TOWARDS
The University of Pretoria (UP) is one of Africa’s top universities and one of the largest contact university in South Africa. We produce socially impactful research to find solutions for the world’s most pressing issues.
We have a high quality of teaching and learning in the classroom, online, or in communities.
We have support in place for our students to graduate on time as well-rounded, responsible citizens, fully prepared for the world beyond university.
www.up.ac.za
The University of Pretoria (UP) aspires to be a global African university that is locally responsive, continental in scope and globally engaged in order to make a significant contribution to transforming the world. We contribute to economic growth and social development in three ways: through teaching, research and our service to society.
THE UNIVERSITY’S GOALS ARE TO:
• enhance access and successful student learning;
• strengthen the University’s research and international profile;
• foster and sustain a transformed, inclusive and equitable University community;
• optimise resources and enhance institutional sustainability; and
• strengthen the University’s social responsiveness and impact in society.
These goals are congruent with the five pillars of the Sustainable Development Goals – people, prosperity, peace, planet and partnerships –and they serve as a starting point to embed sustainable development in the institutional strategy.
UP has nine faculties and a business school, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, spread over seven campuses. The University has 120 academic departments, accommodating some 53 900 students and offering 1 175 study programmes. We are a significant contributor to South Africa’s human capital, producing 15% of the country’s Master’s degrees and 10% of doctoral qualifications. With the only Faculty of Veterinary Science in South Africa, UP accounts for all local Veterinary Science degrees conferred.
We seek to develop resilient, enquiry-led graduates who are able to adapt and bounce back from the inevitable shocks and adversities encountered in life. Lifelong learning is embraced and used to anticipate challenging circumstances, harness internal and external resources to navigate complexity, and continue to make a difference. With more than 230 community work-based modules, UP students are actively engaged in service to society. About 24 000 students are involved in 3 000 projects with 600 community partners.
Our 82 centres and institutes are at the frontiers of research across the spectrum of mono-, multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary work. Some of our research hubs address the world’s greatest challenges. Our cross-cutting research focus areas include agriculture and sustainable food systems; climate change, energy and water; One Health; smart infrastructure and innovation; economic development and sustainable futures; and inequalities, social justice and human rights. These cover the full range of sustainable development.
The University’s societal engagement spans local communities through national, continental and global stakeholders, and across academia, industry, government and civil society sectors. Through our engagement, we seek mutually beneficial collaborations and partnerships underpinned by trust, and in pursuit of transformative societal development.
• Economic and Management Sciences
• Education
business school –Gordon Institute of Business Science
1 specialised campuses academic faculties academic departments service-learning modules students involved community projects community partners study programmes
• Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
• Health Sciences
• Law
• Humanities
• Natural and Agricultural Sciences
• Theology and Religion
• Veterinary Science
The University of Pretoria’s 2023 Sustainable Development Report is the fourth report of its kind, and seeks to reflect UP’s ongoing efforts and commitment towards sustainability, as represented by South Africa’s National Development Plan, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our contributions span the way we function and conduct ourselves as an institution as we interact with internal and external stakeholders, coexist with and support the cohesion and upliftment of our host communities, and demonstrate stewardship over the natural resources under our care. They also include our broader societal contribution in the capability we build through undergraduate and postgraduate education, and the new knowledge we create through research and engaged scholarship. Through these collective efforts, we strive for transformative societal impact.
Our approach to sustainable development is characterised by the integration of sustainability into the institutional strategy. This is reflected in the report’s structure, and demonstrates both integrated thinking and integrated doing. Furthermore, this report informs the sustainabilityrelated content of UP’s Annual Report.
In this report, we refer to our actions and performance as an institution and within our immediate footprint as ‘operational sustainability’. Broader contributions to society through capacity building and new knowledge creation are referred to as ‘driving sustainable development through our core functions’. Together with our strategic approach to sustainability, these form the primary subject boundaries of the report.
We report on activities for the period 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. Activities considered include those undertaken solely by the University, as well as those within partnerships or collaborations where UP plays an active and material role. In keeping with previous reports, we reflect on the alignment and relationship of our activities to the SDGs.
Seeking to build on previous reports and to provide a balanced reflection of sustainability-related activities across the University, content for this document was obtained from a wide range of sources. Ideas and stories put forward by members of the UP Executive team along with faculty and entity leadership served as important sources.
Process owners reviewed their respective sections before finalising the information, while institutional-level data was sourced from the Department of Institutional Planning to ensure its accuracy and consistency with UP’s Annual Report.
Figure 1 outlines the architecture of the 2023 Sustainable Development Report
The report comprises four sequential sections: introductory chapters on the University profile and the current report; strategic initiatives that cut across the institution; translating the strategy into action; and a concluding section.
As our reporting has evolved, we’ve focused on year-on-year developments as we translate our strategy into action, presented quantitative performance indicators, and incorporated more tangible stories and examples of how we give qualitative expression to our strategy.
UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA
University profile About this report Performance highlights Leadership messages
OUR STRATEGIC APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The strategy context An emerging approach to transforming institutional culture Engaging with stakeholders for mutual benefit A framework and toolkit for curricular community engagement
OPERATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY
The operational context People practices for sustainable development Towards the resilient graduate Towards a resilient campus UP as an anchor institution
DRIVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH OUR CORE FUNCTIONS
The societal context Sustainable economies Life, our planet and technology Inclusive societies and capable institutions Advancing a transdisciplinary agenda Collaboration and partnering
END OF REPORT
Consolidated alignment with the SDGs Acknowledgments Contact us
Figure 1: Architecture of the 2023 Sustainable Development Report
2023
Sustainable Development Report University of Pretoria
4 research institutes and centres research chairs Centres of Excellence (CoEs)
• African Centre of Excellence for Information Ethics
• African Research Universities Alliance CoE in Sustainable Food Systems
• CoE in Food Security
• Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation (NRF) CoE in Tree Health
We are one of the largest contact universities in South Africa.
53 911 enrolled students
17 510 postgraduate students
32 748
academic staff with a PhD
74%
Highest percentage of academic staff with a PhD
2.24
Highest research outputs by academic staff
613
Most National Research Foundation (NRF)-rated researchers
• More than 1 million kWh of electricity generated by photovoltaic panels
• 52% increase in waste recycled compared to 2022
• Recycling equivalent to a saving of almost 4.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions
• 35% reduction on municipal water use over a five-year period
• World’s leading laboratory in DNA typing of rhinoceroses
• First World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre in Africa for the prevention of deafness and hearing loss
• Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI) facility is a leading infrastucture to address the burden of cancer and tuberculosis (TB) drug development and clinical research
• Africa’s first virtual reality centre for mine design
• Africa’s first independent transport reference and testing facility
• Africa’s leading laboratory in malaria control
• First in Africa to implement the Blackboard Ally, making digital courses more accessible to students
• Only Faculty of Veterinary Science in South Africa
• South Africa’s first Diabetes Research Centre at a public academic institution
• Ranked 42nd globally in the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
• Ranked 8th globally for SDG 1: No Poverty
• Ranked 8th globally for SDG 8: Decent work and Economic Growth
As an integral part of society, the University of Pretoria has a longstanding commitment to sustainable development. As such, we are resolute in our efforts to contribute to just, inclusive societal development. Our approach to making a difference is not static, and our resolve calls for us to do more and better across identified development priorities. We do this in the spirit of lifelong learning as individuals and as an institution, as we seek both continuous and step-change improvements.
Across the raft of societal actors, the need for transformational and step-change impacts is becoming increasingly stark. As 2030 approaches, the possibility of us achieving the aspirations of the Sustainable Development Goals nationally and globally is becoming increasingly remote. The same is true for the achievement of South Africa’s National Development Plan. Our current reality is characterised by global conflict, high levels of poverty, deepening economic growth challenges and worsening inequality which raise serious social justice concerns. Operating as a vicious cycle, these conditions encourage populism, the rejection of science and facts, and the promotion of misinformation and disinformation. Corruption is endemic, and in many parts of the world, democratic systems are under stress.
In this report, we reflect on our sustainable development journey and the progress we have made on our maturation pathway. This encompasses the evolution of our strategic approach, the establishment of institutionally consistent approaches that enable locally relevant translations, and the coherence of our actions as we seek to make an impact. These efforts continue in the face of adversity and, in particular, the serious funding constraints that all South African universities are facing. We
also describe our impact on influencing policy, strengthening societal capacity, and improving existence and life opportunities at community level. Indeed, this is where the need is most pressing.
In the complex and uncertain landscape that we find ourselves in, we clearly understand that to make a real difference, we need to collaborate and partner with others. We are not an island, and the challenges at hand cannot be addressed by any single entity. Our partnering covers internal and external stakeholders, and traverses the academic sector, government, industry and civil society. These collaborations are anchored in mutually beneficial, respectful relationships that embrace innovation, tap into the talents of our various partners and seek solutions for the public good. These solutions must continue to address our legacies and craft a new, uplifting future.
As we go forward, and as the urgency for accelerated impact for sustainable development increases, we continue to strengthen our resolve for a sustainable future. This resolve will continue to be translated into meaningful, coherent action so that, as individuals and as an institution, our contributions are seen and felt. In this way, we will be known for our agency and influence in effecting societal transformation.
We are pleased to present our 2023 Sustainable Development Report. As with previous editions, it represents UP’s report to society and our internal scorecard as we take stock of our response to the challenges of sustainability. We recognise that the University is a fundamental part of society and, along with others in the higher education sector, must make meaningful contributions to address the intractable challenges that society faces. With this report, we demonstrate the progress we have made on our sustainable development maturation journey. The University has maintained the approach adopted in the 2022 report, which is to focus on action and telling our stories to demonstrate the difference we are making. These stories reflect a coherent translation of our philosophies and integrated thinking, into integrated doing and integrated reporting. The three key areas of leverage that we focus on and have previously reported on are evident throughout the report: strengthening an integrated approach,
relentlessly driving a transdisciplinary agenda, and establishing an enabling culture, in which all members of the University community feel empowered to contribute to the success of the institution.
For the year under review, we delve more deeply into the intentional design and facilitated emergence of an enabling culture at faculty and departmental levels. We also describe how we are pushing the boundaries of thinking and practice through the use of frameworks that enable institutional consistency while creating sufficient space for locally relevant translation. An example of this is how we are advancing our strategic intent and mainstreaming curricular community engagement as a core institutional function that is closely associated with teaching, learning and research.
The voice and actions of students with regard to sustainable development are presented in the milestone strategy crafted by the Student Representative Council in early 2023, and are reflected in many of the stories included in the report. This is particularly relevant to our view that student success goes beyond academia, and is intimately linked to the development of leaders and citizens who will contribute to strengthening the University and shaping a brighter future.
While this report has a wide-angled view on sustainable development, we continue to see the SDGs as a globally accepted set of aspirations for a better world. Being
mindful of the SDGs is integral to our efforts and, as with our strategic approach, we report on them in an integrated way, connecting specific activities to the relevant SDGs.
As we continue to learn, improve and mature on our sustainable development journey, we remain confident about the path we have committed to. This is validated by the highlights we report on, our demonstrated achievements in quality education and impactful research, and our consistent trajectory of improvement in various sustainability-related ranking systems. We are determined to stay the course, and maintain a deep commitment to lifelong learning and improvement to achieve meaningful societal impact.
The University of Pretoria has long focused on issues related to sustainable development. Over the past five years, this has intensified, and there has been a progressive maturation in UP’s approach to sustainability. This progress has been built on the foundation of preceding years.
In the early years, however, while initiatives were largely framed by the University’s 15-year strategy for 2010 to 2025, activities tended to emerge organically and were often conducted in silos. Excellence was evident in pockets, rather than consistently across the University. Prominent examples include the UP SDG Hub, UP hosting the United Nations’ Academic Impact Hub for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and the institution being the first African university to be invited as a member of the University Social Responsibility Network. Despite this, there was a need to create a more coherent approach across the University, and to leverage the good work being done to achieve greater impact.
In 2020, UP produced its first integrated Sustainable Development Report, which focused on institutionwide sustainability thinking and practice. In developing the report, the University community was engaged with to better understand the different perspectives and ideas held, and the host of sustainability-related activities underway. A subsequent synthesis of the various conversations led to the creation of a preliminary strategic framework for sustainability that aligned with the institutional strategy. Key features of the framework were a shared sustainability value proposition for the University, and an intention to shift from transactional approaches that tended to apply narrow solutions, to transformational ones that address complex, multifaceted problems.
In 2021, UP embarked on a process to develop a five-year strategy as the third and final phase of implementing its 15-year strategy, UP 2025. This was an opportune time to embed sustainability, and by extension the SDGs, into the University’s institutional strategy. Two crucial enablers of the integration were the philosophical foundation of UP 2025, which positioned the University as an agent of society, and the recently synthesised sustainability framework. The integrated nature of the new five-
year strategy – with sustainability being ‘hardwired’ into it rather than being ‘bolted on’ – was presented in UP’s 2020/21 Sustainable Development Report.
Subsequent to its approval by the University Council, the five-year strategy has functioned as a living strategic framework, characterised by the pursuit of learning and continuous or stepchange improvement. An important innovation in this process of learning was the development of pathways to impact for each of the goals. This approach was subsequently applied to the institution’s core functions, giving rise to the development of an integrated academic framework, with subsidiary frameworks for teaching, learning and research. These were presented in detail in the 2022 Sustainable Development Report.
We continued to refine our approaches to sustainable development during 2023. In the spirit of ongoing evolution and maturation, the following section reflects on two additional areas of strategic significance: the emergence of an innovative approach to intentionally designing and strengthening an enabling culture; and the development of a framework and toolkit for curricular community engagement.
In 2022, UP concluded an institutionwide culture survey, the purpose of which was to affirm the importance of an enabling culture for all members of the University community so that they may reach their full potential, and to give effect to the institutional strategy. The Institutional Culture Survey evaluated the progress made since the first such survey, which was undertaken about 10 years ago. Detailed results were analysed at departmental level and across work categories. While significant progress in strengthening the culture had been made, challenges remained, particularly relating to the bureaucratic nature of an institution that is more than 100 years old.
The issues identified by the survey served as inputs to the design of the institutional Transformation Strategy. Additionally, all faculties and professional services reviewed the survey outcomes relevant to their areas of accountability in order to develop initiatives to strengthen their respective cultures.
As the process unfolded, realisations became evident. Firstly, creating an enabling culture is central to the work of leadership. Secondly, in fulfilling this leadership role, it is necessary to envision the desired culture in relation to the institution’s purpose, aspirations and strategy. This provides a line of sight in developing initiatives to strengthen the culture in a purposeful way. Finally, more systemic, enduring change is likely to be brought about by evaluating progress in cultural maturity, along with identifying the underlying drivers of the prevailing institutional culture and climate, and developing recommendations that address those drivers.
The dual ideas of intentionally designing a culture and evaluating it across different levels of cultural maturity developed from a series of strategic conversations. Initially, a simple evaluation of the transformation cultural maturity was done as part of the strategic conversation to develop UP’s Transformation Strategy. Following this, during a strategic conversation with the Department of Library Services, various dimensions of an enabling culture for the department were determined. These were roughly evaluated against levels of cultural maturity. Building on the first two conversations, a workshop with the Faculty of Education’s leadership team focused on the work of leadership, and took the next step of designing the desired faculty culture. The work was converted into a toolkit to design, evaluate and strengthen institutional culture. During the year under review, the Department of Informatics in the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology and the School of Health Care Sciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences applied and tested the toolkit.
Central to the work of leadership is the creation of an enabling culture and environment where all people can thrive and reach their full potential to achieve their own goals and those of the institution. This covers leaders at all institutional levels, and is not limited to executive leadership, faculty leadership or heads of departments. As such, we see leaders as change agents who are driving transformational change.
In using the toolkit, a low road that leads to team underperformance, friction and value destruction is explored in relation to intentionally choosing a high road with team synergy, cohesion and value generation. Participants develop a compelling argument for choosing the high road, which prompts the design of the desired culture.
UP’s institutional strategy and the sustainability strategic framework are both anchored on shifting from transactional approaches to being transformational in outlook and action. This requires a two-pronged approach: to strengthen trust between community members, and improve the innovation and creativity of solutions brought to bear. The concept is shown in Figure 2.
TRANSFORMATIONAL
What are the dimensions of culture that drive innovative and creative solutions?
TRANSACTIONAL SPACE
• Silos
• Self- and partisan interest
• Negotiation
• Trade-offs and zero-sum games
SPACE
• Purpose-driven
• Collaboration
• Co-design
• Co-creation
• Multiple streams of value
What are the dimensions of culture that build trust for effective collaboration?
Figure 2: A two-pronged approach to developing a transformational institutional culture (adapted from Chicksen et al, 2018).
Recognising that the culture is multidimensional, participants go through a process of determining the dimensions of culture that build trust and those that enable creative solutions. Examples of dimensions of culture to build trust include humancentred and authentic caring, treating one another with dignity and respect, and openness and transparency; those that enhance innovation and creativity include experimenting, courage and commitment, being open-minded, and collaboration.
Each dimension is defined and described in terms of what it looks like in practice. Collectively, the attributes of all the dimensions form a common language for shared understanding and represent the desired culture. This designed culture is the basis of self-assessment and analysis, enabling the development of interventions that address underlying issues to shift the cultural towards proactive and transformational levels of maturity.
The designed culture can be assessed along the maturity levels of vulnerable, reactive, compliant, proactive and transformational, as based on professor of psychology James Reason’s five levels of cultural maturity. Each level has distinctive characteristics, and assessments can be done by individuals or through focus group conversations.
An in-depth analysis of the underlying issues, contributing factors, linkages and dependencies is undertaken prior to developing recommendations to shift to higher levels of cultural maturity. This allows for the recommendations to be focused on the underlying issues and to capitalise on linkages and dependencies for leverage.
The approach to designing the University’s subcultures has been intentional. While alignment to the institutional strategic intent is ensured, co-designing cultures at grassroots levels embraces inclusivity, reinforces the leadership role at multiple institutional levels and enables ownership. Notably, across all entities who have undertaken the process – across three faculties and at faculty leadership, school and departmental levels – the tone and description of subcultures has been remarkably consistent.
For the year ahead, several other faculties and faculty entities have indicated their intention to follow this route. It is anticipated that once a critical mass of subcultures has been developed, traversing all faculties and professional services at different hierarchical levels, it will be possible to synthesise a desired and enduring institutional culture that is owned by all.
Stakeholder engagement for mutual benefit continues to be integral to our strategic approach to sustainable development. The University recognises that collaboration and partnerships are essential to effective functioning and to amplify the impact we seek to make. We are not an island, and cannot do things alone. Throughout the year under review, UP continued to deepen its connections with internal and external stakeholders, softening the boundaries between itself and society at large. Our approach to understanding, categorising and engaging with stakeholders has been articulated in previous reports.
Internal stakeholders comprise the entire UP community. Formal governance and engagement structures across the University hierarchy involve all internal constituencies, are well established and continue to function well. Beyond statutory structures and processes for engagement, a range of initiatives continued to strengthen an inclusive, engaged culture that embraces diversity, collaboration and innovation. Of note, the revision and enhancement of UP’s Transformation Strategy was concluded in 2023, with Council approval during the year. Additionally, efforts to address the findings of the Institutional Culture Survey continued throughout the year at faculty and departmental levels. (UP’s novel approach to designing, evaluating and strengthening our culture is presented in the previous section.)
At institutional level, intentional collaboration continued to strengthen, with the formalisation of a steering committee and task team to advance multi-, inter- and transdisciplinarity in teaching, learning, research and community engagement across the University. The steering committee’s key functions are to provide oversight and guidance in evolving our understanding of transdisciplinarity at UP and the process of embedding requisite practices within the institution, and to advance a transdisciplinary
agenda. Additionally, committee members will play a key role in facilitating collaborative efforts, addressing barriers identified, and transferring learning from different parts of the institution for adoption and adaptation.
External stakeholders represent far greater heterogeneity within and across different stakeholder categories. They include actors in academia, the government, industry and civil society; this reflects the importance of engaging with society holistically. Across each sector, collaboration is multifaceted and cuts across all core functions. Collaboration and partnering is discussed in more detail in the section ‘Driving sustainability through our core functions’.
Community engagement (CE) represents a special form of stakeholder engagement. It recognises that we are embedded in our host communities, and affirms the importance of communities and civil society. To ensure that our approach keeps abreast with evolving societal needs and expectations, the Institutional Policy of Community Engagement will be reviewed in 2024. Key subsets of CE are institutional CE and curricular CE. Institutional CE is discussed in more detail in the section ‘UP as an anchor institution’.
In our dual pursuit to produce graduates who are global African citizens that are future-ready and to be a university that drives societal impact, curricular community engagement (CCE) has become increasingly important as a core function. We define CCE as the teaching, learning and scholarship that engages academic staff, students and the community in mutually beneficial and respectful collaboration. It is rooted in, and arises from, our teaching, learning and research, and is not an adjunct to them. Occupying the critical interface between the University and society, CCE brings theory, practice and research together as we embed the philosophies of citizenship and lifelong learning.
Over the past decade, UP has made significant strides in positioning and strengthening CCE within the institution. During the year under review, 233 modules focused on CCE, with more than 24 000 students participating and visiting some 600 community sites. Notwithstanding the progress made, certain challenges have been identified, with opportunities to take UP to the forefront of CCE in higher education. Notably, while there are clear areas of excellence, not all faculties are on the same level of maturity in embedding CCE within the curriculum. There are also opportunities to strengthen a common language and approach that defines the way in which UP executes CCE.
To advance thinking and practice in the field, the Department for Education Innovation’s Unit for Community Engagement leads CCE at an institutional level and hosts the UP Community Engagement Forum. The forum comprises students, community partners and representatives from faculties, and serves as a coordinating mechanism to share ideas between different stakeholders and to advance CCE practices.
Acknowledging the challenges and opportunities identified, during 2023, the Department for Education Innovation held a series of strategic conversations that was hosted by a task team drawn from the Community Engagement Forum. The process focused on co-designing a CCE framework and toolkit to establish a common language for consistent yet locally relevant translation across all UP faculties. The draft framework and toolkit were presented to the broader Community Engagement Forum for further input and finalisation.
UP’s CCE framework comprises four main components: our strategic intent; the principles that shape decisions and actions; enablers of the framework; and a set of sequential process requirements that form a pathway to action.
University of Pretoria 2023
The toolkit flows from the pathway to action. Each step of the pathway is broken down into sub-steps, articulating issues that need to be considered for each step. This approach structures conversations in a consistent way, yet enables context-
Implementing this framework is underpinned by the following principles:
• Our intent to be an agent of society for the public good is given expression through our core functions.
• The core functions of teaching, learning, research and engagement are interdependent.
• Curricular community engagement is valued as integral to the academic project.
• We value and respect our stakeholders, and treat each other with dignity and respect.
• We embrace the plurality of knowledge and sources of knowledge; this includes the expert holders of knowledge from the communities we collaborate with.
• Our engagement is anchored on mutual benefit with two-way knowledge flows between participants.
• We co-design initiatives and consistently work together to ensure their sustainability.
specific translation and application. Additionally, for each step of the pathway, the toolkit outlines who should be involved, processes that can be followed, questions that need to be answered and outcomes that should be achieved.
Curricular community engagement is embedded as an integral part of the academic project, with institutionally consistent yet locally relevant application across teaching, learning and research.
The following aspects help enable this framework:
• A shared understanding of curricular community engagement.
• Clarity on different categories of stakeholder engagement, including the distinction between CCE and work-integrated-learning.
• There is demonstrated commitment to CCE at all institutional levels.
• Capacity development and CCE initiatives are adequately resourced, financially and in terms of time allocated within faculty programmes.
• Staff, students and partners are capacitated for CCE in fit-for-purpose ways, and with continuous development.
• CCE work is incorporated into reward and recognition systems.
• The CCE system and related initiatives are codesigned for continuity and sustainability in the face of the transient nature of the student journey.
The following processes address a pathway to action:
1. Embedding the CCE philosophy.
2. Building and strengthening capacity.
3. Stakeholder and context analysis, and enabling leverage through institutional collaboration.
4. Collaborating, partnering and co-designing initiatives.
5. Implementing and translating plans into action.
6. Monitoring, evaluation, reporting and student assessment.
7. Learning, improving and ensuring sustainability.
3: UP’s framework for curricular community engagement (adapted from Chicksen et al, 2018)
The CCE framework and toolkit provides a common language and approach for curricular community engagement at UP. Such a coherent approach is likely to significantly advance and embed CCE within the institution while retaining versatility for context-specific application.
In 2024, the Department for Education Innovation and the Community Engagement Forum will provide oversight for the implementation and application of the framework. It is anticipated that the co-design approach used for broad ownership will increase the likelihood of its adoption throughout the University.
The way in which we function and conduct ourselves as an institution and within our operations is central to our sustainability. We refer to this as operational sustainability. It includes creating the conditions for staff and students to thrive; demonstrating stewardship in our use of natural resources; taking care with our spatial footprint; and being a good neighbour to our host communities by contributing to their development and upliftment, among others.
As one of the largest contact universities in South Africa, UP employs about 5 800 people as permanent or fixed-term staff in academic, professional services and support roles. In pursuing our intention to be a leading researchintensive university in Africa, we recognise that our success is derived from the capable staff members who enable the University’s functioning.
That is why we seek to create the conditions for all of them to reach their full potential, so that they can realise their own objectives and those of the institution.
During the year, UP continued to focus on attracting, developing and retaining talent; creating just, inclusive workplaces, with decent work conditions and the protection of labour rights; and enhancing the holistic well-being of staff. Staff development initiatives to address legacy challenges and to secure a shared, resilient future remain integral to the University’s transformation agenda. The suite of institutional programmes in place to advance staff development span leadership and managerial development from supervisory to executive levels, and seek to increase the number of academics with doctoral qualifications and the number of professors, as well as internships and learnerships. In this report, we pay closer attention to UP’s corporate wellness programme, which aims to improve the health and well-being of University employees.
Almost 54 000 undergraduate and postgraduate students were registered in 2023. Of these, 60.7%
were women. Postgraduate students account for 32% of all registrations; this aligns with our aim to be a research-intensive university. Our previous reports have dealt extensively with the University’s holistic and integrated approach to developing students through our pathway towards the resilient graduate. In this report, we have a narrower but more detailed focus on the student voice as reflected in the Student Representative Council’s strategic conversation held in January 2023.
The University’s vast and dispersed geographic footprint is spread over seven campuses, which accommodate more than 60 000 people, and its related operational activities present significant challenges and complexities. These are in relation to resource utilisation, the optimal management of natural resources, management of waste with the strengthening of circular economies, protecting biodiversity, and significantly influencing social and economic activities in the extended vicinity of our campuses. As with previous reports, we provide an update on our carbon footprint, natural resource management, waste management and UP’s position as an anchor institution.
With the high prevalence of lifestyle diseases and mental health challenges, the risks to the health and well-being of individuals and populations are being increasingly recognised. This calls for dedicated focus on optimising the welfare of UP employees. The University values the worth and humanity of the University community, and seeks to demonstrate this by providing holistic support for the mental, emotional and physical well-being of employees. Beyond the principle of caring, healthy people are more able to reach their full potential, achieve their aspirations and contribute to achieving those of the institution.
The University’s Employee Well-being Programme (EWP@UP) is hosted by the Department of Human Resources, and comprises employee wellness and employee assistance initiatives that include health awareness and promotion, counselling services and health-related interventions, and support groups.
Proactive and preventive approaches to maintaining health are critical to improving the well-being and quality of life of individuals and populations. These approaches are well recognised as being more cost-effective than curative interventions. Furthermore, early diagnosis and intervention enable better outcomes at a lower cost, compared to late diagnosis and intervention for advanced disease.
Based on this thinking, EWP@UP runs structured awareness campaigns that include health screenings, awareness groups, lunchtime talks and fitness activities. Awareness campaigns and wellness days are linked to health risk assessments and screenings for cancer; lifestyle disorders such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes; mental health challenges; and HIV/AIDS. Fitness activities include walks such as the Hatfield Campus Trail, while awareness groups focus on fitness, nutrition and stress management.
Overall, health awareness and promotion focus on lifestyle modifications towards healthy living, with the prevention or early detection of health-related issues.
Employees are able to access critical incident stress management and grief counselling through the 24-hour UP Care Line and EWP@UP external
professionals. This includes trauma debriefing, bereavement counselling and crisis intervention for suicidal ideation.
In the acute phase, defusing sessions and psychological containment sessions are arranged as soon as possible, directly after a traumatic incident. These are undertaken by EWP@UP external professionals and conducted on-site. Follow-up debriefing and counselling sessions take place 48 to 72 hours later.
Support is also provided for short-term, solutionfocused counselling interventions. These cover individual psycho-social problems such as behavioural addictions; psychopathologies such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder; psychological challenges related to HIV/AIDS; and work-related issues such as stress, conflict, anger, burnout, interpersonal relations and bullying. Organisational challenges and consequences like absenteeism, presenteeism, behavioural problems and underperformance are also considered. Shortterm counselling generally consists of four to six sessions, provided on-site by EWP@UP external professionals such as psychologists, social workers and registered counsellors. Funding from the National Department of Higher Education and Training has enabled EWP@UP to develop and facilitate academic-specific interventions.
Where applicable, external referrals are facilitated. These could include admission to mental and rehabilitation clinics or long-term counselling. Support is also provided for reintegration into the workplace during and after recovery, with managerial assistance to enable the process. Additionally, EWP@UP is exploring ways to extend counselling services to include family members.
Peers play a significant role in assisting individuals as they deal with mental, physical and emotional well-being challenges. EWP@UP support groups assist with workplace dilemmas that employees face daily. These are presented as contact sessions within identified departments and cover a variety of topics related to psycho-social challenges and chronic disease. The support group programme will be extended for broader departmental reach and the scope of topics addressed will be expanded.
EWP@UP faces the challenge of engaging broadly with the University community to ensure that members are aware of the range of support
services offered, and enabling ready access to knowledge resources and services when needed. University-wide email communication as well as campaigns, events and wellness days create awareness of the services provided by EWP@UP. These are supported by posters and brochures that include the relevant contact details and processes to follow. Messages to reduce stigma associated with issues such as mental health in the workplace are disseminated, as is information on topical health-related issues. An EWP@UP intranet site was designed to provide easy navigation and access to information on programmes and services. Additionally, the webspace has resources on guiding practices to encourage a positive, constructive and productive work experience for employees. The intranet content can be accessed through the UP mobile app.
The various channels and media used are supplemented with face-to-face interactions with various levels of University leadership at events, group support sessions, meetings and more.
Overall, there is good uptake of, and demand for, the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and wellness services. Notably, the low utilisation of these services
in 2020 was related to the prolonged national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, high utilisation was evident in 2021 as a consequence of challenges related to the pandemic. High demand for services is commonly related to burnout and the need for coping strategies to deal with work-related pressures, particularly for academics. Unfortunately, work requirements and the consequent inability of staff members to meet scheduled appointments or bookings for EWP@UP events means that the full utilisation of services is constrained.
EWP@UP is well established and continues to be a valued component of people practices for sustainable development. It represents our human-centredness. The programme serves as a key anchor to support employees as they navigate the difficulties and stresses associated with work and life in general. The EWP@UP team continues to identify challenges faced by employees and to pursue opportunities that enhance its offerings, such as extending reach to family members and optimising the scope of offerings as new challenges arise.
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We recognise that developing graduates who are global African citizens who are able to navigate dynamics in a changing world and contribute meaningfully to society is a two-way process of knowledge sharing and benefit. As an institution, not only does UP impart knowledge and skills, but it also draws on the different perspectives, ideas and experiences of students to enrich learning and strengthen the institution.
The student body represents the largest grouping within the University community, comprising about 90%. Individual students and the body at large therefore represent a powerful source of differentiation and sustainability for UP. This is even more relevant as we broaden access to previously disadvantaged students, and increase our pool of talent and its diversity. Additionally, the student body includes young people who have innovative ideas and who can serve as agents of transformation during their university journey, within the institution and beyond.
The student voice has become increasingly important as we seek to tap into this expanded talent pool. To this end, early in the year under review, the newly elected Student Representative Council (SRC) held a landmark strategic conversation. The dialogue sought to perceive the University through the lens of students, amplify the student voice as a significant constituency within the broader University community, and recognise the student body as a powerful and insufficiently tapped source of competitive advantage for the institution.
Using a design-thinking approach, the conversation initially explored the significant challenges faced by the student body as well as the opportunities available to it. Issues included difficult transitions from school into an academically intense university life, financial insecurity, student safety and security, and the holistic health and well-being of students. The SRC’s effectiveness and connectedness with the broad, heterogenous student body was also contemplated. Notwithstanding the magnitude of the challenges, key opportunities surfaced, including reimagining the SRC and its members as influencers, catalysts and agents of change.
The theme of the strategic conversation that emerged in the process of crafting a desired future was this: “A human-centred, dynamic and resilient student body for the next-generation university.” In this future, there are dual aspirations for the well-being and success of students and the institution. These aspirations are multifaceted and comprise several related dimensions. Lived experiences through the university journey are inspired and uplifting, where studentrelated challenges are addressed and the University is responsive to student needs and aspirations. Individual students and the collective enjoy holistic well-being –financial, physical, mental and emotional. In this way, student success is enhanced, with the development of leaders and citizens who transform societies for the public good. The SRC is valued and trusted by the student body, which has confidence in its leadership. Similarly, the student voice is respected and valued within the University, with the SRC and student body being seen as strategic partners that influence the transformation of the University culture and lived experiences, and where everyone is able to reach their full potential.
Through the strategic conversation, the SRC developed a pathway to impact, comprising five connected strategic focus areas that are consistent and that converge with the institutional strategic intent.
Positioning the SRC as a catalyst and agent for change
A human-centred, dynamic and resilient student body for the next-generation university
Engaging stakeholders, mobilising action and managing relationships
The pathway to impact is iterative, and within each strategic focus area, sets of activities were developed to turn ideas into action. The connected nature of the strategic focus areas enables coherence of action.
The activities developed related mainly to addressing student body challenges. These included optimising the transition to university life; improving financial well-being and debt management; enhancing physical, mental, emotional and nutritional well-being; providing
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Addressing student body challenges and making a difference
access to accommodation as enabling living spaces; bolstering student safety and security; improving access to technology and thereby academic success; and enabling diversity and a plurality of languages for inclusion.
Within this process, there is an intentional shift from the student body being passive recipients of knowledge, development and capacity building, towards being active participants and strategic partners in a university and societal transformation.
Influencing and shaping the reimagined UP
Reporting and performance improvement
The pathway outlined and sets of activities developed are challenging and provocative. This is further complicated by the term-based nature of SRC membership.
Notwithstanding these difficulties, it is anticipated that by amplifying the student voice and demonstrating success as a strategic partner, future SRCs are likely to embrace the direction outlined and enable the continuity of activities over the next three to five years.
Comprising seven campuses, UP has a vast geographic footprint of 1 165 hectares (ha), with about 749 buildings covering more than one million square metres (m2) being utilised by a University community of about 60 000 people. During the period under review, there were no material changes to UP’s size, structure or operating model. The campus footprint and building coverage data is represented in Table 1.
The campuses are interspersed and coexist within diverse mixed-used human settlements. Sustainability considerations include demonstrating stewardship in the use of natural resources in our operations, care of our spatial footprint, and managing environmental impacts related to interfaces between the University and our neighbours within our host communities.
Throughout the year, UP’s multidisciplinary Department of Facilities Management managed and coordinated all real-estate and facility-related services. This encompasses infrastructure and land, a range of support services, and the optimal management of energy, water and waste. Stewardship activities include protecting resources and reducing consumption, recycling water, exploring and utilising alternative energy sources, preventing environmental impacts such as pollution, rehabilitating land when necessary, and supporting biodiversity. The department’s approach and the University’s pursuit of leadership in sustainable development has been outlined in previous Sustainable Development Reports.
Energy efficiency and security have been strategic priorities for more than a decade. Integrated efforts have ranged from improving building design and the efficiency of energy-intensive and other energyutilising equipment, and establishing a culture of energy conservation. Since 2018, the University has undertaken a programme of installing photovoltaic (PV) panels to improve energy security and increase the utilisation of renewable energy.
Despite these efforts, energy insecurity as a result of municipal power supply interruptions or
loadshedding by the national power utility remained significant threats to business continuity during the year. With current energy demands exceeding the capacity of PV systems, the University remains dependent on fossil fuel-burning generators. The negative impacts are twofold: the increased utilisation of diesel comes at a significant cost and there are increased greenhouse-gas emissions with an expanded carbon footprint. In 2023, about R79 million was spent on diesel for standby generators, an increase of R35 million against expenditure in 2022.
Beyond the interventions put in place over the past few years, an important initiative during the year was the establishment of UP’s Energy Advisory Committee, which comprises representatives from various operational units in the University as well as external experts. Its purpose is to analyse, advise, mitigate and manage both strategic and operational risks arising from the energy crisis, specifically loadshedding. The committee focuses on immediate and medium- to long-term solutions to the energy crisis and provides input to the University’s Energy Management Plan. Ideas and options explored included expanding the current PV installation, along with various other efficiency improvements.
Examples of the latter include movement detection for the operation of air conditioning in large halls; efficiency improvements to heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment; better demand-side efficiency, with certain infrastructure being switched off during loadshedding; and alternative renewable energy options.
generated by PV (kWh)
In 2023, UP produced its eighth carbon footprint report in terms of greenhousegas emissions (GHG). This aligns with the University’s commitment to sustainable development and the rigorous application of supportive practices. As with previous reports, the GHG Protocol Revised Accounting Standard (2013) for accounting and reporting is used, applying an operational control approach. Reporting covers the primary campuses as our organisational boundary. We report on:
• Scope 1: Direct emissions driven by the UP-owned vehicle fleet, back-up generator use, and the use of LPG gas in research laboratories; and
• Scope 2: Indirect emissions from the use of purchased electricity.
While we have been measuring Scope 3 data (other indirect GHG sources) for the past four years, at this stage they do not form part of the carbon footprint assessment.
UP’s Water Management Plan continues to guide water conservation initiatives to increase awareness, optimise its use and protect the resource across the University. These initiatives include high-efficiency plumbing systems, preventative and scheduled maintenance coupled with early leak detection and intervention to prevent water losses, and water-efficient irrigation systems using recovered water for the University’s large-scale landscape. Year-on-year municipal water consumption is shown Figure 7.
UP is a major generator of general waste, which comprises recyclable waste, food waste and garden waste. During 2022, a total of 165 555kg of waste was recycled. This represents a 52% increase in recycling compared to the same period in 2022, and a saving of almost 4.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions. This saving is not included in the carbon footprint report.
General waste recycled (kg) Municipal water purchased (kl)
The upgrading of the compost and mulch production facility on Hillcrest Campus has substantially decreased the need for, and the costs of, transporting garden refuse to landfill sites. About 2 500m³ of compost and mulch were produced and used on all University properties in 2023, a 5.7% increase on 2022 amounts. Using mulch in plant beds requires less irrigation water, prevents weed infestation and creates healthier soil. The figure below shows the amount of mulch and compost produced at UP.
The University continues to be mindful of its stewardship role in reducing its geographic footprint and preserving its natural resources. While fulfilling this role effectively may be beset with challenges and complexities, we continue to pursue greater efficiencies and adopt innovative approaches.
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Our institutional anchor strategy is incorporated into the UP Spatial Development Plan 2020 – 2025, and is underpinned by the philosophy of mutually beneficial and symbiotic relationships with our community stakeholders. We recognise that we have a shared future with our neighbours, and our successes and failures are inextricably linked. This is primarily in relation to maintaining safety and security, and preventing urban decay.
During the year, the Hatfield Campus Village Initiative continued under the auspices of the Hatfield City Improvement District (CID), of which UP is a founding member. The Hatfield CID is a non-profit organisation established in terms of the Gauteng City Improvement Districts Act 12 of 1997. The organisation is governed by a board of directors that is chaired by the University’s chief operating officer. It provides various security services and supplemental municipal services,
and is funded through levies paid by property owners within the Hatfield-Hillcrest district boundary. Levies are broadly determined by municipal property valuations, with UP contributing 43.76% of levies to the Hatfield CID.
The main focus of the Hatfield CID has continued to be on safety and security, given the high prevalence of crime in the Brooklyn police precinct, which covers 28 suburbs including the Hatfield and Hillcrest areas. Notably, the visibility, responsiveness and efficiency of the Hatfield CID’s security interventions have resulted in the area being significantly less affected by crime than its neighbouring suburbs within the precinct. Interventions include the installation of 80 CCTV cameras in strategic locations across Hatfield and a mobile application for users to alert nearby security responders to an emergency. The Hatfield CID’s urban management initiatives include general cleaning, the maintenance of roads and pavements, waste management, landscaping, and beautification of the area. During the year, more than 67 000 bags of refuse and almost 400 bags of rubble were removed. About 300 potholes were repaired.
Prinshof Campus, which houses the Faculty of Health Sciences, is strategically linked with the Oral and Dental Hospital, Tshwane District Hospital, and the Steve Biko Academic Hospital to form an expansive medical facilities precinct. The campus is fragmented and spread over Prinshof North and South Campuses, with several satellite campuses including rural training platforms. There is long history of cooperation between the Gauteng Department of Health and the Faculty of Health Sciences around facilities and infrastructure management. In addition to the logistical challenges posed by the fragmented spread, the campus is faced with spatial constraints compounded by ageing infrastructure, and threats to water and electricity security. The area surrounding Prinshof Campus is plagued by high crime rates, and urban and environmental decay, with threats to the adequacy and safety of parking areas and movement corridors interlinking the residences, campus and hospitals.
Adjacent to Prinshof Campus is the Melgisedek property, a 90-year-old complex of buildings owned by the City of Tshwane. It has been classified as uninhabitable due to pervasive fire damage. Homeless people living in the buildings
pose security risks to staff, students and community members attending the health facilities. Since 2016, UP has been engaging with the city to obtain this property and convert it into facilities, thus contributing to a safer precinct around the campus. Additionally, the faculty has two armed response officers on motorbikes, and security patrolling the campus at night. Recently, through the Hatfield CID, it secured the use of a panic mobile app for health students, enabling 24-hour emergency assistance.
Onderstepoort Campus hosts the Faculty of Veterinary Science and is fairly isolated from the main campus. It is located in an outlying area adjacent to urban development and near to informal settlements. Consequently, the campus faces significant challenges related to the availability of accommodation, public transport and social or sporting facilities. Such isolation further compounds the challenge of energy security, with high levels of loadshedding and greater vulnerability and threats to business continuity when backup power from generators fail.
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Engagement with the City of Tshwane’s Mayoral Office has not resulted in loadshedding exemption being granted, despite it being the only veterinary faculty in South Africa. A further complexity arises when challenges on adjacent properties affect the campus. For example, the Agricultural Research Council owns significant areas of land next to the campus, some of which are unused, overgrown and unfenced. This affects campus safety and security, and efforts to address these issues depend on the support of our neighbour. Additionally, current land claims against portions of the Agricultural Research Council’s land may draw UP into conflict situations. With limited economic activity in the area, opportunities to formalise a city improvement district are equally limited. The campus has thus tended to focus on securing its own well-being by making use of security patrols on the campus perimeter, among other interventions.
Mamelodi Campus continues to play an integral role as an anchor institution through the Mamelodi Community of Learning Collaborative. The range of activities has been reported on previously. In particular, the Mamelodi Business Hub, which provides community training and incubates entrepreneurial activities, the Mamelodi Campus Animal Clinic, and various early childhood development initiatives continued to operate successfully.
In our quest to be an institution for the public good, we are expected to contribute meaningfully to just, inclusive societal development. We do this through our core functions of teaching, learning, research and engagement. Through our graduates, we strengthen societal human capital and capability, and our research creates new knowledge for solutions to societal challenges. Such capability and knowledge must be relevant to current and changing societal needs and circumstances. UP recognises that the country, continent and the world are replete with complexity and uncertainty across economic, social, environmental and governance dimensions of sustainable development, and that this complexity is driven by the interconnectedness of challenges across these four dimensions.
We achieve societal impact through our core functions, and our approach is outlined in UP’s integrated academic framework, with its subsidiary teaching, learning and research frameworks. These were presented in detail in the 2022 Sustainable Development report. Key tenets of these frameworks include disciplinary excellence, understanding complexity and complex systems, applying integrated approaches, and working collaboratively across disciplines and sectors to amplify our impacts. Collaborations traverse the spectrum of multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary work as we participate in a range of networks and establish strategic partnerships.
In this section of the report, our integrated approach is reflected in our work across three themes that cover the key dimensions of sustainable development: sustainable economies; life, our planet and technology; and inclusive societies and capable institutions. For each theme, faculties are clustered according to their core fields of study, recognising that their work is not limited to that theme, nor are their outcomes and impacts. Extending the concept
of integration, we have continued to strengthen the connections and interfaces across teaching, learning, research and engagement.
A selection of stories have been curated to demonstrate how we seek to drive sustainable development through our core functions. These stories are not exhaustive, but rather provide a sense of our impactful work through teaching, learning, research and engagement. Their connectedness across both the core functions and the different themes is highlighted by the spread of SDGs that our work contributes to achieving. In addition to the stories within each theme, we also present graduate and research output data for each faculty as quantitative indicators of our societal contributions.
In line with our institutional strategy, during the year, UP continued to make progress in developing a shared understanding of transdisciplinarity and applying it in fit-for-purpose ways to deal with complex challenges. A brief overview of the work will be presented.
The section concludes with a review of our network and partnering highlights for the year.
The sustainable economies cluster comprises the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) and the University’s business school, the Gordon Institute of Business Science.
During the year, the EMS Faculty was awarded accreditation for business education by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. Established in 1916, the AACSB is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools, and the largest business education network connecting learners, educators and businesses worldwide.
The accreditation process evaluated the EMS Faculty’s mission and its compliance with 15 accreditation standards. The faculty was assessed
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for its performance in critical areas such as teaching, research, curricula development and student learning, and its ability to provide high-quality, innovative academic programmes in an enabling, conducive environment. Graduates from AACSBaccredited institutions are particularly valued in the job market and are well placed for successful careers.
The EMS Faculty is the only faculty of its kind in South Africa to attain AACSB accreditation. Only three South African business schools have AACSB accreditation, one of which is UP’s Gordon Institute of Business Science. Across the continent, the EMS Faculty is one of only nine AACSBaccredited entities.
High-quality business education, with programmes and graduates that are relevant and future-focused steers positive societal impact and has far-reaching impacts across the SDG framework. Beyond representing quality education, graduates become the future leaders of business and contribute to industrial and economic development.
There is an urgent need in South Africa for economic modelling expertise. The country faces persistent economic disparities, soaring unemployment rates and the need to transition to a green economy. In today’s uncertain economic landscape, the ability to model and forecast accurately is critical to planning and policymaking, and to driving innovation for sustainable growth and social development.
To this end, UP’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and the newly established Economic Modelling Academy (EMA) delivered a new set of executive economic modelling courses in early 2024. The programme equips individuals and organisations with the essential skills to navigate the economic challenges facing South Africa and Africa. Leaders, economists, policymakers, thinkers and strategists are empowered to make informed decisions that shape the future.
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The partnership creates synergy by leveraging EMA’s modelling content and expertise, and GIBS’ leadership position in executive education and its wide stakeholder reach. It is held together by a shared commitment to making a meaningful impact on South Africa’s economic future. Through collaborative efforts, the programme bridges the gap between the current lack of precise data, analysis and forecasting, and enabling leaders and decision-makers to navigate complex economic issues.
The programme has a strong sustainable development focus, and is set up to deliver cross-cutting modules for cutting-edge education and hands-on training. Course include Modelling of Poverty and Inequality; Modelling of Social Protection; Green Economy Modelling; Skills Supply and Demand Modelling; Modelling Provincial-District-Municipal Economies; and Multisector Macroeconomic Modelling.
The introduction of this initiative is timely and relevant to the developmental needs of South Africa. By offering a comprehensive toolkit to address intersecting challenges, it is consistent with and supports South Africa’s National Development Plan, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the UN’s SDGs.
During the year, the EMS Faculty forged a strategic partnership with the City of Tshwane (CoT). The initiative connects the Public Policy Hub at UP and the CoT’s Policy Development Support Committee. The EMS Faculty has also signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with the City of Johannesburg (CoJ).
Through these partnerships, the aim is to close the divide between academia and public policy by co-producing transdisciplinary, policy-relevant research. This collaboration supports evidencebased decision-making that addresses the specific needs of the cities, ensuring that policies are grounded in empirical evidence while also meeting the publication standards expected of researchers. Additionally, these partnerships facilitate the exchange of skills and innovative techniques between academics and policymakers, tackling
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complex local issues in South Africa with innovative and transformative solutions.
The CoT and the CoJ face several pressing issues. These include being the metropolitan municipalities with the highest number of people living on the streets in the country; complex processes to find and provide dwellings for people; keeping the streets clean; a lack of transport mobility; and coping without landfills. The CoT’s Policy Development Support Committee plays a crucial role in transformative, evidence-informed policy development, and serves as the vetting body prior to policies being presented to the Mayoral Committee.
Through the Public Policy Hub, the cities will have access to the broader set of UP entities’ research and knowledge resources, and will undertake collaborative research to co-create requisite
solutions for the challenges identified. Research collaborations will be undertaken between academics and local officials in a true spirit of transdisciplinarity. Key intended outcomes will be an elevation of the quality and applicability of policy documents to improve innovation, user-centricity and operational efficiency within the cities. Existing and new policies can also be tested for their appropriateness, effectiveness and impact. Additionally, the processes will serve to strengthen the skills and knowledge of both academics, officials and participating students.
The partnerships align with and strongly support UP’s strategic intent, addressing community engagement, social responsibility and civic commitment, and using transdisciplinary and collaborative approaches for transformative societal impacts. Research scope and opportunities within UP are also enhanced, enriching the University’s research-intense nature and status.
In this symbiotic relationship, the journey has already gathered pace. A regular series of planned workshops is in place and has begun. The initiatives bode well for a brighter future for the people of Tshwane and Johannesburg.
Limited access to education and high unemployment among youth in South Africa are intimately connected challenges and collectively present some of the country’s most pressing issues. This is brought more sharply into focus in historically disadvantaged and township communities such as Mamelodi. While disillusioned youth with little hope for the future are a significant concern to the country’s success and its future, this pool of untapped talent also represents a profound opportunity for just, inclusive societal development. To contribute to addressing this complex set of challenges, the Mamelodi Business Hub was relaunched in 2022 and unveiled in 2023 as a collaboration with UNICEF South Africa and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Originally known as the Mamelodi Business Clinic, the entity was established in 2011 by the EMS Faculty’s Department of Business Management.
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Initially focused on embedding the department’s quality-driven community engagement, the hub, with its new business model, has been recast as a space and centre for township revival through entrepreneurial activity. The partnership covers the thematic areas of quality education, decent work and economic growth, and reducing inequalities. It utilises resources from the respective partners to bridge the skills gap in the community. An entrepreneurial spirit is fostered among youth and the chances of employability are increased.
The hub is also where young people and firsttime entrepreneurs can hold meetings and collaborate with various stakeholders. It plays a role in developing women’s leadership skills, and co-creating innovative products and services by connecting young entrepreneurs to UP’s interdisciplinary teams and strategic partners.
In future, the hub will extend its focus to merging the needs of the micro-business environment in Mamelodi with the skills of UP undergraduate and postgraduate students. This will likely create a base for collaborative international research and showcase a unique entrepreneurship enablement model that can be replicated in South Africa and across Africa in partnership with other universities.
The final report released by South Africa’s State Capture Commission (SCC) identified significant governance weaknesses in the public and private sectors, and bolstered South Africa’s fight against corruption. Globally and in South Africa, corruption is becoming more sophisticated, involving multiple role players in related institutions. To address this, a collaborative approach across government, private and academic sectors and civil society is needed.
A working guide published by the GIBS Centre for Business Ethics (CfBE) and Business Leadership
South Africa represents the first attempt to craft guidelines to assist the South African business sector to counter corruption and crime. As a widely reputable platform, the CfBE connects academia, business and society, both locally and internationally, enabling the co-creation of ethical
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solutions to challenging business problems.
Improving the ethical standing of South African business and building trust are key to securing a successful, sustainable future for South Africa.
The publication emerged from a series of discussions hosted by the CfBE and is a landmark collaboration involving a wide range of experts and leaders from the public and private sectors, along with those from academia and civil society. It presents a framework that seeks to counter the pervading sense that corruption is endemic and intractable, by mobilising the private sector to play a leading role and shape coherent action to reverse the trend, and combat the corruption threatening the country and its future.
The framework comprises six chapters, beginning with setting the context and establishing a compelling business case for an anti-corruption policy supported by dedicated anti-corruption programmes. Considerations from the SCC and the Steinhoff case are also addressed. Proposed guidelines for an anti-corruption policy have incorporated global leading practices, inputs from experts and the experiences of those affected by the large-scale corruption experienced over the
past decade. Thirty-eight central principles of anticorruption are grouped into eight categories:
• The tone from the top and the role of the board
• The adoption and publishing of an anticorruption policy
• The formation and structure of an anticorruption function
• The substance of the anti-corruption policy
• The role of regular risk assessments
• The role of whistleblowers
• The role of reparations
• Guidelines for ethical lobbying
The framework concludes with the imperative for collective action and notes on implementation. It is supported by a series of essays that provide rich context, and a strong narrative explanation of the implementation imperative and what’s at stake for South Africa.
As a truly collaborative effort, it is anticipated that the framework will enable companies to tackle the corruption in their midst, and contribute to accelerating a concerted effort by the corporate sector to cooperate in addressing the scourge holistically.
GIBS has been a member of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a UN-supported initiative, since 2009. It has also been one of the PRME Champions schools since 2018.
In recognition of its transformative efforts in business education, dedication to making a positive impact and for taking a proactive role in climate leadership, GIBS achieved a Level 4 Positive Impact Rating (PIR) at the PRME Global Forum event in June 2023. The PIR is a global initiative that evaluates business schools based on their contributions to addressing societal and environmental challenges. It differs from traditional ranking systems in that it does not apply a rank, but instead determines the level of performance achieved by the school based on a five-star rating scale.
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Level 4 represents four stars, with the highest rating being five stars. Additionally, the system differs from others in that it has been developed by students, for students.
The PIR assesses the actions of schools across six dimensions: governance, programmes, students, campus, community outreach and research. Sixtynine business schools from 25 countries across the world qualified for rating. The comprehensive evaluation provides prospective students and stakeholders with valuable insights into their positive impact potential.
The Level 4 rating demonstrates GIBS’s dedication to fostering positive change by integrating sustainability principles and ethical considerations into its core values, disciplines, curriculum and practices. The school features innovative teaching, impactful research and collaborative partnerships. Positive impact initiatives encompass a range of activities that extend beyond the classroom. In line with its strategic intent, the school continues to make significant strides in shaping responsible leaders who are change agents and well equipped to address complex global challenges for a more sustainable, inclusive future.
The life, our planet and technology cluster comprises the Faculties of Health Sciences, Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT), Natural and Agricultural Sciences (NAS), and Veterinary Science.
Students from the EBIT Faculty engage in curricular community engagement initiatives through the Joint Community Programme (JCP) module. This includes teaching and mentoring learners from underprivileged township and rural schools in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects for possible careers in engineering.
Recently, the JCP was extended to include a new flagship programme, the Tuks Robot School, where robotics, computer programming and sensor technology prepare and inspire learners for the future
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world of work. The programme was inspired by UP’s 10-year-old annual Robot Car Race, which saw many asking the University’s Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering (EECE) to initiate a similar experience for school learners.
The curriculum targets Grades 8 to 11 learners, and was designed around a low-cost robot platform, with several senior EECE students participating in the development of the platform and curriculum content. Participants are drawn from rural and remote townships such as Winterveld, Atteridgeville, Mamelodi, Hammanskraal and some schools in Pretoria North. They learn about robotics and are encouraged to believe that they too can be innovative. The initiative seeks to tap into a broader, unused pool of talent, with the broader aim of helping to develop South Africa to its full potential. This is particularly important,
considering that the country has only one engineer for every 3 100 people, while some developed countries have one for every 200 people.
UP has partnered with non-profit organisation Keep that Gold Shining, which works with schools in underprivileged communities, to introduce high school learners to the foundational principles of robotics and computing. Following the success of the Tuks Robot School, two additional programmes – the Tuks Drone School and Tuks Sensor School –have been realised. The programmes bring learners to UP over weekends and during school holidays to experience the campus, interact with students and ultimately discover a passion for technology.
In the context of the fourth industrial revolution, careers in information and communications technology and robotics improve life chances, and are essential to the development of South Africa.
2023
Sustainable Development Report University of Pretoria
The global construction industry contributes significantly to the emission of greenhouse gases, and its harmful impact on the environment is exacerbated by the high utilisation of natural resources and the production of substantial waste. Adopting a circular value chain for building material presents a compelling opportunity to reduce dependency on raw materials, reduce emissions and eliminate waste. In its fullest form, this entails fundamental shifts to understanding root causes and seeing waste as a source of value.
Traditionally, built environment education takes place within disciplinary silos, resulting in fragmented perspectives of complex topics such as circularity. Recognising the challenge, UP’s Departments of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Construction Economics embarked on a collaborative and innovative approach to built-environment education. Leveraging the Department of Architecture’s digital twin city initiative provides a collaborative data-driven
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platform to enable research, experimentation and teaching design at a strategic level. Through digital twinning, a virtual model of the urban fabric of a city is established along with resource flows of its physical workings based on monitoring, mapping and tracking information from digital sensors and communication technologies. This supports research and practice in circular construction and the reuse of building materials.
The collaboration initially focused on architecture and civil engineering students, using existing modules in architecture and civil engineering to inculcate a circularity and transdisciplinary mindset in students and researchers without disrupting the core pedagogy. Interest from other departments was soon evident, with quantity surveying students from the Department of Construction Economics voluntarily joining in to enrich the discourse. In this way, the approach evolved organically, with two-way flows of knowledge, ideas and methodologies across the different disciplines.
The approach has received international recognition for its synergistic impact, scalability and sustainability. In 2023, the collaboration received the Quanser Global Sustainability Award, which was established in 2022 to address global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste and pollution. The award was based on the submission ‘Transdisciplinary education for circularity in construction – leveraging building information modelling for material reuse’. By supporting the development of circular economies with effective systems and solution frameworks, the engineering community is encouraged to transform its practices to improve all elements of our global technological and economic ecosystems.
As a pilot initiative, the collaboration serves as an experiment to pave the way for further transdisciplinary collaboration across the University and beyond. A central principle was at the heart of its success – the emergence of informal collaborations evolving into structured transdisciplinary teams while safeguarding the development of core disciplinary competencies – and laid the foundation for the creation of transdisciplinary classrooms that can serve as catalysts for significant, far-reaching transformation.
The University of Pretoria’s innovative teaching and learning initiatives have been disrupting the norm for several years. A key example of this is immersive learning using virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) tools, which augment traditional learning in experiential education and contributes to shaping the future classroom.
The Department of Mining Engineering in the EBIT Faculty has been at the forefront of this disruptive technology for the past decade. In 2015, it established the Virtual Reality Centre for Mine Design with support from Kumba Iron Ore, a member of Anglo American plc. It also established a Research Chair in XR Technology in collaboration with UP’s Department of Information Science and with the support of Exxaro Resources Limited.
The Faculty of Health Sciences’ VR headsets and XR Toybox are incubators for immersive learning
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that introduce students and staff to a future where technology and innovation will be integral to the educational landscape. They are used in various disciplines such as diagnostic radiology, and help to create awareness of the different disciplines.
During the year, the University presented a collaborative exhibit at the 21st Sasol Techno X science, maths, engineering and technology exhibition for Grades 8 to 12 learners from marginalised communities. UP’s immersive learning exhibit combined demonstrations from the Department of Mining Engineering’s Virtual Reality Centre for Mine Design, the Faculty of Health Sciences’ XR Toybox, the Department of Architecture’s digital twin city, and the Information Hub of the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. UP’s exhibit received the Innovation Excellence Award, marking a significant milestone in navigating the journey of disruption.
Beyond the exhibition, collaborative, transdisciplinary and disruptive efforts in teaching and learning will continue to be a hallmark of the University’s approach. As UP continues to shape the future of education, its commitment to immersive learning is a shining example of innovation and progress in higher education.
The work of the Faculty of Health Sciences straddles SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 4 (Quality Education), both of which have strategic significance through their downstream influence on achieving the aspirations of the broader SDG framework. While the faculty has historically been a significant producer of research and new knowledge for UP, the high burden of health-related challenges in South Africa and Africa have necessitated a further step change in health sciences research and innovation.
Beginning in 2022, the faculty’s research committee (RESCOM) undertook a detailed exploration of systemic barriers and enablers to research productivity and transformation in collaboration with faculty structures and UP’s Department of Research and Innovation. Wide-ranging barriers to impactful research were identified: inadequate access to support for research methods; a need for improved grantsmanship; insufficient mentorship for emerging researchers; a lack of support for article processing charges; poor faculty-level support for conference attendance; few initiatives to promote the translation of research into policy and practice; inadequate student funding; and challenges to the wellness of postgraduate
students. Conversely, opportunities included support to strengthen scientific writing; dedicated staff to provide grant and scholarship support; and research activity coordination at faculty level.
This led to the establishment of the faculty’s Research Support Hub in 2023, the primary aim of which is to assist staff and students to achieve optimal research productivity and impact. Driven by the RESCOM, the hub provides support through a range of offerings that address the barriers identified and strengthen systemic enablement. These services are aligned with the work of UP’s Department of Research and Innovation, and serve as an extension, providing tailored support for health sciences research.
The services include:
• support for scientific and manuscript editing to meet publication standards;
• funding assistance for article processing charges;
• means-tested conference funding providing topups for small shortfalls to faculty students and staff;
• maximising research visibility and impact through the promotion of publications using various channels;
• research output tracking and reporting to help with applications for Department of Higher Education and Training subsidies;
• training and workshops on various aspects of research;
• biostatistical support for analyses in research processes;
• support to staff applying for NRF ratings through internal review and mentorship;
• an undergraduate research course to improve students’ research knowledge and skills in preparation for postgraduate research and the world of work; and
• grant reporting and information sharing for funded projects to funders, stakeholders and the broader community.
The hub’s work is undertaken by a team of five staff members, comprising a grant manager, a scientific editor, a research coordinator, a biostatistician and a postgraduate student advisor. The team is supported by research assistants and interns.
The Research Support Hub’s design and work are fully congruent with UP’s Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education Framework. To this end, and in collaboration with UP’s Department of Research and Innovation, the hub has co-designed facultyand university-level collaboration guidelines. It is envisaged that the hub could serve as a prototype for the development of similar structures in other faculties to enhance the University’s overall research productivity, quality and impact.
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Women make up 70% of the global health workforce and about 90% of healthcare practitioners who provide direct healthcare. At the same time, women account for less than 25% of the global health leadership. In contributing to address this stark inequality, the South African chapter of Women in Global Health has partnered with UP to advance the necessary conversations, leveraging UP’s role as an institution of higher learning and a space where the next generation of leaders can be groomed.
Through the partnering, Women in Global Health South Africa hosted an event in August 2023, in collaboration with UP’s Faculty of Health Sciences and the University’s Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute. The event was held at UP’s Future Africa Institute under the theme ‘Gender transformative leadership: We are ready’. The dialogue was scheduled to coincide with Women’s Month, which is commemorated annually in South Africa.
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Recognising that the challenge is not limited to the numbers of women in leadership roles, the conversations extended to the different levels and positions within the leadership hierarchy, the nature of leadership roles that women commonly occupy such as in human resources and finance, and discrepancies in pay parity between men and women. In addition to systemic barriers to the advancement of women in leadership roles – such as company culture, an absence of policies requiring equality and unsupportive management processes – the dialogue advocated for strengthening the agency of talented women and support for women by women. This includes bolstering their self-belief, encouraging them to own the leadership space and providing support such as CV preparation.
At an institutional level, UP has committed to taking steps to enable and strengthen greater representation of women in leadership roles. UP’s culture must be purposefully shaped for a more inclusive, supportive environment, buoyed by policies, management processes and appointment procedures that ensure that women are well represented at all leadership levels. Additionally, the University has begun developing and implementing a women’s leadership programme to prepare women for the leadership positions that they deserve.
For the past five years, the University has been partnering with Mapula Embroideries, a non-profit community project that has been operating since 1991, through its Department of Consumer and Food Sciences. The project seeks to empower women from the Winterveld community by assisting them to make use of their embroidery skills as a form of livelihood.
Initially, ready-made Mapula embroidery squares were given to students from the Consumer Science Clothing Retail Management degree programme to incorporate into clothing items. This was part of a module on product development, focusing on strengthening entrepreneurial, business and product development skills while being mindful of triple-bottom-line considerations and the UN’s SDGs. As the collaboration matured, students began developing visual step-by-step production
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guides to enhance the products produced by the Mapula women. They also offered training to Mapula community members to improve their sewing skills with appropriate quality assurance.
The partnership continued to grow, with students taking field trips to Winterveld and working alongside the artists and embroiders to customise designs for their clothing items. During the COVID-19 lockdown period, students gave the Mapula artists and embroiderers pattern pieces on which themes such as flowers, farm life and animals were noted. The Mapula ladies then interpreted the theme and produced a design, returning completed pattern pieces to the students. These were incorporated into clothing items produced by the students. Once lockdown restrictions were lifted, students facilitated workshops on the basic maintenance of sewing
machines and refreshed the basic sewing skills of community members. They were also taught to make mobile phone sling bags, beginning a shift towards the artists and embroiders producing additional products beyond the basic items, such as placemats and cushions, that they were already producing.
Over the past year, the pace of new product design and development has progressed dramatically. Students have introduced different fabrics to be embroidered on, and the suite of designs has been broadened to reach new South African and international markets. The initiative has also demonstrated socially responsible practices with the efficient use of natural resources.
The partnership has gone from strength to strength, with more than 120 students and 140 women from the Winterveld community benefitting from the collaboration. It continues to meet the aspirations and intentions of the Mapula project, develop capable students who are active citizens, and advance inclusive, sustainable development.
The Whale Unit at UP’s Mammal Research Institute (MRI) was established in 1985, and is a global education and conservation facility. It researches the ecology, population dynamics and behaviour of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in the southern African sub-region and surrounding oceans. The knowledge generated at the unit contributes to the conservation of the species, develops the capacity to enable conservation, and enables the design and execution of forward-looking programmes on conservation priorities for African cetaceans.
The unit collaborates with more than 30 organisations, nationally and internationally, and is the lead in various research consortia. It is actively involved in the work of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission, the intergovernmental body responsible for the
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management of whale populations, as well as the related Southern Ocean Research Partnership. The unit’s collaborative work focuses on the following, among others:
• The role of large whales in southern hemisphere ocean ecosystems, considering their abundance and trends, their feeding ecology and migratory behaviour, and the related impacts of climate change;
• The assessment of seasonal distribution and relative abundance of cetacean species in South African waters;
• Building marine mammal research capacity in Africa; and
• The application of science-based knowledge for the development of national and international conservation management plans.
The tagging of southern right whales for satellite tracking in October 2021, 2022 and 2023 was an important initiative. This was done in collaboration with the University of Washington, non-profit organisation Marine Ecology and Telemetry Research, the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Aarhus University, and Wildlife Computers. Funding for tags
and their deployment has been provided by the WWF Protecting Whales and Dolphins Initiative, the South African Polar Research Infrastructure, the Office for Naval Research, and private donors. Through the initiative, the migration and feeding behaviour of southern right whales is being investigated.
Recently, the MRI Whale Unit partnered with local retailer Pick n Pay for a ‘save the whales’ initiative to increase awareness of the unit’s work and for fundraising purposes. Photos and the names of the 11 southern right whales tagged in October 2023 were printed on reusable shopping bags. Customers could also learn more about the cause and access real-time tracking of the whales’ migration by scanning a QR code on the bag.
This transdisciplinary collaboration is particularly important in light of the drastic changes in the migration, reproduction and body condition of southern right whales observed over the past 10 years. These changes are likely explained by reduced prey availability in the Southern Ocean due to climate change. The knowledge acquired continues to play a significant role in advancing research, education and conservation in marine mammal ecology.
The Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development offers one of South Africa’s leading agricultural economics, rural development policy and agricultural extension programmes. Its main focus is on postgraduate education, with most students pursuing honours to doctoral-level qualifications. Most students are from disadvantaged South African communities or other African countries.
The department draws from an array of sciences: agricultural, economic, environmental, natural, social and development sciences. Using an integrated, ecosystem approach, sections within the department cover agricultural, environmental and resource economics, and drive knowledge transfer and contextspecific translation. Termed ‘extension’, the knowledge transfer process entails training extension officers, and mutual learning between academics, small-scale farmers and commercial agribusiness. The department also places dedicated focus on agriculture and rural development; this includes financial modelling, land reform, developing innovative approaches and attaining food security. Strengthening agricultural ecosystems and component practices serves to improve the lives and livelihoods of people, and address the scourges of poverty and inequality.
In addition to the many postgraduate programmes on offer, the department has been privileged to host the Collaborative Master’s in Agricultural and Applied Economics for the past 17 years in association with 17 partner universities. Through the programme, more than 1 600 students from Africa have been trained, and visiting lecturers from across Africa and the world have been hosted.
As a testament to the department’s impact, a delegation of 10 students and staff members participated in the 7th African Conference of Agricultural Economists and the 60th annual Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa Conference in September 2023, where they presented 14 papers and received several awards. The joint conference was hosted by the Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa and the African Association of Agricultural Economists. Awards received by team members included the Best Undergraduate Student and Best Master’s Dissertation Awards. Additionally, a UP alumnus was awarded the Best International Journal Award, and other alumni were elected into various leadership roles.
These achievements reflect the department’s commitment to excellence and to making a substantial contribution to growing the pool of skilled professionals who will further societal development in Africa.
Strengthening the participation of youth in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) space is well recognised as an enabler of development in South Africa. This is particularly relevant for those in disadvantaged rural communities who may not have had sufficient exposure, opportunities or mentorship. While they represent an untapped pool of talent, their circumstances often constrain their aspirations and ambitions.
In contributing to address the challenges, UP’s Future Africa Institute and the Faculty of Veterinary Science’s Department of Tropical Diseases and Hans Hoheisen Wildlife Research Station are collaborating to increase awareness of the health, veterinary and zoological sciences. The collaboration leverages UP’s Mnisi initiative,
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presented in the 2022 Sustainable Development Report, which entails the establishment of a transdisciplinary platform in the field. Among other things, the platform focuses on One Health, sustainable food systems and support to strengthen local veterinary systems.
A key aspect of the collaboration was participating in the Careers in Conservation Expo and Fun Day in the Acornhoek and Hluvukani areas near the Kruger National Park. The event was co-hosted by the Timbavati Foundation and Global Conservation Change, and supported by the local community, businesses and institutions. More than 780 learners from 13 schools attended the event, which benefitted both the high school learners and their teachers.
The UP delegation presented a keynote address, and provided eye-opening insights into veterinary and related sciences, their roles in rural communities, undergraduate and postgraduate study opportunities, and enrolment processes with various funding mechanisms that could be explored. Information on zoonoses and zoonotic diseases endemic to the region was provided, and teachers were furnished with educational material to support awareness and prevention in their schools.
The collaboration reinforces UP’s institutional commitment to deep community engagement that makes a difference, through working together with different stakeholders to achieve a prosperous and equitable society together.
The partnership between UP’s Faculty of Veterinary Science and the University of Utrecht (UU) in the Netherlands has been going strong for over 20 years. It is characterised by two-way learning between the institutions, and holds particular significance to both universities and their respective countries.
The Faculty of Veterinary Science is the only faculty of its kind in South Africa, and establishing collaborations with highly regarded international institutions serves to expand its knowledge and skills base. Similarly, UU hosts the only veterinary school in the Netherlands, and the scope of veterinary science within South Africa, particularly related to wildlife and tropical diseases, provides a unique contribution to their needs, and to the global knowledge and skills base in veterinary medicine.
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Through this mutually beneficial partnership, student exchanges enable both student bodies and institutions to broaden their capacity. For instance, during the year, a UP cohort of undergraduate students travelled to UU for training in food safety, and UU students were hosted reciprocally by UP for training in One Health. Experiencing different types and modes of training are relevant to their future as practitioners and academics in the field. Additionally, the partnership enjoys collaborative research projects, the co-supervision of Master’s and doctoral candidates, and visiting appointments and extraordinary lecturers, thereby fostering a culture of co-creating and sharing knowledge.
Recently, UP’s faculty hosted a high-level delegation from UU at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Science Campus. Recognising that in this globally connected world, diseases know no boundaries,
the visit explored strengthening ties and building on the partnership’s well-established foundation. Both institutions acknowledged the value of the relationship and reaffirmed their commitment by extending the memorandum of understanding on learning, education and research, which has been in place since 2000.
As the partnership goes from strength to strength, the institutions share the belief that, in the context of citizenship and sustainable development, animal care and disease control go beyond the lens of academic excellence. The partnership has resulted in meaningful contributions that protect both countries and enhance their development.
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Figure 12: Life, our planet and technology cluster graduates
The inclusive societies and capable institutions cluster comprises the Faculties of Education, Humanities, Law and Theology and Religion.
UP’s Faculty of Education was recently profiled as a leading example of transformative societal impact through higher education. This was at the Uni20 Conference for university leaders from the Group of Twenty (G20) countries, and hosted by Symbiosis International University in Pune, India. The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation, and plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues.
Under the conference theme, which focused on the transformative role of universities, the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor
Chika Sehoole, outlined the faculty’s holistic, integrated approach to addressing the global challenges of poverty, inequality, limited access to quality education, and unfavourable educational outcomes among vulnerable and disadvantaged populations.
Through the Pre-University Academy, the faculty broadens and facilitates physical access to UP by nurturing high school students academically. It also engages with young people in disadvantaged communities who meet entry requirements but do not have the financial means to attend the University. The academy partners with the government and the private sector to leverage
available and new funding mechanisms. Admission processes and integration into university life are supported to ensure that these potential students turn up for registration and land effectively. Examples of support provided include assisting with the application process, providing transport funding for arrival and registration, ensuring that accommodation is ready on arrival, and providing start-up support in the form of toiletries and food until government bursaries are paid out.
Epistemological access and university success are enabled through holistic, human-centred care for students, along with the requisite academic
support. By taking a holistic approach, the psychological, emotional, nutritional and financial well-being of students are looked after during their university journey. This is coupled with online and face-to-face academic support from tutors, peers and faculty support advisors, and access to appropriate technology.
Through its innovative approaches to broadening access for indigent students from disadvantaged backgrounds and supporting them through their studies, the Faculty of Education consistently exceeds enrolment targets, with about 42% of students being first-generation university entrants. The first cohort admitted in 2018 graduated with an 80% completion rate, in the minimum amount of time. They are now world-class teachers and active citizens with better life opportunities. They also advance the academic project and drive societal transformation, giving back to their communities of origin.
In the dynamic sphere of the Department of Humanities Education, the final Saturday of every month carries immense significance. Supervisors, academic staff, Master’s students and PhD candidates all come together for a transformative cohort session and a collective journey of collaboration, knowledge exchange and academic growth. These sessions have become instrumental in nurturing excellence within the department, and provide a platform for networking, idea exchange, and personal and professional development. They are an indispensable part of the department’s fabric and contribute to strengthening a faculty culture of collaboration and innovation.
The sessions are underpinned by collective excitement and anticipation, with participants all sharing a passion for humanities education. A sense of companionship and openness is cultivated
and strengthened, transforming the room into a haven of collaboration and intellectual curiosity.
Department lecturers take turns to present different aspects of proposal writing along with their experiences to eager participants. Candidates are inspired to push the boundaries beyond traditional education, and to fully realise their intellectual capabilities. Master’s degree students and PhD candidates also showcase progress in their creative projects. Captivating presentations spark discussions and facilitate fruitful exchanges, imbuing the room with vibrant intellectual energy.
To fuel academic growth and cultivate essential skills, the gatherings incorporate interactive sessions tailored to unique sections of humanities education. These delve into areas such as methodology and theory advancements in the fields, and participants acquire new tools and approaches to enhance their research and scholarship. The monthly gatherings extend far beyond structured sessions, offering opportunities for networking and collaboration in order to forge meaningful connections, not only with peers, but also with expert professionals in their fields of interest. Seeking guidance and advice from fellow scholars and mentors inspires new approaches and invigorates the outlooks of participants. In
the same spirit, every Friday afternoon, staff and national or international scholars present their work for an engaging dialogue.
Beyond the exhilaration and excitement associated with the gathering, a fundamental outcome is shaping an enabling culture that is underpinned by high levels of trust, and the nurturing of creativity. Hallmarks of this culture are collaboration, inclusion, knowledge sharing, academic growth and the pursuit of excellence. These are all consistent with the desired institutional culture and subsidiary faculty culture, which serve as prerequisites to students and staff reaching their full potential.
The Department of Library Services (DLS) is committed to student success and wellness, and one of the ways in which it supports this is through fostering a culture of reading among readers of all ages. Reading for both leisure and study are important contributors to improved academic performance and general well-being. To this end, the department collaborates with numerous UP entities and external parties across the educational ecosystem, from early childhood development through higher education and lifelong learning.
At community level, initiatives focus on reading for children and the broader community. For example, in September 2023, the DLS co-hosted a workshop with UP’s Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Nal’ibali, a national reading-for-enjoyment campaign that seeks to spark children’s potential through storytelling and
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reading. The workshop focused on creating ageappropriate stories. Other outreach initiatives included a read-aloud event at Carousel Kids Day Care in Hammanskraal, and participating in the formal opening of the STEM Sensory Garden in Mamelodi, a collaborative project that aims to enhance physical and cognitive health. The DLS has also participated in a number of book donation drives; this included a collaboration with the National Reading Coalition.
Bridging the divide between the community and the University, Mamelodi Campus has a reading corner and hosts literary events targeting high school learners in UP’s Pre-University Academy and students on the Extended Curriculum Programme. Other campus initiatives for students and staff cover a range of activities, including book reviews, the establishment of reading-conducive book nooks in UP’s various libraries, book clubs and reading events. Book reviews are created by students and staff, and highlight the rich collection of books available at the University’s libraries. These are published monthly and distributed across various social media platforms, engaging thousands of people and providing a valuable resource for book
enthusiasts. Poetry events such as the Let Us Love Poetry Together and The First Book Club have further enhanced a reading culture.
All these initiatives create a sense of community and encourage interaction, which strengthens the University’s fabric and community outreach. Instilling a culture of reading with and through educators fosters literacy and creates lifelong readers who, in turn, will inspire the next generation at the University and within the broader community.
A UP research collaboration with Great Zimbabwe University, the University of Cambridge and Denmark’s Aarhus University has revealed how Great Zimbabwe, the largest city in Southern Africa during the Middle Ages, stored water in dhaka pits to overcome severe water scarcity and drought. Existing more than three centuries ago, the community of Great Zimbabwe maintained a stable water supply in a region that is presently water scarce and historically known for periodic droughts. These lessons are important in the context of declining water security, currently one of the most significant global challenges for human subsistence and environmental health.
Using remote-sensing methods such as LiDAR (light detection and ranging) mapping, several large surface depressions, known to local inhabitants as dhaka pits, were probed. The LiDAR technology also enabled the identification of pits that were not readily visible. Initially
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thought to be excavations for clay to build houses, the study reveals that the pits were also strategically placed along streams and rills draining the Great Zimbabwe granite landscape, enabling the collection and retention of both surface water run-off and groundwater seepage from the weathered granite bedrock. The placing of dhaka pits enabled the optimisation of supply-anddemand dynamics.
With an estimated capacity of 18 000 cubic metres of water, the dhaka pits functioned as a creative system that secured a stable water supply beyond the rainy season and during periods of prolonged aridity. This climate-smart system of collecting, storing and managing water sustained a population of between 10 000 and 18 000 residents before the city was abandoned in the 18th century.
By leveraging this new knowledge, it is anticipated that exploring similar structures in other areas could reveal how other medieval communities managed and conserved their water resources.
History and language enthusiasts from various universities recently gathered on Hatfield Campus to celebrate the Ancestral Voices Project – a treasure trove of indigenous manuscripts describing various South African histories, traditions and ways of life. The project is a collaborative undertaking by the Special Collections Unit in UP’s Department of Library Services; South African Heritage Publishers; the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in Limpopo; the South African National Lexicography Units; and the South African High Commission to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. It involves transcribing and translating more than 800 manuscripts of the Van Warmelo collection, a large compilation of indigenous histories, traditions and culture.
The Van Warmelo collection was donated to UP’s library in 1989, yet remains a little-known collection, which has only been accessible to researchers who are fluent in the languages represented in the collection. Through the translation work being done by South African Heritage Publishers, traditional information preserved in this collection is now being uncovered, showcased and made more widely accessible.
Beyond this, the project seeks to trace descendants of the 186 authors to establish their professions, backgrounds and places of burial to preserve their biographies for future generations. Some of the authors will be recommended to the Presidency for acknowledgement and National Orders for their work in preserving the language and heritage of their people.
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The significance of the collection is profound, as recorded South African history is overwhelmingly white and colonialist. This collection goes some way to correcting the imbalance. In this context, the long-term project aims to strengthen and preserve South Africa’s official indigenous languages and cultures by making local histories known, understood and appreciated. Among other things, this is being done through translating the indigenous language writings into current orthography. Texts will then be translated into English to make the information accessible to people who have various mother tongues. The content will be published to allow for its use in language, social and history studies, with the broad aim of contributing to a more multilingual, culturally aware society.
The Centre for Child Law is situated within UP’s Faculty of Law, and is acknowledged as a beacon of dedication and excellence. Established in 1998, 2023 marked the 25th anniversary of its commitment to making children’s rights a reality.
The centre contributes to the establishment and protection of children’s rights through strategic impact litigation, participation in legislative and policy reform, advocacy, research, capacity building of relevant stakeholders, and contributing to the body of knowledge on child law. As the only children’s rights strategic impact litigation organisation in South Africa, the centre has contributed to the development of child law through law reform, case law, policy development and influencing public discourse through the use of constitutional, regional and international legal frameworks for effective public interest litigation.
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Strategic impact litigation entails selecting and taking cases to court that have the potential to bring about broad legal and social changes. The aim is to effect legislative and policy reforms that drive broad changes in society and have long-term benefits for all children. For example, in 2023 the centre served as an amicus curiae (friend of the court) in successfully challenging the constitutionality of section 40 of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005, dealing with children born as a result of artificial insemination. In this case, the court ordered the inclusion of the words “or permanent life partner” and “permanent life partners” after the word “spouse” or “husband” to address unjustifiable parental discrimination on the basis of marital status and sexual orientation. In another case decided in 2023, the centre acted successfully as the applicant in challenging the constitutionality of section 4 of the Mediation in Certain Divorce Matters Act 24 of 1987.
The case dealt with access to justice for children, with the order entitling children of unmarried parents to enlist the services of a family advocate in matters that affect them without prior court intervention.
In reflecting on the centre over the past 25 years, it is clear that the journey has been extraordinary. Through the work of its dedicated team, it has become a force that has contributed to just, inclusive development.
UP’s Faculty of Law (UP Law) hosted a groundbreaking event on 4 October 2023 that brought together prominent women in the legal field to discuss the theme ‘Women in law: Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.’ This forum was an inspirational gathering that explored the challenges and triumphs of women in the legal profession.
The dialogue posed critical questions that highlighted the scarcity of female presidents and the limited representation of women in significant leadership positions. The imperative of women being represented in leadership and executive roles because of their capabilities, and the unique talents and qualities they bring to all spaces they occupy was affirmed.
A series of panel discussions addressed career paths for UP alumni; advancing in the corporate world; the importance of networking and mentorship for women in law; and UP Law women in leadership. Women students played a key role in moderating conversations, as they intentionally assumed the leadership mantle. Panellists shared their stories, personal experiences and insights in addressing the challenges, opportunities, ideas for action, and strategies for success across the different dimensions of women’s career progress and their representation as leaders.
The conversation emphasised the need for personal agency underpinned by self-belief and self-assurance, with women recognising their ability to assume leadership roles
based on merit. This also entailed taking appropriate risks to advance career goals in the field of law. Beyond personal effort, enabling institutional policies coupled with development programmes need to be conducive to, and advance women’s career progress. Considerations in the policy environment must include addressing challenges that are unique to women, the gender equality imperative and the concept of the glass ceiling. The transformative power of networking and mentorship was showcased, offering practical advice for both mentors and mentees, and highlighting the pivotal role that educational institutions can play in advancing mentorship initiatives.
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Through the event and as a space for critical conversations, UP Law’s Women in Law Forum provided valuable insight, advice and inspiration for women pursuing careers in the legal field. It is anticipated that the lessons be applied to women in other professions. These discussions will undoubtedly empower women to break barriers and continue making strides in their chosen professions.
UP hosted the US-based Society of Biblical Literature’s (SBL) annual international meeting on Hatfield Campus, attracting 320 delegates from 43 countries. The meeting was organised as a collaboration between the Faculty of Theology and Religion, and the Faculty of Humanities.
Founded in 1880, the SBL is the world’s oldest and largest learned society devoted to critical investigation of the Bible from a variety of academic disciplines. This international organisation advances the academic study of biblical texts, their contexts and the interpretation of the Bible with its various traditions and contexts. The SBL also promotes comparative studies that focus on other culturally central and religious texts.
The 320 delegates included biblical scholars, officials from the SBL organisation as well as book exhibitors representing different national and international publishing houses. A common intent of participants was to gain more insight into and debate their respective interpretations of ancient religious texts. These interpretations are based on long traditions, but are also informed by the context in which all of them are grounded, creating
the opportunity for two-way learning on different interpretations of ancient religious texts.
Hosting the gathering in Africa was an opportunity for international visitors to look more closely at South African and African scholars’ contributions to biblical knowledge. This will help to expand the growing body of biblical scholarship being generated on the continent.
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In November 2023, the Oxford (UP) Centre for Religion, Public Life and Security in Africa launched its first Inter-Religious Week. The centre explores the impact of religion in all areas of society, particularly in public life and security, and develops leaders who engage with public life issues from a theological perspective.
Themed ‘Unity through diversity’, the week focused on inter-religious dialogue as a means to promote social cohesion. Students, staff members and stakeholders were invited to join in the discourse, undertake critical engagement around their own religious practices and traditions, and engage with religions other than their own.
One important conversation addressed the role and significance of women in inter-religious dialogue. Bearing in mind the struggles they face in religious
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communities, their impact and triumphs over adversity are even more profound. It was agreed that women have a particular ability to engage in inter-religious dialogue.
In considering another dimension of faith through diversity, the idea of art as a tool for inter-religious dialogue was explored. Different perspectives on art and faith were presented during this dialogue hosted by the Javett Art Centre at UP, including the importance of art in the religious experience, interpreting the art of South African first peoples and a Hindu perspective on art. The Master of Divinity class also presented their reflections on art, religious tradition and the importance of building a united South Africa.
With representatives from Hindu, African Traditional, Catholic and Jewish faiths, a safe space was created for people from many different cultures, backgrounds and traditions to engage and learn about different faiths in an open and organic way. This facilitated the development of relationships and friendships, broke down stereotypes and misconceptions, and offered more focus on the similarities that make us human.
Figure 14: Inclusive societies and capable institutions cluster graduates
Figure 15: Inclusive societies and capable institutions cluster research outputs
A prevalent theme that runs through UP’s strategy and this report is the University’s institutional intent to address societal challenges; in doing so, we need to navigate complexity. Our intention is to address the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment as articulated in the South African National Development Plan; it is implicit to the aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063; and is evident in the linkages and dependencies across the SDGs. Within this context, the University recognises that transdisciplinary work – involving different disciplines and collaborations across academic and other societal sectors – is significant in addressing the grand challenges facing humanity.
At UP, we see transdisciplinarity as part of a spectrum that includes mono-, multi- and inter-disciplinary work. All forms of disciplinarity have a place, because they create and apply knowledge in different ways and at different levels of complexity. While the use and application of each mode is context specific, they are all interdependent.
Previous reports described our transdisciplinary platforms in detail. These represent the sharp end of transdisciplinarity at UP, and have either evolved organically or have been established intentionally by design. Both approaches to developing these transdisciplinary entities have contributed to furthering the institutional understanding of transdisciplinary in practice.
In seeking to advance a transdisciplinary agenda, during the year, the process of mainstreaming transdisciplinary practices beyond the platforms was accelerated. The process seeks to further embed transdisciplinarity into faculties and disciplines, with its application across teaching and learning, so that it is not limited to research. Given that different
faculties and departments are at various stages in their transdisciplinary maturation journey and have different nuances in its application, our approach is to establish institutional consistency, while creating sufficient space for context-specific translation at faculty and departmental levels.
Because transdisciplinarity is collaborative by nature, the process underway involves ensuring a structured approach for consistency while enabling inclusivity. This is reflected in each of the work dimensions of the initiative: leadership and governance; understanding our current realities and establishing a shared understanding; and building capability and shaping an enabling culture.
In order to set a course and demonstrate leadership commitment, a steering committee that provides guidance and oversight was established. The committee comprises faculty deans and directors of the transdisciplinary platforms. It is chaired on an annual
Development Report University of Pretoria
rotational basis by either the Vice-Principal: Academic or Vice Principal: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education.
The steering committee is supported by a task team that carries out implementation; the team’s work is focused on strengthening the understanding of the current status of transdisciplinarity at UP, deepening institutional engagement and initiating the design of an enabling culture. It is envisaged that this work is time-bound, and after its conclusion in 2024, the team will be discontinued. Thereafter, issue-specific task teams will be established as required.
In the latter part of 2023, the task team designed and carried out an institutional survey of teaching, learning and research at UP. All academics were invited to participate. The survey sought to determine the levels of awareness, understanding and valuing of transdisciplinarity at the University. Additionally, challenges to carrying out transdisciplinary work as well as opportunities that could be exploited were explored.
In analysing and synthesising the findings, it was clear that the challenges experienced were consistent across research, teaching and learning. The challenges and key insights were categorised into different levels of complexity, and are shown in Table 3.
Sectoral
• Progressive decline in funding availability
• Criteria for rating and individual assessment at odds with a transdisciplinary agenda
Institutional
• Constraints to funding availability
• Consistent approach to funding allocation needed – transparency
• Rigidity and limited discretion to allocation of funds
• Rigidity and limited ability for shared funding accountability across faculties/ departments
• Bureaucratic organisational processes not limited to financial processes, making it difficult to advance a transdisciplinary agenda
• Challenges to an integrated approach are multifaceted – silos, diverse disciplinary perspectives, different knowledge forms and methodologies, varied curriculum design and different ways of learning
• Sectoral challenges are beyond our immediate span of control
• Can they be influenced or circumvented?
• Challenges at faculty level are often an extension of those at institutional levels.
• There are many faces to funding challenges, requiring a multifaceted approach.
• Key considerations would be to diversify funding sources, use big ideas to attract new funding, establish a dedicated transdisciplinary fund, and competitive yet transparent access to resourcing transdisciplinary initiatives.
• To advance a transdisciplinary agenda, the entire “system” will need to be addressed – people, processes and infrastructure (hard and soft) – turning challenges into opportunities. Faculty
Individual
• Work burden and time constraints
• Understanding, skills and experience
• Does not enable career progression
• Significant interest and appetite for transdisciplinarity
• Bureaucratic administrative processes prevent flexibility and agility, and present powerful barriers to innovation.
• Participants overwhelmingly want to advance a transdisciplinary agenda, and are calling for support and adequate resourcing.
• Resources are constrained, so innovation needs to be embraced to create more value from less.
Based on the findings, a set of recommendations were developed to address people development, process optimisation and an enabling infrastructure that considers both hard infrastructure (labs and physical spaces) and soft infrastructure (digital technology). The survey findings and analysis were presented at an open workshop in early 2024, where they were well received.
Building capability in transdisciplinarity is being led by UP’s Future Africa platform. The platform is part of a global Transdisciplinary Collaboratory with Stanford University in the US, and is also working with the International Science Council’s Centre for Sustainable Futures. With the Transdisciplinary Collaboratory, the Future Africa Institute is collaborating on the development, testing and enhancement of a transdisciplinary toolkit, and has scheduled train-thetrainer workshops for UP academics and managers in 2024. A range of webinars and transdisciplinary dialogues in collaboration with the International Science Council are planned for 2024.
Effectively embedding transdisciplinarity into UP requires the development of an enabling culture. A workshop to design a culture that enables transdisciplinarity work will be conducted in 2024; this will be in line with the institutional culture work described in the section ‘Our strategic intent’. A purpose-built toolkit to evaluate and strengthen the desired culture will also be developed.
UP has been on a transdisciplinary journey for more than a decade, and has demonstrated significant progress along the way. In continuing that journey, a process to accelerate embedding transdisciplinary approaches across the institution is well underway. There is a clearly evident groundswell of enthusiasm and commitment across the institutional hierarchy. We will continue to leverage this enthusiasm and reinforce it by increasing institutional and individual capacity in transdisciplinary work, along with shaping an enabling culture that supports fit-for-purpose transdisciplinarity.
The Africa Global University Partnerships (AGUP) strategic initiative focuses on partnering with high-profile universities around the world to strengthen UP’s profile and enhance institutional impact. Good progress was sustained in 2023, and as the initiative continued to mature, the International Strategic Partnerships Office began shifting towards a role that involved facilitating, connecting and convening institutional and faculty collaborations.
In this implementation phase, the focus has been on deepening and strengthening existing partnerships and nurturing new ones. Additionally, the initiative played a key role in the Future Africa Institute hosting its first in-person Africa Week in May 2023. The initiative was in partnership with the national Department of Science and Innovation and the National Research Foundation. The event convened multiple international partners and included highlevel conversations titled ‘Networking the networks’ and ‘Collaboration and partnerships for impact’.
North America
Europe
• Fordham University
• Cornell University
• New York University
• Michigan State University
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• University of Nottingham
• King’s College London
• University of Bristol
• University of York
• University of Leeds
• University of Montpellier
• Wageningen University & Research
Australia
• Curtin University
• University of Western Australia
Beyond the AGUP-related set of partnerships, UP continued to strengthen its global footprint of collaboration with universities and institutions at faculty and departmental levels. Figure 16 shows the global distribution of our 217 active international partners in 2023. Partners are made up of universities or entities in the higher education sector with whom we share memoranda of intent, institutional agreements or faculty agreements.
In addition to collaborating with individual universities, UP continued to work actively in a wide range of regional and international networks. These include the Worldwide Universities Network, the African Research Universities Alliance, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Australia-Africa Universities Network, the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture, the Alliance for African Partnerships –Michigan State University, and the University Social Responsibility Network. UP is also a founding member of the recently formed Knowledge Equity Network.
16: UP’s active international partners (2023)
In this report, our primary focus is on how UP takes a holistic, integrated approach to sustainable development. At the same time, we have demonstrated broad coverage of the SDGs in our work towards operational sustainability and in driving sustainable development through our core functions. Our broad coverage is validated by the research outputs per SDG over time, as presented in the following figures.
6: Clean Water and Sanitation
7: Affordable and Clean Energy
8: Decent Work and Economic Development
SDG 14: Life Below Water
SDG 15: Life on Land
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Beyond comprehensive coverage, our research productivity across the SDGs has been stable. UP will continue working towards increasing the relevance of its research so that its impact is felt in the lives of people in South Africa, Africa and the world.
The ways in which we measure success and impact, and the basket of metrics we measure ourselves against in assessing our societal impact have significant limitations. At best, indicators such as research outputs and productivity, the quality of the journals we publish in and the number of citations we register describe our impact within a closed academic ecosystem. In this context, they should be a means to an end, not an end in themselves. In isolation, they are weak surrogates for the impact we should be demonstrating at macro-societal levels, such as addressing poverty and inequality, and those at micro-societal levels, where we enhance the lives of people and the communities that they live in.
Similarly, while the various ranking systems have imperfections, they do provide an assessment of progress over time. In this context, our performances in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings have demonstrated clear progress from an external viewpoint as we continue our sustainability journey.
Table 5: Performance in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
In the 2024 Impact Rankings, UP ranked in the top 100 for six SDGs.
Table 6: SDG performance in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
• Chicksen, B., Cole, M., Broadhurst, J., Meyer, H., Hoffman, A. & Viljoen, D. (2018): ‘Embedding the Sustainable Development Goals into Business Strategy and Action’, MtM & MilA Working Paper 1, University of Cape Town. Cape Town.
• Reason, J. T. (1997): Managing the Risk of Organizational Accidents. 1st edition. Ashgate Publishing. Farnham.
The UP 2023 Sustainable Development Report reflects the work, talents and dedication of UP’s academic, professional service, administrative staff and students who collectively make up the UP community. In the absence of their efforts and demonstrated excellence, this report would not have been possible.
We acknowledge the UP Executive Team for its authentic commitment to sustainable development and for embedding it into the University’s strategy and culture. We are also grateful for the support provided in preparing the report.
Brian Chicksen, Executive Office, University of Pretoria
CONTACT: brian.chicksen@up.ac.za
Sithembinkosi Tlale, Department of Institutional Advancement, University of Pretoria
CONTACT: thembi.tlale@up.ac.za
Design and layout: Janine Smit Editorial Services
CONTACT: janine@jses.co.za
University of Pretoria
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University of Pretoria 2023
Sustainable Development Report
