The arrival of Covid-19 in late 2019 had a significant impact on South Africa, including students like Timana who were eagerly anticipating the celebration of their academic achievements. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, this graduation holds immense meaning for Timana and his family.
One of the most significant highlights for him was witnessing his mother overcome with joy. This emotional moment held great importance for him, as during his previous degree, he had not experienced the feeling of walking across the stage. Reflecting on the challenges he had faced along the way, this graduation became a symbol of overcoming obstacles that once seemed insurmountable. The outpouring of happiness from his mother made the occasion even more meaningful and memorable.
“Seeing my mother breaking down because of happiness was a huge highlight for me because for my junior degree, I did not really have an idea of how it feels like to walk across that stage. It was an emotional moment for me, remembering the challenges that made it seem impossible,” he said.
Excelling on all fronts
Earlier this year, Timana had the opportunity to participate in the Transdisciplinary Education Collaboration for Transformation in Sustainability (TRANSECTS) programme during his visit to Germany. This programme aims to provide an enriching educational experience in sustainability science and practice for graduate students and practitioners.
Timana says he found the TRANSECTS programme to be highly enlightening. He had the chance to engage with individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and ways of life. The experience extended beyond academics, as living together in a shared space allowed him to develop various personal skills, including active listening and effective presentation skills. He says this exposure to different perspectives and argumentative styles has led to a complete transformation in how he presents his own viewpoints and arguments.
Timana also played a key role in the success of the ENACTUS team, which qualified for the 2021 National Competition and secured a substantial cash prize of R132 000 for their community development projects: Hatching Hope and Re-fuel.
The UMP ENACTUS team received high accolades and also won him the 2021 Evan Poulos Award for Leadership Excellence, which is in recognition of excellence in leadership across all the active teams in the 21 South African Universities.
"This is one award I never anticipated or saw myself winning because there are exceptional student leaders across the different universities in South Africa. It has always been about putting in the work to make the team a force to reckon with."
In addition to their accomplishments, Timana mentioned the outstanding performance of UMP students in various domains. He specifically highlighted the ENACTUS team recently winning the best Gender-based Violence and Femicide Campaign strategy. "We are competitive, my fellow students represent the institution in countries like Malaysia and win in those competitions."
Timana is currently pursuing his PhD at UMP.
For his master’s research, Timana focused on the topic of host response of local cassava varieties to root-knot nematode infection. His research was conducted under the guidance of Dr Zakheleni Dube, with co-supervision provided by Professor De Waele.
“During my research, we investigated the susceptibility and sensitivity of Cassava to a plant parasitic nematode species known as Meloidogyne incognita. It was a fascinating experience. We discovered that the growing environment plays a significant role in sprouting and root mass development. Moreover, the use of rooting hormone and peat as a growing media demonstrated improvements in sprouting.”
Future goals
Hailing from KaMhluswa in Mpumalanga, Timana grew up in a household deeply rooted in agriculture. Both his parents have been farmers throughout their lives. Expressing his gratitude, he shared, "Today I am grateful to be an agricultural scientist, all thanks to my family and my supervisor who made me realize how important and beautiful this sector is. It is now my life."
Driven by his passion for addressing environmental challenges arising from climate change, he is eager to explore solutions in the agricultural realm. He finds agriculture fascinating due to its versatility, and it has become a new hobby for him. Recognizing the vast array of problems that need solving, he stated, "It's a whole planet with a plethora of problems we will never finish solving. My goals are to have a footprint in the research world, conducting impactful research for both present and future society. A research institution is where I see myself, potentially even outside of the country, but with the hope of giving back to the community I grew up in through agricultural research."
Currently pursuing his PhD at UMP, Timana has been associated with the institution since 2016. Reflecting on its progress over the past eight years, he commended the milestones achieved and the institution's remarkable impact in various areas. He noted, "The sky is the limit for this institution because of the calibre of students it is producing, and it has truly lived up to its values, especially excellence."
@ Story by Mahudi Molapo. Pictures supplied.