1

The OR Tambo Memorial Lecture, in honour

of an esteemed member of the University of

Fort Hare family, was held at the Sports

Complex on the 19th of October. The lecture

was delivered by the former State President

of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Thabo

Mbeki in which he highlighted fundamental

challenges facing the country in its quest to

achieve the objectives of the National De-

mocratic Revolution (NDR), to which Oliver

Tambo dedicated his life.

The outcome of the successful implementa-

tion of the National Democratic Revolution’s

objectives would lead to South Africa being

a truly egalitarian society; anchored by the

principles of genuinely democratic, non-

racial and prosperous people. Yet despite

these enlightened objectives, South Africa

remains one of the most inequitable societies

in the world, wrecked by poverty and unem-

ployment.

Mbeki lay a sombre cloud of discomfort

across the hall as he expressed his concerns

about the looming tragedy he felt was the

direction the future of the country was head-

OR TAMBO HOURED BY UFH

October 2012 /Vol. 1

ing stating; “I must confess that I have pre-

pared this lecture deeply troubled by a feel-

ing of great unease that our beloved Mother-

land is losing its sense of direction...”, add-

ing that “it would be treacherous to hide our

heads in the sand and behave as though we

remain on course in

terms of the achieve-

ment of our shared and

various national objec-

tives”.

He attributed the devia-

tion in the course of

action outlined by the

objectives of the NDR

on a number of issues,

amongst which were; the perception held by

numerous people that the Apartheid legacy

was completely irradiated at the inception of

democracy in 1994; and the failure of past

and present leaders in sustaining a calibre of

politically mature leaders, with the moral

and ethical astuteness embodied by leaders

such as OR Tambo, to guide the implemen-

tation of the directives. The timing of the

lecture is particularly significant for the

University of Fort Hare as it progresses

towards its Centenary year; striving to real-

ise its vision of being a vibrant, equitable

and sustainable African university, commit-

ted to teaching, learning and research ex-

cellence at the service of its stu-

dents, scholars and the wider com-

munity . It is during such occasions

that the continuation of ideals and

goals of past leaders of the institu-

tion is ensured and used to inspire

the changes foreseen by the present

generation of students and staff.

To this Mr Mbeki said; “...I believe

we who have gathered here today

have no choice but to ask ourselves the

vitally important question – what are we

doing today, ...[to] ensure the Fort Hare

University continues to be the incubator of

Africa’s revolutionary democrats and a

centre for the promotion of the objective of

the renaissance of African, which charac-

terises so distinctively the life of Oliver

Tambo. “

2

2

Good Morning Fort Harians.

In 2009, the UFH Strategic Plan 2009-

2016 , which was to serve as the head-

light that guides our vision for the next

7 years while charting ours and the fu-

ture of the University of Fort Hare, was

drafted.

In the strides that we leap everyday,

heading towards our Centenary year

and beyond, there will be times when

we momentarily lose focus of the big-

ger picture, our bigger picture. It is

therefore very important to take snap-

shots of the progress we’ve made and

continue to make everyday while head-

ing towards the fulfilment of our collec-

tive vision, and to allowing us time to

celebrate the gains we’ve made along

the way.

The student newsletter was a collective

effort to engage the student community

with the student community on all

things that aid in ours and the student’s

quest to gain knowledge, challenge our

perceptions of the world, while adding

wholesome insight to the student ex-

perience. Its essential purpose is to en-

gage all students on pertinent issues

affecting the Univer-

sity to make the stu-

dent voice instru-

mental in its func-

tioning; creating a

sense of ownership

and belonging to the

University - to iden-

tify I as a Fort Ha-

rarian - and to en-

courage student to

take their roles as

leaders in all spheres

of life.

The name student

newsletter however

doesn't encompass

all the features we feel our publication

embodies. So with the aid of the stu-

dent body, we’ve gone on an all-out

brainstorming session to source a name

that we feel is suitable enough to com-

municate the aspirations of the Fort

Hare community, the many giant and

small successes we achieve everyday ,

and to celebrate all the Fort Harians

who live the motto; “Together in Excel-

lence” .

To assist us in our Brainstorming

and to stand the chance of your cho-

sen name becoming the official publi-

cation name, replacing the inade-

quate student newsletter, please send

your suggestions to Quinter Ndege on

quinndege@gmail.com.

From the Editor

In this issue 2nd Public Lecture for

tourism month at UFH

3

Tokyo Sexwale speaks

at at UFH

4

Towards 2016

5

Turning passion into

profit

6

Google and UFH a step

into the future

6

Connecting with

Alumni

7

Judge Mjali speaks at

UFH

8

Czechs check out

UFH

9

3

UFH Successfully hosts

2nd Public Lecture for Tourism

3

The University of Fort Hare held the 2nd

public lecture for Tourism Month

which was hosted by the Honourable

Minister of Department of Tourism,

Martinus van Schalkwyk, and a panel

of industry experts leading discussions

around tourism and sustainable energy.

The Eastern Cape, a Big 7 destination

known for its spectacular biodiversity,

was deliberately chosen as the host

Province for the Public Lecture. The

intention was to engage the region’s

tourism stakeholders on pertinent is-

sues affecting the tourism industry

while sharing information that is cen-

tral to its development.

The lecture, whose topic was; "Tourism

& Sustainable Energy: Powering Sus-

tainable Development", was informed

by the theme for this year’s World

Tourism Day on 27 September and was

delivered by the University’s own Pro-

fessor Edson Meyer. Meyer emphasized

tion of environmental externalities as-

sociated with increasing economic ac-

tivity.

Minister van Schalkwyk took a similar

stance in his ad-

dress, saying;

“Tourism is closely

linked to climate and

the environment and

the adverse effects

associated with cli-

mate change are

devastating for the

industry”.

Bearing this change

in the global climate patterns in mind,

the minister gave some reassurance

that the country’s development plans

were shifting towards a green economy.

“Greening’ tourism is not only in line

with international best practise but is

essential to the sustainability of the

industry”, he said.

the need for a “paradigm shift in think-

ing”, insisting that the tourism industry

has an important role to play in curbing

the effects of global warming. He

added that all contributors in the tour-

ism sector must be aware that the sus-

tainability of the industry and economic

development go hand-in-hand with the

capacity to be efficient at all levels of

production; through conscious and

responsible use of the natural resources

that power the industry, and the reduc-

Together in Excellence

Alongside the Budget

Speech competition, the

Minister of Finance, Pravin

Gordhan, has committed to

running an annual competi-

tion called Investing in In-

sights. This year, the winner

selected by the Treasury

Department was Courage

Mlambo from the Faculty of

Management and Com-

merce. The panel felt his

that his research essay was

well balanced in terms of

structure, simplicity and di-

irectly answering the ques-

tions.

UFH congratulates him

on this success.

In this issue

4

Tokyo Sexwale speaks at at Legacies of the

Forefathers and the Youth Today Colloquium

Minister of Human Settlements, Tokyo

Sexwale gave an address that attempted

to answer to the difficult and funda-

mental question of how we go about

reconciling our responsibilities as a

generation with the social and political

foundations laid by past generations in

a colloquium titled “Legacies of the

Forefathers and the youth of Africa

Today”, which was hosted by the UFH

African Renaissance Society at the

Green Auditorium, Alice Campus. In

the heartfelt address, which demon-

strated the Minister’s charismatic per-

sona and interconnectedness with the

plights and accomplishments of the

country, he posed the question; “How

do we, the generation of today, meas-

ure up to the past 100 years?”

The tumultuous social, economic and

political undercurrents that ripple

through the country reached a momen-

tary climax when the Marikana tragedy

occurred,

sending a

strong

message

for a need

for change

in this

genera-

tion’s so-

cial and

political

makeup.

In his address, the Minister stated that

“fundamental change in thinking” is

needed in the country, adding that it is

the responsibility of the present gen-

eration, bestowed with all the values,

ideals and tools charted in the Freedom

Charter by the country’s forefathers,

to “rise above many of the society’s

social ills, which the University of Fort

4

Hare is well known for taking a stand

against”. Being a

National Minister

did not exempt his

from pointing to

some of the short-

comings of the pre-

sent ANC-

led Government as

he emphasized that

“citizens ought to

have strong politi-

cal, economic and

civil society structures aimed at ad-

vancing the interests of those coun-

tries”, adding that “real change is re-

quired to give young people, who are

leaving schools and seeking employ-

ment hope that they are not destined to

hopelessness and unemployment.”

The University of Fort Hare was

pleased to host delegation from Iraq,

which was led by Dr Hashim Al-

Alawi, the Iraq Ambassador to South

Africa.

The purpose of the Ambassador’s visit

to the country, the Eastern Cape in par-

ticular, was to explore opportunities

for the two countries to share and ex-

change valuable skills such as health,

engineering, sciences and humanities.

The ambassador presented an opportu-

nity to the University of Fort Hare to be

one of the institutions to which the Iraq

government would send Master’s and

Doctoral students.

The first phase of this proposed ex-

change programme would only be exe-

cuted on a short-term basis, and de-

pendent on its success, would trans-

form into an annual programme.

The country of Iraq is undergoing a tra-

nsformation in its social, economic and

political structures. The exodus of foreign

militia will enabled the country to rebuild-

ing itself to its former glory as the pinna-

cle of knowledge in the Middle Eastern

region, and it is hoped that the skills

gained in South Africa will be a catalyst to

this transformation.

The meeting was an introductory session,

with a more in depth and practical meeting

scheduled for March 2013 in Pretoria.

Iraq Ambassador Visits University of Fort Hare

5

5

Towards 2016

The last decade has seen an explo-

sion in student enrolment in the

residential university system, with

enrolment reaching 535 433 in 2010

(538 210 in 2011) and expected to

grow at a rate of about 2%. The

number of beds available however at

residential universities in 2010 to-

taled 107 598, or 20% of total enrol-

ment.

The high levels of poverty within the

UFH catchment area and the unsuit-

ability of the home environment for

academic endeavor for the majority

of students, therefore insists that

suitable student accommodation

needs to be provided for up to 100%

of students in some contexts. The

ideal bed capacity target ranges from

50% to 80%. This situation signals

that by 2013, there will be a shortage

of 207 800 beds nationwide.

However, there is a ray of hope in

that the university is embarking on

a refurbishment of student accom-

modation starting on the Alice

campus. The new facilities will be

state of the art and will have strin-

gent access control and safety fea-

tures, which include finger print

identification, CCTV Monitoring

and wireless connectivity for study

and social purposes. This project

will be steered by Dr Jabulani

Mjwara, DVC Institutional Sup-

port.

“While we are refurbishing the

student accommodation there will

be an overflow/transit accommo-

dation provided to limit distur-

bance of student life and study.”

Dr Mjwara said. This overflow

accommodation will remain as

additional accommodation for the

capacity of 3750 beds.

This still falls short of the required

bed capacity but the university will

develop a student village that will

deal with the shortage specifically

in Alice Campus. The Tender for

the project was issued out in July

2012 and will soon be a reality in

the span of 3 years.

“We therefore call upon any inter-

ested community members of Alice

to take up this challenge to grow

the town of Alice together with the

University and its student commu-

nity”, said Dr Mjwara.

Much needed Refurb for UFH residences

6

6

UFH Students get plugged in

In a bid to allow the student com-

munity to work more efficiently

with technology,

The ICT Depart-

ment has in-

stalled 333 lap-

tops at the Great

Hall in Alice; the total cost of the

venture amounting to just over R2

Million. This investment will con-

tribute towards the realisation of

one of the objectives of the Univer-

sity of Fort Hare’s Strategic Plan

2009 – 2016;

“to harness

t e c h n o l o g y

effectively”.

Security of the

equipment was a major concern for

Mr Chris Johl, Chief Information

Office and he emphasised that the

security of the laptops vests heavily

on the student users themselves, as

they are the biggest security re-

source

Future plans of the ICT Department

include a storage area network up-

grade, further video conference kit

that will be rolled out in Alice and

East London, and phase two of the

“wireless everywhere” project.

“to harness technology

effectively”

Turning passion into profit

Nkokheli Siphon Mzimba, a

Bachelor of Fine Arts honours

student, was recently invited

to participate at the Tshwane

Entrepreneurship week as a

star entrepreneur. The week-

long event was held from 21 -

27 August at the Innovation

Hub in Lynwood, Pretoria.

Given the failure of the public

and private sector in absorbing

the growing number of job

seekers in South Africa,

increasing attention has

been focused on entrepre-

neurship and its potential

for contributing to eco-

nomic growth and job

creation. The Tshwane

Entrepreneurship Week’s

goal is to inspire and

showcase young entrepre-

neurs between the ages of

18 and 35. The conference

is dedicated to celebrating

and supporting busi-

nesses in Gauteng and

around South Africa while

initiating strategic dialogue

between young entrepre-

neurs, policy makers and

service providers. The

topic of Mzimba’s presen-

tation was: “How to turn

your passion into profit”,

where he highlighted the

struggles he faces while

following his dream to

have a career in the arts.

Kheli is actively involved

in the arts in the Eastern

Cape Province and assures

that there are countless

opportunities available for

entrepreneurship and art-

ists to assert themselves in

the industry. Nkokheli was

grateful to have his passion

for art being recognized as a

model self-sustenance skill

at a national level and prom-

ised to be an inspiration to

other upcoming entrepre-

neurs from various fields.

7

7

Fishing for development

The need for innovative and sustain-

able community development

initiatives coupled by the

drastic depletion of fish stock

around the world, the result of

globalisation, overfishing and

climate change, has made

aquaculture a fundamental and

lucrative industry in the South

African economy.

In response to the depletion of

fish stock in the country, Blue

Karoo trust has created an

innovative Business model

that provides food security

while creating employment

opportunities for the local community.

The model, which is called the Camde-

boo Satellite Aquaculture Project

(CSAP), comprises a cluster of satellite

aquaculture farms dispersed around the

Karoo, which are managed through a

central management systems. Each

cluster produces in excess of one ton

of fish per month, employing ap-

proximately 500 community mem-

bers in the Camdeeboo area. The

fresh water fish produced by the

CSAP are packaged and sold to

provide alternative protein sup-

plies to the South African mar-

ket.

A project of this nature can help

the district economically and

socially as it aids job creation

and development in the region,

said Liesl of Blue Karoo Trust.

According to Pretoria- Agricul-

ture, Forestry and Fisheries Min-

ister, Tina Joemat-Pettersson,

aquaculture is the fastest grow-

ing food production sector in the

world, and adapting to effects of

climate change and other shocks

will ensure the sustainability of the

industry in the decades to come.

Connecting with Alumni

The Alumni Relations Office strives to communicate the outstanding accom-

plishments of Fort Hare graduates to encourage other upcoming graduates along

a similar success path. This initiative is crucial in keeping us connected with our

bright UFH stars who are shinning out in the world.

Today’s focus is on Salome Kamela, an Honours graduate in Communication

currently working as a Public Relations

and Corporate officer in Debswana

Mining Company, Botswana. Our

Alumni star is carrying the Fort Hare

banner with pride and attributes her

success to Fort Hare at large, hard

work and perseverance. Her message

to the upcoming graduates is that that

everything is possible and “YES

YOU CAN”.

“Yes you can!!”

8

The Google UFH Online

event, which was con-

ducted by the UFH ambas-

sadors for Google was an

effort to bring the UFH

community abreast of

Google’s innovations

which could transform the

University into a 21st Cen-

tury Institution. Google

Map Maker was intro-

duced by Google as an ad-

Judge Mjali shares her

wisdom with LAW Students

“Wathint’umfazi, wathint’imbokodo”; a phrase Dr Mrwet-

yana, the University of Fort Hare Registrar, acknowledged

has become synonymous with the courage and resilience

of women the world over, was the prevailing theme at the

Law Faculty’s OCJ Women’s Lecture that was given by

Judge Nozuko Mjali at the East London Campus.

Born in Libode in the Eastern Cape into a family of teach-

ers and nurses, Judge Mjali decided to take the road less

travelled when she went to study towards her BA LAW

degree at the University of the Western Cape. Studying in

a Varsity whose language of instruction was primarily

Afrikaans, she professed that her road to triumph was not

easy, likening her high school background to that of some

of the students of the University of Fort Hare. Despite the

challenges encountered, she managed to attain her degree

and later her LLM in Commercial Law at Cardiff Univer-

sity in Wales. The Judge recognised that women were

fighting for recognition for what they deserve by doing

their jobs to the best of their ability, with integrity and

according to the law. “The profession’s glass ceiling has

been pierced”, the judge stated; SA has seen greater com-

mitment to putting women in key positions in the legal

field. There are now female judges in almost every divi-

sion of the law, a drastic increase from only two female

judges in pre-Constitutional South Africa. She said that

despite this improvement; “a lot still needs to be accom-

plished both in the professional and the moral landscape

of the country”.

Google and UFH a step into the future

ditional benefit that could

reduce the numerous hours

spent in designing event

calendars.

The team dis-

played how

this applica-

tion could be

used to give directions,

plan events and send in-

vites. The benefits of this

‘app’ were used in line with

an international campaign

run by Google Africa Map

Week, which occurred

from the

10th –

14th of

Septem-

ber, where

the UFH Google Ambas-

sadors worked with more

than 20 Fort Harians in

mapping the Alice Camp-

us, which was loaded onto

the ‘app’ to give directions

to anyone who is not famil-

iar with the campus.

There are a lot of Google

opportunities which should

be embraced by UFH to

position the University as a

re-emerging giant in Aca-

demic matters and technol-

ogy, said Cheteni, UFH

Google ambassador.

8

“there are a lot of Google

opportunities which should

be embraced by UFH”

9

In a formal presentation to

the Business Management

Postgraduate

class of UFH, the

Professional

Providence Soci-

ety (PPS) pre-

sented them a cheque of

amount R80, 000.

The money will go to-

wards the refurbishment of

the Post Graduate seminar

room; an effort to alleviate

overcrowding in lecture

halls; bidding to provide a

learning-conducive envi-

ronment for the improve-

ment of the student experi-

ence. Vice Chancellor Dr

Mvuyo Tom commended

the role played by PPS in

ensuring that tangible

value is continuously

added to the students’ quest

for knowledge, and urged

the Post graduate class in

attendance to take full ad-

vantage of the opportunities

availed by succeeding in

their learning endeavours.

PPS embraces Universities

throughout the country and

runs student programmes

which focus on donations in

practical areas of student’s

studies. Their partnership

with UFH, which has culmi-

PPS Sponsors Graduate Seminar Room

nated into the hefty dona-

tion made, began in 2009.

Themba Mjoli, Executive

Dean of the Faculty of

Management and Com-

merce, applauded Mr Ben

Jordaan for the part that

he played in the undertak-

ing, as well as his active

involvement in seeking

solutions that effect

change in the University.

Czechs check out UFH

balance in primary educa-

tion; worm farming as an

alternative, easy and cheap

disposal of organic waste

and fertilizer production;

water treatment; as well as

various new ways of fertili-

initiate country-specific

projects that stimulate de-

velopment, while comparing

and using techniques they

learn in each of the coun-

tries to enable the sustain-

ability of every project

cations in projects such as:

the development of the

Bamboo industry in South

Africa; the qualification of

teachers as a solution to mi-

zation. The project are ap-

plied in developing coun-

tries, which include: Ghana;

Chile; Peru and South Af-

rica, where the students

University of Fort Hare

played host to a delegation

of 6 students and 2 staff

members from Mendel Uni-

versity, Brno in the Czech

Republic; who were in

South Africa from 4 Sep-

tember to 4 October 2012.

The visit was part of a Euro-

pean Union initiative called

“Improvement of Profes-

sional Competences of

Students of Bachelor

Study Program Interna-

tional Development Stud-

ies through the System of

Practical Internships in

Developing Countries”.

The initiative is an effort to

incorporate the theoretic

principles of the student’s

studies with real-life appli-

established.

From the experience that the

delegation had in

South Africa, they

believe that more

students from the

Czech Republic

will be encouraged

to study in South

African Universi-

ties, specifically

UFH.

9

“learning conducive environ-

ment for the improvement of

the student experience”

10

10

The Nkonkobe Business Sup-

port Centre was officially

opened by the MEC of Eco-

nomic Development Mcebisi

Jonasi and Nkonkobe Munici-

pality Mayor Cllr AW Ntsan-

gani in Alice on August 2.

The centre is a joint initiative

of the municipality, MTN

Foundation and the Nkonkobe

Economic Development

Agency (NEDA) to contribute

towards the growth of

SMMEs in the area.

The purpose of the business

support centre is to ensure

that local SMMEs, NGOs,

CBOs and any income gener-

ating entities’ activities are

capacitated.

This will be done through the

provision of workshops and

training in business develop-

ment, management and ad-

ministrative services. “The

aim is to foster regional eco-

nomic development by sup-

porting emerging entrepre-

neurs, small and disadvan-

taged businesses by providing

managerial and technical as-

sistance.

“It is common knowledge

that most small businesses fail

during their start-up

phases. Therefore busi-

ness incubation be-

comes a dynamic proc-

ess of business enter-

prise development,

where emerging entre-

preneurs are nurtured

and assisted to grow and sur-

vive during the start-up period

when they are most vulner-

able,” said Cllr Ntsangani.

Effective and sustainable lo-

cal economic development

has been associated with the

emergence of strong local

partnerships, bringing to-

gether key stakeholders, from

both public and private sec-

tors along with local com-

munity interest groups.

“The Eastern Cape features

regularly as the province in

the country with a chronic

accumulation of socio-

economic disadvantages, and

Nkonkobe is not immune to

these challenges.

“The concept of the Nkon-

kobe Business Support Cen-

tre was therefore established

in support of the objectives of

economic development to

promote the economic growth

of local economies in partner-

ship with key stakeholders, to

grow small business capacity,

encourage continuity of work

and improve quality,”

Ntsangani added.

The centre opened its doors

in February, and has since

attracted 503 visitors who

came for advice or informa-

tion. Among these, 478 have

been given business advice,

120 have

used admin-

istrative fa-

cilities, in-

cluding the

use of com-

puters which

have internet

access, and 19 businesses

have been registered with

the Companies and Intellec-

tual Property Commission

of SA (CIPC) through the

centre.

The centre has been wel-

comed by the local business

community in supporting

their day-to-day challenges.

Introducing the Nkonkobe Business Centre

11

11

On the 25 September, the

Nkonkobe Local Municipal-

ity launched its Expanded

Public Works Programme

(EPWP).

EPWP is one of government

arrays of programmes aimed

at providing poverty and

income relief through tem-

porary work for the unem-

ployed, which was launched

in 2004. In Nkonkobe, the

programme will see a total

of 68 jobs created over a

period of three months. The

aim of the programme is to

improve the state of gravel

roads and will also look at

the renovations of bridges in

all wards.

"The issue of maintenance

of gravel roads is among the

critical issues in our com-

munities. Since the official

launch of the programme

(EPWP) by government,

we've taken decisive steps

to budget for the mainte-

nance of our roads," said

Nkonkobe Municipality

Mayor Cllr Ntsangani.

He said apart from slaying

the "demon of poverty and

unemployment" in our com-

munities, the programme also

assists to integrate the mu-

nicipality with the commu-

nity.

"The EPWP encourages part-

nerships between government

- the municipality in this

sense - and communities.

EPWP is going to be an an-

nual programme, so as to

maintain sustainability and

vibrancy for all parties in-

volved to gear themselves to

work," said Ntsangani.

Nobesuthu Ncaifutshu, a

new recruit to the pro-

gramme from Ngcothoyi

location, said: "We are

grateful for the jobs we have

received. Even though we

will be employed for three

months, things will be a

little different in the home

front.

Local Municipality launches Public Works Programme

12

Seen Around

Campus

On September 5th, UFH saw the birth of its maiden Re-

search and Fitness Facility open to all students and staff

who meet the necessary requirements for membership.

The centre is the result of a generous donations from

the National Lottery Distribution Board, Techno-gym,

and the International Olympic Committee. Dr Maya van

Gent, who runs the project, was overwhelmed to the

point of tears and expressed her gratitude to all parties

involved in making this a reality.

12

Alice Campus

Office A5

Private Bag X1314,

King Williams Town Rd,

Alice 5700

Phone: 040 602 2002

Fax: 086 626 2026 E-mail: dmc@ufh.ac.za

East London Campus

Office 424,Gasson Centre

50 Church Street

PO Box 7426,

East London, 5201

Phone: 043 704 7551

Fax: 086 626 2026

E-mail: dmc@ufh.ac.za

I N S T I T U T I O N A L

A D V A N C E M E N T

D E P A R T M E N T O F

M A R K E T I N G A N D

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

If you have any stories, or information that

would benefit the University of Fort Hare com-

munity; we would love to hear them, and fea-

ture in our Newsletter.

Please send your articles to Quinter Ndege :

quinndege@gmail.com