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20 - 27 February 2020

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Inner City Gazette

Wits principal to step down

“His fearless, forthright commentary and robustness has left our university and South Africa a richer intellectual space. Wits has an impressive executive team, who are sought after to lead in the higher education sector; and we are confident that a suitable successor will be appointed.”

Professor Adam Habib

Johannesburg - Wits University vice-chancellor Professor Adam Habib will step down at the end of December this year; and is expected to join the United Kingdom’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London as a director from January next year. Habib said he was approached to apply for the position at the end of last year. Habib has been with the Johannesburg-based institution as principal for the past seven years. “The decision was not easy, I am a proud leader of Wits University and South Africa, and will continue to fly these flags high,” he said. Habib added that in 2019 Wits University graduated over 9 500 students, the most in the University’s history. “In line with Wits’ aim of becoming an increasingly postgraduate university, we enrolled 15 000 postgraduate students last year.

Our budgeted income increased from R2.4 billion in 2013 to R4 billion in 2018, some R500 million per annum above our research peers. This allowed investments in the academic programme by over 14% per annum, social investments in professional and support staff by a similar 14% and financial investment approximating 24% in student support,” he said. Habib added that he led an institution that was sometimes under attack from politicians and activists, who threatened and sometimes destroyed public institutions. “I cannot claim that we made the politicians and activists happy. However, we have done well as a result of the collective endeavours,” Habib said. Wits University spokesperson Shirona Patel said under Habib’s leadership Wits University excelled in all indicators. “Wits research output increased by over 60% in quality, interna-

tional journals, more students are passing and a record number of students graduated in recent years. Our Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct also flourishes under his leadership. Wits finances are stable and it has strong, independent governance structures,” Patel said. Wits University council chairperson Isaac Shongwe said Habib made a significant contribution to Wits and the higher education sector, both locally and abroad. “His fearless, forthright commentary and robustness has left our university and South Africa a richer intellectual space. Wits has an im-

pressive executive team, who are sought after to lead in the higher education sector; and we are confident that a suitable successor will be appointed,” he said. Habib was in the middle of the politics surrounding the ‘fees must fall’ protests that rocked higher learning institutions around the country in recent years. He reflected on his time when the protests erupted in his book Rebels and Rage, published last year.

Inner-city Gazette

News

For further information contact Boston on 011 551 2000 Email: info@boston.co.za Visit www.boston.co.za, or Facebook

institution aligns itself for graduate placement and alignment with Corporate SA Author Carol S. Dweck is known for her work on the mindset psychological trait, where the ‘fixed mindset’ approaches learning from the point of view that you are born with certain skills and abilities. The other side of this coin is the growth mindset in which skills are viewed as competencies which can be learned and developed. “Places of Higher Education need to embrace the growth mindset. Implementing the principle of subject-specific and soft skills development, students must engage in an academic institution’s programme that aims to ready them for the workplace.” So says Ari Katz, CEO of Boston City Campus. “We require all Higher Education students to complete a module of Work Integrated Learning,” he says. “Playing a key role in providing practical, on-the-job training in a student’s particular field, the programme provides skill learning in an actual work context.” “Our aim is on equipping students with top workplace skills, as well as vital professional and interpersonal skills, in order to facilitate ease of employment on completion of their studies at our campuses,” says Katz. All higher places of learning need to in some way provide practical work experience and training as part of their curriculum in order to adequately prepare graduates for the ‘real world’. “If they fall short of this requirement, they send out graduates that fail to secure employment. This may be due to lack of exposure to the workplace and its expectations of day-to-day workplace behavior such as dress code, interaction with colleagues, and participating in tasks outside the scope of what is

Ari Katz written in the employment contract,” says Katz. “We prepare our graduates with training and graduate competencies that put them in a position to walk straight out of their studies and into a job. Our focus is on incorporating WIL into all degrees and higher education, ensuring that our students are work ready,” says Katz. The programme is very successful. At the Boston Media House it is overseen by Jeannette Campbell who manages the work integrated learning on a fulltime basis. Providing a bridge between the host company and the student, opportunity is created to harness key skills through experiential learning. In this capacity, Jeannette further solidifies corporate relations, underpinning Boston’s pivotal role in supplying top graduates in various industries over the last three decades.

“Students are actively assisted with their CVs – we actually mark them! While we play an active role in guiding them where to go and what to do, the onus is on them to get the placement,” says Katz about facilitating real life practice for when they’re out in the workplace getting a job. The WIL programme allows the host company to gain insight into the skill level of the student. “Our programme has proved successful, the greatest success being instances where the work integrated learning has resulted in permanent employment at the host company,” says Katz. Northern Cape graduate, Elton Kagisho is one such example. “”Boston goes all out to help students develop key skills through on-the-job training within qualifications. In this way we are ready for the workplace from the day we leave,” says Kagisho who is now part of the prestigious State Information Technology Agency (SITA). “As educators, we are committed to ensuring that our graduates are equipped to make a valuable contribution to the workplace, while furthering their careers. This means adopting a growth mindset, where developing and refining skills is a natural means to achieving competency as well as in a particular industry. In turn, this enhances the graduates’ chances of being employed. We provide a balanced higher education, giving our graduates an edge which in turn enables them to differentiate themselves in the highly competitive job market,” concludes the Boston CEO. Call 011 551-9000, e-mail info@boston.co.za, or visit www.boston.co.za.

20 - 27 February 2020

Social innovation startup programme for business women The course is aimed at assisting them to make an impactful social and economic change within their communities, and an opportunity to be awarded capital to maintain or start-up their business. Tech Reporter

he Fix Scholarship, in partnership with Software AG South Africa, has launched the Software AG Social Innovation Startup Programme. The initiative aims at providing assistance to tech-enabled startups to solve their biggest social challenges, including providing networks, best practices and capital to scale in the industry. CEO and founder of the Fix Scholarship, Fikile “Fix” Moeti says with technology advancing globally and the visible rise of tech social enterprises in South Africa, the partnership between Software AG and the Fix Scholarship is an important partnership in providing social innovators with the skills to thrive in a rapidly changing digital space. “The Fix Scholarship has always remained true to its belief in female entrepreneurship, leadership and social impact through education, and I believe that the partnership with Software AG South Africa will truly be beneficial to our entrepreneurs,” she says. The Software AG Social Innovation Startup Programme calls all-female social innovators that have an enterprise or idea with a social purpose to drive positive change, to apply for the scholarship. Candidates should be females leading social innovators and problem solvers who understand that income accompanies impact. Kholiwe Makhohliso, vice-president

Software AG’s Kholiwe Makhohliso

and country manager for Software AG South Africa, says Software AG is always mindful of the positive impact it can have on the future. “This is why we work ceaselessly to be independent, inclusive and inventive. We are grateful to have partnered with the Fix Scholarship as it allows us to pay particular attention to women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is our duty to encourage women to be tech-enabled social innovators and provide them with opportunities that will empower them economically. The programme will ensure that we reduce the shortage of scarce and critical skills, and move women from low-skilled jobs to more formal positions that will, in turn, help develop the country,” Makhohliso says. The Fix Scholarship is an NPO that offers female social entrepreneurs, who pursue entrepreneurial solutions for urgent social development challenges, the opportunity to complete the Gordon Institute of Business Schools’ (GIBS) Social Entrepreneurship course. The course is aimed at assisting them to make an impactful social and economic change within their communities, as well as an opportunity to be awarded capital to maintain or start-up their business. Since 2013, the organisation has offered scholarships to several inspiring social entrepreneurs. Applications are now open and will close on 31 March 2020. Those interested can register on www.fixscholarship.co.za.

20 - 27 February 2020

Scammers focus on job-seekers

Johannesburg - While people are desperate for employment, scammers see this as an opportunity to make money. Many people are even willing to pay to secure a job interview, but they are often scammed. This happened to Lucas Mmalefahlo of Soshanguve in Pretoria. He said he called to inquire about the job and found someone called Mr Mokoena. “He told me the job was legit and that I should come to the CBD. He said if I want the job, and without any interviews, they are going to want something. I asked how much they wanted, because I am not working, and he said R500. I then borrowed the money from my friend and sent the recruiter two R250 airtime vouchers. When I called, the number again, it wasn’t going through, and my emails were bouncing. That’s when I realized that it’s a scam,” he said. Mmalefahlo says he has learnt this lesson the hard way. Unfortunately, he is just one of the many job-seekers who fall victim to the job scammers that are very active in this period.

Inner-city Gazette

News

Court increases workers’ payout “They could have kept the R24,000 and gave us our jobs back.”

Zoë Postman

he Labour Court has dismissed the case of about 200 former Ekurhuleni municipal workers who claimed they should have been made permanent employees, and should be reinstated after being dismissed. The court however increased their compensation from R6,000 to R24,000 per worker, in an order that was handed down by Acting Judge Chiman Patel last Thursday morning. The workers were first employed by Ekurhuleni municipality under a job creation programme called Lungile Mtshali Development Plan Project in 2014. They were hired to clean streets, drains, old age homes, council buildings, cemeteries and parks. The programme ended in June 2015 and the workers’ contracts were terminated. Two months before the termination, the workers referred the issue to the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC), with the help of Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), arguing that they should be made permanent employees of the municipality. In December 2015, while the workers were waiting for their case to be heard at the bargaining council, they were hired by a company called Hlaniki Investment Holdings to do the same jobs for the municipality. In September 2016, the workers re-

Some of the workers during a protest over the employment issue.

ferred another case to the bargaining council arguing that Hlaniki was acting as a Temporary Employment Service (TES) or labour broker for the municipality, and they should have been made permanent employees after three months. Both the workers’ cases were heard at the bargaining council by commissioner Timothy Boyce in May 2018. Boyce found that the municipality should have made the workers permanent, and made an arbitration award of R6,000 per worker. But he did not find the municipality hired Hlaniki as a labour broker; which meant the workers were not entitled to have the jobs reinstated. LHR took Boyce’s ruling on review to the Labour Court, arguing that he had not looked beyond Hlaniki’s contract and assessed the actual implementation of the programme. “The arbitrator misidentified the

true nature of the enquiry, and when determining whether a TES relationship existed between Hlaniki, the municipality and the workers, confined himself to the written terms of the contract, and further confined himself to the description of the parties as appeared on the contract between Hlaniki, the workers and GEP, ” read LHR’s court papers. LHR said Hlaniki was hired by the municipality to recruit, provide and manage the workers. But Judge Patel disagreed in his judgment, stating that the core business of Hlaniki, according to the service level agreement between Hlaniki and the municipality, was not to provide labour but to act as a project manager for the Lungile Mtshali Development Plan Project. He said this meant that Hlaniki could not be considered as a TES, and LHR did not provide sufficient

legal evidence why he should ignore the service level agreement. Judge Patel sided with Boyce, saying his decision to compensate the workers instead of reinstating them was “one that a reasonable commissioner would have arrived at”. But he said Boyce’s award on compensation was not one a reasonable commissioner would have arrived at. Based on the length of service, how the workers were dismissed and the reasons for their dismissal, Judge Patel said the just and equitable compensation would be 12 months’ remuneration. This amounts to R24,000 per worker as opposed to R6,000. Responding to the Labour Court’s judgment one of the workers, William Gundwane said: “They could have kept the R24,000 and gave us our jobs back, we want to think permanently and not temporarily. We want our jobs back.” GroundUp

News

Inner-city Gazette

Wits management and SRC agree on student registration, accommodation Gaby Ndongo

Dean of student affairs Jerome September

20 - 27 February 2020

n Monday night Wits University management and the Student Representative Council (SRC) reached an agreement regarding students who are not registered and those in need of accommodation. The agreement came after the student body interrupted an executive management meeting early Monday morning, in protest. Wits SRC president Thuto Gabaphethe said: “For the past two weeks we have been sending demands to the university only for them to respond negatively. We decided to bring them ourselves.”

In a statement, the dean of student affairs, Jerome September, and Gabaphethe said R2 million will be allocated towards sourcing additional beds, with the SRC contributing R500,000 and the university R1.5 million. Both parties “will develop criteria to consider and decide upon applications for additional beds which have been sourced”. According to Gabaphethe, there are about 650 beds that are in Wits residences, but those beds are unoccupied, while people sleep in libraries and computer labs. “A considerable number of students are left on the sidelines and have not yet registered. We want

all our students who are academically qualified and have a spot in the university to register despite their financial challenges,” said Gabaphethe. In a statement, Wits states that it has assisted 354 students with accommodation thus far. “This includes first-year students who did not apply for NSFAS, returning students with gap in NSFAS funding as well as those who are part of the missing middle having too high a household income to qualify for financial aid but not enough to cover fees.” More than 500 new applications are still being processed in conjunction with the SRC. A total of

271 students will be allowed readmission on the basis that they submit their Hardship Fund applications. The university has a donor-funded Hardship Fund to aid students unable to register due to historical debt. The fund settles 50% of a student’s debt, allowing her/him to sign an acknowledgement of debt form indicating how the remaining 50% will be settled. To be eligible, students must be from households with gross incomes of less than R600,000 a year, be with previous year marks of 50% and above, and have a historic debt of between R10,000 to R120,000. GroundUp

Children and man die as bike slams into taxi A total of 16 children from the Gauteng province have died in tragic circumstances since the start of the school term last month.

Part of the accident scene where three people were killed

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Olifantsfontein - On Monday two children and an adult male motorcyclist died when a taxi transporting pupils and a motorbike collided in Olifantsfontein, near Tembisa. ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said paramedics, along with several other services, arrived on the scene to find the taxi and motorbike in the middle of the road. “Several children were found walking around at the scene. Paramedics found the body of the biker, a man in his 30s, lying in the rear of the taxi. Two girls, believed to be aged six and 10,

were found lying next to him in the rear of the taxi.” Meiring said other children in the taxi sustained minor to moderate injuries. “The patients were treated for their injuries and were thereafter transported to nearby hospitals. The details surrounding this incident are not yet known. Local authorities were on the scene for further investigations,” ER24 said. The Gauteng department of education said the deceased children were from Madibatlou Middle School; and the accident hap-

CBD knifeman arrested for fatal stabbing Johannesburg - A tip-off from community members led to the arrest of a man who allegedly stabbed and killed another man in the Johannesburg CBD last Saturday af-

ternoon, according to police. Police spokesperson Captain Xoli Mbele said police officers on routine crime prevention on Heidelberg Road late in the afternoon on 15 February were stopped by three men who informed them about a man who had been stabbed. “Swift response by the police led to the arrest of a suspect and the knife used

in committing the crime was seized. Ambulance personnel certified the victim dead on the scene. The motive for the killing is not yet known,” he said. Johannesburg Central police station commander Brigadier Ivan Perumal encouraged community members to give them more information concerning crime and to continue to work together.

pened about 300 metres from the school. A total of 16 children from the Gauteng province have died in tragic circumstances since the start of the school term last month. They include Enock Mpianza, a Parktown Boys’ High pupil who died on the first day of school at a Grade 8 orientation camp. Kelebogile Molopyane, a Ferndale High pupil, died two weeks ago after experiencing an epileptic seizure which led to him plunging from a balcony on the second floor at the school.

Kidnap suspects held Johannesburg - Three suspects who allegedly terrorised motorists with kidnappings and hijackings have been arrested, according to police. Police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubela said the gang hijacked motorists and held them hostage while emptying their bank accounts, mainly in the West Rand. “Police recovered two stolen vehicles, two unlicensed firearms including an AK-47, ammunition, gloves and balaclavas. The vehicles were captured on CCTV in robberies, hijackings and kidnappings in Joburg, Midrand and West Rand,” he said.

20 - 27 February 2020

Inner-city Gazette

Mayor tables City’s service delivery issues

Partnership to empower women in business

Johannesburg - Uber has launched a learning programme to help women drivers and those in communities develop skills needed as independent entrepreneurs, the company says in a statement. “Uber is partnering with African Management Institute (AMI) to deliver pilot upskilling programmes in South Africa. In partnership with AMI, Uber is offering two personal development and entrepreneurship programmes; Skills for the Future and the Micro-enterprise Accelerator,” it said. CEO and co-founder of AMI Rebecca Harrison says the women entrepreneurs can engage in learning on the go and gain skills they can apply to their businesses right away. “Instead of training in concepts and theories, AMI’s approach relies on teaching practical business skills and providing management tools that can be downloaded on a phone or laptop, and immediately applied as they work.” The four-month Skills for the Future programme focuses on women drivers to help them address barri-

News

CEO of AMI Rebecca Harrison

ers to success as a modern independent entrepreneur. “The programme will also help participants understand and financially plan for the risks that employment mobility can bring. Some of the challenges the programme addresses include managing competing priorities, effective planning, communication, managing difficult clients, and personal finance management.” Harrison said the six-month Micro-enterprise Accelerator programme focuses on helping community members improve the performance of their small businesses. “Through the programme, entrepreneurs learn how to track key financial and performance business, understand the gaps in their key business processes and implement key business practices to improve/ grow their business,” she said.

Johannesburg - At a gathering on Wednesday Joburg Mayor Geoffrey Makhubo briefed the media on issues regarding the city and service delivery. He said populist policies and decision making by the previous administration rendered the city dysfunctional. “The city is in financial collapse. Populist policies and decision making by the former mayor have rendered the city dysfunctional,” said Makhubo. He said the City’s Emergency Management Services (EMS) department currently has five fire engines to service five million residents. “Today we can confirm with certainty that the DA-led administration has brought the City to near financial collapse and created an environment where maladministration bordering on fraud and corruption has thrived. This is despite R172 million having been paid to the service providers. To date, not a single-engine has been

delivered to the city. The 19 auxiliary service vehicles delivered don’t meet the specifications and are currently being retrofitted at an additional unbudgeted cost of R48 million,” Makhubo said. He added that the City’s EMS now requires R300 million to ensure the procurement of a fire engine per station. On the issue of JMPD he said senior management has not had a management meeting of its own in two years, and that has led operational, financial and governance decisions to be taken unitarily without support or buy-in of senior management within the organization. “Operational, financial and governance decisions have been taken unitarily without support or buy-in of senior management within the organization,” said Makhubo. He assured residents that despite the challenges, the City has sought to prioritize service delivery, and will bring back focused delivery.

Mayor Geoffrey Makhubo briefs the media.

Inner-city Gazette

20 - 27 February 2020

Inner-city Gazette

The Arts

The guitar ladies Msaki, Berita and Zahara

Guitar ladies deliver fantastic show The NSA Festival offers a diverse line-up of performances, exhibitions, guest productions, workshops, and installations

Patience Bambalele

Arts festival focuses on youth creativity O

Brenda Sakellarides

rom 4 - 8 March, youth arts will be in the spotlight when the NSA’s Festival of the Arts takes to the NSA and Joburg Theatre stages. NSA principal Mr Natali said: “Pushing the boundaries of youth creativity, the 19th NSA Festival offers a diverse line-up of performances, exhibitions, guest productions, workshops, and installations. We curate the festival with high school learners in mind. It is the major showcase event for the school and our learners always rise to the occasion in an awe-inspiring way.” Flagship productions of the 2020 Festival include Hip Hop Hamlet. Set in the bank of Elsinore where “something is very rotten.” Hip Hop Hamlet holds a stark “mirror up to nature” as it reflects corporate and political corruption, greed, and manoeuvring.

Hip Hop Hamlet comes from the same NSA Directorial team of Laine Butler and Johan Anker, who reimagined A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2019) and Macbeth (2018). Joining the team as choreographer is NSA alumni Cinda Eatock, who brings a wealth of experience. Set and lighting are by veteran designer Stan Knight. Martha Graham’s evocative quote, “Dance is the Hidden Language of the Soul,” is the creative springboard for Hidden Language, which features a spectrum of dance styles including ballet, neo-classical, contemporary, and Spanish. This showcase sees guest choreographers Sean Bovim (ballet) and Sunnyboy Motau (AfroFusion) joining NSA dance teachers Gillian Bonegio (Spanish) Laura Cameron (Contemporary), Heather Dreyer (Neo-classical), and Yusuf Thomas (Contemporary) in revealing

the “hidden language.” Joining the professionals are top student choreographers from 2019; Hannah Dludla (Grade 11), and Ashley Magutshwa (Grade 12) whose works feature in Hidden Language. A guest production on the festival is Eclipsed Phifalo Ya Ngwedi from the Market Lab. The production was workshopped with Market Theatre Laboratory first-year students. The creative team includes director Sylvaine Strike, voice and text specialist Gina Shmukler, and choreographer Phumlani Mndebele. This research-based production exposes the horrific mental health care ‘genocide’ that became known as the Life Esidimeni Tragedy. Eclipsed is a necessary conversation about the unspeakable. This production will be at the Lesedi Theatre at Joburg Theatre and will stir hearts and minds into consciousness.

n Saturday night music stars Zahara, Msaki and Berita strummed their way to the hearts of music lovers with their guitars at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park. The guitarists gave splendid performances at the Theatre of Marcellus. The night of fun started out with Zimbabwean-born Afro-soul singer Berita warming up the stage and gearing up the music lovers for serious entertainment. She proved to be a crowd pleaser as she delivered one of her greatest live show. Berita was followed by Msaki, who is among leading composers in South Africa today. She began her set with a song that addresses gender-based violence against LGBTI+ community and women. Msaki showed off her vocal flexibility with a variety of song types, via titles such as the soulful Liwa Lentliziyo and dance-floor hit Fetch your Life among others. She ended

her set with her famous hit Imfama Ziyobona, one of the germs contained in her album Zaneliza: How the Water Moves. Msaki told the audience that her performance was in honour of her home girl Zahara. “I love how she has taken the guitar to another level. We had women who played the guitar in South Africa but Zahara just took it to the forefront. She inspired many young musicians. I connected mostly to the story of her first album uLoliwe which was very honest and sincere. I just want to honour her tonight,” Msaki said. Zahara was welcomed on stage with roaring applause, kicked off her performance with a well-loved church hymn Lizalis’ idinga Lakho which was written by Tiyo Soga, a multi-talented intellectual, journalist and composer who died in 1871 . She went through big hits like Loliwe and Mgodi , while also pleasing the audience with a traditional dance called umxhenso. Sowetan

Semenya inspires

young athletes at UJ Semenya plans to play soccer this year, having signed for the Joburg-based JVW club, which is owned by Banyana Banyana legend Janine van Wyk. Johannesburg - Last Friday Olympic champion Caster Semenya beat seven high school athletes in a 300-metre race, her first since being barred last July from her favourite event. Semenya won the race at the University of Johannesburg in 36.78 seconds with Taylor Bieldt second in 37.22 seconds, and Kirsten Ahrems at 38.36 third. Semenya, 29, won 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medals and three world titles in 800 metres, but can no longer compete at that distance because of a testosterone-related ruling. World Athletics banned her

and other athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD) from races between 400m and 16 000m, unless they take testosterone-reducing drugs. Semenya, who became a world champion for the first time in 2009 aged 18, refused to comply with the World Athletics ruling, and lost a legal battle to have it overturned. The World Athletics decision came after some of her rivals complained that she had an unfair advantage over them. She could not defend her crown in Qatar last year because of the IAAF ruling, and will also

miss the Tokyo Olympics this year, unless she changes her mind and takes the medication. The organisers of the Johannesburg invitation race said it was designed to give young athletes a chance to watch, learn and be inspired by stars like Caster Semenya. Semenya plans to play soccer this year, having signed for the Joburg-based JVW club, which is owned by Banyana Banyana legend Janine van Wyk. Semenya trained with the club last year, but could not play as she was signed after the registration deadline.

Athlete Caster Semenya