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Professor Dasarath Chetty, UKZN's Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Corporate Relations, accepting the Award from Dr John Kirkland, Deputy Secretary General (Development) of the ACU. |
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UKZN's Annual Report won the 2007-2008 Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) PR, Marketing and Communications Award held this week.
The second conference of the ACU PR, Marketing and Communications Network was held in Durban at the Southern Sun Elangeni this week and was attended by 120 delegates from 40 countries including Australia, Kenya, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and India. The conference was opened by Vice-Chancellor Professor Malegapuru Makgoba and Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Corporate Relations Professor Dasarath Chetty delivered an address on "Motivating Staff: ensuring commitment in a changing environment".
The ACU launched its PR, Marketing and Communications Awards in 2005 to share, encourage and reward good practice amongst higher education institutions.
In the Annual Report Category, the judges were looking for visual appeal, clarity of structures and presentation and effective use of colour, graphics and photographs.
In their commentary, the ACU judges stated that the UKZN Annual Report succeeded as both a promotional tool and a document that highlights the progress of the University in meeting its own targets.
In a letter to the University, the judges said: "A very strong submission. The imagery was outstanding and it was possible to gain an understanding about the institution and its goals from first glance. The sections on promoting unity and equity were particularly enjoyable. A well constructed statement, with strong presentation of information about the institution and identification of audience goals."
Professor Dasarath Chetty who edits the Annual Report said: "It was an honour for UKZN to be chosen as best in the Annual Report Category. We were also runners up in the Newsletter Category for UKZNdaba. In overcoming International competition and given the numerous awards we have won against South African competition, this confirms that we are the Premier South African University in the areas of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications."
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| UKZN's Student in Free Enterprise (SIFE) celebrate their victory. |
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UKZN's Student in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team beat representatives of 17 other South African universities in their march to overall victory in the 2008 National Championships held in Johannesburg earlier this month.
Runners-up were the University of the Witswatersrand followed by the University of Stellenbosch.
"We were invincible," said an excited Mr Mandla Ndaba, Student Leadership Development Practitioner and Faculty Advisor to the SIFE team. "We always set the standards in these competitions."
Mr Ndaba praised UKZN management for the support they gave the team saying it made all the difference and was the envy of other teams.
SIFE is an international organisation which mobilises university students around the world to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders.
After winning the national competition, the UKZN SIFE team is hard at work preparing for the four-day SIFE World Cup 2008 in Singapore. The event will be a showcase of the impact that SIFE teams are making around the world and will bring together an international network of student, academic, and business leaders from 46 different counties.
To qualify for the national competitions all the teams had to participate in various outreach programmes that are in line with the organisation's topics and are sponsored by various organisations, namely: Financial Literacy, sponsored by HSBC (World Local Bank); Entrepreneurship, sponsored by Harmony Gold; Business Success Skills, sponsored by ABSA; Business Ethics, sponsored by ESKOM; Sustainability, sponsored by Khula Enterprise, and Market Economics sponsored by Standard Bank.
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For the second consecutive year, an Honours student from the School of Statistics and Actuarial Science has won First Prize in the 2007-2008 South African Statistics Association (SASA) National Honours Project Competition.
Mr Jordache Ramjith, who is currently registered for a Master's degree in Statistics, joins last year's winner, Mr Nishay Vithal, as the worthy recipient of this award.
Supervised by Professor Glenda Mathews, Mr Ramjith's project focused on the Cox Proportional-Hazards Regression Model, considered the most widely used method of survival analysis.
Statistics students from five of the top universities in South Africa participated in the competition with the second and third prizes going to students from the University of Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The panel of judges, comprising delegates from various universities, conceded that their task was not any easy one as "all projects were of excellent standard, collectively better than in recent years".
Head of the School of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Professor Delia North, said that the competition provided a useful yardstick by which to judge the high standard of UKZN's Honours' projects - evidence enough to convince the local population that they "need not rush off to far away institutions to get a good education".
Professor North added, "We are all very proud of the excellent work done in our School as we are making a mark nationally. Professor Matthews in particular has been very active in the field of Biostatistics, supervising many excellent PhD, MSc and Honours projects using data from the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA)".
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Professor Sheryl Hendriks. |
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The African Centre for Food Security (AFCS) has been awarded a US$3,5 million (R26,2 million) sub-contract by USAID, through the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA), to conduct food security analysis over a five-year period.
The Interim Director of the AFCS, Professor Sheryl Hendriks, said the study would look at type two humanitarian assistance and the United States response to food emergency that takes into account the human factor.
"The research we will conduct will try to understand the vulnerability around food and security. The research will be conducted in Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa. We will try to find a simple way for governments to identify who needs assistance and deliver that assistance," said Professor Hendriks.
The study will also look at how households cope and respond during food crises and how they survive under normal circumstances.
The study will start in October this year and will have five core team members who will meet on a regular basis in Washington at the FANTA headquarters to discuss new developments and key strategies.
"As we develop and come up with new solutions, we will consult internationally and nationally and because we are also working with the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the recommendations are likely to be implemented as soon as the study is over," said Professor Hendriks.
"We are most excited at the opportunity to expand our work and the grant has given us that opportunity. With this study we will try and address the inequalities that exist and assist households in providing for themselves and increase their resilience."
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Professor Renuka Vithal, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Teaching and Learning, has been elected onto the Executive Committee of the International Commission on Mathematics Instruction (ICMI).
The ICMI is a part of the International Mathematical Union with a specific focus on mathematics education.
In a message to Professor Vithal, Mr Bernard R Hodgson, Secretary General of ICMI, said: "On behalf of the International Mathematical Union (IMU) and ICMI Executive Committees, I want to express our most sincere congratulations on your election, as well as our deepest thanks for accepting to play these important roles in the life of the international mathematics and mathematics education communities."
Professor Vithal is the Research Project Leader for the South African sector of the International Study on Learners' Perspectives in Mathematics Classrooms. She is a member of several editorial boards and has served as Chair of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education and as an Education Expert on the South African National Commission for UNESCO.
She said, "It is an honour and a privilege to be elected and it is recognition of one's work by the international mathematics education community. This will be an opportunity to represent the interests of Africa and the developing world and bring the perspective of our continent into the global debates."
"I will bring South Africa to the attention of the international community so that the concerns and issues in mathematics education that are relevant to us get onto the international agenda and get researched and discussed in conferences."
Professor Vithal's term of office will run from 2010 to 2012. ICMI was founded in 1908 and celebrated with a Centennial Symposium in Rome earlier this year at which Professor Vithal chaired a session as a member of the Programme Committee.
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Faculty of Law academic Dr Cephas Lumina, has been elected as a member of the Co-ordination Committee of the United Nations Special Procedures which acts as the interface between the special procedures mandate-holders and the Human Rights Council.
Dr Lumina was elected to the five-member Committee by fellow UN experts at their 15th Annual Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland in June. He was also appointed to the meeting's team responsible for the drafting of the Manual of Procedures of the UN Special Procedures.
Earlier this year, Dr Lumina was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council as its Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of states on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights.
"Special procedures" is the general name given to the mechanisms established by the former UN Commission on Human Rights and assumed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic human rights issues in all parts of the world.
There are currently 29 thematic and 10 country mandates responsible for examining, monitoring, advising and publicly reporting on human rights situations in specific countries or territories, known as country mandates, or on major phenomena of human rights violations worldwide, known as thematic mandates.
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Proud UNITE Head, Mr Noel Powell (fourth from left), with students who have benefitted from the Bursary Fund. From left are Mr Nhlakanipho Mnguni, Mr Bhekithemba Maphalala, Mr Levy Green, Deputy Head of UNITE, Mr Rudi Kimmie and Miss Philisiwe Nhlumayo. |
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UKZN's Intensive Tuition for Engineers (UNITE) Programme and Telkom, have signed a historic
R1,4 million bursary deal to train the next generation of electronic engineers.
This bursary agreement will allow ten deserving learners a year over a three-year period to join the UNITE Programme. These learners must have high academic potential and come from disadvantaged educational and socio-economic backgrounds. This is in line with UKZN's Access Policy as well as Telkom's technological skills redress objectives.
Dean of Engineering, Professor Nelson Ijumba, said: "We would like to thank Telkom for this partnership. You are touching tomorrow in a big way. Thank you for the confidence you have shown in us."
Head of UNITE, Mr Noel Powell, echoed Professor Ijumba's sentiments and said UNITE was about unlocking potential. "Our students are diamonds in the making and we give them the opportunity to succeed. We teach our students to be innovative and simple."
Telkom's Chief of Human Resources, Ms Charlotte Mokoena, said Telkom is looking for students who have a passion for Engineering.
"The UNITE Programme, with its proven track record, will ensure that Telkom's funding is appropriately utilised, and that at the end of the three-year period an additional 30 young South Africans will be able to enter the field of engineering," said Ms Mokoena.
"Telkom's aim is to become Africa's preferred ICT provider. To achieve this goal, Telkom needs to ensure that there are sufficient, highly trained graduates in the country to ensure it can grow its business."
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Miss Kelly Dyer. |
Miss Hayley Leck. |
The passion to succeed in their respective fields of study has motivated two UKZN students to obtain consistently good grades over several years.
Now they will reap the rewards of this academic success with the opportunity to complete their postgraduate studies at universities in England.
Miss Hayley Leck and Miss Kelly Dyer were recently awarded the prestigious Emma Smith Scholarship enabling them to study at leading universities.
Miss Leck is set to pursue a PhD in Geography at the Royal Holloway University of London from September while Miss Kelly Dyer will study towards her MPhil +3 (Masters degree and PhD in research by dissertation in Psychology) at the University of Bath from October.
The Emma Smith Scholarship is awarded annually to women postgraduate students who excel academically. The scholarship covers the full costs to study at universities in the United Kingdom.
Miss Leck whose research will focus on "The Impacts of Global Environmental Change (GEC) on the City of Durban and its Urban Population" said: "This is one of the most prestigious scholarships and I'm honoured to be a recipient. Learning from lecturers at a university with one of the best Geography Departments in the world will be an enriching experience and expand my knowledge base."
Miss Dyer who has maintained excellent results since entering university six years ago, views the opportunity abroad "as a stepping stone" to furthering her career in the field of Psychology. Her goal is to qualify as an art therapist.
The quantitative research programmes in the area of Psychology offered by University of Bath motivated her to apply for the scholarship.
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Seventeen students studying isiZulu at universities all around the globe visited the Howard College campus on July 1, as part of the Fulbright-Hays Zulu GPA hosted by the College of Humanities.
The purpose of the visit was to give the young people a glimpse of what UKZN offers apart from the Zulu course they are attending until August 10. The Zulu GPA runs for eight weeks with a variety of activities including lectures everyday from 08h30 to 12h45 and guest lectures on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Topics include Zulu history, current South African politics, African traditional religion and cultural topics.
There are also visits to cultural sites and museums with traditional African displays. The group hopes to visit the Zulu Monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini in August.
The schedule includes two homestays - one at Imbali and another at Maqongqo.
Students write formal mid-term and end of term exams and a short research paper in Zulu. The programme is externally evaluated by an independent body from the Wits School of Language in Johannesburg.
After the tour the students, who all have
Zulu middle names, gathered for lunch at the
UKZN Foundation Functions Room where a warm
Sanibonani greeting was extended
to them by Professor Fikile Mazibuko, Deputy
Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of
Humanities. Professor Mazibuko also showed
the students a video of the College of Humanities
and the vast areas of study they could pursue
if they decided to further their studies in
this country.
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Physiotherapy students front from left: Ms Su-Jana Basson, Ms Joanne Manickum, Mr Reagan Cele,
Back from left: Ms Shirley Zwane, Ms Samantha Nundalall and Ms Desiree Mzimela
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Every year Physiotherapy students are tasked with choosing a community project they can engage in for a three-week period of their block.
This year a group of six students - Su-jana Basson, Joanne Manickum, Desirée Mzimela, Reagan Cele, Samantha Nundalall and Shirley Zwane - chose to do their community block at Ferndale Combined School which is based in Phoenix, north of Durban.
By conducting an observational analysis of the School's working environment the students discovered that learners were tired and could not concentrate during classes.
According to Miss Desirée Mzimela further research conducted with a number of learners found that the reason for the fatigue was that "21 percent of the high school students did not bring lunch to school because they couldn't afford it".
Many of these learners came from poverty stricken homes where some of their parents were unemployed and could not afford to buy bread and make lunch for them, while 46 percent said they would utilize a school feeding programme if it were offered.
Through further analysis, the students found that "the teachers constantly complained about neck and back problems" and that "students were tired because of lack of activity". They then combined the findings and formulated a set of objectives they worked to solve by the end of their three-week block period. These objectives were to:
- Implement a feeding programme for high school children
- Educate teachers about exercises in order to stop their neck and back problems
- Improve activity levels for all schoolchildren, for example, through Physical Education (PE)
- Educate the whole school about careers in the Health Care sector, particularly physiotherapy.
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Participants of the third African Leadership Seminar: People and Conservation. |
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The Centre for Environment, Agriculture and Development (CEAD) in the School of Environmental Sciences recently hosted the third African Leadership Seminar: People and Conservation. The seminar forms part of a series of annual seminars which commenced in 2006.
Funded primarily by the United States Forest Service International Programmes, the seminars are designed to bring leading conservation practitioners and researchers together to explore solutions to key people and conservation issues.
This year's seminar - launched by the Zambian Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources, Mr Michael Kaingu - was co-hosted by the Copperbelt University and the Zambia Wildlife Authority.
Among the 18 participants were Dr Morris Mtsambiwa, the Director General of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife, and Mr Sedia Modise, the coordinator of the Kavango/Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA).
Led by former Head of CEAD, Professor Robert Fincham and managed by Mr Duncan Hay, Senior Lecturer at CEAD three focal areas dominated proceedings. They were:
- the need for conservation to sustain itself financially in the face of increasing competition for public resources;
- the need for conservation to deliver tangible benefits to local communities;
- the need for increased research, education and training at all levels so as to equip institutions and individuals to address people and conservation issues.
The elephant culling debate and the impact of HIV and AIDS on conservation efforts also received detailed attention.
The seminar itinerary was entirely within the KAZA TFCA and included the Victoria Falls area of Zambia, the Chobe National Park in Botswana and Impalila Island in Namibia.
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The School of Public Administration in collaboration with the Democracy Development Programme (DDP) will host the fourth National Local Government Conference in Durban on August 11 and 12. The Conference theme is "Local Government Financing and Development in South Africa."
The Conference will focus on issues such as municipal financial viability; inter-governmental fiscal relations, indigent management; creativity and innovativeness in generating new sources of revenue; public accountability, maladministration/fraud and corruption; local economic development; municipal services partnerships; accessing donor and grant funding; municipal valuation and property rating and supply chain management.
The presenters are high-ranking officials from national, provincial, and local government as well as non-governmental organisations and senior consultants. The target audience for the conference includes senior municipal functionaries; academics; researchers and non-governmental organisations.
About 200 delegates are expected and the keynote address will be delivered by Dr Zweli Mkhize, MEC for Finance and Economic Development in KwaZulu-Natal.
In the second decade of local democracy, it is opportune to critically examine the impact of the new legislative and policy frameworks on local government financing and development and more specifically financial viability and sustainability.
For more information about the conference
and to register as a delegate, contact Ms
Manju Marimuthu on: fax: 031-3062261; tel:
031-3049305 or e-mail manjum@ddpdurban.org.za
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Seven
students from the School of Statistics and
Actuarial Science (PMB Centre) and the African
Centre for Food Security (ACFS) attended the
1st Africa Conference of Young Statisticians
2008 in Pretoria where the theme was: Young
and Counting. The students were: Mjabuleseni
Ngidi, Denver Naidoo, Moleka Mosisi and Thulile
Dlamini, Morries Chauke, Dikokole Maqutu and
Thembile Mzolo.
The Conference, which focused on capacity building for young up-and-coming statisticians in Africa, provided an opportunity for young statisticians to consult with renowned research specialists on how to further develop their papers for presentation at the Young Statisticians Olympiad in Durban next year. They were also given an opportunity for young statisticians to present papers of relevance on official statistics in Africa.
These statisticians included recent graduates, graduate students, undergraduates contemplating a career in statistics and those in the early stages of their statistical careers in the public and private sector.
The Conference comprised a programme of plenary and parallel sessions with presentations including: development statistics - agriculture; food security and nutrition; health statistics - contemporary challenges of measuring HIV; gender issues in mathematics and statistics education, and the role of statistics in development planning.
Keynote speakers at the conference were the Director of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), Professor Richard Mkandawire; the Director of the African Centre for Statistics at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Professor Ben Kiregyera, the President of the International Statistics Institute (ISI), Professor Denise Lievesly, and the Statistician-General, Mr Pali Lehohla.
National Finance Minister Trevor Manuel delivered the opening address with the theme "What can't be measured can't be managed."
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Mr Madoda Mahlangu, Sports Officer at the Westville Campus Sports Centre, finished third in the Masters Male Division in the National Knockdown Championships.
The competition took place at the Uitenhage Indoor Sports Centre in Port Elizabeth on July 4 and 5.
Participants from various provinces took part at senior and junior levels with the youngest competitor being four years old while the oldest was 56.
The competition was full-contact karate - a term used to differentiate between schools that spar full contact and those that use light contact point sparring.
Mr Mahlangu says it's the 16th time he's brought a trophy home from the competitions and that "it always feels good to win. Winning is not for everyone who enters the competition so when it does happen, it is something to be joyful about." He is looking forward to the Kyokushin Challenge next month which will feature participants from countries such as New Zealand, Australia and Britain.
When asked about his secret to success, Mr Mahlangu said: "I train hard at least six times a week ensuring I am able to handle the blows."
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From left: Graduate School of Business representatives Mr Martin Challenor and Professor Anesh Singh with Sanlam's Ms Bongiwe Mathenjwa and Mr Andrew Prins. |
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The Graduate School of Business (GSB) hosted a workshop on Personal Branding in which the head of the school, Professor Anesh Singh, presented a discussion on "The Power of Me."
The workshop, sponsored by Sanlam, was one of a series which have been hosted by the GSB throughout the year.
The workshop was attended by about 30 participants - staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students, university alumni, as well as external business people from companies such as Nedbank, Toyota, Kingsway Hospital and Mondi.
"Personal branding is about two letters: M and E," said Professor Singh. "It's not about building a person's ego, but rather the process of building an image for oneself that will differentiate you and make you stand out from the crowd.
"Personal branding is no different from branding a product or a service; it is a pledge of quality and superiority over the 'competition' (other people). It uses visual, emotional and cultural images associated with a person."
Professor Singh emphasised that "A person has to know their Unique Selling Point (USP); they must know the things that make them stand out. Building a personal brand begins with a dream, it's about knowing how to turn dreams into reality and setting tangible goals that can be reached within a specified period of time".
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Seated from left: Director of the Ministry of the Environment in Finland, Ms Ann-Britt Ylinen; Professor Toumas Kuokkanen, University of Joensuu; Senior Advisor, Environmental Law and Conventions at UNEP, Mr Kilaparti Ramakrishna.
Standing from left: Professor John Mubangizi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor College of Law and Management Studies and Professor Michael Kidd. |
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The Faculty of Law in collaboration with the University of Joensuu in Finland and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) ran a high profile two-week course on the Pietermaritzburg campus on international environmental law-making and diplomacy. Judge Albert Hoffmann of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea delivered the keynote address.
The course which was designed to transfer past experience in the field of international environmental law to the future negotiators of multilateral environmental agreements included lecturers from the Governments of Finland and South Africa, UNEP, University of Joensuu and University of KwaZulu-Natal.
In addition, the course provided a forum to foster North-South co-operation and took stock of recent developments in negotiations as well as in the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements and diplomatic practices in the area.
This was the fifth year the course has been held and - as in previous years - the lectures were given by experienced hands-on diplomats, national and international civil servants and members of academia. The theme of the course this year was Oceans.
The Course was targeted at experienced government officials engaged in international environmental negotiations. Other participants included representatives of non-governmental organisations and the private sector, and researchers and academics in the field of international environmental law from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin-America.
Participants Ms Trang Tran from Vietnam and Mr Stevenson Mkhulise from South Africa both agreed that the course was relevant, practical and beneficial and recommended.
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Corporate Relations, Alumni Affairs Office co-ordinated a two-day, interactive Project Management Workshop on the Howard College campus for recent graduates.
The workshop was facilitated by Miss Vaneetha Moodley of Vani Moodley & Associates who has 22 years of experience in leadership as well as being an internationally accredited trainer and the Chair of the Businesswomen's Association: Durban branch.
The Workshop was attended by 46 alumni, including a number who had travelled from centres such as Nelspruit, Pretoria and Richards Bay.
At the end of the workshop, the students were awarded certificates for their attendance and participation.
Alumni Affairs Manager, Mr Finn Christensen said the Alumni Affairs Office was very pleased with the excellent response to both the Entrepreneurship Workshop which took place last month and the Project Management Workshop.
"The workshops were aimed at equipping recent
graduates with essential skills that are
required for their career development and
also to create the foundation for a long-term
relationship between these alumni and their
alma mater."
Due to the demand for and positive feedback
received from participants similar workshops
will be offered in 2009. Students or staff
members interested in attending should telephone
the Alumni Affairs Office on the Westville
Campus at 031-260-2947/2823 or look for
notices on the Alumni website at http://alumniaffairs.ukzn.ac.za.
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Darts South Africa at the Westville Sports Hall. |
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More
than 570 competitors from all over South
Africa took part in the 2008 National
Darts Competition at the Westville Campus
Sports Centre from July 7-9.
There
was an excellent spirit at the championships
where the motto was: Beer, vleis,
darts en ek!
Seventy-two
dart boards were laid out at the Sports
Centre which was buzzing with action and
music as competitors from 52 men's inter-district
teams and 40 women's teams competed against
each other.
The
women's Inter Regional event was won by
KwaZulu-Natal and the runners-up were
the Western Province. For the men's event
the winners were the Western Province
and the runners-up, the Eastern Province.
Darts
South Africa's national membership is
present in all nine Provinces. Part of
the organisation's mission is to provide
regular, good competitions that are a
credit to the sport and a true challenge
of the skills and abilities of all players.
The best are selected to represent South
Africa in competitions.
Although
both men and women participated in significant
numbers, the competition enjoyed a larger
male presence which Mr Mike Strydom, IT
Manager for Darts South Africa, said was
because many games continued until late
in the evenings and this made "husbands
uncomfortable with their wives driving
back home at night due to safety reasons".
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