Strategic mission to Europe - University of South Africa

STAFF NEWSLETTER
JULY 2009
Strategic mission to Europe
Front, Mr Arthur Rempel (GBFE), Prof. Narend Baijnath, Ms Siza Magubane, and Dr Joseph Diescho with academics from the Neues Leben Seminar, GBFE, Germany.
INSIDE
Page 2
Unisa shows good
fiduciary governance
Page 3
ODL as weapon of
mass instruction
Page 5
Changing shape and scope of
SA historical studies
Page 6
Fourth woman executive
dean at Unisa
Page 13
Delivery and despatch
down under
The Principal and Vice-Chancellor,
Prof. Barney Pityana, accompanied by
Prof. Narend Baijnath, Vice-Principal:
Strategy, Planning and Partnerships,
Ms Siza Magubane, Director: International
Relations, and Dr Joseph Diescho,
Head of the Directorate: International
Relations and Partnerships, undertook a
strategic mission to Europe to attend the
International Council for Distance
Education (ICDE) and to visit strategic
partners of Unisa in the Netherlands and
Germany to create strategic
collaborations to nurture and broaden
existing relationships.
Meetings were held with the Maastricht School of
Management (MSM), the Vrije Universiteit (VU)
in Amsterdam, the South African Embassy in The
Hague, the Netherlands Organisation for International
Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic),
and the Gesellschaft fur Buildung und Forschung
in Europa (GBFE), Germany.
Prof. Pityana, who is also an executive member
of the ICDE, gave a keynote address at the
23rd Annual World Conference of the ICDE,
which was held from 7 to 10 June 2009 and
attended by delegates from more than 70 countries.
Other Unisa delegates, some of whom also
presented papers at the conference, were Prof.
Louis van Niekerk, Teacher Education, Prof. Petro
van Niekerk, Educational Studies, Dr Geesje van
den Berg, Educational Studies, Ms Jeanette Botha,
Office of the Principal, Prof. Dele Braimoh,
Director: Institute for Open and Distance Learning,
Dr Mpine Makoe, Institute for Open and
Distance Learning, Dr At van Schoor, Student
Counselling and Career Development, Prof.
Trudie Steyn, Further Teacher Education, and
Prof. Salome Schulze, Further Teacher Education.
After Maastricht, the delegation met with the
Vrije Universiteit (VU) in Amsterdam. Since the
previous MoU between Unisa and VU, signed in
2005, had expired, a new and revised MoU was
signed by Prof. Pityana and Prof. Lex Bouter,
Rector of VU.
Following the signing ceremony, VU and Unisa
delegates discussed the implementation of the
agreement and specific proposals were made.
Among others, it was agreed to continue the
cooperation in the Desmond Tutu Programme

From p.1
Prof. Barney Pityana addressing the Annual World Conference of the ICDE
of VU, which is coordinated by SAVUSA (South Africa – VU
University – Strategic Alliances). SAVUSA
encompasses Unisa Press’s scientific publications of Zuid-
Afrikaanse authors. Within this cooperation, 11 titles have been
published (www.savusa.nl). Future cooperation will include
training of Unisa postgraduate students, mainly doctoral students,
strengthening ties on the SANPAD project and collaborating
on a joint 2010 World Cup Project. The 2010 World Cup
Project will also be coordinated with the South African Mission
in The Hague, the South African Ministry of Tourism and other
stakeholders.
The University of South Africa’s
financial situation was sound and
had improved greatly over the
past few years in spite of difficulties
following the merger and the
current economic climate, according
to the Chairperson of Council,
Dr Mathews Phosa.
“Unisa’s Council wishes to extend its
appreciation and congratulations to Senior
Management and all other staff members
involved in Unisa’s financial management
for this achievement. It shows that,
as is the case in other functional areas,
Unisa is indeed growing from strength to
strength,” said Dr Phosa, Unisa’s Chairperson
of Council in a statement on behalf
of Council on 30 June 2009.
“The 2008 financial statements of the
University of South Africa have shown
Very positive meetings were held with Unisa’s long-standing
partner in Germany, GBFE. The GBFE has over 40 postgraduate
theology students registered with Unisa. A number of valueadding
projects were identified during this visit, including
requesting EU funds for joint projects, and hosting seminars and
anniversary celebrations.
Overall, this was a great mission to Europe and the focus is now
on the implementation of the identified initiatives.
Unisa shows good fiduciary governance
The survey will also look at generic
issues such as personal experience and
opinions on being treated fairly, collegiality,
reward and recognition, participation
in decision-making, trust, strategic clarity,
operational climate, communication, systems
and procedures, workforce diversity
and inclusion and commitment.
Ultimately, the climate survey will access
Unisa’s current state of functioning as
perceived and experienced by its staff and
profile the alignment between Unisa’s
stated mission, vision and strategies and
actual workforce beliefs, feelings and behaviours.
It is hoped that the research will
provide Unisa with an indication of the
that the University’s financial position has
improved considerably over the past few
years – in spite of the difficulties encountered
as a result of the merger between
the former Unisa, Technikon SA and the
Distance Education component of Vista
University, and the sustained difficult
financial climate in which universities in
South Africa have been operating during
the past few years,” he said.
Climate survey to profile Unisa
Unisa is conducting a climate survey to monitor the internal operating health of the University. The research
will gauge staff perception of three strategically aligned operational themes, namely institutional identity,
academic identity and enabling mechanisms and resources.
areas of work life that require attention
and assist in addressing the relevant areas.
The survey begins with exploratory
research that includes a series of focus
group discussions involving around 255
staff members in July 2009.
PAGE 2

String competition strikes high note
With a polished and mature
performance, 21-year old Avigail
Bushakevitz of George won the
Vodacom-sponsored 2nd Unisa
National String Competition in
Pretoria on 3 July 2009.
Runner-up was 16-year old Durbanite
Jacqueline Wedderburn-Maxwell, the
youngest competitor, while third place
went to Cape Town violinist Vicente Espi
(22). All three finalists automatically
qualify for the 5th Unisa International
String Competition in 2010.
The final performances brought to a close
the week-long competition, in which
twelve violinists and cellists from five
South African cities competed for top
honours.
Ms Dot Field, Chief Communications
Officer of Vodacom Group, said: “The
performance of the three finalists augurs
well for the South African contingent in
next year’s international string competi-
Avigail Bushakevitz
tion. We congratulate the winners on their
achievements and wish them well in their
future careers.”
First prize in the competition was
R50 000, second prize was R35 000 and
third prize was R20 000. Cash prizes were
sponsored by Vodacom. Mr John Roos,
the Artistic Director of the Unisa National
and International Music Competitions,
was one of the judges.
ODL is weapon of mass INSTRUCTION
“The days of universities as ivory
towers are over,” asserted Prof.
Dele Braimoh, Director: Institute
for Open and Distance Learning
(IODL) at the second of the
ODL Occasional Lecture Series
for 2009, held under the auspices
of the IODL on 29 June 2009 in
Senate Hall on the Muckleneuk
Campus.
“We have come a long way in open and
distance learning (ODL) at Unisa,” said
Prof. Barney Pityana, Principal and
Vice-Chancellor, in his welcome address.
Despite several obstacles, such as the lack
of a regulatory environment for distance
education, Prof. Pityana said that a great
deal of work had gone into the finalisation
of the Unisa policy on ODL, which will
shortly be coming into the final stages of
implementation.
According to Prof. Olugbemiro Jegede,
Vice-Chancellor, National Open University
of Nigeria (NOUN) and UNESCO
Chair of Open and Distance Learning
(ODL) Nigeria, who delivered the keynote
address From convocation to flexible
learning: the role of ODL in community
development, the bedrock of education is
the acquisition of knowledge, which leads
to a knowledge society, a learning society,
and a wise society.
Prof. Jegede noted that ODL was a weapon
of mass instruction: it democratises
and liberalises education,
is flexible and lifelong,
quality assured and
includes all, and allows
individualised learning
and at own pace.
The Deputy Executive
Dean in the College of
Human Sciences, Prof.
Kuzvinetsa Dzvimbo,
was the discussant, and
Dr Marié Ferreira,
Executive Director:
Corporate Communication
and Marketing, was
the Programme Director.
The vote of thanks and
closure was given by
Dr Godfrey Netswera of
the Research Directorate.
The following day, Prof.
Jegede facilitated an
interactive discussion
seminar on ODL
Research for both academic and
professional staff in the Dr Miriam
Makeba Concert Hall on the
Muckleneuk Campus.
Prof. Kuzvinetsa Dzvimbo, Prof. Barney Pityana, Prof. Olugbemiro Jegede,
and Prof. Dele Braimoh
PAGE 3

Ab4R campaign successfully launched
Unisa has launched an advertising
campaign in various media for
the 2010 application and
registration process. The main
objective of this campaign is to
inform the general public and,
more specifically, potential Unisa
students, of the application and
registration process.
This campaign has taken a different
approach to the one used last year in
that the campaign breaks with the teaser
“Ab4R” has generated much talk among
the target audience. Following the teaser,
the actual campaign gives more detail on
the process.
Dr Marié Ferreira, Executive Director:
Corporate Communication and Marketing,
notes that the campaign is a response
to the digital literacy of students. “It is a
radical shift from the 2008 campaign in
that we have included other media this
year. Most of our students can be reached
effectively through digital media, either
online or by cellphone.”
The campaign has been structured in
such a way that the TV, radio, print and
digital media provide potential students
with details of the process to be followed
when applying to study at Unisa. It runs
from late June to October 2009. Staff may
well have already seen the teasers, which
have occasioned a great deal of media
comment.
Dr Ferreira concludes that, while this
campaign is marketing Unisa’s 2010
enrolment process among the target
market, it also positions Unisa in the
various target markets. She also points out
that every Unisa campaign incorporates
Learn without limits.
the appropriate metrics to measure the
success of the advertisements in changing
the behaviour of the target market.
university
of south africa
Shared expertise in biomathematics, biophysics
and biochemistry
Prof. Steve Rossouw recently
visited the College of Science,
Engineering and Technology to
share ideas relating to research
possibilities in biomathematics,
biophysics and biochemistry.
During the seminar, Prof. Rossouw shared
some new techniques being used in the
medical world, which can be coupled with
physics, chemistry or applied mathematics.
He discussed new techniques in
areas such as blood and kidney dialysis,
the working of a heart pacemaker, artificial
limbs, bionic limbs, heart valves and
cures for sugar diabetes, blood cancer and
liver disease.
Prof. Rossouw is a Senior Consultant
for the University of Pretoria/Gauteng
Health, but is based at the Kalafong Academic
Hospital in Pretoria. He specialises
in HIV treatment.
Dr Riette Maritz (Chair Department of Mathematics)
and Prof. Steve Rossouw
PAGE 4

Changing shape and scope of
SA historical studies
Prof. Tom Karis, Ms Mary Karis, Prof. Gail Gerhart, Prof. Jane Carruthers, and Prof. Raymond Suttner
The 22nd Biennial Conference of the Southern African Historical Society, held on the Sunnyside Campus from
22 to 24 June 2009, was a resounding success. More than 100 delegates, many from Botswana, Zimbabwe,
the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as all the regions of South Africa, attended. Around 75
papers on a wide range of topics were presented in line with the conference theme of Breaking boundaries,
blurring borders: the changing shape and scope of southern African historical studies.
The opening address by Prof. Mandla
Makhanya, Pro Vice-Chancellor, was read
by the Registrar, Prof. Louis Molamu,
who noted with pleasure how the aims of
this conference aligned themselves with
Unisa’s commitment to develop a new
intellectual climate of interdisciplinary
and socially responsive topics which take
their cue from local knowledge situated in
a broad global framework.
The keynote lecture, entitled History from
below: potentials and limitations, was
given by the Rhodes Professor of Race
Relations at the University of Oxford,
Prof. William Beinart. Other important
southern African academics included
two NRF Research Professors, Carolyn
Hamilton of the University of Cape Town,
Philip Bonner of the University of the
Witwatersrand, and Dr Graham Dominy,
the National Archivist.
Thanks to the organisation of Prof. Raymond
Suttner from the School for Graduation
Studies, Prof. Tom Karis, recipient
of an honorary doctorate from Unisa
on 22 June 2009, and his wife, Mary,
together with Prof. Gail Gerhart, joined
the conference on its second day, much to
the delight of the participants.
The organisers were especially gratified
by the innovative work presented by the
large number of postgraduate students.
Compliments about the conference
included the following: “As a student,
I felt welcome and found it inspiring
to be there”; “Certainly the best SAHS
conference I’ve been to – a new moment
in the discipline’s own history”; “Your
guest and honorary speakers added a solid
dimension and your plenary archives
and journal sessions were terrific”; “The
student mentor session was a wonderful
initiative”.
In short, as Prof. Laura Mitchell, Associate
Professor of African History, University
of California, Irvine, enthused in her
blog on the event, “the biennial meeting
of the SAHS defied old stereotypes and
exceeded conventional expectations. The
constellation of individuals, institutional
presence, and publications showcased
innovative scholarship, new initiatives,
provocative thinking, and commitment
to making historical research relevant in
both public and academic contexts.”
PAGE 5

Fourth woman executive dean at Unisa
Prof. Hellicy Ngambi has been
appointed as Executive Dean
of Unisa’s College of Economic
and Management Sciences. Prof.
Ngambi is the fourth woman to
be appointed as executive dean
at Unisa. The other three are Dr
Maggi Linington, College of Agriculture
and Environmental
Sciences, Prof. Rosemary Moeketsi,
College of Human Sciences, and
Prof. Mamokgethi Setati,
College of Science, Engineering
and Technology. The odd man out,
as it were, is Prof. Nqosa Mahao
of the College of Law.
In terms of race, Unisa’s permanent
professional and non-professional staff
has shown the greatest increase towards
equity since the merger in 2004. That
year white professional staff represented
71,2% and African 22,4% with Indians
at 3,6% and coloured staff at 2,8%. In
2008, whites were 60,2%, Indian 3,7%,
coloured still at 2,8% and African 33,4%.
Instructional and/or research staff statistics
show that between 2004 and 2008
African staff grew from 20% to 29%
while white staff in that category declined
from 74% to 65%. Senior instructional
and research staff statistics show that
between 2004 and 2008 African appointments
increased from 7% to 24,4%.
Only 7% of the professors were African
in 2004 while in 2008 they rose to 11,4%.
African associate professors rose from
11% in 2004 to 22,2% in 1008 and senior
lecturers from 15,5% to 24,4%.
Prof. Hellicy Ngambi
Bringing IDEAS & MONEY together
Unisa and Heinemann co-hosted
the launch of the second edition
of Managing Public Money: Systems
of the South by Koos Pauw, Gavin
Woods, Gert van der Linde, David
Fourie, and Christiaan Visser in the
Protea Restaurant on the Muckleneuk
Campus on 2 July 2009.
A highly successful management text that
develops public financial management
skills within a framework of information
on financial legislation, structures and
technologies in the public sector, this
edition also includes sections on municipal
financial management, and the latest
diagnostics for evaluating public financial
management at country level.
Valiant Clapper (Acting Deputy Executive Director: College of Economic and Management
Sciences) and Prof. Koos Pauw
Prof. Koos Pauw, from the Department of
Public Administration and lead author of
the book, emphasised that all the authors
have a commitment to public financial administration
and management and want to
facilitate and improve the discipline. “We
approached public finance and management
from the line manager’s perspective
by giving the basic background to managing
public money from the point of view
of engaging intellectually with the field,”
he explained.
“Books remain for many the main source
of information,” said Ms Ruth Kagia,
World Bank Country Director for Southern
Africa, “but it is rare that you find
a book that meets the needs of a broad
range of individuals at their point of need.
Since the essential role of the World Bank
is to bring ideas together with money,
what I liked about reading it, is that it
not only conceptualises the issues, but
comprehensively treats how you manage
money from A to Z.”
Managing Public Money Systems
from the South (2nd Edition)
JC Pauw, Gavin Woods, GJA van der Linde,
David Fourie, CB Visser

African green revolution
research needed
Dr Prudence Kayoka (Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology), Prof. Jimmy Hendrick (Environmental Sciences), Prof. David
Modise (Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology), Prof. Omotayo Awofolu (Environmental Sciences), Dr Kebadire Mogotsi, and
Ms Melanie Nicolau (Geography)
Dr Kebadire Mogotsi from the
Department of Crop Science and
Production, Botswana College of
Agriculture, delivered a lecture at
the 4th College of Agriculture and
Environmental Sciences (CAES)
Scholar Programme Seminar held
on the Florida Campus on
5 June 2009.
Speaking on Restoring the missing link
in agriculture and integrated natural
resources management, Dr Mogotsi considered
the case of some high value plant
species. He warned that the world green
revolution, the development of highyielding
varieties of seed for crops that
require extensive technology for planting,
irrigation, fertilising, spraying, and
harvesting, is based on selected but very
few plant species, including many that are
not suited to the climatic conditions of
those African countries where smallholder
farmers operate in marginal land that is
largely arid or semi-arid.
Dr Mogotsi said that research, education
and development institutions
largely funded by public funds are not
yet involved in science and technology
development for an African green
revolution, which must be based on an
African germplasm suited to Africa’s
environmental resilience. He emphasised
that the diversification of arable
agriculture, crop species, farm incomes,
markets and sources of environmental
services, together with the robustness of
the germplasm under marginal conditions
and the familiarity to local communities
were among the reasons for venturing into
natural resources management to restore
the missing link in agriculture.
Innovative student access system
The International Computer Driving
Licence (ICDL) staff in the Pretoria
Hub (Gauteng region) have
created an e-system that regulates
and monitors student access to
the computer laboratories on the
Skinner Street East Campus. The
system consists of a database
of students which staff update
regularly using MS Excel and a
laser scanner. This system can also
be used to calculate weekly and
monthly statistics.
The staff have also created a wall system
which holds student cards. This makes it
easier to see how many students are in the
lab and if there is still space available for
students. This has improved efficiency
and the time the students can spend
using the computers. The system is also
being used on the Sunnyside campus
and in Durban. Ms Niret Grobler is
writing a manual for the system,
which will make it easier to implement
at other regions.
Ms Niret Grobler, Ms Mahlatse Noko, Ms Audrey Setumu, Ms Laura
Mampholo, and Mr Jan Masemola in front of the wall card system
PAGE 7

Agrarian reform in Zimbabwe debated
Prof. David Moore, Dr Brita Zawada (Director: School of Arts, Education, Languages and Communication),
Prof. Sam Moyo, and Prof. Andrew Phillips (Director: School of Humanities,
Social Sciences and Theology)
The College of Human Sciences
hosted Prof. Sam Moyo, Executive
Director of the African Institute
for Agrarian Studies (AIAS) and
President of the Council for the
Development of Social Science
Research in Africa (CODESRIA) on
29 June 2009 in the Dr Miriam
Makeba Concert Hall. This is the
third part of the ongoing series
of the African Visiting Scholars
Programme which was launched
early this year.
Prof. Moyo’s lecture was entitled
Zimbabwe’s agrarian reform and
prospects for recovery, and he argued
that the land question and agrarian reform
in general in Zimbabwe is a complex
issue because evidence shows that a large
percentage of the land acquired from
the previous white owners was actually
distributed to the black poor. Since
Zimbabwe’s population density is one of
the highest on the continent, there is
actually a shortage of arable land in
the country.
His presentation also showed that the
peasant farmer in Zimbabwe has been
producing more food since the late 1960s
than the white commercial farmers. The
essence of his presentation was that land
reform benefited the landless and land
tenure has now shifted to the black
majority despite the economic and food
crises that the country has witnessed
during the last few years.
In response, Prof. David Moore, Head
of the Department of Anthropology and
Development Studies from the University
of Johannesburg pointed out the
agrarian reform in Zimbabwe should be
predicated on the current political crisis
in Zimbabwe caused by lack of freedom,
democracy and good governance. He also
asserted that most of the distributed land
is not productive because the new owners
do not have agricultural skills, and equipment.
He attributed the agrarian crisis in
Zimbabwe to the mismanagement of the
country by the Mugabe regime. In his
view, the land reform that took place in
the last few years needs to be revisited if
Zimbabwe is to be able to feed its people
once more.
African renewable energy for Africans
Prof. Sospeter Muhongo, Regional
Director of the International Council
for Science in Africa, addressed
the College of Science, Engineering
and Technology (CSET) African
Scholar Programme seminar on
24 June 2009 in the Dr Miriam
Makeba Concert Hall, Muckleneuk
Campus, on the role of science,
technology and innovation for
sustainable livelihood in Africa.
Prof. Muhongo argued that renewable
energy is what Africa should focus on
and he emphasised the role of African
scientists in this regard. He felt it was not
acceptable, for example, that the proposed
Sahara solar energy project is led by a
consortium of major European Union
companies and organisations to supply
that continent’s electricity needs.
This presentation was very well received
by academics across Unisa. Ms Hentie
Wilson, Directorate for Curriculum and
Learning Development (DCLD), said,
“Prof. Muhongo was like a stream of
fresh water to the starving Unisa desert
today during his lecture. Keep up the
good ideas and I am personally looking
forward to the next African Scholar
seminar.” Prof. Malose Mphahlele, Chair
of Department: Chemistry, declared,
“The talk was exceptionally good and the
speaker outlined aspects that could be of
help not only to our college, but the country
at large. I was really impressed.” Ms
Klarissa Engelbrecht, School of Computing,
stated, “For me it underlined again
that we should in fact be developing our
own courses for our own students, and not
become too reliant on things developed
for other continents. That is without becoming
detached from the global realities,
which, in our field, are tough competition.”
At the end of his presentation Prof.
Mamokgethi Setati, Executive Dean:
CSET, thanked Prof. Muhongo for the
outstanding presentation and also announced
that Prof. Muhongo is one of the
candidates for the position of Director
General of UNESCO.
Mr Convy Baloyi (Dean of Students),
Prof. Mamokgethi Setati, and Prof. Sospeter Muhongo
PAGE 8

The judge and the general: the Pinochet case
Judge Guzmán, Prof. Rushiela Songca (Deputy Executive Dean: College of Law), Prof. Nqosa Mahao, Prof. Boatamo Mosupyoe (Professor and
Director Pan African Studies, California State University Sacramento), and Prof. André Thomashausen (Chair of Department: Public, Constitutional
and International Law)
“We called ourselves the
Switzerland of America,” said
Hon. Juan Salvador Guzmán Tapia,
“and boasted that we would never
find ourselves under a military
jackboot.”
Speaking at a guest lecture hosted by
the Executive Dean of the College of
Law, Prof. Nqosa Mahao, in the O R
Tambo Building on 29 June 2009. Judge
Guzmán, who serves on the Global
Senate Hall on the Muckleneuk Campus
became a centre for a festival of ideas
during the 11th Africa Day celebrations
when elections in Africa were put under
the spotlight by the Department of Political
Sciences with support from the South
African Independent Electoral Commission
(IEC) and Oxford University Press.
Different intellectuals converged at Unisa
on 5 June 2009 to listen and debate the
theme, The power of the ballot: elections
in Africa.
Prof. Kuzvinetsa Dzvimbo, Deputy
Executive Dean: College of Human
Sciences, set the scene for the speakers.
Keynote speaker Dr Brigalia Bam, IEC
Chairperson, spoke extensively on the
need for learners and students to review
Majority International Advisory Board
(IAB), is a retired Chilean judge who became
famous internationally for prosecuting
former dictator Augusto Pinochet on
human rights charges.
One of the legacies of the Pinochet case
saw the Treaty of Rome signed in 1998
and ratified by most evolved countries
belonging to the international community
to assure the accountability of state
agents and civilians in their responsibility
and conduct research on the South African
electoral system. Dr Bam pointed out
that African countries do not have their
own unique electoral systems. “Our electoral
systems are informed by our former
colonisers,” she noted.
Questions Dr Bam posed to stimulate
debate were, “Why is there resistance
when a leader has to relinquish power?”
and “Why can’t a political party manage
to stay in power after elections?” Case
studies of recent elections in Kenya,
Botswana and Namibia were analysed.
The point was made that the successful
management of elections is crucial for
political stability and economic development
on the continent.
for genocide, crimes against humanity,
and war crimes. This treaty created the
International Criminal Court (ICC) that
is meant to try the people responsible for
these crimes when justice cannot or will
not take place in the countries where they
have been committed.
The presentation concluded with a
stimulating debate on the rule of law and
international law.
Role of scholars in election discussed
Dr Brigalia Bam

Young academics do Unisa proud
Staff attending the Young Academics Programme (YAP) certificate ceremony listened with new appreciation
to the Unisa vision and values when these were performed by the young academics.
Dr Nathi Ngcobo, Mr Tumi Senokoane, Mr Thompson Mabunda, Mr Mulalo Mudau, Dr Natasja Holtzhausen, Ms Elize Symington, Ms Dikeledi
Mahlo, Ms Esther Joubert, Mr Kabelo Maja, Mr Ahmed Jazbhay, Ms Ednah Onyari, Dr Rakgadi Phatlane, Ms Tintswalo Tivana, Prof. Charnelle van
der Bijl, Ms Princess Bembe, and Ms Julia Matetoa
The first group of 16 academics to participate
in this year’s Young Academics Programme
were awarded their certificates
at a ceremony hosted on 3 June 2009 in
the Protea Restaurant on the Muckleneuk
Campus. Referring to themselves as
“Unisa’s own Idols”, they showed how
passionate they were about Unisa when
they entertained the audience with a musical
account of the vision and values.
In his welcome address, Prof. Barney
Erasmus, Vice-Principal: Operations, said
the Young Academics Project was an initiative
that would contribute to sustained
continuity in research at Unisa. He added
that the majority of Unisa’s researchers
are already in their fifties. “Unisa cannot
afford to leave research to chance and
think that it will happen on its own. With
YAP, we are building a new generation
of merged Unisa academics,” said Prof.
Erasmus.
Prof. Rosalie Finlayson, coordinator of
the first group of young academics, said
they now have a better understand of
tuition, research and academic management.
They also have a better understanding
of myUnisa. Prof. Phumla Mtala,
Co-ordinator: Young Academics Project
and Mentorship Programme, who will
be organising the second intake of young
academics this year, said that it was now
possible to evaluate the programme and
make improvements where needed.
In her response on behalf of the young
academics, Ms Esther Joubert said that
the cross-pollination of the different colleges
was an amazing experience for her
as “it will help negate the all-too familiar
silo effect that exists at Unisa and will encourage
cohesion.” Mr Mulalo Mudau, a
fellow group member, added that he now
understood much better how the University
works.
Power breakfast targets security industry
The Department of Criminology
and Security Science held a power
breakfast on 11 May 2009 at Irene
Country Lodge for members of
the security industry. The morning
began with a presentation by
Dr Rudolph Zinn from the Department
of Crime and Forensic
Investigation on Preventative security
measures for house robberies:
perpetrators’ perspectives.
Touching on issues such as the extent
of house robberies, the times when they
occur and the selection of targets, Dr Zinn
also considered deterrent and preventative
security measures. A disquieting statistic
was that 40 house robberies occur every
day in the country, 20 of them in Gauteng.
Prof. Anthony Minnaar then addressed
the audience on the new degree, a BA in
Criminal Justice with specialisation in Security
Management, that would be offered
from 2010. He spoke about the new modules
for the further professionalisation of
the industry and explained the recognition
of prior learning (RPL) process and new
credit exemptions. He appealed to the
security industry to provide assistance
in revising existing modules, and said
that the information for the new modules
would also require input from experts in
specialised fields.
Prof. Anthony Minnaar
PAGE 10

TESSA project
creates open educational resources
Teacher Education in sub-Saharan
Africa (TESSA) is a project hosted
and supported by the UK Open
University, and is a research and
development initiative that creates
open educational resources (OERs)
and course design guidance for
teachers and teacher educators
working in sub-Saharan African
countries. The project promotes
the development of and increases
access to teaching materials in six
learning areas, namely literacy,
numeracy, science, social studies,
arts, and life skills.
In 2008, the Department of Teacher
Education hosted Ms Claire Hedges from
the UK Open University for a workshop
on the department’s participation in and
future plans for the project. In May 2009,
the team held a workshop with Dr Pinkie
Mabunda, Chair of the Department of
Teacher Education, who spoke about the
TESSA workshop participants
challenges of participation from a Unisa
context, and Dr Ellen Lenyai, the Unisa
TESSA coordinator, who looked at the
implications there would be in using the
material. Presentations were also made
by Ms Jay Thakrar and Dr Carol van der
Westhuizen from the universities of Fort
Hare and Pretoria respectively.
Plans for the Unisa TESSA team are for
individual lecturers to present articles in
newsletters on student participation and
feedback in their modules, using the material
for community development, utilising
the video and teleconference facilities
for discussions with students around the
materials, and exploring the use of radio
and DVD.
Walk the ODL student walk
Attend the ODL event in your
region and discover
• the five levels and different steps of a
Unisa student’s study journey
• the products programmes and
services Unisa offers at the
five levels
• the role you play in the ODL Walk.
You could walk away with R5 000.
So let’s do the ODL Walk together!
Gauteng
24 August 2009
Florida Campus
Johannesburg Learning Centre
Benoni Learning Centre
Muckleneuk Campus
Thutong Learning Centre
Midlands
26 August 2009, Rustenburg Learning
Centre
Mafikeng Learning Centre
Potchefstroom Learning Centre
14 September 2009, Bloemfontein
Kroonstad Learning Centre
Kimberly Learning Centre
North Eastern
17 September 2009, Polokwane
Learning Centre
Giyani Learning Centre
Makhado Learning Centre
31 August 2009, Nelspruit Learning
Centre
Middelburg Learning Centre
KwaZulu-Natal
3 September 2009, Durban Learning
Centre
Pietermaritzburg Learning Centre
Richards Bay Learning Centre
Wild Coast Learning Centre
Newcastle Learning Centre
Cape Coastal
7 September 2009, East London
Umtata
Port Elizabeth
10 September 2009,
Parow Learning Centre
George Learning Centre
Remember – if you’re not there,
you can’t win.
PAGE 11

June 16
celebrated in style
The Unisa Women’s Forum commemorated the Youth Day struggle of 1976 at the Senate Hall on the Muckleneuk
Campus on 12 June 2009. Dr Judy Henning of the Unisa Library welcomed the guests, while Mr Shela
Maluleka from Unisa Press directed the cheerful event. Mr Mashudu Selowa, Library Services, performed
poetry based on 16 June 1976, and Mr Thabang Sekhwama, Library Services, gave a brief history of Youth
Day. Speaking on choice, Ms Wendy Tlamama, a young motivational speaker, had this to say: “The choices
made by the youth of 1976 on that fateful day have contributed to who we are today; it is therefore important
to make choices with an open mind in order to pave a brighter future.”
Mr Shela Maluleka, Mr Thabang Sekhwama, Ms Connie Chiume
and guest, Dr Judy Henning, Ms Wendy Tlamama, Ms Serah
Mashego (Library Services), Ms Natalia Molebatsi (Library Services),
and Mr Mashudu Selowa.
Mr Nic Maluleke (Director: Student Affairs and Services) and Ms Vicky Malefo
(Manager: HIV/AIDS Division) with members of Positive Life, an NGO that
offers Confidential HIV/AIDS Counselling and Testing. Positive Life is a project
of the Foundation for Professional Development, which supports the Unisa VCT
Programme on a regular basis by providing free VCT Services for students.
Ms Connie Chiume, the acclaimed actress
and television personality, gave the keynote
address based on the event’s theme,
Look within, keep giving and lead with
your heart. She urged all present to reflect
on each day of giving and taking, as well
as on “hearty leadership based on the
possibilities of positivity as an attitude.”
She ended her address with the encouraging
words: “Giving your smile can uplift
another colleague’s day.”
The Community Engagement and Outreach
Directorate also hosted a Youth
Day celebration in the ZK Matthews Hall
on the Muckleneuk Campus on 12 June
2009. In his opening address, the Director
of Student Affairs, Mr Nicholas Maluleke,
said that South Africa is a unique country
and its youth must ensure that it thrives
against all odds. “Our youth has challenges
to deal with, including HIV and
AIDS.” He added that young people must
ensure that South Africa is able to compete
successfully with the world super
economies.
Following a candle-lighting ceremony
conducted by the HIV/AIDS peer
educators, Captain Colette Weilbach from
the SAPS gave a lecture on the signs to
look out for if someone is using drugs.
This was followed by talks by Mr Convy
Baloyi, Dean of Students, and a representative
from the Human Rights Commission.
The highlight of the day was the
performance by the award-winning group
Rhythmic Elements.
PAGE 12

Delivery and despatch down under
On a recent trip to Australia, Dr
AM Mahomed, Executive
Director: Study Material, Print,
Production and Delivery, visited
Curtin University of Technology,
Monash University and a supply
chain conference.
He was impressed by the flexible learning
delivery model of Curtin University,
which uses Blackboard, a learning management
system that allows academics
to upload resources, learning materials
for individual units, and conferencing
with students. Assessment is done online
through quizzes and self marking assignments,
although examinations are paper
based, as there are still challenges on
ensuring that only registered students sit
for their own examinations.
At Monash University, Dr Mahomed was
introduced to the ARROW (Australian
Research Repositories Online to the
World) project, which plans to identify
and test software or solutions to support
best practice institutional digital
repositories comprising e-prints,
electronic theses, e-research and
electronic publishing.
Dr Abdul Majid Mahomed with Dr Paddy Forde (Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor, International,
Curtin University of Technology)
The project will develop software to support
a more comprehensive set of digital
objects and hence enable more creative
uses of repositories and more flexible
ways in which repositories integrate with
other knowledge management tools.
A number of interesting papers were
delivered in plenary, half plenary and
parallel sessions at the Smart 2009
Conference, a supply chain conference
held from 10 to 11 June 2009 in Sydney.
The keynote address was about increasing
Career exhibition at eMalahleni
awareness about green issues, reducing
the carbon footprint, and ensuring compliance
with the triple bottom line in good
governance within the broader supply
chain. Businesses cannot survive in communities
that fail, and this explained the
thrust towards corporate social responsibility.
An interesting statistic was that
20% of the rich consume 87% of world
resources, while 20% of the poorest consume
merely 1.07%.
Students at the Unisa stand
From 25 to 29 May 2009, Unisa joined
other tertiary institutions in a career
exhibition held at the eMalahleni campus
of the Tshwane University of Technology
(TUT) to offer career information to
Grade 12 learners. The exhibition was
organised under the auspices of Career
Exhibition and Information Association
(CEIA), a body which organises career
exhibitions throughout the country.
More than 1 000 Grade 12 learners
attended the exhibition and they appreciated
the opportunity they had to interact
with representatives from companies and
various institutions of higher learning.
The exhibition also enabled both learners
and educators to learn more about Unisa’s
open and distance learning (ODL) model.
Unisa was represented by Mr Madumo
Rampedi (Department of Corporate Communication
and Marketing) and Ms Julian
Leshilo (Nelspruit regional office).
PAGE 13

The black body as social, cultural
and political construction
Prominent scholars from around the world open up a lively conversation about the black body, in a multiplicity
of ways, and within a diasporic framework in this latest offering from Unisa Press.
In The Black Body: Imagining, Writing,
(Re)Reading, edited by Sandra Jackson,
Fassil Demissie and Michele Goodwin,
the black body as a social, cultural and
political construction is discussed through
the discourses of different disciplines
and fields, focusing on the twentieth
century and issues of the black body in
the diaspora, as raced, gendered, classed –
literally, figuratively, as well as symbolically.
The authors of the ten chapters, including
Mbala Nkanga, Dorothy Roberts, Pumla
Gqola, and Kaiama Glover, examine the
following issues:
• Displaying Africans at l’Exposition
Coloniale Internationale de Paris,
1931
• Aesthicisation of the sentient black
body: Jean Rouch and Jean Genet
• Seeking the dry bones of my father:
race, rites, ritual and the white male
body in Baldwin, Wright and Ellison
• The black body as medical commerce
• Unshackling black women’s bodies
• All the women must be clothed: the
anti-nudity campaign in Northern
Ghana, 1957–1969
• Blackwomen’s bodies as battlegrounds
in black consciousness
literature: Wayward sex and
(interracial) rape as tropes in
Staffrider 1978–1982
•
•
•
Reading the text of Josephine Baker
Buried in a watery grave: art,
commemoration, and racial trauma
Black bodies and the representation of
blackness in imagined futures.
The Black Body: Imagining, Writing, (Re)Reading
Sandra Jackson, Fassil Demissie and Michele Goodwin (Editors)
Tel: 012 429 3448 or thearl@unisa.ac.za
R212.28
Unisa Press
20 MINUTES A DAY
is all you need
No matter what your gym
preferences are, the Unisa Wellness
and Fitness Centre is your
one-stop wellness centre. Whether
you want to lose weight or build
muscle at the centre you will find
the best expert advice to fulfil
your wishes.
Focus spent time with the centre manager,
Ms Elizma Zaayman, who oozes expert
knowledge about body movement. She
said that, as a qualified biokineticist,
(a study which deals with movement
through life), she knows how to help
anybody who arrives at their centre. One
of her other duties is to ensure that the
centre is running efficiently and smoothly.
“If people arrive here we assist them by
accessing their medical risks and recommend
a specific exercise programme
that will work well with their medical
challenges,” she said. The centre staff
members also know how to handle different
people’s medical challenges and can
recommend preventative and rehabilitative
programmes.
The centre proves to be the place to be at
Unisa. There are staff members who will
assist you by showing you how to use
their state-of-the-art machines. From time
to time the centre advertises classes (on
the Unisa website) for people who have
heart problems, blood pressure problem
and back and neck problems. These classes
run from eight to twelve weeks free of
charge. Ms Zaayman concluded by saying
that Unisa staff are urged to come to the
Wellness Centre for at least 20 minutes a
day three times a week. “That will help to
release the happy hormones.”
PAGE 14

Unisa Press on show
Ms Thea Bester-Swanepoel, Ms Julia Mokgohloa, Ms Samantha Miller, Ms Hetta Pieterse, Mr Gerald Dorey (Taylor & Francis representative),
Ms Beth le Roux, and Dr Joed Elich (Brill Academic Publishers) at the Cape Town Book Fair
June was a busy month for Unisa
Press. The Cape Town Book Fair
from 12 to 16 June 2009 showcased
a more spacious Unisa Press
stand with a funky branding design
concept by designer Ms Thea
Bester-Swanepoel.
Ms Beth le Roux, Director: Unisa Press,
her team and select top authors engaged
the public in discussions about their
latest books, while Ms Samantha Miller
organised a number of additional events
to garner more interest, including a
workshop on business writing skills and a
panel discussion on ethics as a catalyst for
development and growth.
The Press partnered with international
publisher, Brill, to offer visitors a spread
of books by Brill, as well as co-published
books and a range of new and popular
recent books. Online journals publishing
partner, Taylor and Francis/Routledge,
had a stand directly opposite Unisa Press.
More than ten of Unisa Press’s journals
are being distributed internationally by
Taylor & Francis. This partnership has
grown from strength to strength, with the
partners now also sharing an online submission
and tracking system for ensuring
the smooth production flow of journals.
From 22 to 24 June, Unisa Press was in
Stellenbosch where brisk sales were done
at a theology conference by Ms Miller.
Back in Pretoria in the same week, Ms
Hetta Pieterse covered and handled sales
at a conference of the South African
Historical Society on the Unisa Sunnyside
Campus, while over the weekend she
moved to showcase books at the Unisa
Student Psychology Conference in
Gaborone, Botswana, and to local
businesses.
Background staff provide essential service
Registration section and Call
Centre staff members, who
have to help sometimes difficult
students and answer even more
difficult enquiries, were recently
invited to take a short break
and enjoy a hot soup breakfast
at both the Florida and
Muckleneuk campuses.
The purpose of the meeting was to thank
those staff who work in the background
but provide an essential service to the
overall mandate of Unisa in terms of
assistance to prospective and current students.
Most of these colleagues work in a
virtual environment and in an open space.
Speaking in Florida, Deputy Executive
Dean in the College of Human Sciences
(CHS), Prof. Kuzvinetsa Dzvimbo,
welcomed and thanked all the members
of staff who had handled the registration
of students in the college during the first
registration period. Prof. Dzvimbo reiterated
that CHS would not be where it is
without the dedication and support from
these colleagues.
Prof. Greg Cuthbertson,
Director: School for
Graduate Studies, thanked
the staff based at the Muckleneuk
and Sunnyside campuses
for assisting the more
than 96 000 CHS students
with registration, especially
those students enrolling for
their master’s and doctoral
qualifications. According to
Prof. Cuthbertson, the
registration division assisted with over
350 000 module registrations
during 2009.
Prof. Kuzvinetsa Dzvimbo (third from right), with some of
the attendees sporting the warm and very bright yellow
Unisa scarves they received to mark the occasion.
PAGE 15

Do computer screens affect your eyesight?
Mr Lawrence Sithole is a member
of staff based at the Research
Directorate. He joined Unisa from
the University of KwaZulu-Natal,
where he worked as a lecturer in
the Optometry Department. He is
one of fewer than 10 black South
Africans with a master’s degree
in Optometry. Currently he is
working on his PhD in Eye Health
Promotion and is responsible for
research capacity development
in the Research Directorate. He
writes for the Focus on common
problems besetting computer users
and what to do about them.
Visual Display Terminals (VDTs), conventionally
known as computer screens,
are standard equipment in most industries
(including Unisa). Unfortunately they are
associated with some eye complications.
The main visual symptoms reported by
VDT users are eyestrain, tired eyes, irritation,
burning sensation, redness, blurred
vision, double vision and headaches.
However, it is generally accepted that
these symptoms are temporary. Despite
a number of scare stories to the contrary,
there is, until now, no conclusive
evidence that work with VDTs cause
permanent damage to the eyes. Nor is
there is any conclusive evidence that VDT
users are more likely to become myopic
(short-sighted) or develop any other form
of eye defect.
There are three possible factors responsible
for the high prevalence of complaints
among VDT users. These relate to:
1. The nature of VDT displays: Is there an
inherent problem with VDT technology or
the way that information is displayed on a
VDT screen which cause eye problems?
2. The way that VDTs are set up (workstation
design): One obvious difference
between looking at a display screen and a
reading printed text is that VDT screens
tend to be placed at or just below eye
level whereas printed documents tend to
be held well below the horizontal plane so
that the eyes are looking down. This can
lead to a number of problems for VDT
users such as dry eyes, especially in airconditioned
rooms.
Also, the raised position of the VDT may
require those wearing bifocals (lenses
with segment) or multifocals (lenses without
segment but multiple seeing portions)
Mr Lawrence Sithole
to adopt an uncomfortable head position
to view the screen through the appropriate
portion of the lens. This problem can
sometimes be solved by lowering the
screen, but in most cases the best solution
is to prescribe a separate pair of single
vision spectacles adjusted for the VDT
viewing distance. Also, more care is
required when positioning a VDT screen
as movements behind the monitor can be
distracting. Likewise, a window behind
the user may result in disturbing reflections
on the screen.
Reading glasses are used at 40 cm (by
those 40 years and older) and this may
cause the lenses to be too strong and the
images will be blurred if a screen is, say,
at 60 cm away. This can easily be avoided
by asking your optometrist to prescribe
multifocals than bifocals. Multifocals
have a portion for intermediate distance
fixation.
A common cause of eye problems among
VDT users is inappropriate lighting. In
many offices, the ambient light is much
higher and this compromises the contrast
of the screen and in turn reduces the
legibility of the display and may lead to
asthenopic symptoms such as headaches
and eyestrain. Where it is impractical
to reduce ambient light levels, some
improvement in screen contrast can be
achieved by placing a glare filter in front
of the screen. Ambient light reflected
from the screen will be attenuated twice
by the filter (once on the way and once on
reflection), while the emitted light is attenuated
only once. Thus the background
is attenuated more than the characters,
and screen contrast is increased. Also,
you may ask your optometrist to prescribe
lenses with anti-reflective coating (ARC).
3. Work practices: In many cases the eye
problems reported by VDT users are a
natural consequence of the way the eyes
have been used. Working at VDT involves
sustained accommodation (focusing
power) and vergence (eye movements)
and most tasks involve a high degree of
cognitive effort. Poor workstation design,
inadequate provision of breaks and a
stressful environment often compound the
problem and lead to complaints by individuals
who are normally asymptomatic.
Suggestions
Frequent stand-up and walking breaks
should provide an opportunity for display
screen users to vary their posture and
change the nature of visual and mental
activity. Although a headache might be a
symptom for other underlying conditions
in the body, research has shown that most
headaches affecting VDT users could be
due to other eye focus problems. However,
care should be taken that a serious
condition such as glaucoma, which may
also cause headaches and is the second
leading cause of blindness in South Africa
after cataracts, is neither missed out nor
mistaken for computer screen effects on
the eyes.
PAGE 16

Sailing into risky waters
The School of Management
Sciences is in the process of
planning the second International
Banking Conference to be hosted
from 27 to 30 November 2009
aboard the Sinfonia Ocean Liner,
departing from Durban Harbour
and setting sail for
international waters.
The theme is Risk management imperatives:
a Euro-African perspective. Local
and international speakers and participants
will reflect on the diversity of risk
management and financial risk through
plenary and academic research paper presentations.
You are invited to submit your
papers for review based on the conference
topics to ibc@unisa.ac.za. Registration
ends in July 2009.
Honorary doctorates honour leaders
Unisa conferred honorary doctorates
on Dr Ishmael Noko on
2 June 2009, and on Prof.
Tom Karis and Judge Catherine
O’Regan on 22 June 2009.
Dr Ishmael Noko is the first African
General Secretary of the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF), a position he has held
since 1994. He is the founder and president
of the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in
Africa (IFAPA), a conflict resolution and
peace-building initiative incorporating the
continent’s seven faith traditions: African
traditional religion, the Baha’i faith, Buddhism,
Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and
Judaism. Born in Zimbabwe, he studied
and worked overseas before returning
to Africa and lecturing at the University
of Botswana, where he was eventually
appointed as Dean of the Faculty of
Humanities. He then joined the LWF’s
Department of World Services where he
provided refugee services to churches, the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees and
the now African Union as well as other
organisations.
A large part of the long and productive
academic life of Prof. Tom Karis has been
devoted to recording the history of the
struggle against apartheid.
Judge Catherine O’Regan and Prof. Tom Karis
His connection with South Africa began
when the State Department of the United
States of America posted him to Pretoria
in the 1950s. He became acquainted with
the leader anti-apartheid figures of the
time. His research and writings, which
influenced United States foreign policy,
are invaluable archive material, as he and
his associates had access to many of the
exiled leaders of the ANC, PAC and other
liberation organisations, some of whom
have since died.
Judge Catherine O’Regan practised as
an attorney in Johannesburg and later
joined the University of Cape Town as a
researcher and lecturer. In 1994 she was
appointed as a judge to the Constitutional
Court. She has also acted as Deputy Chief
Justice. In May 2008, she was appointed
by the Secretary-General of the United
Nations as chairperson of the newly established
United Nations Internal Justice
Council. One of only two women appointed
in 1994 as the first Constitutional
Court judges in the new dispensation,
she has played a major role in advancing
gender equity on the Bench.
Dr Ishmael Noko
PAGE 17

Region Roundup
Licensed to WIL
On 29 May 2009, Dr Mmori Mokhaba,
Executive Director of Learner Support,
presented each member of a group
of specifcally identified regional staff
with a “licence to WIL” to facilitate the
placement of Unisa students with host
organisations for their prerequisite workintegrated
learning (WIL).
A group of 28 regional staff spent the
week of 25 to 29 May 2009 at the Florida
Campus undergoing intensive training in
imperatives, policy, systems, procedures,
resources and selling skills. Several
delegates experienced the seminar as an
eye-opener. Other words used to describe
the seminar included groundbreaking,
stimulating and achievable.
The seminar ended on a high note, with
regional delegates motivated to take up
their roles in the facilitation of learning.
BCCAD reaches out
to rural communities
Mr Ross Wells, Student Counsellor, and
Mr Mbuso Ndlovu, Administrative Officer,
from the Counselling, Career and
Academic Development section at the
Pietermaritzburg Service Centre visited
the Implendle district, near Pietermaritzburg,
on 18 and 19 May 2009. The aim of
this visit was to discuss career and study
options with Grades 11 and 12 learners in
the area. In total, they spoke to 961 learners
at nine schools.
“We were very happy to meet learners
who are ambitious about their careers;
some learners knew what they wanted,
but some were confused. We discussed
career and study options with learners
who were unsure and held discussions
with others to help them clarify their
Front, Dr Jackie Rankapole, Dr Mmori Mokhaba, Ms Tsige Abera, Mr Zolani Dubazani,
Ms Nolundi Msengana (Mthatha); middle, Mr Lehlohonlo Rakhomo, Ms Erin Naudé, Mr Godfrey
Mphafudi, Mr Frans Serogole, Ms Maureen Mbonane, Ms Mosima Makola, Ms Petunia Mbatha,
Ms Lilly Swartz, Ms Penny Shezi , Ms Atsile Lekgetha, Mr Mangi Ntuli, Mr Mbodi Khorombi,
Mr Stanley Nhlapo; back, Mr John Segooa, Ms Mia le Roux, Ms Johleen Mouton, Ms Janine
Preesman, Ms Noshipo Mgudlwa, Ms Jo Cossavella, Ms Marindean Louw, Ms Pat Lethole,
Mr Thomas Groenewald and Mr Joseph Munonde
Mr Mbuso Ndlovu with learners in the Implendle district
career goals. The response from learners
and teachers was very positive and we
received invitations to revisit the area.”
“We are very enthusiastic about this project
as it gave us the opportunity to
work with rural communities who usually
have less access to information about
their career and study options. We intend
engaging in this outreach programme on
an annual basis.”
KZN students
graduate in Durban
Six graduation ceremonies were held in
Durban during June where more than
3 000 students graduated. Dr CMM
Goodier received her DLitt et Phil degree
on 17 June 2009, with a thesis titled
Purpose and identity in professional and
student radiology writing: A genre based
approach, while Dr R Singh received his
DEd degree on the following day with a
thesis titled The implementation of positive
discipline for instructional improvement.
Two colleagues also graduated during
this time. Mr Makabongwe Khanyile
received his Bachelor of Business
Administration degree and Ms
Phakamile Mkhize received her BTech
in Management.
Mr Makabongwe Khanyile
PAGE 18
Ms Phakamile Mkhize

Bloemfontein
graduation ceremony
a grand affair
A total of 369 graduates converged on the
Doxa Deo Church Auditorium in Bloemfontein
to have their diplomas and degrees
conferred on them by Prof. Barney
Pityana, Principal and Vice-Chancellor.
In his welcome address, Prof. Pityana
thanked the graduates for making Unisa
their university of choice and indicated
that hard work always pays off. During
the ceremony, Prof. Pityana conferred 17
master’s degrees and one doctoral degree.
Dr Sarieta Wentzel, who works as a Primary
Health Care Manager in the Thabo
Mr Mathews Kokong (Midlands Regional Director), Prof. Martha Bezuidenhout (Dr Wentzel’s
promoter), Prof. Barney Pityana, Dr Sarieta Wentzel, and Prof. Louis Molamu (Registrar)
Mofutsanyana Health District, received a
DLitt et Phil in Health Studies with a
thesis entitled The role of a clinic
manager in a primary health care setting.
Midlands strengthens
relationships
Ms Kulsum Bibi Gany received a Unisa
National Diploma in Tourism through the
National Institute for Higher Education
(NIHE) in Kimberley, Northern Cape.
She also received an award for the Best
Tourism Student. The NIHE, which was
established to address the need for higher
education provision in the Northern Cape,
is a Unisa licensee in the region.
Mr Matthews Kokong, the Regional
Director of the Midlands region,
officiated at this graduation ceremony
and was on hand to congratulate Ms Gany
on her achievement.
Parow fire
evacuation exercise
The Parow campus held a successful
emergency fire evacuation exercise on
19 June 2009. The Organisational Health
and Safety Team on campus, under the capable
leadership of Mr Chris Green, Team
Chairperson, planned the event in detail
and conducted a walk-through the day
before the event to plan for unexpected
contingencies.
A “fire” was “lit” in a strategic position
in the building a few minutes before the
planned evacuation and the emergency
team leaders had to plan the evacuation
of their respective parts of the building
based on the position of the fire. All the
emergency team leaders were issued with
yellow T-shirts for ease of recognition.
Members of staff and students gathered
at designated emergency assembly points
outside the building.
Ms Maria Louw (Kimberley Regional Academic Coordinator), Mr Matthews Kokong, and
Ms Kulsum Bibi Gany
Mr Chris Green (kneeling) and his team posing at the “fire”
Although the event was successful (the
building was clear three minutes after the
alarm sounded and emergency team leaders
reported on their areas of responsibility
within five minutes), there were a few
glitches. The emergency team has since
discussed all relevant issues at a de-
briefing session and have highlighted
those areas that need attention. This was
a very useful exercise, but more attention
needs to be paid to the location of emergency
exits and the possibility of dangerous
articles and packages being left
on campus.
PAGE 19

From the
Vice-Chancellor’s desk
LKDA 8518 • 012 460 8545
At the Graduation Ceremony on
22 June, I told a story about how
often I get recognised by people
in the most remote and unlikeliest
places in our country: at the car
park, in a shopping mall, at the
filling station, at the security at
airports around Southern Africa.
It can be disconcerting not to be
anonymous, to be constantly in
the public eye. I also told how two
young men approached me at a
filling station in remote Addo in
the Eastern Cape to ask if indeed
I was Dr Pityana, Chancellor (sic)
of Unisa. Upon confirming the
fact, they proceeded to say how
honoured they were to have met
someone of such importance and
we shook hands.
On another occasion I walked into a
supermarket and while wandering about
I was approached by one of the workers
who told me that he’d been having an
argument with the security guard at the
shop but thought to come and confirm
in person. The security guard later came
and exclaimed: “See, how down-to-earth
he is.” (Not that I understand what that
means!!). Last week at the train station
in Pretoria two security officials told me
that they were Unisa students and how
honoured they were to have met their
Principal.
I tell these stories to make the point that,
contrary to what may be the prevailing
idiom, many of our people respect education
and honour people they regard as
educated. They believe that learning reflects
the accomplishments of people that
they can take pride in, but also speaks
to their own possibilities of accomplishment
and success. Secondly, these stories
tell me that people who are considered
educated bear a responsibility to become
role models in becoming reliable and
trustworthy leaders in the community, to
be good men and women that others may
look up to. Perhaps the challenge is to
make education so ordinary, so common
that our people do not perceive any
difference. I had a sense of that when I
visited Havana in Cuba last year: a waiter
who was a graduate, a taxi driver who
was a medical doctor, hotel staff who
were university graduates. Perhaps we
are getting there.
But I was also making the more serious
point that as “educated” people we
do well to remember that education can
never be fully accomplished. Education
can never be a finite commodity. The lure
of education is precisely that it is infinite,
ever changing, ever discovering. I also
pointed out that, while education can never
be accomplished, it is also fraught with
uncertainties, a sense of the unknowing
and unknowable. We seek knowledge of
the unknowable. That is the excitement
and it makes life worth living.
South Africa has become the Mecca
of sports tourism, what with the recent
Indian Premier League series that had our
stadia filled with spectators from here and
abroad, the success of our cricket team,
the 2009 Confederation Cup and the
surprising accomplishments of Bafana
Bafana, the success of the Blue Bulls in
the Super XIV and the recent series defeat
of the British and Irish Lions by the
Springboks. The mood in the country is
very good and South Africans are perhaps
diverting attention from the daily grind
of poverty and homelessness, unemployment
and crime.
While all that remains part of our reality,
South Africans have reason to be more
positive about themselves and about their
future. The 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup
is more than just football; it has become
a psychological boost to a nation and its
fortunes in hard times: the infrastructure
developments, the Gautrain, and hopefully
beyond, the renewal of schools and
hospitals, tells us that South Africa is a
land of possibilities.
From the performance of Bafana Bafana
lately, one can observe that the culture of
discipline, hard work, consistent performance
and belief in oneself has returned
to a team that has been in the doldrums
for far too long. Above all, one senses
that patriotism and a will to win for the
nation is back to fire our sportsmen’s
thirst for goals.
At Unisa we intend to play our part. We
already are offering a language course
on line for the many visitors and locals
who need to learn a language or two in
order to communicate effectively, and
our colleagues in Corporate Communications
and Marketing are engaged with
the Local Organising Committee (LOC)
in promoting volunteers and research as
part of the 2010 project. I announced at
Senate on 1 July that we are exploring the
possibility of running a series of lectures
during the 2010 World Cup on subjects of
interest to our visitors about our country,
its people, history, religion, culture and
languages; its ecology and economy;
its advances in technology, science and
research. There is much of interest about
South Africa that visitors can learn. I am
delighted that the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
has already expressed interest in
participating in such a programme.
Editor:
Design and Layout:
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LKDA Strategic Creative Advertising