25 May 2021 Tales of a 2021 graduation

Thabang Moloi and Manelisi Magoro

The Autumn Graduations took place from 13 April to 7 May, where a total of 31 virtual graduation ceremonies were conducted. 11400 qualifications were awarded during the Autumn Graduation season, 198 of which were doctorates and 1289 master’s degrees.

The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and IT kick-started its ceremonies by presenting 450 degrees from four departments. The Faculty of Education awarded 259 degrees for distance learning. The Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences awarded over 1 000 degrees and the Faculty of Humanities concluded its virtual graduation ceremony by awarding 537 BA degrees.

The pandemic disrupted many of the normal campus activities and proceedings in 2020 and 2021. Graduation day, the one day that a student looks forward to the instant they set foot into a higher learning institution, has also fallen victim to the pandemic’s aftermath, and had to go virtual. This came as a disappointment to many students as it meant that they would not be celebrated to the extent of their satisfaction – that meant there would no longer be any ululations or outbursts of praise and gratitude from proud parents, family members and close friends. Higher learning and teaching institutions have not yet found an efficient and safe way to conduct physical graduations that are not in breach of the COVID-19 regulations. That has not meant that students couldn’t attend virtual graduation ceremonies and get their degrees via courier. The Autmun Graduations marked the university’s third virtual graduation since the start of the pandemic, with the first one being a few days after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the national state of emergency in March 2020. The proceedings are as ‘normal’ as they could be, and includes a welcoming and acknowledgement speech from the ViceChancellor and Principal, Professor Tawana Kupe, who then hands over to each faculty’s dean to introduce and present the Honorary Doctorate candidates of the faculty. The degrees are then conferred in their hierarchy. Reabetswe Phati, a BCom Financial Sciences graduate, shared her experience and expectations for her graduation this year: “I expected what every person expects when they graduate, the whole family present and shouting my clan names as I cross the stage […] Expectations were not met but the opportunity to [take pictures] with my parents and dress up was still pretty great”. Thebe Lephallo, who is a BCom Statistics graduate, shared the same sentiments and shed light on what the future holds for him, “A whole lot. An engagement with the world of work and appreciating where I am going to apply the skills I absorbed in my studies”, he said. Nduduzo Majozi, who was awarded a master’s degree in Applied Mathematics, says that it is natural to expect a normal ceremony with friends and family. However, she was “blown away” by the video where their names were announced and degrees were conferred virtually. Majozi says her master’s degree is an entry requirement for a PhD and she is hoping to be employed on a full-time basis in academia and that this qualification serves as a stepping stone towards her dreams.

When asked what she would tell her first-year self, given the opportunity, she replied “I suggest you follow your dreams, it will get hard but if you honestly choose a course that you love, the love will sustain you. Make friends, be approachable because umuntu ungumuntu ngabantu”.

New graduates are advised to sign up to UP Alumni Connect at https://upalumniconnect.com to stay in touch. For highlights on the graduation season follow #UPGraduation2021. Illustration: Madeeha Hazarvi

Top scarce ICT skills in South Africa

Nokwanda Kubheka

The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Sector Survey 2021 report, which was compiled by Marilyn White Radebe (the BITF’s Deputy President companies along with executive members, Mfundo Hlope and Sean Achim of the Black IT Forum), has recently been released. It shares industryspecific input towards the 2020 Critical Skills List Report by Labour Market Intelligence Research Program.

The report focused on individuals who are working in the ICT industry or have graduated with a degree in ICT. The results further revealed that there are twenty-five skills in shortage within the ICT sector in South Africa, including data scientist, ICT security specialist and data management manager.

They also reported that when compiling a list of scarce skills, relevant industry organisations must be taken into account.

According to the technical report on scarce skills, learning a skill takes three years, but internships, learnerships, and graduate programs are usually only 12 to 18 months long.

A significant number of graduates have obtained the necessary qualifications but have not been given the opportunity to gain the necessary skills.

Software development is also a very broad discipline in which, for example, you may find a shortage in one region, such as Java, but a large number of Net developers in the market. This is why skills portability and the need for ICT practitioners to be lifelong learners is important.

The findings also reveal that most unemployed people with scarce skills are graduates, with 51 percent having a bachelor’s degree and 41,67 percent having a postgraduate degree.

Intervarsity News

Rhodes University

Rhodes University graduate, Esihle Lupindo, has been awarded the much coveted Fulbright Foreign Student Exchange Scholarship. This scholarship, which will provide full tuition and board funding, has been awarded to Lupindo to study for his Doctoral degree at the University of Nebraska in the United States.

An avid advocate for the representation of queer individuals, he was also chosen by the Mail & Guardian as one of South Africa’s Top 200 Young South Africans in 2020. He was selected amongst a large competitive pool of university graduates who intend on pursuing postgraduate studies in the United States. After enduring a difficult selection process, which saw Lupindo, who graduated with his Master’s in Sociology at the Makhanda-based university, emerges victorious as he goes on to pursue his PhD studies.

University of the Witwatersrand

the Braamfontein-based institution, officially began his term at the beginning of 2021, taking over from predecessor Prof. Adam Habib.

The ceremony was held at the iconic Wits Great Hall and was attended by Wits University Chancellor, Dr Judy Dlamini, Director General in the Presidency, Ms Phindile Baleni and Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande.

Vilakazi, who takes over as Wits University celebrates its centenary, detailed in his speech plans to transform Wits into the “African academy of the future”, as well as bright plans to collaborate with the public and private sectors alike to “reinvigorate” the Braamfontein precinct into an ecosystem that would “[enable an] environment for the flourishing of great ideas.”

Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch University (SU) in the Western Cape has recently announced the establishment of the School of Climate Studies, which has its official launch date set for June 2021. In a statement released by the University, SU said that it aims to bring academia together with the private and public sectors, combining the climate-related knowledge systems, the climate policies of the public sector as well as the innovative capacities and the climate redress of the private sector.

Remarking that this is in line with SU’s mission to move towards being a carbon-neutral university, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, Prof. Eugene Cloete stated that the SU School of Climate Studies would be the first of its kind in South Africa that would have the status of a faculty, and that the institution was in the developmental stages of creating a master’s degree in Climate Studies.

Campus Nostalgia

31 August 1973 Architects on study tour

Acourse in Architecture was founded in 1931, shortly after the Transvaal University College became the University of Pretoria (UP). The course was taught in collaboration with the University of the Witwatersrand, which awarded the degree. The article in a 1973 publication is about a housing project that had been started by the Department of Architecture at UP in 1971.

In 1973, although background research had been conducted, the course leaders decided to apply the research results to a practical project - the redevelopment of an area in Pretoria (in the manner of a ‘living laboratory’). The office concerned with this consisted of two lecturers, postgraduate and final year students, as well as the entire fourth- year class.

The course leaders decided not to start measuring the results of the research. There were many examples of this kind of research overseas replace with: that were relevant and so the fourth-year students were given the opportunity to take a trip to Europe and apply the results from the previous studies. Therefore, it was decided to give the fourth-year students the opportunity to study it overseas through a trip.

The tour ran from 25 August 1973 to 23 September 1973. These were some of the countries they visited: • England: Thamesmead and other housing projects in London. Milton Keynes - the youngest of the new cities etc. • Scandinavia: To visit various housing projects and new cities, as well as to investigate the work of building systems and contemporary architects. • Munich: Olympic city and redevelopment of old city

The students collected travel money under the name “Architectura 4” in various ways. The main project was in cooperation with Messrs. Schachat Cullum, a well-known firm of homebuilders and property developers.

The students held a house competition amongst themselves and the winning design was built as a show house in Constantia Park.

The students collected donations of building materials for this house because the profit from its sale was to be used for the travel fund. In addition, the students received R5 000 from Messrs. Schachat Cullum.

During the show, a public competition would be held in which, among other things, two return flight tickets to Europe - donated by South African Airways - would be awarded.

Compiled by Nokwanda Kubheka

Tuks professor appointed vice-chair of international law commission session

Tshepang Moji

The United Nations’ International Law Commission (ILC) has recently announced the appointment of Professor Dire Tladi as the first vice-chair of the commission’s 72nd Session. Prof. Tladi is a globally renowned Professor of international law in the University of Pretoria’s Public Law Department.

This prestigious appointment adds another feather to Prof. Tladi’s illustrious cap. Appointed by the National Research Foundation’s South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI), Prof. Tladi currently serves as the SARChI Chair for Constitutional International Law. He has also served as the Principal State Law Advisor for International Law to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation and as a Legal Advisor to South Africa’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, based in New York City.

The distinguished academic and advocate of the High Court additionally holds the title of Extraordinary Professor at the University of Stellenbosch, is one of the two editors of the South African Yearbook of International Law, and is currently a Special Rapporteur to the ILC on the topic of jus cogens.

The International Law Commission’s current session, which is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, began on 26 April and concludes on 4 June, and will be held again from 5 July to 6 August 2021.

Fact check:

Did certain buildings at UP never have female bathrooms?

Susanna Anbu

Arecent poll conducted by Instagram meme page @Life_at_ Tuks asked followers whether schools were designed more for males or females. One such response that the page received, which was subsequently posted on its story, stated that “There isn’t even a ladies bathroom in Eng 2”. In response to this, another social media user explained that the statement is “both true and untrue”, explaining that the original design of the building did not include a female bathroom due to the engineering field chiefly being considered a “male field”. The user went on to explain that one female bathroom exists in the building, located on the top floor, mentioning that the female bathroom was “just a male bathroom that they converted into a female bathroom” and that the bathroom is “[…] so small that you can’t get into either of the [two] stalls with a backpack on”.

PDBY sought to verify the validity of the discourse regarding the prevalence of female bathrooms at UP campuses over the years. Archival Assistant at UP, Sian Pretorius-Nel, explains that “Female bathrooms have always featured in the buildings at UP/TUC. The Old Arts Building (1910) was designed and built to have a male and female bathroom as there were male and female students from 1908”.

She ascertains that “as the university expanded and there tended to be more dominantly ‘male buildings’, like engineering, they still would have made allowance for female bathrooms as the secretaries working in the building were all female”.

Pretorius-Nel mentions that “the first female engineering student registered somewhere in the 1950s and then it became quite popular”. She also stated that the council meeting minutes from the 80s mentioned that there were usually more female students studying at UP. Pretorius-Nel claims that “this could have been due to the war and then later because most men went to the army”. She explains that “in terms of Natural Science, the building was built during the 80s and there were a large number of female scientists, it would have definitely been built with female students in mind.”

Visual: Cassandra Eardley

Core statistics for 2020 show female students registered at UP totalling 30 643, while the number of male students totals 22 787. PDBY spoke to 2nd year Civil Engineering student Deandré Pillay about the state and availability of female bathrooms in engineering buildings at UP. Pillay mentioned that there were a total of five bathrooms in the Eng 1 building, describing that “they are not in the greatest condition but they are functional”. Pillay went on to state that the bathrooms “are located below ground level (along with the male bathrooms and lecture theatres) however, it can be a little daunting going to the bathroom by yourself since it’s in a quiet, dimly lit area.”

Pillay acknowledged that she had only been to Eng 2 once due to not having lectures scheduled in the building, and that “there was a toilet available for females to use, however, in comparison to the male bathroom availability, it was substantially less”. Pillay speculated that “Perhaps this is the case because at the time of construction, female lecturers and students were scarce in the engineering department. This situation does need to change as the male-to-female ratio of engineering students has been tending towards being more balanced as the years have passed on. I would hope that in the near future, plans could be constructed for more female bathrooms in this building.”

Pillay went on to explain that “in Eng 3, the bathrooms are in excellent condition and there are many lavatories to use. They are centrally located in the building which makes them easily accessible. There are even security cameras that I noticed outside the bathroom areas and I’m sure all female students feel safe using them”.

In commenting on the varied availability of female bathrooms across the engineering buildings, Pillay articulated that “the availability of female bathrooms from Eng 1 to 3 can be seen as a sort of storyline for the evolution of society and how females are becoming increasingly involved in what society would have previously deemed ‘male-dominating’ fields. This does make me proud as an aspiring engineer and I do hope to see many more women make it in this industry”.

Student structures against queer killings

Nkosinam Nene and Katherine Weber

During a presidential address in June 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa said a war was being waged against women and children in South Africa. The enemy seems to be gaining momentum and in response, House Humanities’ newest initiative was born: #IAmNotYourProperty. #IAmNotYourProperty aims to raise awareness and understanding about gender-based violence within the student community. This initiative also highlights violence against the queer community and men who are considered “weak” for reporting violence. House Humanities told PDBY that they believe there is no unique description of a victim, hence #IAmNotYourProperty represents victims from all walks of life.

This comes after the recent attacks on the queer community in South Africa. As of 18 April, the queer community recorded the fourth death in less than a month. This made the community call for action or acknowledgement from President Cyril Ramaphosa. Members of Tuks UP&OUT, the UP queer society, have stressed that these attacks are nothing new, but that the attacks have been on the rise. UP&OUT maintain that their focus is on educating the general public about these problems that queer people face. They have free reading material available on their website (upandout. org.za), they publicise any events the Centre for Sexuality, Aids and Gender (CSA&G) have, and they host open discussions on Discord, where they educate people and spread the word about these problems.

The #IAmNotYourProperty initiative is the combined effort of House Humanities, the CSA&G, SpeakOUT and the SRC Transformation Office. #IAmNotYourProperty utilises the university’s Anti-Discrimination Policy and receives direction from Department of Student Affairs’, Dr Madiba. Students are encouraged to familiarise themselves with this document because “ignorance is not an excuse”, says Dr Madiba. The successful implementation of this policy relies on students reporting incidences of violence and adhering to the university’s rules. #IAmNotYourProperty provides a platform for students to fulfil both these duties.

House Humanities encourages active participation from students. The Transformation Office welcomes input from students and aims to involve the student community through intensive campaigns and events. When asked how long #IAmNotYourProperty will run for, House Humanities’ Transformation Officer, Amukelani Makamu, said “the killings of our brothers and sisters [are] not seasonal, so this campaign will also not be seasonal”.

Bullying beyond school grounds

Kimberley Mapedza and Nokwanda Kubheka

Bullying is viewed as a manifestation of juvenile cruelty. Images of uniformed children shoving a peer in a hallway or the popular kids mocking the nerds may come to mind. Although accurate, these stereotypical views are extremely limited. Bullying can exist in any social setting, including universities. According to Oxford Languages, bullying is any act that “seeks to harm, intimidate or coerce” someone and anyone can be a victim, perpetrator and a witness.

Online learning means that most students are at their homes, residences, or private accommodations.Although most students are not on campus, bullying can still take place in the comfort of their own homes. In the digital age, cyberbullying can take place anytime and at any geographical location, behind the security of anonymity.

According to the United Nations, cyberbullying is an extension of bullying, which is an age-old problem. Bullying is often motivated by social undertones of racism and discrimination, and it disproportionately affects individuals with protected characteristics such as ethnicity, faith, sexuality, gender identity, and disability. Additionally, 7 in 10 young people have experienced online abuse at some point.

In an interview with University World News in 2020, Director of Institutional Advancement, Rikus Delport, said that UP has a robust anti-discrimination policy that addresses all human rights, abuses and discrimination-related matters, including bullying. He expressed that no incidents of bullying were recorded in 2019, however two cases were being investigated. He added that UP takes discrimination very seriously and has a zero tolerance policy.

UP’s anti-discrimination policy states that “The University of Pretoria rejects and condemns racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, ethnic chauvinism, religious intolerance, unfair discrimination, hate speech, sexual harassment and harassment based on other prohibited grounds, gender-based violence and violence based on other prohibited grounds; and retaliation, in all its forms”.

The aim of the policy is to prevent unfair discrimination, hate speech, harassment, violence on prohibited grounds, retaliation and the promotion of substantive equality.

According to Sergeant Scheepers from Brooklyn SAPS, cyberbullying can be reported to your nearest police station where it is regarded as a crime incident that will be referred to experts to investigate. He also emphasised that the SAPS deal with all crime incidents seriously.

News Bites

Disability Unit celebrates graduates with disabilities.

In May’s Department of Student Affairs service letter, the disability unit honoured students who graduated in the 2021 virtual autumn graduations.

The unit celebrated Aviwe Mado, who is said to have come from humble beginnings and has graduated with a BA Industrial Sociology degree, Wilson Macharia who graduated with an LLM degree with distinction, and Angelique Duvenage who graduated with an LLB and has already started as a candidate attorney. The Disability Unit also honoured the following graduates who are continuing their academic career at the University of Pretoria (UP): Thembesile Sibanda, Tinyiko Ngobeni, Kayla Denbeigh and Reabetswe Seleitsha.

UP confers honorary doctorate on Generations’ executive producer

Mfundi Vundla, a playwright and television producer, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Humanities during a virtual ceremony on 3 May as part of the university’s autumn 2021 graduation session.

Vundla received an honorary doctorate in Literature. As the founder and chair of Morula Pictures, he has established himself as a leader of the South African entertainment industry over the course of five decades. His efforts span South Africa’s visual and performing arts landscape in film, television, and theatre.

A+ Romance

Andrea and Vishad Ramnund recently graduated with postgraduate diplomas in General Management from UP’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) in 2019 and completed their MBAs in 2020.

According to the UP website, the couple had been married for five years when they decided to pursue their MBAs, and the goal was to dedicate their full attention to their studies before starting a family.