Alumni_Impumelelo_UJ

ISSUE #2 September 2018 OFFICIAL UJ ALUMNI MAGAZINE
Prof Marwala shares his vision
on the Fourth Industrial Revolution
ESTHER MAHLANGU
recognised for
her legacy as a
cultural entrepreneur.
CHIEF JUSTICE
MOGOENG MOGOENG
Acknowledged for his notable
contributions within the
judiciary sphere.
PROF ROBERT
FRY ENGLE
The 2003 Nobel
laureate in economics.

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CONTENTS
02
Prof Marwala
Sharing his vision
on The Fourth
Industrial Revolution
11
Prof Basie von Solms
Research Professor in UJ’s Academy
for Computer Science and Software
Engineering
+
22
Itumeleng Sekhu
Burn survivor,
media personality and
motivational speaker
6 Esther Mahlangu recognized for her legacy as a cultural entrepreneur.
8 Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng acknowledged for his notable contributions within the judiciary sphere.
9 Prof Robert Fry Engle, the 2003 Nobel laureate in economics receives an honorary doctorate from UJ.
10 Prof Omotayo Arotiba is honored with Professorial Inauguration.
13 JIAS, advancing excellence and diversity.
18 Professorial Inaugural address of Prof Marlize Lombard.
20 UJ researchers discover family of silver-based anti-cancer drugs.
24 Motheo Khoaripe, eNCA business journalist and markets anchor.
26 Mike Sharman, living his best life.
28 Roger Haitengi, Namibian athlete and head of UJ’s Athletics Club.
31 Unbeaten UJ women take USSA football title.
32 UJ takes seventh USSA squash title.
34 UJ Choir wins at the World Choir Games 2018.
39 UJ Library hosts a series of events.
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 1

PROFESSOR TSHILIDZI MARWALA WAS APPOINTED AS THE
UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG’S SECOND VICE-CHANCELLOR
AND PRINCIPAL IN JANUARY THIS YEAR. AN EMINENT
SCHOLAR WITH A DISTINGUISHED RECORD. HE HOLDS MORE
THAN 45 HONOURS AND AWARDS, INCLUDING THE ORDER OF
MAPUNGUBWE, SOUTH AFRICA’S HIGHEST HONOUR, GRANTED
BY THE PRESIDENT FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE
INTERNATIONAL ARENA.
“My vision is to position the
University of Johannesburg in the
Fourth Industrial Revolution”, said
Professor Tshilidzi Marwala in his
inaugural speech. “Those who will
thrive in the Fourth Industrial age
will have to understand the world,
and the University of Johannesburg
should therefore be at the forefront
of laying down a foundation for the
University of the 22nd century”.
But what exactly is the Fourth
Industrial Revolution? And what
does it specifically mean for UJ?
Prof Marwala described the Fourth
Industrial Revolution as one which
is going to integrate humans and
machines, the physical and the
cyber, a technological revolution
that will transform the world. He
explained how the First Industrial
Revolution occurred in England in
the 17th century, bringing the steam
engine and the mechanisation
of goods. The Second Industrial
Revolution happened largely in the
United States and was connected
to the generation of electricity. The
Third Industrial Revolution came
about because of the invention of
semiconductors in the 1950s, giving
us a transistor and ushering in the
electronic age.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution,
he said, is the advent of cyberphysical
systems involving entirely
new capabilities for people and
machines as technology becomes
embedded within society and
even within our bodies. He used
examples such as genome editing,
new forms of machine intelligence,
breakthrough materials and
approaches to governance that
rely on cryptographic methods.
Prof Marwala said that UJ was
a leading university in such
technologies and it should
be linked to the innovation
architecture of South Africa
playing “a critical role in increasing
the productivity of our industrial
sector and, thereby, reducing the
challenges of unemployment,
inequality and poverty”.
“We should create an environment
for our staff and students to
master the tools of the Fourth
Industrial Revolution”, he said. “We
should bring technology into our
classrooms, whether by means of
blended learning or robotic tutors.
We should use technology to
monitor the progress of
our students”.
“We should increase the graduation
rates of our students. We should
increase the qualification levels of
our staff. We should deepen our
international profile by bringing
the world into our classrooms and
taking our staff and students into
the world. We should aim to have
20% of our staff to be international
by the year 2025 and 15% of our
students to be international by the
year 2020”.
“We are required to train scientists
and engineers who understand
humanities and social sciences.
We are to train social scientists
who understand technology. Our
graduates must have fluency of
ideas. Fluency of ideas means that
our graduates must be able to
come up with multiple ideas about
a topic. Our graduates must be
active, agile and adaptive learners”.
Prof Marwala stressed that the
other vital skill for the Fourth
Industrial Revolution is judgement
and decision making. “A robot
will not be able to decide how
we should deal with migration
of destitute people or about
ethics or how to convince a
leader of a country that war is an
inappropriate way of
handling disputes”.
He said students should be treated
well and that campuses should be
safe spaces for generating new
and very often provocative ideas.
“UJ will master the Fourth Industrial
Revolution only if we invest in
2 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

Prof Tshilidzi Marwala
shares his vision
our implementation capacity and
infrastructure. Our approach should
facilitate open engagements. It
should facilitate blended learning
where technology is the integral
part of teaching and learning”.
He said one of his immediate
priorities was the newly established
Johannesburg Business School,
which would “facilitate the flow of
the latest technology, leadership
and management to our industrial
and government sectors”. Another
was to establish a Medical School.
“Again, we need to mobilise
support from both local and
national governments to achieve
this. We will be seeking also the
participation of the private medical
industry. Our Medical School should
allow graduates with three-year
degrees to complete a medical
degree in four years”.
Prof Marwala told Impumelelo
recently that significant progress
had been made in the course of the
year, from streamlining registration
to resolving labour issues. He
said that his major challenge
was increasing the graduation
rate of students. “Also how do I
create a culture of responsible
behaviour, of working hard and of
being ambitious in our students?”
he asked. “How do I take UJ to
industry and bring industry to
UJ, especially given the serious
financial governance challenges we
experienced last year that led to
the departure of senior leaders of
our university? How do
I deal with outstanding issues
around accreditation and how do
I create a university of the Fourth
Industrial Age?”
He said he had adopted a strategy
of communication.
“I have visited divisions and
faculties on all four campuses. I
have interacted with our students
and unions to deal with all the
outstanding issues, especially
around salary negotiations. We
have overhauled our systems of
financial governance to prevent
future lapses in governance. I have
met with industrial players to create
programmes and projects
that are of mutual benefit. Now
is the time! I therefore call all our
stakeholders in society, industry,
government, domestic and
international as well as our alumni,
staff and students to join me in
this great initiative of taking our
University into the Fourth Industrial
Age. Let us jointly mobilize our
intellectual and physical resources
to facilitate success in this
great initiative”.
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 3

Accountancy@UJ
A Leader in Accounting Education
SAICA ITC
2018 results
South African Institute of
Chartered Accountants
Initial Test of Competence
Congratulations
to Simon Basson
achieving the
number 1 position
Another UJ candidate,
Brett Black, was also
placed in the Top 10.
#UJAllTheWay
Accountancy@UJ
@UJAccountancy
accountancy@uj.ac.za
www.uj.ac.za/accounting
011 559 3153
College of Business and Economics
The Future
Reimagined

— ANATOLE FRANCE

Honorary
“Through my art, I have seen
the world. In turn, the world
learned about my Ndebele
heritage. I speak isiNdebele, I walk
isiNdebele and I wear isiNdebele
– it is my culture. I am humbled
and honoured to receive this
prestigious accolade for keeping
my culture alive for the generation
to come after me.” This was
the sentiment of South Africa’s
foremost Ndebele artist and
international icon, Esther Nikwambi
Mahlangu, who with song, cheers
and a standing ovation accepted
an honorary doctoral degree from
the University of Johannesburg
(UJ) on Monday, 9 April 2018.
“With this honorary doctorate,
we recognise Esther Mahlangu
for her legacy as a cultural
entrepreneur, skillfully negotiating
local and global worlds, and as an
educator. Indeed, as a visionary,
she traverses what to others are
6 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

insurmountable political barriers.
From now on it is Dr Mahlangu!”
said Professor Federico Freschi,
the Executive Dean of the Faculty
of Art, Design and Architecture
(FADA) at UJ.
Ms Mahlangu began painting as a
child. At the age of 10, her mother
and grandmother, in accordance
with tradition, taught her the art of
Ndebele homestead wall painting
and beadwork. Her work came
to international attention in 1989
after her inclusion in the important
exhibition Magiciens de la terre,
held at the Centre Pompidou
in Paris.
In 1991, she painted the 525i model
for the BMW Art Car Series, the
first woman and the first person
from outside Europe or the United
States to do so. Her designs also
covered the tails of British Airways
aircraft in 1997, and the new Fiat
500.
In 2017, artist Imani Shanklin
Roberts celebrated her with a
mural on a Tribeca boulevard in
New York. In collaboration with
Swedish fashion designer,
Eytys, who embroidered Ms
Mahlangu’s designs on to the
Doja Mahlangu series.
Over the past three decades,
Ms Mahlangu has exhibited both
mural and canvas paintings
throughout Europe, Asia, North
and South America, also capturing
the imagination of more than
one generation on social media
through charitable campaigns.
She collaborated with American
singer, songwriter, musician and
actor John Legend in a 2017
Belvedere Vodka advertising
campaign, along with RED
(a Bono-founded charitable
organisation) to raise awareness
and raise funds for the fight
against HIV/AIDS in Africa.
As a national icon and custodian
of heritage Ms Mahlangu has been
honoured with awards and medals
by Government many times, and
by more than one South African
president. She received the Order
of Ikhamanga, silver class, in 2006,
as well as the Mpumalanga Arts
and Culture Award, an award from
the French Ministry of Culture, two
awards from Radio Ndebele, and
many others from South Africa
and abroad.
“In the context of current debates
in South African institutions of
higher learning on questions of
decolonisation of the curriculum,
Ms Mhlangu is a living example of
how authentic African knowledge
systems can be articulated
meaningfully and sustainably”,
said Prof Freschi.
“In her, we have an icon worthy
of being looked up to by the next
generation of creatives, and the
University, in particular. FADA is
greatly honoured to confer the
degree of Philosophiae Doctor
honoris causa upon her.”
Ms Mahlangu concluded:
“This honour bestowed on me
today binds me to this institution
that shares my passion. I have
respect for the University
and its endeavours to
promote Africanism.”
Doctorates
Esther Mahlangu
“THIS HONOUR BESTOWED ON ME TODAY BINDS ME
TO THIS INSTITUTION THAT SHARES MY PASSION.
I HAVE RESPECT FOR THE UNIVERSITY AND ITS
ENDEAVOURS TO PROMOTE AFRICANISM.”
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 7

Honorary Doctorate Chief Justice
Mogoeng Mogoeng
“The Constitution of the Republic
of South Africa challenges all of us
to recognise that once upon a time
there were injustices in this country
and today, we believe that South
Africa belongs to all who live in it
and may God bless South Africa.”
These were the sentiments of
Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng,
who was acknowledged with an
honorary doctoral degree by the
University of Johannesburg (UJ) on
Tuesday, 27 March 2018.
The University conferred an
honorary doctorate on Chief
Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng in
recognition of his pioneering
commitment to serving humankind
by upholding the independence
of the judiciary and by promoting
access to justice in tangible ways.
This has earned him widespread
respect and admiration for
serving humankind.
From left: The Registrar, Professor Burger Kinta,
and chief Justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng.
THIS HONORARY DOCTORATE IS CONFERRED UPON
JUDGE MOGOENG AS AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR
HIS NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS WITHIN THE JUDICIARY
SPHERE - WHICH SHOULD REMIND SOUTH AFRICANS TO
TAKE THE CONSTITUTION AS A GUIDE WHICH WILL GIVE
US UNITY TO BUILD OUR COUNTRY AND TO RECONCILE
US ALL AS SOUTH AFRICANS.
Speaking ahead of the conferral,
the Chancellor of UJ, Prof
Njabulo Ndebele highlighted the
significance of such an honorary
degree – both to the recipient
and to the University, pointing out
that this honorary doctorate is
conferred upon Judge Mogoeng
as an acknowledgement of his
notable contributions within the
judiciary sphere - which should
remind South Africans to take the
Constitution as a guide that will
give us unity to build our country
and to reconcile us all as South
Africans.
Mogoeng Thomas Reetsang
Mogoeng, born in 1961, is the Chief
Justice of the Republic of South
Africa, having assumed office
on 8 September 2011. Through
his exemplary leadership of the
judicial branch of government,
he has steadfastly advanced the
8 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

constitutional values of human
dignity, equality and freedom;
non-racialism and non-sexism;
the supremacy of the Constitution
and the Rule of Law.
“Through his actions, Judge
Mogoeng has been concretising
each of the core values of the
University. An unquestionable
ethical foundation is evident
from his judgements in the
Constitutional Court, delivered
without fear or favour, as well
as from his public addresses
and publications. He has earned
trust and credibility through
judgments that were critical of
executive decisions and conduct;
of parliamentary rules and
conventions; and of legislation
that does not conform to the
Constitution, resisting political
pressure and maintaining judicial
independence”, said the Executive
Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof
Letlhokwa George Mpedi.
Judge Mogoeng’s commitment to
judicial independence has a wider
purpose: promoting access to
justice by regenerating the judicial
system. “His quest for institutional
legitimacy of the judiciary is
rooted in the realisation that
many South Africans felt alienated
from the court system”, said
Prof Mpedi.
During his tenure as Chief
Justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng has
made a decided impact on and
contribution to South African
society. This is clear from two
awards made to him in 2017.
Mogoeng Mogoeng has received
the Biko Fanon award from the
Pan-African Psychology Congress
for contributing to psychological
liberation. The award commends
him for contributing to public
awareness and creating a source
of hope for morality in the country.
He was also voted 2017 South
African of the Year in a public poll
hosted by News24, having been
nominated by a panel of
journalists and experts.
Prof Robert Fry Engle
WORLD-RENOWNED ECONOMIST
The 2003 Nobel laureate in
economics, Prof Robert Fry Engle
was acknowledged with an honorary
doctoral degree by the University of
Johannesburg (UJ) on Monday, 19
February 2018.
“This is a proud moment for both
the college and myself. An honorary
doctorate is conferred upon an
individual as an acknowledgment
for his/her notable contributions
to a specific field or outstanding
service to society which relates
to the universities vision, mission,
values, and strategic goals and
objectives. Association with the
university forms part of the reason
why we confer honorary doctorates.
Today we honor and celebrate
Professor Robert Fry Engle” says the
Vice Chancellor of the University of
Johannesburg, Professor Tshilidzi
Marwala.
“His research has also brought into
being, innovative statistical methods
such as co-integration, common
features, autoregressive conditional
duration and more recently, dynamic
conditional correlation models,”
says Prof Van Lil, the Executive
Dean of the College of Business
and Economics.
Prof Engle’s Autoregressive
Conditional Heteroscedasticity
models (ARCH) have become
indispensable econometric tools
employed by private and public
sector economic researchers and
practitioners operating as financial
market analysts and economic
decision makers.
Prof Van Lill points out that the
University is honoured by Prof
Engle’s acceptance of a UJ honorary
doctorate in Economics. “The
commitment of the CBE School of
Economics to quality econometric
education and training will be
enhanced through association with
Prof Robert Engle - a global leader
in econometric risk-modelling”,
he says.
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 9

From left: Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Professor Omotayo Arotiba, Professor Debra Meyer, Professor Emmanuel Iwuoha
PROFESSORIAL INAUGURATION
Prof Omotayo Arotiba
The Vice-Chancellor and Principal
of the University of Johannesburg
(UJ), Professor Tshilidzi Marwala,
and the Executive Dean of the
Faculty of Science, Professor
Debra Meyer, hosted the
professorial inauguration of
Omotayo Arotiba, Professor in
Applied Chemistry at UJ.
The inauguration took place
at the Council Chambers,
Madibeng Building, Auckland
Park, Kingsway Campus on
Monday 6 August 2018.
The inaugural lecture titled, Sense
it, Treat it, Electrochemistry in
Action, highlights research in
the fields of electrochemistry,
photoelectrochemistry, analytical
electrochemistry, nanoelectrochemistry,
materials science
and electrochemistry of materials
from 2006 to date.
Professor Arotiba’s research
is based on the application
of electrochemistry to solving
environmental, water, biomedical
and industrial challenges. More
specifically, Prof Arotiba’s research
looks at: 1) Electrochemical
biosensors and sensors (Sense it);
2) Electrochemical technologies,
such as electrochemical
oxidation, photoelectrochemical
oxidation, electrocoagulation,
ionic diode for water treatment
(Treat it); 3) Materials science,
nanotechnology, membrane
composites, and electrochemical
characterisation. Sensors and
biosensors are analytical devices
that are capable of providing
qualitative, semi-quantitative and
quantitative information about an
analyte. They are characterised
by low cost, simplicity, fast
response/analysis, ease of use,
possibilities of on-site or point of
care application, miniaturisability,
etc. Electrochemical technologies
offer a complementary or
alternative approach to water
treatment. These technologies are
sustainable, easy to design and
operate, environmentally benign,
sustainable and can remove
recalcitrant pollutants.
Prof Omotayo Ademola Arotiba
was born in Nigeria into the family
of Chief David Omotayo Arotiba
(from Ipele, Owo, Ondo State) and
Mrs Margaret Bamidele Arotiba
(Ughoton, Okpe, Delta State). He
completed his BSc Honours and
MSc in Industrial Chemistry at
the University of Ilorin and the
University of Benin, respectively,
both in Nigeria. He proceeded to
South Africa for a PhD in Physical
Chemistry (Electrochemistry
speciality) with a scholarship from
the National Research Foundation
South Africa at SensorLab,
Department of Chemistry,
University of the Western Cape
(UWC) under the supervision of
Prof Emmanuel Iwuoha and Prof
Priscilla Baker.
He joined the Department of
Applied Chemistry (UJ) in 2011
where he is now a full Professor
(since Oct 2016). Prof Arotiba
is the Director of the Centre
for Nanomaterials Science
Research at UJ; the pioneer and
leader of the Electrochemistry
Research Group at UJ; and
also the current Chairperson of
the Electrochemistry Division
(ElectrochemSA) of the South
African Chemical Institute (SACI).
10 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

Prof Sebastiaan Hendricus (Basie)
von Solms is a Research Professor
in the University of Johannesburg’s
Academy for Computer Science
and Software Engineering, and the
longest serving UJ employee, with
nearly five decades (48 years) of
IT research and innovation under
his belt.
He is also the Director of UJ’s
Centre for Cyber Security, and an
Associate Director of the Global
Cyber Security Capacity Centre of
the University of Oxford in the UK.
A specialist in research and
consultancy in the field of
information and cyber security,
Prof von Solms has written
and presented more than 150
papers, most of which have
been presented at international
research conferences and/or
published in international subject
journals. He has supervised more
than 150 postgraduate students,
and is well known in the media
as one of South Africa’s most
authoritative cyber security experts.
Alumnus, Research Professor
and one of UJ’s longest
serving employees
Prof von Solms joined UJ as a
lecturer in 1970, in the newly
established Department of
Computer Science. He completed
his PhD in Computer Science at UJ
in 1972 – one of the first in South
Africa – and was promoted to
senior lecturer. In 1978, he became
Chairperson of the Department of
Computer Science, a position he
occupied until 2006.
“I started out long before anybody
had even heard of the Internet
or cyberspace. Back in those
days, there were basically only
big mainframe computers, and
students had to prepare their
programs on coding forms.
The programs had to then be
converted by a punch card
machine to a set of punch cards
for submission to the mainframe.
There were no such things as
desktop computers”, recalls
Prof von Solms.
In the early 1980s, the University
created its first hands-on
laboratory for Computer Science
students, consisting of Burroughs
B20 mini-computers – one of the
first such labs in South Africa. “A
few years later, the IBM PC was
launched, and labs were refitted
with these new ‘wonder machines’.
Still, the idea of portable
computers didn’t yet exist”,
remembers Prof von Solms.
Prof Basie von Solms
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 11

In the late 1990s, computer networks
developed faster as the Internet
evolved. “I was very privileged to have
seen the dawn of this discipline, to be
part of and experience the massive
developments in the IT fields over
the years.
“I am proud that I could, over
the years, be part of establishing
Computer Science and Informatics
as an academic discipline, and be
part of the internationally acclaimed
Academy for Computer Science and
Software Engineering that we now
have at UJ”, says Prof von Solms.
In 2005, Prof von Solms was awarded
the ICT Leadership Award by the
South African IT industry and the
Computer Society of South Africa
for “exceptional thought leadership
qualities and sustainable contribution
to the development and growth of
the South African IT Industry”. A year
later, the South African Academy for
Science and Arts awarded him the
MT Steyn Medal for Scientific and
Technical Achievement.
In 2009, the book Information Security
Governance, co-authored with his
brother, Professor Rossouw von
Solms, was published internationally
by Springer. The book documents the
experience and research resulting
from cooperation between the two
brothers over 10 years.
The following year, he received the
Computer Society of South Africa
(CSSA) Distinguished Service in ICT
Award, as well as the 2010 IFIP TC-11
Kristian Beckman Award, for “his
never tiring work towards broadening
the meaning of Information Security
in various aspects”. Also in 2010, the
SA Institute for Computer Scientists
and Information Technologists
awarded the Pioneers in Computer
Science and Information Technology
Award to Prof von Solms for his
contribution to IT, and specifically
Information Security, over the
last 40 years.
Prof von Solms says cybercrime is
now massively pervasive worldwide,
with Africa being a “hotbed” of
cybercrime. “Cybercrime is no
longer a technical issue, but an
issue that concerns company board
members across all industries. At
UJ, we have been widely involved
with accountability of members of
boards, as cybercrime is the number
one threat for companies across all
sectors”, he says.
Thus the demand for IT graduates
is huge, says Prof von Solms. “It is
acknowledged globally that the
demand for expertise in the cyber
field is among the highest, if not
the highest, among all professional
disciplines”, he says.
As a result, the certificate courses
in the Centre for Cyber Security
are constantly oversubscribed by IT
employees, while full-time students
can barely finish the four-year
degree before they are head-hunted.
“We struggle to get lecturers and
postgraduate students, because the
demand out there is so high”, he says.
In 2011, Prof von Solms was awarded
the Alumni Achievers award by
the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan
University (NMMU) in Port Elizabeth,
where he actually started his
academic studies, in 1965, when
it was still the University of Port
Elizabeth.
In 2016, Prof von Solms was elected
as a member of the Academy of
Science of South Africa, which
honours the country’s “most
outstanding and celebrated scholars”.
He is also a Fellow of the Computer
Society of South Africa, a Fellow of
the British Computer Society, a
Fellow of the Oxford Martin School
of the University of Oxford and a
Chartered Information Technology
Professional (CITP).
He is a past president of the
International Federation for
Information Processing (IFIP), which
he is now an honorary member of,
and is the vice-chair (Africa) for the
IEEE’s Special Interest Group on Big
Data and Cyber Security.
“My journey started early and is
coming to an end, but the future lies
open for the present generation to
develop applications that we cannot
even envisage at this stage”,
says Prof von Solms.
12 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

JIAS:
Advancing
Excellence
and Diversity
The Johannesburg Institute
of Advanced Studies (JIAS)
promotes advanced research
in the humanities and natural
sciences, and is the city’s first fully
fledged institute of its kind. JIAS is
a joint initiative of the University
of Johannesburg (UJ) in South
Africa, and Nanyang Technological
University (NTU) in Singapore, and
is based in an elegant Roman
style building in Westdene,
Johannesburg.
“New conversations start here”,
says JIAS director, Professor Peter
Vale. We are sitting in the Cartoon
Room, one of the Institute’s
conference spaces, its walls lined
with the works of contemporary
South African political cartoonists.
“JIAS creates the conditions in
which scholars can deliver cuttingedge
interdisciplinary thought
and research at the highest
academic level”, he says. “This is
a place to work, think, talk and
deliberate, and the greatest luck
of all was finding this property. It’s
made all the difference because
of its wonderfully conducive
atmosphere. It’s like a little college
in Oxford or Cambridge in the
heart of an African city.”
Built on a hillside, with playful
concrete cherubs adorning
its rooftops, the landmark
JIAS building was formerly
a guesthouse, and JIAS now
uses it for conferences and
workshops and accommodation
for participants, visiting fellows
and academics. The building
also houses the JIAS staff
offices. The accommodation is
gracious; and there are shaded
courtyards, generous lounges and
libraries, conference spaces and a
communal dining area.
“Institutes for advanced studies
have their early origins in
monasteries”, explains Prof Vale.
“The modern versions of institutes
like these began with Princeton in
the USA in the 1930s, when they
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 13

started an institute for advanced
studies that aimed to be at the
very top of research and higher
education. One of the first
fellows, would you believe,
was Albert Einstein”.
Today’s institutes of advanced
studies locate themselves
in different ways within the
global academic world. JIAS is
a university-based institute as
opposed to free-standing institutes
such as those in Princeton, Berlin,
Radcliffe, and Stellenbosch.
Although rooted within UJ and
linked to NTU, JIAS collaborates
with other institutions of higher
learning throughout the country.
Launched in May 2015, JIAS is in
its fourth year now, and one of its
main programmes is the Writing
Fellowship. A dozen residence
Writing Fellows come to stay at
JIAS for four months to work on
their chosen subject. The writers
apply for the fellowship and a
selection is then made. Last year
there were over 300 applicants
from South Africa, Asia, Uganda,
Nigeria, Kenya, the USA and India.
South African author, Niq Mhlongo,
was one of the Writing Fellows
who stayed at JIAS this year to
work on his new novel. Born in
Soweto, Mhlongo’s first highly
acclaimed novel Dog Eat Dog was
published in 2004 by Kwela Books
and was translated into Spanish
under the title Perro Come Perro.
His most recent book Soweto under
the Apricot Tree (Kwela 2018) is an
imaginative collection of short
stories featuring funerals and
ancestors and satirical flair.
While Mhlongo recently led a
JIAS seminar about African myth
and magic realism, the subject of
African ontology was the concern
of another Writing Fellow, Dr
Elvis Imafidon who teaches in
the Department of Philosophy
of Ambrose Alli University in
Nigeria. Ontology is the study of
metaphysics and the nature of
being, and he looks at how African
concepts of reality affect the
African idea of the good.
In another field, that of urban
planning, Writing Fellow
Melissa Tandiwe Myambo, did a
comparative project on spatial
inequality in urban spaces in
14 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

JIAS is an
ongoing conversation...
JIAS IS A JOINT INITIATIVE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
JOHANNESBURG (UJ) IN SOUTH AFRICA, AND
NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY (NTU) IN SINGAPORE
Delhi and Johannesburg. In 2016,
she did research in India while
based at the Centre for the
Study of Developing Societies
in New Delhi, enabled by
Fulbright-Nehru Academic and
Professional Excellence Research
Award. Pamela Maseko, an
associate professor at Rhodes
University in the Eastern Cape,
was researching language policy
and planning in education,
language development, and
the historiography of isiXhosa
literature.
The Writing Fellows host a series
of weekly seminars during their
stay at JIAS, and one gets a
sense that there is real academic
and critical thinking across an
incredible range of subjects here.
“As you can imagine”, says Prof
Vale, “the lunch conversation
at JIAS is totally dynamic and
can include from poetry and
dark matter to the nature of
the universe. There is real multidisciplinary
thinking here. JIAS is a
wonderful experiment”.
JIAS also works in the field and
within communities, says Prof Vale.
In April this year, for example, a
team of the new Writing Fellows
went to the Polokwane Literary
Fair in Limpopo. The Fair is
held by the Polokwane Cultural
Services Department and JIAS has
attended for the last few years.
This time the JIAS team went to
three high schools in Mankweng
township to engage with learners
and donate books. And they also
visited a prison, where the Writing
Fellows engaged with more than
100 inmates. JIAS gave readings
and talked about how to produce
written texts and poems. “It was
incredible what came out”, says
Prof Vale, “it was agreed that an
anthology of poetry written by
the inmates would be published.”
JIAS and individual writers
donated books to the Correctional
Services Library.
Apart from the Writing Fellowship,
JIAS also hosts a series of
workshops, conferences and
colloquia throughout the year.
“We host visiting lecturers
and academics, we do book
launches, we have conferences on
everything from the decolonisation
of thought to artificial intelligence”,
says Prof Vale. “JIAS is an ongoing
conversation”.
The annual JIAS work programme
is divided into three terms of
equal length, the summer term
(mid-February to mid-May); winter
term (from the start of June to end
August); and spring term (from
mid-September to mid-December).
In the summer term, JIAS has its
open session for students from any
discipline, encouraging them to
pursue intensive reading, research
or writing.
In the winter term, JIAS has
university sessions, which are open
to departments and faculties
within UJ. These sessions aim to
encourage UJ staff to broaden
the scope of their research and to
connect with leading scholars in
their fields. These sessions feature
intense collaboration with scholars
at the NTU, as well as with Nobel
Laureates.
In the spring term, JIAS has topic
sessions, which include colloquia
– the jewel in the crown of JIAS
events – in which international
experts in the public and
professional sectors gather for
intense debate about a specialist
subject. In 2016, for example,
JIAS hosted a hugely successful
colloquium on Why the Brain
Matters, which was attended by
more than 50 participants from
more than 27 countries. The
colloquium led by Prof Willem
Hendrik Gispen, Professor Emeritus
of Neuroscience and former
VC of Utrecht University in the
Netherlands, and a range of global
experts made presentations.
On 22 October 2018, JIAS is
hosting a colloquium on Digital
Finance in Africa’s Future:
Innovations and Implications.
Trevor Manual will deliver the
keynote address at the opening
session. With some 50 experts
participating in panels and
workshops, the colloquium seeks
to map out developments in the
fields of digital finance and try to
understand the social and
political implications.
For more information visit the
JIAS website www.jias.joburg
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 15

UJ_T&SCM_50yrsCelebration_AD_A4_AlumniMAG.indd 1
2018/05/03 9:59 AM

2018-08_STH Alumni Bar_A4 print ad_v01_repro.indd 1 2018/08/08 11:35

Professor Alexander Broadbent and Professor Marlize Lombard

Professorial Inaugural address:
Prof Marlize Lombard
THE FUTURE OF HUMAN ORIGINS RESEARCH
LIES IN INTER-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROGRAMMES,
AIMED AT UNDERSTANDING GENE-CULTURE,
BRAIN-CULTURE AND GENE-BRAIN CO-EVOLUTION.
According to Professor Marlize
Lombard, the Director of the
Centre for Anthropological
Research at the University of
Johannesburg (UJ), human origins
researchers will need to integrate
fossil, archaeological and genetic
records with state-of-the-art
methods, and global trends and
debates; while dedicating the
knowledge thus gained to the
youth and to their futures in
a region that gave birth to
our humanness.
Professor Lombard explored the
questions what make us human
(Homo sapiens or modern human,
i.e., ‘us’), and how, where and when
did we gain our humanness, when
she delivered her professorial
inauguration address, Human
Origins in Southern Africa: A Stone
Age Archaeologist’s Reflections on
the Past and Future. Prof Lombard
sketched some of the paradoxes
and puzzles around the discovery
of the first fossil skull of a young
hominin child in South Africa
almost a century ago.
“Around two million years ago
when these early hominins roamed
our grasslands and where many
fossil discoveries have been
made since, mostly by non-South
African researchers in a still male
dominated field. Yet, the work of
South African women scientists
is greatly influencing what we
are learning about the genetic
and cognitive origins of our own
species, Homo sapiens”, she said.
Prof Lombard pointed out
that Prof Himla Soodyall was
a trailblazer in the field of
mitochondrial DNA, which showed
that all living humans stem
from one ‘great, great, great …
grandmother’, a woman who lived
in sub-Saharan Africa (perhaps
even southern Africa), and most
closely resembled a San woman
of today. “Her mentee Carina
Schlebusch now works from
Uppsala in Sweden, from where
she is exploring ancient human
DNA in a collaborative project
with myself and other scientists
in an endeavour to reconstruct
the population history of sub-
Saharan Africa, aligning it with
the archaeological records of
the region.”
She highlighted that the artefacts
excavated by archaeologists are
human-made material culture, the
tangible products and extensions
of the human mind. “Lyn Wadley,
my mentor, A-rated scientist,
and the first woman professor
in archaeology in South Africa,
worked several prominent Stone
Age sites, and her cognitive
archaeology on material culture
from these sites demonstrates how
ancient hunter-gatherers had fluid
intelligence that allowed them
to conceive of and use complex
knowledge systems to resolve
everyday problems innovatively”.
“It is then to the human mind
– a mind that is capable of
wisdom and reason, and a mind
that is flexible enough to think
simultaneously both scientifically
and creatively – that I find myself
drawn to explore the origins of our
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 19

humanness here in southern Africa.
Working with cognitive scientists
from Scandinavia, we are
delving into the earliest symbolic
behaviours, what stone tools
can reveal about human
cognitive evolution, and the
evolution of causal cognition”,
said Prof Lombard.
In a first study of its kind they used
EEG (electroencephalography)
scanning that provided the first
direct neuro-archaeological
evidence for praxis, the human
ability, based on ‘ideas’ or
‘imaginings’, to knowingly play out
different scenarios in our minds
before enacting them.
“Such conscious imagination and
ideation are quintessential traits
of our humanness – there can be
no science, no art, and indeed
no Fourth Industrial Revolution
without them. This way of thinking
has its neurological foundations
in the precuneus, an area of the
brain in which only Homo sapiens
displays a general enlargement.”
Prof Lombard stressed activities
such as bow hunting was
instrumental in shaping the
modern human brain. “A brain
with which Africans colonised the
globe – outwitting and outlasting
all other human groups, becoming
ancestral to us all. It also alludes
to our abilities to gain causal
knowledge, and to reason about
outcomes based on it, which is key
to the human way of thinking.”
Prof Lombard concluded that a
few decades ago, lines of research
such as neuro-archaeology, and
reconstructing the full genomes
of people who lived millennia
before us were inconceivable. “The
future of human origins research
now lies in inter-disciplinary
research programmes, aimed
at understanding gene-culture,
brain-culture and gene-brain
co-evolution. As human origins
researchers, our task will be
to integrate fully our fossil,
archaeological and genetic
records with state-of-the-art
methods, and global trends and
debates; whilst dedicating the
knowledge thus gained to the
youth and to their futures in a
region that gave birth to
our humanness.”
UJ researchers discover
family of silver-based
anti-cancer drugs
A new family of potential silverbased
anti-cancer drugs has been
discovered by researchers at the
University of Johannesburg (UJ).
The most promising complex in the
UJ3 has been successfully tested in
rats and in several human cancer
cell lines in laboratory studies. The
complex is as effective against
human esophageal cancer cells, as
a widely-used chemotherapy drug,
but at a ten times lower dose, and
much lower toxicity against nonmalignant
cells.
In research published in BioMetals,
UJ3 is shown to be as effective
against human esophageal
cancer cells, as a widely-used
chemotherapy drug in use today.
Esophageal cancer cells are
known to become resistant to
current forms of chemotherapy.
“The UJ3 complex is as effective
as the industry-standard drug
Cisplatin in killing cancer cells
in laboratory tests done on
human breast cancer and
melanoma, a very dangerous
form of skin cancer, as well”, says
Professor Marianne Cronjé, Head
of the Department of Biochemistry
at the University of Johannesburg.
“However, UJ3 requires a 10 times
lower dose to kill cancer cells. It
also focuses more narrowly on
cancer cells, so that far fewer
healthy cells are killed”, she says.
Fewer side effects
Apart from needing a much lower
dose than an industry standard,
UJ3 is also much less toxic.
“In rat studies, we see that up to
3 grams of UJ3 can be tolerated
per 1 kilogram of bodyweight.
This makes UJ3 and other
silver phosphine complexes
we have tested about as toxic
as Vitamin C”, says Professor
Reinout Meijboom, Head of the
Department of Chemistry at the
University of Johannesburg.
If UJ3 becomes a chemotherapy
drug in future, the lower dose
required, lower toxicity and greater
20 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

focus on cancer cells will mean
fewer side effects from
cancer treatment.
UJ3 appears to target the
mitochondria, resulting in
programmed cell death to
kill cancer cells - a process
called apoptosis. When a cancer
cell dies by apoptosis, the result is
a neat and tidy process where the
dead cell’s remains are “recycled”,
not contaminating healthy cells
around them, and not
inducing inflammation.
Certain existing chemotherapy
drugs are designed to induce
apoptosis, rather than “septic”
cell death which is called necrosis,
for this reason.
Cancer cells grow much bigger
and faster, and make copies of
themselves much faster, than
healthy cells do. In this way they
create cancerous tumors. To do
this, they need far more energy
than healthy cells do.
UJ3 targets this need for
energy, by shutting down the
“powerhouses” of a cancer cell,
the mitochondria. The complex
then causes the release of the
“executioner” protein, an enzyme
called caspase-3, which goes
to work to dismantle the cell’s
command centre and structural
supports, cutting it up for recycling
in the last stages of apoptosis.
Unusual compounds
UJ3 complex and the others in the
family are based on silver. This
makes the starter materials for
synthesizing the complex far more
economical than a number of
industry-standard chemotherapy
drugs based on platinum. “These
complexes can be synthesized with
standard laboratory equipment,
which shows good potential
for large scale manufacture.
The family of silver thiocyanate
phosphine compounds is very
large. We were very fortunate to
test UJ3, with an unusually ‘flat’
chemical structure, early on in
our exploration of this chemical
family for cancer treatment”,
says Prof Meijboom.
Research on UJ3 and other
silver thiocyanate phosphine
complexes at the University
is ongoing.
Research funders
The research was funded by the
Technology Transfer Office of
the University of Johannesburg,
the National Research
Foundation of South Africa,
and the Technology Innovation
Agency of South Africa.
From left: Professor Reinout Meijboom, Professor Marianne Cronjé, Dr Zelinda Engelbrecht

Itumeleng Sekhu
against all odds
“I WAS ABLE TO PUSH PAST THE BARRIERS OF LOW
SELF-ESTEEM AND DISCOVER MY STRENGTH, RESILIENCE
AND UNIQUE ABILITY TO SEE THAT BEAUTY GOES
DEEPER THAN SKIN.”
Itumeleng Sekhu is the founder
and MD of the Itumeleng Sekhu
Foundation, a philanthropic NPO,
and author of the book What
do you see?, which is her story of
courage and fortitude in the face
of the permanent disfigurement
she suffered after being burnt in a
fire as a toddler.
Sekhu, 30, graduated from UJ
in 2014 with a BA in Audiovisual
Communications, majoring in
communications, psychology and
media studies, sponsored by the
Dischem Foundation. By then, she
was already a media personality,
working with a number of Christian
programmes including ONE Gospel
channel (DStv) and Friends Like
These on SABC 1, as well as The
Sound Revival and The Sacred
Space on Metro FM, and Making
Moves on Bonngoe.tv.
“My psychology major equipped
me to have good relations in the
media and in my life. I have been
able to relate to almost everyone
in both the workspace and in my
personal life”, says Sekhu.
Born in Makapanstad near
Tshwane, Sekhu got severely burnt
when a candle fell on her at home.
She was only 11 months old. Her
right hand, as well as four fingers
on her left hand, were amputated
as a result. “I was practically raised
in Muelmed Hospital in Pretoria
until I was about 15 years old.
I had 104 surgical procedures,
and in-between I attended Hope
School in Johannesburg and
Pretoria School, which are both
schools for physically challenged
learners”, she says.
Although she was a bright learner,
school was difficult at times, she
says, because “the other children
were mean and continually called
me names, even though we were
all disabled”. “I grew up with low
self-esteem, as 90% of my face is
scarred. The word beauty was rare.
I even tried to commit suicide on
numerous occasions”, she recalls.
What do you see? takes the reader
on her emotional and spiritual
journey, firstly through the physical
pain, and then through the pain
of being rejected and ridiculed as
a young girl because she
was different.
Sekhu’s mother was her guiding
light throughout her childhood
– “through her strength and
tenacity, she continued in life, no
matter what storms hit her” – but
ultimately it was Sekhu’s faith that
enabled her to find her path in life.
“I was determined to live my
life as God intended. It was my
acceptance of Him as my Father
that was instrumental in helping
me to navigate my way through
the obstacles that constantly
threatened to overwhelm me”.
“I was able to push past the
barriers of low self-esteem and
discover my strength, resilience
and unique ability to see that
beauty goes deeper than skin. My
challenge to readers of my book
is to look beyond the scars on the
outside, and see who I am, a strong
woman with a beautiful soul and
indomitable spirit”, she says.
While at UJ, Sekhu became a
project manager for the Sbusiso
Leope Education Foundation,
which assists hundreds of students
with bursaries to continue with
tertiary education. She was in
22 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

charge of organising seminars
in South Africa, which brought
together entrepreneurs. She was
also communications manager
for Map Christ, and a brand
Ambassador for Dove Unilever.
She is also a social media
manager for I Do magazine, and
recently launched her new venture,
manufacturing candles. “I have
found my inner light, and been
fulfilling my purpose in the media
industry, in both TV and radio,
for the past seven years. Through
these candles, I want to assist
other people to discover their
inner light, to ensure that they
reach their full potential”,
says Sekhu.
Sekhu has also conquered the
keyboard of her computer, as
well as the steering wheel. “Even
though I have only one finger,
my thumb, I can type 35 words
per minute and can drive myself
anywhere in the world”, she says.
As a motivational speaker,
Sekhu has delivered talks to
numerous corporates, institutions,
organisations and events, focusing
on the power of self-esteem, and
of a persistent and confident
mind. “Tell yourself that I’m going
to do it, it will happen”, she says.
To students, her advice is, “study,
and study very hard, you can get
a bursary. My dreams push me to
success. Reach your dreams and
dream more dreams of where
you want to see yourself”.
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 23

24 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

Motheo Khoaripe
eNCA business journalist
and markets anchor
Motheo Khoaripe, 32, is a business
journalist and markets anchor for
eNCA, best known as anchor of the
channel’s Moneyline show.
He cut his teeth in broadcasting
on YFM radio station, which he
joined in 2012 as a news and sports
reporter before moving to Power
FM as a business reporter in 2014
for a year. He joined eNCA in 2015.
“As a business reporter, I’ve
discovered there is a section of
society that will never get to know
how money works. It’s not that
people don’t have money, it’s that
they just don’t know how to use it”,
he says, adding: “I’d like to teach
young people about money before
they get money. And to tell the
stories untold”.
Khoaripe matriculated at
Wordsworth High School in Benoni,
with merit, in 2006. “My mind
wandered and I found it difficult
to concentrate. I loved sport more
than my books, to be honest. I
did really well in the Quiz and JSE
challenge team”, he recalls.
As a boy, he had his mind set on
being a soldier or Navy officer.
“I also did well in cricket so I also
had a dream of representing the
Proteas”, he says.
Instead, he enrolled at UJ,
completing his BA in Corporate
Communications in 2010. Money
issues made it a tough journey.
“It was also very important to
me to prove to my parents that I
was deserving of all the sacrifices
they’d made for me to go to
varsity. I did promotions and odd
gigs to help them pay the fees. I
would go to class in the morning
and by midday, I’d be at work, then
return for a 7.30 pm psychology
class”, he says.
It didn’t get easier afterwards.
Despite Khoaripe’s degree, he
sold pots for two years in order to
make ends meet. “I managed to
get by. We all have fight in us, and
I rely on my unassailable faith that
my life is part of a bigger plan. I
am here to add something to the
world, so even when things don’t
go according to plan, I take that
as only a life lesson more than
something that would break me.
So always rise above the challenge,
knowing it will be a reference point
for my next challenge”, he says.
Khoaripe was 24 when he started
working at YFM, under the
guidance of Zukile Majova, the
editor of the station at the time.
At Power FM, he was mentored
by Siki Mgabedeli, and produced
Power Business and Power
Perspective shows.
At eNCA, dissecting his first budget
speech remains the highlight of
his career. “It was a chance to
delve into its depths, fully unpack
it and help people understand its
significance. A chance to serve
others”, he says.
Khoaripe says he has noticed how
many people encounter “glass
ceilings” when it comes to money.
“The financial jargon doesn’t help
the masses to understand their
financial issues. That’s why I love
the world of finance, and business
journalism. It’s a platform for me to
bridge that gap”, he says.
For the same reason, telling stories
about start-up businesses and how
they’ve developed into fully fledged
businesses is gratifying. “I want to
help black people to be part of the
economy, to give them the right
tools to equip them adequately
to get ahead in business, and
to learn and talk about money
comfortably”, he says.
His TV job aside, Khoaripe has also
partnered with a financial advisor
to improve financial literacy and
educate high school learners as
well as young professionals. “I want
to teach as many people as I can,
as soon as I can, to become money
wise, to learn how to keep money,
not only spend it”.
To this end, he is also working to
introduce a workable financial
literacy programme into the South
African curriculum system. “The
practical aspects of finance need
to be understood by all”, he says.
He is inspired by the underdog.
“Everyone has a war story. Those
who make it to where they want
to be, despite the odds stacked
against them. Those people
inspire me”.
Last year, Khoaripe was named
among the Mail & Guardian’s Top
200 young people.
Plans for the future? “I want to get
into the agriculture technology
business. It’s something I have
been passionate about for a long
time. So going back to school to
get a new set of skills is part
of the plan.
I would also love to lecture a
course on financial journalism
and journalism in the modern
era. So lots to do!”
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 25

Mike Sharman is the co-founder
of Retroviral, an award-winning
digital communications agency
that creates online word-of-mouth
spread for cutting edge brands,
using bespoke strategy, social
media and web tactics.
A high energy, loquacious 35-year
old, Sharman is also co-founder
of Webfluential, a platform that
establishes relationships between
consumers and brands through
influencers. He was named one
of the Mail & Guardian’s top 200
young (under 35) South Africans
in 2013.
With more than 12 years of
marketing agency experience,
Sharman has worked on brands
such as Nando’s, RocoMamas,
Kreepy Krauly Wrangler, Castle
Lager BraaiPhone, Russell Hobbs
and Beeno, to name a few. “I
love making stuff go viral”, says
Sharman, who had his debut
business book, The Best Dick
published last year (2017).
Brilliant at self branding, and
famed for dressing up in eyepopping
costumes for the brands
he’s working on, Sharman has
appeared on TV, radio and print
media numerous times, and is
described by his friend, radio
personality Gareth Cliff – in the
foreword to his book – as one
of those “pioneering, fearless
entrepreneurs, with a frontier
quality to them that often
propels them into the
stratosphere internationally”.
Sharman matriculated at King
Edward School in Houghton in
2001, then enrolled for a marketing
communications degree at UJ
(then RAU) in 2002, completing it
in 2004. It was the “right degree”,
he says, even though he initially
had his heart set on acting and
more creative pursuits. “I liked the
mixture of communications and
business. I got to dabble in the
audio-visual, in politics, business
management and marketing, and
picked up solid business principles
along the way”.
After graduating, Sharman
decided to go to acting school
in Los Angeles, enrolling in an
eight-week stand-up comedy
course that culminated in a show
at West Hollywood’s well-known
Ha Ha Café. “Stand-up comedy
and marketing are linked, so that
training stood me in good stead.
I am passionate about brand
presentation, and I love speaking
and performance. It’s like my
church”, he says. He’s also travelled
extensively – “travel is my guilty
passion”, he smiles.
Sharman returned to South Africa
in 2006, then wrote a one-man
show and took it to the National
Arts Festival in Grahamstown, but
ultimately decided to immerse
himself into the career path he
set out on at RAU. He worked for
start-up PR agencies, and did a
stint with an agency in London
between 2008 and 2010, which he
says was vital to developing his
business acumen and honing his
skills as a marketer in the digital
space. “Through working for other
agencies, I got to experiment in
a team, on big accounts, and
tapped into a network of the right
people”, he says.
Retroviral was launched in 2010
and quickly carved a niche for
itself as an agency that gets
people talking about brands,
through tactics like design, blogger
relations, community management
and viral video production and
distribution. Among his first briefs
were Absa’s digital channels, and
SAB’s campaign for Miller beer.
A huge highlight was producing
digital content for Nando’s.
“Retroviral seeded various Nando’s
campaigns, including its ‘Last
Dictator Standing’ campaign,
depicting Zimbabwe president
Robert Mugabe in a video playing
with dictators such as Colonel
Gaddafi. It was the first marketing
campaign in South Africa to
attract one million YouTube views
in less than one week”,
says Sharman.
More recently, Retroviral executed
the online communications for
all the #5GumExperience parties
and was the seeding agency
behind the Douwe Egberts yawnactivated
coffee vending machine.
“We work with bloggers and online
influencers, and of course I’m big
on Twitter (he has over 16 200
followers). I’m very tech driven”,
says Sharman.
In 2015, Bidvest Media, a
division of Bidvest Group Limited,
purchased a majority stake in
Retroviral, though Sharman
still retains an interest in the
company and continues to lead
its nine-strong team in his typical,
disruptive, entrepreneurial way, in
offices in Sandton.
“My day starts at 7.45 am and I
work until 5 pm. I was full-on in
the early days, working late at
night, but it’s important to have
balance. In my spare time I’m with
my family, and I love listening to
podcasts and reading everything
to do with tech start-ups”, he says.
In his book, Sharman entwines
business insights and universal
premises of first hires, cash
flow challenges, brand building,
networking and pitches, with his
storytelling approach, delivering
a compelling read complete with
armed robberies and fancy-dress
competitions, while partnering
with some of the world’s best
known brands.
Sharman writes in the preface
“From scribbling logos and
formulating some semblance
of a new agency model – that
combined PR, digital and
activation – on napkins at multiple
London Starbucks, to starting
Retroviral with no business plan
and not a solitary client, this is my
personal entrepreneurial odyssey”.
Sharman is married, and has
two children with a third
on the way.
26 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

“I’M LIVING MY BEST LIFE, RIGHT HERE
IN SOUTH AFRICA, WHERE WE DO
SOME OF THE MOST CREATIVE WORK
IN THE WORLD”, HE SMILES.
Mike Sharman
Co-founder of Retroviral
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 27

28 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
Roger Haitengi

HAITENGI, 34, HAS WON NUMEROUS TRIPLE JUMP
COMPETITIONS OVER HIS ATHLETIC CAREER, TAKING
HOME HIS FIRST MAJOR MEDAL, A BRONZE, AT THE 2014
AFRICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Namibian athlete and
head of UJ’s Athletics Club
Roger Haitengi is a Namibian
triple jump medalist, manager and
coach of UJ’s Athletics Club, which
under his guidance, has established
itself as one of the leading track
and field clubs in Gauteng.
Haitengi, 34, has won numerous
triple jump competitions over his
athletic career, taking home his
first major medal, a bronze, at
the 2014 African Championships.
He set a national record for the
triple jump at 16.78 m, at the
African Athletics United (AAU) UJ
Athletics & Nkwalu Invitational in
2016, and is yet to be beaten.
Haitengi’s athletics talent was “late
to bloom”, he says, as growing up
in Windhoek, there were very few
athletics coaches, and even fewer
who were specialised in triple jump.
“I played rugby and soccer, but
my first formal coaching in triple
jump only started when I was 16”,
he says.
Haitengi graduated from high
school in Windhoek in 2003 and
got a scholarship to study at
Tshwane University of Technology
in 2004. In 2006, after he won a
silver medal for long jump in the
SA Student Sports Union (SASSU)
championships, and was awarded
a UJ sports bursary, he enrolled
for a NDip Marketing, which he
completed in 2007. He then joined
the Engineering Faculty at UJ to
do a BTech Management Services,
finishing it in 2014, the same
year he was appointed UJ
athletics manager.
He followed up with an MTech
in Operations Management
(Industrial Engineering) at UJ,
which he completed in 2017.
“I plan to go into industrial
engineering in a few years, but
at the moment, I’m very happy
where I am. I was rewarded by the
opportunity to train and develop
young athletes. I didn’t get the
best start – most athletes were
ahead of me when I was younger
– but I’ve learnt a lot, taking the
positives from each coach I’ve
had along the way, and doing
a lot of research to improve my
performance. Now I can give back
and get these athletes on the right
footing to make a career out of it.
A lot of scholarship students who
have trained under me are now on
the rise”, he says.
Born in Poland, Haitengi returned
to Namibia with his Polish mother
when he was six years old. “I could
speak Polish, but not English
or Afrikaans”, he says. Haitengi
and his younger brother were
raised by their mother, who is
also academically accomplished.
“My mother got a Master’s in
Economics and worked for the
Namibian National Council. She is
still there. She gave us the basics
of our educational discipline and
value system. My brother is also
doing well in Namibia. He is in IT
software development”,
says Haitengi.
With the Cambridge International
Examination (CIE) school
qualification, and having done
well in maths, Haitengi found the
transition to Tshwane University
quite easy. Two and a half years
later, when he enrolled at UJ, his
mother advised him to finish his
degree, however long it took. She
said that after my degree, I’d be
better prepared to decide my path.
“Like her, I’ve always worked hard
and consistently to achieve my
goals. I don’t like failure”, he says.
Industrial engineering is the right
choice, he says, as he is naturally
drawn to business operations
and processes in industrial
development in South Africa.
“South Africa is a great place to be
exposed to engineering, as there is
plenty of growth and opportunity
in this field”, he says, adding that
he continually reads and updates
his knowledge.
Meanwhile, Haitengi’s life is a fulltime
routine of coaching, training
and participating in competitions.
He recently returned from the
Commonwealth Games, where
he came third in the qualification
round of the triple jump event, and
took eighth place overall in the
final. His next big goal is a medal
in the 2020 Olympics.
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 29

CREATING TOMORROW
The 4 th Industrial Revolution is here and we cannot afford to get left behind. Constant
advances in technology and the rapid rate at which AI is integrating into our daily lives, means
that how we as human beings behave is evolving. This is not just the situation in the workplace:
how we interact with each other is changing just as much as how we interact with machines.
World renowned thought leaders and a focus on everything 4.0, positions the University
of Johannesburg to catapult Africa into this new era. We are creating tomorrow through
meaningful cross-discipline conversations leading to impactful research and innovation that
will transform lives and landscapes around us.
uj.ac.za/4IR

Unbeaten UJ women take
USSA football title
The University of Johannesburg
women’s team maintained an
unbeaten record to emerge as
champions at the end of the
University Sport South Africa
football tournament in
Port Elizabeth this year.
UJ topped their group and
clinched the title when they
defeated Tshwane University
of Technology (TUT) on penalties
in the final. All the matches
were played at Nelson
Mandela University.
Coach Jabulile Baloyi said
afterwards that UJ had set
themselves a goal: to improve
on the fourth position they had
achieved last year. “We went into
the week with a strong desire to
do better than 2017 when we were
the hosts, we wanted to finish
higher this time.” she said.
A number of elements had
contributed to their success,
she added.
The first thing is that we were
extremely disciplined on and off
the field. The unity in the team
was also strong and we kept
telling ourselves we were capable
of winning the title. The whole
group believed it and we were
always motivated to make sure
we achieved more than last year.
In addition, we had a different
approach for every match and
adopted the approach of taking
it one game at a time.” said
the coach.
Baloyi also said their work ethic
extended beyond just the players,
with the management team
playing a critical role behind
the scenes to ensure the squad
remained focused.
Striker Amanda Mthandi played a
big part, scoring nine goals during
the tournament.
“She was the top goal-scorer and
was named player of the
tournament”, said the coach.
THE UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG WOMEN’S
FOOTBALL TEAM THAT WON THE UNIVERSITY SPORT
SOUTH AFRICA TITLE IN PORT ELIZABETH.
Back, from left: Potso Aphane, Ntombizodwa Mokenela, Dineo Magagula, Mechaela Springkaan, Phindile Matu and
Boitumelo Rasehlo. Front, from left: Lethabo Kekana, Amanda Mthandi, Charity Valoyi, Thato Letsoso (captain) and
Sizakele Ndlovu.
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 31

Seventh USSA squash title
in a row for UJ
The University of Johannesburg
continued its remarkable
domination of the University Sport
South Africa squash tournament
when we won the title for the
seventh year in a row.
Competing at Nelson Mandela
University in Port Elizabeth, the
defending champions overcame a
spirited challenge from the hosts,
Madibaz, to win the final 4-2.
Earlier, UJ eased past Stellenbosch
University 5-1 in the semifinals,
while Madibaz earned their place
in the final by defeating University
of Pretoria for the first time at the
USSA week.
UJ coach Mike Bester said the final
against Madibaz had been “pretty
close up to a stage”.
“But our females, who proved to
be strong all week, managed to do
the business by winning all their
matches”, he said.
“We lost a very close match at No 3
in the men’s line-up and also at No
1, but won the No 2 to take the win”,
he said.
Although the Johannesburg outfit
has dominated for a lengthy
period, Bester said the competition
at the USSA tournament
remained tough.
“In recent years there has been
very strong competition from Tuks,
Stellenbosch and Madibaz. But our
strength is the depth that we have
in our squad. For instance, last year
we were strong in the men’s team,
and this year our women’s team
was very good, so the one backs
up the other. I said to my players
ahead of the tournament this was
going to be a collective effort and
that’s the way it turned out”,
he said.
While emphasising the teamwork
in the squad, Bester said women’s
No 1 Alexa Pienaar was a major
asset for the team. “She is top of
the tree as far as student squash is
concerned and she is a banker for
us at No 1.”
Besides spearheading the team
event win, Pienaar confirmed her
potential by retaining her individual
title, a competition played on the
first three days of the week.
Bester said the team remained
motivated to do well despite
their long run of success. “They
were ecstatic after the final and
are always focused on trying to
maintain the record and to set
themselves further goals.”
He added that the key element in
their success was the consistency
and dedication they showed in
training. “They basically train for
11 months of the year and have
December off. Winning USSA for
the seventh time in a row is the
reward for those efforts.”
At the conclusion of the week,
Pienaar was named in the USSA
team to compete in the World
University Championships in
Birmingham in September.
UJ’s Kacey-Leigh Dodd will play
Hayley Ward, of Madibaz, to
decide the second place in
the USSA women’s team.
The University of Johannesburg team that won the University Sport South Africa title for the seventh
time in a row in Port Elizabeth: Back, from left: Blessing Muhwati, Kyle Maree, Tyrone Dial, coach
Mike Bester. Front, from left: manager Reedwaan Asvat, Kacey-Leigh Dodd and Jenny Preece.
Absent: Alexa Pienaar. Picture: Full Stop Communications
32 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

UJ crowned the champions of the
World University Sevens Rugby
CONGRATULATIONS
CONGRATULATIONS TO UJ SEVENS RUGBY PLAYERS, WHO RECENTLY REPRESENTED SOUTH
AFRICA AT THE WORLD UNIVERSITY SEVENS RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP, WHICH TOOK PLACE
IN NAMIBIA SWAKOPMUND IN JULY. THE WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM WAS UNFORTUNATELY
KNOCKED OUT OF THE SEMI-FINALS, WHILE THE MEN’S TEAM WAS CROWNED WORLD
UNIVERSITY CHAMPIONS.
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 33

The UJ Choir distinguished itself
once again at this year’s World
Choir Games.
The University of Johannesburg
(UJ) Choir took part in the 10th
World Choir Games 2018, hosted
by the City of Tshwane, South
Africa, from 4–8 July, scooping
wins in two of its categories.
More than 300 choirs from
60 countries took part in the
international event, with over 16
000 singers judged by some 60
national and international judges
in the single-biggest choral event
in the world. The UJ Choir was one
of 155 South African choirs that
took part in the games.
Choirs could enter in the Open
Category (any choir was accepted
if it adhered to the repertoire
specifications) or Champions
Category (only choirs that have
proved their excellence in
previous competitions were
allowed to enter here). The UJ
Choir qualified to enter the
Champions Category, based
on its excellent achievements in
Bratislava in 2015.
The UJ Choir took gold in both its
categories – with 85% for Mixed
Choirs (Western Music repertoire),
and in Folk Music A Cappella it
received a whopping 95% score, to
be crowned world champions.
Choral Director Renette Bouwer
said: “I am so proud of my team; it
was so rewarding to see the fruition
of their hard work. They proved
that they can compete against the
best in the world in Western and
African music. To win such high
marks at an international level like
this is a huge accomplishment for
these young singers. I am excited
to see what the future holds for
this group of lovely and talented
students, and it’s a privilege for
me to be a part of it. Hats off to
our Conductor of African Music,
Sidumo Nyamezele, who
was the creator of the
African repertoire that blew
the audience and judges away”.
The 60-member UJ Choir is no
stranger to competitive platforms,
such as the World Choir Games.
Besides its live performances in
South Africa and production of
numerous CDs, the award-winning
UJ Choir has also performed
internationally in countries
such as Austria, Germany,
Belgium, the Netherlands,
Russia, Poland and (as previously
mentioned) Bratislava.
Later this year, from 15–21 October,
the UJ Choir will make its way to
China, to take part in the Beijing
International Chorus Festival.
The UJ Choir then concludes its
winning year with the annual
celebration concert held in
Johannesburg on 26 October.
Tickets for this concert can
be purchased on
www.uj.ac.za/arts.
34 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

UJ Choir wins
at the World Choir Games 2018
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 35

UJ FM 95.4 is a campus-based radio station that
seeks to provide quality, relevant, dynamic,
innovative and thought provoking programming
content which speaks directly to shaping the future.
UJFM 95.4
LIBERTY
RADIO AWARDS
NOMINATION
2018
#UJFM
SHOWS NOMINTATED
The UJFM Breakfast
The Ego Trip
The UJFM Drive
PRESENTER NOMINATED
Nick Explicit
Bolele Polisa
RADIO SHOWS
Show: UJFM Breakfast
Time: 6:00-9:00
Mon- Friday
Show: The Urban brunch
Time: 9:00-12:00
Mon- Friday
Show: The Ego trip
Time: 12:00-15:00
Mon- Friday
Show: UJFM Drive
Time: 15:00-18:00
Mon- Friday
Show: The Night-Cab
Time: 18:00-22:00
Mon- Friday
The on-air identity is edgy with
an urban contemporary feel with
60/40 programming format.
Since inception, UJFM 95.4
has transformed the onair
programming style and
content from a previously
rock background to one more
reflective of the Joburg and UJ
student market and incorporates
an eclectic mix of urban
contemporary music,
with Pan-African thoughtprovoking
content.
UJFM 95.4 prides itself in
facilitating thought provoking
conversations between the
University and society as well as
taking institutional success to
the market.
UJFM 95.4 has numerous awards
from MTN / Liberty radio awards
in various categories. UJFM 95.4
firmly entrenches itself amongst
the 4 campuses of UJ, the voice
of UJFM 95.4 strives to serve as a
platform for healthy engagement
amongst the community and
promote a radio program
dedicated to positioning UJ as
a 4.0 leader as well as a leading
university in Africa.
Listenership– market share
and demographics
Broadcasting over a 100km
radius from the campus, the
station employs registered
UJ students as well as keen
external talent.
The UJFM 95.4 market share
is divided into our primary
target market of 16 – 26 year old
students and young Joburgers
who fall within the LSM
bracket 5-7.

Our extended primary target
market can be defined as former
students who are now entering
the corporate environment
after graduating and can most
likely be classed under the LSM
8-10 bracket who consist of
individuals between the ages of
26-36 year old.
The UJFM 95.4 listener can be
described as confident, edgy and
fashionable and a young star
who knows what he or she wants,
loyal to brands and choose
ambitious and trend conscious.
Their preferred music choices
include house, hip-hop, R&B,
afro-pop music & dub-step.
Our mission is to provide quality,
relevant, dynamic, innovative
and thought-provoking Pan-
African programming content
that speaks directly to shaping
the future.
UJFM strives To Become a
complete edutainment radio
companion, dynamically
shaping the future
Follow @ UJFM on Social Media
011 559 1655

Library BOOK DISCUSSIONS
Nelson R. Mandela:
Decolonial Ethics
of Liberation
and Servant
Leadership
2018 marks the centenary of the
birth of Nelson Mandela. As a
Library, we have had the unique
opportunity to reflect on his life
and times and to promote
his legacy.
On Thursday, 24 May, the Library
in partnership with the Faculty of
Humanities and the Department of
Politics and International Relations
created a very engaging platform
around a book discussion with
Busani Ngcaweni, editor of
Nelson R. Mandela: Decolonial
Ethics of Liberation and
Servant Leadership.
Busani Ngcaweni and Sabelo
Ndlovu-Gatsheni’s book, skilfully
and empirically demonstrates how
Mandela embodied a rare type of
leadership that is currently missing
in many parts of the world.
Busani Ngcaweni is the Deputy
Director-General in The Presidency
and Research Fellow at the
University of Johannesburg and
Sabelo J Ndlovu-Gatsheni is a
Professor and Head of Archie
Mafeje Research Institute for
Applied Social Policy based
at Unisa.
From left: Deputy Ambassador to South Africa, Raul de Luzenberger; Leslie
Lindsay; Prof Maria Frahm-Arp, Prof Pitika Ntuli; Busani Ngcaweni; Dr William
Mpofu; Prof Saurabh Sinha; Prof Tinyiko Maluleke; Prof Ylva Rodny-Gumede.
The Land is Ours
The Faculties of Law and Humanities,
the Transformation Unit, and the
Library together with Penguin
Random House hosted a book
discussion with Tembeka Ngcukaitobi
author of, The Land is Ours.
Tembeka Ngcukaitobi is an
advocate in Johannesburg
specialising in Public Law. He
graduated in law at the Universities
of Transkei, Rhodes and the London
School of Economics and Political
Science. He is a research associate
at the University of Johannesburg
and a research fellow at the
University of the Witwatersrand.
Tembeka was joined in conversation
by Prof Alex Broadbent (Executive
Dean: Faculty of Humanities),
Dr Justin Wanki (SAIFAC’s postdoctoral
research fellow) and
Ms Kgomotso Mokoena (Lecturer
Procedural Law, University of
Johannesburg).
We were very honoured to have
had Prof Pitika Ntuli, Prof Tinyiko
Maluleke, Lindsay Leslie and
Prof Ylva Rodny-Gumede, who
have all contributed chapters in
the book to be part of the
facilitated conversation.
The book publisher Kassahun
Checole (Africa World Press)
gave his closing remarks.
From left: Prof Alex Broadbent, Kgomotso Mokoena,Tembeka Ngcukaitobi,
Dr Justin Wanki, and Dr Mispa Roux
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 39

Library BOOK DISCUSSIONS
Redi Tlhabi addresses Power Issues
through her book Khwezi
From left: Dr Mispa Roux, Leila Abdool-Gafoor, Redi Tlhabi, Prof Shahana Rasool and Sr Rainny Nkhatho
The Library hosted Redi Tlhabi
to discuss her book Khwezi - The
remarkable story of Fezekile Ntsukela
Kuzwayo. The discussion was cohosted
with the UJ Institutional
Office for HIV & AIDS (IOHA),
the Akani Ladies Day House and
PsyCaD. Prof Shahana Rasool,
HoD Social Work and Dr Mispa
Roux, Senior Lecturer Faculty of
Law, served as panellists.
The book is an account of the
life of President Jacob Zuma’s
rape accuser Fezekile Kuzwayo.
In sensitive and considered prose,
journalist Redi Tlhabi breathes
life into a woman who, for so long
was forced to live in the shadows.
In giving agency back to Khwezi,
Tlhabi is able to focus a broader
lens on the sexual abuse that
abounded during the ‘struggle’
years, abuse which continues to
plague women and children in
South Africa today.
“Fezekile Kuzwayo represented
something much larger than the
life of a young woman”, Tlhabi
writes. “She was not just Zuma’s
rape accuser, although that
chapter should have been a salient
one in the development of our
nation. We should have learnt to
interrogate the language of power.
We should have walked away from
her story with an understanding of
the complexities of power relations
and how they can destroy lives
and contaminate the space for
debate. We should have had a
more cerebral and compassionate
understanding about patriarchy
as performed and lived by both
the women and men who were
intent on lynching Fezekile.”
40 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

Focus on SA History:
Prof Marwala talks about
King Makhado Ramabulana
Prof Marwala recently addressed
the audience attending the book
discussion dedicated to King
Makhado Ramabulana. The book
written by Mphaya Nemudzivhadi
traces the life and times of King
Makhado and his refusal to
carry the colonial and imperial
yoke from 1864-1895. This wildly
researched book goes a long way
in providing valuable information
about South African History.
Prof Tshilidzi Marwala
Dr Simphiwe Nojiyeza, HOD
Anthropology and Development
Studies, gave a detailed analysis
of the book and its relevance in
today’s context. Some members
of the Ramabulana descendants
were present and contributed
to the discussion. Remani
Mulangaphuma represented
the publishing house, Dzuvha
Publishers. Rendani Ladzani,
daughter of the author, thanked
the audience on behalf
of her father.
From left: Dr Simphiwe Nojiyeza, Rendani Ladzani, Remani Mulangaphuma,
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 41

PUBLIC DIALOGUES
hosted in the library
Funding for SMMEs addressed through
the Richard Maponya Think Tank
The Johannesburg Business School in partnership with the UJ Library
and the Dr Richard Maponya Institute hosted the annual Think Tank
exploring The Science of Funding for SMMEs. This event is one of four
main interlinked events for the year aimed at shaping and building the
conversation on funding to support SMMEs. Contributions from the
Think Tank inform the focus of
the Dr Richard Maponya Annual
Soweto Conference as well as the
annual lecture to be hosted later
this year.
The panel discussion which was
facilitated by Ntsiki Mkhize (former
Miss SA Runner-up) included the
following:
• Vuyo Tofile, CEO of EntBank
• Darlene Menzies,
CEO of FinFind
• Khosi Mvulane,
MD at GAD Consulting Services
• Jack Stroucken, Consulting,
SMME Funding
From left: Alrina de Bruyn, Khosi Mvulane, Jack Stroucken,
Moipone Molotsi, Roy Maponya, Ntsike Mkhize, Darlene Menzies,
and Vuyo Tofile
The conversation was very
insightful as it unpacked the main
funding opportunities available to
SMMEs; how funding institutions
operate and what they’re
looking for and how SMMEs can
prepare themselves to be better
candidates for funding.
Satellite
Cooperation:
The Next Frontier
of Sino-African
Relations?
From left: Dr David Monyae, Dr Zhu Ming, Prof Arthur Mutambara, Prof Esther
Akinlabi, Prof Wally Serote and Essop Pahad
The UJ Confucius Institute recently
held a number of seminars in
partnership with the Library.
During the month of June, Dr Zhu
Ming, a Research Fellow of the
Centre for West Asian and African
Studies of the Shanghai Institute
for International Studies (SIIS),
42 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

was invited to talk about:
Satellite Cooperation: The Next
Frontier of Sino-African Relations?
Most of China’s satellite
cooperation with Africa is free,
and includes training, the provision
of satellite data, etc. In 2009,
within the FOCAC framework,
China launched the China-
Africa Science and Technology
Partnership Plan which aims to
promote technology transfer to
Africa, research exchanges, and
the sharing of more scientific and
technological achievements. Major
successes have been registered,
and by the end of 2012, China
had cooperated with African
countries on 115 joint research
and technology demonstration
projects, including projects
relating to cashew pest control
technology and resources
satellite receiving stations.
While many of these
collaborations have been bilateral,
some multilateral and more
integrated satellite initiatives
have also emerged. Dr Zhu Ming
delivered this special public
lecture, and argued that these
practices can be understood as
forming part of a grander plan in
sync with China’s re-globalisation
strategy (as articulated at a recent
UJCI seminar by Prof Wang Dong
of Peking University). As Dr Zhu
argued, these initiatives should
be viewed as components of
or steps towards the BRI Space
Information Corridor.
Prof Arthur Mutambara was the
respondent, and he tried to
extract from the lecture some
central questions, including:
What are the practical
applications to be derived from
the collaboration? Which countries
are China’s primary partners
in this sector? How are Africa’s
developmental plans, as laid out
in Agenda 2063, being understood
and incorporated in Beijing?
The seminar also addressed the
extent to which Africa is gearing
itself up to be an independent
player in the area of satellites
and space exploration.
Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation
discussed the ANC’s Status Quo
From left: Cecilia Moyo, Prof Mzukisi Qobo, Prof Raymond Suttner, Natasha Marrian
The University of Johannesburg’s
(UJ) Institute for Pan-African
Thought and Conversation, in
collaboration with the University
of Johannesburg Library, held a
public dialogue on: The ANC
in transition.
The discussion focused on the
current political issues surrounding
the ANC and what the future
holds. The dialogue was chaired
by Prof Mzukisi Qobo, Associate
Professor, and Deputy SARChl
Chair in African Diplomacy and
Foreign Policy, University of
Johannesburg. Prof Raymond
Suttner, Researcher and Analyst,
Professor at the University of
Johannesburg Humanities
Faculty; and Professor Emeritus
at the University of South Africa,
was the keynote speaker with
Ms Natasha Marrian, Political
Editor for Business Day serving
as a discussant.
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 43

HKLM/COJ/0506
RE-IMAGINING
THE FUTURE TOGETHER
As the 4th Industrial Revolution begins to play a bigger role in the lives of all Africans, the Gauteng
Department of Infrastructure and Development is taking big steps to ensure that they are at the
fore of technological developments. And, how do they intend to maintain a cutting edge?
By partnering with the University of Johannesburg.
UJ has agreed to pave a way for the use of the latest technologies to ensure that the delivery
of social infrastructure is more efficient. We’re looking forward to giving the residents of Gauteng
a more streamlined user experience as we re-imagine the future of the province.
uj.ac.za/4IR
44 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

World Rankings
THE
(Times Higher
Education)
World University
Rankings
(THE WUR)
QS
World University
Rankings
(QS WUR)
US News and World
Report’s Best Global
Universities Rankings
(BGUR)
University Ranking by
Academic Performance
(URAP)
Center for
World University
Rankings
(CWUR)
Latest Edition: 2018
Latest Edition: 2019
Latest Edition: 2018
Latest Edition: 2017/2018
Latest Edition: 2018/2019
Release Year: 2017
Release Year: 2018
Release Year: 2017
Release Year: 2017
Release Year: 2018
World Rank:
601–800 (*637)
World Rank:
551–560
World Rank:
457
World Rank:
655
World Rank:
790
Africa Rank: 6th
Africa Rank: 6th
Africa Rank: 7th
Africa Rank: 8th
Africa Rank: 9th
South Africa Rank: 5th
South Africa Rank: 4th
South Africa Rank: 6th
South Africa Rank: 6th
South Africa Rank: 6th
Alumni Benefits
• Access to the UJ gym at R200 per month with a R75 annual joining fee.
• Access to the UJ Library at a discounted rate.
• 10% discount on UJFM advertisements.
For more information visit www.uj.ac.za/alumni
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 45

MBA
LAUNCHING 2020
www.jbs.ac.za
JOHANNESBURG BUSINESS SCHOOL WILL
SOON LAUNCH ITS MBA
At UJ, we understand that higher education is vital for Industry 4.0, and in doing so,
ensuring Africa becomes future fit.
The Johannesburg Business School (JBS) forms part of the College of Business and
Economics at UJ and consists of more than 100 full-time faculty members. As the largest
business school in Africa, with over 10 000 students, the JBS has a clear focus on African
management and leadership in the local and global context. The school provides an
interface for a Business Academia Ecosystem, which will stimulate and inform purposedriven
business practices with a collective impact.
From the strong foundations of UJ, with its rich academic heritage, the JBS, led by Professor
Lyal White and his team, is creating an accessible and progressive business school suited for
Africa. By embracing new technology to support teaching, the JBS will enable the creation
of innovative new business models and produce visionary leaders geared for progress across
the continent and connected to the world at large.
Visit our website www.jbs.ac.za for more information or email mba@jbs.ac.za