The awards recognise and encourage development and sustainability in Research, Teaching and Engagement by staff and students. It also aims to ensure that research, teaching and engagement has an impact locally, regionally, nationally, and globally.

Recognising the winners, Vice-Chancellor Professor Thoko Mayekiso said: “When we look at the year 2020, which is the year under review for the purpose of these awards and then juxtapose it with 2019, you realise how we can never and should never take anything for granted. 

“Circumstances can change dramatically, and life’s curveballs can be thrown at us from anywhere. Which is all the more reason to celebrate these achievements with a deep sense of appreciation and thankfulness. That we can have these awards says a lot about human determination and resilience. Excellence takes a lot of sacrifices.” 

She further said that it could not have been easy and the temptation to give up might have been strong, but the recipients’ persistence is commendable.

“They say weeds just grow but flowers are cultivated. Those receiving awards spent time sharpening, honing, and refining their skills, deepening their knowledge, and keeping their desire burning. It is also true that the road to excellence is always under construction. Congratulations on your achievements and may you stay committed to making excellence a habit,” she said. 

Producers of knowledge 

Delivering the keynote address, Health Sciences Professor Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya from the University of Johannesburg, empathized that society is seeking producers of knowledge and innovators to solve unprecedented and accelerating problems for sustainable development.

“Society is looking to generate evidence to address local African needs, challenges, priorities and realities, for example, gain a deeper understanding of factors that drive pandemics and manifestations of health inequities and inequalities to develop homegrown evidence-based solutions to contemporary challenges confronting humanity. For example, develop our COVID-19 vaccine, narrow the disparities that persist in the knowledge enterprise in Africa and South Africa, and inspire motivation and diversity in the knowledge generation enterprise,” she said.

Speaking on excellence, Professor Phaswana-Mafuya said: “Excellence in scholarship is the goal to be reached, there is no need to settle for less. But if you are striving for excellence, you fail many times. With each failure, you become better. 

“To achieve excellence, you go through many failures. I passed through many learning curves. Unsuccessful submissions, quantitative and qualitative stress, insecurities, anxieties, a dead-end; but I did not give up, I stepped up and put in more effort.” 

Faculty Researcher of the Year Award: Dr Kanayo Ogujiuba (School of Development Sciences)

In this category, recognition is given to a staff member who has made the most significant contribution towards research in her/his faculty during the reporting year.

Dr Ogujiuba’s Development Economics research focuses on issues pertaining to the market conditions of an emerging community, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. He also looks at economic growth unemployment, poverty issues, and social exclusions.

His research looked at policies that will bring out the best for people, that will reduce inequality and poverty, bring social inclusiveness to the people, and that will jumpstart the economy. On the other hand, he looks at how best to make policy institutions become productive and become part of the stakeholders in trying to reduce unemployment, reduce poverty and support economic growth with other agencies of government.

“I feel very humbled by the award, and I am grateful to God. I am also thankful to the team I worked with and continue working with concerning the award. I see the award as a call for me to do more and maintain research momentum going forward”.

Faculty Emerging Teacher of the Year Award: Dr Nokuthula Khanyile (Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences)

This category recognizes young or emerging academics, up to senior lecturer level, who have made the most significant contribution to teaching and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the Faculty during the year. 

School of Chemical and Physical Sciences General Chemistry lecturer, Dr Khanyile introduces different teaching methods, such as asking students to bring cellphones and laptops to class. 

Dr Khanyile makes sure her class has fun by playing educational games, which improve learner's general knowledge, interaction and the  experience of the module, and general attitude of general chemistry. 

She said: “As a teacher I come to class to also learn from my students because they also have knowledge that I can benefit from. I make sure that no one is left behind by trying to understand the kind of students that I have and how I can assist them. I make sure that everyone in my class is engaged.” 

Faculty Emerging Teacher of the Year Award: Dr Dorothea Boshoff: (Faculty of Economics Development and Business Studies) 

This category recognizes young or emerging academics, up to senior lecturer level, who have made the most significant contribution to teaching and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the Faculty during the year.

Bachelor of Arts English lecturer, Dr Boshoff taught first years during 2020 and was very concerned about the effect the lockdown might have on their learning. Through a valiant team effort between her and her students, they agreed that no learner would be left behind. Those students who had access to more resources, assisted those who had less. She facilitated this process and fully made herself available to her students. 

“I am humbled, and I appreciate the trust that was put in me by my superiors, I am also grateful for the award. My advice to other lecturers is that you wouldn’t be a lecturer without first becoming a teacher at heart. Get to know your students and appreciate your students for the people they are. In doing so, learning will take place,” she said.

Faculty Researcher of the Year Award and NRF Rated Researchers Award: Dr Gordon O'Brien (School of Biology & Environmental Sciences)

In this category, recognition is given to a staff member who has made the most significant contribution towards research in her/his faculty during the reporting year. The NRF Rated Researcher award is given to a researcher who received an NRF Rating for the first time in 2020 and who improved his NRF Rating through re-evaluation by the NRF).

As a water scientist, Dr O'brien cares about water, what’s around us, what is in the water and the people who depend on it. O’Brien and his research team from Rivers of Life Aquatic Research Organisation do work in South Africa and the rest of the African continent.

They look at how people are developing water resources, what is in water resources and what can be done to sustainably manage water resources. One of the main interests is capacity building and empowering young people in the region and the rest of the country to train and become scientists and, more importantly, managers who are able to help in maintaining the water system. “The NRF award is very special because it is recognised by the whole country and my peers recognise me as a leading scientist. The faculty research award is very special, it’s the first one that the faculty has, and I admire my colleagues in the faculty. To win this award is very special and I hope I get the opportunity to work with and collaborate with other colleagues at UMP." 

He adds: "I think the faculty research award is more important than the NRF award because if you meet certain criteria you will be NRF rated but so there are no minimum criteria to get a faculty award, so I am very grateful.” 

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures ChrisplPhoto. 

First reported as a cluster of pneumonia cases in China’s Wuhan City, COVID-19, has severely affected all industries, but in particular, the travel and tourism sector. The outbreak occurred at the time when most developing countries relied quite heavily on the travel and tourism sector to create much needed jobs; the contribution of the tourism sector to Gross Domestic Production (GDP) and Gross National Production (GNP) is remarkable. 

Recently, South African scientists detected the new COVID-19 variant called Omicron. South Africa's decision to announce the detection of the new variant resulted in some countries such as the United Kingdom and America closing their borders to SA. In short SA was again placed on the Red List.  On the other hand, the World Health Organisation (WHO) commended SA health officials for quickly reporting the detection as this act demonstrates solidarity and humanity.  

Due to the pandemic jobs were lost, salaries cut, and more responsibility fell on the shoulders of those who continued to receive a full income. Since the world was forced to close international travel, active domestic tourism became key to saving a collapsing sector. 

Unlocking Local Tourism 

To boost the travel and tourism sector, while protecting its citizens from COVID-19, the South African Ministry of Tourism opened intra-provincial tourism, followed by inter-tourism. At the beginning of September, the MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism in Mpumalanga, Mr Vusi Mkhatshwa launched a tourism programme and a series of events and activities aimed at promoting the province and encouraging local communities to travel within the province. He explained that the tourism sector plays an integral part in our society as it has the potential contribution to social development and economic growth. 

Domestic tourism is key in ensuring that local people discover the diverse offerings available locally and benefit from them. It is therefore important to ensure that tourism products developed are sustainable and accessible to all.

At an event organised by Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), Mr Oupa Pilane, the president of the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT) said, there was not much usage of accommodation and tourist attractions during intra-tourism. He further indicated that the number of visitors started to increase when inter-tourism was opened. This is evidence to the fact that local people are not taking part in tourism activities as expected. 

Former MTPA Board Chairperson, Mr Thulani Nzima pleaded with the attendees to invest their disposable income towards domestic travel activities instead of investing on material things that eventually will not carry any value. He also emphasized that, whenever planning for leisure travel, locals should firstly consider exploring their own province and know their province better before going to other provinces.  

This implies that Mpumalanga tourism is mostly supported and dependent on travellers coming from outside of the province and international tourists. It has been established that to attract domestic tourists, in particular from the local areas, there is a need to comprehend the culture, accommodation, food and entertainment in the travel areas, and then package it in an affordable manner that will encourage locals to start travelling and make use of the available products/services presented by the eight sectors supporting or making up the travel and tourism industry. 

The presented evidence suggests that socio-economic factors have an influence on the decision making of the local people as the majority fall below the poverty line and the province is dominated by rural areas.

On the 27 October 2021, Dr Shabalala with her tourism students participated in an education tour, which incorporated visiting establishments in the tourism sector. 

During the engagement, one manager indicated that they are now being asked by guests/potential guests if their staff members are vaccinated. This is also an indicator that some guests may not choose a certain establishment based on the vaccination status of staff members instead of the service rendered by that particular establishment, showing that vaccination does play a pivotal role for reigniting the sector.   

Moving forward, establishments may be forced to decide if they will keep an unvaccinated employee at the expense or possibility of losing a paying customer. This experience was an eye opener to the students as well and it also made them realise the extent to which COVID-19 is changing the game of the sector that they will be joining in the near future. One can say, in such situations, identifying and accepting what needs to be done in order to save what is left, and putting adaptation measures in place become key. 

Lastly, Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) in collaboration with Mpumalanga Department of Health came up with an initiative called “Jab for Tourism” to encourage tourists and the community at large to vaccinate in support of tourism.

Therefore, an increase in vaccination rates is almost sure to help boost the recovery of the travel and tourism sector. In addition to the approved norms and standards for the safe operations of Tourism Sector in the context of Coronavirus and beyond, vaccination is viewed as the comprehensive way to fight the impact of COVID-19. 

This is an opinion piece by Dr Precious Shabalala, Tourism and Heritage Lecturer at the University of Mpumalanga (UMP). Pictures Supplied.

Madinawe, who holds a Diploma in Agriculture and is a second year Bachelor of Arts student, notes that students are currently feeling overwhelmed and demotivated due to having to learn online, which is as a result of the lockdown and COVID-19. We spoke to him about his tenure, leadership, and how the SRC plans to address students’ concerns.

My plan is to lead, develop and implement. This is a comprehensive strategy that builds and expands upon the existing successes of the University. All of this will be done in collaboration with the governing authority, staff, students, and alumni.

As the president, I will serve as a guiding light and motivator in the achievement of institutional goals that will enhance the distinctive reputation and character of the university in a highly competitive environment.

Our aim is to recognise as many student societies as possible to allow for more student involvement. We are going to make sure that we incorporate well planned events that comply with COVID-19 Regulations. We also plan to host semester and annual sports events.

I believe that ethical behaviour starts at the top with the leaders in an organisation or in any structure where leadership is concerned – whether they are directors, governors, associates, or the chief executive.

I need to lead by example. It can’t be one rule for me as the president and another for the rest of my collective. I will emphasise maximum discipline; working very transparently will assist in ensuring that those in the leadership do their duties on time and are able to help one another in executing specific tasks.

As a senior student and leader, I am very focused on developing other students. I have a strong personality and am very self-aware; I prioritize personal development. As such, my journey has been very easy because I entered the leadership space knowing exactly who I am, and who my students are. I also knew that, no matter what, not everyone was going to support me, regardless of my abilities, and I am okay with that.

By developing a strong attitude and self-confidence, I was able to overcome obstacles because I believe that I am one of the special leaders, one who encourages strategic thinking, innovation, action, and I practice effective cross-cultural communication.

I believe that leadership is the process whereby someone is able to motivate and inspire others to follow them. Students are hungry for solid leadership to help them thrive. Successful leaders are defined by the behaviours they exhibit as they lead. These behaviours determine if followers are motivated and inspired by their leaders, or merely follow because they are compelled to.

Leadership traits are an integral part of how a leader is perceived and how they operate. Because leadership behaviour is so important, it is widely studied and discussed.

A good leader has to make sure that they champion 80% of the issues and promises that they have included in their manifesto, including the issues that will inevitably arise along the way. All of this, I believe, makes a successful SRC leader.

Which UMP values do you align yourself with the most?

One of my favourite values are Excellence and Integrity because I believe that a great leader must uphold the highest standards of excellence in all their actions, functions and services.

A great leader possesses a clear vision, is courageous, has integrity, honesty, and humility. Lastly, a great leader helps people reach their goals, is not afraid to work with people who might be better than themselves, and takes pride in the accomplishments of those they help.

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures Supplied.

Dr Maqubela says universities are expected to be sites where innovative thinking takes place. They are responsible for transferring knowledge that equips and produces people who are progressive thinkers.

“Universities are perceived as vehicles for institutional and societal transformation that inspire change on all fronts. However, these spaces are sites where homophobia is experienced. Gender non-conforming students are marginalised and even alienated within all aspects of universities,” she says.

“This has made tertiary education an extremely challenging experience for these students – especially at this stage in their lives where they are still in a phase of self-discovery and going through some internal turmoil pertaining to their developmental transitions and their sexuality, while combining all this with their academic life.”

It has been noted and reported that there’s a high level of anxiety exacerbated by the anticipated rejection by families should they disclose their sexuality. Homophobia is encoded in the language usage, behaviour, practices and processes within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

Dr Maqubela says universities continue to be overtly and covertly perpetuating, reflecting, and reinforcing hegemonic heteronormativity and heterosexuality which are exclusionary, especially to gender non-conforming persons.

“University spaces are built to accommodate gender binary people, males and females. This is despite requirements by the Department of Higher Education and Training and Council for Higher Education, for HEIs to play a leading role in creating all-inclusive and safe spaces both within campus and local communities,” she adds.

"The source of homophobia has been attributed to the internalised ‘bitter knowledge’, which is the knowledge that is based on cultural tradition and stereotypical thinking that has been acquired during our early socialisation. These have manifested into homo-negative attitudes and other homophobic attacks toward LGBTQIA+ persons.”

She explains that there are four main sites where homophobia is experienced on campus: the classroom, student residences, cafeterias, and campus bathrooms.

Dr Maqubela mentions that the classroom is one of the sites where homophobia and transphobia are overtly and covertly perpetrated by both lecturers and students. Within this space, gender non-conforming students are violated and silenced in various ways through acts of micro-aggression such as gay bashing, derogatory comments, discrimination, harassment, stigmatisation and physical aggression such as physical violence.

"Academics are expected to be agents of transformation and advocates of social justice in line with the constitution. They are charged with the responsibility of equipping students with specific and general skills to contribute towards transformation and to provide solutions to local and global challenges.

However, there is substantial evidence that lecturers are perpetrators of homophobia and reinforce heteronormativity in the classroom. This infringes on the gender non-conforming individuals’ right to education. This way the classroom experience seems to reflect the societal heteropatriarchal belief systems.”

Dr Maqubela explains that universities are meant to be a safe space, a home away from home where students have freedom to explore, discover and express themselves without fear of being judged and attacked by others.

“This is not the case. Residences are seen as key in perpetuating heteronormativity. Student residences have been identified as an exclusionary environment for many gender non-conforming students as they continue to experience homophobia. In student residences, gender non-conforming students are often excluded, isolated and ostracised on the basis of their sexual orientation

“In some universities, LGBTQIA+ identifying students are still denied rooms in residences on the basis that residences are designed for heterosexual students. They are also side lined in activities within student residences and committees," explains Dr Maqubela.

She adds that gender non-conforming students experience isolation and humiliation from fellow heterosexual students in public spaces such as student cafeterias and dining halls. Heterosexual students tend to avoid being seen in the company of gender non-conforming students in fear of being misinterpreted as one of them.

"The fear also stems from the possible transgression of heterosexual code. This fear is what keeps heterosexuals away and is a source of isolation for gender non-conforming students. The experience of rejection coupled with the homophobic attacks, especially in public spaces, has prompted gender non-conforming students to refrain from revealing their sexuality and being seen in public spaces.”

Dr Maqubela notes that campus bathrooms have been used as ‘homophobic’ battlegrounds between heterosexual and gender non-conforming students.

“The bathroom is experienced as a non-affirming, alienating, hostile, uncomfortable, and an unsafe space for gender non-conforming students. Male students use their masculine and heteropatriarchal privilege, and through oppressing the gender non-conforming students, claim ownership of these spaces,” she adds.

“LGBTQIA+ students are ridiculed, humiliated, harassed and even chased out of these spaces by those who deem themselves as the rightful owners of the space, the heterosexuals. For this reason, the bathrooms are a source of fear and anxiety for gender non-conforming students. Consequently, LGBTQIA+ academics, activists and allies have taken it upon themselves to collaborate in advocating for the provision of gender-neutral spaces.”

Dr Maqubela recommends that universities need to disrupt and dismantle the deeply-rooted ‘bitter knowledge’ and all its homophobic manifestations. “This would entail the mainstreaming of LGBTQIA+ concerns into university systems including the curriculum, policies, practices, processes, the infrastructure, and so on. This would also require a “degendering” of HEIs through the creation of gender-neutral spaces,” she concludes.

This is an opinion piece by Dr Nonzwakazi Maqubela, Sociology Lecturer and Chairperson of the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) Gender Forum. Pictures Supplied.

Mabena, the first graduate in his family, enjoys working with young people who still have the energy and drive to perform well and to make sure that the school grows and becomes a better place for the young ones. He says teaching young people has helped him to be patient and has given him the ability to adapt to situations and environments, especially with COVID-19.

“Being a teacher means you teach the young ones how to be responsible and competent citizens. The way to achieve this is by teaching them content and about life. It makes it easy for them to pull through challenges they face because when they face those challenges, they remember what their teacher once said about that particular obstacle,” he says. 

“Knowing and understanding that learners are different and come from different backgrounds, and you have to accommodate all of them, is very important. Collaboration, working with other teachers and other stakeholders such as the SAPS, Department of Health and the SGB in the interest of the learners we teach and to make sure that the school develops to be a better place for learners, is key."

Most schools that are based in the rural areas do not have the necessary facilities or equipment suited for the pandemic, however, Mabena says he has learned to adapt.

“I got into a class of 27 learners, which is small and difficult for learners to practice social distancing. The classroom had no marks for the 1.5m social distancing to show how desks must be arranged in the class. With the desks clustered together, learners are prone not to resist the temptation of touching one another and that makes matters difficult in the classroom because you spend so much time calling the learners to order.

"The sanitizing and washing of hands partly became a barrier to delivering content and for some leaners to receiving content. Learners often request to use the bathroom and some forget to wash their hands. As a teacher you have to remind them that they need to wash their hands."

UMP alumnus, Blessing Mabena enjoys teaching at Foundation Phase.

Adapting to the new way of teaching

Not a lot has changed when it comes to teaching and learning. However, there are certain aspects of teaching and learning that have been compromised by the pandemic. Learners have different abilities and learning styles and it becomes difficult to implement the strategies that suit the learning styles of all learners.

“As a teacher, I have to improvise and come up with contingency strategies and ways to accommodate all learners in my class. Also, the pandemic has restricted us from doing certain activities in class which directly has an impact on learner performance and being able to help learners understand what is being taught,” he continues.

“There are learners who are able to grasp information by reading the lips of the teacher; putting on a mask at all times disadvantages those learners. They are subjected to audio learning and that means there is no more inclusive education; instead it becomes exclusive.”

The most challenging aspect was dealing with online and digital learning, which was new not only for teachers, but learners as well. The challenges were compounded by the fact that very few learners or schools had access to online learning sources and equipment.

“The performance of learners has dropped drastically because these learners skipped certain concepts in the previous grade because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The foundation phase is the most critical phase because it is a phase where a learner gets built or broken. Learners deserve to be taught in the best way available to them." 

Taking care of his mental health is a priority for Mabena. He balances work with other activities outside the classroom. “Being a teacher is a strenuous job and I have to make sure that I am mentally fit for service. The reason why I say this is because it is always worrying that there is that one learner who is really struggling and it is in your hands to build and shape the future of that learner. I taught myself to do many activities at once so that I do not spend time worrying and stressing. I play soccer in my spare time and am also a part-time radio presenter at one of the local radio stations.

“Learners come from different backgrounds and some see the school and their teacher as a place of comfort and a place of peace. I believe that my learners and I are family and family stands together no matter the circumstances.

Working with older teachers is an advantage when it comes to experience and what you can learn from them. However, the speed of a young person and that of an old person cannot be compared, to some extent the older ones may start slacking and end up working in a way that does not advance the school but as young teachers we should not let that demoralize and discourage us. I am a person who believes that a little bit of fun goes a long way to making one have a sound mentality.”

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures Supplied.

An entrepreneur at heart, Mr Neo founded several start-ups including Apara Gown, which he started while still an undergraduate student. He later co-founded Mufasa Education, an Edtech start-up, which aims to bridge the digital divide in Basic Education.

He recently participated in OutCube 2021 in Switzerland, where he had an opportunity to network and learn from the best entrepreneurs that the Swiss City of Crans-Montana had to offer. Upon his return, he participated in InCube 2021, an international challenge where a team of five representing each country are put in a glass cube for five days with one specific goal; to prototype a solution to a global problem that matters.

Mr Neo was part of the very first cohort to represent South Africa in this competition. We spoke to him about entrepreneurship and how it can solve South Africa’s unemployment problems, especially among the youth.

How will entrepreneurship solve or at least assist alleviate unemployment?

Assuming that a new venture that is created through an entrepreneurial endeavour becomes fairly “successful”, there is an argument to be made that one of the bi-products of such a venture is the reduction of unemployment as individuals become “permanently” self-employed or join a growing organization. Indeed, without the people, there is no organization. 

With that said, one needs to make a distinction about what kind of ventures create jobs for what kind of people. There are many other factors that need to be considered to give sufficient context when giving an answer to such a question. For example, high-tech ventures tend to employ very few individuals in their early stages. When they mature, they tend to employ people with a specific skill set, in other words, “tech talent”, as is commonly referred to in the tech circles.

Now, take a country such as South Africa that is arguably struggling with unemployment; do we have sufficient tech talent among the unemployed that can take full advantage of opportunities that could come out of such ventures? As a fun fact, or should I say a “sad” fact, I recently had a conversation with a very good friend of mine, who happens to work for one of the top Management Consulting firms. He raised a very intriguing point. He told me that he is in awe over the amount of headhunting he receives daily, yet we live in a country where so many people send CVs on a daily basis and rejections have become a norm for them.

Ventures that are often less attractive to the “venture capital community”, such as SMEs are more likely to hire from groups with lower chances of finding employment such as young people, older workers, and less-skilled workers. Coherently, an argument can be made that SMEs are a very good strategic vehicle if the goal is to have more people employed, especially in contexts such as South Africa.

UMP Entrepreneur lecturer, Mr Neo (seated in front) with other participants of the Incube Challenge 2021.

There is a belief that some entrepreneurial ventures can generate new wealth, please tell us more. 

Well, the few lucky entrepreneurs who manage to start ventures that become successful tend to amass a lion’s share of wealth. I am sure you can think of a few examples of such individuals. With that said, I would be cautious to start a venture as a pursuit of wealth. Starting a successful venture that is scalable to the levels akin to tech start-ups founded by some of the individuals you thought of, just a short while ago, is one of the most difficult things anyone can do.

The rate of failure for new ventures is staggering. Entrepreneurship is not a silver bullet to the extent most of us would like it to be. I take the position that you should start a venture only if it is something that you are truly passionate about and/or if you really care about the problem that your venture is solving. Not so much because you want to get wealthy. There are much easier “legal” ways to get wealthy.

In your opinion, is entrepreneurship an innate ability or an acquired skill?

I would say it is a bit of both. Entrepreneurs are some of the most driven and ambitious people you will ever meet. This hinges a lot on internal motivation that cannot be acquired from external stimuli. To put it frankly, not everyone will make a very good entrepreneur and that is OK. We are all good at something right?

Some have described entrepreneurship as a mental sport. Like any other sport, talent alone can only take you so far. You also need education and other things to align for you to become successful. Lastly, I would be grossly remiss if I don't acknowledge the element of luck. Most overly successful entrepreneurs were just lucky.