From left: Mr Sanele Shabalala, Professor Gerhard Maré and Mr Mac Maharaj

Professor Maré said that a topic such as this one needs people to sit and engage in intense conversations so that conclusions can be established about the issue at hand. He said that racism is something that we think, we experience and we construct. He said racists are not constructed through our own doing, but they exist through heritage.

Professor Michael Green.

Professor Green of the English Department was recently appointed Head of the School of Literary Studies, Media and Creative Arts. He was given his second Distinguished Teaching Award last year on the basis of the undergraduate and postgraduate Creative Writing courses he introduced and developed at UKZN.

For the Sake of Silence is based upon the founding of the Trappist monastery of Mariannhill. Deeply researched, it follows the monastery's inexorable slide into the missionary work forbidden to Trappists, and the storm that breaks as the monks' silent life drifts into the world of words.

It is a book developed out of travel as much as of time. The journeys necessary for its writing took in some of the more obscure corners of southern Africa and include equally obscure corners in Germany, Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Ireland, and Britain.

Professor Green's previous publications include a book-length study on the uses of history in fiction, Novel Histories, and his own first work of historical fiction, Sinking, both published in 1997.

The launch of For the Sake of Silence will take place at 18h45 on Wednesday March 26 at the Wellington Tavern Deck of the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre.

Professors John Dugard and Colin Gardner at the Alan Paton Centre.

Previously he was Professor of International Law at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands and from 1978 to 1990 he was Director of the Centre for Applied Legal Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is a member of the UN International Law Commission and a Judge ad hoc of the International Court of Justice.

Professor Dugard, who started his academic career in 1961 as lecturer in Law at the University of Natal, has been given honorary doctorates by five South African universities.

African Music Ensemble at the Remembering Kenya concert.

Ms Muthoni Njenga, a Masters student in Applied Ethnomusicology and a part-time lecturer in the African Music and Dance Programme, said the aim had been to highlight the beautiful things about Kenya. “We wanted to remember Kenya in a positive light, using music and songs. Let’s see Kenya the way it was, not what it has just become.”

Participants and presenters of the five-day course on disabilities.

A five-day course highlighting the needs and challenges of the disabled was held on the Pietermaritzburg campus from March 10-14. Towards an Inclusive Society for People with Disabilities was an initiative of the Disability Unit, Student Counselling and the Careers Centre in conjunction with the Disability Action Research Team (DART) and Community Rehabilitation for Training and Empowerment (CREATE).

It aimed to create awareness among the University community about disability issues with the intention of promoting an “inclusive barrier-free society”. Twelve support staff members and an international PhD student registered for the course. An interesting aspect was that most presentations were made by people with disabilities – they included PhD students from UKZN, staff working at CREATE, and other professionals.

Co-ordinator of the course, Ms Nafisa Mayat, said: “The knowledge within the University community about disability issues is limited. As a result many stereotypes and myths exist. One of the aims of the course was to focus on non-disabled people’s prejudices against people with disabilities.”

The programme addressed issues of labelling and stereotypes associated with disability, models of disability, disability policy and the barriers that people with disabilities encountered and its impact on their lives. According to Ms Mayat there are about 200 students with disabilities studying at UKZN.

Winner of the Professor Elma Nel Award, Mr Reno Gordon with Professors Elma Nel (left) and Eleni Maunder (right).

The Discipline of Dietetics and Human Nutrition presented several awards to their best students at their annual Discipline Cocktail Party and Awards Ceremony on the Pietermaritzburg campus.

Sponsored by African Medical Catering & Allied Equipment (AMCA), the Food Systems Africa Scholarship for the best first-year BSc Dietetics student was awarded to Miss Ursula Wittig.

The Roussel Floating Trophy awarded to the best second-year BSc Dietetics student went to Miss Natalie Harrison, and Mr Reno Gordon received the Professor Elma Nel Award for the most improved second-year Nutrition student. Director of AMCA, Mr Vincent Meagher, and the former Head of the Discipline of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, Professor Elma Nel were on hand to present the prizes.

Professor Nel said it was very “gratifying” to see so many students studying Dietetics and Human Nutrition and said that only five students registered for the programme when it first started in the 1970s.

Miss Michelle Floyd

Miss Michelle Floyd is researching the contributions made by three women who were the wives of Superintendents at the McCord Hospital. Her research will look at the lives of Margaret McCord, Mary Taylor and Mavis Orchard who she believes made significant contributions to the hospital between 1909 and 1986.

Miss Floyd was first exposed to the McCord Project while completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Politics and History between 2005 and 2007. The McCord Project - being conducted by researchers Associate Professor Catherine E Burns, Dr Vanessa Noble and Dr Julie Parle aims to provide a critical history of the McCord Hospital since its inception in 1909.

As her interest in the history of McCord Hospital developed, Miss Floyd decided the important role of the wives of the Superintendents needed to be highlighted. “The wives made a significant contribution to history, yet they are under represented. They were important figures who did so much for the hospital in terms of fundraising, administration, nursing and the general running of the establishment but have not received recognition.”

Through her research Miss Floyd, who was recently awarded the Pat Merrit Prize for academic excellence in History, hopes to give the missionary wives the acknowledgement they deserve for their contribution to the McCord Hospital as well as providing background material for researchers of the McCord Project.

From left: Professor Sabiha Essack, Dean: Faculty of Health Sciences and Dr Fatima Suleman, Discipline Chair of Pharmacy Practice.

This study showed that resistance profiles amongst bacteria vary too much to allow a national antibiotic policy as proposed in the STGs. Rather such guidelines should be directed to specific profiles found in different hospitals and at different levels of health care. Regular surveillance to adjust such guidelines in combination with stringent infection control is essential to the containment of nosocomial infections.

Professor Alan Whiteside.

The book includes sections on the science, politics and socio-economics of HIV and AIDS. The far-reaching impacts of HIV and AIDS on individuals, communities and societies globally are explored in this work, as are potential positive and effective responses to its effects.

Professor Whiteside believes that strong leadership is needed in South Africa in order to deal with the pandemic. During the launch he pointed out that gender equality played an important role as women were more likely to be affected and more involved in care for people with HIV and AIDS.

The book will be beneficial to researchers and librarians as it has an extensive reference section on the best publications in the field. It is available at most leading bookstores.

To read a selection of reviews and obtain purchasing details, go to: http://www.heard.org.za/whatsnew/whatsnewIndex.htm

From left: Mr Piet le Roux, The Witness; Professor Anesh Singh, Graduate School of Business; Mr Sandile Zungu, Guest Speaker and Ms Helet Byron, Sanlam.

The various crises being experienced in South Africa begged for solutions thus presenting business opportunities for enterprising entrepreneurs. This was the gist of the message delivered by guest speaker, Mr Sandile Zungu, Chair of Zungu Investments, at the first business breakfast of this year hosted by UKZN’s Graduate School of Business.

Mr Zungu highlighted the negativity in South Africa at present mentioning issues such as the energy crisis, crime, unemployment and racism. Rather than complaining, he encouraged guests to think about what needed to be done to correct the situation. “For South Africa to prosper, we need to have transformational leaders,” said Mr Zungu, who challenged the corporate sector and other entrepreneurs to familiarise themselves with transformational laws.

He mentioned Employment Equity as one of the laws some corporate organisations were not willing to adopt. Mr Zungu acknowledged there was a shortage of specialists in fields such as Information Technology and Accounting but he criticised businessmen who used the ‘lack of skilled workers’ as an excuse not to transform when thousands of graduates were without jobs.

Mr Zungu ended his talk by motivating guests to become agents for effective and meaningful change which would lead to prosperity.

The Graduate School of Business hosts regular business presentations and seminars. For information on upcoming events telephone Ms Debbie Main on 031-260 1627 or visit www.gsb.ukzn.ac.za or email maind1@ukzn.ac.za.

Students consulting with patients at the Happy Valley Clinic.

The Happy Valley Clinic at KwaNqetho in the Hillcrest area was established in the early 1960s by a group of students from the Medical School under the supervision of qualified medical doctors.

These students realised that there was a lack of medical care in disadvantaged communities where many people suffered from serious illnesses.

Nearly 50 years later the clinic is still providing a vital service - primary health care which involves treating minor illnesses, providing health education and conducting HIV and AIDS campaigns in different communities.

In addition to these services, medical students participate in a project called Khayalethu ‘(Our Home)’ in conjunction with the Community Committee. Students provide support by buying school uniforms and food and providing medical services to those in need.

The students also run HIV and AIDS community intervention programmes. “In our most recent workshop, we had an interactive session where community members could ask questions related to the condition,” said Mr Frans Maruma, who is the Medical School SRC President and former Chairperson of the Happy Valley Clinic. “This is all part of our attempt to help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS.”

There is an emphasis on child care education. Topics covered include growth monitoring, oral rehydration, the importance of breastfeeding and family planning.

In addition to all of these services the students also do home visits to disabled patients who cannot make their way to the clinic and to bedridden community members.

International students at the lunch braai held by the UKZN Diving Club.

UKZN's International Student Support Offices (ISSO) have been hard at work in recent weeks ensuring that the large number of foreign students attending the university have settled in and been welcomed with open arms.

The ISSO offices on the different campuses have worked in co-operation with the International Students Association (ISA) to assist students from countries such as Africa, Australia, Germany, Korea, the United States, Canada, France, the Czech Republic, Norway and the Netherlands.

The Pietermaritzburg campus team assisted their international students settle into accommodation and helped them shop! A campus tour was followed by a city bus tour and, for the first time, the young folk were included in the main stream orientation.

The joint Howard and Westville campus Orientation programme was a great success with foreign students being welcomed by Professor Dasarath Chetty, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Corporate Relations, and Dr Bheki Ngcobo, Deputy Dean of Students at Howard College. The UKZN Diving Club hosted everyone at a lunch braai at the Howard College swimming pool. The students' week-long itinerary included a Ricksha bus tour and community outreach site visit.

The Westville and Edgewood Meet-and-Greet Orientation Programme,held at the Asoka Theatre on the Westville campus, was co-ordinated by ISA Vice-Chairperson, Mr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu. The programme was aimed at helping students learn more about the services available on the campus.

Professor Himla Soodyall of the Wits Human Genomic Diversity and Disease Research Unit explaining the results to the participants.

Dr Wilmot James, Chief Executive of AGEI, Cape Town and Mr Heeran Makkan of the Wits Human Genomic Diversity and Disease Research Unit (HGDDRU) visited the campus to take cheek swab samples from the participants. The results were presented this month by Professor Himla Soodyall of the Wits HGDDRU. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) test results were given to both men and women, and Y chromosome test results were given to men. The mtDNA is inherited through the matriline, and is passed on through the mothers. The Y chromosome is passed down through the fathers.

The website www.ancestry24.co.za contains an article about similar Ancestry Testing which took place in Cape Town. For more information about the Alan Paton Centre, visit: www.ukzn.ac.za/paton

Mr Zola Saphetha.

Commenting on the relaunch, the newly-elected Chairperson, Mr Zola Saphetha, said it was a constitutional requirement of NEHAWU to have a functioning and operating branch to serve its members and engage seriously on the transformational issues at UKZN.

The relaunch event was attended by two prominent members from the Regional Office of NEHAWU - the Regional Secretary, Mr Alpheus Myeza, and the Provincial Tertiary Organiser, Mr Eric Cele.

The new committee comprises Chairperson, Mr Saphetha; Deputy Chairperson, Mr Derek Buchler; Secretary, Mr Silas Mpungose and Treasurer, Miss Phindiwe Rasmeni.

Mr Saphetha said the priority “is to conduct an audit on the transformation processes which have taken place at this University since its inception”.

He added that the vision for 2008 was to assist in building UKZN as the Premier University of African Scholarship where great value is placed on the sweat and toil of workers as well as their intellectual capacity.

Some of the participants at the Indoor Air Quality workshop at a testing site.

More than 30 Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) from municipalities around South Africa received training on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) at the St Philomena’s Hospitality Centre in Sydenham.

The training was done by the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine. Environmental Health Practitioners from Northern Cape, North West Province and Eastern Cape municipalities attended the five-day workshop which was a capacity building exercise aimed at equipping EHPs with the necessary skills to address the issue of Indoor Air Quality within their municipalities. Since last year a total of 92 EHPs have been trained by this Department.

Facilitator of the workshop, Professor Nceba Gqaleni, said there were many programmes to assist EHPs in addressing outdoor pollution problems but none pertaining to IAQ which was the cause of many health problems.

He identified poor ventilation in certain buildings, dust mites, emissions from paraffin and second-hand tobacco smoke as contributing factors to poor indoor air quality. He said this caused health problems such as asthma, tuberculosis, allergies and other respiratory problems.

“With the training we have offered, the EHPs can go back home to their own provinces and apply the training we have facilitated to develop their own programmes to overcome IAQ problems,” said Professor Gqaleni.

Mr Jabulani Zikhali

Members of UKZN's Faculty of Management Studies addressed delegates at the three-day Regional Economic Development and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Summit.

The aim of the Summit was to bring together representatives from the three spheres of government, the business sector, NGOs and the local community to form an action plan on developing the economy and implementing B-BBEE in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

In his address, Mr Jabulani Zikhali, Director of the Enriched Management Studies Programme, highlighted the challenges faced by local municipalities and unpacked the role of local tertiary institutions, citing UKZN as a good example.

"Tertiary institutions are located within communities to offer skills and services that can be used to improve socio-economic conditions. Local municipalities will, therefore, benefit a great deal by linking up with these tertiary institutions to jointly devise strategies for local economic development initiatives," said Mr Zikhali.

The Centre for Entrepreneurship and Graduate School of Business, both attached to the Faculty of Management Studies, are involved in skills training for local communities.

Durban music fans are in for a double treat when musicians from Switzerland, Mozambique and Turkey take the stage on two consecutive days at UKZN's Jazz Centre.

On Tuesday April 1, the percussion band, Beat Bag Bohemia, will present a programme of rhythmic influences from Rock to Contemporary Jazz. The band comprises South African drummer, Kesivan Naidoo, djembe/mbira player Rolando Lamussene from Mozambique and two Swiss percussionists, Peter Conradin Zumthor and Lucas Niggli.

They all have performance credits with numerous experimental bands and, in Mr Naidoo's case, top jazz ensembles.

On Wedesday April 2, the ever innovative Jazz Centre showcases an unusual duo from Turkey, which features Kamil Erdem on bass and Sibel Kose on vocals. Based in Istanbul these artists are extremely popular in Turkey and present mainly mainstream jazz in a unique format.

Erdem blends in the rhythms of the Balkans, Anatolia and the Middle East while Kose has flavoured her jazz singing with pop and modern big-band styles.

Like Erdem, she has played with the top jazz stars in Turkey and many visiting artists. Recently Darius Brubeck, who initiated their South African tour, joined them on stage at Istanbul's famous Nardis Club and he will also appear as a guest artist for a few numbers at the Jazz Centre.

Both shows start at 5.30pm with admission R20 (students R10).

Contact Glynis on 031-260-3385 for further information.