Staff Reporter

THE University of Cape Town (UCT)’s incoming Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mosa Moshabela, will commence his tenure on 1 August 2024.

Further to the announcement of 24 May 2024 conveying the decision of the UCT Council to appoint Professor Moshabela, the incoming vice-chancellor has since become available to take up the appointment earlier than 1 October 2024.

He will succeed Emeritus Professor Daya Reddy, who has led UCT on an interim basis since March 2023.

Chair of Council, Norman Arendse (SC), said: “Professor Reddy, who is in full support of the earlier start date, will step down as vice-chancellor interim on 31 July 2024 and will continue to be available to support Professor Moshabela in a part-time advisory capacity for a period that is to be determined.

“UCT owes Professor Reddy a debt of gratitude for taking on the responsibilities of vice-chancellor at a very challenging time for our institution, and making a significant leadership contribution when it was most needed. 

“The UCT Council extends its deep gratitude to Professor Reddy and welcomes Professor Moshabela as the next vice-chancellor with effect from 1 August 2024.”

The new UCT Council, which held its first plenary meeting on Saturday, 6 July 2024, has been constituted and all members (30 in total) have been appointed in terms of the institutional statute. 

The most immediate order of business was for Council to elect its chairperson and deputy and appoint members and chairpersons of key Council committees. Arendse was elected as Council chairperson, and Nomarashiya Caluza as deputy chairperson.

“Ms Caluza and I are honoured to have been elected to serve as the deputy chairperson and chairperson of the Council, respectively. We, and each of the members of the Council, embrace the fiduciary duties and associated responsibilities that we now have, and I am confident that as a Council, we will work collectively in the best interest of UCT.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Sports Reporter

Allanzo DONN-LEA Mapoe survived a scare of losing his sight in Grade 3. When he was in Grade 6, a sister at the special school he attended predicted that he would only be able to gather information until the end of Grade 7.

Today, he is a second-year BA student at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and a star cricket player.

Mapoe was born with cortical blindness, a condition that occurs when one loses their visual perception due to damage to specific brain areas. But Mapoe defied the odds to complete high school with good results and got into university. He excelled in sports and set his sights on representing his country on the world stage.

“From what the sisters told me in Grade 6, I’m overachieving. It is not supposed to be possible to do what I do, but I’m doing it. I’m truly grateful for what I’m achieving, and I’m hungry to achieve even more,” he said.

Mapoe was dealt a terrible blow when he missed the selection for the national blind cricket team – a sport he played from a young age – for the next Blind Cricket World Cup in Pakistan later this year.

“The afternoon I found out, I was sad and angry because I thought I would get the invitation to the national team. I left everything on the playing field during those past days. But my mother texted me to say I mustn’t be worried, as this time around, it might not be my time. God’s time is right, and He is preparing me for something big,” he said.

Mapoe vowed to work even harder to earn the national call-up in the future.

This is evident in his improved performance for the Boland provincial team at this year’s Blind Cricket South Africa (BCSA) T20 National Tournament, held in Potchefstroom in April.

“I had a wonderful tournament, taking five wickets and ending fourth overall. It is hard to take wickets in blind cricket because the bat is straight down on the pitch, and they mostly play swift shots. Getting so many wickets was pretty odd. But yeah, there is improvement for me. I would love to be on the Proteas team one day and don the green and gold. It has been a dream of mine since I was young, and I will wear the South African badge on my chest,” he said.

Born in Oudtshoorn and raised in Worcester, Mapoe’s love affair with the sport started when he watched cricket on television with his aunt and uncles.

When his friends introduced him to blind cricket at school, he loved it.

“I remember the first time I made zero runs. They bowled me out. Then I made eight, 10, 11, and then 21 runs, which became my highest score for quite some time. But then I got the knack of it. I love this game, and I have the desire to win. It gives me hope in life. That’s what blind cricket does for me.”

The all-rounder is the captain of Worcester Victorians in club cricket and has been grateful for the support UWC has offered him toward his studies.

“The university is supportive of students with disabilities. The Disability Unit is always available to help, and I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. It’s so nice to know some people will support you through and through and walk the journey with you.”

On the sporting front, he believes the university could do more to support all athletes with disabilities. “They should just give us the necessary facilities that we can use. For me, in cricket, it’s just the nets to practice. I think the university is still learning when it comes to disability sports.”

The UWC Sports Council is reviving efforts to promote para-sports on campus. Plans are afoot to ensure that athletes with disabilities like Mapoe will be given the necessary resources to reach their sporting goals.

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Johnathan Paoli

ActionSA has welcomed the Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka’s recent report into the mismanaged construction of the Mayibuye Primary school.

Gauteng Provincial Caucus leader Funzi Ngobeni said on Thursday this case not only had taxpayer funds wasted, but also persistent delays caused by the negligence of the provincial government denied the Tembisa community access to the sorely-needed school for years.

Ngobeni said the poor project management by both the Department of Education and the Department of Infrastructure Development caused taxpayers to forfeit R10 million due to a nearly two-year delay in handing the site to the contractors.

He said the school serves as an example of the widespread mismanagement and incompetence across provincial government departments and agencies in Gauteng, which either fail to deliver projects or poorly manage them.

“This is exactly why ActionSA believes in stricter performance and consequence management practices in supply chain and procurement processes that hold under-performing and non-performing service providers accountable, and as made evident in this matter, that expectation must also extend to government departments and their officials involved in procurement and project management,” Ngobeni said.

The caucus leader said his party would closely monitor both departments’ compliance with the remedial actions suggested by the PP’s reports.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Gauteng similarly welcomed the public protector report, but said the remedies suggested were too light for the seriousness of the crimes.

Provincial Chair Nkululeko Dunga said harsher accountability was required in order to deter criminality and misconduct in public office.

“The EFF Gauteng asserts that true accountability for this incident, which directly impacted human rights of the people of Mayibuye informal settlement and Gauteng at large, requires those responsible for maladministration to face the consequences,” Dunga said.

Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng, however, has rejected the report and called for an official inquiry into the case.

DA Shadow MEC for Infrastructure Development Alan Fuchs said the ANC-led provincial government has backtracked on its decision to hold a formal inquiry and was protecting officials implicated.

Fuchs said the provincial legislature speaker approved an official inquiry into the matter, however, after the delay, no official inquiry was to take place, with the PP report only calling for preventative measures going forward.

“This is a clear indication that the government is undermining the institution that has a mandate to protect the interests of Gauteng residents,” Fuchs said.

The project was approved in August 2015 but spanned over eight years due to numerous administrative and technical incompetencies by the GDID and GDE under former MECs Nandi Mayathula-Khoza and Panyaza Lesufi, respectively.

According to a report released by the Public Protector of South Africa, procurement and supply chain procedures were violated during the contract awarded to Basic Blue/NEBAVEST for school construction.

Her report mandated that both departments adhere to and report on compliance, as well as implement strict monitoring mechanisms and cost control measures for all future projects to ensure that this negligent conduct is not repeated.

Additionally, the school was built atop an old sewer line without a wetland study, resulting in significant delays and additional costs.

After the contract was awarded, it took the contractor over a year to obtain site permission, resulting in R10 million in compensation.

Although construction was completed in 2017, the school remained unusable due to the hazardous wetlands.

The project was intended to accommodate over 2,000 learners from the Mayibuye Informal Settlement, Thembisa.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Johnathan Paoli

THE South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) has noted the appointment of Nobuhle Nkabane as the Minister of Higher Education and said it hoped her appointment would usher in a new drive for transformation and the rooting out of corruption.

“We would like to see her challenging the stubbornness of higher education institutions to decolonise the curriculum and being resolute in rooting out corruption in institutions of higher learning and SETAs,” the union said.

The union further called on the Minister to focus on rooting out corruption in NSFAS and in TVET colleges, with immediate effect, “where colleges are managed Hollywood-style where everyone is acting”.

Sadtu said there was an urgent need for collective bargaining and there was clearly an obligation by the government to meet the needs of the country as it related to higher education.

President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Nkabane as Minister of Higher Education last week, taking over from former higher education minister Blade Nzimande, who was moved to Science, Innovation and Technology.

She previously served as the Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy from 2021 until this year.

Nkabane holds a BA (Honours) in Administration, an MBA, and a PhD in Administration, and is currently studying towards further qualifications at Wits and the University of London.

She has over 9 post-matric qualifications and impeccable public service experience.

Nkabane has experience as a tutor at the University of South Africa, which should stand her in good stead in dealing with student challenges ranging from financial to academic stress.

Throughout the previous administration, issues relating to increased tuition fees, outstanding student debt, and disruptions in the distribution of financial assistance have affected students.

Academics, institutions and students have expressed high anticipation of Nkabane’s contribution to possible reforms that will tackle long-standing challenges and create a fair and encouraging higher education environment in the country.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Staff Reporter

In 2020, during her gap year, Asenathi Unabantu Mjacu, a third-year student at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), embarked on an unexpected journey. With time on her hands and a desire to stay productive, she started a clothing line despite initially not having a deep passion for fashion.

Mjacu mastered the craft of sewing and designing outfits, relying solely on her determination and online resources, including YouTube and TikTok tutorials.

The 23-year-old purchased her first sewing machine using an R1000 voucher awarded by the Mayor of Mossel Bay for her matric performance. This pivotal moment marked the beginning of her fashion line, Asenathi Couture.

“In Mossel Bay, when you pass matric with good marks, the Mayor invites all those learners and awards us vouchers. I didn’t consider myself a top student, but I suppose I did well enough to be recognised by the school for academic achievements,” said the third-year Sports Science student.

Her first order came from a high school friend who saw her work on Facebook. The positive response and subsequent orders encouraged Mjacu to continue. Her first creation was a yellow outfit with a skirt and a tunic top. This early success led to more orders, primarily promoted on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.

“For clients outside Cape Town, requests are telephonic, and they send me pictures. I need the client’s waist and bust size and a full-length photo of the client. From there, I require a 50% deposit, purchase the material, and start with the garment. My turnaround time is two weeks.” But few things in life come without the challenges. One of the most difficult aspects of her work has been creating intricate designs like matric dance dresses, mainly due to the complex materials.

“Sometimes the material is very delicate, and it’s hard to sew intricate accessories.” Despite these hurdles, she has received big orders, which she tackles head-on as a one-woman show.

“I received an order from an entrepreneur with his clothing line. He ordered 15 hoodies and about 12 tracksuit sets. That’s been my biggest order to date. It was difficult to manage alone.”

The full-time student said balancing her studies with her growing fashion business has been difficult. Time management and dealing with diverse client personalities are ongoing challenges. Despite this, she has maintained a policy requiring a 50% upfront payment to ensure client commitment.

It’s been over four years since Asenathi Couture started, but the Mossel Bay local has big plans. She hopes to continue her studies and later pursue short courses in fashion design. Her goal is to register her business and expand its reach officially.

She advised other students to consider starting “side hustles” or small companies to support their finances, emphasising the importance of self-reliance and entrepreneurship.

Through her journey, Asenathi Unabantu Mjacu exemplifies the power of initiative and self-education, transforming a gap year into a thriving business venture.

INSIDE EDUCATION