ISSUE #5 July 2020 OFFICIAL UJ ALUMNI MAGAZINE

UJ goes virtual
for 2020
graduations

Reimagining the world

after Covid-19

UJ’s medical UJ creates UJs CA

school starts open-source, candidates
its journey to affordable achieved 92%
fruition ventilators as pass rate in
COVID-19 SAICA 2019
cases rise exams
UJ IN THE RANKINGS 
Rank in Rank in Rank in
Latest Edition
World Rankings the World Africa South Africa

QS World University Rankings (QS WUR) 2021 439 4th 3rd

Center for World University

2020-2021 706 7th 6th
Rankings (CWUR)

Webometrics Ranking of
World Universities Jan 2020 822 7th 6th
(Ranking Web of Universities)

Impact Rankings
Times Higher Education (THE)
University Impact Rankings (THE UIR) 2020 75 1st 1st
Overall Ranking

Regional Rankings
Times Higher Education (THE)
Emerging Economies University 2020 118 12th 7th
Rankings (THE EEUR)

Stay Connected
www.uj.ac.za/alumni

2 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
CONTENTS
+
COVID-19
1 Reimagining the world after COVID-19
1 Data and delusion after COVID-19
2 Covid 19 and the Emerging World Order
13
UJFM scoops Best
Station Imaging award
in virtual 2020 Radio
Awards

2 Creating tomorrow: The “Ethics in 4IR” Episode

4 UJ creates open-source, affordable ventilators as COVID-19 cases rise
5 UJ Centre for Africa-China Studies looks at economic fallout of COVID-19
7 COVID-19 social distancing is tried and tested best practice - UJ mathematicians

21
8 UJ Library develops 3D printed face shields to fight COVID-19
9 New documentary shows hazards of COVID-19 lockdowns for global poor
Prof Saurabh Sinha: Inclusive online education and innovation in
11 COVID-19 period and the Fourth Industrial Revolution era
INSIGHTS Prof Tshilidzi Marwala:
SA must have a stake
15 5G and claims of its danger to human health: Myth, fact or something in between in developing AI
19 UJ is readying Industry for the Fourth Industrial Revolution technology
23 Iran-South Africa relations explored in high-powered CACS seminar
24 UJ and Germany step up student mobility cooperation
25 UJ’s medical school starts its journey to fruition
THE SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTING

32
26 With SAICA/UJs 100% online courses, CAs are future proof
29 UJs CA candidates achieve 92% pass rate in SAICA 2019 exams
Bonginkosi Kalipa: UJ student’s farming project clinched a top spot at
30 2019 Student Leadership Summit
31 PGDip student James Chang named ‘one of the finest’ at GradStar SA Awards Mpho Mookapele, SAICA
33 Ronel Jooste: The courage to put dreams and plans into action Top 35-Under-35 winner
35 Dion Mhlaba: Soaring like an eagle
GRADUATIONS
37 Prof Boitumelo Molebogeng Diale: A message from the UJ Convocation President”
37 UJ goes virtual for 2020 graduations
38 Matthew Slabbert: The most exciting challenge is not yet knowing
39 Shene de Rijk: Increasing the Reach of Helpful Mental Healthcare

54
41 Tayla Zurfluh: Changing the world one foot at a time
43 Dylan Durieux: Applied mathematicians are at the forefront of 4IR and Covid-19
44 John Generalis: Artists and their work are the measures of a healthy democracy
46 Mafor Penn: Embracing changing education in a changing world Sven Botha:
48 Ronny Tebeta: A modern scientist looking to change the world Defining my own
50 Yorgo Yiannakis: Technology changes law Limitations
51 Megan Geldenhuys: Nursing’s “Butterfly Effect”
52 Khesa Pitso: Aquatic health for the future sustainability of essential industries

Editorial Team
In this edition, you will find some of UJ’s recent
success stories, that is why the magazine is called
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO, which means success in
IsiZulu. Through this publication we take time to
celebrate some Illustrious Alumni, Events, Research
and graduates. We invite you to follow us on social
media and update your contact details on the UJ
website. This will allow us to re-connect with you
and for you to share in UJ’s journey. This journey
includes positioning UJ as a leader in the Fourth
Industrial Revolution.

From left: Mr Lubuto Kalenga, Prof Kinta Burger, Mr Nell Ledwaba, Dr Tinus van Zyl
 COVID-19

WEBINARS
Reimagining the world after COVID-19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea-FFTSuuaQ&feature=youtu.be

What will the world look like when key aspects of the post-pandemic education, the environment, and
it emerges from isolation and future: from the impacts on the the future world of work.
the consequences of COVID-19? humanity, the economy, health,
Predicting what will happen
post-COVID 19 is difficult, as the
pandemic continues to impact
on the world economies and
other sectors of society, for an
unforeseen future. Never before
has there been a time such as this,
when governments, businesses
and NGOs have to readjust their
operations as they navigate
the disruptions caused by the
pandemic. This series of webinars
is designed to provide a wide-
ranging collective examination of

Data and delusion after COVID 19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o2ru3me9qs&feature=youtu.be

The rise of COVID-19 has seen

an increase in overall news
consumption. This has created a
frenzy for “live figures” among
members of the public, with each
one of us rigorously checking the
latest dashboards, graphs and
visualisations. These are filled with
updates on the COVID-19 numbers
in our towns, municipalities,
countries and the world. These
were some of the views during the
third session of the University of
Johannesburg’s (UJ) webinar series
that reimagines the world after of our time. The panel of experts Boston, US). This series of webinars
the pandemic. Held on Wednesday, included Dr. Shakir Mohamed is designed to provide a wide-
27 May 2020, the event was held (Senior Researcher at DeepMind ranging collective examination of
under the theme Reimagining Data in London, UK); Professor Charis key aspects of the post-pandemic
and Delusion after COVID, and Harley (an academic in the Faculty future: from the impacts on the
in particular how humanity have of Engineering and the Built humanity, the economy, health,
been misunderstanding the data Environment at UJ) and Professor education, the environment, and
behind COVID-19 and why data Olaf Dammann, (Vice-Chair of the future world of work.
literacy is the make or break skill Public Health at Tufts University in

1 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
WEBINARS
Covid 19 and the Emerging World Order
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa1id1muLLY&feature=youtu.be

The recent outbreak of Covid-19

and the global powers’ actions
and inactions have ignited debates
on the post-Covid-19 world order.
While the current world order was
already at a crossroads prior to
the emergence of the pandemic
partly due to the United States’
(USA) retreat from international
affairs, “America First” posture,
and the rise of the rest (China in
particular); USA’s slow response
during this global crisis has
presented an opportunity for
China to fill the leadership gap in
the fight against the pandemic.
This begs critical questions: Has
the pandemic changed the world
order? Has the USA global influence the future of globalisation? What is world? Will African regional powers
further declined? How has Covid-19 the role of the United Nations (UN) such as South Africa and Nigeria
changed China’s global position? in the emerging global order? Will play a significant role in post-
In light of the pandemic, what is post-Covid-19 mark post-America Covid-19 world order?

Creating Tomorrow: The “Ethics in 4IR” Episode

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbs8C7CHOt4&t=1s

The future rules Ethics for the

4th Industrial Revolution Artificial
intelligence, artificial life, deep
learning. Social media, and big
data, open data, personal data
and data mining – all of these are
fundamental building blocks for
the Fourth Industrial Revolution
(4IR). They’re exciting. They are
powerful, and they are making
their presence felt everywhere,
which is what makes many fearful
– and that’s before we even get to
cyber warfare, hypercomputation
and social media. And, even more
recently, the potential inequities
arising from Covid-19.

ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 2
3 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

UJ creates open-
source, affordable
VENTILATORS as
COVID-19 cases rise
Video link: https://youtu.be/0R_BtDySHg4
A multidisciplinary team of
engineers and healthcare
practitioners at the University of
Johannesburg (UJ) has taken a
three-pronged approach towards
support for critical care technology
development in response to
the COVID-19 crisis, which is
expected to peak between July
and September this year in South
Africa.
Responding to initial reports
that between 40%-70% of South
Africans could get infected with
Covid-19, depending on the
national response to the crisis, the
Faculty of Engineering and the
Built Environment (FEBE) has been
coordinating efforts to further
develop open-source ventilators,
support repair and maintenance
efforts to bring out-of-warranty
equipment into service, and
to make rapid prototyping
facilities available to enable PPE
manufacturing.
Reports in late April indicated that
South Africa had less than half the
number of ventilators needed to
deal with peak infections. Public
healthcare system had 1 111
operational ventilators, with
2 105 operational in the private
healthcare system.
The team, led by UJ’s Dr Deon
Sabatta and Dr Samson Masebinu,
identified several simple, safe and
scalable open-source designs that
could meet the strict specifications
for use with patients if further
developed and tested. By building
on open-source designs, the team
has developed a minimal viable
product with elements that can
be produced through 3D printing
and laser cutting techniques.
These designs will support the
development of the critical control
systems that protect a patient
supported by a ventilator.
Said Dr Sabatta, “Ventilators are
complex medical devices, and
it is more intricate than simply
squeezing a bag. Our product
includes devices such as pressure
sensors, flow sensors, and a
number of control algorithms.
It can, therefore, be set up to
perform more advanced ventilation
tasks such as Pressure Support
Ventilation (PSV) or Synchronous
Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation
(SIMV). This is a step up in
ventilation support, by being able
to assist patients further when they
are tiring from being on Continuous
Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
systems for extended periods
of time.”
The UJ Process Energy and
Environmental Technology Station
(UJ-PEETS) is supporting efforts
to identify decommissioned
ventilators at public and private
hospitals to bring out-of-
service equipment back online,
focusing their efforts on e-waste
reduction in a circular economy to
support the medical engineering
maintenance programmes at
hospitals.
“Through our repair and
maintenance undertaking, this
assignment will build on the
principles of circularity and
create employment opportunities
since there are large amounts of
equipment that can be repaired
and calibrated for reuse, especially
beyond our borders in South
Africa,” explained Dr Masebinu.
“There is no sector more critical
at this moment than healthcare,
which is why we are proud to play
a role in helping to produce and
revamp these critical life-saving
devices.”
The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted
the skills shortage in facility and
technical equipment maintenance
at health care facilities, not only in
South Africa but on the continent.
The UJ-PEETS team is gearing up
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 4
to support and upskill SMEs in the
clinical technical services sector
to deliver on the 500% to 1 000%
growth in ventilator production
needed globally to prevent
unnecessary deaths due to the
UJ Centre for Africa-China
Studies looks at economic
fallout of COVID-19
Video link: https://youtu.be/1XC-Ih0ZqH4
​ OVID-19 has significantly
C restaurants, and shops closed,
disrupted economies due to
quarantines, restrictions on travel,
factory closures and a sharp decline
in many service sector activities. Its
impact on business in Africa was
specifically focused on during a
webinar by the Centre for Africa-
China Studies (CACS), held on
Thursday 16 April 2020.
The webinar featured
presentations by Hannah Ryder,
CEO of Development Re-imagined,
a ground-breaking international
development consultancy,
headquartered in Beijing, China;
Admassu Tadesse, President and
CEO of the Eastern and Southern
African Trade and Development
Bank (TDB); and Prof Saurabh
Sinha, UJ’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor:
Research and Internationalisation,
who served as the chair of the
series.
“The outbreak presents a ‘twin-
threat’ to economic growth for
all countries, but especially in
Africa,” said Hannah Ryder. “The
first effect is a ‘demand-side’
shock. In simple terms, we all know
that several African (and other)
economies export goods to China,
to be used in factories or sold to
Chinese consumers. For instance,
Nigeria and Angola export oil to
China, and South Africa exports
precious metals to China. But with
lockdowns and other movement
restrictions, as factories,
5 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
shortage. The team at UJ invites
industry partners, researchers
and practitioners in the clinical
technical services sector to join
forces to fast track research and
prototype development, and
COVID-19 has slowed down the
demand in China for manufacturing
and consumer goods, and as a
result, imports of such goods
into China from Africa may be
disrupted, or prices may need to be
reduced. This might, in turn, lead
to production cuts and job losses in
African countries.
“The second type of COVID-19
impact is a ‘supply-side’ shock.
Many African (and other)
countries import goods that are
manufactured in China for use on
infrastructure projects, for sales
in shops, and much more. With
COVID-19, we have seen China
slashing its manufacturing, in turn
leading to less exports from China
to African countries, and/or exports
at higher prices. This affects
consumer demand in African
countries and can lead to the kinds
of empty shelves that are being
seen in Kenya,” said Ryder.
Development Re-imagined was
hoping that Africa as a region
would prove relatively resilient
to COVID-19 in both health and
economic terms. “But this is not
a given, and our initial analysis
suggests that effects on poverty
may well be exacerbated if
governments and development
partners only act on the basis
of media reports and singular
data. Our analysis is just the start
of better understanding these
support critical maintenance
activities to ensure that the project
can be scaled and replicated on the
continent. 
effects based on differences
between African countries and
their relationship with China,” said
Ryder.
Admassu Tadesse looked at how
African governments would
respond to the immense economic
fallout of Covid-19. “To pick
up commodity, trade has to be
opened. We currently don’t have
stimulus packages coming through,
we have to work very hard and see
if the commercial world can start
breathing.”
“Also, increasing liquidity buffers
to firms in affected sectors is
necessary to continue business and
avoid debt default by otherwise
sound enterprises. Reducing fixed
charges and taxes and credit
forbearance would also help to
ease the pressure on firms facing
an abrupt falloff in demand,”
explained Tadesse.
“Beyond health, the priority should
be people. Options include using
universal basic income (UBI) and
providing vulnerable households
with temporary cash transfers to
tide them over the loss of income
from work shutdowns and layoffs.”
“The G20 should lead a coordinated
policy response. In addition, if
countries announced coordinated
fiscal and monetary support,
confidence effects would
compound the effect of policies,”
Tadesse concluded.
COVID-19 social
distancing is
tried and tested
best practice -
UJ mathematicians
Considerable uncertainty surrounds played an important role in driving
COVID-19 – how long it will take the infection in South Africa,
before a vaccine is developed, especially in the initial stages of
the mortality rate and even how the pandemic. “The prevention of
many cases there have been so infections around the globe needs
far. But there is one thing of which special attention due to improved
we can be sure: social distancing mobility of humans. Particular
works, according to mathematical attention needs to be focused
modelling experts from UJ. on this group of people beyond
the lockdown, to ensure that
The team, led by UJ’s Prof Farai
only COVID-19 negative cases are
Nyabadza, an advanced researcher
allowed into the country,” he said.
in mathematical epidemiology,
includes Dr Faraimunashe Chirove, Social distancing had also been
Dr Maria Visaya and Mr Williams required for outbreaks of other
Chukwu. They crunched the diseases, such as the Ebola Virus
numbers and quantified the level Disease (EVD), he added. “During
of social distancing that can reduce the Ebola outbreak, educational
pass-on rates of COVID-19. campaigns, active case-finding
and pharmaceutical interventions
Their mathematical modelling
were among the most successful
found that by relaxing social
and efficient controls that helped
distancing, COVID-19 case numbers
to slow down the outbreak. As a
could rise to above 4 000 cases
result, Ebola could be controlled by
by the end of the lockdown. The
finding and isolating symptomatic
model found that relaxing social
cases. That appears not to be the
distancing by 2% could result
situation for COVID-19, due to
in a 23% rise in the number of
the wide spectrum of symptoms
cumulative cases; and increasing
and the evolving scientific
social distancing levels by 2%
investigations with regard to the
would reduce the number of
pandemic.”
cumulative cases by about 18%.
The results of social distancing
Based on their model, increasing
may not be seen immediately, he
social distancing levels from 55%
concluded, because of the time
to 57% (ρ = 0.43), 59% (ρ = 0.41)
lag between transmission and
and 61% (ρ = 0.39) would avert
individuals becoming infected and
cumulative cases by about 18%,
displaying symptoms. However,
32% and 53%, respectively, by the
as his calculation demonstrates,
end of lockdown.
measures implemented now can
Prof Nyabadza said that individuals be expected to have substantial
migrating into South Africa had effects on future case numbers.

7 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
UJ Library Makerspace
develops 3D printed face
shields to fight COVID-19
​ he UJ Library Makerspace team
T and sanitisers from local and
at the University of Johannesburg
(UJ) have joined efforts to curb the
spread the COVID-19 pandemic by
developing vital protective face
shields.
The Makerspace team began
using 3D printing and laser cutting
equipment to produce surgical face
shields in an effort to meet the
rapidly growing need for personal
protective equipment (PPE) for
healthcare workers in the midst of
the coronavirus crisis.
The UJ Makerspace lab, based on
the Doornfontein Campus (DFC),
can do prototyping and small-
batch production very rapidly and
inexpensively, and by the middle
of May, 10 shields had been
distributed to various campus
clinics at the University, with
another seven destined for Netcare
911, according to UJ’s Makerspace
expert Rudie Strauss.
This has alleviated the scramble by
state suppliers to secure essential
equipment such as ventilators,
masks, gloves, respirators
international manufacturers.
The global demand for these
materials has meant there have
been significant delays in delivery,
sparking fears that deliveries might
be too late to save some of the
pandemic’s victims.
The protective equipment is
being distributed for free to
healthcare professionals. A
piece of polyethylene sheeting
is attached to the visor to act
as a protective barrier between
healthcare workers and patients.
The polyethylene can be either
sanitised between uses or replaced.
At least 15 shields can be produced
each day by the Makerspace lab.
However, the team has been
working on designs solely involving
laser cutting that could increase
the rate of production to more
than 50 per day.
“The equipment is in demand right
now as we are being forced to
come up with improvised solutions
to address the lack of traditional
equipment and devices. Also,
this material that we are using
is hard to find. The frames for
the face shields are made by 3D
printers and the shields are laser
cut from sheets of old and thick
transparencies,” Strauss explained.
“One of the unforeseen advantages
of these face shields is that they
are recycling old transparency
sheets that would otherwise be
adding to our plastic pollution,” he
said.
The UJ Library Makerspace
professionals teamed up with UJ’s
Faculty of Engineering and the
Built Environment (FEBE), Health
Sciences, the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers South
Africa section, as well as the
National Science and Technology
Forum (NSTF), which offers
3D printing and other creative
technologies.
Strauss said although the shields
are not made to medical standards,
they can be printed on demand for
use when better alternatives are
not yet available.
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 8
New documentary exposes
hazards of COVID-19
lockdowns for global poor
Video link: https://vimeo.com/407306666

A UJ-RESEARCHED The problems facing vulnerable The documentary, researched by

DOCUMENTARY EXPOSES
THE FACE OF POVERTY,
STARVATION AND DISEASE
UNDER LOCKDOWN IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. 
communities throughout Africa
may be multiplied by lockdowns,
as is clearly shown by a
documentary titled COVID on
the Breadline, which explores the
lockdown implications in
the developing world.
director of UJ’s Institute for the
Future of Knowledge, Prof Alex
Broadbent, in partnership with
Tom Gibb, executive director of
Picturing Health, producers of
public health information films,
demonstrates the sobering impact

9 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
 “A LOCKDOWN IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE IN MALAWI.
INSTEAD WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS THAT THE
CORONAVIRUS PROBLEM CAN DOUBLE BECAUSE PEOPLE
HAVE NO ALTERNATIVES AS THEY WILL PREVENT THE
DISEASE BUT DIE OF HUNGER.”

of severe lockdown measures on
disadvantaged communities in the
developing world.  the documentary shows.
In the film, individuals from poor
backgrounds in South Africa,
Malawi, Uganda, and Zambia, as
well as across the globe in Glasgow
and Stockholm talk candidly
about their livelihoods under
the lockdown, a challenge that
is especially acute in developing
nations with significant populations
living hand-to-mouth.
A strong point is that by far the
biggest risk factor for serious,
critical or fatal COVID-19 is age. Of
the more than 126 000 COVID-19
deaths recorded at the time of
filming, most were among over-
60s in the developed world.
By contrast, 5 million children
under five die of preventable
causes annually, and 800 000 of
pneumonia alone.
This means that on average, over
1.5m children die of preventable
causes each year, without
triggering a global response,
raising serious questions about
the global community’s attitude to
life in developing regions. These
inequalities are not lost on local
people and community workers, as
“In Africa, we have a very low life
expectancy within the region,
with just 3% of sub-Saharan Africa
making it past 65 and thus into the
age-range where risk of serious,
critical and fatal disease appears
to rise dramatically in developed
countries,” says Prof Broadbent.
“By contrast, 20% of Europeans
are over 65, and the median age is
42, compared to just 18 in Africa.
If age is a good predictor of risk
of serious disease in the African
context, then susceptibility may be
reduced accordingly.
“This film encourages a fuller
cost-benefit analysis of lockdown.
Not only are the costs higher
for developing regions, but the
benefits may be lower. The benefit
of lockdown must be measured
as the reduction of the risk the
disease poses to population
health,” he says.
In Africa, where nearly 90% of
employment is in the informal
sector, people who eke out an
income by hawking roadside goods,
shining shoes or braiding tourist
hair have little way of surviving if
they are forced indoors.
The Masi Alli family are entirely
dependent on a weekly family
income of less than R800 from
selling hardware. The Nyaude
family survives on a weekly benefit
of less than R500 from selling
bananas.
In the documentary, Alli says, “A
lockdown is almost impossible in
Malawi. Instead what would happen
is that the Coronavirus problem
can double because people have
no alternatives as they will prevent
the disease but die of hunger.”
Anne Nyaude says she is one of the
people living in a rented slum and
it’s going to be challenging for her
to pay rent. “What are we going
to eat? It’s very difficult. I plead
with the government to prevent
the spread of the Coronavirus by
promoting cleanliness and social
distancing, and not by lockdown.”

ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 10
Prof Saurabh Sinha:
Inclusive online education
and innovation in COVID-19
period and the Fourth
Industrial Revolution era
WHILE THERE IS OVERWHELMING DESIRE ON THE
PART OF POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AND TRAINING
PROVIDERS AND STUDENTS TO SUCCEED WITH
ONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING, THERE MUST BE
RECOGNITION THAT A DIGITAL DIVIDE EXISTS AND
THERE IS, MORE THAN EVER BEFORE, THE NEED FOR
AN INCLUSIVE APPROACH.

By Saurabh Sinha
With the world gripped by fear and
uncertainties over the COVID-19
pandemic, questions are being
raised as to whether the post-
secondary education and training
(PSET) sector will be able to
complete the current academic
year.
As matters stand, universities are
scrambling for solutions to salvage
their academic programmes,
having extended their Easter
recess periods. And with the
pandemic showing no immediate
signs of abating, and with no end
in sight for the national lockdown,
the possibility of the education
sector being thrown into further
disarray could be looming large. An
academic year straddling two years
will create numerous problems.
It is in this context that within
the PSET sector, higher education
institutions (HEIs) in South Africa
may be best positioned to innovate
and to lead online education as
an alternative to contact, face-
to-face teaching and learning.
While HEIs certainly have this
ability to innovate, the enduring
problems of inequality of the
broader South African society
challenges this desire. Recently, I
have been inundated with queries
on social media or email from our
students or student leaders, and
contestation is frequently about
the online approach.
I will try to contextualise this
experience. In response to
uncertainty over the duration
of the lockdown, fear of an
increase in COVID-19 cases and
institutional regulations, many
students returned home. And with
universities now pushing for online
teaching and learning, one student
from Limpopo posted an image
in the description of his home
situation: a corrugated iron ‘house’
he shares with his siblings and
single mother. While the student is
supported by the National Student
Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), he
partially co-funds others in his
household.
The student receives a message
from his university, alerting him to
an announcement on the learning
management system (LMS). He
tries to log in through his mobile
phone, but the device does not
support the sophisticated interface
of the LMS. He reaches a fellow
student, who then forwards
the circular via WhatsApp. From
Johannesburg, another student
tweets a screenshot; her online
LMS experience is positive; and she
is perusing the orientation material
offered by the same university.
She comments that she finally has
a university education that gives
her learning flexibility. For internet
access, she benefits from the fibre
infrastructure of the city. Yet, the
experience is different to when
both are in Johannesburg and
seated in the same classroom, as
the setting makes their situation
somewhat uniform, and both
acquire education from a lecturer.
The PSET sector has a deep
understanding of this depicted
inequality, which some lecturers
have experienced first-hand, and
many see hope through education.
HEIs often quote Nelson Mandela’s

11 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
Long Walk to Freedom (1995):
“It is through education that
the daughter of a peasant can
become a doctor, that the son of
a mineworker can become the
head of the mine, that a child
of farmworkers can become the
president of a great nation. It is
what we make out of what we
have, not what we are given,
that separates one person from
another.”
While there is overwhelming desire
on the part of PSET providers and
students to succeed, there must
be recognition that a digital divide
exists and there is, more than ever
before, the need for an inclusive
approach. Aside from the digital
connectivity issue, the lockdown
period is one of anxiety for many.
Within these several scenarios
of this contrast, some possible
solutions and proposals are worth
considering by everybody involved
in the PSET education delivery
chain. In times like these, I must
hasten to say we should not look
beyond Leonardo da Vinci’s view
that, “Simplicity is the ultimate
sophistication.” Yes, I recognise
that HEIs may have a more
‘sophisticated’ approach, but the
focus of this article, is the PSET
sector more broadly.
Firstly, for the PSET provider
Mailing lists: Mailing lists can be
set up easily. For instance, there
is no cost to set up a mailing
list using Google Groups http://
groups.google.com. There are
advantages and students who have
slow internet access can download
files overnight. Students are
then guided through the course
material by way of email (easily
accessible to students and the
facilitator). They could also have a
‘group’ conversation. This approach
could be used, to some extent, to
emulate the classroom approach.
WhatsApp: Students and educators
or facilitators are almost always on
WhatsApp. Setting up a WhatsApp
group is relatively easy, and
students can opt to join. Once a
group has been set up, the settings
give the administrator an option:
‘Invite via link’, which can be used above is largely within the ‘sphere
to invite up to 255 additional of control’ for many students and
students and/or tutors. WhatsApp PSET providers.
offers options to ‘secure’ the
While it is important to
group and so on. This immediately
acknowledge that online education
establishes a mode for interactivity
is not a direct ‘replica’ of classroom
with students and staff. It can
education, its pedagogical mode
get hectic if many students
continues to develop. For this,
chat simultaneously, but peer
further capacitating is necessary.
assistance will develop organically
The approach to assessment,
and a senior tutor (at times an
virtualisation, and other aspects
alumnus may also volunteer time)
of academic delivery also requires
can be incorporated to provide
addressing. This is, however,
communication assistance.
beyond the scope of this article.
WhatsApp’s web interface http://
web.whatsapp.com could also
assist the facilitator. One should
keep to text-based content, which
consumes less data, or to audio
transmission/files (this, however,
requires more data). Video content
helps, but it is bandwidth intensive
and lecturers would need to
navigate the interaction together
with prescribed course material or
compressed files (which can also be
done over WhatsApp).
Localised websites: If one does
not have an LMS, there are open-
source options that can be set up
locally. A number of education
content websites, which are not
heavy on data traffic, can be Data access and cost: The list of
zero-rated by mobile providers. essential services should include
This may be a good way of going data access for those within the
about it. Of course, some of PSET sector. It requires government
these online techniques could to negotiate with mobile data
also assist the basic education providers, at the highest level, and
sector. The approach does require make a strategic commitment to
a combination with self-discipline zero-rated access to education.
and self-directed learning. The Zero-rating means certain websites
guidance of facilitators would be are designated for the ‘public
required to account for this stage good’ and those accessing these
of academic development. do not pay. From this commitment,
relevant technocrats will develop
Secondly, for the student a meaningful delivery approach.
Zero-rating can, however, be costly
Data saving: Data bundles
for the data provider and the PSET
can diminish quickly. To avoid
sector could initially be limited
this, use your mobile phone to
to text and audio. The costs may
restrict data access to apps that
require subsidisation (this should,
enable access to education. With
however, be seen as an investment)
higher usage of data, due to the
and/or a tax incentive.
COVID-19 lockdown, there is more
competitive pricing, so explore Devices: The ideal device for a
the options and keep network student is a laptop. It is important,
coverage in mind: Rain, MTN, Cell however, to recognise that
C, Telkom SA, Vodacom and FNB smartphones, perhaps with a
Connect. Some institutions have Bluetooth keyboard/mouse,
zero-rating, and this may also affect can offer a creative alternative.
your choice of mobile provider. The For example, a Samsung “DeX”
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 12
provides a larger display. This will
require public-private and possibly
international partnerships. During
this COVID-19 lockdown, as with
the tight and excellent monitoring
by the Competition Commission
and other arms of government,
any unfair price escalation or
tenderpreneuring should be dealt
with decisively!
A national LMS: While I fully
recognise that some HEIs use
internationally based LMS and
zero-rating, this is costly for this
grouping. We must recognise that
South Africa is developing the
SKA (the world’s largest antenna
project) in the Karoo desert.
Developing a localised LMS is quite
within its capability and for reasons
alluded to in the recommendations
of the Presidential Commission on
Ujfm scoops Best Station
Imaging award in virtual
2020 radio awards
​ outh Africa is finding new ways
S Show (presented by Nick Explicit),
of doing business in the wake of
the COVID-19 outbreak, evidenced
by the 2020 Radio Awards, which
were held virtually on Friday 17
April 2020, when UJ’s campus
radio station, UJFM 95.4, won the
Best Station Imaging award in the
Campus and Community
Combined category.
UJFM was nominated in seven
categories, including the Breakfast
13 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
the Fourth Industrial Revolution
(PC4IR), this is something that
needs to be done. South Africa
must develop data sovereignty.
Thus, put bluntly: there should
be recognition that technical
capability does exist in the country
and that technical people have
the ability to develop such an
LMS. Perhaps as a result of this
COVID-19 crisis, the PSET sector
can be clustered through shared
online provisioning.
I recognise a number of other
short-term demands, such as
allowing for student movement or
a return to residences (the ‘cities’).
As conditions of the COVID-19
lockdown ease, these short-term
interventions will help. But the
focus of this article is on the online
intention and also on a future
Campus Day Time Radio Show
(The Urban Brunch and The Ego
Trip), Campus Station Imaging
(UJFM 95.4), Campus Night Show
(The Urban Dance Culture), Campus
Station of the Year (UJFM 95.4), and
the Campus Afternoon Drive Show
(The UJFM Drive).
The presenters that drive the
nominated shows also reflect the
country’s gender parity, with five
where innovation, customisation
and inclusivity will enable quality
education and expand access.
To echo President Ramaphosa’s
message of Easter Sunday, South
Africans are resilient people and
we have the technical capability
of overcoming challenges through
innovation. COVID-19, as negative
as it is, allows us to re-think, to
re-invent, and in this approach to
bring about uniquely South African
and African solutions.
Prof Saurabh Sinha (registered
professional engineer) is
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research
and Internationalisation,
University of Johannesburg.
This article also appeared in the
Daily Maverick on 22 April
males and six females out of eleven.
As the competition was conducted
online, the SA Radio Awards
organisers produced login codes for
nominees to participate in the Awards
ceremony on its website.
Says the station manager Tebatso
Maapola, “Since 2017, UJFM has been
on an upward trajectory showing
competitiveness against its peers
within the campus, mainstream
commercial and public broadcasting
spaces. For instance, UJFM was the
most nominated radio station for
Liberty Radio Awards in 2017/18, was
in the Top 3 campus radio stations
in South Africa in 2018/19 and now
winning the SA Radio Awards Best
Imaged Radio Station in 2019/20
under a combined category of
Campus and Community Radio.
The station has since changed from
a rock music playing station to
becoming a content driven platform
of engagements to information,
education and entertainment.”
UJFM broadcasts from its studios
at the University’s Auckland Park
Bunting Road Campus and on digital
platforms such as the University’s
website, and various social media
platforms such as YouTube, Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram.
THE FOURTH
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.
IT WORKS FOR US.
The future belongs to those who reimagine it. Whether it’s teaching emergency rescue through
state-of-the-art simulation, or gathering data to enable remote diagnoses with artificial intelligence
(AI), or understanding and addressing societal problems with pinpoint digital tools, UJ’s embrace
of the technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is making an impact on people’s lives.

As a leader in academic thought and research in Africa, UJ has embraced the technology that is
shaping our future, not just on our continent, but globally. And we’re doing this in myriad ways –
applying it in both teaching and learning, using it to advance not just ideas, but skills, expertise
and capacity. People everywhere will be able to see real benefits and a meaningful and positive
change in their lives, both as developers and recipients of everything that 4IR has to offer.

Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technology. At UJ, we’re reimagining the future, and it’s changing
everyone’s lives for the better.

A leader on our continent. UJ. Fourth in South Africa.

Fifth in Africa. Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings.

uj.ac.za/4IR
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 14
 Insights
5G and claims of its danger
to human health: myth, fact
or something in-between
​Dr Mladen Božanić and Prof Saurabh Sinha  penned this opinion article published in the Daily Maverick on 13 April 2020.
WHAT IS 5G? IS IT In the midst of the virus SARS-
CoV-2 (COVID-19) outbreak, a
HARMFUL? AND IS IT IN third of the world’s population has
limited freedom of movement due
ANY WAY RELATED TO to the drastic measures enforced to
COVID-19? LET’S SEPARATE curb the spread of the disease. As a
result, many people have turned to
FACT FROM FICTION. technology, and are thus using the
internet as a way of working from
home, remaining in touch with their
friends and family, and even for
entertainment.
Media have reported that internet
traffic is about 25% higher in the
countries that are in lockdown than
normal. As a consequence, the
existing networks are congested,
and the lack of bandwidth is
evident. This is particularly true
15 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
for mobile networks, which tend
to take most strain because they
often host the majority of internet
users. It is enough to compare the
number of multimedia messages
(pictures, videos, YouTube links)
we have received on messengers
such as WhatsApp or Viber – this
is perhaps equivalent to the total
number received in 2019! 
Among these, some of these
messages were links to articles
and videos that claim 5G networks
are harmful to human health,
some going even to the extent
of claiming that the COVID-19
outbreak is related to the
deployment of 5G. We hope that
this is not a conspiracy theory that
we are dealing with – perhaps
people just have more time to
ponder about the technology as
the only way of connecting to the
rest of the world at the moment.
5G is a hot technology topic, as
its deployment just about started
less than a year ago and there
was recently some news about
Slovenia, in Europe, stopping the
deployment of 5G until the health
effects of the network
are evaluated.  86 GHz.
So, what is 5G? Is it harmful? And is
it in any way related to COVID-19?
To answer the first question: 5G
is the latest (fifth) generation of
cellular wireless networks, used
to access the internet and to stay
in communication with others via
audio and/or video. The answers
to the other two questions
are maybe and no. To begin
explaining the second answer, one
needs to look at history.  waves, called photons. Each
Cellular telephony was introduced
some 40 years ago with 1G. Since
then, every 10 years we have
adopted a new generation – 2G
(1990), 3G (2000) and now the
widespread 4G (2010). However,
cellular network providers have
to rush to stay ahead of user data
traffic demand.
The number of mobile network
users keeps increasing – the
COVID-19 outbreak and the 25%
increase in traffic can just be a
short preview of what will become
the norm in a few years – thus,
adding capacity to the network
is an ongoing effort and, in our
opinion, even necessary. Every
network since 2G has focused on
bringing more bandwidth (amount
of data that can be transmitted at a
given time) and faster data transfer
to the user; this remains the goal of
migration from 4G to 5G. 
What is then the difference
between 4G and 5G, which would
make people so concerned about
the influence of 5G on human
health? It has to be a difference
that is a concern, because 4G has
been around for 10 years, so 4G
technology itself is clearly not
an issue.  stations in the vicinity, the user
There are, in fact, two main
differences. First, to support better
coverage and faster wireless data
transfers, more base stations are
needed, which have more antennas
radiating electromagnetic radiation
in a small area simultaneously.
Second, 5G and/or future network
generations will use a wider range
of frequencies to deliver the
required bandwidth, with maximum
frequency shifting from 6 GHz to
For the first difference, it should
be noted that the electromagnetic
radiation is emitted both from the
side of the base station and from
the mobile device (e.g. a mobile
phone). Over the past 20 years,
a myth has emerged that the
radiation emitting from the base
station is harmful to people living
close to the base station. This is
exactly that – a myth: although
an amount of power emitted at
the base station is in orders of
magnitude higher than that of the
cellphone, the power at any point
away from the antenna decreases
quadratically with the increase in
distance.
This means that for every two
metres one moves away from the
antenna, the signal will decrease
four times. At a distance of 10 m
from the antenna, the signal is
a 100th of the signal that leaves
the antenna. Unless the antenna
is installed in the person’s living
room, the electromagnetic
radiation received by the person
from the cell is insignificant.  from the sun.
The number of antennas and signal
paths in the same cell also does not
matter – even the combined power
will be small. Potentially more
harmful is the radiation emitted
by the cellphone held by the user
close to their faces, when this
device actively transmits – during
a phone call. The electromagnetic
radiation causes heating of the
adjacent human tissue. However,
the amount of power – heat – the
cellphone is allowed to generate
is heavily regulated and it remains
the same for 4G and 5G. Since,
irrespective of the number of base
is still using a single cellphone,
the amount of radiation exposure
remains the same whether one is
using 4G or 5G technologies. Thus,
the first difference is superficial. 
The second difference could
be more concerning, because
the frequency of radiation has
changed. 4G used frequencies in
the range of 4 GHz, and 5G might
use frequencies that are some
20 times higher. At present, the
maximum frequency of 5G is about
86 GHz, which falls in the so-called
millimetre-wave range (note that
some countries, including South
Africa, spectrum higher than 6
GHz is not open for use yet by
regulatory bodies and as such,
it cannot be used at present).
So, how different are these
frequency ranges? 
Electromagnetic radiation can be
described in terms of travelling
photon has a certain energy,
which increases with frequency. It
is thus true that 5G emits waves
with higher energies, but these
energies are in the region between
0.1 and 1.2meV. These energies are
non-ionising, because the photon
energy is not sufficient to remove
an electron from an atom or a
molecule (about 12eV is needed
for this). Note that the energy from
the sun, including the ultraviolet
light, has four orders in magnitude
higher frequency than millimetre-
waves (400-800 THz), and we are
exposed to much more energy
In comparison to the sun’s
radiation, the exposure to
millimetre-waves will remain much
lower. Gamma and X-rays have
energies that are ionising, but their
frequency spectrum lies above that
of visible light. Again, our main
concern could be the heating of
the face – to the eyes and the skin
– because of the absorption of the
energy emitted by the headset.
Fortunately, our bodies are
reflective and do not absorb
much millimetre-wave radiation.
Thus, it is clear that short-term
effects are not problematic –
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 16
note that equipment that uses
millimetre-wave, other than 5G,
has been used for some two
decades – the radar in parking
distance sensors radiates at 77
GHz. There is a small chance
that there could be long-term
effects of prolonged millimetre-
wave exposure, such as a chance
of cancer development (as is
the case with any other group
of electromagnetic radiation);
however, scientific studies
conducted to date could not find a
close correlation of this.
More long-term studies on
millimetre-wave cancer association
are needed to get an exact answer,
but at present it seems unlikely
that this exposure will be more
harmful than spending a few
minutes in the sun or having some
processed meat or a glass of wine
(both known to cause cancer in
humans). This is why the answer to
the second question earlier in the
text is maybe.
Lastly, we need to try to find the
relation between COVID-19 and 5G.
The answer here is a firm no.  epidemic to be over.
SARS-CoV-2 is a virus (a sub
microscopic infectious agent),
and 5G is an electronics-based
technology. There is no way
whatsoever that these could
be related. Although the origin
https://www.uj.ac.za/studyatUJ/Pages/UJCampus-Life.aspx
17 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
of viruses is still unknown, they
are certainly not generated by
electromagnetic radiation. Under
rare conditions, the virus has most
probably transferred through
zoonosis. It remains unclear how
the relation between COVID-19 and
5G was made in the first place, but
it is likely because China was one
of the countries that adopted 5G
technology early. One of the cities
that adopted 5G early was Wuhan,
the epicentre of the COVID-19
outbreak. However, 5G deployment
started almost simultaneously in
the United Kingdom, Germany and
the United States.  contribution to the economy.
Yes, all of these countries also
have an increasing number of
COVID-19 cases now, but it took
several months for the disease
to start spreading, and the initial
cases in these countries have been
traced to people travelling to or
from other outbreak hotspots. And
looking back to China – Wuhan was
certainly not the only city to deploy
5G – every other major Chinese
city is already using 5G and last
week China officially declared its
Thus, it does seem as if a ‘perfect
storm’ of conditions may have
triggered the unfortunate
association – but this is due to an
observation made from the surface
only – if looked at in detail, there
is no warrant to this claim. Patrice
Motsepe, South African billionaire,
had initiated the 5G move already
in 2019, ahead of the COVID-19
outbreak. In our opinion, Motsepe’s
investment is innovative and
through Rain, a new mobile data
network provider. 
We thus believe that 5G is a safe
technology and that every person
whose movement is limited can
make their lives more bearable
with the aid of this and related
technologies and continue their
 
While digital inequality is further
highlighted by COVID-19, economic
activity, where possible, remains
key. Ultimately, it is this economic
collective that serves favourably
for broader socio-economic
stability. 
Dr Mladen Božanić is senior IC
Design Engineer at Azoteq (Pty) Ltd
and collaborator to the University
of Johannesburg. He writes in his
personal capacity. Prof Saurabh
Sinha (Electronic Engineer) is
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research
and Internationalisation, University
of Johannesburg.
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 18
UJ is readying
Industry for the
Fourth Industrial
Revolution
We are currently living through
the Fourth Industrial Revolution
(4IR). The advances in artificial
intelligence (Al), robotics and
automation, nanotechnology, and
material sciences are catalysing
the revolution and profoundly
changing the face of society,
economics and industries.
Increased digitisation and
globalisation are shifting business
into greater interdependence and
interconnection. The advanced
technologies of Industry 4.0 can
capture and analyse incredible
amounts of data that we use to
predict trends and disrupt market.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
brings about many exciting
challenges and opportunities,
but at the same time, it brings
about the fear and uncertainty for
tomorrow. In pursuit of advanced
technologies and the opportunities
they bring, it is easy for leaders to
lose sight of another critical aspect
of the organisation, its people.
Industry 4.0 is a much about people
as technology.
All sectors are changing at
an alarming speed due to the
Fourth Industrial Revolution. The
education sector, finance, mining,
manufacturing, automobile, health
and practically every industry you
can think of, will be influenced
19 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
by industry 4.0. A key success
factor during this global shift
is the importance of skills and
the agility to change. The World
Economic Forums’ (WEF) report
on The Future of jobs concerning
the Fourth Industrial Revolution
(2016), asserts that employees’
skills need constant changing.
According to the WEF, “across
nearly all industries, the impact of
technological and other changes
is shortening the shelf-life of
employees’ existing skills sets”.
“At UJ we want to turn the
curriculum around so that students
acquire these skills of the future,
we must create knowledge and
plan ahead for industries that
are going to exist but are not yet
here.”, says Professor Tshilidzi
Marwala, UJ Vice-Chancellor and
Principal, and the deputy chair of
the Presidential Commission on the
Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Thinking about the changes
organisations will need to embrace
to compete and grow in this
everchanging environment, will
require its leaders to completely
understanding that the potential
of 4IR and will require a more
innovative, integrated approach to
talent development. UJ is currently
at the forefront of technology
innovation and the Fourth
Industrial Revolution in South
Africa. Through our collaboration
with companies and industry
bodies, we support the knowledge
transfer of Fourth Industrial
elements to a wide
range of sectors.
Industry Innovation and
Research Chairs
As a driver of industry-related
projects, UJ ensures close
alignment to the world-of-work
and bring about innovation
through applied research. UJ
can complement and support
businesses through an applied
4IR innovation and research
chair, that carry the company
name, customised to speak to the
organisation’s challenges
and strategy.
We have a host of partnerships
with industry, government, national
and international organisations. We
structure our collaborations with
the needs and requirements of our
partners in mind, to ensure mutual
benefit. A steering committee,
consisting of both the business
and UJ representatives would
govern the Chair and ensure that
the research is applicable to your
business. Research Chairs usually
run for a minimum of three and a
maximum of five years.
UJ 4IR Talent Pipeline Project
By investing in emerging industry
talent through the UJ talent
pipeline scholarship programme,
organisations have access to
future graduates who will be able
to bring Fourth Industrial skills to
their workforce. We encourage
that students are selected for this
programme through an informed
recruitment process, with the help
of the company’s HR division and
psychometric testing, and to be
groomed from their second year
over the next three years. Only
the students, as per the
organisation’s criteria, will
qualify for this scholarship.
To ensure the students are fully
embedded in the business’s culture
and understand its strategy, it is
vital that the students are nurtured
into your organisational culture and
long-term vision, with a structured
programme that will include
workshops, think tanks related
to the future, design thinking
interventions, vacation work and
mentorship over the next three
years. UJ’s Centre for Psychological
Services and Career Development
(PsyCaD) further work with
organisations and the students to
design and implement personalised
developmental programmes to
ensure that students are well-
rounded and a cultural fit for the
organisation that awarded them a
scholarship. The development plans
include soft skill and emotional
intelligence training to provide
versatile incumbents for
your business.
By investing in the programme, the
organisation will grow a cohort of
individuals who will be work-ready
to help it realise its future vision.
Organisations will qualify for an
18A Tax Benefit Certificate, and by
investing in the skills development
of unemployed, previously
disadvantaged youth in the form
of bursaries to UJ students, the
organisation will be able to add B
BBEE points to your scorecard.
4IR Short Learning Programmes
Technology is rapidly changing
our economic, cultural and social
realities, and the need to upskill
the current generation and
workforce for the Fourth Industrial
Revolution remains a pressing
issue for both industry and UJ.
It is crucial to ensure that the
South African workforce, whether
from the newer more tech-savvy
generation or older generation,
has the ability and opportunity to
continually learn and adapt so that
they can apply new technologies
in their industry sector and
organisations.
Due to the impending
technological changes across
sectors, UJ develops Short
Learning Programmes (SLPs) aimed
at specific industries to allow
professionals and employees to
embrace new technology in their
industry. Offered online or in a
blended format, these SLPs are
geared to teach new technologies
in a way that is both engaging and
manageable for busy executives,
professionals and employees.
UJ has already embarked on
developed SLPs with the South
African Institute of Chartered
Accountants (SAICA) for the
accounting profession and with
the Media, Information and
Communication (MICT) Seta,
amongst others. By investing in
the development of SLPs for a
specific industry, an organisation
will be able to take the lead in skills
development in your sector while
ensuring that its workforce
is future fit.
For more information on how UJ
can assist your organisation to
thrive in the 4IR contact
Kesaobaka Nemakhavhani
at daphneyn@uj.ac.za
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 20
Prof Tshilidzi Marwala:
SA must have a stake
in developing AI TECHNOLOGY
​THE VICE-CHANCELLOR
AND PRINCIPAL OF UJ IS
AN AI PROFESSOR AND
DEPUTISES FOR PRESIDENT
CYRIL RAMAPHOSA
ON THE SOUTH
AFRICAN PRESIDENTIAL
COMMISSION ON THE
FOURTH INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION (4IR).
THIS IS THE SECOND
IN A SERIES OF EIGHT
ARTICLES UNPACKING
THE RECOMMENDATIONS
OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
COMMISSION ON THE
FOURTH INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION.
In February, the daughter of the
president of Russia, Vladimir Putin,
Katerina Tikhonova, was appointed
to head the Artificial Intelligence
(AI) Institute located at Moscow
State University. The university has
produced 13 Nobel prizes, six Fields
Medals and one Turing Award, so in
matters of science, putting the AI
Institute there is a big deal.
In Russia, if a husband’s last name
is, for instance, Komlev, the wife’s
surname becomes Komleva.
Thinking algorithmically, you add
an “a” at the end of the husband’s
or the father’s last name to get
the wife’s or the daughter’s last
name. Therefore, Katerina’s
surname is Tikhonova, which means
21 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
that her husband’s or one of her
paternal ancestor’s last name was
Tikhonov. Why is Tikhonov such an
essential name in AI?
AI models are ill-posed. To
understand ill-posed models
requires us to understand well-
posed problems. Well-posed
problems have a solution, which is
unique, whereas ill-posed problems
do not have a unique solution.
A unique solution means there
is only one solution rather than
multiple but confusing solutions.
To make AI models have unique
solutions, one has to regularise
the AI models using the Tikhonov
regularisation approach. Andrey
Tikhonov was the larger-than-
life Russian mathematician and
geophysicist who invented the
regularisation approach that makes
unworkable AI models workable.
Even though Andrey Tikhonov is
not Katerina’s husband and her last
name is adapted from her great-
grandfather, the choice of her to
head the AI Institute, although
a coincidence of surname, is
significant. She is a rocket scientist
with an impressive doctorate in
analytical mechanics.
Pope Francis, IBM and Microsoft
have joined hands to develop ethics
for AI. Pope Francis, with 1.3 billion
Catholic followers, is realising
that AI, with its significant effect
on all aspects of society, might
require “divine intervention”. In the
Pentagon, the military wing of the
United States government unveiled
the five “ethical principles” for
AI in warfare. We might differ
on whether any form of war can
be principled. The first principle
the Pentagon proposed is the
responsibility of human judgment
in AI warfare. The second is
ensuring equity by eliminating
AI bias. The third is to ensure
that humans understand how AI
technology works. The fourth is
to ensure that AI machines are
reliable. The fifth is that humans
can control AI to avoid unintended
harm. The Pentagon report came
just as Elon Musk, in a fire chat
conversation with General John
Thompson, remarked that the F-35
fighter jet is becoming obsolete
because AI drones will be more
potent. 
AI is proving to be such powerful
technology that it is revolutionising
all aspects of our lives. Here in
Johannesburg, we have studied
how it is changing the field of
finance and economics. AI is
fundamentally changing the
principles of self-interest, nudging
people to act sometimes against
their best interests. AI can
understand interstate conflict
and can make recommendations
for peacekeeping. It is changing
the medical field, and recently,
researchers at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology used
AI to discover a new type of
antibiotic. In China, the company
Alibaba successfully developed
an AI program that can diagnose
Coronavirus with an accuracy of
96%. There are no aspects of our
lives that will remain untouched
by AI. 
The ubiquitous nature of AI
requires us as South Africa to
put into place mechanisms that
will allow us to have a stake in
this developing technology.
Following from the State of the
Nation Address debate, where
the Presidential Commission on
the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s
recommendations were mentioned,
I published an article on the
first recommendation, which
was to build human capacity for
the requirements of the Fourth
Industrial Revolution (4IR). The
second recommendation is to
establish a national AI institute,
which should be a collaboration
between the public and private
sectors, because there is more
capacity in the private sector than
in the public sector.
of AI experts, people from the
public and private sectors and
from society, should govern the
AI Institute. It should have visiting
experts from global centres of
excellence such as Silicon Valley in
the US, Zhongguancun in China and
Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
It should work seamlessly with
other similar initiatives such as the
Absa Chair of Data Science at the
University of Pretoria as well as the
Institute of Intelligent Systems at
the University of Johannesburg.
over as the chair of the African
Union, recognised the centrality
of AI for Africa’s economic
growth. In consultation with the
Presidential Commission on the
Fourth Industrial Revolution,
he announced the formation of
the Africa AI Forum. This forum
should exploit the emergence of
AI opportunities in Africa. These
opportunities have led to Google
establishing the Africa AI Lab
in Ghana and Microsoft AI Lab
in Kenya. 

AI has three aspects, and this
institute must make choices on
where it will invest its efforts. The
first aspect is the theory of AI. Here
we mean the thorough study of AI,
its architecture and the associated
mathematics. This naturally
includes the development of new
AI methods. The second aspect
is the algorithmic part, which
provides for coding. Fortunately,
many companies such as Google
and Microsoft have developed
AI codes that they provide for
“free”. (Of course, nothing comes
free; the Chinese company
Huawei realised that the “free”
Android software from Google
was no longer “free” when the
interests of the United States and
China clashed.) The third aspect
is the application of AI. There
are multiplicities of sectors and
industries that we can apply AI to,
such as manufacturing, agriculture,
medicine and retail. The AI Institute
will have to choose what areas of
the economy it should invest in to
put the South African economy at
a competitive advantage. It should
simultaneously co-create solutions
with the rest of Africa. 
Furthermore, this AI Institute
should work with the Deep
Learning Indaba, which is
developing AI expertise in Africa
and is working in 33 African
countries. Incidentally, my former
students head both the Deep
Learning Indaba and the Absa
Chair of Data Science. Separately,
it should also work with initiatives
such as Google Digital Skills
for Africa and the data science
community called Zindi.
Africa’s 1.3 billion people,
increasing to 2 billion by the
middle of this century, present
a huge opportunity. President
Cyril Ramaphosa, when he took
The institute should facilitate
the expansion of AI expertise in
Africa by drawing from the local
population and international
expertise. It should use strategic
partnerships in bodies such as
the AU, the Southern Africa
Development Community, the East
African Community, the Economic
Community of West African
States, Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa, the US and the
European Union to facilitate the
movement of people, expertise,
skills and technology.
The views expressed in this article
are that of the author/s and do
not necessarily reflect that of the
University of Johannesburg. 

The AI Institute should pay

more attention to applications
as well as the creations of AI
solutions and apps, rather than
only the theoretical aspects of
AI. Of course, to create apps and
solutions, one should be able
to code. The AI Institute should
develop competencies in the
area of integrating different
software with different data
sources to solve socioeconomic
problems. A board or structures
that have a fair representation

ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 22
The University of Johannesburg’s
Centre for Africa-China Studies
(CACS) hosted an important
seminar in February under the
theme ’Iran-US Crisis: Implications
for Iran-South Africa Relations’,
attended by high-powered Iranian
representatives including Iranian
ambassador to South Africa,
Mohsen Movahhedi Ghomi.
South Africa has long been a
cornerstone of Iran’s South-South
cooperation (collaboration and
partnership among countries from
the Global South) strategy. The
Islamic Republic was one of the
first countries to resume trade with
South Africa following the end of
apartheid, and the two countries
have enjoyed strong relations ever
since, with trade being an integral
He also mentioned key areas of
partnership between Iran and
South Africa, for example, the
Iran market was the second most
profitable market for MTN, a
South African mobile network
company, and South Africa has long
benefitted from the expertise of
Iran in water management, energy
and mining machinery, as well as
Iranian gas resources. He stressed
the importance of continued
interconnectedness between South
Africa and Iran, and the need for
strong collaboration.
Also, in the seminar discussion was
Naeem Jeenah, the director of
the Afro-Middle East Centre, who
focused on diplomatic obstacles
between the two countries. For
example, South Africa has not
officially imported oil from Iran due
to US sanctions for the past six or
seven years. He also criticised the
use of the terms “anti-imperialism”
and “terrorism” by some officials,
saying these could be used to
“mobilise support” by dictators or
autocratic regimes.
Overall, the seminar highlighted
concern around Iran-US crises,
the role of constitutional values
in South African foreign policy,
and the role of South Africa in the
United Nations Security Council in
which it sits until later this year.

Iran-South Africa
element of this relationship.

Over 100 people attended

the CACS seminar on 17
February, including present and
former government officials,
representatives of the business
relations explored
community and civil society, and
academics and students. Chairing
the seminar was Prof Suzy Graham
in high-powered
of the Department of Politics
and International Relations at UJ,
and Ambassador Ghomi was the
CACS seminar
headline speaker.

The ambassador discussed the 1

1. From left to right:
reasons why the US-Iran crisis
Former Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad
has been exacerbated since the and Ambassador Ghomi.
beginning of 2020, then provided
2. From left to right: Iranian Embassy
a summary of Iran-South Africa Media and Protocol Office, Mr Naeem
relations, including their evolution Jeenah, Ambassador Ghomi, Dr David
throughout the different regimes Monyae, Prof Suzy Graham and
and how they reached a stage of Mr Bhaso Ndzendze
maturity after the 1994 democratic
dispensation in South Africa.

23 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
UJ and Germany
STEP UP
student mobility
cooperation
​ he University of Johannesburg
T and researchers, promoting the
(UJ)’s leading role in the Fourth
Industrial Revolution (4IR)
conversation continues to bear
fruit, with the institution attracting
more international suitors in the
higher education sector willing to
form strategic partnerships.
On Tuesday 9 March 2020, a
high-level delegation from
Germany’s higher education
institutions visited UJ to explore
ways to forge collaborations and
exchange programmes in areas
that match their strengths, notably
in mechanical and industrial
engineering, physics and astronomy
as well as science, ICT and health
sciences. Other areas include a
range of academic disciplines and
university management.
The German delegation was
represented by Dr Dorothea
Rüland, the Secretary-General of
the German Academic Exchange
Service (DAAD), and it was hosted
by UJ Vice-Chancellor and Principal,
Prof Tshilidzi Marwala. 
The DAAD is the world’s largest
funding organisation for the
international exchange of students
internationalisation activities of
German universities and research
organisations. It is also tasked with
strengthening German cultural
and language studies abroad and
helping developing countries
establish productive higher
education institutions.
Other members of the delegation
were representatives from the
German Embassy in South Africa
and higher institutions of learning
in Germany, with no less than
10 universities represented. The
delegation, visibly impressed with
UJ’s work, showed great interest
in fostering mutually rewarding
partnerships on 4IR
projects.
“This visit was
important for
us, as DAAD
recognises UJ to
be an international
partner of strategic
importance”, said
Prof Ylva Rodny-
Gumede, UJ’s Head
of the Division for
Internationalisation.
“I hope our cooperation
will grow and deepen, and that
with every meeting we will take a
step further.”
“At UJ, we believe it is imperative
to prepare students to meet
challenges of a globalised economy
and leverage the benefits that
come with it. One of the key take-
aways of the visit is the expression
of interest on both sides to take
calibrated measures to build the
relationship and explore innovative
and novel ways to work together,
particularly in light of 4IR,” she said.
The German delegates acquired
a better understanding of the
South African higher education
sector, including issues of
administration, funding, staff and
quality management, and student
admission as well as strategic
partnerships in research and
teaching, internationalisation.
The delegates took part in lively
discussions around shared topics
such as appointment processes,
careers in research, career
prospects for graduates,
equality and rankings.
Thus far, South Africa is the only
African country to have hosted the
delegation from Germany, having
hosted once before in 2009.
From left Prof Saurabh Sinha,
Prof Tshilidzi Marwala and Prof Kinta Burger
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 24
​ he University of Johannesburg’s
T A day earlier, during his State of
plan to establish a medical school,
which will in turn contribute
significantly towards the medical
sector in the Gauteng province in
the future, was given a strong push
forward by provincial government
earlier this year.
On 26 February, the MEC of
Health, Dr Bandile Masuku, visited
UJ’s Faculty of Health Sciences,
including the recently established,
high-tech Medical Simulation Lab
that simulates real-time medical
emergency situations, which he was
visibly impressed by. He also took
special interest in the numerous
health courses offered in various
departments within the faculty.
UJ’s medical school
starts its journey
to fruition
25 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
the Province Address, Gauteng
Premier David Makhura reaffirmed
that his administration wants to
work closely with UJ to fast-track
the building of a medical school.
He also committed to support
the University in expanding the
capacity to train more doctors and
other health professionals.
This comes against the backdrop
of growing concerns about the
shortage of doctors in South
Africa. And given the envisioned
re-engineering of primary health
care in South Africa, the National
Health Insurance (NHI) will require
far greater numbers of clinical
and non-clinical professionals with
different skills and competencies.
Dialogue will continue between the
provincial government and UJ to
ensure that the medical school is
established. The province plans to
build six new hospitals during this
decade.
Prof Sehaam Khan, the Executive
Dean of UJ’s Faculty of Health
Sciences, said the visit gave UJ
the chance to state its case for
increasing the number of student
physicians training regionally. “By
strengthening medical education
in Gauteng and bringing a medical
school to UJ, we will open many
doors for future health care
professionals and also play a
nationally leading role in research,”
she said.
The School of Accounting

With SAICA/UJs 100% online courses,

CAs are future-proof
1 2

A series of short online courses 3

designed to future-proof CAs in the
era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
was launched by the SA Institute of
Chartered Accountants (SAICA) together
with UJ in May 2019.

4IR for Accountants is a suite of four

online courses designed especially
for CAs, to assist them in their lifelong
learning journey to adapt to the
interconnected technological world we
live in today.

Aimed at SAICA Continuing Professional

Development (CPD), the courses are
driven by competencies that directly
relate to SAICA’s 2025 vision for the
accountancy profession. Key topics 1. Prof Amanda Dempsey: Senior Director – School of
include artificial intelligence, machine Accounting
learning, natural language processing,
2. Ms Chantyl Mulder (SAICA – Executive Director: Nation
blockchain and ethics. Building) and Mr Robert Zwane (SAICA – Senior Executive:
National Projects)
“The new courses allow SAICA members
to gain deeper insights into a topic,” said 3. Prof Tshilidzi Marwala Vice-Chancellor, UJ delivers the
Chantyl Mulder, executive director of keynote address
Nation Building at SAICA at the launch,
stressing the importance of continuous
professional development for SAICA
members during the Fourth Industrial
Revolution.

The technical aspects of the programme

were created by engineers, Prof Babu
Paul and Dr Wesley Doorsamy, while

ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 26
Mr Husain Coovadia brought in the
perspective of accountants. “These
are interdisciplinary courses, which
means that topics have both a
technical and business focus,”
said Mr Coovadia.
The launch of the online
programmes was held at the UJ
Council Chambers and attended
by VC Prof Tshilidzi Marwala,
members of Management
Executive Committee and other
members of the Executive
Leadership Group of UJ.
SAICA executives included
Mr Freeman Nomvalo (CEO),
Ms Chantyl Mulder (Executive
Director: Nation Building), Mr
Willi Coates (Head of Marketing
and Communication) and senior
staff from SAICA. Other guests
included Professor of Practice
from SoA, Prof Graham Terry, Prof
Ben Marx (HOD – Department
of Accountancy), other HODs
and representatives from other
universities, friends and staff of
the School of Accounting and the
greater UJ community.
UJ is readying Industry for the
Fourth Industrial Revolution
We are currently living through
the Fourth Industrial Revolution
(4IR). The advances in artificial
intelligence (Al), robotics and
automation, nanotechnology, and
27 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
material sciences are catalysing
the revolution and profoundly
changing the face of society,
economics and industries.
Increased digitisation and
globalisation are shifting business
into greater interdependence and
interconnection. The advanced
technologies of Industry 4.0 can
capture and analyse incredible
amounts of data that we use to
predict trends and disrupt market.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
brings about many exciting
challenges and opportunities,
but at the same time, it brings
about the fear and uncertainty for
tomorrow. In pursuit of advanced
technologies and the opportunities
they bring, it is easy for leaders to
lose sight of another critical aspect
of the organisation, its people.
Industry 4.0 is a much about people
as technology.
All sectors are changing at
an alarming speed due to the
Fourth Industrial Revolution. The
education sector, finance, mining,
manufacturing, automobile, health
and practically every industry you
can think of, will be influenced
by industry 4.0. A key success
factor during this global shift
is the importance of skills and
the agility to change. The World
Economic Forums’ (WEF) report
on The Future of jobs concerning
the Fourth Industrial Revolution
(2016), asserts that employees’
skills need constant changing.
According to the WEF, “across
nearly all industries, the impact of
technological and other changes
is shortening the shelf-life of
employees’ existing skills sets”.
“At UJ we want to turn the
curriculum around so that students
acquire these skills of the future,
we must create knowledge and
plan ahead for industries that
are going to exist but are not yet
here.”, says Professor Tshilidzi
Marwala, UJ Vice-Chancellor and
Principal, and the deputy chair of
the Presidential Commission on the
Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Thinking about the changes
organisations will need to embrace
to compete and grow in this
everchanging environment, will
require its leaders to completely
understanding that the potential
of 4IR and will require a more
innovative, integrated approach
to talent development.
UJ is currently at the forefront
of technology innovation and
the Fourth Industrial Revolution
in South Africa. Through our
collaboration with companies
and industry bodies, we support
the knowledge transfer of Fourth
Industrial elements to a wide
range of sectors.
Industry Innovation &
Research Chairs
As a driver of industry-related
projects, UJ ensures close
alignment to the world-of-work
and bring about innovation
through applied research. UJ
can complement and support
businesses through an applied
4IR innovation and research
chair, that carry the company
name, customised to speak to the
organisation’s challenges
and strategy.
We have a host of partnerships
with industry, government, national
and international organisations. We
structure our collaborations with
the needs and requirements of our
partners in mind, to ensure mutual
benefit. A steering committee,
consisting of both the business
and UJ representatives would
govern the Chair and ensure that
the research is applicable to your
business. Research Chairs usually
run for a minimum of three and a
maximum of five years.
UJ 4IR Talent Pipeline Project
By investing in emerging industry
talent through the UJ talent
pipeline scholarship programme,
organisations have access to
future graduates who will be able
to bring Fourth Industrial skills to
their workforce. We encourage
that students are selected for this
programme through an informed
recruitment process, with the help
of the company’s HR division and
psychometric testing, and to be
groomed from their second year
over the next three years. Only
the students, as per the
organisation’s criteria, will
qualify for this scholarship.
To ensure the students are fully
embedded in the business’s culture
and understand its strategy, it is
vital that the students are nurtured
into your organisational culture and
long-term vision, with a structured
programme that will include
workshops, think tanks related
to the future, design thinking
interventions, vacation work and
mentorship over the next three
years. UJ’s Centre for Psychological
Services and Career Development
(PsyCaD) further work with
organisations and the students to
design and implement personalised
developmental programmes to
ensure that students are well-
rounded and a cultural fit for the
organisation that awarded them a
scholarship. The development
plans include soft skill and
emotional intelligence training
to provide versatile incumbents
for your business.
By investing in the programme, the
organisation will grow a cohort of
individuals who will be work-ready
to help it realise its future vision.
Organisations will qualify for an
18A Tax Benefit Certificate, and by
investing in the skills development
of unemployed, previously
disadvantaged youth in the form
of bursaries to UJ students, the
organisations will be able to add
B-BBEE points to their scorecard.
4IR Short Learning Programmes
Technology is rapidly changing
our economic, cultural and social
realities, and the need to upskill
the current generation and
workforce for the Fourth Industrial
Revolution remains a pressing
issue for both industry and UJ.
It is crucial to ensure that the
South African workforce, whether
from the newer more tech-savvy
generation or older generation,
has the ability and opportunity
to continually learn and adapt
so that they can apply new
technologies in their industry
sector and organisations.
Due to the impending
technological changes across
sectors, UJ develops Short
Learning Programmes (SLPs)
aimed at specific industries to
allow professionals and employees
to embrace new technology in
their industry. Offered online or in
a blended format, these SLPs are
geared to teach new technologies
in a way that is both engaging and
manageable for busy executives,
professionals and employees.
UJ has already embarked on
developed SLPs with the South
African Institute of Chartered
Accountants (SAICA) for the
accounting profession and with
the Media, Information and
Communication (MICT) SETA,
amongst others. By investing in
the development of SLPs for a
specific industry, an organisation
will be able to take the lead in
skills development in your sector
while ensuring that its workforce
is future fit.
For more information on how
UJ can assist your organisation
to thrive in the 4IR contact
Kesaobaka Nemakhavhani at
daphneyn@uj.ac.za
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 28
Prospective Chartered
Accountants (CAs) from UJ
performed exceptionally well
in the SA Institute of Chartered
Accountants (SAICA) ITC (Initial
Test of Competence) test last June,
coming out with an overall pass
rate of 92.3% for 2019. This again
confirms that UJ remains a leader
in accounting education in
South Africa.
The ITC is the first of two
professional examinations that
candidate CAs are required to pass
in order to register with SAICA as
CAs, and the result tables compare
the performance of all universities
offering SAICA accredited degrees.
The ITC is written in January and
in June, to give candidates the
opportunity to pass the SAICA
qualifying exams. A total of 278 UJ
students passed the 2019 SAICA
UJs CA candidates
hit 92% pass rate in
2019 exams
29 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
ITC exams, representing the
second largest number of
successful candidates of all
residential universities.
UJs ITC cohort also produced the
highest number of successful black
candidates (155 passed SAICA
exams in 2019) of all residential
universities nationwide.
“The department prides itself
as being at the forefront of the
transformation of accounting
education in South Africa. We
are extremely proud to have
been consistently producing the
highest number of black students
of residential universities in the
annual SAICA ITC exams. As we
contribute to the growth of the
accounting profession, our key
focus areas tie in with the national
imperatives of addressing skills
shortage and nation building,”
said Prof Ben Marx, Head of the
Department of Accountancy at UJ,
on the release of the ITC
results in August.
He added, “In an ever-changing,
dynamic environment, our
Accountancy@UJ team is always
looking for innovative ways to
teach and learn. Our programmes
are distinctly focused on the
development of well-rounded
individuals by preparing graduates
to be ethical and critical thinkers
and innovative enablers in the
Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
SAICA also acknowledges the
significant role that UJ has played
in the Thuthuka ITC Repeat
programme offered to black
and coloured candidates of all
universities, with a pass rate of
66% compared to the national
pass rate of 38%.
Bonginkosi Kalipa:
UJ student’s farming project
clinched top spot at 2019 Student
Leadership Summit
University of Johannesburg’s (UJ’s)
Bonginkosi Kalipa won top honours
in the South African Institute of
Chartered Accountants’ (SAICA’s)
Student Leadership Summit (SLS)
last October, for his thriving food
farm in the Eastern Cape.
SAICA challenged BCom CA-
stream accounting students
from around the country to
come up with community-based
solutions to one or more of the
UN Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs), a framework for
the changes the world needs to
make to solve poverty, world
hunger, poor health, the lack of
quality education, climate change,
gender inequality, environmental
issues, and more. Talking about
the idea for his project, called
Team3 Farm, Bongkinkosi said,
“Most rural communities in the
Eastern Cape have large amounts
of undeveloped arable land, yet
many people in these areas live
in abject poverty. The idea was to
utilise dormant land to produce
vegetables and use this produce
to earn an income to uplift the
community’s standard of living.”
Born and raised in the Ngcobo
area, Bongkinkosi grew up poverty-
stricken and hungry, as his mother,
a single parent, struggled to
make ends meet. “It is a place
where dreams die before they are
conceived. In fact, I am the only boy
of my age who passed matric and
proceeded to go to university in a
village of more than 50 boys.”
He started the farming activities,
which would later become the
Team3 Farm project, on a very
small scale while still in Grade 11.
He also worked hard at school
to earn the chance to go to
university.
Bonginkosi’s Team3 Farm has
since secured around 200 square
meters of latent community
property on which it plants
vegetables (spinach, potatoes,
cabbage, tomatoes, carrots,
butternut and beetroot) as well
as breeds chickens for their
eggs and meat. It also provides
employment for three community
members, including his sister.
Team3 Farm gives the local rural
community of Ngcobo access
to cheap vegetables, eggs and
chickens as well as the ability to
earn income, either as rentals
for owners or wages for those
employed in the farm’s value
chain. In addition, the project
sells its fresh produce to schools,
clinics and the All Saints Hospital
to assist with the various feeding
schemes that exist in the region.
“Our goal,” said Bonginkosi, “is to
ultimately use all of the available
arable land in my village (around
600 hectares) to create more
jobs and produce for the area.
In the long-term, we hope to
replicate the system throughout
villages in the Eastern Cape that
have similar land profiles. Once
these hectares are put back into
use, the communities will have
something to trade. That’s how
new local economies begin.”
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 30
PGDip student James Chang named
‘one of the finest’
at gradstar SA awards
Ruey Shiuan (James) Chang, a
PGDip (financial management)
student at UJ, was named one of
the #TenOfTheFinest at the GradStar
SA Awards 2019 held in September
last year. He was a member of a
team that went through to the final
round of the CIMA Emerging Leaders
competition, a business competition
designed to bring out the best in
young business leaders of tomorrow.
31 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
GradStar is a programme that
recognises the Top 100 students
across the country based on
leadership qualities and readiness
for the workplace. Out of thousands
of entries, the list is narrowed
down to the top 100, ‘then the 
10 of the Finest‘.
All varsity careers centres from
across the country are contacted to
expose the GradStar programme
to their students, ensuring
representation from across the
country and from all disciplines. The
students go through a rigorous four-
phase judging process, culminating
in a day of workshops hosted by
potential employers (sponsors).
Many of the Top 100 recognised
students have received job offers
from major employers as a result of
being recognised through
this programme.
Mpho Mookapele,
SAICA Top
35-Under-35 winner
An excelling alumna of the
University of Johannesburg
(UJ), Mpho Mookapele, emerged
the overall winner of the South
African Institute of Chartered
Accountants (SAICA)’s 2019
Top-35-Under-35, announced in
September last year.
Mpho is the Chief Financial
Officer and Acting Chief
Executive Officer at Energy and
Water SETA. She obtained her
BCom Accounting degree at UJ
in 2006 and has since continued
to do well in her profession.
In the SAICA competition, she
faced stiff competition from the
young executives representing
various commercial companies.
As a reward, UJ offered
Mpho a 100% discount on her
course fees for the new online
short-learning programmes,
namely 4IR for Accountants
and Introducing Integrated
Reporting for Accountants.
“It is critical for all accountants
to do these courses in order to
stay relevant and be leaders in a
rapidly changing environment,”
said Mpho, adding, “I really
appreciate the diverse expertise
and fields to which the CA
profession exposes us. All the
Top-35-Under-35 candidates are
in diverse fields and doing
great things.”
To students who are inspired
by her success and academic
ambitions, she said, “Know
your purpose, take hold of it
and wake up each day to live it
regardless of what comes
your way.”

I REALLY APPRECIATE THE DIVERSE EXPERTISE

AND FIELDS TO WHICH THE CA PROFESSION
EXPOSES US. ALL THE TOP-35-UNDER-35
CANDIDATES ARE IN DIVERSE FIELDS AND
DOING GREAT THINGS.”

ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 32
Ronel Jooste: The
COURAGE to put dreams
and plans into action
Extraordinary comes to mind
when one gets to know more
about Ronel Jooste. Chartered
accountant, financial consultant,
guesthouse owner, multi award-
winning businesswoman and
author of Financially Fit
and Wealthy.
“My dream was to find something
in life where I could combine
my passions, experience,
qualifications and expertise to
make an impact on the lives of
others. Today I help people to live
their best lives and businesses to
become more successful,”
says Ronel.
After more than a decade in the
corporate world as head of group
financial reporting at one of the
largest listed financial services
groups, Ronel left the corporate
world in 2015 to pursue her
entrepreneurial aspirations,
utilising her extensive experience
in the banking, investment and
insurance industries.
“It was the hardest decision I ever
had to make; stepping outside
my comfort zone and embarking
on a high-risk and challenging
journey. On the other hand,
the long working hours and
pressurised working environment
33 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
I experienced in the corporate
world had intensified over the
years and was having a negative
impact on my health, fitness,
relationships and emotional
wellbeing.”
Today she lives a more balanced
life. As an entrepreneur she still
works hard, but now has the
luxury of owning her time, which
means health, happiness, time
to exercise and spending quality
time with her loved ones.
“If we can reduce poverty in
South Africa, we can reduce
crime. If we can create jobs, we
can strengthen the economy.
By providing people with the
knowledge and skills to become
entrepreneurs and to manage
their money effectively, we will
create a better future and a
RONEL JOOSTE: “THERE
ARE MULTIPLE NEEDS
IN SOUTH AFRICA THAT
CREATE WONDERFUL
OPPORTUNITIES
FOR ASPIRING
ENTREPRENEURS”.
Picture: Theana Breugem
“ENTREPRENEURS LEARN BY TRIAL AND ERROR, IN SPITE OF
THOROUGH RESEARCH. THERE ARE LOTS OF ENTREPRENEURIAL
BOOKS AND COURSES OUT THERE, BUT THE RESOURCES THAT
SHOW ENTREPRENEURS HOW TO START A BUSINESS WITHIN A
CERTAIN INDUSTRY AND GROW IT SUCCESSFULLY ARE SCARCE.
NO INDUSTRY OR BUSINESS IS EXACTLY THE SAME, THEREFORE
THERE IS NO STANDARD BLUEPRINT WORKING FOR ALL
BUSINESSES”, SHE SAYS.

better life for everybody living
in South Africa.
To educate the people of South
Africa about finances was a strong
driving force, because I believe
when you empower an individual
financially, you uplift a nation. I
wanted to inspire people to start
dreaming again and equip them
with the knowledge and tools to
realise those dreams,” she says.
With this in mind, Ronel set
out to establish a number of
organisations.
Her non-profit organisation, the
Ronel Jooste Dream Foundation,
aims to take financial literacy and
entrepreneurship to communities,
schools, universities, businesses,
and others.
Financially Fit Group focuses on
financial consulting and training for
businesses and individuals as well
as employee wellness programmes.
“I always had this dream of owning
a game farm and wellness retreat
one day and while starting the
PhysEQFiT Guesthouse in Centurion
wasn’t planned, it is a step in that
direction,” she says.
She is also the financial ambassador • Find what makes you happy
of Helpende Hand and through a and do that often, because life
partnership project they aim to is short, and tomorrow is not
distribute 10 000 mini financial guaranteed.
guides, written by Ronel,
“I know I make a big difference
within the next year, to
in the lives of many people and
communities nationwide.
businesses. That is a privilege and
“I wasted a lot of money and time rewarding in itself and adequate
exploring different marketing proof for me that I made the
channels with no return on right decision to take on the
investment, on wrong decisions world of entrepreneurship,”
selecting coaches who added little Ronel concludes.
value, and on changing my business
Ronel completed her BCom
models trying to establish which
Accounting degree in 2000 at
business propositions are
UJ (then RAU) and her honours
best suited.”
degree and CTA qualification in
What is the one change people 2001. She also completed both her
should make to bring them closer board courses at UJ and qualified
to success? as a chartered accountant at the
• Stop procrastinating. end of 2004.
• If you have a dream, set goals
for yourself and compile a plan
to get you from where you are
today to where you want to be
and take the first action step,
no matter how small, towards
realising your dream.
• Write that book.
• Start that business.
• Go on that exotic trip.
• Enrol for that course.

ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 34
 Dion Mhlaba:
Soaring Like An Eagle
I LEARNT THAT TO FAIL IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF SUCCESS
AND BREAKTHROUGH AND DOESN’T MAKE YOU A FAILURE
AS SUCH. WHENEVER I’M GOING THROUGH DIFFICULTIES, I
REMIND MYSELF THAT THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I FAILED,
BUT IT DIDN’T STOP ME FROM WAKING UP EVERY DAY AND
KEEPING AT IT.”

If you dream it, work hard for it
and then you will be it, says Dion
Mhlaba, chief financial officer
(CFO) of private equity firm RH
Bophelo, when asked about the
principles that secured his success
in the business world. RH Bophelo
is South Africa’s first black-owned
and managed listed hospital group.
It is a credo that in 2017 and at
31 years old helped make him
South Africa’s youngest CFO of a
listed company, an achievement
that followed years of sheer
determination and hard work.
He believes what makes him a great
CFO today is surrounding himself
with “clever people”, planning, and
business development. He ensures
that his strategic plans become
a reality by owning those plans,
following up on a continuous basis
and reminding himself
of the outcome.
A founding member of RH Bophelo,
Dion last year won the 2019 ABASA
Private sector CFO of the Year
Award and has been nominated
for the 2020 CFO Awards. He
holds a BCom Accounting degree
and honours from the University
of Johannesburg. He completed
his auditing articles with KPMG in
2010, where he qualified as a
chartered accountant.
Dion also held a full-time senior
lecturing post with UJ from
2011 to 2013. 
Through his consulting business,
from 2011 to 2015, he held
advisory roles with Afripalm
Resources, a company with mining
and financial services interests,
Sakhumnotho Holdings with
interests in mining, financial
services and engineering services
and financial support at Thebe
Investments where he was
involved in streamlining reports,
analysing financial data, budgeting,
performance and producing
board reports.
In 2015, he joined RH Managers as
a CFO, a boutique private equity
firm investing in social and impact
investments in South Africa. RH
Managers managed to raise R2,7bn
of equity and R2bn in debt for
investing in South African health
care. The company built 12 new
hospitals and acquired 10 hospitals,
mainly located in townships and
availed funding to doctors and
entrepreneurs in health care
and creating new jobs in the
communities.
In 2017, when RH Bophelo, a
newly formed company, was listed
on the JSE after raising R500m,
Dion became its CFO.
From humble beginnings in rural
Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, Dion
pursued his future relentlessly. An
ambitious boy, one of six children
of a police officer and a housewife,
he earned first position in his
matric commerce class and third
position overall, and consequently

35 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO

enrolled at UJ with a first-
year scholarship.
The scholarship did not cover his
full university expenses, so he
swung into action and took a job
at a call centre where he worked
eight-hour days to earn extra
money. “Holding down a full-time
job while studying was a strain,” he
admits. “I started attending night
classes with part-time students
so that I didn’t fall behind, but my
days were long and exhausting.”
After graduating, another financial
stumbling block awaited: the
National Student Financial Aid
Scheme (NSFAS) would not fund his
BCom Honours in Accounting.  there was a time when I failed, but
Dion turned to Jelvin Griffioen,
a UJ accounting lecturer and
coordinator of the Thuthuka
Bursary Fund, which is aimed at
enabling more black professionals
to qualify as chartered accountants,
for assistance and advice.
The encounter led not only to
Dion Mhlaba, CFO for RH Bophelo: Nominated for the 2020 CFO Awards.
financial assistance to pay for
his accommodation, but also to
financial support from KMPG,
which helped pay for his
tuition fees.
Success seldom comes without
disappointments along the way.
“Not everything works out the way
we envisage. In high school I had
to repeat Grade 11 and launching
my own business in my 20s wasn’t
a great success either. However, I
learnt that to fail is an important
part of success and breakthrough
and doesn’t make you a failure as
such. Whenever I’m going through
difficulties, I remind myself that
it didn’t stop me from waking up
every day and keeping at it.”
He is passionate about developing
the next generation of leaders and
has been involved in mentorship
projects for upcoming CAs, working
with students from Mpumalanga,
and students from Wits and UJ.
Through the projects he assisted
many students to gain access into
tertiary institutions and helped
raise money for their registration.
He remains a staunch activist for
free education for the poor.
“We need to provide the youth
with leadership opportunities.
We will all benefit from their fresh
input, new thinking, ideas and
innovation.”
What questions are you asking
yourself lately? 
• What does this new world of 4IR
means for me, our business and
our employees?
• What am I not doing that others
are doing to be part of this
new world?
• What do I see when I look at
myself in the mirror in six
years’ time?
• What can I do for mycommunity?
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 36
 Graduations
UJ GOES VIRTUAL
for 2020 graduations
Close to 10 000 undergraduate
diplomas or degrees and almost
3 000 postgraduate degrees,
including 669 master’s and 133
doctoral degrees, were virtually
awarded by the University’s Vice-
Chancellor and Principal, Prof
Tshilidzi Marwala.
Owing to restrictions on public
gatherings during the COVID-19
pandemic, the University had
to suspend and postpone its
autumn and winter series of
graduations, which would
have comprised more than 60
graduation ceremonies from 16
March to 13 May.
37 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
Prof Boitumelo
Molebogeng Diale:
A message from
the UJ Convocation
President.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQsiGQnbNcM&feature=youtu.be
Speaking ahead of the virtual
graduation session, Prof
Marwala noted that a graduation
ceremony is such a momentous
occasion in a student’s life. “We
trust this virtual ceremony will
afford graduates, family, and
friends to experience some
elements of a graduation
ceremony. The University is also
planning an in-person celebration
at a later stage, provided
government restrictions are lifted
on public gatherings during the
COVID-19 pandemic.”
These qualifications indicate
a personal triumph for each
T​ HE UNIVERSITY OF
JOHANNESBURG (UJ)
HELD ITS FIRST VIRTUAL
GRADUATION CEREMONY 
ON 13 MAY 2020, WHERE ITS
13 000 GRADUATES HAD 
THE OPPORTUNITY TO DON
GRADUATION ATTIRE IN
THE COMFORT OF THEIR
OWN HOMES.
of our successful students, but
they are also the means towards
an improved livelihood for more
than 13 000 families, as well as for
their communities and our society.
It is important to celebrate the
occasion and thus during the virtual
graduation tribute, graduates will
be able to take a graduation selfie
(photo), in the graduation attire,
while “standing around” virtually at
the graduation ceremony.
In a first for a South African
university, UJ not only introduced
a virtual graduation selfie
application, but also electronic
academic records. Graduates (and
current students) can now send a
secure electronic academic record
to themselves or a third party, for
example, a prospective employer
(free of charge). The electronic
academic record is an official
document that is digitally stamped
and signed by the Registrar.
This follows on the introduction, in
the recent years, of a qualifications
verification system that enables
its graduates to access their
qualifications digitally (and share
with third parties or possible
employers, also at no cost).

Matthew Slabbert:
The most exciting
challenge is
not yet knowing

Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment

Faculty Prize for the Most Prestigious Undergraduate Student for 2019
Matthew Slabbert says that one of
the most exciting things to him is
not yet knowing whether he can
accomplish something.
Slabbert is the recipient of
the Faculty Prize for the Most
Prestigious Undergraduate Student
for 2019.
“One of the greatest attributes
in life is your attitude. I believe
that the attitude you apply to any
aspect of your life flows over into
the other aspects,” says Slabbert,
attributing his success so far to a
keen combination of his attitude
and however much hard work it
takes to get the job done.
With the use of his degree, he
hopes to pursue a successful career
in engineering with opportunities
in South Africa and abroad,
while also paving the way to a
better future with more practical
solutions to real problems. “This
degree also forms the basis
of further studies, such as my

ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 38
master’s degree and professional
engineering training.”
Presenting his speech at the 2019
prestigious evening for his faculty,
he says it forced him to reflect on
the failures and successes up to
this point in his career so far – and
if anything, it has revealed the
importance of achieving a careful
balance in all things.
He says that innovation is one
of the most important factors
for achieving success in today’s
world. “We live in a world where
technology is all around us, yet
there are still many problems that
have not been solved. Innovative
solutions could help lead the world
into a better future with greener
engineering solutions with positive
social impacts.”
“Hard work yields good results,
which has stood me good stead
in terms of securing a job. Having
put in the effort required to get
this far could open doors for me in
the future – and being able to add
this prize to my CV will give future
employers an insight into my
work ethic.”
Shene de Rijk: Increasing the
Reach of Helpful Mental Healthcare
Faculty of Humanities
Faculty Prize for the Most Prestigious Undergraduate Student for 2019
For Shene de Rijk, the choice to
study psychology was partially
personal. “I chose the psychology
degree after having experienced
mental health problems myself.
After completing my first round
of studies and teaching for three
39 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
Slabbert says that he chose
engineering because it allows him
to apply knowledge to solve real
problems and improve existing
solutions. Engineering, he says, also
gave him a unique opportunity to
further his studies once the initial
degree is counted as a success.
Initial interest in robotics,
engineering, and science began
at an early age for Slabbert as a
student schooled at home, with
the option of choosing courses to
spark his interest in robotics and
engineering for the first time.
Today, he hopes to seek more
challenges for which practical
solutions can be found through
engineering and robotics.
“I enjoy the creativity and challenge
that design offers,” he says. “I
have designed components for my
workshop at home and around the
house, which has been a great way
to implement and use some of my
skills.”
Slabbert happens to have
many other interests, including
adventures, fitness, pencil
drawings, and knifemaking – a
hobby that he shares with his
years, I suffered from severe
burnout and depression – and this
highlighted the importance of
both psychology and the real need
in our country for more trained
professionals.”
brother. During his free time, he
plans adventures, sketches ideas,
and designs, and gives it his all at
any of his many pastimes. “Pushing
my abilities gives me a great
sense of freedom, and I enjoy the
challenges it presents.”
He has found inspiration in his
parents. “They have always been
supportive and work hard. I’m also
inspired by a lot of adventurous
people who have accomplished
feats that most people would
not even consider doing – and
they have inspired me to seek
challenges and adventures to
better and test myself.”
Mechanical engineering and the
science behind it are essential, says
Matthew. “Mining and industry
are just two examples of large
economical behemoths that are
influenced by the engineering
machines and the solutions
currently available. Mechanical
engineers provide, maintain, and
improve these solutions with the
aim of improving both efficiency
and economic feasibility.”
Here, he says, lies the opportunity
for mechanical engineers – and it’s
a golden one indeed.
“I have first-hand experience of
the instrumental and crucial role
that therapy can play, not only in
healing but also in becoming more
authentic,” says De Rijk. “South
Africa has a very high incidence of
violence – and if there were more

SHENE DE RIJK HAS BEEN AWARDED THE
UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ)
FACULTY PRIZE FOR THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT FOR 2019.
mental health professionals to deal with a psychologist, there is often
with both victims and perpetrators, not a follow-up – and a follow-
it could contribute to a more up is crucial.” De Rijk refers to
mentally healthy society.” therapy as a journey that requires
a person with adequate training to
De Rijk hopes to see mental accompany this journey from start
health assistance available to more to end.
people in more communities and
aims to achieve this through “In South Africa, there should
careful practice. also be training of multilingual
professionals so that people can
“If we could at the very least receive therapy in their language.”
lessen the impact of violence, Important, De Rijk says, for a
we could reduce it through work diverse nation like ours.
with perpetrators, too,” says De
De Rijk is also choosing the
Rijk, emphasising the importance
pursuit of an honour’s degree in
of seeing more mental health
philosophy. “This way, I can feed
professionals trained in the future.
my love of learning, practise my
“Even if people do have a session favourite academic discipline, and
use the skills I learned
while teaching.”
The award was a lot of hard work,
says De Rijk.
De Rijk calls work and studies a
guiding beacon, and the new award
a good addition to a growing CV –
especially in the challenging field
of academics.
“It’s not something I set out to
achieve. I came into the degree
promising myself that I would apply
myself fully.”
“Before I embarked on my studies,
someone told me that you have to
approach varsity like a bull: keep
pushing and never give up. I believe
I have applied this advice, and it
has paid off.”
“I also enjoy reading, especially
novels,” says De Rijk. “A love of
reading can go a long way when
most of your course consists of
reading, and I don’t remember a
time in my life where I didn’t love
reading or think that a book was
the most appropriate
gift or reward!”
Inspiration has come from many
other sources other than this
advice, including from teachers at
Assumption Convent School, where
De Rijk matriculated in 2009. “Staff
at Assumption are the ones who
took the first steps in developing
me as an academic. Those are the
teachers that laid the foundations –
and they deserve acknowledgment
for that.”
When asked for a motto, De Rijk
gives up the following: “Being
broken doesn’t mean it’s over: It
just means that you can choose
the best pieces as a foundation to
rebuild a better version
of yourself.”
De Rijk hopes to see a future with
more accessible mental health,
provided by qualified mental health
professionals – and is willing to put
in the hard work and dedication
that it takes to achieve it.
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 40
Tayla Zurfluh:
Changing the world
ONE FOOT at a time
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty Prize for the Most Prestigious Student
in Undergraduate and Honours for 2019
Tayla Zurfluh knew that she wanted
to pursue her studies in the medical
field as someone passionate about
working with and helping people.
But at first, she didn’t know that
podiatry was an available
career choice.
She is a recipient of the University
of Johannesburg (UJ) Faculty Prize
for the Most Prestigious Student
in Undergraduate and Honours
for 2019 and hopes to use her
advantage and knowledge to make
a difference to the world.
“Podiatry is still very much
developing in South Africa: I
chose it because of the various
opportunities to follow once
qualifying.”
She has succeeded in other
achievements, too. “I was invited
to be a Golden Key member after
my first year of studies.” It only
applies to the top 15% of students
based on academic achievements,
and only upon invitation. “I was also
nominated for the UJenius Club in
2017.”
It was knowing that she might have
an impact on a patient’s everyday
quality of life that finally inspired
her to follow podiatry. “Many of
us unknowingly take our feet for
granted and knowing that I can
have an impact is highly rewarding.”
Zurfluh says that part of her
future goals involves spreading
awareness. “Many people do not
know what being a podiatrist
41 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
entails, nor realise our impact in
the medical field as well as the
community. We need to educate
the public on the importance of
foot health as well as the vital role
podiatrists play in common general
medical conditions, prevention of
lower limb injury, and treatment of
all foot and ankle ailments.”
She says that podiatry is vital in
the prevention and correction of my practice fully established and
deformities and injuries. “Keeping
bustling with feet as the best
people mobile and active, relieving
podiatrist that I can be.”
pain and treating infections. Many
people take their feet for granted She credits her parents as one
– and we forget that our feet are of her biggest inspirations to
what keeps us moving. Podiatrists become a better professional.
are there to keep all South Africans “My dad has always taught me to
on the go.” give everything I have when doing
something – and my mom, that I
With the help of podiatry, Zurfluh
can always come back stronger.”
hopes to see more people able to
live life “with a spring in their step” The prize, she says, allows her to
thanks to proper care. stand out in an already competitive
industry with limited opportunities.
Zurfluh says that she has a love for
people – whether she is treating “It’s important to stand out from
the crowd.” She adds that the prize
them or cooking for them. “I am
also reflects her key characteristics,
passionate about cooking. My
such as good work ethic,
mom’s dad was Italian, and his
love for cooking flows through me commitment, self-discipline, and
– and whenever I have time off, I motivation to achieve success.
find myself planning dishes. I also
“This took a lot of hard work,
find so much joy in cooking for the
dedication, discipline, and sacrifice.
people I love.”
It’s easy to get distracted during
She hopes to use the experience varsity, and therefore it’s important
gained during her degree studies to to remind yourself what your
one day run her successful practice end-goal is,” she says. “By setting
while creating public awareness personal goals and pushing
about the true importance of foot yourself, you will always push
health. “In 10 years, I want to see yourself to be better.”
Get your E-Academic
Record at no cost
Visit: https://www.uj.ac.za/academic-records

ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 42
 Dylan Durieux:
Dylan Durieux is in his element
in the time of COVID-19 and the
Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Working towards his master’s

Applied mathematicians
degree in applied mathematics,
he knows that in 4IR many things
will be controlled and determined
via algorithms and mathema-
tical models.

“A strong foundation in applied

are at the forefront of
mathematics in South Africa will
put us at the forefront of this
age. It is imperative to have the
4IR and COVID-19
skills to comprehensively analyse
data, create robust models, and Faculty of Science
be in the position to incorporate
them into the industry. An applied Faculty Prize for the Most Prestigious
mathematician is the perfect Honours Student for 2019
profession from which to build a
better and stronger South Africa.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has “IT IS IMPERATIVE TO

applied mathematicians at the
forefront analysing data, such
as infection and mortality rates,
and it is applied mathematicians
who model the spread of the
disease. The information and data
produced by these models are
currently used by governments
across the globe for the
betterment of humanity,” says
Durieux.
Durieux was awarded the Faculty
of Science’s Prize for the Most
Prestigious Honours Student
for 2019, an honour he believes
will help set him apart from his
peers in the job hunt and work
environment. “Achieving this
prestigious award illustrates
characteristics that I would
look for in an employee, such as
tenacity, perseverance, and taking
great pride in my work.”
It did indeed require tenacity and
perseverance for him to come out
on top as the most prestigious
honours student.
“It took a lot of hard work and
endless hours of dedication
to try and be the best I could
be. It was not an overnight
accomplishment by any means;
in my first year (2013) applied
mathematics was the first module
I ever failed, achieving a semester
mark of only 24%. This trend
HAVE THE SKILLS TO
COMPREHENSIVELY
ANALYSE DATA, CREATE
ROBUST MODELS, AND
BE IN THE POSITION TO
INCORPORATE THEM INTO
THE INDUSTRY. AN APPLIED
MATHEMATICIAN IS THE
PERFECT PROFESSION
FROM WHICH TO BUILD A
BETTER AND STRONGER
SOUTH AFRICA.”
of underperforming and failing
modules continued up until the
end of 2015 where due to my
academic ‘performance’ in the
second semester, I was placed
on academic warning at the
University. This meant had I failed
another module, I would have
been given an F7 and kicked out
of the University.”
It was then that he promised
himself to never fail anything
again. In 2016, he passed all his
modules, and in 2017, he achieved
four distinctions out of his seven

43 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
modules. These results helped him
in convincing the Faculty of Science
to allow him to specialise in a third
major, being applied mathematics.
In 2018, his final undergrad year, he
achieved distinctions for all of his
modules with an average of 86%.
This led him into 2019 and, feeling
he had perfected his study method,
he would wake up at 5 am every day
facing two options: either he had
classes and would study up until an
hour before that class or he would
have the day free from classes and
study until approximately 5 pm.
While Durieux, who lives by the
motto work hard, be kind and stay
humble, was diligent and devoted to
his studies, he says all of this
would not have been possible
without the unwavering support
and understanding of his family
and girlfriend.
He chose to do his honours in
applied mathematics largely
because of his current supervisor,
Prof W-H Steeb. “He showed
interest in my studies, recognising
the potential in me. Furthermore,
he showed me that the field of
applied mathematics is broad and
multidisciplinary, and by pursuing
applied mathematics, I could
combine my interest in quantum
mechanics with my passion
for mathematics.”
He believes mathematicians need
more recognition for the role
they play. There should be more
information-sharing about the
role that mathematics plays in our
everyday lives. “Mathematics is
present in every facet of our lives
without us consciously knowing it,”
says Durieux.
After completing his master’s
degree, he wants to enter the
corporate world where he hopes to
become a vital part of an analysis
team working with quantitative
data and mathematical models,
where he can put into practice the
mathematical skills gained through
his studies.

John
Generalis:
Artists and their work
are the measures of
a healthy democracy
Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture
University of Johannesburg (UJ)
Chancellor’s Medal
“The arts remain at the frontline of
freedom of expression in our country,
and in many ways, artists and the work
they produce may be considered the
measure of a healthy democracy.”

Artist and academic, John Generalis,

says his work encompasses his own
lived experience as a ‘gay artist’ in
South Africa.
“I’d like to believe that I keep adding
my voice to other artists who hope
to broaden people’s perceptions of
identity, gender, and self.”
A successful exhibition at the
University of Johannesburg
Art Gallery was humbling,
says Generalis. “Many of those
who approached me found my
narratives about queerness as
validation of their own life stories.”
Generalis has already experienced
an active career in other industries,
including prop-making and set
painting for theatre, backdrop and
mural painting, restaurant and
shop design, large scale installation
works, and the events industry.

ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 44
“It is a very prestigious medal for
any recipient,” says Generalis,
calling the news of winning the
award a great way to lift the spirits
during COVID-19. “It is actual
recognition of the hard work that
is implied by any well-completed
project – and it offers artists a
sense of credibility and validation
of their work.”
“The true value of such an award,
to me, lies in the fact that it
recognises ongoing steadfastness
that characterises the career paths
of every successful artist – and
this, the prize will always be such a
reminder,” he says.
Generalis attributes perseverance
to success. “It was important to
remain focused and motivated,
even when the process seemed
to challenge my physical,
mental and emotional limits.
I was also fortunate to have
had the invaluable support and
encouragement of many people.
Other than my family and close
friends, the academic staff at the
Department of Visual Art at FADA
were an integral part of
this success.
45 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
“Working closely with Prof Karen
von Veh and Bronwen Findlay
(my supervisors), guided my
process and aligned my trajectory
throughout. I remain ever grateful
to all of them.”
This artist found his way to the arts
from a young age, realising a vital
skill in what the majority of people
do in childhood: drawing, painting,
and creating new things.
Generalis says that this has been a
certain good choice for the future.
“Choosing fine arts has held me in
good stead. Over the years, I have
become proficient in many practical
and technical skills – including
painting, drawing and design,
mould making, and sculpture.”
Some of the most important
lessons learned during his studies
centred on self-motivation, he
says. “Completing my dissertation
taught me to allow my instincts
and yet still allow space for
transformation.”
He paints a picture of a future
lived in the arts.
“My ambition is to solidify many
of my career goals into fruition
Mafor Penn:
Embracing
changing
education in a
changing world
Faculty of Education
University of Johannesburg (UJ)
Chancellor’s Medal
through new collaborations and
art residencies here and abroad.
Art and art-making can still be
considered undiluted modes of
depicting culture and identity –
and my research focused on
hybridity, specifically the idea of
Hybrid Vigour, a term borrowed
from genetics.”
Generalis finds an overlap of visual
and aesthetic codes used by artists
to create entirely new narratives.
“Such redefinitions of the narrative
are of particular interest for me
and my work as a queer person.”
Right now, the arts need artists –
and Generalis hopes that a life
lived in the arts can make a
worldwide difference.
“The arts need long-term support
and funding – but I’d like to see
more ‘buy-in’ from the government
and private sector as well as
genuine support from the public.”
“I believe that through the
creative arts we can achieve both
sustainable economic growth
as well as new job creation. Art
and artmaking have the power to
educate, create awareness, and
challenge societal norms.”

“EDUCATION NEEDS A PARADIGM SHIFT TO
ACCOMMODATE THE RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD
OF WORK, WHERE DIGITISATION AND ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE ARE TAKING OVER.” THIS, SHE
SAYS, IMPLIES THAT CHILDREN HAVE TO BE
AS EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH THE FOURTH
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (4IR) AS EVERYONE
ELSE AROUND THEM...”
Mafor Penn lives her life by the
mantra which she recites every day:
“Knowing is not enough; we must
apply. Wishing is not enough; we
must do.”
Penn is the recipient of the most
prestigious award given to students
by the University of Johannesburg:
The University of Johannesburg
(UJ) Chancellor’s Medal. “The prize
will open bigger doors for me, as I
look forward to growing my career
as a science education researcher
and propagating the global
excellence status of the University
of Johannesburg.”
Her first introduction to education
happened through Teach South
Africa in 2009. “At the time,
education officials reminded me I
didn’t have a teaching qualification
– even though I had an honours
degree in biochemistry and medical
laboratory technology.”
Completing her PGCE in 2015, she
realised that she wanted more – a
deeper understanding. “That is
what led me to register for an
honours degree – and subsequently
a master’s degree. I needed to
gain an understanding of science
education research to improve my
practice as a science teacher at
the time.”
The award allows Penn to bring
her dream of further-reaching
education to the world. “To do
this, one has to be committed,
consistent, and hard-working.” She
acknowledges the support of her
supervisor, her loving family, and
her faith in God as crowning all her
efforts in the field so far.
Her dissertation taught her as
much about education and science
as it did about herself. “The
ultimate goal was to establish the
level of scientific literacy of Grade
12 learners in 21 global countries,”
she says. “But by the close of two
research cycles, I discovered several
things about myself during the
research process: I discovered that
persistence was a key quality for
school-based research, and that
dialogue was just as important.”
Penn says that her degree has
already opened up several doors
and allowed her to move from
high school teaching to lecturing
in higher education through the
University of Johannesburg.
The future appears especially
bright: “In the next five years, I
would have completed a PhD in
Science Education, been published
extensively in internationally
recognised journals and given back
to the Department of Education
in terms of teacher development
programmes.”
She also looks to collaborate with
the department to develop better
mathematics and science teachers
for the future with the infusion of
learning enhanced with the help of
technology.
“Education needs a paradigm
shift to accommodate the
rapidly changing world of work,
where digitisation and artificial
intelligence are taking over.” This,
she says, implies that children have
to be as equipped to deal with the
Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)
as everyone else around them –
but also that teachers have to be
equipped with the same skills.”
“Skills like critical thinking,
creativity, communication, complex
problem solving, computational
thinking, emotional intelligence,
cognitive flexibility, and
adaptability all come into play.”
Penn is currently completing her in-
service professional development
programmes, but believes that
education specialists still have
more work ahead when it comes
to training teachers for future-fit
classrooms – and hopes that she
can bridge the gap for a future
where learning through technology
is embraced in all its forms.
Support has been one of the
most important achievements
so far – and not just from the
Department of Education, but
from beloved friends, mentors, and
family members. “I’d like to thank
the people who supported me
throughout my studies, including
my supervisor (Prof U Ramnarain),
one of my professional mentors (Dr
L Mavuru), my husband (Vincent)
and my lovely children.”
She remembers advice from a
beloved family member as a closing
statement as she looks towards a
future embracing doing what she
loves most for the betterment of
mankind, “Anything is possible if
you visualise it and set attainable
goals to achieve it.”
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 46
47 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
Ronny Tebeta:
A modern scientist looking
to change the world
Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment
University of Johannesburg (UJ) Chancellor’s Medal
Master of Engineering: Mechanical Engineering
He wants to see himself as one of
the great scientists in the world,
sharing his work and knowledge
with people around the globe
like other scientists before him.
“For that, I will keep extending
the boundaries of literature by
discovering, writing, and publishing
my work to the world,” says
Ronny Tebeta.
In his free time, he reads and
watches documentaries –
particularly on how civilisation
came to be. He draws a comparison
between how WW2 shaped the
world in comparison to what
COVID-19 is doing to the Fourth
Industrial Revolution. “I am a
modern scientist who still admires
history,” he says.
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 48
He progressed to the master’s level
to obtain the knowledge it takes
to come up with possible solutions
for the future – particularly, for
the sustainability of energy and
the reduction of its environmental
impact. “I have wanted to invent
or develop a life-changing product
ever since I can remember.”
His PhD project looks to develop
a radiation-resistant material with
a high melting point, used in the
construction of power plants to
increase their efficiency while
reducing their consumption
and risk.
Can the award open future
doors for him?
“It has already started opening
doors for me!” enthuses Tebeta.
“I’ll be featured in UJ Alumni
Magazine – and not every
UJ student is.”
Five or ten years from now, Tebeta
sees himself as a professor in the
material science field specialising in
the development and production of
nuclear materials. He feels a need
to share his knowledge with the
coming generation and expand the
boundaries of modern science.
“My master’s project was based on
the enhancement of high-density
polyethylene’s elastic properties
by reinforcing it with single-wall
carbon nanotubes,” he explains.
“The outputs of the project
turned out to be remarkable and
recognised as the
prestigious award.”
The project was exciting from
the start, and he was privileged
to have supervisors like Prof NA
Ahmed, Prof AM Fattahi and Dr N
Madushele by his side.
His master’s degree is a further
steppingstone towards his PhD,
says Tebeta. “The knowledge
obtained from this degree is
essential for my advancement
to become one of the greatest
scientists in the world – and to
develop advanced materials
for electrical powerplant boiler
construction.”
49 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
“I was driven by a passion to
succeed in adding knowledge to
the existing literature pertaining
to my master’s project. I wasn’t
doing it just to obtain another
degree, but to make a statement;
to introduce new knowledge into
the field of material science.”
The process allowed him to
build a great relationship with
his supervisors and essential
manufacturing industries. “It took
hard work, communication skills,
a positive attitude, teamwork,
project planning, passion – and of
course, great supervision.”
Through his master’s dissertation,
he not only gained valuable
knowledge on the topic of
polymer-based nanocomposites,
but also developed problem-
solving, project and time
management skills as well
as communication skills
and teamworking abilities.
Ronny says mechanical
engineers such as himself
can contribute to a better
South Africa by inspiring,
motivating and leading the
current generation of the
country by example.
“Mechanical engineers
and engineering need
the opportunity to prove
themselves as worthwhile
and interesting fields to
pursue, need financial
support for research
development, facilities
and go-ahead from the
government. They should
be recognised as potential leaders
who can change this country.
“This requires highly driven and
well-educated young engineers
who are willing to contribute to
the standard of economy and
technology in South Africa. We
already have the resources, the
only thing we are missing are the
great and devoted leaders who are
willing to contribute to the legacy
of this country.”
Yorgo Yiannakis:
Technology changes law
Faculty of Law
University of Johannesburg (UJ) Chancellor’s Medal
To be awarded the Chancellor’s
Medal took a lot of hard work,
sacrifice and time management,
says Yorgo Yiannakis.
The contributing elements to the
achievement of the medal were
seated in a variety of factors.
Choosing a dissertation topic that
is interesting and applicable to you
as a person really helps in dealing
with all the time you have to put in
during the writing and research of
your topic, he says.
“I chose a topic that interested
me: Comparing our law in relation
to drones with that of other
territories – and I found that
different regions deal with issues
in different ways.” He says that his
study made him realise that liability
insurance might be more required
for recreational drone use than
commercial.”
“The choice of drones and
insurance was just the most
applicable topic for me as an
avid recreational drone user and
insurance legal advisor.”
A degree of this magnitude,
Yiannakis says, is no small task. “A
master’s degree is worth the effort.
Once you’ve started working, go
for it!”
“UJ and their lecturers have been
immense in the experience, and
I am proud to be part of such
a prestigious and recognised
university and faculty. I certainly
believe that this award will open
doors as a glittering addition to my
CV, and it shows the hard work is
awarded and recognised.”
Inspired by his father’s dedication
and long hours of hard work as a
small business owner heading a
7/11 store for years, he was always
interested and keen on pursuing a
career in the business world.
So, after completing a BCom in
2010, Yiannakis knew it was time
for further studies and tackled
a postgraduate LLB degree that
would assist him in the business
world one day. He never grew
up aspiring to be an attorney;
however, he really took a liking to
and enjoyed his LLB studies.
Yiannakis was admitted as an
attorney in March 2016 and it was
rules in place to ensure safe drone
time to venture into the business
usage, and I have started a drone blog,
realm. This proved to be a good
Drone Right, to provide insight into
first step into the corporate world,
the drone laws in South Africa.”
where he has been working at the
same firm for the past four years. “Commercial attorneys can contribute
to a better South Africa by making
He met his wife Tegan while
ethically sound, commercially viable
they were completing articles at
and overall sustainable solutions to
the same firm and progressing
real world legal problems.”
to further master’s study was
a combined decision. “Once we Yiannakis hopes that once he has
settled in Johannesburg, we gained some international career
decided to pursue our master’s experience, he can one day play a role
degrees. Both of us studying at the as a company director or CEO. “This is
same time would be beneficial and certainly something that I am actively
make the long hours a bit easier.” working towards.”
Yiannakis finally chose to specialise “I think the field of commercial law
in corporate law because it will always need attorneys and legal
provided a better understanding practitioners to help deal with the
into applicable law. “It was the plethora of compliance and regulatory
most appropriate fit to my career red-tape in the industry.” This, he says,
and line of work that I thoroughly means that the goal of an attorney is
enjoy.” to find ethical, commercial solutions
to complex legal issues.
In South Africa, there is still a
gap to be filled, and Yiannakis “This balance is exactly what the
hopes that his work can make the field of commercial law currently
difference. “Many drone users are needs – and will continue to do so in
not aware of the legislation and the future.”
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 50
Megan Geldenhuys:
Nursing’s ‘Butterfly Effect’
Faculty of Science
University of Johannesburg (UJ) Chancellor’s Medal
After the completion of her master’s
degree in professional nursing
science, she hopes to see a day
where nursing specialists lead the
profession – and wishes to use her
qualifications and skills to help
make this a reality, says Megan
Geldenhuys.
“Imagine a South Africa where all
the nurses cared! It would transform
the health sector and could inspire
the nation. I sometimes think that
we have forgotten the reason we
nurse. We have become distracted
with politics and our own motives,
and even with academics and
climbing the career ladder.”
We need a fairly drastic shift in
focus, she says. “We need to get
back to the point of nursing: the
patient. We are nurses for patients
and not for ourselves – and if that
becomes our focus, it can change
the way we work and the way we
interact with our patients, their
families and with each other.”
Geldenhuys wants to see the
delivery of care improve, similar to
a butterfly effect; how do we get
from here to there, she asks?
“Being awarded the Chancellor’s
Medal caught me by surprise,” says
Geldenhuys. “I will say that this study
was the single most difficult thing I
have ever attempted in my life.”
She attributes her success to a
mixture of time, hard work and an
amazing supervisor who wouldn’t let
her give up her dreams of excelling
in her chosen field.
“My supervisor, Prof Downing,
is a great inspiration to me. She
manages to be professional, kind
51 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
and consistent at the same time
– and she achieves more than any
other human I know.”
She finds further inspiration from
those around her, including her
parents, who wake up to face the
world with a smile no matter what.
“I also cannot talk obtaining this
degree without mentioning my
husband. He has supported me in
every way, including cheering me
on and doing the dishes.”
It was her father who told her she
could study anything she wanted
after matric, and there she found
herself at a crossroads, caught
between studying journalism or
nursing.
“An older girl from my dance
school took me job-shadowing
one Saturday afternoon. I think
she tried to scare me by taking
me to the trauma unit at the
Johannesburg General Hospital –
but it had the opposite effect.”
She attributes the decision to take
her studies further to a personal
goal she had set for herself. “I did it
because I had told myself I would,
and so it just had to be done.”
“I’ve always enjoyed research and
enjoyed writing, but the master’s
cultivated that even more. I love
writing, but I also love nursing.”
The most important lesson learned
through the completion of her
studies was that the hardest
obstacle is learning how. “I would
bang my head against the wall
while struggling with something,
get flustered and anxious and
invariably land face planted in the
mud – but eventually, one figures
out how to do something. Now,
that’s my motto.”
Geldenhuys hopes that the award
allows for more opportunities
when it comes to her future career
choices.
She admits that she might not
know today where she could end
up later and stays mum on any
possible predictions of what her
future might hold. “I’ve tried to
envision where I would like to be,
and it’s simply too far away for me
to conceptualise!”
“God blessed me in this, too; by His
grace, I finished it, and I finished
well.”
 Khesa Pitso: Aquatic health
for the future sustainability
of essential industries
Khesa Pitso understands the
importance of aquatic health
for the future sustainability
of essential industries and the
better maintenance of healthier
worldwide ecosystems. Working
towards her master’s degree in
aquatic health, she hopes for
recognition and the doors of great
opportunities to open – both for
her own future and for the field of
aquatic health at large.
“The environment is the most
important part of our being and
we should protect it at all costs.
The field of aquatic health needs
more research funding and proper
recognition in the crucial role it
plays in environmental monitoring
and ecological risk assessment.”
“All of us have a responsibility
to keep our water clean,” she
says, pointing out the origin of
Faculty of Science
Faculty Prize for the Most Prestigious
Honours Student for 2019
THROUGH HER
RESEARCH AND
DEDICATION, SHE HOPES
TO MAKE IMPORTANT
STAKEHOLDERS AWARE
OF THE PERIL THAT
POLLUTANTS POSE TO
THE ENVIRONMENT.
Johannesburg’s water reservoirs in
her home country, Lesotho.
“I love hiking, and Lesotho is one of
the best places for this with a fairly
clean environment, clean air and
clean water. But Lesotho is also a
sleeping giant with vast untapped
opportunities in the mining sector.”
She says that these opportunities
will not remain untapped forever.
“These can come with a heavy price
on the aquatic ecosystems.”
Pitso was awarded the Faculty
of Science’s Prize for the most
prestigious Honours Student for
2019, an honour which she firmly
believes will be an important
steppingstone towards a bright
future and a healthier earth.
“It was my first big academic
recognition after also being one of
the country’s top ten achievers for
COSC results.”
Pitso matriculated at the National
University of Lesotho in 1998, and
later graduated with a bachelor’s
degree in science with biology and
chemistry as her majors in 2002.
Later, she joined the University of
Johannesburg for her postgraduate
degree in zoology – and this is
where her interest in aquatic health
truly began.
While doing her honours degree,
Pitso became part of an Aquatic
Health Research Group led by
her current supervisor, Prof Ina
Wagenaar. “This equipped me with
the necessary skills and knowledge
to embark on a research project
in aquatic health for my master’s
degree.” Pitso refers to her fondly
as her mentor and inspiration
towards dedication and hard work.
“The interesting thing I have
learned from my topic is that
minute pollutants are highly
likely to go unnoticed in aquatic
environments, and that these
hazardous substances threaten the
life of both humans and wildlife
within these environments.”
She hopes that further research
into aquatic health with her
capable future research team
at the helm can help to make a
difference to the environment and
how aquatic health is viewed by the
world’s investors, corporations, and
people.
Through her research and
dedication, she hopes to make
important stakeholders aware of
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 52
the peril that pollutants pose to
the environment. “There’s always
a positive in every situation – and
room to learn something. This will
urge the decision makers to invest
more in the measures that protect
the environment instead.”
After the completion of her master’s
degree, she plans to continue
her studies part time. “So that in
10 years from now, I will be an
outstanding expert and consultant
in aquatic health, leading one of to collaborate with the University
the best research teams in this.” of Johannesburg in relevant
research projects in aquatic health
One of her goals is to enter the
– and hopefully, presents a further
field with focused hard work and
opportunity that I could end up
determination, while being backed
with a PhD.”
by a supportive aquatic research
team. “ With the knowledge gained through
her studies, Pitso hopes to be the
“I hope to be promoted to a lecturer
change that she needs to see in the
position in my department at the
world – so that one day we can see a
National University of Lesotho,” she
healthier ecosystem for all.
says. “This gives me an opportunity

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The Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation is one such initiative. This highly regarded forum
provides scholars, practitioners and thought leaders, as well as influencers from across the continent,
a platform on which to contribute to the dissemination of Pan-African knowledge and culture. This not
only strengthens UJ’s international profile on such issues but allows us to play a major role in steering
Africa to a place of intellectual leadership through innovative Pan-African ideas.

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53 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
Sven Botha:
Defining my own limitations: a
story of courage, passion and
collaboration
Department of Politics and International Relations
‘Difference’ or ‘differentiation’
is a part of everyday life. What
differentiates us from others
makes us unique. However,
‘differentiation’ is not always
so straightforward, and this is
particularly true when a physical
disability is part of what makes us
different from others.
I was born on Christmas Day in
1996 with Cerebral Palsy (CP).
CP is a physical disability that
impedes the normal movement of
one’s arms and legs and can have
additional side-effects, depending
on the case at hand. Luckily, I was
fortunate to have combined access
to early medical intervention and a
positive attitude, which has made
life a little easier.
My early years were no walk in the
park. Using a walking frame and
orthotics (customised leg braces
worn to correct the posture of
my legs and feet), I made my way
through my early schooling career.
For the most part I was content,
the only negative fallout being
that I had to attend school in leg
casts or moonboots as a result
of surgical interventions. These
surgeries were guided by my
lifelong physiotherapist, Ms Gillian
Shead, without whom my ability
to walk would have been lost long
ago. Concentrating on school work
while simultaneously focusing on
my recoveries was a tall order; it
was challenging to maintain focus,
plan my day or complete tasks on
time.
My time in high school was
perhaps the most challenging, not
necessarily because of a prolonged
recovery from a surgery I had to
endure, but because I was often
ahead of some of my peers. I
also found it extremely difficult
to make lasting connections and
friendships. Luckily for me, my hard
work did not go unnoticed. Early,
on, my history teacher at the time,
Ms Cynthia Brookstein, noticed my
positive attitude and talents, and I
would always ‘escape’ from reality
via my history classes. Cynthia
deserves credit for her foresight,
which has played a huge role in
propelling my career forward as
a fledgling academic out of the
starting blocks.
I’ve always had a passion for
education, knowledge and politics
in general. As a naive teenager,
I thought I would enter the
political fray and fix South Africa’s
education system. Sadly, after
spending some time on South
Africa’s political landscape, I came
to the conclusion that this was
not a space I wanted to establish
roots in. And while I made some
wonderful friends and learnt some
valuable lessons during this time,
I felt that my attention would be
more useful elsewhere.
Feeling somewhat lost, but still
determined to make an impact,
I started my academic journey
at Monash South Africa (then a
campus of Monash University)
under the erudite Prof Victoria
(Vicky) Graham. Vicky took me
under her wing and much like
Cynthia, recognised what I could
be early on. Vicky made me feel
welcome by looking past my
physical challenges and saw me as
an individual, a gift that many of
my other lecturers gave me as time
went on.
I had the support and guidance
of Prof Anna-Mart van Wyk and
Ms Esther Benjamin (former Dean
of Social and Health Sciences
and CEO at Monash South Africa
respectively), and with Monash
South Africa as my base, I expanded
my degree to accommodate a
double major in Political and
International Studies, with an
extended major in Political
Studies. My passion and search for
knowledge and collaboration were
never ignored. Vicky, Anna-Mart
and Esther were always (and still
remain) close at hand to provide
advice and guidance when needed.
During my time as undergraduate
student, I established the Monash
Society for Political Dialogue and
Analysis (MSPDA), a platform which
brought students, academics and
practitioners together for robust
discussions on both domestic
and international politics. The
MSPDA taught me the value of
collaboration and knowledge
generation, buzzwords that
encapsulate much of what made
me who I am today.
While still at Monash I started
working on the establishment of an
ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 54

Left to right: Costa, Suzy, Sven and Vicky attending the 4th
Annual Conference of the South Africa-Russia Dialogue Forum in
Johannesburg in 2016.
Left to right: Esther, Sven and Anna-Mart attending graduation in 2019.
academic journal for early-career
researchers, an ongoing project
that has yielded much interest
in the South African academic
space. I went on to graduate from
Monash as a Summa Cum Laude
student, and my achievements and
efforts have not gone unnoticed
by Monash University, which has
awarded me both the Gershon &
Rose Hasen Prize and The Sir John
Monash medal, both of which are
highly prestigious accolades for an
undergraduate student.
Following the Paris Attacks of 2015,
I turned my attention to terrorism
and counter-terrorism. Now, as a
postgraduate in the Department of
Politics and International Relations
at the University of Johannesburg
(UJ), under the stellar supervision
of Suzanne (Suzy) Graham, I have
narrowed my academic focus to
gendered counter-terrorism in
55 ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
Africa as women and young girls
continue to occupy imperative roles
within various terrorist groups
across the continent.
I have published two academic
articles, several book reviews, and
continue my work as a associate
at the Centre for African Studies
at Leiden University. I also
occupy a seat on the National
Expiative Council of the South
African Association of Political
Studies (SAAPS), and chair the
SAAPS Research Committee on
Early-Career Research, which I
established.
By now, it should be evident that
I enjoy pushing the boundaries.
I instinctively feel that this
characteristic is rooted in my drive
to overcome challenges imposed
upon me by my disability; I have
never (and will never) allow other
influences to determine my
limitations! This approach to life
has sustained my passion, which
led me to the fortunate position
of being able to always wake up in
a good mood and being afforded
opportunities that many Masters
candidates could only dream of.
Currently, together with Suzy,
Dr Costa Georghiou, Prof Jo-Ansie
van Wyk (UNISA) and Vicky, I am
working on several academic
projects which promise to yield
some insightful and impactful
results.
Despite all that I have achieved in
my life, I am most proud of the
fact that I eventually learnt to tie
my own shoelaces at the age of
13 (another impediment brought
on by my CP), something many
around me never thought possible
and took for granted. As my
career as fledgling academic and
knowledge generation architect
continues, I can impart the
following advice:
• Avoid saying ‘no’ if you can
help it. You will open up doors
for yourself that you never
knew existed.
• Choose your mentors and
confidantes wisely and
remember to show your
gratitude to them whenever
possible. Never take them for
granted.
• Always think outside the box;
our world is built by those who
push boundaries.
• Accept that sometimes, your
biggest critics can also be your
biggest supporters. Listen to
your mentors and then choose
your own path!
• Always strive for impact, and
success will follow.
I have been tolerated, sustained
and motivated by, in addition to
family members, Gillian, Vicky,
Anna-Mart, Esther, Costa, Suzy and
Jo-Ansie and by no means last,
Kate Lormier (my former political
mentor). You have all given me
so much. I hope to one day be
able to influence someone to the
same degree to which you have all
influenced me.
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