The South African Council on Sport (SACOS) recognises that the fight for non-racialism in sports still remains relevant in the country.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, SACOS and Wits History Workshop held a two-day colloquium at the South West Engineering building and at the Great Hall at Wits.
After having been around for decades, the two-day seminar from Friday, July 28 to July 29, focused on the relevance of the council in post-apartheid South Africa through various panel discussions. It also celebrated its history through book launches and exhibitions.
SACOS was established in March 1973 during the peak of apartheid and was strongly dedicated to creating non-racialism in sports. It was widely recognised as the sporting arm of the liberation movement, mobilising communities nationwide under the powerful slogan “No Normal Sport in an Abnormal Society!”
Unfortunately, with the advent of democracy, SACOS became marginalised. The changing political landscape of the country along with the increasing emphasis on elite and professional sports, diminished SACOS’s influence and relegated it to the sidelines in the new era.
Laurence Stewart, from the Wits History Workshop, told Wits Vuvuzela that even though things have changed since South Africa ushered in democracy; the council is still needed due to the challenges that are still pervasive in sport today.
Stewart pointed out that there is a severe lack of sports within public schools, possibly even less than what was available 15 years ago. “SACOS is relevant now because of the poor state of all sports,” he emphasised.
He also pointed out that the country has a priority problem when it comes to sports. Stewart explained, “You have Siya Kolisi being the captain of the rugby team, but [he] had to be taken out of the community where he grew up, [and] taken to a private school in order to be who he is now.
“You can’t get into the national team if you come from a poor community and live in that community, you have to be taken out,” he continued.
He said that the entire system is based on “inequality and division” while highlighting that there has been a failure to “bridge that gap” by the government and civil society.
“Sport is racialised, it’s divided and there’s a lot of inequality, and SACOS was a sports group which existed during apartheid, which stood up and created sports [amongst] poor communities,” he said.
SACOS member, Carlton Weber, gave a presentation titled “A Dialectical-Historical Deconstruction of 50 years inside a community-based Sports Organisation: Remembering SACOS from within SACOS.”
Providing a historical context for the formation of SACOS, Weber delved into the colonisation of the country and how it consequently led to the establishment of an “abnormal society”, that divided people.
SACOS member, Carlton Weber, during his presentation on the rich history of SACOS.
Photo: Terri-Ann Brouwers
“SACOS, as an organisation, committed itself to re-establish, through sports, a very globally recognised human activity, to speak directly to these abnormalities and developed the principles that defined our essential humanity.”
One of the event’s attendees, Roberta McBride, expressed her satisfaction with the fact that the speakers were addressing the issues faced in communities of colour. However, she also questioned how they were planning to solve the problem.
Roberta McBride and Herschel Matthews share a hearty laugh as they fondly reminisce about the memories from their struggle for sports equality.
Photo: Terri-Ann Brouwers
“We [are] all sitting here, we all played under the banner of SACOS, what are we going to do, how are we going to take it to our schools, what responsibility am I taking to organise the youth from the areas that we come from, we don’t live there anymore, we’ve moved on, but somehow we have to organise.” said Mcbride.
The colloquium was a poignant reminder that the struggle for equality in sports is still on going.
FEATURED IMAGE: A dilapidated soccer ball that symbolises the dire state of sports in poverty-stricken areas in South Africa. Photo: Elwood/ Istock
The Wits Student Representative Council (SRC) has finally delivered on their promise of introducing free sanitary pad dispensers on campus.
If you headed to the unisex bathroom across the student enrolment centre at Solomon Mahlangu House sometime during the past week, a new addition to the bathroom’s wall might have caught your attention.
The blue and white sanitary pad dispensers are part of the SRC’s #EndPeriodPoverty campaign and were installed on Friday, July 21. Period poverty is the term used to describe the lack of adequate access to menstrual health products.
SRC Compliance officer, Karabo Matloga (20) told Wits Vuvuzela that they are not replacing access to condoms, nor do the pads use the same type of dispensers as the condoms do.
According to a member of the Compliance officer’s subcommittee, Blessing Olu (22), “[the SRC] managed to get the university to install [separate and unique] pad dispensers,” and the ones for the pads are bigger.
An empty pad dispenser after the allocated pads have run out a few days after being stocked, is a clear indicator of the need on campus. Photo: Otsile Swaratlhe
Unlike other pad drives and initiatives, this one has no administration process for accessing the pads and it hopes to promote dignity, health and well-being for all students in need.
As reported by Wits Vuvuzela, “[This initiative] was launched last year under the then Deputy President, Lesego Louw. [The current SRC] just had to sort out the logistics and making sure that there is enough supply for the rest of the year,” Matloga said.
Sponsorships from the Motsepe Foundation, African Fashion and Education School Council, will keep the dispensers stocked for the foreseeable future.
Matloga emphasised that every SRC cohort that assumes office in future, will take on the responsibility of keeping the initiative running. “We are activists at the end of the day. We understand that we are piloting a project that [has the potential] to spread all over South Africa,” he said.
An honours student in International Relations at Wits, Jamie Naidoo (21) said, “[This initiative] is great because pads are expensive, and people do not have them all the time. This is a need compared to condoms which one always has a choice to have or not have [safe sex].”
The installation of the dispensers is currently still during its first phase and only a total of five dispensers have been installed, namely at: Solomon Mahlangu house, the Matrix, Chamber of mines building, FNB building and an unspecified building at Education campus.
FEATURED IMAGE: A student collecting their free sanitary pad at one of the newly installed pad dispenser on the main campus of Wits. Photo: Supplied/@Wits_SRC
After creating an award nominated play, six former Witsies, interwoven by the threads of their theatrical dreams, unite to start their own theatre company.
The curtains may have closed on the final run of the show Seeing Other People at the Theatre on the Square, Sandton, on Saturday, 22 July, but for the creators, it marks just the opening act of an exciting new journey.
After creating a three-time Naledi Theatre award-nominated play former Witsies Hira Lodhi, Martin Grendele, Naledi Modipa, Sasha Karlin, Hlumie Moloi and James Netherlands have started a theatre company named “Top Comedy”.
The group said founded the company for two reasons. Firstly, they thoroughly enjoy working together and share an undeniable performance chemistry and rapport. Secondly, creating this company provides them with a valuable support system.
“The theatre industry can be quite competitive, working together means we have each other to lean on for support in regards to creating work together,” said the group in a combined statement.
The idea of starting the company had been on the group’s mind since their days at the Wits theatre department, but they admitted that it “always seemed so out of reach.“. However, after the success they experienced with their play Seeing Other People starting the company felt like the right move.
The group wanted to make it clear that they are a theatre company, not a production company. “The major difference being that we don’t produce other theatre or works, except our own. We simply collaborate creatively to make a work of theatre [and to] generate online content.”
(From left to right) James Netherlands, Martin Grendele, Sasha Karlin, Hlumie Moloi, Hira Lodhi, Naledi Modipa posing for a “fun” photo after a performance of their award nominated show Seeing Other People at Theatre on the Square. Photo: Terri-Ann Brouwers
Commenting on the roles each member fulfils, they said that the roles change depending on the project they are working on and what each member wants to take on.
“For example, Hira Lodhi [was the] director, designer and producer of “Seeing Other People” while Martin Grendele [was the] producer and performer.”
The team says that their long-term goals are simply “To keep working. To keep creating”.
The future of the company looks bright as they are currently working on new theatrical and digital projects.
FEATURED IMAGE: The six Witsies who started Top Comedy after the final run of their award nominated show, Seeing Other People, at Theatre on the Square. Photo: Terri-Ann Brouwers
Aspiring graduates who were wrongly defunded by the government’s financial aid are left in the dark as they try to rectify the situation
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s (NSFAS) remedial process of defunding students who were financially assisted based on incorrect information, leaves some in a precarious position — as the financial aid scheme erroneously stopped supporting students who qualify.
Thabo Ngubane*, a third-year Wits mechanical engineering student found himself squatting in the library and bathing in the gym after NSFAS incorrectly defunded him without warning.
He told Wits Vuvuzela that he realised that he was defunded in June when he checked his application portal and noticed that he was flagged for having a household income of more than R350 000.
But he insisted that the scheme has made a mistake: “My mom works in HR and earns less than 350k [and] my dad passed away,” he explained.
In July, NSFAS said it initiated the process to act on the findings of the Auditor General and the Special Investigation Unit (SIU). This is after in April, an SIU investigation revealed that NSFAS had paid more than R5 billion, from 2018 to 2021, to students who did not qualify for bursaries.
Aphilile Zulu, a second year NMU BCom Accounting student said she received an SMS in June stating that her funding was “revoked because of missing documents, while I’ve [been] receiving NSFAS for the past five months”. She is currently appealing the matter.
Masego Modisane, who currently owes UNISA R6000 in school fees said when she checked her account on the NSFAS portal, “it said that I had exceeded the n+2 rule” despite being in her final year of studying towards a BA in criminology.
According to the Nsfas website, the N+2 rule states that a student can take up to two additional years to complete their qualification, if need be, on top of the number of years it takes to complete their studies.
Meanwhile, Wits SRC’s compliance officer, Karabo Matloga said that the financial aid scheme should have at least allowed students who were currently enrolled to continue with their studies. “They have made the commitment [at the] start of the year therefore it is also their responsibility to fulfil that commitment for the year.”
In a statement NSFAS said, “We have, however, received complaints that some students were defunded incorrectly. If such cases are true, this is regrettable.
“A process of verifying these complaints will be immediately initiated and were proven otherwise, remedial action will be taken.”
Wits Vuvuzela made multiple attempts to contact the scheme for comment on how long the remedial process for students who were wrongfully defunded will take; but is yet to receive a response.
*Name changed to protect identity.
FEATURED IMAGE: Wits engineering student studying in the computer lab with his sleeping bag and belongings beside him. Photo: Nonhlanhla Mathebula.
People with disabilities are often not brought into critical discussions about LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights, however, this is something the Wits Disability Rights Unit (DRU) wants to change.
Sexuality, gender and access to health services for people with disabilities were all up for discussion at the DRU’s first event for disability awareness month.
The webinar was held on Friday, July 21 and was centred around the harmful consequences of the prevalent stereotype that people with disabilities are not sexual beings, who experience desire like everybody else.
The month of July marks disability pride month and presents an opportunity to honour the experiences, histories and struggles of people with disabilities.
Tish Morpheus Geddes, senior administrator at the DRU, was especially proud of the panelists, as it brought together “people who work in sexual and reproductive health sectors, people doing research into disability and sexuality and members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as people with disabilities. We have a unique perspective.”.
Facilitator, Siya Hlongwa said: “Stereotypes become a benchmark for discrimination in healthcare services.” Geddes added that people with disabilities are viewed as asexual beings and so, “health care providers think this is not a group that must be considered” therefore limiting access to lifesaving sexual and reproductive health resources.
Thato Mphuti, the founding director of the organisation, Enabled Enlightenment said, “[The conversation the DRU has started] speaks to the work that we do” in trying to destigmatise sexual education with the parents and caregivers of people with disabilities, “there is no parenting manual and often parents are the biggest barriers when it comes to accessing sexual and reproductive health services.”
Geddes said that one of the central goals of the webinar was to have a truly accessible conversation. This was done through accessible marketing on social media, “you’ll notice that all of our posts have image descriptions.” In addition, the webinar was translated live into South African Sign Language as well as transcribed into text.
Sesona Buyeye, an attendee to the webinar and communications assistant for Ibis reproductive health, said, “Iit was such a great discussion with great insights shared, especially during disability awareness month.”
Similar events will be hosted by the unit throughout July, details available on their social media pages.
FEATURED IMAGE: A Wits student enters the Wits Disability Rights Unit on Wits main campus. Photo: Kimberley Kersten
Wits looks at the father of medicine, Hippocrates, to help it navigate the use of artificial intelligence in the health sector.
The Centre for Health Science Education hosted a focus day on July 19, at the Parktown Education campus which looked at the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health care and health science training.
The day created a space for discussion and participation around the theme of the day “From Hippocrates to AI.” Hippocrates was the father of medicine, who described many diseases and their treatment in a scientific manner.
AI has significantly advanced in medicine; and it has improved medical image recognition better than humans when it comes to things such as X-rays.
Shirra Moch, the organizer of the event said the purpose of the day was to make the academic community feel at ease with AI being incorporated in education.” Our aim with this session was to demystify for lecturers the use of AI in health science education and give them a hands-on experience to fight the fear of not knowing what it involves.”
They looked at three topics: ‘Induction to AI in health science’ which looked at the use of AI in the health science education; ‘Curating resources to encourage student learning’ this focused on how students can incorporate AI in their learning to enhance critical thinking and ‘Academic integrity and the role of AI in authentic assessment’, which examined how AI chatbot such as ChatGPT can be used in a way that students do not plagiarize, this was facilitated by Jannus Van AS the academic and blended learning coordinator.
Richard Cooke gives shares his thoughts on the focus day and gives action points. Photo: Aphelele Mbokotho
Van As said, after reading on Instagram that lecturers put students’ assignments on ChatGPT and ask if the student wrote the paper or not. He decided to put his work that he had written onto the chatbot and asked it if he had written the paper and ChatGPT said yes. He explained that he realized that ChatGPT recognized his paper from the questions he asked. Van AS emphasized that it’s important to know the right way to prompt it so that students work is not discredited unfairly.
Nabeela Sujee, coordinator of the simulation activities looked at the use of replicas in health science education. Simulation is a way in which they replicate a real-life environment; for example, a simulation lab is created to look like a hospital theatre.
Sujee said, “These simulations are achieved through tech-enhanced mannequins that can breathe spontaneously, have heart, lung and abdominal sounds which makes the student not need feedback from the facilitator but get it directly from the mannequin.”
She further explained that they cannot use these mannequins all the time, so sometimes they us CHATGPT, where they ask it to pretend to be a patient and the student asks it questions to arrive at a diagnosis.
One of the attendees and the head of family medicine and primary care at Wits, Richard Cooke said incorporating AI in their teaching and learning is beneficial for students especially in the clinical space, where the use of ChatGPT helps with facilitating the class; and helps students work by themselves without needing a facilitator.
FEATURED IMAGE: Shirra Moch, the organizer, takes action points from the attendees. Photo: Aphelele Mbokotho
Wits University’s Winter Graduations are taking place between July 10 and 14, 2023.
Hundreds of postgraduate students will be conferred with their PhDs, Master of Arts and Honours degrees during the ceremonies. Wits Vuvuzela’s Seth Thorne and Nonhlanhla Mathebula caught the Humanities ceremony on July 11, to document and congratulate the students from the Wits Centre for Journalism, as they had their fifteen seconds of fame with Wits chancellor, Judy Dlamini on stage.
Journalism and Media Studies graduate Malaika Ditabo eagerly awaiting being capped at the winter graduation ceremony. Photo: Seth ThorneScott Money receiving his honours degree in English at the humanities graduation ceremony on July 11, 2023. Photo: Seth ThorneColin Hugo and Elishevah Bome say the late nights and early mornings were all worth it. Journalist Velile Mnyandu proudly receiving his honours degree in Journalism and Media Studies on July 11, 2023. Photo: Seth ThorneRufaro Chiswo, the 2022 In-depth Student of The Year with her hard earned scroll. Wits Vuvuzela alumnus Keamogetswe Matlala posing proudly in front of the Great Hall following her graduation. Photo: Seth ThorneBroadcaster and journalist Azania Mosaka proudly receiving her honours degree in Journalism and Media Studies with distinction. Photo: Seth ThorneBusisiwe Mdluli is all smiles as she gets her Journalism and Media Studies honours degree. Photo: Nonhlanhla Mathebula Malaika Ditabo, now a News24 journalist, takes a break from the politics desk to savour her achievement. Photo: Seth ThorneThe 2022 Student of the Year, Tannur Anders celebrates this long awaited moment. Six of the career-entry Journalism and Media Studies honours class of 2022 posing proudly with Wits Centre for Journalism director Dr Dinesh Balliah and career-entry lecturer Pheladi Sethusa. Photo: Seth Thorne
FEATURED IMAGE: Malaika Ditabo, now a News24 journalist, takes a break from the politics desk to savour her achievement. Photo: Seth Thorne
The name change was delayed by the covid-19 pandemic, but the home of the Wits Art Museum is now linked to the ‘illustrious author of two autobiographies, more than 30 short stories, two verse plays and a fair number of poems’.
The plaque signifying the change of name of University Corner to the Es’kia Mphahlele Building. Photo: Ayanda Mgwenya
Wits University has officially renamed University Corner as the Es’kia Mphahlele Building in honour of the late legendary journalist, author and academic, on Thursday, June 1, 2023.
Officiating at the ceremony that took place on the ground floor of the building at the corner of Jorissen and Bertha streets, Vice-Chancellor Zeblon Vilakazi said that this gesture was “long overdue” and believed that there were many more [legendary African pioneers] yet to be recognised. “Personally, to have the privilege of having the [Mphahlele family] here to witness this historic occasion is truly humbling,” he said.
Mphahlele was the first black professor at Wits University in the 1980s and founded the one-of-a-kind department of African Literature in 1983, which explores aspects of history, politics, indigenous knowledge, traditions and cultural heritage. He was also one of the founders of the first black independent publishing house, Skotaville in 1982.
The building houses some of the literature- and culture-related departments associated with Mphahlele’s work, such as the Wits Art Museum, the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies, Voice of Wits FM (Vow FM), Drama for Life and the Wits Centre for Journalism.
“Soft-spoken, humble, urbane, cosmopolitan, erudite and exuding ubuntu, Es’kia Mphahlele embodied in his person and in his work what he described as ‘the personification of the African paradox – detribalised, westernised but still African’,” wrote Jordan, who also described him as the “illustrious author of two autobiographies, more than thirty short stories, two verse plays and a fair number of poems”.
The statement continued: “’Add to these, two anthologies edited, essay collections, innumerable single essays, addresses, awards and a Nobel Prize nomination for literature and what emerges is to many the Dean of African Letters,’ writes Peter Thuynsma, a leading Mphahlele scholar, in Perspectives on South African English Literature (1992: 221).”
Rorisang Maruatona-Mphahlele, Mphahlele’s grandson, said, “I am actually overjoyed because [Wits University] was my first choice of university but I didn’t get in; I went to University of Johannesburg instead where I found [The Es’kia Mphahlele Room] and was overjoyed to find that at U.” He feels thrilled that “Wits University is doing the same.”
Acting SRC president Kabelo Phungwayo said that the change of name for the building was proposed in 2020 by former SRC president, Mpendulo Mfeka, and championed by former SRC transformation officer, Luci Khofi. As the year 2019 marked a century since the birth of Mphahlele, this motivated the plan to change the name of University Corner.
Phungwayo told Wits Vuvuzela that, “The SRC sees [Mphahlele] as a revolutionary scholar who shaped the [African] discourses in literature, and it teaches us African humanism as students.” He added that the SRC would like to encourage students to look into Mphahlele’s educational journey for inspiration as they undergo their studies as well.
Wits head of communications Shirona Patel said that the delay of the name change was caused by the covid-19 pandemic.
The name change ceremony concluded with Vilakazi unveiling the name plaque to applause by the guests bearing witness to this occasion.
FEATURED IMAGE: The Es’kia Mphahlele Building at the corner of Jorissen and Bertha streets is one of the tallest buildings in Braamfontein. Photo: Ayanda Mgwenya
A sum of R100 000 awaits the overall winner of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) competition.
The internal round of EDHE Entrepreneurial Intervarsity 2023 competition was held at Wits University on May 27, in the Senate Room at Solomon Mahlangu House. One lucky student will walk away with R5 000.
The annual competition is held in the first quarter of each year to identify and showcase the best student entrepreneurs at South African public universities.
Investors are brought on board to mentor the student entrepreneurs and provide the R5 000 prize money to help bring their ideas to life. The winner of the Wits internal competition will be announced on June 02, 2023. Those who remain in the race will compete in the regional and national rounds.
Participants present mock pitches, which must include detailed information such as their business’s significance, uniqueness, and plans for the next five years. These pitches must be convincing enough to both the judging panel and investors. If successful they will proceed to the regional round, and if successful there onto nationals.
The internal round saw participants present ideas for businesses in beauty and cosmetics, skills training within waste management and recycling, media and visual arts start-ups, events management and more.
There are four categories in the competition: innovative business ideas, existing business – technology, existing business – social impact, and existing business – general. This year, the competition added a fifth category, research-based business, to encourage the commercialization of research.
According to the event organiser, Qawekazi Luke, over 200 students applied for the competition, and 114 were chosen to compete in the internal rounds. Further, 74 student entrepreneurs will compete in the regional round.
“The competition’s positive reception and excitement among students demonstrates the University’s growing interest in entrepreneurship,” Luke said.
“As the coordinators, part of the planning included masterclasses facilitated by the Wits Student Entrepreneurship Education and Development (SEED) program. These masterclasses focused on market research and marketing principles, business model canvas, and how to develop a pitch deck,” Luke said.
This is where judges who are experienced in entrepreneurship and innovation step in to adjudicate the process and provide the students with valuable feedback to further develop their business ideas.
YouTuber and second-year BA student, Lulah Mapiye said the experience was a huge confidence boost. “I have made it this far, to say I am excited is an understatement. When my turn came, I took over the stage. It was as if I transformed into another person and came back after the pitch,” Mapiye said.
One judge Faith Mokgalaka who is a multi-award winning businesswoman, published author, product manager, and a speaker said, “Being a judge gave me a different perspective of the competition because it was not an easy and obvious process as there will only be one winner at the end,”
The next phase of the competition will see participants compete against peers from other South African universities, to secure a spot in the finals, and one step closer to the R100 000 prize, a financial boost many of them need.
FEATURED IMAGE: Risuna Maluleke, coordinator of Student Entrepreneurship and Education Development (SEED). Photo: Supplied.
‘When I get into something, I don’t let it go, regardless of how difficult it is,’ says the newly minted PhD holder.
Lecturer at the Wits Centre for Journalism (WCJ), Dr. Enoch Sithole recently obtained his PhD on his extensive research into media coverage of climate change in South Africa.
Sithole was born in the old mining town of Barberton in Mpumalanga, in 1965 to a Swazi mother and a Tsonga father. He left Barberton at the age of 12 and went to Mozambique with his dad, spending nine years in the country. Sithole attributes the move to his multilingualism, he is proficient in Tsonga, Swati, English and Portuguese.
He returned to the country in 1983 and followed his father’s footsteps by working at the same mine in Baberton. “My interest in journalism came under anti-apartheid activism when I joined a workers’ union and became a heavy consumer of news,” shared Sithole. Consequently, he was recruited at an anti-apartheid newspaper in 1988 called New Nation, he joined permanently as a reporter after three months of training.
“When I was thinking about my PhD, I tried to find something that would be unique. I could have done my PhD on a purely journalism subject because that is my background.” Sithole decided to research on climate change for his doctorate, noting that the media only covers the topic during conferences or when there are disastrous events.
His research emphasized that climate change should not be looked at as only existing in the physical science space because solutions to the global issue are also found in social spaces. “If we’re going to involve everybody in fighting climate change we need to communicate. I want to take a subject such as climate change to the masses through journalism and other communication methods,” said Sithole.
The father of two children and three grandchildren graduated with honours in 2017, a master’s in 2018 and recently a doctorate on April 24, 2023, whilst working as a lecturer at the WCJ. Sithole said the field of journalism is demanding especially when one is trying to complete their studies while working. “One needs to plan their life accordingly, even your family will understand that it’s work, it’s not something you can avoid,” said Sithole.
Sithole is currently working on a proposal to “determine empirically, not speculatively” why media rarely covers climate change and why people find climate change an elusive subject. This is in addition to a report he wrote for Fojo Media Institute about the inadequacy of climate change reportage in South Africa between 2021 and 2022.
Programme coordinator at Fojo Media Institute, Jean Mujati described Sithole as a very humble and professional person. She further mentioned that he was recommended by the former WCJ director Professor Franz Kruger. “We [the institute] needed an expert who understood the South African media landscape, [which is] something that we found in Dr Sithole,” Mujati said.
While Kruger said he worked with Sithole at New Nation in the 1980s. “I appreciate Enoch for his experience in the media, and his insightful way of thinking about issues in journalism. His focus on climate change reporting is timely, and I am very happy that he completed his PhD in the area.”
“I have my PhD, now it’s a matter of making it work” said Sithole. He further noted that he would love to continue teaching journalism and increasingly combine it with climate change.
His final words were, “One thing I would like people to know about me is that I tend to commit to what I want to do, I grab hard. When I get into something, I don’t let it go, regardless of how difficult it is”.
FEATURED IMAGE: Dr. Enoch Sithole posiing for a picture at his office at the Wits Centre for Journalism. Photo: Sfundo Parakozov
Through introducing projects that promote teaching as an aspirational career, the Jakes Gerwel Fellowship aims to improve the quality of education in South Africa.
The Jakes Gerwel Fellowship (JGF) is focusing on improving the poor conditions in public schools across South Africa by introducing uplifting leadership programs and investing in students who have a passion for teaching and education.
Jakes Gerwel is a fellowship that has been mandated by the then Allan Gray Orbis Foundation since 2017, aiming to improve the education system. JGF hopes to position teaching as an aspirational career for young students to promote an increase in employment of quality teachers in public schools.
South Africa’s education system has been declining, with young people struggling to read for comprehension. Only 20% of public schools function adequately with a large gap between the final matric results they achieve compared to those of the other 80% of public schools.
Many of these schools fail due to poor infrastructure, teacher shortages, and a lack of educational progress, resulting in high unemployment rates. “Unemployment amongst the youth in our country is the highest [and] amongst graduates, teachers have the highest unemployment, especially Bed [bachelor of education] graduates,” says JGF fellow Samora Menze.
JGF hopes to bridge this gap with strategic communications specialist Sarah Koopman telling Wits Vuvuzela that, “The quality of the education system is dependent on the quality of its teachers.” JGF has identified the teacher shortage in South Africa as one of utmost importance for our economy to thrive.
JGF program participants are selected based off their “expert teacher profile, educational leadership, and educational entrepreneurial skills,” says acting CEO Carla Watson. Wits University is a partner institution of JGF, offering scholarships and bursaries to strong student candidates who are completing their postgraduate certificates of education (PGCE).
One of the initiatives JGF has chosen to take on is the employment support and work readiness program which began at the end of 2022 and will continue throughout the 2023 year. This project aims to support teachers who are qualified but are not equipped with enough information on how to find employment after graduating.
This involves helping candidates with their CV, setting up mock interviews to equip them with valuable interview skills, hosting South African Council of Educators (SACE) registration information sessions, and sharing employment opportunities with candidates so they can access teaching positions easier. This program aims to help teachers find employment, taking preference over government school positions by placing teachers in these schools, hoping to “make resources available to maximise JGF’s impact, connecting with organisations that are contributing to address unemployment in the country,” Menze said.
JGF is also working on other projects such as using theatre to improve reading literacy. A Wits master’s student and JGF fellow, Luna August, co-founded the AK Arts and Leadership program (AKALA) which is a non-profit organization focused on increasing art education throughout South Africa. August’s research focuses on the importance of the arts in education.
JGF hopes to recruit more fellows from universities throughout South Africa who have a strong passion and love for education and invites the “very best” to teach South Africa’s future generations because all students deserve a “switched-on, compassionate and excellent teacher to help unlock their own potential,” says Watson.
Students who are choosing to complete their postgraduate certificate of education can apply for the Jakes Gerwel Fellowship online by completing an eligibility quiz and filling in an application form.
FEATURED IMAGE: The Jakes Gerwel team at a #BeATeacher event in South Africa, promoting teaching as an aspirational career. Photo: Supplied.
Young prodigious scientist’s unwavering determination makes her strike gold.
Master of science student Taskeen Hasrod wowed judges during the Wits’ leg of the FameLab international science competition and scooped the first-place position.
Wits hosted the FameLab competition on May 10, 2023. FameLab is the biggest science competition that takes place annually around the world, it is designed to challenge science researchers and foster their communication skills in front of a panel of judges and an audience in just three minutes.
Hasrod grew up in Lenasia and has always been interested in maths and science from a young age. The young scientist’s interest grew exponentially by the time she reached high school. Speaking to Wits Vuvuzela Hasrod said, “I really like chemistry, learning the fundamentals, how really small things give really big effects.”
Taskeen’s mother, Nasreen Hasrod, says her daughter has always been drawn to chemistry, “our kitchen has witnessed many scientific experiments” throughout her childhood. She added that Taskeen still has her first kiddie’s laboratory equipment set.
The 23-year-old is currently pursuing her master’s degree in chemistry at the Wits school of chemistry. Her research focuses on applying artificial intelligence (AI) to environmental chemistry particularly in water management. Using AI, Hasrod predicts water quality in acid mine drainage treatment plants.
“Instead of doing the experiments to test the water for values we need, we would use historical data to train the models to predict it without having to do experiments,” said Hasrod. She added that the usage of AI has proven to be more efficient and cost-effective.
It was this research, coupled with her charisma, that made a lasting impact on the judges which got her the first-place finish. Hasrod was able to present clearly what her research is about in a simple way without using too much scientific jargon. The competition equips participants with communication skills and provides a platform for networking as it is centred around interacting with both participants and the judges. It also provides training exercises to its participants.
Professor Hlanganani Tutu, who is her research supervisor, says Hasrod has “a commendable sense of purpose in her research”. Tutu added that Hasrod is “dedicated and focused as a student.” Which has made the supervising experience enjoyable, he added.
Tutu, said Hasrod’s “research findings will have far reaching impacts in dealing with big data from water treatment plants and as well as how the treatment process will be improved.”
FEATURED IMAGE: The outside of the chemistry building with the periodic table on the windows. Photo: Sbongile Molambo.
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 […]
