by Lameez Omarjee | Jun 4, 2014 | News
GASSING UP?: The Richard Ward building known for housing chemical and metallurgical engineering students will now be the home for petroleum, oil and gas engineering students. Photo: Lameez Omarjee
By Lameez Omarjee and Tracey Ruff
In an effort to help improve and retain the level of specialised skills in the country, Wits University is introducing petroleum, oil and gas engineering as a third-year specialisation option for chemical engineering students from the beginning of next year.
This programme will be the first of its kind in South Africa and is aimed at meeting the needs of a growing demand for expertise in the hydrocarbon (petroleum and gas) industry.
Unfortunately, exorbitant costs of bringing in experts from abroad to work in the local industry, especially in maintenance for ageing refineries.
“The government brings expertise from overseas which (sic) they pay heavily, because we don’t have the skills in the country,” explained Professor Sunny Iyuke, head of school of chemical and metallurgical engineering at Wits.
According to Iyuke, there is a “big gap” in South Africa with “the skills to maintain the refineries” being largely absent. He believes South Africa has a “smart youth, which can be trained to attain these skills”.
Iyuke explained to Wits Vuvuzela that this is not a new degree as such but rather a specialisation at the third year level.
Reducing the gap
Wits currently offers a Master of Sciences (MSc) degree with a specialisation in petroleum and gas engineering. The new specialisation option though will be made available to third year BSc students.
According to Iyuke, “It is better that [students] have a background knowledge at undergraduate level [and] that is why we [Wits] are introducing this [programme] for our graduates to have that basis and background of petroleum engineering”.
With this initiative, Iyuke believes “our own people will develop others,” instead of losing money by paying overseas experts.
Students responses
Wits students have responded positively to the plans for the undergraduate specialiation.
Neo Khesa, 4th year chemical engineering said, “introducing petroleum and gas engineering is great because naturally it helps the country as it makes it cheaper to source skills from within the country.”
“I want to go into the petroleum industry and I would have opted to do this course from second year if I had the option. It was the main reason I did chemical engineering in the first place,” added Khesa.
Fortune Mngomezulu, 1st year chemical engineering, is keen on going into this industry because “there’s a lot of money involved”.
However, some students expressed their reservations about the idea, with Mohammed Sayanvala, 4th year chemical engineering saying, “I would prefer that South African students join the rest of the world in innovating with cleaner technology … We invite big companies from other countries to take advantage of our resources and none of it comes back to Africa. We need innovative, cleaner, greener and freer technology and courses to be introduced”.
Phutheo Magada, 3rd year chemical engineering, was concerned about whether there would be jobs available in the field. But Iyuke reassured him, “It [the petroleum] is a huge industry, if you don’t have a job here, you can always get one somewhere else, like Mozambique.”
Desmond Fiawoyife, doctoral student in metallurgical engineering, believes that introducing the option at undergraduate level is a good idea. “It’s a nice programme, because when you look at Africa, we have a lot of oil that has been discovered, especially in West Africa. We need to train Africans to solve African problems, because we will better understand them. We have a new dawn now. The days of getting expertise from abroad are over.”
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by Lameez Omarjee | May 14, 2014 | Opinion
The latest installation of The Science Inside radio show looks at failed toilets and water service delivery. In this show we get into why services fail, how water infrastructure works and how it’s purified, and why a little chlorine won’t kill you.
Also: Stories of Alexandra Township’s rat problem have been a staple of community media and The Daily Sun for years. We went to see the animals, check out the extent of the infestation and get a biological perspective on why we can’t control them.
Listen to the full podcast here
by Lameez Omarjee | May 13, 2014 | Opinion
ANTI-SOCIAL?: Recent anti-social media campaigns have criticised ‘Generation Y’ of being out of touch with the world. Photo: Lameez Omarjee
Hi, my name is Lameez and I am addicted to social media.
They say the first step to recovery is admission. Only, I am not in denial and I have no plans to recover.
I think Mark Zuckerberg is gangsta and the only regret I have is not dropping out of school to start a multi-billion dollar company by the age of 23, myself. If this journalism thing does not work out, I am asking Mark for a job, to finally put my other degree to good use.
Anti-social media campaigns have ironically gone viral. I have watched the videos. I recognise myself, looking at the screens and not “being in touch” with the world.
But these anti-social initiatives are not the most objective videos telling only one side of a story which on its own sounds ominous for future generations.
The video where the man misses the chance to meet the love of his life because he is too busy looking down at his screen and subsequently misses the feeling of holding his grandson in his arms, thirty years later is so overly dramatic! I can Google tons of people who found love on the internet, they are all on Craigslist.
People say social media makes you anti-social. What the “deuce?” (I learnt that from reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s, Sherlock Holmes, so, contrary to popular belief, I do actually read).
Sure, I hate it when my dad does not hear what I am saying because he is too busy playing Candy Crush on his iPad, but have you ever played Candy Crush? Have you watched a vine? Do you know what YouTube can teach you?
I use Google and Wikipedia to expand my general knowledge and using that knowledge I contribute to an international community of bloggers where I get to exchange ideas with talented writers and learn to improve my own work.
“Each day the number of avenues for you to express yourself creatively on the web are growing.”
”
I am more in touch with the world because of social media.
As an introvert, social media has given me opportunities to voice my opinions appropriately assertively, on platforms where people with differing values and perceptions can engage with me.
I know the closest relationship I have is with my smartphone. But at least he does not hang out in other people’s pockets. And when he gets boring I can always replace him with a better model.
by Lameez Omarjee | May 9, 2014 | Featured 1
LET’S FLY AWAY: Rosina Mabapa informs students about the upcoming internship opportunities abroad.
Photo: Lameez Omarjee
Experience other cultures and travel the world. You never know. You could discover things about yourself that will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life. Like that you might be bossy.
This was the experience of the president of an international organisation that recently started operating at Wits. AISEC, a French acronym for the International Association of Students in Economic and Commercial Sciences, is an organisation that aims to teach students how to improve their lives.
Breaking cultural barriers
Onthatile Nataboge, 4th year BEd and president of AISEC Wits, travelled to Ghana last year. “It was a different kind of experience. It was the first time I got onto a flight and the first time I got a stamp on my passport.” She described the trip as a “culture shock”.
Nataboge worked as a manager on an HIV awareness project along with interns from Brazil, Nigeria, Ghana, Portugal and Botswana. “I would do it again. [You] get out of your comfort zone when you get out of South Africa.”
Nataboge describes her exchange experience positively. “You learn about yourself through other people’s eyes … apparently I was bossy.”
In AISEC, students are given opportunities to lead teams and make a difference in the world through global community service, according to Anuschka Wischnewski. Wischnewski is a 3rd year LLB student who manages outgoing exchanges from Wits.
[pullquote]“Going abroad is a good way to be able to take yourself outside the way the country describes you”[/pullquote]
AISEC provides a platform for students to gain leadership experience where students are recruited to work on various projects according to Thebe Ramanna, 4th year BSc Honours and vice president of target management.
Personal growth
According to Ramanna, there are also global internship opportunities available where students work for a company and earn a salary that covers their costs.
“Going abroad is a good way to be able to take yourself outside the way the country describes you,” said Ramanna. “In South Africa, I am a black woman, with certain disadvantages because of my background, and there is a certain path I have to travel.”
The many leadership positions available emphasise the organisation’s goal to “create global leaders” said Rosina Mabapa, 3rd year BA student and vice president of media and communications.
Mabapa, who has not travelled abroad yet, plans to go to India with AISEC later this year. Commenting on her leadership position, Mabapa said, “[I] have more confidence, more cultural understanding of other countries and [I have learnt] how to become a global leader.”
Students also break cultural stereotypes by engaging with people from different countries, organisers said.
Funding for travel is a challenge that most students have to overcome. Wischnewski said exchange and internship programmes are advertised early in the year for students to save enough money to participate in projects at the end of the year.
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by Lameez Omarjee | May 6, 2014 | News
SHARING IS CARING: Students engaging with NGO groups and learning about the different outreach projects at the NGO fair held today. Photo: Lameez Omarjee
Students at Wits University reacted ambivalently to the idea of volunteerism as they passed the many tables of non-government organisations (NGOs), on the library lawns today. The NGO fair staged by the Wits Citizenship Community Outreach (WCCO) was part of a drive to recruit more volunteers and create awareness of the 50 projects represented.
But attracting students as volunteers as easier said than done, according to Thoriso Moseneke, assistant manager at the WCCO. “We have a Facebook and Twitter page to engage with students, but they don’t engage with us,” said Moseneke.
Lack of a volunteer spirit?
Sydney Masilele, 1st year BEd, said, “Volunteering in first year is burdensome, because you’re a first year, you’re still trying to adapt to this new environment. Volunteering adds to the stacks of work you have to do, it adds to pressure. Until I know how to tackle school work and academics, then I’ll be open to volunteering.”
“I like volunteering, I used to do it in high school. I stopped because when you write volunteering on your CV, potential employers will think you are wasting your time, it looks like you have time to waste on volunteering,” believes Mary-Joy Dikgale, 1st year BEd.
“We felt that volunteerism gives people a choice and we felt we needed to instill more of a responsibility in students to do more for their community”
Mkuhul Nhlapo, 1st year Civil Engineering, echoes Masilele’s and Dikgale’s sentiments. “Firstly, I didn’t know about the program. With the hard work I have I won’t be able to dedicate time off to things that won’t benefit me. I have so much to do, I can’t put that off to help someone.”
To address the negative perceptions of volunteering, the WCCO, formerly known as the Wits Volunteers Program (WVP), changed its name at the beginning of this year to move away from the “charity model” and develop a more citizenship-centred approach.
“We felt that volunteerism gives people a choice and we felt we needed to instill more of a responsibility in students to do more for their community,” said Karuna Singh, manager of WCCO.
Breaking perceptions
WCCO wants to break the perception that volunteering only involves helping poor people and aims to get students involved in helping the Wits community and their communities at home, according to Moseneke. People have different perceptions of giving and think it only involves money, added Yolanda Kupa, 3rd year BSc Chemical engineering and volunteer.
“People want to make a difference but are not patient in seeing it through, especially in long term projects,” said Zukiswa White, 3rd year BA Law and volunteer for tutoring project ASSIST. She says people get discouraged easily when they cannot see the difference they are making. People have an attitude that volunteering is a “favour” and not a citizen “responsibility”. “Social justice and community work is not just charity or something to put on your CV,” she said.
Other students have had positive experiences with the volunteering programs in which they are involved. “Volunteering has enriched my life and given me a social conscience. It has shown me my immense privilege,” said Bandile Ngidi, representative of Young Economists for Africa and Masters in Economics student.
Rukudzo Pamacheche, who tutors accounting, turned down a paid tutoring job to volunteer instead, saying that she is glad she can “deliver some knowledge in a different way students can understand”.
NGOs present at the fair included various tutoring programs, animal-aid, children’s homes and the Diary of Esther project, which collects sanitary towels and toiletries for girls.
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by Lameez Omarjee | May 6, 2014 | News
If this storify does not load automatically, please click here.
https://storify.com/WitsVuvuzela/no-international-support-for-missing-nigerian-scho
by Lameez Omarjee | Apr 30, 2014 | News
HEAVY THOUGHTS: The Wits Transformation Office held a round table discussion on race which stirred up a heated debate amongst the audience.
Photo: Lameez Omarjee
By Robyn Kirk and Lameez Omarjee
Race continues to be an issue in South Africa, even in the apparently transformed halls of higher education.
This was the predominant view of the audience at the Wits Transformation Office roundtable discussion on campus earlier today. The discussion looked at the relevance of race in the 20 year old democracy of South Africa but focused on the issue of transformation in higher education.
The Wits Transformation Office maintains that Wits University has transformed in terms of both race and gender over the last 20 years. But speakers at the discussion felt otherwise.
Athi-Nangamso Nkopo, a Master’s student in Political Science and founder of the Feminist Forum said that “although Wits University has improved in the racial representation of students enrolled, not enough systems are in place to ensure non-white students succeed and graduate. She argued that “in higher education, not enough is being done for women to advance,” and added that the improvements on campus are not an accurate representation of the demographics of the country.
Michlene Mongae, the Secretary General of the Wits SRC (Students Representatives Council), pointed out that within the space of the university different racial groups tolerated one another, however this was not the case within private spaces such as at home or with friends. She also indicated that actively trying to look beyond race clearly shows that race still matters.
Mongae argued that in the past, white students were the most politically active on campus and over 20 years, black students have become the more politically dominant group on campus. “White students do not protest because they do not have to,” responded Mashele.
The comment sparked interest from the audience, where one audience member noting that the lack of white students at a discussion about race is an indication of the aparthy towards the issue.
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by Lameez Omarjee | Apr 29, 2014 | Lifestyle
GO BAREFOOT: One day Without Shoes will is happening at the library lawns all day today.
Photo: Lameez Omarjee
Despite collecting close to 1000 pairs of shoes for underprivileged kids in last year’s One Day Without Shoes, this year’s event at Wits was organised with no finances.
The Wits One Day Without Shoes 2014 event, happening today, April 29, on the library lawns, is a global awareness day for children who do not have shoes.
Participants spend a day without shoes on their feet as they go about their daily activities. They are also encouraged to donate a pair of shoes to the initiative. This year though, the organising committee found themselves relying on donations to make the event a reality.
“We got lots of donations, like the stickers were donated,” said Wayne Mahlanga, a member of the organising team. Jo Anne Tomlinson, also a part of the team, said it was difficult to organise the event without a budget.
Tomlinson hopes this year’s event will raise enough interest to continue the legacy of the initiative once she graduates. The money made from selling stickers will go towards next year’s budget, to make it easier for the organisers, she said.
“Karuna Singh, Wits Citizenship Community Outreach (Wits CCO) manager was supportive and got so many people involved,” said Tomlinson. “She got us everything we needed from Wits,” said Mahlanga.
The team also received significant assistance from theStudent Development and Leadership Unit (SDLU).
The event today hopes to get as many donations as possible but it also intends to raise awareness among Witsies about kids who cannot afford a pair of shoes.
by Lameez Omarjee | Apr 27, 2014 | News
BIRTHDAY GIRL: Lodi Mothiba believes South Africans should not dwell on the past.
Photo: Lameez Omarjee
Lodi Mothiba was born into a democracy, April 27, 1994. Like every other young adult who grew up in post-Apartheid South Africa, this 20 year old was granted freedom and has never experienced the level of oppression previous generations endured during Apartheid.
Mothiba grew up in Polokwane, Limpopo. She is the eldest of three children. She had to overcome tragedy with the loss of her father during her preliminary matric exams in 2012. “Trial was the hardest thing on the planet… Trial was horrible.” She tried not to think about it too much and managed to matriculate with distinctions at the end of the year.
She received a partial bursary from PWC and will complete her articles after she qualifies with her BAccSci degree. Currently she is studying at Wits and hopes to achieve her dream of becoming a chartered accountant one day.
Mothiba has an interest in drama and enjoys reading, riding her bike and swimming, “I’m one of the few black people that enjoys swimming,” she joked.
She agreed to be interviewed to highlight her views on democracy, as a born-free.
When you were growing up, were you conscious of the significance of your birthday?
I don’t think it matters. I didn’t think of it as the day black people were allowed to vote for the first time, for me it was just my birthday.
Did you have a diverse group of friends?
Yes definitely, my best friend was white. My whole range of friends were just like the rainbow nation.
Do you notice colour?
No, not at all… Well I notice it, of course you definitely notice it. But it doesn’t faze me at all.
What about the guys you date?
No, not even hey. I haven’t dated a guy that’s not black, come to think of it. But I don’t mind. I think white guys are really hot, honestly, I do. I’d date a white guy.
What are some of the frustrating things about our democracy, what should be done?
I don’t know if something can be done. I didn’t even register to vote. Because when you vote for someone you believe that they are in a position of trust. Our political parties are not adequate, there’s too much corruption. I don’t think I can vote for anyone. Even if I registered to vote, it would have just been an obligation to me.
Don’t you think people judge you for that?
They do, they definitely do. They say, “You’re a citizen. You shouldn’t complain.” But I won’t complain. When I look at these parties, I don’t know who to turn to. You vote for someone you believe will hold the country together, you trust them to do something good.
Do you think you are being irresponsible by not voting?
I feel like it is irresponsible. I guess it’s a good thing to vote because it shows that you care about your country. But I don’t know, I still think even if I registered, I still would not have gone to vote. A lot of my friends didn’t register to vote either. There’s nothing pushing me to go.
Do you think many people born post-apartheid are indifferent about our democracy?
Yes, I think a lot of us are indifferent. My friends really just don’t care. We don’t think so much about what happened in the past. I don’t know if it should affect us though. I think we should move on. I know people like saying you have to know where you come from to know where you going.
What about the argument that we need to redress the wrongs of the past? Can we move on without redressing those wrongs?
Yes, we should redress the wrongs of the past. I guess it makes sense to look at the past and see the mistakes that we made and fix them. But dwelling on the past, that’s what I’m against. People blame many things on apartheid.
What is your worst stereotype?
A stereotype that I hate, that we all have even if we don’t say it, and I feel bad for saying it now; but if there is a white lecturer or a black lecturer- I’d rather have a white lecturer. It happens though. It does. We’ve been programmed in our heads to think white is superior and it’s horrible.
What message do you want to give older people about the born free generation?
That’s actually a hard question, I don’t know. I can’t advise older people… Take time to understand how we think, I feel like a whole lot of older people don’t understand how we think and most parents just close their children in and most of the time, those are the kids who rebel.
What kind of democracy do you want for South Africa?
A democracy where the people actually have a voice and one where there is lessened corruption or no corruption at all. We should care more often. I’m going against what I’ve done, but we should at least register to vote and show that we care. We should show some interest in your country, and not be indifferent.
We should be more patriotic. We can’t just be about this brain drain life, where we study here and then just leave and go overseas. We will always complain that South Africa is not developing right but who do we expect to develop it if we are not the ones taking a stance and actually doing something about it.
by Lameez Omarjee | Apr 25, 2014 | News
“STICKY” CAFFEINE: Industrial engineering students demonstrate how the coffee sticks dissolve when stirred in hot water. Photo: Luke Matthews
Coffee-on-the go is now coffee-on-a stick!
A group of fourth-year Wits industrial engineering students have developed a stick that once stirred into boiling water, produces a fresh cup of coffee.
This novel way to produce instant coffee was developed as part of a business studies project but has the potential to launch as a new convenience product. Premium coffee-on-the-go aims to provide the market with a convenience product.
“Co Go,” as the product is named, was developed by Claudia Frowein, Yehuda Goldberg, Kashvir Maharaj, Spiro Couvaras, Keenan Mayet and Vishal Shrivastava all of whom are keen coffee drinkers.
One stick is the equivalent of one standard serving of coffee. Different sticks are made for different consumer preferences. There is a stick with coffee and sugar and a stick with coffee and sweetener. The group hopes to develop a cappuccino option, where the stick will be coated with the ingredients found in an instant cappuccino sachet.
[pullquote]“The coffee market in South Africa is growing at ridiculous rates. More people are drinking coffee and looking for convenience,”[/pullquote]
The prototype was infused with moisture as the ingredients were steamed onto a plastic stick. If the idea gets taken up by investors, the process will require more technology and research, said Couvaras.
The final product would have its contents on a wooden stick, a recyclable material, said Shrivastava, and the ingredients would dissolve immediately.
“The coffee market in South Africa is growing at ridiculous rates. More people are drinking coffee and looking for convenience,” said Mayet. The group had received positive feedback for the project because it was “a novel idea”. There were sachets made for convenience, but “you don’t get coffee on a stick.”
WANT TO KNOW HOW THE CO-GO WORKS? WATCH HERE
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by Lameez Omarjee | Apr 25, 2014 | News
WORLD DOMINATION: Small parties of the Collective Democracy conglomerate, are gearing up for a “radical change” in government that is accountable and transparent, come May 7. Pictured from left are Mkhuleko Hlengwa (IFP), Forouk Kassim (Cope) and Bantu Holomisa (UDM) Photo: Nqobile Dludla
By Anazi Zote and Lameez Omarjee
A ‘quality over quantity’ government was the unanimous call of the three political parties represented at the Great Debate (#witsdebate) held last night on the Wits education campus in Parktown.
Bantu Holomisa, of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) and a member of parliament (MP), Farouk Cassim, Congress of the people (COPE), and Mkhuleko Hlengwa of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) participated in the third debate which focused on the viability of small parties as opposition to the African National Congress (ANC) and the larger opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Quality over quantity
“[It is] not about numbers, [but rather] about quality that counts in the politics of a (our) country… Look at the numbers of big parties, they can’t even deal with their corrupt president,” said Holomisa.
In the same voice, defending their party size, Cassim, of the still relatively new COPE party, said: “We may be small in size, but not in vigour and voice. In vigour and voice we are powerful, the country hears us”.
“Whether we get the numbers or not, the IFP is here to serve … the populist agenda, which the main party is relying on, is going to be broken,” added Hlengwa.
Cassim told Wits Vuvuzela, “Mass parties world-wide are going to be extinct, they are going to be of no value because the trend of the future will be smaller parties … acting as conglomerates.”
Ethical governance
Hlengwa emphasised that opposition parties did not exist simply to oppose but to constructively create progress. He told Wits Vuvuzela that “if you criticise for the sake of criticising, then there will be no progress”.
All three parties echoed the sentiment of having an accountable and transparent government for the benefit of all South Africans. “In the past five years, there has been a lack of accountability and responsibility,” said Hlengwa.
[pullquote]“This is no longer a democracy, it is a demo-crazy”[/pullquote]
Holomisa warned South Africans not to follow the footsteps of a corrupt government because it will collapse. Small parties have a role to play in ensuring that there is no corrupt governance. “If we are quiet and we don’t expose these things, then we will be like other countries in the continent,” said Holomisa.
He also blamed the lack of votes for small parties on the misuse of government resources by the African National Congress (ANC), which relies heavily on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to be its [the ANC’s] mouthpiece. “
This is no longer a democracy, it is a demo-crazy,” he said. The final installation of the Wits Great Debate happens next week Thursday and speakers are still to be announced.
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by Lameez Omarjee | Apr 23, 2014 | News
PRIVATE MATTERS: Dr Christoph Hermann and Prof Christopher Malikane answer questions posed by audience members.
Photo: Lameez Omarjee
Privatisation is not a solution to the problem of dispossession in a country like South Africa.
This was the overall message of the two-person panel discussion on the impact of privatisation that took place at the Origins Centre last night.
Dr Christoph Hermann, from the University of Vienna, and Wits Professor Christopher Malikane unpacked the effects of privatisation in Europe and South Africa to highlight the “economic blunders” that result from the process.
Privatisation in South Africa
Malikane explained how colonialism has led to the unfair enrichment of a minority, leaving the majority of South Africans in unequal economic circumstances.
[pullquote]“The big companies in South Africa have been founded on the colonial dispossession of South Africans,”[/pullquote]
“South Africa has a historical problem which it needs to resolve,” he said. The majority of people were dispossessed of a means of survival. “The big companies in South Africa have been founded on the colonial dispossession of South Africans,” he said.
The problem with privatisation is that many people in the country may not have the means to acquire private assets, according to Malikane. He used the examples of ISCOR, Telkom and SASOL to demonstrate the failures of privatisation. Through the privatisation of these companies South Africa had given up the capacity to manufacture steel, to drive telecommunications and to produce petro-chemicals, according to Malikane. The sale of strategic assets was simply “a blunder, an economic blunder,” he stressed.
Malikane suggested that the solution would be to consult the Freedom Charter, “People shall share in the country’s wealth”. Banks and monopoly industries should be transferred to South Africans, he said.
The discussion was hosted by Rethink Africa and Young Economists for Africa (YEA) who also facilitated a networking event after the discussion.
