November 2010 - University of Johannesburg

UJADVANCEUNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG | NEWS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2 | VOL 6Celebrating another year of academic excellence

{ EDITOR’S NOTE }To end is tobegin againEDITORIAL TEAMEDITOR: Cheryl RamurathCONTRIBUTORS: Camilla Bath,Prof O’ Brien, Herman Esterhuizen,Xolela Mangchu,Lauren van der Merwe.PHOTOGRAPHY: Jan Potgieter,Kopano TlapePROOF READERS: UJ Language UnitLAYOUT & DESIGN: UJ Graphic StudioPRINTERS: 4 Colour PrintONLINE PUBLISHERS: ElectroMagEDITORIAL OFFICECORPORATE COMMUNICATIONInstitutional Advancement,University of Johannesburg,Doornfontein Campus.PO Box 17011, 2028, South AfricaTel: 011 559 6854Email: cherylr@uj.ac.zaUsually as the year draws to an end, webecome keenly aware of the many ways inwhich our strivings toward success havesapped our strength. We reflect on what wehave achieved and also assess where wehave missed the mark.According to John Maxwell, “failing forwardis the ability to get back up after you’ve beenknocked down, learn from your mistake, andmove forward in a better direction”. Therein isthe secret of advancing in every area of ourlives. We should celebrate our achievements,humbly accept our limitations and, armedwith that knowledge, make plans to developand improve in the year ahead.The University of Johannesburg (UJ)celebrated its fifth anniversary in the yearwhen the world descended on South Africanshores and we were reminded again ofjust how blessed we already are and whatpotential we have to move forward.In just half a decade, UJ has evolved into astrong, embracing and dignified Universitywhich not only reflects the diversity of itscosmopolitan environment, but also shapesand moulds leaders of this generation uponwhose shoulders the future of this countryis borne.Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ihron Rensburg,reflects on the University’s achievements andchallenges and highlights the importance ofjoining the hearts and minds of our alumnimembers in making this University evenbetter (Pg 6).ujadvanceWe also celebrate the hard work anddedication of staff, students and alumnimembers alike – who reflect the characterand nature of UJ and exhibit the wonderfulsynergies created when we work together.So as we take stock, both individually andcollectively, we should remind ourselvesthat progression and growth is not a linearprocess. We always have the choice toreinvent ourselves. In the words of T.S. Eliot,“In my end is my beginning”. May you gatherthe strength to be filled with hope, passionand power again in the New Year.Cheryl[ ADVANCEMENT ]an act of moving forward;promotion in rank or standing;a development or improvement

{ CONTENTS }67-1011-1315VICE-CHANCELLOR’SMESSAGEAWARDSStaff rewarded for exceptionalcontributionsUniversity of Johannesburgstrikes goldDISTINCTIONHonorary doctorate toJustice GoldstoneAcceptance speech byDr Richard MaponyaACADEMIC FREEDOMUJ academic spearheads“whydunit” crime series{ CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2010 }contents1617DEVELOPMENTThuthuka Bursary Fund aidsdevelopment in accounting sectorRESEARCHUJ senior lecturer part of historicteam heading up galactic research

contents52118-1920-2526-2728-33COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTAccountancy Department giveslearners an extra boostBrixton community engagemententrepreneurial workshopVISUAL FEATUREStellar designer career: UJ honoursBrian SteinhobelALUMNI PROFILENeville Nicolau: SA mining industry’spolished diamondDISCOURSECorruption in our body politic is afestering soreGraduation address by Kate O’Regan2134-37FACULTY NEWSUJ Accountancy leads the fieldPrincipal Network to improveleadership in schoolUJ involved in sports and megaevents think tankUJ Jewellery Design Departmentauction raises R230 00023738-39INNOVATIONSetting trends at UJ’s Fashion Fusion40UPCOMING EVENTS41-42UJ BOOKSVeeltalige Vertaalterminologie/Multilingual Translation TerminologyBook review by Prof Raj Mestry

{ 6 | VICE-CHANCELLOR’S MESSAGE }Celebrating a proudly South African universityThe University of Johannesburg (UJ) hasevolved into a dynamic university duringa merger process that is reminiscent ofthe transition of our young, vibrant andchallenging South African democracy.The considerable opposition we facedduring the initial stages of the mergerhas, five years later, given way toenthusiasm based on our ambitions andencouraging progress. The new Universitycontinues to nurture universal universitytraditions – a thriving community ofscholars, academic excellence, academicfreedom, institutional autonomy andpublic accountability.We build on the strong traditionsinherited from the previous institutions.These include excellence in teaching andlearning, as UJ produces just over 10 000graduates a year. In 2010, a total of 10 571graduands and diplomates welcomedthe conferral of their hard-earnedacademic and vocational qualifications.This translates to an overall degree creditsuccess rate of 76%, which incorporatesstrong pockets of research and researchgroups (over 70 rated researchers andeighth ranked in total postgraduate andaccredited research output, with theobjective of becoming the sixth ranked interms of these criteria by 2012).Along with these successes, notforgetting excellence in arts, cultureand sport, new traditions are also beingestablished: thus creating a diverse,inclusive and engaged university withtechnological and traditional universityprogrammes, reflecting the cosmopolitancharacter, energy, passion and challengeof Johannesburg.Additional accolades received during2010 included UJ being voted thesecond most popular university brandin the Sunday Times Generation NextBrand Survey in two consecutive years.The new UJ revised website also rankedninth in Africa from 19th just four yearsago (Webometrics). UJ’s internationalprofile is also on the rise, with jointprogrammes, faculty exchange andresearch partnerships in place with theworld’s leading universities in the USA, UK,Europe, India, China and Brazil.UJ’S TOP THREE AREAS OF FOCUSFirst, we worked on the consolidation ofhistoric value drivers (reputational andcore institutional capability), throughstrategy and a detailed review of thebudget in order to release the fundsnecessary to create 140 new academicposts. One of the results is that enrolmenthas now settled within the 48 000 to 48500 range after initially falling below 43000 (2007), with postgraduate enrolmentnow steady at 6 500.Second, we have a research and scholarlypush to double our research output. UJ’sresearch output since 2006 is already upby 42% and the targeted growth of 100%by 2012 is well within reach.Third, fundamental renewal and overhaulof our Soweto (SWC) and Doornfontein(DFC) Campuses – a huge investmentof R800 million – is in the case of SWCessential for social cohesion, identity andmeaning making in post-apartheid SA,with a focus on leadership and strongprogrammes in public governance andmanagement, accounting, pre-serviceand in-service education, transporteconomics and logistical services.In the case of DFC, focus is on creatingworld-class facilities to enable theconsolidation of the Engineering andthe Built Environment and HealthSciences Faculties on that campus by theend of 2013.LOOKING AHEADAs we look ahead to the next decade, weare confident that UJ will emerge as thecountry’s leading university – forging anew and inclusive path.A new focus in the period ahead will beto position ourselves as the country’sleading technology innovation university– a goal that is more urgent than beforefor our country.A further critical thrust is to introduceinnovative programmes to grow ouralumni base, new and old, especially nowthat we are in a much stronger positionthan in 2006.Thus, in looking ahead, we also recognisethat these ambitions that we espouseand give practical meaning to cannotbe accomplished without our friends,partners and champions.Put positively, in order for UJ torealise its ambitions requires friends,partners and champions who believein our vision and our ambitions for theUniversity, for industry, the communityand public sectors, the region, thenation and beyond.As readers of UJ Advance magazine,I appeal to you to become our activefriends, partners and champions – and torise up with us as we rise up with you.PROFESSOR IHRON RENSBURG,VICE-CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG.

{ 7 | AWARDS }AWARDSStaff rewarded for exceptional contributionsNINE UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ) EMPLOYEES WERE BESTOWED WITH AWARDS FOR THEIRRESEARCH, HARD WORK AND DEDICATION AT THE ANNUAL VICE-CHANCELLOR’S DISTINGUISHEDAWARDS AT A PRESTIGIOUS EVENT ON TUESDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 2010.BY HERMAN ESTERHUIZENThe Vice-Chancellor’s Awards werepresented for Teaching, Research andInnovation and for Exceptional Service bysupport staff beyond the call of duty.Prof Heidi Abrahamse from the LaserResearch Centre (Faculty of HealthSciences) won the VC’s DistinguishedAward for Researcher of the Year.Three academics received the VC’sDistinguished Teacher Award: ProfDawie de Villiers from the Departmentof Public Law and Department of Criminaland Procedural Law (Faculty of Law),Ruan Moolman from the Departmentof Mathematics (Faculty of Science) andArnold Wentzel from the Department ofEconomics and Econometrics (Faculty ofEconomic and Financial Sciences).Certificates of Teaching Excellence werebestowed on Dr Nadine Peterson fromthe Department of Education Studies(Faculty of Education) and Elmarie Fouriefrom the Department of Public Law(Faculty of Law).Prof Alain Kabundi from the Departmentof Economic and Econometrics(Faculty of Economic and FinancialSciences) walked away with the VC’sDistinguished Award for Most PromisingYoung Researcher of the Year. Awardswere also bestowed on Support staffUJ ALUMNI DIGNITAS AWARDS WINNERS: TIM DU PLESSIS ANDMUSA PIENAAR (ON BEHALF OF NICHOLAS HLOBO).for exceptional service beyond the callof duty. Recipients were: LesmarieBentley-Steyn from Marketing and Brand(Division of Institutional Advancement)and Louise Steyn from Central AcademicAdministration.TOP OF PAGE: PROF ROY MARCUS (UJ COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON), PROF HEIDI ABRAHAMSE, LOUISE STEYN, PROF ALAIN KABUNDI, ARNOLD WENTZEL,RUAN MOOLMAN, PROF DAWIE DE VILLIERS, ELMARIE FOURIE, LESMARIE BENTLEY-STEYN AND PROF IHRON RENSBURG (VICE-CHANCELLOR AND PRINCIPAL, UJ).

{ 8 | AWARDS }UNIVERSITY OFJOHANNESBURG STRIKESGOLDThe University of Johannesburg (UJ) hasscooped a historic award by taking tophonours in the international Council forAdvancement and Support of Education(CASE) Circle of Excellence Awards andbecoming the first tertiary educationinstitution in Africa to have received anaward at this prestigious forum.The CASE awards honours exemplaryachievements across all disciplinesof advancement in education. UJtook home a gold award for itsstriking advertising campaign in thecategory of Integrated AdvancementProgrammes. The campaign wasdeveloped by brand agency, HKLM,and topped over 2 700 entries from 615institutions around the world.UJ representative, Lesmarie Bentley-Steyn,who was in Scotland to receive the award,said it was a very proud moment for UJand for South Africa when they joined thewinner’s circle, which includes prominentinstitutions such as the University ofCambridge, Harvard University and theUniversity of Melbourne.“The standard was extremely high andit was a real achievement to win gold.UJ is on a strategic brand-developmentjourney and this award clearlydemonstrates the value of our ‘Join theGang of Greats – Rethink Education’advertising campaign as adding powerfulimpetus to building the newly integratedbrand,” she said.THE KRISTIAN BECKMANAWARD PRESENTEDTO UJ PROFESSORFOR EXCELLENCE ININFORMATION SECURITYThe committee for the IFIP TC-11 KristianBeckman Award has chosen its 2010winner as Prof Basie von Solms, from theAcademy of Information Technology atUJ’s Faculty of Science.The 2010 IFIP TC-11 Kristian BeckmanAward was awarded to Prof Von Solmsfor his tireless work in broadeningthe meaning of various aspects ofinformation security, such as addingmanagement aspects to the academicperception of information security, andcreating the field of security governance.The award also honours his work aschair of TC-11, where he demonstratedthe importance of information securitywithin IFIP and the field of informationprocessing, as well as his variousachievements in the area of IT securityeducation on all levels.The Kristian Beckman Award wasestablished in 1992 by the IFIP TechnicalCommittee-11 to commemorate the firstchair, Kristian Beckman from Sweden,who was a founder of TC-11 in 1983.The award is granted annually to asuccessful nominee and presented at theannual IFIP Security Conference organisedunder the auspices of TC-11. The awardpublicly recognises an outstandingindividual who has contributedsignificantly to the development ofinformation security, especially in termsof international achievements.UJ’S DR MOURINAMED WINNER OF THE2010 AFRICAN UNIONWOMEN SCIENTISTREGIONAL AWARDDr Hassina Mouri from UJ’s Departmentof Geology has been awarded theprestigious African Union WomenScientist Regional Award for 2010.The award ceremony was held on 9September in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Her research work focuses on theArchaean (3.8 to 2.5 billion yearsago) crustal evolution using differentinstrumental techniques and disciplines(essentially mineralogy, petrologyand radiogenic isotope geology). DrMouri’s core interests focus on ultrahightemperature granulites, which arerare rocks that record still unexplainedevents when regions of the Earth’scrust reached temperatures in excessof 1 000°C. These rocks preserve intheir textures and minerals, acting assnapshots of the Earth’s past geologicalhistory, necessary to understand howmountain belts form and how the Earth’scrust evolved during early times.Dr Mouri has received extensiveinternational recognition, includingan award for the best presentation atan IGCP meeting in Australia in 1993;and a one-month research grant atthe University of Pavia, Italy, in 2007. InFebruary 2008, she was invited to be astudio guest on the SABC’s Women inScience television programme.

{ 9 | AWARDS }DR JOSEF DE BEER SCORESIN HELTASA’S NATIONALAWARDSIn 2009, Higher Education Teaching andLearning South Africa (HELTASA) and theHigher Education Quality Committee(HEQC) of the Council on HigherEducation jointly initiated the NationalExcellence in Teaching and LearningAwards. The objective of the NationalExcellence in Teaching and LearningAwards is to: and learning excellence in highereducation; act as leaders in teaching in disciplines,institutions and regions; and about forms of teaching excellence.Dr Josef de Beer is a senior lecturer in theDepartment of Mathematics, Science,Technology and Computer Educationin the Faculty of Education, and holderof the UJ Vice-Chancellor’s TeachingExcellence Award for 2008. He wasselected as one of four awardees outof a total of 48 nominees from acrossSouth Africa. The awards were presentedduring a gala evening at the HELTASAconference at UJ, with each awardwinnermaking a short presentation ontheir teaching approach.Dr de Beer’s work focuses on pre-serviceteacher education and issues in scienceeducation. With the support of Prof SarahGravett, the Executive Dean of the Facultyof Education, he has also played a role inintroducing the five-day excursion to theGolden Gate Highlands National Park forfirst-year BEd students.INTERNATIONALRECOGNITION FOR UJSOCIOLOGY’S TINA UYSA strong commitment to building thediscipline of sociology has culminatedin substantial recognition for UJ’sProfessor Tina Uys earlier this year whenshe was elected as Vice-President,National Associations of the InternationalSociological Association (ISA) for a fouryearterm commencing from 2010.Prof Uys served on the ISA executivefrom 2006 to 2010 and was president ofthe association’s Research Committee onSocial Psychology from 2002 to 2006. Shesucceeds Prof Michael Burawoy, worldrenownedsociologist from the Universityof California at Berkeley, who has beenelected as president of ISA.It is the first time that an African womanhas been elected to a position of suchstature within the almost 5000-strongorganisation. But this inaugural accoladeis something that Prof Uys can beexpected to take in her stride.She was also the first woman, and still theonly one to have become president ofthe South African Sociological Association(SASA) and is one of only four women tohead a Department of Sociology in highereducation institutions across South Africa.“The fact that someone from the globalSouth holds this position provides anopportunity to challenge metropolitandominance in knowledge production andto widen global understanding of theissues faced by academics in the Southwith regard to knowledge productionand transfer”, Prof Uys comments.NRF PRESIDENT’S AWARDFOR UJ GEOLOGYPROFESSORThe National Research Foundation’s(NRF) prestigious President’s Award hasbeen bestowed upon Prof Nic Beukesfrom UJ’s Department of Geology. ThePresident’s Award celebrates excellence inresearch, and highlights those researchersconsidered by their peers to be worldleaders in their field.Prof Beukes is primarily a field geologist,specialising in sedimentology andstratigraphy, with an emphasis onunderstanding the origin of iron- andmanganese-ore deposits, and thenature of surface environments onearly Earth, which includes the historyof atmospheric oxygen and climatechanges in the middle Archaean to earlyPaleoproterozoic times.He has worked extensively on iron andmanganese formations all over theworld, and has studied the geneticand sequence stratigraphy of thesiliciclastic strata of the Witwatersrandand Pongola basins, depofacies inearly Precambrian carbonate platformsuccessions, early Precambrian lateriteprofiles and paleosols, and the natureof post-Gondwana land surfaces andassociated soil profiles.Prof Beukes was also the 2002 recipientof the Draper Medal, the highestaward bestowed by the GeologicalSociety of South Africa for scientificcontributions in geology. He serveson various national and internationalgeological research committees, andwas fundamental in recognising that theearly Proterozoic sequences containeda set of glacial deposits. These findingshave had a major impact on thinkingabout early climate changes.

{ 10 | AWARDS }PROUD AWARD WINNERS: JACO IMMELMAN (LEFT) AND JARRED BELL (RIGHT).UJ STUDENTS EXCEL AT GEOGRAPHICALSOCIETY STUDENT CONFERENCEThree Honours and three MastersStudents from the Departmentof Geography, EnvironmentalManagement and Energy Studies inthe Faculty of Science at UJ deliveredpapers at the 42nd SAGS StudentsConference at Rhodes University earlierthis year. Prof Kate Rowntree, a wellpublishedand respected South AfricanGeographer at Rhodes, evaluatedand presented awards for the bestpresentations by Honours and Mastersstudents in the fields of Human andPhysical Geography. UJ’s Jarred Bellwon the award for the Best Presentationin the field of Human Geography forhis paper, and Jaco Immelman tookthe award for Best Presentation by aMasters Student in the field of PhysicalGeography for his paper.The keynote address was presented byDr Anthony Lemon (fellow and tutor ofMansfield College, Oxford University).Some 150 postgraduate students from15 South African residential universitiesattended the conference.PROF ELIZABETH HENNINGRECEIVES TOP HONOURProf Elizabeth (Elbie) Henning, directorof UJ’s Centre for Education PracticeResearch, received one of Education’shighest international awards when shewas selected as Fellow in the Fellow’sProgramme of the American EducationalResearch Association (AERA). A total of67 Fellows were selected in 2010.This programme acknowledgescontributions for research and thedevelopment of research capacity. ProfHenning was inducted as Fellow earlierthis year at the AERA annual conferencein Denver, Colorado.INDUSTRIAL DESIGNSTUDENTS “MOULDING”A BRIGHT FUTURESecond-year University ofJohannesburg Industrial Designstudent, Roland Richartz, is thewinner of the Association ofRotational Moulders of SouthernAfrica (ARMSA) Student DesignCompetition 2010, with UJ the overallwinning university.ARMSA hosts the yearly StudentDesign Awards where studentsdesign products specifically forRotational Moulding. The judgesincluded members of the ARMSAexecutive committee, rotationalmoulding manufacturers, andlecturers from the three institutionsoffering industrial design in SouthAfrica (UJ, Cape Peninsula Universityof Technology and TshwaneUniversity of Technology).The awards took place at theannual ARMSA internationalrotational moulding conferenceon 9 September at Euphoria in theWaterberg. Judged on rotationalmouldability, marketability andoriginality, of the 30 students thatentered, UJ was awarded:Plonk bench, who received prizemoney of R5 000.received R2 500 for his Cyclone slide.received R1 500 for his Eco Splashoutdoor shower.ARMSA STUDENT DESIGN WINNER,ROLAND RICHARTZ’S WINNING PLONKBENCH DESIGN.

{ 11 | DISTINCTION }HonoraryGoldstone is a South African lawyer of international stature.Matriculating at King Edward VII School in Johannesburg, hegraduated in 1962 from the University of the Witwatersrand witha BA LLB (cum laude). He was appointed Senior Counsel in 1976after conducting a commercial practice at the Johannesburg Barfor 14 years. He became a judge of the Transvaal Supreme Courtin 1980, despite his known opposition to apartheid. Althoughhighly critical of the judiciary during the apartheid years, theTruth and Reconciliation Commission’s report recognised thatthere were judges like Goldstone who exercised their discretionin favour of justice and liberty, wherever proper and possible.These individuals were highly influential and part of the reasonwhy the ideal of a constitutional democracy continued to burnbrightly throughout the darkness of the apartheid era.Goldstone took up a post in the Supreme Court of Appeal in1990. When the negotiations aimed at bringing about a newconstitutional order broke down due to a mass shooting atSebokeng in the same year, the South African governmentestablished a Commission of Inquiry Regarding the Preventionof Public Violence and Intimidation, in order to investigatehuman rights abuses committed by the country’s variouspolitical factions. Its members were chosen by consensusamong the main negotiation parties. Goldstone, trusted byall, chaired the commission. The findings of the commission,which was that all parties had blood on their hands, attractedboth praise and criticism. The commission’s work, which wasconducted over a period of three years, played an importantrole in helping to calm South Africa during the transition period.It provided a credible public forum to deal with incidents thatmight otherwise have derailed the negotiations.doctorate to JusticeThe University of Johannesburg conferred anhonorary doctorate of law on Justice RichardGoldstone on 28 September. On the previousevening, Judge Goldstone had delivered a publiclecture facilitated by Judge Edwin Cameron of theConstitutional Court, entitled “Accountabilityfor War Crimes”.BY PROF O’BRIENA constitutional amendment permitted President Mandela toname Goldstone as one of the judges of the newly establishedConstitutional Court, but allowed Goldstone a two-year leave ofabsence to act as the first chief prosecutor in The Hague, of theInternational Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Whenthe Security Council established the International CriminalTribunal for Rwanda in 1994, he was once again named its chiefprosecutor. In this role, he successfully addressed the issueof the political legitimacy of the tribunals, ensured that theyobtained financial support, and instituted proper prosecutorialdirection. The prosecution policy he developed recognisedthat rape and sexual assault, when part of a widespread andsystematic practice, constitutes a crime against humanity, or awar crime. When he retired as chief prosecutor in 1996, he tookup his seat in the Constitutional Court. Whilst a member of thecourt, and after his retirement in 2003, Goldstone continued toserve on several international commissions and remained activein national and international human rights causes.

{ 12 | DISTINCTION }The second lessonis of broaderimportance in ademocratic society.The great benefit ofeducation is that itteaches the craft ofhuman reason.In April 2009, Goldstone was appointedhead of a four-member UN factfindingmission, investigating possibleviolations of international law by Israelduring the 2008-2009 Israel-Gazaconflict. Goldstone’s insistence oneven-handedness saw the mandatebeing expanded to cover all sides. Themission’s report, published in September2009, concluded that both sides in theconflict had committed violations of thelaws of war. The General Assembly andthe Human Rights Council acceptedthe mission’s report and called uponthe parties to meet their internationalobligations to investigate allegations ofcrimes detailed in the report.Both Israel and Hamas rejected thereport, and a flurry of personal attackson Goldstone accused him of bias,dishonesty and improper motives, goingas far as to proclaim him to be a “selfhatingJew”. His impeccable record as ajudge in South Africa had been falselychallenged and even his attendance at hisgrandson’s Barmitzvah in Johannesburgwas placed under threat. However,both within the Jewish community andwithout, many spoke up in Goldstone’sdefence, including two of his formercolleagues on the Constitutional Court,Justice Arthur Chaskalson, the formerChief Justice and Justice Albie Sachs.A committee later appointed toinvestigate the response of Israel andHamas to the mission’s report, chairedby Professor Christian Tomuschat anddelivered on 21 September, found thatthe parties’ investigations of the crimesmentioned in the Goldstone reportremained incomplete in some cases, orfell significantly short of internationalstandards in others. The Israeli DefenceForce (IDF), in response to the Goldstonereport, nevertheless clarified the rulesof engagement in populated areas.The discourse in the IDF following theGoldstone report also led to extendinginternational law studies and rulesof engagement in advanced officers’courses, and in the chief of staff’s decisionto appoint military legal advisers incombat divisions.In her speech, delivered at the ceremonyat which the honorary doctorate wasconferred on Judge Goldstone, formerConstitutional Court Judge Kate O’Reganindicated that there are two lessons thatnew graduates can draw from theseevents. The first is that professionalsmust be able to perform work in askilled manner without being undulyinfluenced by extraneous considerations.At times, as the events of the pastyear have shown, in relation to JudgeGoldstone, that the personal cost canbe high, but personal and professionalintegrity remain imperative. At the endof the day, one may be vindicated, butone should not count on it.The second lesson is of broaderimportance in a democratic society.The great benefit of education is that itteaches the craft of human reason. Theassertion of blind loyalty over reasoncan only harm our democratic project,which is based on the possibility anddesirability of responsible participationin public discourse. Good education thatteaches reason enables participants tosee the fault lines in public discoursemore easily, and to identify thosearguments that have merit and thosethat merely constitute verbal assault.(See full graduation address on pg 30-31)Acceptance speech by Dr Richard Maponyaat the conferral of his honorary doctorateTHE FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURGAWARDED RICHARD MAPONYA WITH AN HONORARY DOCTORATE (HONORISCAUSA) (PHD(HC)) ON MONDAY 4 OCTOBER 2010.The following is an abridged acceptance speech by Dr Richard Maponya at theconferral of his honorary doctorate:Let me first say what a pleasure it is for meto stand in front of you today as a Doctorof Philosophy! I have received many titlesduring my four score and ten years, butthis accolade, at this hour of my life, isparticularly meaningful.It is only now, in the past few years, thatI have begun to reflect on the path thatI have walked in this life: the decisionsI made, the struggles I fought, theachievements I scored and the battles Ilost (not too many might I add). I couldnot have been more grateful when theUniversity of Johannesburg informedme that they had chosen me for thisdoctorate.At first glance my life has beencharacterised by successes, one after theother, over the decades, right throughto today. But a closer look at my life willshow you that what really characterisedthe Richard Maponya story all theseyears is belief: a strong belief in myselfand an even stronger belief that a fairerworld could and would be possible inmy lifetime. I always found it hard toaccept “NO” for an answer. I could neverreadily accept defeat. So, whenever Iencountered a closed door, and therewere many in those dark old days, I made

{ 13 | DISTINCTION }sure I would find a way to open it andemerge on the other side a victor.In apartheid South Africa, it was aboutbeing part of the struggle – the economicstruggle. It was about basic human rights.It was about refusing to lie down and betrampled upon as a black person. It wasabout setting a precedent for every blackman and woman who would follow inmy footsteps. It was about showing thewhite authorities that, given a chance, ablack man or woman is just as capable.It was about this native boy being aneconomic activist.I established my first business in theearly 50s, from humble beginnings,together with my late wife, Marina; weopened Maponya’s Dairy Products inSoweto – starting small and eventuallyemploying over 200 men on bicyclesrunning two shifts. It was from thatstart that I was able to establish otherretail businesses including MaponyaSupply Stores, a general dealer whichincluded greengrocers, a butchery andNative Eating House.This was the neighbourhood of Sisulu,Mandela and Makwetu – the “playground”of many community leaders and wouldbe political leaders. This is where the likesof Sphiwe Nyanda and Tokyo Sexwalemet and exchanged ideologies with theirpeers and got guidance from their elders.As a result, we were subjected to constantpolice raids, not only because this wassuch a social meeting place, but also tomake sure that we were not selling tuna,mushrooms, asparagus and cucumberor any other such foodstuffs that wereconsidered ”luxuries”. Amidst all of this, weoperated a business without a bankingaccount because we were prohibitedfrom opening one.I continually sought new businessopportunities to diversify. However, thiswas not easy given the restrictive laws ofthe time prohibiting black people fromengaging in certain business interests. Icontinued to challenge the system andpushed the envelope a little further eachtime. The small General Dealer, with itschallenges, grew and we expanded tobottle stores and supermarkets – thelargest yet in Soweto. This was at a timewhen we didn’t have any overdraft facilityand therefore had to learn the art of cashflowmanagement. It was also aroundthis time that the idea and desire ofestablishing a mall was born, which laterproved to be a journey in itself.I HAVE NOW REACHED THE HOUR OF MY LIFE WHENI LOOK BACK ON IT ALL. AND I WILL LET YOU IN ONA SMALL SECRET – I WILL BE CELEBRATING MY 90THBIRTHDAY AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.THE TRUTH ISTHAT IF I COULD TURN BACK THE CLOCK, I WOULDN’TCHANGE A THING. AND I MEAN THAT. NOT A SINGLETHING. I WOULD DO IT ALL THE SAME ALL OVER AGAIN.Through all my years in retail, I have beeninvolved in property, as I had insistedon “owning” the properties I operatedfrom. In those days, as black people, wewere not allowed to own property andtherefore had “99 year lease” on all theproperties and I was only able to have atitle deed after 1994.The development of a regional shoppingcentre in Soweto, Maponya Mall, is saidto be the largest private investment intoSoweto and I believe “has changed theface of Soweto”. I will soon be staringconstruction on a motor city with Toyotaand VW amongst others and also a VirginActive Gym which I believe will add valueto the lives of people in Soweto.So, I have decided to dust off my bootsand get back out into the trenches again.I’m starting an institute that will trainyouth in basic skills development andentrepreneurship. And it will be called“The Richard Maponya Institute”. Underthe roof of that institute, which will bestarted in Soweto in the not-too-distantfuture, we want to train young men andwomen in basic skills, such as technicians,carpentry, car repairs, food packaging,dress making and the like.And not only that, they will also betrained as entrepreneurs, so that everysingle one of them who graduates fromThe Richard Maponya Institute will havethe skill and the know-how to go out intoworld and start their own small business,create jobs and begin to build their livesfrom there, because it is the small- andmedium-sized enterprises that should beproviding the economic backbone of thiscountry. I do not think for a second thatI can solve South Africa’s problems withone Richard Maponya Institute.Just as the people of Soweto andSouth Africa believed in me all theseyears as I was building towards myown future, I now want to put all ofmy energy into our youth and showthem that we believe in them too.Now you can see why this doctoratemeans so much to me. This is my newphilosophy: investment in our youth asan investment in all of our tomorrows.I would like to assure all of you that I willdo my utmost to uphold the great nameof the University of Johannesburg withthese latest letters that you have addedto my name.I leave you with this: “If we want to learnabout our past we should look at ourpresent conditions, and if we want toknow about our future we should look atour present actions.”

{ 14 | SCHOLARSHIP }UJ student thrilled withtop scholarship BY CAMILLA BATHUNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ) STUDENT MARY OPONDO KNEW INSTANTLY THAT THE MANDELA RHODES SCHOLARSHIPWOULD BE “JUST PERFECT” FOR HER. BUT THE 23-YEAR-OLD KENYAN SAYS SHE ONLY HEARD ABOUT IT THROUGH SHEER LUCK,WHEN SHE WAS TOLD ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY BY A FRIEND ON SOCIAL NETWORK SITE FACEBOOK.Months later, Opondo is aproud 2011 Scholar-elect,who is looking forwardto improving the lives ofpeople in her home regionof East Africa throughher postgraduate studies.She plans to completeher Honours Degree inDevelopment Studies afterstudying a BA in Politics.The scholarship coverstuition fees, book costs,accommodation, meals andtravel expenses. It is awardedto students who excelacademically and aspireto be leaders of characterand intellect.“I applied for the scholarshipas the training was beingoffered to potential leaders,”says Opondo. “I want to focuson gender equality and HIV/Aids, especially in East Africa.Sudan is still ravaged by war,and many women there haveno voice. I believe I can helpthem,” she adds.Opondo is keen to deal withissues around Aids awareness,treatment and preventionin the region. “There areplaces where people haveto bribe officials for antiretrovirals.I want to focus onways to work with and helpnon-profit organisations.”NURTURING ACADEMICEXCELLENCE: FACULTY OFHUMANITIES EXECUTIVEDEAN, PROF RORY RYAN,WITH PROF DAVID MOOREAND 2011 MANDELARHODES SCHOLAR-ELECT,MARY OPONDO.UJ offers improved accessto postgraduate studyopportunitiesThe chance to apply for aMandela Rhodes Scholarshipis one of numerousopportunities for qualitypostgraduate study offered atUJ. The University has recentlyincreased its investment inscholarships, making over R25-million available to Mastersand PhD students alone. Over100 third-party bursariesand loans are also availableto students who meet thequalifying criteria.Opondo says she jumped atthe chance to study at thisvibrant university: “I cameto UJ because there is somuch opportunity here. UJdefinitely helped me to obtainthis scholarship. When I wasin my first year, I becameinvolved with peer mentorsand societies and they helpedme so much. The Universityoffers you all the opportunitiesyou need and it does notdiscriminate. I am not aSouth African but I was ableto reach these heights here.The staff are encouraging andmotivating; it’s like having yourparents around all the time!”Opondo, who was speechlesswhen she heard that shewas accepted into theMandela Rhodes Scholarshipprogramme, encouragesher fellow students to “bedetermined, be active, listen towhat other people have to sayand never give up”.Prof Rory Ryan, ExecutiveDean of the Faculty ofHumanities, said this was a“fantastic achievement, bothfor Mary and the Departmentof Anthropology andDevelopment Studies. This isthe second Mandela Rhodesscholarship award in theFaculty of Humanities in twoyears, and we aim to make itthree years in a row.”

{ 15 | ACADEMIC FREEDOM }UJ academic spearheads“whydunit” crime series BY CAMILLA BATHBrutal crimes, complexinvestigations, trials andconvictions: not exactlythe everyday fodder of alecturer in documentaryfilmmaking. But the criminalunderbelly of South Africabecame the subject of intenseresearch for UJ’s audiovisualcommunications lecturer,Phyllis Dannhauser, thanks toher involvement in SABC 3’sreality TV series Solving It 4. Theseries examines what precedescertain crimes, their contextsand the roles played by bothvictims and perpetrators.Dannhauser, a facultymember of UJ’s Departmentof Journalism, Film andTelevision, was responsible forthe scripting of half of the 39episodes. She also directedand edited several of them.“It was a fascinatingexperience,” she says. “Whatwas really interesting for me,as an academic, was that itgave me the opportunity toresearch the social aspects[of crime]. The series takes apsychological and criminalperspective; it’s not just a pure‘whodunit’ but is actually moreof a ‘whydunit’.”The academic believes thepopular series is such asuccess because of the way inwhich it is able to peel backthe façade of crime, revealingthe psychological and socialreasons behind unlawfulbehaviour. This, she argues,leads to greater understandingof the problem.“What I did get was an insightinto how immensely complexour society is and how it’salmost miraculous that crimesdo get solved. This show isall about crimes that haveactually been solved and it’s amazing to see that, sometimes, it’s something quite random thatleads to a case being cracked. It gave me a revelation into how deep the country’s problemsactually go, which was not always pleasant to see. In some ways it was quite a disturbing seriesto work on.”Dannhauser says her sometimes difficult work on Solving It 4 was complementary to her academiclife, as a lot of the research she did also sparked an interest in other areas.“The main thing that interests me is why people continue to watch terrible, upsetting programmeslike these when we have such a serious crime situation in this country. We have all this violentcrime, and yet people are fascinated by it.”The academic believes her documentary filmmaking students have benefited from herinvolvement in the series and that it’s also helped deepen her own understanding of theimportance of research. “To do something on a very theoretical project like this, based on a lotof research, really complemented what I’m doing with my students. It allows me to give themdeeper input on their own research and to pass on my enhanced understanding of the deepersocial context, which is often ignored.”Solving It 4 is not the only project Dannhauser has been involved in outside the lecture halls. She’salso a keen advocate of community storytelling. She believes many powerful stories from deep ruralareas go untold because people don’t have the necessary tools. The lecturer wants to open the eyesof young people to the opportunities they have, and the inspiring stories they can hear and tell.“The sort of prevailing sense I got [from the series and my other work] is that there are a lot ofyoung people, especially young men, in our country who are lost. We talk about the cliché of thelost generation, these are people in severely deprived circumstances who have almost no options.I believe not enough is being done to address issues of masculinity and how you become a manwhere there’s literally nothing for you.”Dannhauser says her department was fully supportive of her endeavours. She’s optimistic that,in the future, more people will have the same kind of opportunities. “I hope these kinds ofcollaborations will be possible not only for lecturers, but for students as well. The more we reachout to and become visible in the industry, the better chance our students will have for getting work,and the more opportunities for research will become available for academics.”MULTI-TALENTED AND MULTIFACETED UJ LECTURER, PHYLLIS DANNHAUSER.

{ 16 | DEVELOPMENT }THUTHUKASTUDENTS WITHCHANTYL MULDER,SAICA SENIOREXECUTIVE FORPROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT,TRANSFORMATIONAND GROWTH.THUTHUKA BURSARY FUND AIDSDEVELOPMENT IN ACCOUNTING SECTOThe Thuthuka Bursary Fund wasestablished in 2002 by the South AfricanInstitute of Chartered Accountants(SAICA) to help combat the shortage ofBlack African and Coloured charteredaccountants in the South African jobmarket. The word thuthuka is a Zulu verbmeaning “to develop”, which embodiesthe present drive towards transformationin the accounting sector.The Bursary Fund annually places groupsof deserving Black African and Colouredstudents at SAICA-accredited universities,with each university receiving 50 first-yearstudents. The list of accredited institutionsincludes the Universities of Johannesburg,Cape Town, KwaZulu-Natal, Stellenbosch,Pretoria, Free State, Witwatersrand andNelson Mandela Metropolitan University.Selection for the programme is carefullymanaged. In order to qualify for aThuthuka bursary, Grade 12 pupils mustachieve 60% in their final Grade 11Mathematics exam, qualify for universityentrance, be financially needy and passthe Thuthuka aptitude test.In 2011, the funding per student willamount to R70 000, which covers tuition,accommodation, textbooks as well asan allowance. Half of the funding isprovided in the form of a student loanby NSFAS which students need to repayonce they start working. The other half ofthe funding is provided as a bursary bythe accounting firms that contribute toThuthuka’s pool of funds.The goal of students in the programme isnot simply to complete a BCom degree,but to qualify for the demanding Honoursand CTA programme which will allowstudents to write the CA examinations.Successful students will sign a trainingcontract with a South African accountingfirm. While the financial support is anessential component, there are additionalbenefits to being on the Thuthukaprogramme at UJ. The Department ofAccountancy at UJ has a dedicatedteam that co-ordinates the Thuthukaprogramme. Jelvin Griffioen, a qualifiedchartered accountant, and Ilse Karsten,a qualified psychologist, provide thenecessary academic, emotional and socialsupport to the students.The students become part of a close-knitcommunity where their training includeslife skills, tutorial classes and mentorship.Extra-curricular activities are part of theprogramme and the Thuthuka studentsparticipate in soccer, netball, and chesscompetitions and also have their ownchoir and drama groups. This holisticapproach, which creates a strong senseof belonging and community, is crucialto the students’ success and contributessubstantially to the high pass rates ofThuthuka students.The Thuthuka students achieve passrates that exceed the average Universitypass rates for their courses. In 2009, 15of the 50 Thuthuka first-year studentswere invited to the Vice-Chancellor’s TopAchievers’ lunch, and in 2010, 21 of the 50Thuthuka first-year students achieved thisdistinction. In addition, the UJ Thuthukastudents achieved an 81% pass rate inSAICA’s most recent QE1 board exam.The 200 students currently on UJ’sThuthuka programme are accommodatedin a dedicated off-campus residence inBrixton, near the Auckland Park KingswayCampus. In 2011, the students will moveinto the new UJ residence currentlyunder construction on the Auckland ParkKingsway Campus.For further information about theThuthuka Bursary, please visit SAICA’swebsite: www.saica.co.za or contactSAICA on 011 621 6600.

DR LEROTHODI LEEUW, UJ SENIOR LECTURER.{ 17 | RESEARCH }UJ senior lecturer part of historic teamheading up galactic researchBY HERMAN ESTERHUIZENDr Lerothodi Leeuw, a senior lecturerand researcher in the Departmentof Physics at the University ofJohannesburg (UJ), is part of aninternational team of scientists whomade a groundbreaking discovery. Itinvolves proving a better way of findingpreviously unknown cosmic zoomlenses that can be used as a meansof looking back in time and allowastronomers to peer at galaxies in thedistant universe eons of years ago.The Herschel-ATLAS project, as part ofthe European Space Agency’s HerschelSpace Observatory (Herschel), looksat large areas of the sky in far-infraredand sub-millimetre light, which isemitted not by stars, but by the gas anddust from which they form. Dr Leeuw,who was working at the NASA AmesResearch Center in California beforejoining UJ, has been involved withthe Herschel-ATLAS project since itsinception about four years ago.A cosmic zoom lens, also knownas a gravitational lens, is a naturalphenomenon that manifests whenlight from very a distant object passesa massive galaxy or cluster of galaxiesmuch closer to us, and its path is bent insuch a way that the image of the distantgalaxy is magnified and distorted. Mostmethods of searching for gravitationallenses have a poor success rate.Herschel’s panoramic imagingcameras have allowed astronomersto find examples of these lenses byscanning large areas of the sky infar-infrared and sub-millimetre light,and picking them out by a new simplebut effective process that is based onthe brightness and straight forwardconfirmation method.Dr Mattia Negrello, from the OpenUniversity and lead author of the studythat was published in the prestigiousScience Journal, commented, “previoussearches for galaxies magnified bylenses have targeted clusters of galaxieswhere the huge mass of the clustermakes the gravitational lensing effectunavoidable. Our results show thatgravitational lensing is at work in notjust a few, but in all of the distant andbright galaxies seen by Herschel.”The lens magnification allowsastronomers to see galaxies otherwisehidden from us when the universewas only a few billion years old. Thisprovides key insights into how galaxieshave changed over the history of thecosmos and indeed how galaxies likeour own Milky Way formed and evolvedin the mists of time.Dr Leeuw said that South Africa hasbegun construction on the KarooArray Telescope, or MeerKAT, in theNorthern Cape Province. “MeerKAToffers a radio telescope of eighty 12mdishes and is part of Africa’s bid to hostthe Square Kilometer Array, the largestand most powerful radio telescopethat is expected to be built on earth. Inaddition to the Southern African LargeTelescope (SALT), it will significantlyboost the country’s research capacity inastronomy and provide opportunitiesfor technology and knowledge transfer.”For South Africa, the discovery meansnovel uses for these new, large groundbasedtelescopes, which can be calledupon to verify Herschel’s findings andstudy it in more detail. “Our studyhelps in humanity’s quest of catching aglimpse of where we came from… Oursun is just one star and an average oneamong billions of stars. It’s humbling,but to be humbled doesn’t mean to belost, or to be lesser. It’s still very excitingthat we have the knowledge and toolsto explore the universe,” adds Dr Leeuw.

{ 18 | COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT }CommunityEngagementUJ faculties awarded forcommunity engagement initiativesUJ’S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, ERNESTINE MEYER-AD-AMS (FAR LEFT) AND SENIOR MANAGER: STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS,DR KWAZI MAGWENZI WITH SOME OF THE WINNERS.The Office for CommunityEngagement hostedits 2010 CommunityEngagement RecognitionAwards, aimed atacknowledging all UJfaculties, divisions, studentstructures and communitypartners involved incontributing to communityengagement.Local businesswoman,Connie Nkosi, who possesses a passion for community work, hosted the event.Many were inspired by the exceptional work of three UJ projects: namely MAPwhich is run by Gavin Robinson, SIFE whose award was presented by JoyceSibeko and Phumani Paper which is run by Kim Berman.These projects clearly depict UJ’s values and strategic objectives, which arebased on their service to humankind and how they aim at changing one lifeat a time through education. Professor Adam Habib (Deputy Vice-Chancellor:Research, Innovation and Advancement) gave reference to the importance of“engaged research” and its importance for UJ as a university in order to ensurethe upliftment of marginalised communities as well as the macro-community.Many were commended for promoting the spirit of ubuntu through their hardwork and effort in tackling social issues in South Africa. The event reaffirmed thatcommunity engagement is an important pillar and driver of the University andthe wider community.Accountancy Department giveslearners an extra boostEarlier this year, 2 136 Grade 12learners wrote the supplementarySenior Certificate Exam foraccountancy in Gauteng. Only 34learners passed the examination.The UJ Accountancy Departmentnoted the situation and initiated aproject to provide Grade 12 learnersfrom public schools in Soweto withextra accounting workshops everyWednesday. Workshops are presentedat the newly built lecture venues onUJ’s Soweto Campus.This project currently supports170 learners from Morris IsaacsonSecondary School in Orlando andFidelitas Comprehensive SecondarySchool in Diepkloof. Learners andteachers attend weekly two-hourworkshops where the matriccurriculum is discussed in aninteractive way in order to stimulatecritical thinking.

{ 39 | COMMNITY ENGAGEMNT }Brixton communityengagemententrepreneurialworkshopThe Office for CommunityEngagement and the Faculty ofManagement, in collaboration withthe Johannesburg Department ofHousing, hosted an entrepreneurialworkshop on 17 November at theBrixton Recreational Centre. Theworkshop targeted previouslydisadvantaged females whowanted to start their own businessand become “divapreneurs”. Theattendees comprised prospectiveentrepreneurs from previouslydisadvantaged communities in theBrixton vicinity.The Faculty of Management’sexpertise and skills guided theparticipants on how they canstart their own businesses, runbusinesses, grow their existingbusinesses and ultimately ensuresuccessful entrepreneurs. Thekeynote speaker at the event,Professor Bhenkele, expressed hisvision for the Faculty’s participationin the future and explained thathe and his staff were all systemsgo and more than ready to tackleissues around poverty through thecreation of an incubation hub atUJ, which would assist all smalland medium businesses ingetting off the ground.The aim of this workshop, which willdevelop into a set project, will beto ensure increased ownership ofbusinesses by marginalised womenparticularly, as African countriesstill lag behind in this regard.The Faculty of Management, incontinuing this project, will ensurethat they use their knowledge andresearch to guide the project andassist anyone who would like towork with them.THE PRIZE WINNERS OF THE DAY.GIS + GPS point UJ and friends in a fun directionWhen GPS capabilities are linked withgeographical information systems (GIS)and introduced to an excited bunch ofGrade 11 and 12 learners from Gautengschools, by a team of enthusiastic UJ staffand their industry partners, then a pictureof learning-through-fun develops! Amidstthe teacher strikes during August andSeptember, the Department of Informationand Knowledge Management arranged itsannual community engagement event withthe Geo-Information Society of South Africa,Corporate Geo-Informatics of the City ofJohannesburg and ESRI-South Africa.Over 1 000 scholars from 21 schools visitedthe University for three days of hands-on GISsessions, where they had the opportunityto engage with the GIS software to capture,store, analyse, manage and display all formsof geographically referenced data. TheCSIR Satellite Application Centre exhibitedtheir services at the event and offered freesoftware and data to learners. Learnersand educators experienced firsthand howGIS is able to answer questions and solveproblems relating to spatial information.Various volunteers from the GIS industryshared their career paths with the learnersand indicated how they became involved inGIS from a variety of backgrounds and withvarious qualifications.Such collaboration creates a three-waysymbiosis for the parties involved. Forthe industry, strong links are created tocollaborate on teaching, learning andresearch and the industry develops avested interest in the graduates that theycould employ. The learners are exposedto the excellence that UJ has to offer andget a clearer understanding of what theirfuture career prospects might be. As forthe Department, it remains at the cuttingedge of industry development, is able tomeasure the needs of future students andto deliver according to student and industryexpectation. As a result, the Departmentcontinually assesses and reinvents itsdelivery to remain competitive and preparesought-after graduates for an ever-changingand vibrant industry.EDUCATIONAL ENTREPRENEUR IN UJPARTNER SCHOOLS WINS WOMAN OFTHE YEAR AWARDOne of the partners in the UJ communityengagement programme is the SparrowSchools Educational Trust, which includesSparrow Combined School and SparrowFoundation School.Jackie Gallagher is the founder and generalmanager of the schools and this year she wasselected to receive the Woman of the YearAward for Education in the Shoprite Checkersannual awards.This award commemorates the anniversary ofthe biggest mass gathering of women in SouthAfrica on 9 August 1956.

stellardesignercareer UJ honoursBrian SteinhobelPRE-EMINENTLOCAL INDUSTRIALDESIGNER ANDPROUD UNIVERSITYOF JOHANNESBURG(UJ) ALUMNUS,BRIAN STEINHOBEL,IS THE CREATOR OF APLETHORA OF LOCALAND MUCH-LOVEDEVERYDAY ITEMS.BY CAMILLA BATH

{ 21 | VISUAL FEATURE }

{ 22 | VISUAL FEATURE }Pre-eminent local industrial designer and proud University ofJohannesburg (UJ) alumnus, Brian Steinhobel, is the creator ofa plethora of local and much-loved everyday items. From lipbalm containers and wristwatches to shopping trolleys, babydummies and even home gym equipment, he’s had a handin designing products for multiple industries during a careerspanning 30 years.This year, UJ showcased some of Steinhobel’s most iconicproduct designs at the annual Faculty of Art, Design andArchitecture (FADA) Alumni Exhibition. This prestigiousdisplay was the third of its kind hosted at the FADA Gallery andran from 30 September to 22 October 2010.“There were about 450 people who attended the launchevening, which was really flattering,” Steinhobel recalls. “Ienjoyed that my work was appreciated by so many people. Itwas a fantastic milestone at the mid-point of my career andit took quite a lot of soul-searching to decide which of thedesigns done during the past three decades to include inthe exhibition.” FADA’s Marketing Executive, Lauren van derMerwe, says Steinhobel was a natural choice for the honour ofthe alumni exhibition “The contribution [he has] made to theworld of design and his continued support of UJ’s Departmentof Industrial Design made him an ideal candidate. This year, hecreatively transformed a traditional gallery space into a designshowcase, which we were extremely proud to host.”

“IT’S AN EXTREMELY SURREPTITIOUSPROFESSION, BUT IT HAS AN ENORMOUSIMPACT ON A PERSON’S LIFE.”TAKING THE ROAD LESSTRAVELLEDThe award-winning alumnus says he didn’teven know that Industrial Design existed as aprofession until he started studying at TechnikonWitwatersrand (now UJ). A keen artist froma young age, Steinhobel had thought aboutstudying architecture, but he applied for a placeat the then Department of Art and Design tofollow the “narrow path” of Industrial Design.There are only three institutions in SouthAfrica that offer Industrial Design programmes– in fact UJ, in the form of the previousWitwatersrand Technikon, was the first to offercourses in this discipline.Steinhobel graduated from the Technikon in1982 with a National Diploma in IndustrialDesign and has been an entrepreneur eversince. His obvious talent caught the attentionof international design companies, such asprominent automotive design and engineeringcompany Italdesign in Italy, early on in his career.However, he has turned down numerous jobopportunities to stay true to his innate passionof crafting designs that exhibit the best of bothexquisite form and practical function.His company, Steinhobel Design, is now amulti-million rand operation that providesquality design and product development tobusinesses in the electronics, packaging, mining,medical, furniture, automotive and informationtechnology industries, to name a few.The 50-year-old’s burgeoning business hasclients on several continents, with an office inGermany that serves clients across Europe. He’salso involved in supplying markets in Asia andthe Americas. His client list reads like a who’swhoof big business: Coca Cola, BMW, De BeersDiamonds, Nissan and SA Breweries.There are only three institutions in South Africa that offer Industrial Designprogrammes – in fact UJ, in the form of the previous WitwatersrandTechnikon, was the first to offer courses in this discipline.

{ CONTENTS }HE ADDS THAT THE TECHNICAL AND PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE HEGAINED DURING HIS YEARS OF STUDY AT THE TECHNIKON HELPEDMOULD HIS LUCRATIVE CAREER “THE BACKGROUND I GAINED THEREWAS INVALUABLE. THERE’S NO WAY I COULD HAVE ACHIEVED WHAT IHAVE ACHIEVED WITHOUT THAT SOLID FOUNDATION.”Steinhobel says his line of workremains under the radar of mostordinary South Africans. “Industrialdesign could be better described asproduct design. Many facets have tocome together to create a product thatis both functional and attractive. Notmany people understand the nature ofthe design process; people think thatthings just pop out of factories.”“It’s an extremely surreptitiousprofession, but it has an enormousimpact on a person’s life. It’s actuallygobsmacking,” he says. “From thealarm clock that wakes you up in themorning to the toothbrush you use atnight, everything has to be designedby someone!”When asked to select his favouritedesign, Steinhobel says, “In all honesty,it’s like asking a parent who theirfavourite child is. As a designer, youhave a deep emotional link andrelationship with all of your products.My company is like a maternity ward!”he jokes. “It’s always your most recentproducts that you’re most in lovewith, because it’s such a wonderfullyfulfilling process to go through.FADA EXECUTIVE DEAN, PROF MARIAN SAUTHOFF; UJ ALUMNUS, BRIAN STEINHOBEL;VICE-CHANCELLOR, PROF IHRON RENSBURG AND PRO-VICE-CHANCELLOR, PROF DEREK VAN DERMERWE AT THE PRESTIGIOUS ALUMNI EXHIBITION OPENING.There’s not one in particular that I love most, but right now my most recent chair called Xes(one of the pieces recently on show at the FADA Gallery) sticks out.”The enterprising businessman says he’s now turning his focus to strengthening his ownbrand and plans to attach his name to elegantly designed homeware and objets d’art.His grand designs on life, coupled with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and unrelentingdetermination, sees Steinhobel turning his attention to “high design and creative flair”. Hehas his sights set on expanding the Steinhobel brand further in Europe with products thathe describes as “excellent in their design value.”

{ 25 | VISUAL FEATURE }

{ CONTENTS }Neville NicolauSA mining industry’s polished diamondBY CAMILLA BATHImage obtained from www.sxc.hu

{ 27 | ALUMNI PROFILE }Image supplied byAnglo Platinum.ANGLO PLATINUM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO), NEVILLE NICOLAU FAMOUSLY CLAIMSTHAT HE LISTS HIS OCCUPATION AS “UNACCOMPANIED MINER” WHEN HE TRAVELS. IN TRUTH,THE MINING CHIEF EXECUTIVE IS, AT THE AGE OF 51, IN CHARGE OF AROUND 85 000 PEOPLEAND A MINING COMPANY WORTH TENS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.The community that Nicolau leads is, he believes,bound together by an astonishing sense of camaraderie:a strong bond that is forged under difficultconditions, often deep underground in far-flung areas.“You have lots of people, you have changing circumstancesand you have high levels of energy. But becauseyou have all of this stress, you do get teams of peoplewho come together in ways you don’t see in otherindustries. There’s an esprit de corps* among miningpeople which is extraordinary.”Nicolau was the guest speaker at a recent miningindustry alumni function, hosted by UJ’s Faculty ofEngineering and the Built Environment and the AlumniOffice. An alumnus of the University himself, Nicolaugot his first hands-on taste of the mining world duringhis early career. He started off as a young learner minerat Vaal Reefs in Gauteng in 1979, drilling holes anddetonating explosives.“All of that was okay but I think that for me the factthat we had to go underground at five o’clock in themorning was particularly difficult, especially in thosedays when we were playing rugby and partying untillate at night. My ability to get up early was severelytested,” he says with a wry chuckle.CAREER THAT TURNEDINTO A CALLINGNicolau has since swapped drilling for reports,detonations for meetings and rides below the surfacefor intercontinental flights. The CEO says he has threedifferent kinds of work days at the helm of AngloPlatinum: those that he spends overseas or gettingthere, living in hotels and endlessly travelling betweencontinents and countries; office days that see him inmeetings or sifting through reports; and operationaldays that allow him to meet the people on the groundand have a look at what is really going on in thecompany. “That to me is the most exciting kind of day,because that’s where I get to see people making a realdifference and really changing the world.”He adds that it was never a goal in his youth to one daybecome Anglo Platinum CEO. Rather, it was somethinghe almost fell into, initially thinking that he would like tobe a mechanical engineer.“I started having a lot of fun in mining and that’s whyI’ve ended up staying as long as I have. I began as alearner official and eventually went off to TechnikonWitwatersrand (now the University of Johannesburg)to develop my career. Those were great days,” hesays about the time he spent studying a Bachelor ofTechnology in Mining Engineering.“Having left the Technikon with the background that Ihad, I think I got my manager’s ticket a lot quicker thanI would have otherwise. Certainly my first promotionswere a direct result of having been through the process.”Nicolau sees the way in which UJ teaches as a perfectfit for the mining engineering sector because it relatespractical work experience to academic theory, givingstudents the overall background they need.“Putting the two together is actually where thecompetitive advantage lies, because you can’t get a UJqualification without going through industry. It meansthe two have to work together and therefore studentsget an appropriate qualification. Often we will employpeople for a period of time before we send them off toUJ. In the end there’s a lot of win-win in this: we sendfewer people on the course because the companyloses fewer people, but those we do have are verydedicated and loyal.”With a 30-year strong career under his belt, Nicolau stilltakes great pleasure in his job. He believes the oftendangerous and difficult sector is improving, althoughhe is quick to point out that that does not mean hiscompany has got everything right or that everythinghas been done properly in the past.“But with things getting better and me having fun at it,”he says confidently, “well, I don’t think you could ask fora more appropriate strategy for mining.”* A spirit of solidarity; a sense of pride, devotion, and honour among themembers of a group.

{ 28 | DISCOURSE }This edition of UJ Advance magazine sees the introduction of a new section called Discourse. This is a spinofffrom a previously printed publication, Discourse/Diskoers, which was a bilingual publication thatwas produced twice a year.The original objective of the former Discourse publication was to focus on topical themes, while seekingto present rigorous and thoughtful contributions to current public discourse. Based on recent researchundertaken on reader usages and preferences, a decision was made to discontinue the previous Discoursepublication and incorporate it into future editions of UJ Advance magazine.Political analyst, author and Chairman of the Platform for Public Deliberation at the University ofJohannesburg (UJ), Dr Xolela Mangcu, will provide important input in terms of highlighting topical debatesand discussions.Mangcu has become increasingly well-known for the incisive social commentary characteristics featuredin his regular newspaper column in the Business Day newspaper. His recent book The DemocraticMoment is, among other things, a look at the mass forces that swept Jacob Zuma to power in 2009.UJ’s Platform for Public Deliberation is a non-profit think-tank set up to promote a culture of open dialogueon political, cultural and economic matters affecting South Africa.We encourage you to participate in the lively discussions and debates being held on a regular basis at UJ.Updated information can be found on the website, www.uj.ac.za, on the main homepage, as well as underthe news and events section of each of the nine UJ faculties.We welcome your feedback and suggestions! Email comments to cherylr@uj.ac.za.Corruption in ourbody politic is afestering soreBY XOLELA MANGCUThe achievement of democracyin 1994 resulted in the neglectof what was once the mostdynamic sector in the politicaland intellectual life of SouthAfrica’s progressive movement.This was perhaps to be expectedas local leaders took up jobsin municipal, provincial andnational government; and inmunicipal, provincial and nationallegislatures. The less attentionlocal government received,the greater the likelihood thatcorrupt politicians would takeover and run local municipalitiesas their personal fiefdoms, usingpatronage to enrich themselves,their families and their politicalsupporters. This has been afestering sore in our body politicfor a long time now, preciselybecause we have not developed alanguage of local democracy.The reason we haven’t paidenough attention to localdemocracy has to do with thenature of our transition. TheANC came into power as arevolutionary movement thatsought to transform society from

{ 29 | DISCOURSE }ARE THE PEOPLE OF SOWETO OR ALEXANDRA NOT OF THECITY BECAUSE THEY DO NOT SLEEP WITHIN THE PRESENTBOUNDARIES, EVEN IF THEY SPEND ALMOST ALL OF THEIR TIMEAND INCOME IN THE CITY?the top-down, though it has done a lessthan-satisfactoryjob even in that respect.The majority of South Africans remainmired in unemployment and poverty, andwe have the dubious distinction of beingthe most unequal society in the world.Levels of unemployment have increasedsince we obtained our freedom; almosthalf of our people live in poverty; andthe country is no more racially integratedthan it was under apartheid, thanks inlarge part to housing policies that haveput poor black people in far-flung placesaway from places of work.Another reason for the lack of localdemocracy has to do with the way weview cities. The dominant view has beenthat the problems are of a managerial,technical nature. If only we could obtainefficiency and capacity improvements,we would be better able to deliver goodsand services to the people, the argumentgoes. However, in a recent review of cityplanning literature, Ivor Chipkins poses adifferent question about Johannesburgin particular: “… what would it mean forJohannesburg to develop a form of urbanliving that was not simply more affluentor more efficient, but that was also moredemocratic…”There is a flaw in Chipkins’ argumentthat makes a satisfactory answer tohis question that much more difficult.This is the omission of the townshipsin the conception of the city, and yetit is precisely the townships that areup in arms against the government;it is in the townships that the projectfor democratisation must begin. Iattribute this oversight to the traditional,geographic boundaries we inheritednot only from apartheid but fromcentre-periphery models of the city. Andyet it is almost impossible to think ofJohannesburg without Soweto.Are the people of Soweto or Alexandranot of the city because they do not sleepwithin the present boundaries, even ifthey spend almost all of their time andincome in the city? Are they not of thecity even though they define themselvesas being from Johannesburg or “Jozi”. Anynew approach to cities in South Africawould have to include the townships. Byso doing we would open up possibilitiesabout the city as a strategic space fordemocratic action.History’s best example of a city as a sitefor democratic action was Chicago underthe leadership of Harold Washington.Washington’s 1983 election as the firstblack mayor of that notoriously racistand corrupt city was hailed as the zenithof black political aspirations in that city,leading the writer Louis “Studs” Terkel todescribe it as an “American Soweto”.In his book The Bridge, David Remnickwrites that Washington’s election was “anepochal breakthrough, a seeming end totraditional white machine rule and whatwas commonly called the city’s plantationpolitics…(2010:142).” Pierre Clavel andWim Wiewel described the Washingtonexperience as “one of the high points inthe history of American cities…(1991).”The most important aspect of it was thespace it opened up for the emergence ofnew black political leadership, ready totake over city, state and ultimately federallevels, the most dramatic being theemergence of Barack Obama as the firstAfrican American president. Washingtonwas “a political role model for Obama” andit is now common cause that Obama wasinspired by Harold Washington to moveto Chicago:“… there is no telling how Obamamight have developed had heanswered an ad to work in someother city, but it is clear that thehistory of African Americans inChicago – and the unique politicalhistory of Chicago, culminatingin Washington’s attempt to forma multiracial coalition – providedObama with a rich legacy to learnfrom (2010:143).”None of this would have happenedwithout the experimentation with localdemocracy in the city. Given HaroldWashington’s legacy for Barack Obama,who knows what leadership possibilitiesthe democratisation of South Africa’scities could yield if only we thought aboutcities as strategic spaces for democraticaction. As John Forester puts it in TheDeliberative Practitioner:“… we need to build not simplymarketplaces for exchange, butdemocratic public spheres – settingswhere citizens can speak and listen,argue and negotiate, come intoconflict and yet act together.”

{ 30 | DISCOURSE }Graduation addressby Kate O’ReganADDRESS AT A GRADUATION CEREMONY OF THEUNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG ON 28 SEPTEMBER 2010Kate O’Regan,Judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, 1994 – 2009It is always a great pleasure tospeak at a graduation ceremony…the sense of achievement, andeven relief, is palpable. There isa sense of a job well done anda career ahead. Congratulationsto all graduands and also to yourfamily and friends who havesupported you through the yearsof study and hard work. And goodluck for all that lies ahead. It is aparticular pleasure to speak ata ceremony honouring RichardGoldstone – my colleague at theConstitutional Court for more than10 years and a South African whohas made a great contributionboth here and abroad to theprotection and assertion ofhuman rights.In the difficult years of the1980s, Richard Goldstone wasknown as a judge who soughtto limit and avoid the injusticeof the apartheid system. In thefamous case of Govender, forexample, decided more than 10years before the Constitutioncame into force, he establishedthe principle that a person couldnot be forcibly removed under theGroup Areas Act unless alternativeaccommodation was provided.This firm assertion of the rightof access to housing createdan important precedent thatwas used widely to resist forcedremovals under the GroupAreas Act and is a principlewhich is entirely consonant withthe Constitution.While he was a prosecutorat the International CriminalTribunal for the formerYugoslavia, Judge Goldstonedeveloped a prosecution policythat recognised that rape andsexual assault, when part ofa widespread and systematicpractice, constitute a crimeagainst humanity – a war crime.In 2009, Judge Goldstone wasappointed to chair the fourmemberUnited Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the GazaConflict. Although initially theUN Human Rights Commissionhad wanted the Mission only toinvestigate the conduct of Israel,Judge Goldstone insisted thatthe mandate of the Mission beto investigate all violations ofinternational human rights lawand international humanitarianlaw that might have beencommitted at any time in thecontext of military operationsin Gaza. The Mission report waspublished in September 2009 andconcluded that both sides in theconflict had committed violationsof the laws of war.The report concluded that Israelhad used disproportionateforce, targeted civilians, usedcivilians as human shields anddestroyed civilian infrastructure.It also found that Hamas andother armed Palestinian groupshad deliberately targeted Israelicitizens and sought to spreadterror in Southern Israel byindiscriminate rocket attacks.Both Israel and Hamas rejectedthe report. However, a cause forgreater dismay, were the personalattacks on Judge Goldstone whichaccused him of bias, dishonesty,improper motives and proclaimedhim to be a self-hating Jew. Hisfine record as a judge in SouthAfrica was falsely challenged. […]Although there are many whohave persisted with vilificationof Judge Goldstone, the IsraeliDefence Force has conducted itsown investigation of the eventsin Gaza. It now acknowledgesthat some of the criticisms of theconduct of the IDF containedin the Mission’s report werecorrect and has revised its codeof ethics to eschew such conductin future. An editorial publishedin Haaretz, a daily newspaper inIsrael, on 27 July 2010 under theheading “thanks to the critics”noted the contents of the IDFreport and stated:“At first the IDF insisted thateverything in the operationhad been in order, that whitephosphorus or human shieldshad not been used illegally,that no civilians were killedfor no reason and there wasno unnecessary destruction.Now the army has beenforced to renege and openinvestigations it would nothave conducted had it notbeen for the Goldstone report,human rights groups’ reportsand coverage in the Israeliand international media. Now,when it turns out the censureof Israel had plenty of truthin it, it is time to thank thecritics for forcing the IDF toexamine itself and amend itsprocedures.”

{ 31 | DISCOURSE }Human reasoningis a collaborativeexercise, groundedin communicationand arising at leastin part from thefact that humanbeings live incommunities.There are two lessons I think we should alldraw from these events. The first concernsthe responsibility of professionals, whichall of you graduating tonight will be,whether lawyers or engineers. It is thatyou have to do the work allocated to youdiligently and properly […] in a skilledmanner without being unduly influencedby extraneous considerations. At times,as the events of the last year have shownin relation to Judge Goldstone, thepersonal cost can be high, but it remainsa professional responsibility. At the endof the day, one might well be vindicated,but one cannot always count on that.However, one’s sense of professionalintegrity will be destroyed if that simpleprofessional code is not followed.The other lesson is one that is of broaderimportance in a democratic society.The great benefit of education is that itteaches you to reason. Whether you areengineers or lawyers, you have in youryears at university been taught the craftof human reason. A craft is not somethingthat you learn well by reading about itin books. A craft is something that youcontinue to learn all your life; somethingyou learn best by watching it being donewell and by doing it yourself. A craftnot practised is likely to wither and die.As Immanuel Kant said: “Reason doesnot work instinctively, but requires trial,practice and instruction”.The focus of a reasoned argumentis the argument itself: its strengthsand weaknesses; whether the factsupon which it builds are accurate andcomplete, or false and selective. Whetherthe logic that it pursues is true or whetherit is built on fallacies or non-sequiturs.I do not suggest that reason is perfector that there is always only one truth.For at times, although I accept that yourreasoning is sound, I might simply havea different view. Reasonable people cansometimes reasonably disagree on issues,accepting that different lines of reasoningcan balance elements in the reasoningdifferently. At other times, of course, thereis little room for reasonable disagreement.Something is simply correct or not.Human reasoning is a collaborativeexercise, grounded in communicationand arising at least in part from the factthat human beings live in communities.Human reasoning is one of the tools wehave that enables us to live togetherand to build common visions of ourcircumstances and direction. It is ofparticular importance, of course, in ademocracy where the accepted task ofgovernment is to govern on behalf ofcitizens in the interest of citizens.It is worrying then when oneencounters sharp hostility to reason,and an instinctive response to counterreasoning or facts that are not liked,by attacking not the reasoning butthe person. This is what happened toJustice Goldstone. There were of coursethose who did engage with the factsand reasoning in the Mission’s report, asthey were entitled to do. But there weremany who attacked Justice Goldstonepersonally without careful engagementin the merits of the report at all. Theyattacked Justice Goldstone because hewas perceived to have criticised Israeland the Palestinian authority. In thecase of Israel, many detractors felt thatbecause he was Jewish, he had actedwrongly. They felt that for a Jew to bethe author of the Mission’s report madehis conduct in criticising Israel somehowespecially heinous. […]The habit of attacking the identity of aperson proposing a particular argumentor taking a particular position is verycommon in political discourse all over theglobe. And South Africa is no exception.Here at the University of Johannesburg,we are at one end of Beyers Naudé Drive.During the apartheid years, Beyers Naudébravely and staunchly asserted thatapartheid was a heresy. The leaders of theDutch Reformed Church and the NationalParty rendered him an outcast from hiscommunity. He suffered house arrest andwas attacked as a self-hating Afrikaner.Sometimes the examples are not sodramatic but nevertheless harmful.Quite recently, an Eastern Cape HighCourt judge, Justice Beshe, wasattacked because she had issuedan order stopping the holding of aprovincial conference of the ANC YouthLeague because of an apparent lack ofcompliance with its internal rules. Insteadof debating whether the judgment wasright, its secretary-general was quoted inthe press as saying: “In the Eastern Cape,the judge there took a drunk decision, anabsolute drunk decision.”Attacks like this on the person, rather thanon the merits of the decision, constitute aflight from reason and a descent into thepolitics of insult. Such attacks do nothingto promote our constitutional democracy.Indeed they are harmful for institutionsand often discourage reasonedcontributions to public debate.As in the case of Justice Goldstone,attacks are particularly acute where aparticular group considers that one ofits members is taking a position thatdominant members in the group considerincorrect. There is a deep expectation ofloyalty to a racial or religious group. Theeffect of such attacks is often to silencethe reasonable majority. The assertion ofblind loyalty over reason can only harmour democratic project.A democratic project is based on thepossibility and desirability of responsibleparticipation in the public discourse.Where one lobby acts in a mannerwhich intimidates and labels others,the democratic discourse is interrupted.It is easy to see this trend when one isoutside the group that is attacking aperson whose ideas they detest; it isharder when one is a member of thatgroup oneself. The value of a goodeducation that teaches reason is that youshould be able to see the fault lines inpublic discourse more easily and identifyarguments that have merit and thosethat are merely verbal assault.So as you leave this evening, with yourdegree firmly under you arm, it willbe [good] to remind yourself of thisimportant craft upon which all intellectualpursuits should be based: the craft ofhuman reason. Like all crafts, it may notbe perfect and it is not an antidote to allour problems. But human reason is thecraft that makes a fair and just communitypossible. And it needs to be practisedand defended for our constitutionaldemocracy to flourish.

{ 32 | DISCOURSE }AN ANALYSIS OF REMEDIESAGAINST DIRECTORSWHO HAVE ABUSED THEIRPOSITION: APPLICATIONTO DECLARE A DIRECTORDELINQUENT OR UNDERPROBATIONBY RAASHI SINGHIn place of the 1973 Act provisions ondisqualification by the court, a major innovationof the new Act is the introduction of a regimeallowing for a court, on application, to declare adirector either delinquent (and thus prohibitedfrom being a director) or under probation (andthus restricted to serving as a director within theconditions of that probation). The core of theregime is set out in Section 162 of the CompaniesAct 71 of 2008 as one of the remedies available toshareholders and other stakeholders in order tohold directors accountable. The purpose of thiscontribution is to analyse Section 162 in more detailand to offer suggestions for its interpretation.It was strongly recommended by the KingCommission to buttress the provisions of theCompanies Act 61 of 1973 regarding directors’disqualification. It was further recommended thatboards should ascertain whether potential newdirectors are fit and proper and are not disqualifiedfrom being directors. Prior to their appointment,their backgrounds should be investigatedalong the lines of the approach required forlisted companies by the JSE or under the BanksAct, as appropriate (King Report on CorporateGovernance for South Africa, 2002).This is not uncommon, as was the situationin the United Kingdom. The Cork Committeerecommended this reform in 1982. They arguedthat “proper safeguards for the public” requiredthat wrongful trading be supplemented byprovisions that ensure that “those whose conducthas shown them to be unfit to manage the affairs

{ 33 | DISCOURSE }of a company with limited liability shall,for a specified period, be prohibitedfrom doing so.” (Report of the ReviewCommittee on Insolvency Law andPractice, Cmnd.8558, 1982: para. 1808). In particular, they thought thelaw should “protect the non executivedirectors in large enterprises, whileseverely penalising those who abusethe privilege of limited liability byoperating behind one-man, insufficientlycapitalised companies.” (Ibid: para. 1815). They proposed a radical reform ofthe rules relating to the disqualificationof directors. Their proposals receivedstatutory embodiment and were soonconsolidated in the Company DirectorsDisqualification Act 1986. This is still theprincipal legislation in the UK.Grounds for bringing theapplication forwardThe grounds on which the applicationmay be brought forward differ dependingon who the applicant is. The 2008Act also contains a new remedy allowingcertain persons to apply to court for anorder declaring a director “delinquent” or“under probation.” This effectively meansthat persons subject to such orders aredisqualified from acting as directors forthe duration of the order and/or subjectto the terms of the court order. The company,a shareholder, another director, thecompany secretary or prescribed officer,a registered trade union or another representativeof the employees of a companyhas the right to apply to have a directordeclared delinquent or under probationon the following grounds:1. The person consented to serve as adirector, or acted in the capacity of adirector or prescribed officer, while heor she was ineligible or disqualified(S. 69).2. The person acted as a director whileunder probation (S. 77 (3)).3. The person, while serving as a director,grossly abused the position of director.4. The person took personal advantage ofinformation (S. 77 (3)).5. The person intentionally or by grossnegligence inflicted harm upon thecompany.6. The person acted in a manner thatamounted to gross negligence, willfulmisconduct or breach of trust.7. The person, while serving as a director,was present at a meeting and failedto vote against a resolution despitethe inability of the company to satisfythe solvency and liquidity test.8. The person acted in a mannermaterially inconsistent with the dutiesof a director.9. The person acted in or supported adecision of the company to act in amanner that was oppressive or unfairlyprejudicial.In addition to these grounds, the Commissionor Panel may also apply thedelinquent status or probation on thefollowing grounds (S. 162 (3)):1. Repeated non-compliance with apersonal compliance notice;2. The director has been convicted orfined administratively two or moretimes;3. The director was director of oneor more companies that have beenconvicted of an offence or subject toan administrative fine or similar penaltywithin five years.An organ of state may also apply onsimilar grounds, but only in respect oflegislation that it administers (S. 162 (4)).A delinquency order can, in certaincircumstances, last for a lifetime period ormay be subject to certain conditions. Inother cases, the order may besubject to certain conditions that thecourt will deem appropriate and willexist for a period of seven years from thedate of the order.Probation orders can also be made subjectto certain conditions that the courtwill consider to be appropriate and suchan order will exist for a period of five yearsfrom the date of the order.If the delinquency order is not for thelifetime of a director, then after a periodof three years have elapsed from the dateof the order, the director may apply tocourt to have the order suspended andsubstituted with a probation order. If thisapplication is successful, the director canwait a further two years and apply to havethe order set aside.On the other hand, if a director issubject to a probation order he may applyto court after two years have elapsed afterthe order was made, in order to have itset aside.The court will grant the application if itcan be shown that the director has progressedtowards rehabilitation and thatthere is a reasonable prospect that thedirector would serve successfully in hisoffice as director of a company again.As a new statutory provision, the courtmay also in both circumstances order thata director or former director concernedattend a “remedial education” programme,carry out community service or paycompensation to any persons “adverselyaffected” by their conduct. In the case ofprobation orders only, the court can alsoorder supervision by a mentor or that, inthe future, the director may only serveon the board of a private company or acompany where the director is also thesole shareholder (S. 162 (10)).

{ 34 | FACULTY NEWS }Faculty NewsUJ Accountancy leadsthe field in transformationThe results of Part 1 of the SAICAQualifying Examination (QE1) towardsthe professional qualification ofchartered accountants in SouthAfrica, released earlier this year, revealthe outstanding success of the UJDepartment of Accountancy’s academicteaching programmes.“The most rewarding aspect of ourprogrammes is their capacity tocontribute to transformation in theaccountancy profession in South Africa.Our goal is to promote broad-basedaccess to the programme and to supplyquality candidates to the accountancyprofession,” says Prof Alex van der Watt,head of the Department of Accountancy.UJ candidates performed exceptionallywell in the 2010 QE1 examinations. Ofthe 13 participating universities in SouthAfrica, UJ achieved the best overallperformance in terms of transformation,top candidates, the number of successfulcandidates and overall pass rate. A totalof 254 UJ candidates were successful,being the highest number of allresidential universities and also the largestproportion of the total of successfulcandidates – 12.9% of all the residentialuniversities. “We are especially proud ofthe fact that two UJ candidates wereamongst the top 10 candidates, witheight cum laude (distinctions) results outof the total of 25 cum laude performers inSouth Africa,” says Prof van der Watt.“The most rewarding achievement is thatwhilst the overall pass ratedeclined in 2010, the UJ pass rateincreased to 87%. At the same time,UJ contributed the largest number ofsuccessful black candidates in QE1,namely 82. This represents a contributionof 25% to the total number of successfulblack candidates.“The Department of Accountancy isproud to be making such a significantcontribution to transformation in theaccountancy profession. This bearstestament not only to the commitmentof the Department to the SAICA ThuthukaProgramme, but also of the Department’sown initiatives to support learners fromdisadvantaged backgrounds.“Quality will always remain inherent in oureducational model. Excellent, committedand highly qualified teaching staff, witha broad base of experience in academiaas well as practice, have contributed tosustained outstanding service to theprofession and to the country,” says Profvan der Watt. “The UJ Department of Accountancyapproaches the education ofaccountancy professionals holisticallyby emphasising the academicteaching programme. The newinitiative of research in AccountingHistory is testimony to the fact thatUJ Accountancy is leading the field incomprehensive accountancy education.”Massive physicsgrant from NRF tofund UJ’s Single-Crystal AlignmentFacilityIn the 2010 awards of the ResearchInfrastructure Support Programmeof the South African NationalResearch Foundation (NRF), a grantamounting to R 2.1 million wasawarded to Prof André Strydom ofthe Department of Physics at theFaculty of Science for a Single-Crystal Alignment Facility. Theaward includes the amount of R600000 that was co-invested by the UJResearch Committee.Part of the fiercely competitiveprogramme at the NRF, theseresearch equipment grants arehighly sought after for theirinstantaneous injection of capitalinto the building up of researchfacilities in the experimentalsciences. These facilities areotherwise very difficult to fundusing money from ordinary runningexpenses and other grant awards.This Single-Crystal AlignmentFacility will be the only crystalorientationfacility of its kindon the continent. Cutting-edgetechnology of X-ray-sensingelements, high-speed-radiationdetection and extraordinary imageresolution are coupled with highenddigitising software in this newgeneration of X-ray-scatteringhardware, in order to produce realtimecrystal orientationand imaging.

{ 35 | FACULTY NEWS }PROF SARAH GRAVETT, DR DIANNE PARKER,DR PINKY MAKOE, PROF CATHERINE SNOWAND PROF ELIZABETH HENNING.Directing a well-focused X-ray beam onto a singlecrystal – the highest form of atomic order in thesolid-state world around us – permits a glimpseinto the atomic world in much the same waythat an X-ray photograph allows us to peer at thebones deep inside the human body.Condensed matter physicists need to know theway in which atoms are packed in a single crystalin order to measure physical properties, whichcan be completely different in various directionsalong such a crystal. In extreme cases, a singlecrystal might be a good electrical conductor inone direction and a near-insulator in others. Incertain examples, the single-crystal state of achemical element might have an appearanceworlds apart from the non-single crystalstate: compare common graphite in a pencil,which is a polycrystalline state of the elementcarbon, with a diamond, which is nothing but asingle crystal state of the very same element –carbon. Research that attempts to explain suchphenomena requires well-oriented single-crystalsample material.This prestigious new crystal-orientation facilityis a much-needed tool in the field of condensedmatter and the related branches of physics andmaterials research. The Facility will put Physicsat the forefront of single-crystal researchcapability at UJ.Launch of SA Journal ofChildhood EducationThe Faculty of Education recently launched the SA Journal of ChildhoodEducation. The founding editor of the journal, Dr Pinky Makoe, addressed theaudience, together with Prof Catherine Snow from Harvard University and DrDianne Parker from the Department of Higher Education and Training.The editorship is based at the University of Johannesburg in the Centre forEducation Practice Research. The general scope of the Journal encompasseslanguage and literacy, numeracy, initial science education, learning andcognitive development – all of which are critical issues in early childhoodeducation. It will aim to advance the status of foundation phase teachers andtheir education by showcasing articles of a high standard of scholarship.In the “Voices from the field”, it will tell the stories of practising teachersin order to stimulate an exchange of ideas and experiences, as well aspossible collaborations with researchers. The first issue will be published inFebruary 2011.PRINCIPAL NETWORK TO IMPROVELEADERSHIP IN SCHOOLThe UJ collaborative programme with Harvard University was publiclyformalised with the launch of the Education Leadership Institute (ELI) on23 November 2010.As part of the ELI, the UJ Principal Network serves to bring educationleaders together in discussion and collaboration. The Network had its fourthconversation with guest speaker Palesa Tyobeka, Deputy Director-Generalfor Teachers, Education Human Resources Development and InstitutionalDevelopment at the National Department of Basic Education.The focus of her presentation was the changes in the curriculum, which havecaused some concern and uncertainty among school leaders. G. Meyersfrom the Suid Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie was also part of the panel, as wasR. Somnath from the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union.A website is being developed for ELI, with the aim of providing a vital,interactive communication forum for all stakeholders. This website will offerthe benefits of attracting new principals and others interested in educationalleadership, who can interact with each other.There will be Facebook and YouTube links as well. For example, there isalready a commentary on the existing Facebook page by a Pretoria schoolprincipal about the accountability of district officials and this is expected tospark some discussion and debate.R. SOMNATH, G. MEYERS AND P. TYOBEKA.

{ 36 | FACULTY NEWS }GRADE R LEARNERS OF THE FUNDAUJABULE SCHOOL PROUDLY WEARING THENEW SCHOOL UNIFORM.BILLY TO RETIREAS CHAIR ANDMEMBER OF THESTH BOARDIndustry icon, Dr Bill Gallagherannounced his retirement as Chairand member of the School ofHospitality and Tourism (STH) Board – aresponsibility he has carried since 2005– with “a twinge of regret and a sense ofdeep satisfaction”.Dr Gallagher says, “I have tremendouslyenjoyed my involvement with theschool which stretches back to 1973.I am grateful for having had theopportunity to serve on the Boardof such a dynamic organisation andespecially during its formative earlyyears. May I take this opportunity tothank you personally for your faith,commitment and support during mytenure for which I am deeply grateful.”In reflecting on STH’s progress, DrGallagher mentioned that “muchprogress has been accomplished and Ican safely say the STH is clearly a leaderin its field. I am deeply grateful to thesupport of the Kerzner family, LenWolman, the entire board and the STHLeader Team”.The STH community gratefullyacknowledges Dr Billy’s instrumentalrole in the well-being of the STH asa trusted advisor, contributor and abuilder of bridges among people. Vice-Chair, Gillian Saunders was officiated asthe new Chair in November 2010.Progress at Funda UJabule (FU) schoolIn October 2010, the first cohort ofparents and caregivers of the Grade Rchildren at FU assembled at the school.This all-important meeting highlightedthe role of the school as a training andresearch site. It showed the parentshow the school functions as a jointUJ-GDE venture in order to give theirchildren a solid educational foundation.The children received book packagesfor home reading from the EACHSATrust in the UK (www.eachsa.org.uk). This Trust provides educationalmaterials for children in Southern Africa.The project was initiated by Prof MaxBergman, who is a visiting professor inthe Faculty of Education.The research in the school is wellunderway, with the longitudinal studyon children’s cognitive developmentand four other projects entering theirsecond year in 2011.UJ involved in sports and megaevents think tankThe inaugural International Summit on Tourism, Sport and Mega Events waspresented at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg held earlier this year.The Summit was attended by some 450 delegates, including 28 tourism ministers,business leaders, industry experts and top academics from 35 countries. UJ’sProfessor Daneel van Lill was part of the team of academics leading the Summit.In his welcoming address, South African Minister of Tourism, Marthinus vanSchalkwyk, said that “Sports, mega events and business tourism are the sleepinggiants of our tourism market which hold huge potential and which we will exploitfurther to grow our industry”. Examples of South African large and mega eventsinclude the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 2002 World Summit on SustainableDevelopment, the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2009 British and IrishLions tour, the 2009 International Premier League and, more recently, the 2010FIFA World Cup.The Summit intensified the emphasis on the role of tourism and travel in fasttracking economic growth and job creation and boosting trade, development andinvestment. Moreover, the key issues third world countries need to account for inmanaging mega-events were deliberated upon.OUTCOMES OF THE SUMMIT:1. “The Summit was a technical report by the South African Ministry of Tourismwith all source material, expert contributions, and best practice collated intoone volume highlighting the key themes and issues related to mega events.Summit presentations and handouts are available for downloaded at http://www.tourism.gov.za/.2. UNWTO will intensify its focus on sport, tourism and mega events as a tool fordevelopment, including greening guidelines for mega events, a knowledgerepository on the management of mega sporting events and reconsideringways of evaluating the costs and benefits of these events.3. The Summit’s team of academics, led by Professors Leo Jago and Daneel vanLill, will complete a detailed report, sponsored by Visa and commissioned bythe South African Government and UNWTO, which will, in our humble opinion,contribute to the framework for maximising mega-event benefits”.

{ 37 | FACULTY NEWS }UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURGDEPARTMENT OF JEWELLERYDESIGN STAFF MEMBERS, LABIKAPO, HAWA BIBI ESSA AND JUDYRAMGOLAM, IN THEIR STUDIOAT THE FACULTY OF ART, DESIGNAND ARCHITECTURE.UJ Jewellery Design Department auction raises R230 000for Nelson Mandela Foundation BY LAUREN VAN DER MERWEStaff and students from UJ’s JewelleryDesign Department helped raiseR230 000 for the Nelson Mandela Foundationin July 2010 through an AngloPlatinum initiative.The project, seen as an opportunity tocelebrate the life of Nelson Mandela, wasaimed at raising funds and contributingto the long-term sustainability of thefoundation. All the jewellery pieces wereinspired by Mandela’s traits, from hiscommitment to human rights and justice,to his spirit of reconciliation.Two UJ Jewellery part-time staffersand a BTech Jewellery Design studentparticipated in this initiative and theirpieces were auctioned at a gala dinnerin Sandton on 8 July 2010. The lecturers,Labi Kapo and Hawa Bibi Essa, togetherwith BTech student, Argyris Papageorgiou,were selected by Anglo Platinum todesign and make jewellery pieces aftera rigorous selection process. The initialjudging process required each designerto include their sources of inspirationand the piece’s association to the NelsonIbhabhathane(butterfly)IbhabhathaneMandela legacy. Anglo Platinum, as themain sponsor of this project, suppliedthe platinum used to manufacture thespectacular pieces.Papageorgiou designed a kinetic or“swivelling” ring titled Unwilling change,which symbolised Nelson Mandela’sunwavering belief that one day SouthAfrica would transform for the better.The ring was designed with a hiddenweighted mechanism which causes thediamond to revolve its circumference andposition itself at the top of the ring. Thisring was auctioned at R50 000.Kapo’s brooch, titled Ibhabhathane(butterfly), is an expression of freedom.This piece was auctioned for R100 000.According to Labi, “the butterfly has beenfreed from its cocoon, he brightens theworld touching the hearts of all.”Hawa Bibi Essa’s two jewellery piecesdepict some of Mandela’s traits. The Oxystone ring titled Equality symbolisesfairness and was auctioned for R30 000.The set of earrings were entitled Respectand represent the respect the world has(butterfly)broach designed and made byUJ part-time lecturer, Labi Kapo,which was auctioned and raisedR100 000 for the Nelson MandelaFoundationfor Mandela and his fight against injustice.The set was auctioned for R50 000.The gala function had a high-profile guestlist, including a number of South Africanmusicians and celebrities. The Universityof Johannesburg representatives werethrilled to be involved in the project. “Itis an honour and privilege to have beenpart of this event and to help raise fundsfor this important foundation,” said Kapo.The UJ FADA Jewellery Departmentwelcomes such industry- andcommunity-based collaborations,especially when the work embracestechnological advances while exploringinnovative creative concepts.

{ 38 | INNOVATION }

{ 39 | INNOVATION }Setting TrendsFashion Fusion in the UJFaculty of Art, Designand Architecture BuildingIt was time for glitz and glam at the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ)Fashion Fusion, held on 27 October 2010. Over 500 visitors were dulyimpressed by the top ranges from the UJ Fashion Design students.Superb jewellery pieces, designed and made by UJ Jewellery Designstudents, were also on display.This annual event is hosted by the UJ Department of Fashion Designand has Fashion, Clothing Management and Jewellery Design studentscollaborating to bring together this exciting catwalk show. Every yearthe event grows, with more and more VIPs from the fashion industry,media and general fashion enthusiasts requesting tickets.The top garments designed and made by the students have beencarefully selected by the lecturers. “Every year Fashion Fusion seemsto set new standards,” says the Head of the UJ Department of FashionDesign, Desiree Smal. “Once again, the highlight of the event wascertainly the third-year and BTech: Fashion individual collections.”Jan Malan Umzingeli Productions has produced this show for UJ since2008. The company brings valuable experience and has co-ordinatedevents such as the Design Indaba Fashion Shows and Face of Africa.Umzingeli Productions also held a casting at the University to search forsome fresh new faces to add to the complement of professional modelsused in the show.The event took place at the Faculty of Art, Design and ArchitectureBuilding on the UJ Bunting Road Campus in Auckland Park.

{ 40 | UPCOMING EVENTS }Upcoming EventsColloquium ofAfrican GeologyTheme: Together in Africa for aleading role in geosciencesThe Colloquium of AfricanGeology is a major biennialmeeting organised under theauspices of the GeologicalSociety of Africa.The 23rd Colloquium ofAfrican Geology (CAG23) willbe held for the first time inSouth Africa, at the Universityof Johannesburg (UJ) from8 to 14 January 2011.The CAG23 will be organisedby UJ in co-operationwith the University of theWitwatersrand, the GeologicalSociety of South Africa, theMineralogical Association ofSouth Africa and the NuclearEnergy Corporation of SouthAfrica.The scientific programme willtake place at UJ’s AucklandPark Kingsway Campus, whilethe opening ceremony willtake place on the SowetoCampus.Further information can befound at www.cag23.co.za orby contacting:Dr Hassina Mouri – ChairCAG23-SA2011Department of Geology,University of JohannesburgTel: +27 11 559 4706cag23@uj.ac.zaSLTSA Conference inJanuary 2011The Society of Law Teachersof Southern Africa (SLTSA)arranges a conferenceevery 18 months. The nextconference will be held from17 to 20 January 2011 and willbe hosted by the University ofStellenbosch.The purposes of the SLTSAare to promote research andteaching in the field of law,to further the professionalinterests of its membershipand to act, as far as possible,as the common voice of legalacademics. The Universityof Johannesburg will beparticipating in this event and25 Faculty of Law colleagueswill attend the conference,presenting more than 20papers dealing with variouslegal subjects.The Social EnterpriseWorld Forum –Johannesburg, SouthAfricaTheme: Social enterprise asa catalyst for sustainabledevelopmentThe Social Enterprise WorldForum (SEWF) – the world’spremier event engagingsocial enterprises across allcontinents – is taking place onthe African continent in 2011.This year’s theme is socialenterprise as a catalyst forsustainable development.The intention is to have a“how to” approach thatcovers topics such assustainability, performanceand social impact.The emerging field ofsocial enterprise, with itsprimary purpose of addressingthe social, environmentaland economic challengesof our time, is not new toAfrica. However, the growthof the social enterprise will beremembered as one of thedefining innovations ofthis century.Globally, social enterprisehas grown from sporadicinnovation in isolatedorganisations to a recognisedcutting-edge field with itsown body of knowledge andbest practices. The extentto which the new economyand sector are changing willbe showcased, debated andappreciated on the Africancontinent for the first time.When: 5 to 7 April 2011. Therewill be study tours to socialenterprises before and afterthe conference.Where: University ofJohannesburg, Auckland ParkKingsway Campus.Contact: The SEWF CoordinatingTeam on+27 11 664 7551What is happening atSEWF 2011?The conference: This majorinternational conferencewill be a forum for learning,sharing, confidence building,clarification, problem-solving,peer-level networking andthe advancement of the socialenterprise movement and thesocial economy in Africa.SEWF exhibition: Therewill also be an exhibitionshowcasing social enterprises,projects, venture capital andbest practices in CSI.World Café: Social enterpriseswill have an opportunity toengage in “guerrilla marketing”during lunch time at theconference, in a special areacalled “World Café”.Africa Day: “Africa Day” on 7April 2011 will focus on themost pressing issues facingthe African continent.Outcomes of previousSEWFs:Previous SEWFs resulted incollaboration between socialenterprises throughout theworld, enhanced delegateawareness, knowledge andincreased social impact inorder to build sustainablecommunities in urban andrural settings. An increasedunderstanding of variousissues such as marketing,strategies, systems andmodels is created.Who should attend? Whetheryou are an existing oremerging social enterprise, acorporate social investor, anacademic, a student, a venturephilanthropist or investor, orif you working in national,provincial or local governmentand have an interest in thisfield – then this conferenceis for you. We can make ithappen for Africa.More information andregistrationVisit the website: http://www.sewf2011.com.Taken from http://www.sewf2011.com

{ 41 | UJ BOOKS }Veeltalige Vertaalterminologie /Multilingual Translation TerminologyCOMPILED BYANNE-MARIE BEUKESAND MARNÉ PIENAAR,PUBLISHED BYVAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERSCO-EDITORS PROF ANNA-MARIEBEUKES AND PROF MARNÉPIENAAR AT THE BOOK LAUNCHHOSTED AT UJ.Veeltalige Vertaalterminologie / MultilingualTranslation Terminology compiled byAnne-Marie Beukes (UJ Departmentof Linguistics and Literary Theory)and Marné Pienaar (UJ Department ofAfrikaans) consists of a collection of some200 terms and definitions in English andAfrikaans, with corresponding equivalentsin French, German, Spanish and Dutch.The list is based on concepts identifiedby the leading International Federationof Translators (FIT) as constitutingthe core vocabulary required for theteaching of practical translation. Eachterm is explained by providing concisedefinitions and practical examples.“This book is intended primarily asa useful tool for teaching practicaltranslation, says Prof Beukes, “butcan also be usedto advantageby practisingtranslators andinterpreters whowish to acquaintthemselves withthe basic conceptsand vocabularyused internationallyin translation andinterpreting bestpractice.”Translation Studies has traditionally beentaught at several South African highereducation institutions. The numberof prospective translators enteringtranslation courses who wish to workin the South African languages fieldis steadily increasing. It is envisagedthat this trend will continue, giventhe growing need for the services oftranslators worldwide.The US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2009report indicates that translation is oneof the 10 fastest-growing occupationsin the USA. In view of the importance ofterminology in giving access to a field ofstudy, the lack of translation terminologyin South African languages is a significantbarrier to the effective teaching andlearning of Translation Studies inthese languages.“Againstthe backdrop of theLanguage Policy for HigherEducation’s 2002 directive thatopportunities be created topromote multilingualism inthe higher education context,”comments Prof Pienaar, it isenvisaged that this multilingualtranslation terminology list willalso contribute to expandingthe domain of the otherindigenous languages inscience, particularly in the teaching ofTranslation Studies and Practice.”Prof Beukes heads the Department ofLinguistics and Literary Theory at theUniversity of Johannesburg whereshe teaches Translation Studies andSociolinguistics. She is the Chairpersonof the South African Translators’ Institute(SATI) and a former Vice-President of theInternational Federation of Translators(FIT). She is also a SATI-accreditedtranslator and a member of FIT’sTraining Committee.Prof Pienaar taught Translation andInterpreting Studies in the Departmentof Linguistics and Literary Theory atthe University of Johannesburg beforemoving to the Department of Afrikaanswhere she now teaches Afrikaanslinguistics. She is also a SATI-accreditedsimultaneous interpreter, serves on theboard of directors of the Woordeboekvan die Afrikaanse Taal, and is the Vice-President of the Linguistics Society ofSouthern Africa (LSSA).

{ 42 | UJ BOOKS }Book Review by Prof Raj MestryToxic Mix – What’s wrong withSouth Africa’s schools and howto fix it, by Graeme BlochGraeme Bloch’s book Toxic Mix – What’s wrong withSouth Africa’s schools and how to fix it, has sparkedstrong debate among educationists, concernedcitizens and policy makers in the country. Bloch hasclearly described how the education system evolvedfrom the apartheid era to the current period. Yet,even though the government has instituted manypositive initiatives to redress the backlog in education,it would appear that learners from disadvantagedcommunities have still not progressed significantly.There are two questions that need answers: what’swrong with our education system? and, how best canwe improve the quality of education in our country,especially amongst poor children?The book has a strong message for all stakeholders ineducation. Bloch argues that even though the ANCgovernment has done much to improve education,there have been many drastic mistakes made, suchas the overambitious outcomes-based educationconcept, unconsidered teacher retrenchments, andthe failure to adequately mobilise the skills base incivil society.It is clearly stated that this book is not about “gettingthe balance right” between negative and positivecriticism, or about a “balance sheet” assessmentbetween good and bad policies. Rather, it is aboutidentifying the weaknesses and challenges in theschooling system so that all involved in education canwork smarter to fix them. It is about understandingthe context, and being sensitive to the realities andinherited limitations that make education changemore difficult than we might think. It is also aboutshowing clearly where things are going wrong, sothat appropriate interventions can be implemented.Bloch quotes various international tests to whichSouth African learners were subjected, and revealsthat according to the findings, South Africanlearners are consistently underachieving, rankingnot only amongst the worst in the world, but oftenamongst the worst in Africa. He alludes to the factthat 60% to 80% of our schools are dysfunctional(although it is unclear what criteria he has used toreach this conclusion).Many schools produce barely literate and numeratelearners, and Bloch believes the country is headedfor a national education crisis. He identifies the toxicmix of factors causing this crisis, and takes parents,government and educators to task for not performingas they should, as well as highlighting the socioeconomicchallenges many learners face.Bloch has used mainly anecdotal evidence tosubstantiate his views on the state of education inthis country. I believe that more empirical studiesare essential to identify the real causes of theeducation crisis. For example, it is imperative todetermine to what extent state funding impacts onlearner performance and educational outcomes.Also, education authorities should establish howteacher unions contribute to the education crisisof our country. Are we afraid to expose unions whodeliberately derail the implementation of soundlegislation? Another question is how we can addresseducator incompetence in the classroom, andimprove teacher commitment and low morale.Apart from conducting empirical research, theMinistry of Education should consider other means ofaddressing the education crisis in our country, suchas developing mechanisms to address the high rateof teacher absenteeism and late-coming in schools.Some questions that need further investigationthrough empirical research include: How can labourlaw be amended to give educational authorities thepower to discharge teachers who are incapacitatedeither through poor performance or medical reasons,without extensive bureaucratic procedures? How canwe involve parents meaningfully in the education oftheir children? And how can learners be motivated toperform well at school?I believe that Toxic Mix will contribute to meaningfulengagement with the relevant stakeholders, with theaim of providing quality education for our children.PROF RAJ MESTRY.

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