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UP Whale Unit’s Annual Whale Survey: results and future prospects

Susanna Anbu

The University of Pretoria’s Mammal Research Institute’s Whale Unit conducted its 42nd annual aerial survey that sought to monitor populations of the southern right whales along the South African coast. The survey was undertaken between 3 to 5 October, with the flight path extending between Nature’s Valley to Muizenberg.

The survey entailed observing and counting the prevalence of southern right whales through aerial photography. Using the photographs, the unique callosity patterns on the heads of females were recorded. The survey was conducted for 17 hours over a span of three days. At the end of the survey, a total of 32 adult whales without accompanying calves and 191 females-calf pairs were recorded, which culminated in a total of 414 southern right whales in the coastal stretches. The area between De Hoop Nature Reserve and Walker Bay showed the highest density of female-calf pairs. The numbers recorded in 2021 showed a marked increase from prior years. However, the lower number of unaccompanied adults pointed to the fact that non-calving southern right whales were not undertaking migration towards the South African coast, as per the norm.

Following the completion of the survey, the photographs are analysed to fine-scale the identification to individual whales. This consensus is compared against the repository of the Whale Unit’s national southern right whale catalogue compiled through prior surveys. The identification is compiled using a computer assisted image recognition system coupled with a final whale eye match in the photograph. This analysis allows scientists to determine which females have calved in the year, the time of gestation, their movement patterns and reproductive success. This allows close

Image provided

and accurate monitoring of the recovery of the South African population of southern right whales. The Whale Unit confirmed that there has been a 6.5% increase in recovery rate of southern right whales following the international outcry against whaling. The sightings and subsequent analysis help to investigate possible causes and accompanying solutions to dwindling populations along the coastal stretch.

During the week of 18-22 October, researchers from the Whale Unit have deployed satellite transmitters on four adult female southern right whales. This will facilitate the tracking of the whales’ migration and feeding behaviours. The surveys conducted in prior years showed a marked decrease in reproductive success and body condition, alongside modified foraging and migration behaviours. Such changes have translated to lower prevalence of southern right whales over the past decade. The main food source that southern right whales feed on is located many kilometres away from the location at which they nurse their young. Owing to this, southern right whales are deemed “capital breeders”, as the level at which they undertake adequate feeding dictates the success of their migration and calving.

The Whale Unit has ascertained that there has been decreased food availability for the southern right whales, which necessitates the importance of identifying these feeding grounds to facilitate oceanographic changes that can alleviate the food shortage. This identification of the feeding ground was thus undertaken through the tagging of the four female adult whales. The tags provide consensus on the location of the individuals, as well as their feeding and migratory patterns. Based on the success of the pilot study, the Whale Unit hopes to deploy 30 more satellite transmitters over the course of the next two years.

Accenture Education Trust STEM scholarship opportunities for 2022

Mothusi Mokalane

The Accenture Education Trust (AET) has opened its applications for the 2022 scholarship for students studying technology-focused degrees at selected universities. Accenture believes that the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic have further amplified the explosion of cloud-based technology solutions, and therein lies a significant opportunity for South Africa to build the capabilities of its youth. Through this, the potential of this lucrative industry can be unlocked, at both a local and global level; and provide much-needed skills to support a trajectory of strengthened economic growth. Accenture is offering bursaries to deserving students in a technology-directed study with an average of 65% or higher, which is higher than the NSFAS qualifying threshold.

The overall package for the AET scholarship includes tuition and related expenses such as books, registration, meals, fees, accommodation, and laptops, for the duration of the studies. The scholarship currently covers the following eight universities: University of Pretoria, University of Cape Town, University of Johannesburg, University of the Western Cape, University of the Witwatersrand, University of KwaZulu Natal, Rhodes University and Stellenbosch University. The scholarship also covers postgraduate students – it rolls over to Honours, provided the requirements are met, one of them being an average of at least 65%. This includes students who were covered by NSFAS in undergrad. Zanele Sekano, AET Project Manager, explained that the scholarship is not repayable. Provided that the holder of the scholarship continues within the course initially funded and maintains the pass rate, the scholarship is renewed annually until Honours level.

Sekano said that “2020 brought us a global pandemic that has exacerbated our already fragile state of meagre growth and its consequent social impacts”. She added, “With growing poverty, rising unemployment and persistent inequality severely constraining our prospects of economic recovery, South Africa needs collaborative solutions to help shift the tide in a different direction”.

According to Sekano, beyond the financial support, the scholarship is structured to provide holistic support to students. As a bridge between university and industry, the scholarship helps students create a network with students from other institutions and get an entry into what Accenture does for clients and the technologies that Accenture have developed over the years. Ideally, the primary objective is to have the student join Accenture after their studies and the program supports the preparation thereof. Sekano further said, “There is also an opportunity to start businesses should a student decide to go that route”. Sekano also explained that it is important for South African students to apply because the scholarship provides more than financial support – the immersion into different parts of the Accenture business through the annual two-week vacation program, mentorship program and other skills development offerings are what make this immensely attractive. Due to the growth of cloud-based technology solutions, it is vital that South Africa can build the capabilities of its youth and this opportunity supports these efforts by funding tech-aligned courses. For more information, students can visit https://www.accenture. com/za-en/careers/local/accenture-scholarships-south-africa and follow the prompts to apply for an Accenture scholarship.

Javett UP:

Handle with care!

Photo: Ruth Versfeld

Manelisi Magoro

The Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria has presented ‘Handle with Care’, an art exhibition of selected work from the South32 Art collection whose assembly began in the year 1994. The collection marks the “crossroad for change in South Africa from political repression to a space in which new futures could be reimagined”. It was assembled through the “revolutionary curatorial eye” of South African artist, Kendell Geers, who is now based in Belgium. The title of the exhibition is borrowed from ‘Handle with care’ (1994), which is the work of artist Kagiso Pat Mautloa who is based in Johannesburg. The phrase ‘handle with care’ is associated with the idea of fragility and delicacy evoking the need to exercise caution. ‘Handle with Care’ is a timely exhibition “in a world that is collectively experiencing the uneven effects of COVID-19, the administration of Care has become even more crucial… in prioritising Care, we appeal for a just society”.

‘Rituals of Self-preservation’ is the first of four themes making up the exhibition. “The exhibition title’s instruction for us to care does not imply responsiveness only to that which is external to us… but reminds us also of our need to internalise such care, through rituals of self-preservation, and a sensibility and commitment to that as a way of being in and of the world” reads the opening message of the section. The three themes ‘Dreamscapes, Construction of Masculinities and Abstractions’ explore the subjective landscape of dreams and the symbolic conceptions about spirituality, the unconscious, the cosmos and imagining; reflects on the genderedness of power and the legacy of colonialism on the construction of masculinities in the context of South Africa; and address the question of abstraction within twentieth-century modernist and contemporary art from South Africa, respectively.

Javett-UP celebrated its second anniversary on 24 September, however, the display of the works and artefacts at the centre is a year-round celebration of their heritage.

The events and public programmes hosted during Heritage month include: - Afrikaaps (2010) film screening and discussion session with the director, Dylan Valley. - A curatorial dialogue with Gabi Ngcobo (Curatorial Director at the Javett-UP Art Centre) and Danielle Oosthuizen (Public Programmes) - A musical performance of Willem Boshoff’s Concrete Poetry Kykafrikaans. The performance had music by Jaco Meyer, performed by the voices of the Vox Chamber Choir.

Alongside ‘Handle with Care’ are majestic exhibitions; ‘Interfacing New Heavens’, ‘Word Woes’, and two gold exhibitions: the Mapungubwe Gold Collection and the Id Ashanti BarbierMueller Gold of Africa Collections that also touch on the themes of African and South African history and heritage. “Interfacing New Heavens investigates indigenous knowledge systems and technologies. It also touches on the way we move forward and create the epoch we live in. Word Woes is concerned with language, and some works in particular deal with the inclusion and exclusion of certain communities. The National Treasures: Mapungubwe Gold Collection includes artefacts that are a cornerstone in the view of our heritage both domestically and internationally”.

Javett-UP hosts diverse events and programmes. including workshops for teachers and students interested in Art Education, Language, History or Design and Technology, and dialogues and tours of the exhibitions. Guests can book at bookings@javett.art and follow their IG handle: javettup for snippets of art and details on upcoming events. The exhibition explores our rich history and how it shapes our present, how we can preserve the self in the present and reimagine the future. It is a sight worth seeing!