College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences 2011 Highlights ...

CAES 2011Highlights Newsletter
Learn without limits.
college of
agriculture and
environmental sciences
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Executive members
The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
contents Contents
Overview: Executive Dean .............................................................................................................................................................................2
Teaching and Learning......................................................................................................................................................................................3
SFP e-tutoring – paving the way for mainstream curriculums
Nutrition Transition – implications for our future
Passionate about Food Science at Centurion Academy
Nutrition education reaches Zambia
Prof Maggi Linington
– Executive Dean
Prof Zodwa Dlamini
– Executive Deputy Dean
Research ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
College outlines their research vision
SAAFECS draws on worldwide expertise and engagement
Camp for Change – a roots-driven rural development conference
3 rd Prof Humphrey Memorial Lecture and Student Symposium
Visit to Virginia Polytechnique Institute at University of Maryland under the Unisa “International Fellowship Programme”
African Visiting Scholar of the Month Lecture Series
Signing a Memorandum of Agreement with Mogale City
Prof David Modise
– Director: School of Agriculture,
Life and Consumer Sciences
Prof Jimmy Hendrick
– Director: School of
Environmental Sciences
Ms Melanie Nicolau
– Chair of Department: Geography
Community Engagements .........................................................................................................................................................................13
World Environment Day: Think green, live green
Assisting Teachers in the Bojanala Region to teach Geographical Information Systems
World Health Day: Action leads to cure
World Food Day and COP 17 awareness
A first for South Africa: Pretoria boy wins first prize in ICA Map Competition in France
67 Minutes for Mandela Day
Community empowered to fight HIV/AIDS
Department of Geography, supporting local talent in the Bojanala Region, to achieve a ‘better life for all’
Waste Management – Unisa
Isnembe School Recycling
Recycling at schools project
Awards .................................................................................................................................................................................................................25
Working with Communities is her Passion
Growing and honing horticulturists at Garden World
Graduations ........................................................................................................................................................................................................28
College staff
College PhDs students
Promotions .........................................................................................................................................................................................................29
Retirements ........................................................................................................................................................................................................29
Dr Tertia van Eeden
– Chair of Department:
Life and Consumer Sciences
Dr Prudence Kayoka
– Chair of Department
of Agriculture
and Animal Health
Prof Tayo Awofolu
– Chair of Department of
Environmental Sciences
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Sustainable Environment
Community
Resources
and Needs
Prof Maggi Linington
Community
Resources
and Needs
Sustainability
Sustainable Agriculture
overview Overview
Executive Dean
The college of Agriculture and Environmental
Sciences has adopted a holistic and integrated
approach to scholarship that can be
conceptualised in the figure below. Simply put,
in the applied sciences, the three focal points
of our research are community, agriculture
and the environment – specifically the
resources and needs for each focal point.
The college believes that these three points
are interconnected with each other and
balanced against each other in a triangle,
as well as that the factor that keeps the triangle
in balance is sustainability with the external
result of sustainable livelihoods, a sustainable
environment and sustainable agriculture.
This ethos permeates the tuition, research
and community engagement. The result
of this ethos is that environmental awareness
is a central part of all that we do in research
and community engagement and what we
teach, and has led to the major initiatives this
year in the modules of environmental literacy
(certificate students) and environmental
awareness (all other undergraduate students).
This ethos is reflected in our community
engagement initiatives like CAMP, household
food security training and research like fog
water harvesting.
Sustainable Livelihoods
Community
Resources
and Needs
teaching and learning
Teaching and Learning
SFP e-tutoring – paving the way for mainstream curriculums
The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES),
and the College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET)
face the challenge of improving the success and throughput rates
of many of the modules and qualifications they offer. To do so, the
Science Foundation e-tutoring process and training programme
has been implemented to facilitate the academic development of
students whose prior learning has not been adequate.
Currently, the focus of the programme is on building an effective
tutorial support system through the use of tutorials, supported
by academic literacy and peer mentorship programmes. These
are considered most critical to improving student performance,
Some of the tutors attended the workshop
throughput and graduation. Since its conception, the Science
Foundation Programme (SFP) has reported low student activity
in face-to-face tutorials. The main constraints identified are
low student numbers, a lack of interest shown by students to participate in face-to-face tutorials and negative perceptions of
classification as a foundation student, which affects the attendance of face-to-face tutorials.
In order to address these constraints, Unisa seeks to broaden the student’s choice of tutorials by offering e-tutorials.
In 2011, tutors will deliver tutorials to groups of 200 students via e-mail only. In order to meet the workload that comes with
an e-tutor system, the university has reinforced the SFP tutor management system with the appointment of Science Foundation
Assistants (SFA) in the academic departments involved.
Further developments to the SFP e-tutor system will be implemented from 2012 to ensure students requiring SFP can derive the
full benefit from the programme.
Nutrition Transition – implications for our future
Speakers at the symposium (from left to right) Prof Salomé Kruger;
Prof Esté Vorster; Dr Wayne Towers; Prof Magda Slabbert;
Dr Namukolo Covic
The Department of Life and Consumer Sciences in collaboration
with the Northern Branch of the Nutrition Society of South Africa
and the North-West Branch of the Association for Dietetics in
South Africa (ADSA) held a morning symposium at the Florida
Campus on 27 October 2011. The topic of the symposium
focused on nutrition transition, which refers to a population
that shows increasingly unbalanced diets compounded with an
increase in the prevalence of overweight in middle-to-low-income
population groups.
South Africa is in the midst of a nutrition transition that
is characterised by the simultaneous occurrence of epidemic
infectious diseases and a rise in non-communicable diseases.
Non-communicable diseases are emerging in both rural and urban
areas, most prominently in poor people living in urban settings, and are resulting in increasing pressure on acute and chronic
healthcare services. Many non-communicable diseases share common risk factors such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, and
unhealthy diet that translate into cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. The South African adult population has high levels
of these risk factors, and large proportions of the burden of disease can be attributed to these potentially modifiable risk factors.
The burden of disease related to non-communicable disease is predicted to increase substantially in South Africa over the next
decades if measures are not taken to combat the trend.
The speakers at the symposium are internationally known in the field of nutrition and included Prof Esté Vorster, Prof Salomé Kruger
and Dr Wayne Towers. Furthermore, Prof Magda Slabbert addressed the audience regarding ethical practice related to healthcare.
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Nutrition education reaches Zambia
Students who successfully completed the Unisa short course Managing Health and Nutrition in Adverse Conditions in 2010,
proudly received their certificates in Lusaka, Zambia on 17 March 2011. Since the 37 successful students sponsored by the
Nestlé Nutrition Institute of Africa (NNIA) were all residing in Zambia, Unisa convened the certificate ceremony in Lusaka.
Prof Maggi Linington (Executive Dean: College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences), Dr Tertia van Eeden (Chair of
Department: Life and Consumer Sciences) and Mrs Elize Symington (Lecturer) from the department and Mrs Anne-marié
De Beer (NNIA Manager: Medical Scientific Affairs) and Mrs Chanda (NNIA board member) attended the certificate ceremony.
Food Science students doing practicals,
external lecturers (wearing pink) and
July Sibanyoni (wearing black)
The Department of Life and Consumer Sciences in collaboration with the NNIA developed the study material for the short
course. This course deals with critical aspects of nutrition with the aim to enhance optimal nutrition and health specifically
in areas where food security is a challenge. Consequently the target group for this course include community health workers,
medical representatives, primary healthcare professionals, allied healthcare professionals and educators and caretakers of children.
Passionate about Food Science at Centurion Academy
Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, is proud
to have a longstanding Memorandum of Agreement
with Centurion Academy whereby Bachelor of
Consumer Science students attend their Food Science
practical FOO1602 at Centurion Academy.
As soon as one sets foot in the practical area at
Centurion Academy, the bright, lime green walls and
sparkling, polished metal surfaces scream at you to jump
in and prepare something creative and yummy. Speakers
and an LCD monitor at every workstation ensure that
even the students working at the back have a lecturer
right by their side to guide and encourage. The whole
atmosphere is trendy and modern.
A nifty classroom doesn’t make a nifty class on its
own, but Centurion Academy Course Co-ordinator,
Althea Nel explains that the advanced workstation
system and incredible atmosphere is but the cherry on
the top. All the lecturers are just as young and vibrant
as their surroundings and completely dedicated to
their students. A very small turnover in teaching
personnel has enabled much specialisation amongst
lecturers, ensuring that there is a master at hand for
every eventuality. Additionally, expert consultants from
University of Pretoria and other institutions attend
where necessary. The effect was truly noticeable, as
every student was positive and inspired. No wonder
the number of students has increased by 10% since
last year!
According to Althea, the teaching is strict, professional
and technique focused, to fully prepare their wide
range of students for the harsh requirements of the
private sector. The teaching environment is highly
organised, with correct safety procedures and good
hygiene facilities and procedures. This focus on
discipline and correctness allows for a large amount
of teaching, despite the relatively small allowed
contact period, resulting in huge student benefit.
Don’t think that all this discipline cramps the
students’ style though. On the contrary, students are
encouraged and enabled to experiment and play
around until they get it just right. The amount of
individual kit available to students is more than your
average cook would know what to do with, and there
are plans in motion to increase the kit even further!
The course includes Halaal and vegetarian recipes to
ensure everyone’s needs are met. Just to illustrate how
far the course goes to accommodate its students, on
average, two-thousand-seven-hundred-and-sixty-three
eggs and seventy-two kilograms of chocolate are used
in every session. Simply amazing.
Here is what students have to say:
Elizabeth Adendorff was very impressed with the
selection of recipes and professional presentation.
She feels that the course offers very good skills
training and enhancement.
Busi Ndlovu is already trained as a chef and really
enjoys the extra exposure and chance to experiment
that the course offers.
Varah Stewart learnt a lot of new skills and enjoys the
opportunity to broaden her horizons, not to mention
the good company.
Ivan Nez really appreciates the opportunity to try his
hand at more advanced recipes. He feels he learnt
much and had a lot of fun.
Zakkiyah Parker enjoyed the dedication of the
lecturers and the sense of inclusion. She was grateful
for the accommodation of Halaal and appreciated the
ready availability of equipment.
Cherelle Abrahams felt it was a good course. She
learnt much and enjoyed the good facilities and
quality of the lecturers. Her favourite part of the
course was a chocolate and pastry demonstration
by one of the consulting experts.
Sound nutrition plays an essential role in preventing life-threatening diseases that result in untimely deaths of babies and young
children. Food security, for one, is challenging optimal nutrition during periods of drought, winter and other adverse conditions.
The NNIA identified this need in Africa and approached lecturers and registered dieticians in the Department of Life and
Consumer Sciences to develop a short learning programme targeting this problem. The short course developed thus aims
to transfer sufficient knowledge and skills to grow, purchase, process, prepare, consume and feed their families a variety of foods
in the right quantities and combinations for optimal health.
July Sibanyoni, the supervising lecturer from the department had the following to say. He is aware of the problems with
consistency inherent in distance learning but is very confident in the support systems in place to assist a student in doubt.
He also acknowledges the extremely mixed background and diverse skillsets that students arrive with, which often leaves them
scrambling to adjust, but wisely points out that this pressure and stimulation is good preparation for the tough hospitality
management industry where most students will end up. Fortunately the excellent and well-received Unisa Instructional DVD
prepares students with all the theory and information they need so that when the practical starts, they are fully prepared and
able to make the most of it.
Successful students with Mrs Elize Symington, Prof Maggi Linington, Ms Mukubesa Nalukui (Nestlé Medical delegate)
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esearch Research
The conference included a host of other paper presentation sessions, many of them by Unisa academics. In addition, there was also
a special preconference workshop on academic writing for publication, which took place on 7 - 8 March in the Kgorong Building.
College outlines their research vision
On Friday, 19 August 2011, Prof Mamokgethi Setati, Vice-Principal: Research & Innovation, visited the College of Agriculture and
Environmental Sciences to be briefed on the following:
• The college’s research vision and plan for 2011
• The college’s strength in research
• College research projects that capture the essence of Unisa’s research themes and Unisa’s goal of increasing innovative
research, research capacity and inculcating multidisciplinary research
• Any research and innovation successes and challenges experienced thus far
• The kind of support that the college would like to have from the new Unisa research and innovation portfolio
Each of the four departments in CAES showcased their current and future research activities, collaborations (nationally and
internationally) and flagship programmes via a brief presentation by the CoD. Major advances in the research outputs of the
various departments (publications, awards, NRF funding applications, postgraduate research assistants, postdoctoral fellows,
enrolled masters and PhD students, and so on) were also highlighted in the presentation.
Prof Setati reflected on the progress made by the college and her ideas for the way forward, while also allowing for debate
and questions.
SAAFECS draws on worldwide expertise and engagement
“Building a new identity” was the theme for the 10th
International South African Association of Family Ecology and
Consumer Sciences (SAAFECS) Conference, which brought
together consumer scientists and other specialists from related
disciplines. Hosted by Department of Life and Consumer
Sciences from 9 - 11 March 2011, this platform looked
to rejuvenate the spirit of Consumer Sciences.
Gathering delegates from Canada, Malaysia, Nigeria, Ghana,
Kenya, Botswana, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Sweden
and South Africa agreed that the conference was successful
in laying the foundation for great academic discourse.
Building many facets into the conference, Prof Elizabeth
Kempen, Vice-President of SAAFECS and academic in the
Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, encouraged
delegates to “discover the value of this conference not
only in finding your new identity but in learning from the
preconference workshops, research presentations, debates,
keynote addresses and specialists in various fields”.
Executive Dean of the College of Agriculture and
Environmental Sciences, Prof Maggi Linington, who is
passionate about food and nutrition in South Africa, took
some time to share pertinent statistics about malnutrition
and the problems arising from it. She believes that policies
that focus on poverty nodes will not necessarily reach the
food insecure.
The much anticipated presentation by keynote speaker, Prof
Phil Lyon, from Umeå University, Sweden, proved
to be fascinating and educational. His focus was on
consumerism and spending habits that stem from the
lure of advertisements. “Our social worth seems to be
increasingly tied up with what we consume, not what we
produce. We must be careful of crude distinctions between
what is a basic need and what is discretionary – we are all
familiar with advertisements but we sometimes overlook
just how clever they are.”
So how does one fight back? Prof Lyon believes Home
Economics is the answer as this, more than any other
academic subject, can help consumers survive the pressure
simply because it has historic strengths that detach products
and services from illusions. It also educates consumers on
the realities of goods and services. Prof Lyon campaigns for
the inclusion of Home Economics in higher education. “It is
the best thing we can give our students and through them
we can provide transferable skills”.
(From left to right) Dr Tertia van Eeden; Prof Maggi Linington; Prof Phil Lyon;
Prof Wilna Oldewage-Theron; Prof Elizabeth Kempen, Ms Reena Pandarum
Camp for Change – A roots-driven rural development conference
The conference was arranged by the Department of Geography, in collaboration with the Greater Rustenburg Community
Foundation (GRCF) in Bakgatla. A hundred and sixty delegates gathered in the peaceful resort in the Pilanesberg from 10 - 12
October, to discuss, debate and find a way forward for all stakeholders in the field of roots-driven rural development. It was jam
packed for three days, kicking off with an informational session by speakers from community foundations in Africa. Nana Oye
Mansa from the Aquapem Community Foundation in Ghana, Micheal Kirungi from the Community Foundation for the Masindi
District in Uganda, and Dr Ernest Mkonyi from the Arusha Municipal Community Foundation in Tanzania, our partner,
Mrs Christine Delport of the Greater Rustenburg Community Foundation, all asserted their experiences, and a golden thread
was identified in how our African partners partake in roots-driven rural development. We were also honoured to have
Dr Juraj Mesik, a community foundation expert and consultant to the World Bank from Slovakia with us, commenting on how
community foundations can be a catalyst to sustainable roots-driven rural development from an international perspective.
The afternoon session was dominated by speakers from two speakers from Unisa, Professor Linington, Dean of the College
of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, and Professor Netswera, Executive Director of Research Administration who gave
very insightful keynotes on how the academia can contribute to, and facilitate rural development. The speaker from government,
Ms Sadi Luka, Executive Director of the National Department of Social Development, inspired us with her talk, on government’s
decision to partner with development agents such as community foundations. After the first day of informational sharing,
delegates were exposed to some of the CAMP (Community Asset Mapping Programme) processes, for some, an eye-opening
experience, with many commenting on how they actually learnt something about themselves. Afterwards, delegates were
treated to a day out in the field, where some successful projects, following CAMP (Community Asset Mapping Programme)
in the village of Mokgalwaneng were visited. Some of the beneficiaries shared their stories and a mixed sense of despair and
of hope and achievement were tangible on the bus ride back to the conference venue. The highlight of the gala dinner was the
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keynote address of Prof Makhanya on the role that community
engagement can play to facilitate roots-driven rural development.
The conference ended off on day three, with a final session on the
way forward, where critical questions such as, whose agendas are
we driving, whose line is it anyway, and whose permission do we
ask to do good were discussed. Role clarification and the glue that
keeps it all together were also on the discussion list.
Although conferences like these take up valuable time, it is
also a critical opportunity for all stakeholders to have fruitful
conversations, discuss future opportunities, and streamline efforts
being made by all parties involved. We are very satisfied with
the outcome of this conference, and already in the process of
manifesting decisions that have been made during these three
days. A full report is underway, and will be made available to
conference delegates shortly.
Photograph: Some of the conference delegates, and speakers. In the
front row from left to right, Mr M Kirungi (Uganda); Prof G Netswera
(Unisa); Mr C Mkhize (South Africa); Mr E Mkonyi (Tanzania)
Visit to Virginia Polytechnique Institute at University of Maryland
under the Unisa “International Fellowship Programme”
(From left to right) Mr Thomas Mukwevho (Unisa);
Prof David Modise (Unisa); Prof Douglas G. Pfeiffer:
Director, Online Masters in Agricultural and Life
Sciences Programme, Virginia Tech; Dr Dienaba Sall
(Senegal, Dakar), working at Senegalese National
Institute of Agricultural Research); Dr Salome Mahlo
(Unisa); Mr Matome Maake (Unisa)
Members of the Unisa visiting team (from left to right) Mr Simeon Maake;
Mr Thomas Mukwevho; Dr Salome Mahlo; Professor David Modise
The Unisa International Fellowship Programme funded four academics of the School of Agriculture and Life Sciences to visit
Virginia Polytechnique Institute at University of Maryland, USA. The objectives of the visit included inter alia, studying the Virginia
Polytechnique Institute and State University’s laboratory facilities with the view of contributing technical inputs to the equipping
of the new laboratories that are under construction at Florida Campus; share and exchange ideas on the Online Masters in
Agriculture and Life Sciences programme and to establish linkages and structures for collaboration in research and postgraduate
supervision, as well as promoting general mutual academic activity. Part of the fellowship programme included an intensive
three-day summer course on distance education that the team undertook and obtained certification upon completion.
Culminating experience
The team’s observations are summarised as follows:
Exhibitions by various service providers and guests of the lecture
3rd Prof Humphrey Memorial Lecture and Student Symposium
The 3rd Prof G Humphrey Memorial Lecture and Postgraduate Student Symposium has been organised in memory
of Prof Godfred Humphrey. This event not only celebrated an esteemed colleague and researcher, who paved the way for
change and transformation, but signified the vision of Unisa as Africa’s leading distance learning institution nurturing inspiring
leaders of tomorrow, through the presentations we witnessed.
On 23 September 2011, we honoured the research drive and passion Prof Humphrey was known for by showcasing the diversity
of research projects postgraduate students are undertaking within CAES. The four departments were well represented through oral
and poster presentations that reflect the researchable issues in South Africa. These presentations are also evidence of the necessity
to address problems within our environments and surrounding communities to enable a sustainable future for all.
The symposium also aimed to open up academic discourse and discussion for all to take part in. It is an opportunity to identify
the research expertise and to engage with fellow researchers in the college and foster future research collaboration and endeavours.
The purpose of this event is also to strengthen every researcher by providing a background where research ideas can be tested
and improved.
Research
• The research facilities at VTECH are modern but most impressive was the promotion of sharing of common research facilities
so as to save costs and to reduce duplication of efforts. This also encourages MIT research as colleagues are in constant
conversation over research as they meet when sharing equipment.
• Research facilities need to be revisited periodically prior to completion of construction as changes desired later can be expensive
or impossible to effect. That would be applicable to the new Florida Laboratories that are under construction. Fortunately, that
process is taking place, but needs to be monitored closely.
• The level of specialisation is high and academics concentrate on a very particular aspect of a particular research angle thus
leading to intimate and high expertise in the specific area.
• The university has invested in farms for research and has placed specific research professors at those farms with postgraduate
students. The research output is high and there are other benefits to the university, such as other students being able to utilise
those facilities for practicals and for experiential learning.
• There are other interesting and developing areas in agriculture, such as Agri-tourism. This calls for further interrogation and can
be a diversification endeavour for farmers in areas near tourist attractions.
ONLINE teaching and learning
• For ONLINE delivery in teaching and learning, students should have access to computers and Internet connection
• Software can be interfaced with audio and PowerPoint for synchronous or asynchronous teaching, with positive results
• There is a possibility of running laboratory practicals online, this needs further investigation
• E-Portfolios can be adopted successfully for assessment: Notwithstanding inherent challenges
• ONLINE quality assurance of academics can take a 4 pronged approach: Academics can be evaluated by peers, learners,
external evaluators and by self-evaluation
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African Visiting Scholar of the Month Lecture Series
African Traditional Medicines Research & Development: New approaches to Research,
Discovery and Development of African Traditional Medicines
The extent of the contribution of natural products and traditional medicines in new drug discovery and drug development is being
constantly underestimated. Natural products thus far have contributed to just over 25% of all prescription medicines and also that
drugs derived from natural products treat nearly 90% of all human diseases. Though there has been advances in the past made
in the discovery of drugs to treat infectious diseases, such as malaria (Quinine, Artemisinin), antibacterials (Penicillin, Erythromycin,
Chloramphenicol, etc.), antiparasitics (Ivermectin), antifungals (Amphotericin B), antiviral (Tami flu) there is still a huge untapped
research potential of natural products. Only 10% of the world plants and fauna have been extensively studied for their potential in
drug discovery. To date 80% of all cancer prescription medicines, including Vincristine, Vinblastine and Taxol, are of natural product
origin. Other very important prescription medicines that have been derived from natural products include but not limited to aspirin
(Analgesic), theophylline (asthma), Cyclosporine, Tachrolymus (immune suppressant in transplants), digitoxin/digoxin (cardiac failure)
and the list is not exhaustive.
The research on drug discovery and development based on natural products was abandoned in the 1960s during the advent of
organic chemistry and the era of organic synthesis. This era was short lived as development of resistance to the current drugs and
also the difficulty in unravelling the mechanisms of action of many of the available drugs made it difficult for organic chemists to
develop new drugs. This has now resulted in a backward shift with focus now being put back to finding new leads, scaffolds and
new drugs based on natural products.
Over 20 new drugs that were launched on the market between 2000 and 2005 were natural products and these were derived
from terrestrial plants, terrestrial microorganisms, marine organisms, terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates. Of drugs developed
between 1981 and 2002, natural products or natural product derived drugs comprised 28% of all the New Chemical Entities
(NCEs) launched onto the market. In addition, 24% of these NCEs were synthetic or natural mimic compounds, that were based on
studies of the pharmacophores related to natural products. Thus the combined percentage (52%), suggests that natural products
are important sources for new drugs and are also good lead compounds suitable for further modification during drug development.
African Traditional Medicines (ATM) are complex mixtures, or better referred to as polypharmacy. An ATM product could
be made of a mixture of more than two constituents. ATM research for drug discovery and development therefore calls for
new approaches in their development as new drugs. There are three approaches that have been developed by the IKS Lead
Programme – first, the standard extraction and isolation techniques in order to find single NCEs. This approach is generally
known as the “Reductionist approach”. This approach is suited for the study of single medicinal plants. The third approach is
that of developing products as adjuvants to current prescription drugs. Adjuvants can be drug potentiators or drug resistance
modifiers or resistance reversers. The discovery
of plant adjuvants as resistance reversals has been
shown in both preclinical and clinical studies. For
instance, Pycnogenol potentiates the efficacy of
Nefidipene in hypertension. Aloe extracts stimulates
the synthesis and release of insulin and reduce
blood glucose by 40%. In a clinical human study
Acemannan at 500mg potentiates the effect of AZT
and ddi and reduces the amount of these drugs
needed to get the same efficacy effect by 90%.
Acemannan is an approved adjuvant treatment in
Feline leukemia and has been shown to safe 71% of
all cats with these cancers. The second approach is
where the whole product is evaluated for its safety
and efficacy. The IKS Lead Programme follows
all three approaches in its approach to new drug Visiting scholar Dr MG Matsibisa and college staff
discovery and development.
The role of natural products in new drug discovery cannot be underestimated. Of all the prescription drugs derived from natural
products (25%), it is further known that 80% of these have been discovered based on knowledge obtained from the use of
traditional medicines and Indigenous Knowledge (IK) holders. It is therefore not surprising that bioprospectors increase their
chances of finding new leads from 1:10 000 to about 1:2 by consulting IK holders and Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs). The
contentious point, however, is still the fair sharing of benefits from profits derived from the commercialisation of this knowledge and
these products.
Understanding the use of technology and other media in the classroom
The aim of the paper is to develop, from existing theories and practices, an easy to use framework to support the use of
computer video games and other media in the classroom. The framework includes the object of activity (the true motive of
a learning task); tools to support, or mediate, the learning; and social interactions. A number of examples that make use of
computer video games in teaching and learning environments are discussed using the framework. It is argued that the use of
an object orientated, tool-mediated, and socialsupported
learning designs makes it easy to
include any culturally developed artefacts into
teaching and learning in the classroom. The paper
argues that computer video games, as part of the
contemporary classroom, support learning when
the games are not the object of the lesson but
when the function as tools to mediate knowledge
construction. The study makes use of two intrinsic
cases as part of a collective instrumental case study
to advance the theory of the use of video games in
learning and teaching.
Two groups of preserves teachers participated in the
study. While playing a video game on the biology Visiting scholar Prof A Amory and college staff
of diseases groups of undergraduate students
developed theoretical and practical knowledge in
the use of video games in teaching and learning. Postgraduate students overcame some to their misconceptions related to genetics
by playing a video game that addresses such learning problems. It is argued that the introduction of game puzzles into a learning
activity acted as an extrinsic mediator, while the discussions between players intrinsically mediated their understanding. In a learning
context computer video games should never be the object of the activity, but should function as the tool to mediate learning within
an activity system.
The role of goats in food supply, poverty alleviation and prosperity in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Department of Agriculture and Animal Health
invited Professor J W Ng’ambi as the African visiting
scholar of the month on 21 September at the
Florida Campus. The paper focuses on the potential
for goats to reduce poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.
It offers information on the present status of goat
populations and their productivity. The current
systems of production are described. The social and
economic roles played by goats in food security and
income generation are considered. The potential
of goats in food production is discussed in terms
of productivity, economic importance and potential
for increasing food production in Sub-Saharan
Africa. The rising demand for animal products
from increasingly wealthy urban elites also offers a Visiting scholar Prof JW Ng’ambi; Dr P Kayok; Prof F Amim and postgraduate students
tremendous opportunity for goat farmers to share in
the growing wealth of urban centres.
Goats have played multiple roles in the support of mankind for over 7000 years (Aziz, 2010). While goats were originally
domesticated in southwest Asia they quickly moved into Africa and now can be found in every environment on the continent.
Goats are deeply embedded in almost every African culture and are true friends to the rural people of Sub-Saharan Africa in
particular (Peacock, 1996). However, while the widespread cultural acceptance of goats and goat products forms a sound basis
for development there are many physical, economic, social and political constraints to developing goats in Sub-Saharan Africa.
This paper will focus on the unique role and potential of goats in Sub-Saharan Africa to improve the livelihood of the people.
After all, Nelson Mandela herded goats as a young boy in the Eastern Cape, drank their milk and look at his achievements!
Goat breeds
There are a number of goat breeds in Sub-Saharan Africa. These can be grouped into meat goats (a number of indigenous goat
breeds, Boer goat, etc.), milk goat breeds (Saanen, Alpine, Toggenburg, etc.) and mohair breeds (Angora goat).
Uses of goats
Goats are generally kept for their milk, meat, hair (mohair, cashmere) and skins. However, goats provide their owners with a
broad range of products and socioeconomic services and have played an important role in the social life of many African people,
being used as gifts, dowry, in religious rituals and rites of passage (Peacock, !996). Goats may also be used for controlling bush
encroachment. There is, however, a potential for obtaining additional income by value-adding operations, including the manufacture
of goat leather products such as handbags, slippers and key chains, goat meat products such as spiced meat cuts, and milk products
such as drinking yoghurt, cheese and Amasi (FARM-Africa, 2004; Peacock, !996).
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Challenges facing African urbanisation
The Department of Geography hosted the Africa Scholar series at the Genmin Auditorium on Florida Campus. Dr Shuib Lwasa
delivered a paper titled ‘Rowing the tides of a changing World; implications for Africa’. The focus of his lecture was on global
environmental change, its impacts, challenges to Africa and possible pointers to tapping opportunities and role of research and
education. In his paper he looked more at the global changes and its local impacts.
He said that change presents opportunities but
change has also presented challenges for Africa.
“Africa’s development predicament with a mix
of development models, human security issues,
environmental risks and climate change impacts
raises new questions on how, which direction and
what is needed to paddle through the changing
world,” said Lwasa. He added that there is a need to
look at the role of research, education and training.
Lwasa mentioned that most parts of Africa that
could have been used for food production have been
taken over by expanding cities or are centred in the
midst of wars. He said that change in respect to
demographics, economic, environmental, climate and
geopolitics with impact is felt more at local level.
Signing a Memorandum of Agreement with Mogale City
The College of Agriculture and Environmental
Sciences and Mogale City signed a Memorandum
of Agreement on the 23 March 2011 at the
Florida Campus. This MOA seeks to advance
knowledge in the fields of Environmental
Management and Ornamental Horticulture so that
the city can make informed decisions regarding
its development. The university benefits through
this by giving its students access to an array of
pressing and relevant environmental research
questions. We therefore believe that the signing
of this Memorandum of Agreement confirms the
commitment of the city and Unisa to contribute to
research and advance knowledge.
Visiting scholar Dr S Lwasa and Department of Geography staff
He suggested that if the rural areas can experience infrastructure development, which creates job opportunities, that would reduce
the influx of people to urban areas. “However, not all people who move to urban areas go there for jobs,” said Lwasa.
Lwasa acquired his PhD in Urban Geography at Makerere University in 2007. He has over 10 years research and teaching
experience at Makerere University and Islamic University in Uganda. He has tutored at international institutes including, HIS
of Erasmus University in Rotterdam, and IGS in conjunction with UN Habitat. His research interests are in human and natural
systems, innovative urban planning, land management, indigenous knowledge systems, land use and land cover change vulnerability
assessment and adaptation to and mitigation of climate change.
Prof Maggi Linington; Ms Morakane Mokoena; Prof Reta Maré
The current research of Ms Karin de Bruyn into Package Plants is highly relevant in this regard. Whilst this technology offers a
service solution to developers who are unable to connect to municipal services due to cost and locality, several questions are still
unanswered regarding effluent quality and standards. This research project will hopefully highlight some of these concerns and
led towards a regulatory framework and standards for package plants.
It is hoped that many similar research projects will emanate from this collaboration. Research into the fields of open space planning,
urban agriculture, acid mine drainage, air pollution, recycling and methane gas projects are some of the city’s current pressing
challenges and opportunities.
community engagements
Community Engagements
World Environment Day: Think green, live green
An awareness of sustainable living should be a priority, and World Environment Day helps to gauge what is being done and what
still needs to be done. Department of Geography, in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, and the Greater
Rustenburg Community Foundation (GRCF) hosted discussions and creative performances to highlight environmental concerns
on Friday, 3 June 2011.
This year’s theme “Forests: nature at your service” is a call to action to protect forests and move towards a greener economy.
A panel discussion looked at the harsh realities of environmental issues and what humanity stands to lose if destruction
continues at its current pace. Plant ecologist and academic in Unisa’s Department of Environmental Sciences, Prof Leslie Brown,
emphasised our contribution. ”We have lost our contact with nature and we don’t realise what nature is doing for us. We
cannot afford to ignore our collective impact on the earth and we have to become responsible citizens by educating people
and sharing expertise”. Sharing these sentiments was Dr Nellie de Crom from the Department of Nature Conservation at the
Tshwane University of Technology. “Most of us walk through life in a state of disconnectedness from the nature around us. What
is needed is a mind shift in terms of the fragility of the environment.”
Assisting Teachers in the Bojanala Region to teach Geographical
Information Systems
The Department of Geography launched a pilot workshop in mid-February, with teachers in the Bojanala Region, specifically
related to Geographical Information Systems (GIS). GIS has been part of the grade 10 to 12 curriculums for high school learners
since 2004. It has become more and more apparent, that teachers are struggling with this part of the teaching of Geography.
The aim of the pilot workshop was to identify the challenges faced by teachers and learners alike. According to Mr Chris Vlok
of the Department of Geography, “the main problem with GIS, is that teachers and schools in the rural areas do not always have
access to technology such as computers and the correct programmes. We realised that an approach different from what we had
in mind, was required”. By the end of the pilot workshop, the participants suggested that one should rather present the theory of GIS
around real world problems with which teachers and especially learners can associate. The group also agreed that a paper-based GIS
project developed around the theme of water provision would make a lot of sense in the majority of the rural schools.
This workshop triggered a follow-up workshop in the village of Mathopestad, with high school learners from Lesele Secondary
School. The reason this village was chosen, was that the Department of Geography had been involved in the village since early
2010, by promoting vegetable farming in the community, and the reality was that there were very few households that had
running water to or in their homes. Water thus needs to be carried in containers from the communal water points to the houses
or gardens. The aim of the workshop was to show teachers how to engage Geography learners with fieldwork aimed
at mapping all the properties, water points and vegetable gardening initiatives in the village.
As is always the case when working in rural communities, being creative and adapting to the circumstances and challenges
on the day of the Mathopestad workshop was the name of the game. Due to the number of learners interested in the day’s
activities, the school’s stoep and courtyard had to serve as a temporary classroom to explain the purpose of the survey and the
logistics of the day. The courtyard was soon buzzing with activity as the learners were divided into nine groups to survey the nine
zones. After appointing a group leader for each group set off with the group leaders to one of the zones for a training session
on how to complete the survey forms and plot the water points and property boundaries on large scale aerial photographs.
Believe me it is not easy to plot a specific house on an aerial photograph when all houses (the training was in the zone of RDP
houses) are of the same shape and size and there are no trees or tarred roads than you can use as reference points. The cooperation
from the learners was really special. Within a week they completed the survey and Ms Konopi (their teacher) could
pass the aerial photographs and survey sheets on to the GRCF office. The next step would be to start capturing the information
in a GIS. Hopefully we can share maps of water points and where vegetables are being grown in Mathopestad in a future edition
with them. The intention is also to go back to Lesele Secondary School to give the learners the opportunity to capture the
information they have gathered in a GIS. The learners have provided us with experience on how to map other communities in
the Bojanala district and authentic material which can be used in the teaching of Geographical Information Systems. Of even
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more value, perhaps, is that the learners had participated in a process of creating a map of their own community, which will be
used by the community in a variety of vegetable garden initiatives. They can be truly proud of their contribution of developing
their community into a sustainable community.”
On the 13 and 14 October 2011 three members of the Department of Geography (Mr DW Hedding, Mr S van Heerden and
Mr AC Vlok) conducted a GIS workshop at Bakgatla (Pilanesberg) for grade 10, 11 & 12 Geography educators. Mr Jirka Panek,
from the Palacky University in Olomouc (Czech Republic), was a special guest during this workshop. He is registered for
a PhD (International Development, focusing on poverty mapping and poverty assessment), and he offered his GIS expertise
to the educators during the workshop. The workshop was attended by 30 delegates representing the North West Department
of Education and 14 secondary schools in the Moses Kotane Municipal District. The workshop was well received and the need
for such workshops was again confirmed. The Bakgatla workshop reinforced the perception of the presented that the future
GIS workshops for teachers should focus more on manual methods of teaching GIS than hands on experience with GIS software
- the reason being that very few teachers have access to computers. The Bakgatla workshop was therefore based on strategies
on how teachers can go about teaching paper based GIS. Opportunities were given to gain hands on experience of working
with GIS software. From the questionnaire feedback we received after the workshop it became clear that the teachers from
the Moses Kotane Municipal District would have preferred more exposure to working with GIS software. Many teachers also
expressed the opinion that future workshop should be of a longer duration. This will be the focus of future workshops on GIS
in the Bojanala Region in 2012.
Diepsloot Combined School Learners
dramatising presentation on TB
Life and Consumer Sciences staff who
distributed wet wipes at Diepsloot
Lesele Secondary School learners
with Chris Vlok and Ms Konopi
World Health Day: Action leads to cure
The Department of Life and Consumer Sciences celebrated
the World Health Day with Diepsloot Combined School on
20 April 2011. Although the World Health Day is annually
celebrated on 7 April 2011, this date coincided with the
school holidays and hence necessitated deferment to
20 April 2011. The 2011 theme for the World Health Day
as determined by the World Health Organisation (WHO)
was “Antimicrobial resistance: no action no cure tomorrow”.
Through this theme, the WHO’s goal is to create an awareness
about the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance and its
global spread to the effectiveness of many medicines used
today as remedies against major infectious disease-causing
agents such as bacteria and viruses and consequently launch
campaigns to safeguard such medicines for future generations.
The celebration was held in the premises of Diepsloot
Combined School and was graced by the presence of
a delegation from the Department of Education (DoE)
including the District Director Mr David Matsebatlela and
the Executive Management of the College of Agriculture and
Environmental Sciences (Unisa) including Dr TS van Eeden
(COD, Life and Consumer Sciences), Prof Z Dlamini (Deputy
Executive Dean, CAES) and Prof MJ Linington (Executive
Dean: CAES).
Although the event was primarily focused on promoting
good health practices, Prof SR Magano (Project Leader),
emphasised that the event must be viewed as part of a
broader Community Engagement (CE) partnership, which the
Department of Life and Consumer Sciences (Unisa) is having
with Diepsloot Combined School. “The overall goal of this
CE partnership is to allow sharing and transfer of skills and
knowledge in a mentor/mentee-type of relationship, leading
towards improved output” he said.
The highlight for the day was the poster presentations
by grade 9, 10 and 11 learners. The posters were on the
following aspects of the theme: Microorganisms and their
effects on our daily life, importance of nutrition, drug resistant
microbes/super-bugs causes and effects and world deadly
epidermics: Preventive and treatment measures. A total
of 252 learners participated in this task. Posters were evaluated
by a panel of judges constituted by Unisa lecturers
(Dr SL Lebelo, Dr MA Nyila, Ms K Pandarum, Mr JJ Sibanyoni,
Ms TL Makhobotloane, Ms P Khoza, Dr S Mahlo) and
Diepsloot Combined School educators (Mr MJ Munakisi
Ms N Magwaxaza, Ms MD Mahome, Mr V Netshilonwe).
Learners in groups, which presented the best posters in each
grade, were awarded scientific calculators by Prof MJ Linington.
The Deputy Executive Dean of CAES Prof Z Dlamini handed
a Unisa blanket to the principal of Diepsloot Combined
School, Mrs V Kgabo as a token of appreciation for good
leadership. The keynote address for the day was given by Prof
MJ Linington who emphasised the importance of maintaining
good health practices and also congratulated learners for
working tirelessly, even during the school holidays, to develop
the posters, which were presented during the event.
In an effort to extend the message beyond the school yard,
approximately 3000 wet wipes and pamphlets containing
information on good health practices, were distributed in the
neighbourhood of the school by both learners and members
of the Department of Life and Consumer Sciences.
The DoE District Director, Mr D Matsebatlela appreciated and
thanked Unisa for the Community Engagement partnership
it has with Diepsloot Combined School and expressed a wish
that such initiatives could be extended to other schools.
Medical science over the years has experienced phenomenal
breakthroughs with new wonder drugs available to treat
conditions that a few years ago would have been fatal. It was
with this that the World Health Organisation (WHO) shared the
theme “Antimicrobial resistance: no action no cure tomorrow”.
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World Food Day and
COP 17 awareness
A first for South Africa: Pretoria boy wins first prize in ICA Map
Competition in France
Unisa staff and Mandletu FET School
learners at the celebrations
Robert with his parents (left side), (right side) Prof Elri Liebenberg, school Principal and
Department of Geography staff
On 8 July 2011, Robert Breebaart, an 11-year old school boy
from Wierdapark Primary School in Centurion, Pretoria, made
history when he was awarded a First Prize in Paris, France, for
his entry in the ICAs 2011 Petchenik World Map Competition
for Children.
Robert Breebaart’s winning poster
displayed in France
Geography at Unisa. Until 2000 this Department was headed
by Prof Elri Liebenberg who is the national coordinator of
the Competition. The current Chair of Department, Melanie
Nicolau, is an ardent map enthusiast and encourages map-use
in all the department’s courses.
Guests attended the World Food Day celebrations
The Department of Agriculture and Animal Health celebrated “World Food Day” on Friday, 30 September 2011 two weeks earlier,
although the World Food Day is annually celebrated on 16 October date due to school activities with Mandlethu school community
located in Kwa-Mhlanga, Mpumalanga province.
The department has been involved in a capacity building project as part of their community engagement activities since 2010. The
World Food Day helps raise people’s awareness of problems in global food supply and distribution. This year, the theme was “Food
prices: from crises to stability”. The aim of this celebration was to share with the community issues related to food security as well as
to create an increased awareness of the impact of climate change.
Dr Kayoka, Chair of Department, invited Prof Mokotong as the ambassador of COP 17 to address the community about the
impact of climate change and different interventions on how to deal with such issues, namely carbon mitigation. To this effect, the
Department of Agriculture and Animal Health has already established a vegetable garden and one of the main future initiatives is to
plant fruit and indigenous trees together with the community.
There is much that can be done in the community, said Prof Mokotong. She expanded on challenges posed by climate change
on nature and the living environment today, she appealed to the community to contribute to the solution of environmental
degradation and also to learn how to adapt positively to the adverse impact of altered climatic conditions that we cannot change.
The successful event was well attended by more than three hundred and fifty members of Unisa and Kwa-Mhlanga communities
and included important dignitaries from Kwa-Mhlanga. From Unisa’s side, there was support from the Unisa foundation,
Community Engagement Directorate and staff members from the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.
This year the Petchenik Map Competition for Children took
place from 3 - 8 July 2011, during the 25th Cartographic
Conference of the ICA (International Cartographic Association)
in Paris, France. Held biannually, this competition was instigated
by the ICA in 1992 in memory of Dr Barbara Bartz Petchenik,
an eminent US cartographer who died in 1992 whilst she was
an ICA Vice-President. During her lifetime, Dr Petchenik made
an enormous contribution to cartography and was a tireless
advocate for the increased use and understanding of maps and
spatial data by all people.
The Petchenik Competition is open to children from ICA
member nations and requires a child to submit a map-like
drawing of A3-size depicting a specific theme. This year’s
theme was “Living in a Global World”. The aims of the
competition are to promote children’s creative representation
of the world, to enhance their cartographic awareness,
and to make them more conscious of their environment.
Participating member countries appoint a National Coordinator
who collects the entries out of three age groups,
namely children under 9 years; 9-12 years, and 12-15 years.
The thousands of entries, which are received are judged by
an international panel, which awards a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize
in each age group.
Since 2008, participation in the Petchenik Competition has
been organised and co-ordinated by the Department of
Since January 2008, Unisa has been doing its utmost to
encourage children under the age of 15 years, and from all
population groups and cultural backgrounds, to participate
in the competition. Schools were visited throughout the
country to liaise with teachers and children and to explain
the competition theme. National prizes such as laptops, MP3
players, mini-globes, atlas and books on the environment were
also made available, and groups of children were invited on a
regular basis to visit the department where they were given
the time and opportunity to draw a map. During these visits,
all equipment (paper, paint, crayons, etc.) were provided. Each
child was also interviewed by the Chair of Department, Melanie
Nicolau, who filled in a basic questionnaire on the child’s map
literacy skills and his/her understanding of the global world he/
she lives in.
For the 2011 competition, Department of Geography
organised two regional competitions, one in the Northwest
Province and one in Gauteng. The competition in the
Northwest Province was co-ordinated by the Greater
Rustenburg Community Foundation (GRCF), and entries were
received from a number of schools in the rural areas. The
maps received for the Northwest Province were exhibited at
the Waterfall Mall in Rustenburg, and were judged by the local
communities, including a local artist from Ledig. The regional
competition in Gauteng was judged by Geographers in the
Department of Geography, and were exhibited. Entries were
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also received from the other provinces, and in May 2011, the competition entered its final round with an exhibition of selected
drawings on show at Unisa’s Main Campus in Muckleneuk, Pretoria. Almost 6 000 entries were submitted and a panel of judges
was appointed to undertake the formidable task of selecting the nine best entries (three per age group) to be sent to Paris. The nine
national winners all received prizes sponsored by Unisa.
Although South Africa has participated in the Petchenik Competition since 1995, the country has never produced an overall winner
in any one of the age-groups. On 8 July 2011, Robert Breebaart broke this winning drought when he was awarded First Prize in the
9-12 age group for his striking drawing of a human heart entitled “Global Heartbeat”. The Department of Geography visited the
school on 11 November 2011 to congratulate Robert for his achievement and to present him with his prize and certificate from
the ICA.
The participation in the international map competition of this nature, provides crucial information regarding our communities,
by collecting information from the children’s drawings, we are able to assess how children position themselves in the world, and
how they perceive the world around them. The competition also provides the opportunity to assess the younger generations’
responsibility and awareness towards the environment, which is crucial, within the contemporary drive to sustainable living
and futures. With this in mind the Department of Geography will be organising the competition again in 2013, and will start
approaching schools as early as the beginning of 2012.
Community empowered to fight HIV/AIDS
There can never be too much communication
and education on HIV and AIDS, especially in rural
communities, which have the highest number of
infections. In this light, Department of Geography
and the Greater Rustenburg Community Foundation
(GRCF) joined forces in Reagile, approximately
40 km from Rustenburg, to hold an HIV/AIDS
workshop in April 2011.
The aim of a community project such as this
is to emphasise working with people’s strengths,
building capacity and facilitating people to
empower themselves.
A group session was held with 20 volunteers
ranging from age 22 to 75, some of whom
belonged to organisations such as A Re Ikageng,
Support 9, Victim Empowerment Programme and
Reagile Caregivers.
One of the problems identified through the
workshop was a lack of mentors/educators at grassroots
level within the community. It is clear that Mrs Retha Coetzee facilitator of the Bakgatla HIV/AIDS workshop in Bakgatla with
delegates from various communities in the area,
communities need leaders to impart information
and to provide advice in the language of the community.
At the end of the workshop, it was agreed that:
• Regular sessions should be held to discuss topics related to HIV/AIDS
• Skills should be shared and strategies developed to convey information to people
• Knowledge and skills be combined to empower facilitators/mentors
• Smaller groups or even individuals should be addressed, which will make a long-term difference (a drop in a pool of water
creates a ripple effect)
• Materials should be compiled to assist mentors in their task of providing communities with knowledge on HIV/AIDS; this
package of materials will be compiled by the group themselves, and will be language specific and aligned to the needs of the
community
• This workshop was followed by a similar workshop in Bakgatla on the 13 and 14 October. The main aim of this workshop
was to discuss the challenges of a community to address the importance of behaviour change within the community. The
group consisted of 27 people. The workshop placed emphasis on beliefs/misconceptions and behavioural change
67 Minutes for
Mandela Day
Unisa’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences joined hands on Mandela Day and embarked on a call to
action at the Nkone Moruping Primary School in Bram Fischerville.
One small step at a time, the college aimed to make this world a better place starting with Nkone Moruping Primary
School. For 67 minutes, a dedicated team pulled together and made a difference through the following activities:
• The Executive Dean’s office painted an HIV/AIDS emblem on one of the school walls to raise awareness
on the pandemic
• Department of Environmental Sciences prepared flower beds, plants and created rockeries
• Department of Life and Consumer Sciences assisted the school feeding scheme by handing out fruits,
in addition to advice on hygiene and food choices
• Department of Geography designed the HIV/AIDS emblem
• Department of Agriculture and Animal health prepared food gardens and handed out seeds
This workshop generated much emotion when a DVD was shown about a young lady living with Aids in Groblersdal, South
Africa. The DVD provided the platform for those present to share their own and their communities’ perceptions on the origin of
the disease; how one should prevent the disease; and how communities deal with members who have HIV/Aids. The sharing of
own life experiences as well as community experiences, resulted in the realisation that communities should deal with HIV/Aids
differently, that there was a need to eliminate the secrecy element and that a programme of destigmatisation should take place.
There was consensus amongst the group that the approach should follow a bottom-up approach and each community should
be given the opportunity to adapt a programme to suit their own beliefs and misconceptions.
During this workshop, a community member from Reagile approached Mrs Coetzee with a request to do a follow up workshop
in his village. The intention is to undertake similar workshops during 2012, as part the Department’s Community Engagement
drive in the Bojanala Region, as well as part of PhD research for Mrs Retha Coetzee.
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Department of Geography, supporting local talent
in the Bojanala Region, to achieve a ‘better life for all’
The principle of roots-driven rural development, is to enable communities to create their own opportunities, make use of
their talents and assets in an attempt to improve their quality of lives. In support of this principle it has been important for the
Department of Geography to recognise such initiatives from the communities we work in as part of our community engagement
initiative in the Bojanala Region. During 2011, the following talents in the Bojanala Region were recognised and supported by the
Department of Geography in its various activities.
Traditional Song and Dance; At the Roots-driven Rural Development Conference, the Dinkgwana (meaning: African Clay Pot)
traditional SeTswana Song and Dance troupe under the leadership of Leon Tshenye and Ellias Serole were requested to provide
entertainment for the conference delegates. The group consists of 25 youth, ranging from age 14 to 22, also all from the
Saulspoort/Moruleng area.
Art: Jacob Molefe Monaisa a young and talented artist from Ledig, began his journey in art, while in prison in 2001. He was released
from prison on 3 April 2009 with hopes of personal prosperity and exploration. He found sanctuary at Masisizane in Ledig, and under
the wing of Thembi Khetse (GRCF) he has been given the opportunity to live a crime-free life. Under Thembi’s mentorship, Jacob
desires to make positive impact on his community through his artistic talent. During 2011, Jacob painted two very important portraits
that now hang on the walls within Unisa. The first is a portrait of Miriam Makeba, which was presented to the Mr John Roos on World
Environment Day in June 2011. The second is a portrait of Prof Makhanya, which was presented to the Vice-Chancellor at the Gala
Dinner during the Roots-driven Development Conference in October 2011.
Mrs C Delport (COO GRCF), Prof Makhanya
(Vice-Chancellor Unisa), Ms M Nicolau (Chair
Department of Geography), Prof M Linington
(Executive Deans CAES)
(From left) Mr John Roos (Unisa) Ms Thembi Khetse (GRCF),
Mr Jacob Molefe Monaisa (artist) and Mrs Christine Delport (GRCF)
Dancers in the traditional SeTswana Song and Dance Troupe
Masisizane Cultural Group performing a
play specifically written for Unisa’s World
Environment Day Celebration
Crafts: Richard Motlhabane was born in the Pilanesberg Reserve, and
as a child he would walk to school. During these walks he developed
an appreciation and understanding of the beauty of nature, he also
developed an intimate knowledge of the habits and habitats of the
different animals living in the area. Today, Richard uses natural clay to
sculpt the different animals in the Pilanesberg. A friend of Richard, Peter
Thipe, is also a local crafter, who has a love for the natural environment
lives in. Peter makes use of paper machia to mould his unique jewellery
that represent the different animals in the Pilanesberg Reserve. These
local crafters has decided to make use of their skills to generate their
own incomes and thus pro actively create a better lives for themselves
and their families. Richard and Peter proudly sell their craft, however,
each piece that is sold is accompanied by an explanation of the
habits and unique characteristics that each of the animals portray in
each sculpture. In this way, both these crafters encourage a sense of
environmental awareness and responsibility to all who purchase their
crafts. The Department of Geography provided both these crafters
with an opportunity to showcase their craft at the Roots-driven Rural
Development Conference. Richard’s sculptures were used as the centre
pieces on the tables at the Gala dinner, while Peter’s jewellery provided
the conference delegates with unique and indigenous craft to be taken
home as gifts.
During our World Environment Day celebrations, the Masisizane Cultural Group (a group of 18 dynamic youth from Ledig near
Rustenburg), presented a play, written by the group under the leadership of Tembi Khetse (GRCF) specifically for World Environment
Day and focused on the problem of the extinction of animals and the impact this has on the environment we live in. The group
made use of different cultures and religions to create a fusion of a multilingual play that incorporated music, dance and acting.
One of Richard Motlhabane’ s centre pieces of a leopard at the
Gala Dinner of the Roots-driven Rural Development Conference
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Surplus from Food Gardens: Since February 2010, the Department of Geography have been involved in providing technical
support to a number of community projects in Mathopestad (between Koster and Derby) in the Bojanala Region. One group
produced a bumper crop of tomatoes, green peppers and onions and decided in collaboration with the GRCF, to process these
vegetables in to preserves and jams to ensure that they did not lose these crops to wastage. The thus increased the value to their
activities in their food garden and expanded their processed products for sale to the community who normally buy the fresh
produce. The Department of Geography were very pleased with this initiative, as the group had found a way of ensuring that crops
were not wasted during times of surplus, and ensured an alternative form of income during times when crops were not abundant.
A proud group of ladies and gentlemen of a
community garden in Mathopestad with their
processed goods for sale to community members
Waste Management: The Department of Environmental Sciences of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences was
asked to compile and Environmental Management Plan for Unisa (including the other campuses and the regional centres) in an
advisory capacity. This had been accepted by the University Estates, who will use it as a working document to establish a recycling
system at Unisa in order to improve the entire waste management system and to improve the university’s responsibility toward the
environment by reducing our carbon footprint.
On 16 September during Florida Campus Fun Day, the Department of Environmental Sciences manned an exhibition stall to raise
awareness under the Unisa staff.
The stall was very popular as everybody was interested in making their neighbourhood a better place. After the short lecture by
the staff of the Department of Environmental Sciences, patrons received a small green wheelie bin and pamphlet with further
information on what to do with their household waste in future.
Staff from the Department of Environmental Sciences explains the importance of recycling as well as what can be recycled and
reused for other purposes.
Isnembe School
Roelien du Plessis of the Department of Environmental Sciences visited the school on 3 August 2011, together with staff from the
Bright Site Project in Durban to offer advice and some assistance. The school has some recycling system in place and the advice
provided was to improve the current system and to look at ways how the nearby community can also participate in the school
project in order to improve the waste management in the village. When a working system is in place at the school, an awareness
and invitation to participate needs to be done under this village community in order to improve the waste situation there. It was
suggested inter alia that compost be made from the school garden as well as the food scheme. The Department of Environmental
Sciences also offered to be involved in the design/advice of a Water Wise garden.
Some of the processed
vegetables for sale to the
community of Mathopestad
A visit to the village near Isnembe
The Bright Site in Durban has put up counselling rooms at the school to address
problems in the community.
Some of the surplus vegetables to be processed into
products for sale to the community in Mathopestad
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Recycling at schools project
This project is focused on creating awareness amongst school children with regards to recycling of waste. Partners in this project
are the Department of Environmental Sciences of Unisa, Nets-Africa, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and Jahmy Cleaning
and Recycling.
A series of events were organised on 8 and 9 March, 18, 19 and 20 October in the Benoni area in Ekurhuleni during school
time to raise Environmental Awareness under the pupils. The counsellor of the area also gave a short speech to motivate learners
and teachers. Questionnaires were distributed amongst pupils to determine their level of awareness. Many were eager to fill in
the “test”.
awards Awards
Working with Communities is her Passion
Mpho and his team presented a play to bring the message of “there is money in waste” and good waste management creates
a clean environment. Unisa was provided the opportunity to give a talk on recycling in terms of why is recycling important and
what becomes of the recyclable material.
On request training for teachers were provided by Unisa lecturers. Unisa will also provide recycling posters and stickers for the
waste bins to assist them in their recycling initiatives. Follow-up visits will be done to the schools.
The champion teacher are requested to keep book of the waste collected, and the information made available to us to measure
the success of the project. More than 350 questionnaires were filled in by teachers and learners will be evaluated and used for
research. 25 schools in Ekurhuleni and Tshwane had been visited.
Ms Melanie Nicolau, Chair of the Department of Geography in the College of Agriculture and
Environmental Sciences was awarded a certificate “Honorary Citizen of College of Economic
Management Sciences for her contribution in the field of Community Engagement”
Jahme Cleaning and Recycling ensured
that the pupils at the Benoni Primary
school in Actonville learn about reduce,
re-use and recycling
Growing and honing horticulturists at Garden World
Growing and honing horticulturists at Garden World (herb garden): The bench in the herb garden is a peaceful place to sit
and enjoy the colourful flowers and breathe in the scents of lavender. The colourful succulent Kalanchoes in the foreground also
provide year round colour, but have low water requirements compared to the containers.
Growing and honing horticulturists at Garden World (gravel pathway): A gravel pathway rings the island of dill, mustard,
origanum and wild garlic, which grows around the base of three wild olive trees. Beneath the gravel is a layer of weedmat, which
suppresses weed growth and keeps the gravel clean, while still allowing precious water to soak into the soil.
Learners filling in the questionnaires
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Unisa garden
Their show garden constructed for the 2011 Garden World Spring Festival was entitled “Urban Conservation”. This garden
demonstrated nature’s ability to heal the damage man has caused to the landscape and endeavoured, on a small scale, to show
the community how to create a balanced and sustainable space. Part of this education entailed an organic approach to fertiliser
& pesticide use, allowing Mother Nature to take back what was once hers. The plants showed a wide range of indigenous,
traditional, medicinal and edible herbs and had taken its inspiration from companion planting to minimise the need for pesticide use.
The garden was also chosen by Rand Water for the Water Wise Young Designers award for its application of zoning principles,
permeable paving, companion planting, low water use plants and good use of colour in pots:
• The plants in the garden were grouped by their water needs, so each zone can be watered separately. Annuals were used
mainly in containers as focal points – it was easy to care for the thirsty plants when watered separately
• Permeable paving was used throughout the garden – as a gravel pathway in the herb garden and as Dwarf mondo grass
and gravel between the slasto pavers in the formal garden. This allowed water to soak into the soil rather than running off
• Companion planting allowed for planting of different plants close to each other which either repelled insects or attracted
them away from host plants. Tulbaghia, Calendula and Dill were used in the garden
• The water feature was positioned at the back of the garden creating a focal point, attracting one into the garden, without
wasting water due to splashing
Unisa’s students have a proud track record in this competition. The students involved in this year’s show garden are also currently
undergoing Work Integrated Learning (WIL) at Garden World. They designed and constructed their own show garden,
in addition to the Unisa show garden, and received a Silver award for this.
Students are involved in the design, layout and construction of these show gardens and gain hands-on experience, which counts
towards their WIL requirements. The show garden projects have also given the students valuable opportunities to interact with
potential employers in the Green industry. And with approximately 70 000 visitors passing through the gates during the Spring
Festival, all of this amounts to excellent publicity for Unisa and students.
Extremely proud of the team work and talent of both students and academics, Director: School of Environmental Sciences,
Professor Jimmy Hendrick, believes the garden is a celebration of how man can work with nature to create something both
functional and beautiful. “The garden integrates the principles of urban conservation, Water Wise as well as garden design –
it showcases the future of Ornamental Horticulture where sustainability and urban conservation are key concepts. The
involvement of the students means that these key concepts are handed on to the new generation of Horticulturists. Winning
both the Gold and Water Wise Young Designers award reflects the great team spirit as well as the gold standard of skills of both
lecturers and students in the Ornamental Horticulture team, and Unisa is very proud of them.”
Henrrieta Samuels, Megan Taylor, Elize van Staden showing the award
Growing and honing horticulturists at Garden World (medicinal yellow Calendula): Medicinal yellow Calendula flowers
keep the bright blue pansies company in the sandstone containers. As the sun quickly dried out the shallow soil in the containers,
water-absorbing granules were mixed into the soil, and a layer of mulch was put on top to keep the soil as moist as possible.
Growing and honing horticulturists at Garden World (red Kalanchoes): The succulent red Kalanchoes are colourful and low
maintenance. Here, gravel was used as mulch. As gravel can get hot in the sun, it was best to use it around plants that can
tolerate heat and low water conditions.
For the past 13 years, Unisa has participated in the annual Spring Festival at Garden World by building exhibition gardens. In
collaboration with Absa Business Bank, this year’s theme, Miracles of Spring 2011 was fully understood and implemented by Unisa’s
Ornamental Horticulture students and lecturers as they walked away with Gold and much deserved respect. The Water Wise Young
Designers award was a new garden category this year. Sekgwati Mohlala, Patrick Mmbulawa, Atasha Mpumlwana, Dineo Mofokeng
and Jabulile Mkhize scooped top honours in this category, proving that they had more than just green fingers at the exhibition.
Working with Unisa academics, Henrietta Samuels and the two new Ornamental Horticulture lecturers Megan Taylor and Elize
van Staden, this team showed the power of teamwork and the level of creativity that can come out of it.
Dr Frederick Tabit received an award for best South African
Society of Dairy Technology (SASDT) University of Pretoria
Postgraduate Student 2010
Mrs Anna de Jager received Excellence in Tuition Award
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graduation
Graduations
College staff
Mrs Gerda Venter obtained
her MA Degree (Geography)
promotions
Promotions
Prof Willie Nel has been
promoted to Chair of Department
(Environmental Sciences)
Dr Frederick Tabit has
been promoted to
Senior Lecturer
Ms Melanie Nicolau has
been promoted to Senior
Lecturer
Ms Anja du Plessis obtained
her MSc Degree (Geography)
Mrs Roelien du Plessis
obtained her Masters in
Environmental Management
Dr Frederick Tabit obtained his PhD (Food
Science) and also graduate: Unisa Young
Academic Programme 2011
Dr Chris Mbajiorgu
has been promoted to
Senior Lecturer
Professor Solly Magano
has been promoted to
Chair of Department: (Life and
Consumer Sciences)
Mrs Elize Symington has been
promoted to Lecturer
Dr Masafu has been promoted
to Associate Professor
Dr Monde Nyila obtained his
PhD (Plant Science)
Ms Treasure Mokhobotloane obtained
her Honours (Medicinal Plant Science)
Mr Schalk van Heerden obtained
his MA Degree (Geography)
Mrs Busi Mandleni has
been promoted to Senior
Lecturer
Mrs Thuli Dweba has
been promoted
to Lecturer
Dr Memory Tekere has
been promoted to
Associate Professor
Dr Salome Mahlo has
been promoted to
Senior Lecturer
College PhDs
students
Dr Girmay Abay obtained his PhD
(Environmental Sciences)
Estelle de Coning obtained her
PhD (Environmental Science)
retirements
Retirements
Laura Steyn (Department of Geography), Marjanne Coetzee (College Secretary), and Prof Elsje Toerien
(Department of Life and Consumer Sciences). Thank you for the contributions you made.
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