In January this year two incidents of envelopes that contained a white powder – that was thought to be anthrax, a deadly biological weapon – were sent to SANRAL, the people involved with e-tolls.
Do you hate e-tolls enough to be a terrorist?
In this episode we get into that infamous powder: we look at the hysteria, how a lab tests for anthrax (mostly the powder is just talcum powder) and the previous South African government’s crazy history with anthrax as a way to kill.We’ll also touch on anthrax as a wild bacteria in nature and how there – on the fur of a donkey – it’s more likely to kill you than finding a powder in the mail …
Wits University has announced the appointment of a new Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, following the departure of Professor Ahmed Wadee who was “recalled” by the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) in September last year. Professor Martin Veller will assume the role of Dean in July this year.
The full press release is reproduced below:
“Professor Martin Veller, MBBCh, FCS(SA), MMed(Surg), has been appointed as the new Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University.
Veller, a vascular surgeon, was Head of the Department of Surgery in the School of Clinical Medicine at Wits from November 2001 to February 2013.
He will assume the deanship on 1 July 2014.
Veller received his pre- and postgraduate training at Wits where he qualified in general surgery in 1987.
He subsequently undertook a one year research fellowship at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College, London.
Veller was appointed ad hominem Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits in April 2002.
He is currently the President of the College of Surgeons of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa as well as the President of the World Federation of Vascular Societies.
“It is a privilege to be given the opportunity to lead a very large and productive Faculty of Health Sciences into an era when this country faces extensive health care reforms,” says Veller.
“Our society has experienced many challenges in the provision of high quality health care. Amongst the most important is the dire shortage of health care professionals who are responsive to the needs of the society in which this Faculty exists. This is one of the most significant contributors to the social and economic disparities in our society.
“Wherever we, as the Faculty, focus our efforts into the future, we must always be cognisant of our primary aim.
This is that we want to help improve the health care provision for every individual, based on the fact that a country whose citizens are healthy will flourish.”
The latest installation of The Science Inside radio show look at the science of the elections: from predicting results with maths and stats to the computer power involved. Also: how much tech do you need to run an election centre and is it really worth it?
This information was received from the Wits News newsletter. For more information, email wits.news@wits.ac.za
Public Lecture Series: What is “Contemporary” African Art?
WAM, in association with the Centre for the Creative Arts of Africa (CCAA), presents a series of public lectures. Drawing extensively on the WAM collection, this six part lecture series explores a wide range of “contemporary” African art practices.
This is a wonderful opportunity to learn from specialists, engage with people who share your interests and expand your knowledge of the visual arts of Africa.
Professor Anitra Nettleton, Dr Paul Davis and Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum of the CCAA, Dr Laura De Becker of WAM, and Nontobeko Ntombela of the Wits School of Arts will present different parts of the programme.
This information was received from Wits University.
“Due to the PSL match between Bidvest Wits Football Club and Orlando Pirates taking place at the Bidvest Stadium on Wednesday, 30 April 2014, traffic to the Braamfontein Campuses will be severely affected between 17:00 and 21:00.
To avoid congestion, especially at the Yale Road north gate to Empire Road, all University traffic to Braamfontein Campus East should enter and exit through the Yale Road south gate (Jorissen Street) from 17:00 onwards. To enter and exit Braamfontein Campus West, kindly use the Enoch Sontonga gate.
Kick-off is at 19:30 and tickets will only be sold at Computicket at R45 per person (grandstand), R40 per person (normal stands) and R20 per child under the age of 13 years.”
Wits University will host two installations of the Great Debate series this week. Speakers for both events have not been announced. See the poster below for more information.
Recently the production Speak Sign Love was staged at the Wits Theatre.
Working with a strong cast and crew, Speak Sign Love creator Amy de Wet has set out on a journey to share a message with her audiences; a message of hope, love and compromise. There has been some controversy regarding Speak Sign Love; the concerns stemming from the fact that a hearing actress portrays a deaf character.
Speak Sign Love is a theatrical production, and like any other theatrical production it provides a space of time where reality and disbelief are suspended and the audience engages with fantasy. However, as the curtains close reality returns and everyone is aware that what they have seen is pretend. Although theatre often mimics reality, it is fantasy. The character of a mother can be played by a single, childless woman; the serial killer that strikes terror into the audience’s hearts is not played by an actual serial killer, his victims are not really dead and even the blood is fake. Yet in that moment of the story, you believe – that is the magic of theatre.
In order to give the audience this magic, a great deal of work goes into the process of preparing a production. The actress playing a mother will research and observe actual mothers in order to make her character believable. The actor playing the serial killer must do long hours of research and training to build his terrorising character – but his training will never include killing a person. The same principle applies to Speak Sign Love; the actress does not have to be deaf to portray a deaf person believably.
Most of the controversy around the theatrical industry arises from reactions to the artistic expression and the message the artist is articulating. The playwright, W. Somerset Maugham stated, “The drama is make-believe. It does not deal with truth but with effect.”
It is the privilege of an artist to craft their art until they gain the effect on the audience that they have envisaged. No artist claims that all must enjoy and agree with the art that they have produced. What the artist wants is that whilst the audience expresses their own opinion, they remember that the work is make-believe and that the artist has the prerogative, some may say even the duty, to express their art in any way they choose fit.
EXCELLENCE FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT: The Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Human Development is one of five new Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation CoEs approved last month by the Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom. Pictured above is deputy vice-chancellor Professor Zeblon Vilakazi at the launch of the CoE. Photo: Wits Communications
The newly launched Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Human Development will ensure a better response to the challenges of child development in the country, according to Michael Masutha, deputy minister of science and technology.
Masutha was speaking at the launch of the centre, a joint initiative between Wits and UKZN (University of KwaZulu-Natal) , at the Origins Centre earlier today.
The CoE is one of five new Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation (NRF) CoEs approved last month by the minister of science and technology, Derek Hanekom, in order to promote collaborative and interdisciplinary research among research-performing institutions, and to provide high-end skills development in priority research areas.
The joint Wits/UKZN CoE will focus on ensuring that children living below the poverty line are provided for and receive a better start to life in the country.
Research shows that South Africa has significantly high rates of child poverty. In 2011, 58% of children lived below the lower poverty line (R604 per month). Poverty among children is a prime cause of malnutrition which affects their physical and cognitive development and the capacity to learn.
About 57% of young children in developing countries have no access to preschool – in sub-Saharan Africa the figure is 83% – and children living in the poorest households are up to 10 times less likely to attend early childhood education programmes than those living in the richest.
Masutha said that early childhood development (ECD) was a national priority and the establishment of this CoE is a step in the right direction.
“The CoE will combine the multidisciplinary expertise of established scholars with dedicated research groups working on child development. The team’s diverse strengths will enable a better understanding of the challenges in respect of child development in South Africa, improve the country’s ability to address these challenges, and advocate for the most cost-effective interventions to give all children the best possible start in life,” he said.
The research at the centre will help improve decision-makers’ understanding of the conditions, dynamics and efficacy of policies among socially and economically marginalised societies in South Africa.
The following information was received from Wits University.
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NOTICE TO ALL MEMBERS OF STAFF: TRAFFIC TO AND FROM BRAAMFONTEIN CAMPUSES TO BE AFFECTED
Due to the PSL match between Bidvest Wits Football Club and Kaizer Chiefs taking place at the Bidvest Stadium on Wednesday, 23 April 2014, traffic to the Braamfontein campuses will be severely affected between 17:00 and 21:00.
To avoid congestion, especially at the Yale Road north gate to Empire Road, all University traffic to Braamfontein Campus East should enter and exit through the Yale Road south gate (Jorissen Street) from 17:00 onwards. To enter and exit Braamfontein Campus West, kindly use the Enoch Sontonga gate.
Kick-off is at 19:30 and tickets will only be sold at Computicket at R45 per person (grandstand), R40 per person (normal stands) and R20 per child under the age of 13 years.
Need a map of the east campus where the stadium is located? Click here.
The recent decision by Wits University to end the undergraduate LLB degree from 2015 has been met with mixed reactions. Wits Vuvuzela spoke to current law students on campus to hear what they have to say about the move.
This past week was National Condom Week. Wits Vuvuzela asked students around campus to show us how to put on a condom correctly. This is what they had to say … and do!
In episode six of We Should Be Writing season 7, the team unpacked the evolution of music as a form of expression and protest, through four decades in the South African context. The episode explores the journey of South African music and its consumers from the 80s, 90s, early 2000s and contemporary listeners. From the […]
