement by the SARChI researchers. Delegates from Food and Trees, a NGO contracted by eThekwini Municipality to provide market access for small-scale farmers, were also present at the event. The farmers were introduced to Afro’s Chicken and Shop – a restaurant located in the Giba Gorge – with the hope that they will supply fresh vegetables to the shop. Responding to this experience, Professor Bracking, who heads the SARChI, said that she is “happy that this research attempts to provide a practical solution, although in a small way, to a problem experienced by the research participants”. She further noted that “in doing this, the research goes beyond the quest for knowledge production, as it seeks to address a real constraint experienced by the farmers”. Going forward, she hopes that the farmers will have productive business relations with Afro’s.

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Development Studies and Population Studies’ Academic Leader Named Among Top 30 UKZN Publishers in 2015

Professor Pranitha Maharaj

he Academic Leader of Development Studies and Population Studies, Professor Pranitha Maharaj, has been named among the top 30 UKZN publishers in 2015. Professor Maharaj holds a doctorate in Epidemiology and Population Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom. Before joining SoBEDS, she was a lecturer at the Department of Sociology at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. Prof Maharaj has managed and accumulated many years of teaching and research experience at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. She has successfully supervised more than 40 masters and 3 doctoral dissertations.

Her primary research interest is in the area of sexual and reproductive health - with a particular focus on HIV/AIDS and family planning. In recent years, the topic of aging population and related socio-economic implications continue to draw her research attention. Professor Maharaj is currently involved in a number of research projects in this area of research. Her inclusion in the top 30 published UKZN researchers is an acknowledgement of her prolific publication profile over the years. She has published numerous scientific papers in local and international peerreviewed articles, abstracts, research reports, and book chapters. Reacting to the announcement, Prof Maharaj said that “it is an honour to be considered among the top 30 publishers at a prestigious university such as UKZN”. She added that she hopes “to continue on this path of publishing high-impact academic works that will make meaningful contributions to South Africa”. Prof Maharaj is currently a recipient of a 3-year grant from the National Research Foundation, to undertake a study on early childbearing in South Africa. Professor Maharaj recently attained full professorship and presented her inaugural lecture to the University Community.

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Fau Erlangen-Nürnberg Exchange Students Share Their Experiences in SoBEDS

were also instrumental in their decision to choose UKZN for their exchange experience.

Left to right Aida, Carolin and Gina

he SoBEDS is hosting three exchange students from the FAU ErlangenNürnberg. Carolin Gunesch, Gina Milliot, and Aida Gebrehiwet, are spending a semester in SoBEDS as part of their postgraduate studies. The students noted that the amazing exchange programme between UKZN and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg encouraged them to be part of the experience. “Students from FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, who had been part of the exchange programme, also shared their experiences with us, and we, therefore, decided to be part of the great experience,” said Gina. She also added that the positive discussions with UKZN exchange students in Germany (Anthony Odili and Pascal Bellamy) -

The students noted that they have had very positive experiences at UKZN. This includes the support they received in the process of integrating into the academic progamme, when they arrived late in the semester. “Although we arrived late due to logistical issues and missed orientation, staff and students were quite friendly and were instrumental in assisting us to become familiar with the systems and processes in place at the University,” said Gina. Engagement with academics in SoBEDS has been eye-opening for the students. “The lecturers are quite approachable and afford students the opportunity to give their opinions on development issues,” said Aida. “Our peers in the class have also been quite welcoming and we are amazed by the energy they bring into discussions, as well as their readiness to give their opinions during seminars. There is also a remarkable difference in what we learn at our home institution and what we have been exposed to at UKZN. While the contents at our home institution are mainly theoretical, the experience in SoBEDS has been practical. I think this is due to the South African context where development issues continue to be a daily lived experience of people”,

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said Aida. The willingness of academic staff to share their current research with students was also found helpful. The students noted that the vibrancy and social life in the students’ residence is a new experience for them. “This is something that I am going to miss,” said Gina. The ongoing #Feesmustfall protests have been a unique experience for them.

“We have never had the experience of protests. Through interactions with staff and students, we have come to understand the real socio-economic challenges students face and the rationale for the ongoing protests”, said Gina. “Overall, we are very happy and grateful for the opportunity to be part of the exchange programme between UKZN and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg”, said Gina.

UKZN Academic Part of Exchange Programme in Germany Speaking about the programme, Vawda said: “At a broader level I chose to get involved in this teaching venture because it provides a platform to create a long-lasting collaboration between UKZN and an international academic institution of merit. At an individual level, it provided an opportunity for me to experience teaching in a different context and to adapt those teaching methods to my South African classes.” Mr Mohammed Vawda

r Mohammed Vawda, a Lecturer in SoBEDS, recently spent three weeks in the School of Development Economics at the University of ErlangenNuremberg, Germany, where he taught a course entitled: “Introduction to Population Studies: a Southern African Perspective”. Vawda’s stay at the university was part of an ongoing programme set up to allow an exchange experience for staff and students of the two universities.

The German students took a keen interest in the course being taught by Vawda, with students reacting positively to his engaging teaching style - thus creating a conducive environment for higher levels of discussion and proactive learning. “This experience provided me with valuable insight into teaching methods and promoted interacting with students from different countries and backgrounds. It was interesting developing different teaching techniques to help overcome

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language and cultural barriers and to create a conducive and engaging teaching environment.” “I hope what I gained from this experience and opportunity allows me to create a more productive and engaging teaching environment with my South African students.” Vawda believes that exchange programmes are

insightful and provide feedback in terms of adapting, changing and improving teaching methods in different contexts. “Exchange programmes also provide a basis for strengthening research and academic collaboration between local and international academic institutions.”

Academic Development Officer Supporting Programmes in the Built Environment

necessary, I refer students to other support structures in the university, including the counselling services.

ADO: Mr Sibonelo Gumede

took on the role of Academic Development Officer (ADO) in February this year. My responsibilities as an ADO include academic support, monitoring and advising. I provide assistance in the area of T&L. This includes monitoring students’ risk status on the SMS, to ensure that those with a risk status in the previous semester move to the green code, which is where we want all our students to be. Where

I have an open-door policy and I am willing to attend to any student who walks into my office looking for support. I continue to provide advice to students in terms of career options and channelling them to either the Built Environment or Development Studies - depending on their area of interest. Furthermore, I also assist in Moodle settings and QPAs of modules offered in SoBEDS. I have continued to provide support on other matters that are important to our students. I continue to provide support in organising and hosting various programmes. In collaboration with the mentorship office, we have hosted a number of workshops on writing and study skills for our students. I was involved in hosting a local area planning workshop, where we brought

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a Strategy Coordinator from eThekwini Municipality to share experiences of the Local Area Plan of eThekwini Municipality. I was also involved in the Human Settlement conference at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. I also attended the ISOCARP conference, where I interacted with key stakeholders

on emerging issues in the Built Environment. I have been able to share my experiences from the conference with the students, and they have found it useful. Going forward, I hope to contribute to improving studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experiences in the Built Environment and the School.

Academic Development Officer Supporting Community Development Students

collaboration is to avoid unnecessary duplication of support to students.

ADO: Mr Nsizwazonke Yende

have been the ADO for Community Development since July 2015. I provide academic advice to students. Over and above that, I facilitate tutor recruitment. In implementing support programmes for undergraduates, I work with the College of Humanities. The aim of the

In the past one year, I have been involved in the planning and implementation of a number of workshops, including time management, exam preparation, and writing skills. On average, I provide support to about 15 students on a daily basis. Some of these students are at risk of exclusion, while others require support in terms of writing skills, exam preparations, and advancement of knowledge - in order to timeously complete their degrees. One of the issues that take much of my time is the coordination of tutors and tutorial sessions. I am responsible for ensuring that tutors are fulfilling their job responsibilities. However, it is sometimes challenging to carry out this task as I am the same age as some of the tutors, while others are older. Overall, it has been enriching to

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work collectively with them in providing targeted support to our students and seeing that the students progress in their academic work. I also work with other support units within the University â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly in issues that fall outside of my training as an ADO. In that regard, I refer students to Student Support Services for the provision of appropriate support.

Being an ADO has been an eye opener for me and a learning process. It has enhanced my development in terms of communication, public speaking and being involved in supporting students. I am grateful for the opportunity offered by SoBEDS to work in this capacity. I hope that I will continue to provide support to students for as long as possible.

Town and Regional Planning Masters Students Participated in the 2016 Salga KZN Provincial Conference

From right to right Nomusa Buthelezi, Edmore Mutsaa, Mbalenhle P. Ngidi and Mammello Kaoli

n 22 to 23 September 2016, Nomusa Buthelezi, Edmore Mutsaa, Mbalenhle P. Ngidi, and Mammello Koali represented UKZN at the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) under the coordination of Dr Hangwelani Magidimisha. Mbalenhle P. Ngidi and Edmore Mutsaa are both pursuing Masters of Town and Regional Planning at UKZN under the supervision of Dr Magidimisha, while Nomusa

Buthelezi and Mammello Kaoli are doing Masters of Business Administration at UKZN. The conference was opened by the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, the Honourable Willies Mchunu. In his speech, Premier Mchunu deliberated on issues around good governance, service delivery, and fighting against corruption. The students participated in different panel sessions at the conference. Ms Ngidi participated in the

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first panel discussion session under the panel topic: Performance Management and improving employee relations in Local Government. Mr Edmore Mutsaa participated in the second panel discussion session, under the panel topic: Driving Sustainable, Resilient and Healthy Communities through Inclusive Local Economic Growth and Spatial Transformation. Ms Nomusa Buthelezi was in the third panel discussion. The final panel discussion which Ms Mammello Kaoli participated in, was

entitled the current state of affairs in Local Government Finances. The students noted that participation in the panels was an insightful and useful experience for them as aspiring academics. They also expressed satisfaction with the quality of engagement with the audience during the panel discussion. The students are appreciative of SALGA for inviting them to the conference. They are also equally appreciative of Dr Hangwelani Magidimisha for coordinating their attendance at the conference.

Students of the Housing Discipline in SoBEDS Attend the Inaugural Human Settlementsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Conference 5-7 October 2016

Students and Mrs Ojo-Aromokudu before Departing for the Conference

n 5 October 2016, 26 third year and first masters Housing students in SoBEDS embarked on a 15-hour bus trip to attend the 3 day Inaugural Human Settlements Conference in Port Elizabeth. The conference was hosted by the National Department of Human Settlements, in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan

University. Due to the ongoing student unrest, the programme was held at the Board Walk Hotel instead of the NMMU campus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The trip was educational both on the road and at the conference. It was informative to observe how people live in other places, the types of housing they occupy, with different ways of making a living from the urban

IN THE NEWS to rural and geographical landscape” said Njabulo Phewa. “For most of these students, this was the first time of visiting the Eastern Cape”, said Mrs OjoAromokudu. In attendance at the conference was the Minister of Human Settlements, Lindiwe Sisulu, who opened the conference. She highlighted pertinent housing issues - including housing policy, statesubsidised housing, the challenges in responding to informal settlements, dual civil service and possible use of innercity housing stock for student housing. The discussions were taken further during Day 1 of the conference, which focused on new policies, legislation, business processes and systems needed to improve the governance, development and maintenance of integrated and sustainable human settlements. Day two provided opportunity for debate on the White Paper on Human Settlements, and innovative ways to involve women, the youth and the previously disadvantaged in the development of human settlements, and planning considerations for efficient settlements and the empowerment of residents. Students

were

excited

about

the

opportunity afforded them to attend the conference and to interact with the Minister and other officials from the Department of Human Settlements, practitioners in the Built Environment, students from other institutions, and academics whose work they have read and often referenced. Students had the opportunity to attend the presentation by their lecturer Dr Sithembiso Myeni and to engage in the debates that ensued. Said Xolani Mazibuko, the “conference was very informative and provided a very good platform for us to network and to see exhibitions of different built environment organisations.” Ntando Cedrick Ngcobo further commented that the “conference helped me to understand the relevant technologies and best practices that are being used to improve housing delivery to redress mistakes of the past in South Africa. Gratefully, I thank everyone who contributed to making the trip successful”. Conference attendance was made possible by generous financial support from LGSETA, the Department of Human Settlements, and SoBEDS. The students were accompanied by Mrs Judith Ojo-Aromokudu, Dr Sithembiso Myeni, and Mr Vincent Myeni.

SoBEDS Student Delegates at the Conference Venue

School of Built Environment and Development Studies University of KwaZulu-Natal Howard College Campus Durban 4041 South Africa Tel: 031 260 1112 Website: http://sobeds.ukzn.ac.za Some of the information contained in this newsletter was previously featured in UKZN Indaba http://www.ukzn.ac.za/media-publications-reports/ukzn-ndabaonline

Compiled by Dr Andrew Okem with the support of Ms Slindo Shamase

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