University of Mpumalanga Vice-Chancellor Professor Thoko Mayekiso acknowledged the partnership with Sanlam, which dates back to 2015, and further said that UMP, as an engaged university, placed great value on collaborations and networks.

“We have identified partnerships as both drivers and enablers in achieving our vision. In our short period of existence, we have signed several strategic national and international partnerships,” she said.

Professor Mayekiso further said the university is guided by the principle of access for success to foster a positive learning experience and outcome for students.

“As we engage and network with stakeholders, it is essential to keep the following in mind: Reciprocity simply stated, reciprocity refers to the practice of exchanging things for mutual benefit, especially privileges granted by one organization to another.”

Mr Mbomvu from Sanlam said the event was strengthening the longstanding partnership.

Sanlam Executive Head: Corporate Affairs and External Relations; Mr Mkuseli Mbomvu said the event was a great platform to exchange ideas, strengthen and forge new partnerships.

“Together we can build our country and economy and create a more resilient and sustainable future for everyone. Therefore, our big focus for Sanlam has been mainly on financial inclusion; our purpose is to pioneer inclusive financial confidence,” he added.

“Our achievements are informed by our financial strategy which can be summarised through two key principles: to remain focused on our ongoing exhibition strategy and to continue unlocking the value to our stakeholders.

Secondly, it is to build a fortress position in South Africa and continue to maintain a market-leading position that delivers value and ultimately benefits our plans with stakeholders.”

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures by ChrisplPhoto

Mahlangu, a third-year Foundation Phase Teaching student, is driven to make her business a success and has has entered student entrepreneurship competitions where she competed against students from 26 universities at the virtual EDHE Lekgotla in 2020.

"I was in the top three of my category overall and though I did not take the money home, it was a great achievement and an eye-opener for the kind of doors my business can open for me," she says.

The Student Entrepreneurs Society aims to support students such as Mahlangu become the best in their established businesses, and  develop more young people who intend to make it in the business world to be self-reliant in this ever-changing economy.

It also has places a strong focus on developing young people with high-risk appetites to start small businesses, and to help them nurture, grow and develop these into successful enterprises.

The society is established under the Student Affairs Division and works closely with University of Mpumalanga Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubation (CEPFI) under the leadership of Dr Kanayo Ogujiuba, Manager and Project Coordinator.

Student teacher, Thandeka Mahlangu hopes the Student Entrepreneurs Society will assist her with funding opportunities.

Objectives of the Society

The members of the Student Entrepreneurship Society are diverse with respect to their age, gender, ethnicity, educational background and culture. Membership of the society ranges from those young people who already have small businesses to the ones who have ideas that are not yet fully developed.

The objectives of the society are to expose its members to available training, encourage them to enter entrepreneurship competitions, and assist them to seek opportunities. Some of the objectives of the society  include assisting members with:

• Procedures to start a small business that will include business registration, drawing up a business plan, and seeking potential funders.
• Access to the Youth Challenge Fund from the Department of Small Business Development.
• Microsoft online courses that include entrepreneurship, Microsoft office101, Microsoft Azure and digital literacy.
• Afrika Tikkun which include LinkedIn, web development and customer service.
• Online courses that include topics such as digital marketing.
• Annual Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Student Entrepreneurs competition.
• Online Asian Pacific University of Technology series of Entrepreneurship sessions.

The benefits

The UMP student entrepreneur society intends to assist students to develop business acumen, empower them with entrepreneurial understanding, and being able to assess current challenges.

The society will also support the students with knowledge on how to access funding opportunities, and make them understand the impact of government regulations and policies on SMMEs.

It also aims to assist students with developing business writing and speaking skills, and improved personal and leadership skills – which will give them boosted confidence and determination, the ability to build networks, and become independent, and open to new ideas.

Students who join the society are encouraged to engage in nurturing business ideas in a safe and welcoming environment, and to give feedback on ideas in a good spirit.

Mahlangu’s dreams of succeeding in her studies and business are becoming a reality. She says: When I graduate, which is in a few months, I plan to find work as an educator and open my first dessert bar at a local retail centre.”

@ Story by UMP Communications Division. Picture supplied

Henger's presence on the Mbombela campus and being part of the university community is the outcome of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) that UMP signed with Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in 2019. The focus of the agreement was on Inter-cultural Relations; Business Management; Economics and Business Education.

The MOU covers research and curriculum development for staff and student exchange mainly on curriculum development for a module development under constrained conditions for Honours in Development Studies and the development of innovation and entrepreneurship in various fields.

The agreement has proven to be a success as it has brought three students from Germany to study at UMP, Henger being the third. He has been in South Africa for six months, and says he chose UMP because he wanted to explore nature and UMP was the perfect place for that especially because of its location and proximity to the Kruger National Park.

“When I looked up the university online, I saw that it was a new university with a futuristic building which is different from the old universities in Germany. I always tell people from home that UMP is the most beautiful university that I have ever seen, the trees make it look like you’re on an island."

He further says: “The university cleared a lot of misconceptions about Africa, mainly because it’s on the hill and has easy access to water just like in our country.”

Henger says although it was very challenging for him to get to South Africa at first, he received help from UMP staff members and also had the opportunity to meet the Vice-Chancellor, which is exemplary of how accommodating the university has been.

“As an ambassador for the German university, I am also here to promote our university, we would like to have South African students, especially from UMP to come to study at our university.”

Experience at UMP

“Everyone at the university has been supportive. Some of the staff members went as far as giving me their contact details to call them if I ran into trouble, and that doesn’t usually happen in Germany. I was also allowed to travel throughout the country which made my experience even better. I was offered access to the research commons where I can study which is a quiet place for master’s students,” he said.

“What I liked most is that the campus has a pool and a gym, and I have never seen a university with a pool because in Germany we do not have campus housing. I got an opportunity to try new food that I haven’t had before and that was a great experience. My favourite building has to be the Multipurpose Hall, it has very good technology and also the design is beautiful. I was placed at Building 13 which is the new student residence, where I have a very big shower, kitchen and sleeping area. It’s much bigger than my old room,” he adds.

Unfortunately, Henger has to leave a little bit earlier than scheduled because he still needs some research for his master's thesis. After all, there are some books he cannot get online. “I would love to complete my Master of Science so I can become an economics and English teacher. Teaching has always been my dream job. It is why I felt I had to quit my job and focus on school”, he said.

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures by ChrisplPhoto

Student graduate manager, Mr Raymond Mkhwanazi says the programme is responsible for sourcing and securing placement opportunities for students to do Work Integrated Learning (WIL). Much of the work is done through collaborations with external partners who come to campus to showcase their companies during a Career Expo and the Entrepreneurship and Employability Workshops.

“Our office also assist graduates with placement in internship programmes and employment opportunities and to build collaborative relationships with employers and industry stakeholders through career exhibitions where we invite companies to share more details about what they do and offer. The Career Expo is also another platform where students and potential employers meet and engage."

Agricultural Production Management in Agriculture graduate, Nontethelelo Mashego, is one of the graduates who was placed at Recruit Agric.

"I was given the opportunity to explore the real dimensions and reality of farming as a whole. My life has completely changed already, I am now serving as an irrigation manager at Danroc farm," she adds.

“The programme has helped me gain skills such as problem-solving, management, team working, machinery operating, planning skills and more. UMP has played a huge role in giving me direction and theory as to how to go from knowing nothing about farming to being a lover of greens. This placement will open more doors and opportunities for skills development."

Mashego is amongst the 189 students who have been placed through the University of Mpumalanga’s graduate programme, which collaborates and liaises with industry role players and employers.

Mr Mkhwanazi continues that the record-breaking placements were made possible through partnerships and collaborations that were formed over the years.

caption....

“We organise meetings with potential employers such as companies, organizations and government departments. We also host an annual career expo where prospective employers are invited to come to the university to interact with the students, particularly final year students and assist them on their career paths.

The employers inform the university when they need to recruit graduates in their various fields, most importantly we send adverts on jobs to graduates through their email addresses.”

Another student who secured an internship is Mbongiseni Thulani Ubisse, a Honours in Bachelor of Science in Agriculture graduate who recently completed his degree. Ubisse is currently working at the Avocado and Macadamia facility and is part of the Business and Financial management.

“It has been a great journey at UMP, the practices that I was receiving have played a significant role in my studies since it was guiding me to the field and the industry. It was nice being there and a pleasure to have everyone who motivated me academically and emotionally, and much thanks to my Honours Supervisor and my colleagues.”

In conclusion Mr Mkhwanazi said: “This is a great achievement, to have UMP graduates participating in the economy of our country. It also shows the impact of our graduates' attributes,” he added.

“Our strategic goal is to reach a point where UMP graduates become the first choice for companies, organizations and government departments, and to produce the best entrepreneurs South Africa has ever had in 2022.”

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures supplied.

Water is an essential source of life and is one of the most vulnerable environmental compartments. Consequently, water pollution has become a matter of utmost interest and concern worldwide, including in South Africa.

Polluted water, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), is water of which the composition has been changed to the extent that it is unusable. It is toxic and not fit for human consumption or used for essential purposes like agriculture, and which also causes diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever and poliomyelitis.

The main water pollutants include bacteria, viruses, parasites, fertilisers, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, nitrates, phosphates, plastics, faecal waste, and even radioactive substances. In addition, there is also now what is referred to as emerging pollutants.  

Broadly speaking, emerging pollutants can be understood as any synthetic or naturally-occurring chemical or any microorganism that is not commonly monitored or regulated in the environment with potentially known or suspected adverse ecological and human health effects.

These contaminants include mainly chemicals found in pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, industrial and household products, metals, surfactants, industrial additives and solvents. Many of them are used and released continuously into the environment even in very low quantities and some may cause chronic toxicity, endocrine disruption in humans and aquatic wildlife and the development of bacterial pathogen resistance.

Emerging pollutants

Scientific knowledge and understanding on potential human and ecosystem health risks posed by emerging pollutants is still very scarce, as well as on their presence in water resources and wastewater and their pathways and accumulation in the environment. Most emerging pollutants are not regulated in environmental, water quality and wastewater discharge regulations.

Hence, there is an urgent need to strengthen scientific knowledge and adopt appropriate technological and policy approaches to monitor emerging pollutants in water resources and wastewater, assess their potential human health and environmental risks, and prevent and control their disposal to water resources and the environment.

Emerging Freshwater Pollutants: Analysis, Fate and Regulations, a book edited by University of Mpumalanga lecturer of Water Management, Dr Tatenda Dalu and Nikita T. Tavengwa from the University of Venda, examines these emerging water pollutants.

The book provides current analytical approaches and instrumental analyses, fate and occurrence of emerging pollutants in aquatic systems and management policies and legislations on emerging pollutants which covers challenges and the future directions.

Written by leading academic experts, the book contains numerous helpful examples and case studies, and can be used as a practical guide and important educational tool on issues concerning emerging freshwater pollutants.

Emerging pollutants can be be discharged into any of the environmental compartments which include air, soil and sediments. One major concern is when they are discharged into water bodies as most of them end up in aquatic systems. These compounds can even partition between the aqueous phase and the sediments.

Some of them might end up accumulating in the food chain causing various diseases. They have the potential to enter the environment and cause adverse ecological or human health effects. The behaviour of different emerging pollutants after their entry into the environment is very important.

Challenges

There is a scarcity of qualitative and quantitative information regarding the status of emerging pollutants in aquatic bodies within the developing world. Not much literature is available from the developing world on emerging pollutants, with countries such as South Africa and Brazil leading the way in terms of research, leaving the rest of the developing world countries with little or no information on the distribution and fate of these compounds in aquatic environments.

This may be because of the lack of instruments and skilled personnel to carry out this research as these emerging pollutants occur in trace amounts. The available information has been put together comprehensively in this new book which will become a reference point for researchers and environmentalists within the developing world.

The book aims to primarily document what is known on emerging freshwater pollutants from a developing world perspective. It is intended as a practical guide and important educational tool to scientific and management issues concerning emerging freshwater pollutants within the tropical regions.

Data on emerging pollutants is often very scarce, mostly due to analytical and detection methods which may be non-existent or in the early stages of development for them to detect these pollutants in the natural environment. Most emerging pollutants are not regulated, which is why there is an urgent need to strengthen scientific knowledge surrounding this issue.

Solutions

More than 700 emerging pollutants have been categorized into 20 classes only in the European aquatic environment. There exists a gap in the knowledge on their fate, behaviours and effects, as well as on treatment technologies for their efficient removal.

The distribution of pollutants to various environmental compartments is usually through leaching, agricultural run-offs, and air particulates. This distribution results in their presence in surface water, ground water and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

Most of the time, emerging pollutants from various sources end up in WWTPs. The mandate of these WWTPs is to treat (clean) water laden with potential harmful analytes such as emerging pollutants before being discharged back into the environment.

This is very important as it safeguards humans and aquatic animals. However, the efficiencies of WWTPs in developing countries has not been well documented in a single document. For example, WWTPs have been estimated to be one of the point sources of antibiotics within South Africa.

The information on the presence and concentration of emerging pollutants is a very important step towards remedial action (removal techniques). The volume includes 20 chapter contributions from authors based at or attached to several institutions around the world, including South Africa.

@ Additional information is extracted from the book: Emerging Freshwater Pollutants: Analysis, Fate and Regulations (editors: Tatenda Dalu, Nikita T Tavengwa), Elsevier Publishers, Cambridge, MA, USA, which includes original research contributions in international emerging freshwater scholarship, particularly covering the developing world.

According to statistics, the unemployment rate among young people (aged 15-24 years) declined from 40,3% to 32,6%, while it increased by 6,9 percentage points to 22,4% for those aged 25-34 years in Q1: 2022.

SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) has revealed that for the first quarter of the year the official unemployment rate was 32,6%. The ‘not economically active’ population has increased by 164 000. Discouraged work-seekers have increased to 200 000.

Harambee, a youth unemployment accelerator further adds that the formal sector added 79 000 jobs between Q4 2020 and 2021. Youth aged 15-24 years and 25-34 years recorded the highest unemployment rates (of age groups) of 63,3% and 41,3% respectively.

University of Mpumalanga Senior lecturer and Programme leader: Public Administration, Dr John Molepo, says the youth should be prioritised and be at the forefront in leadership positions.

“It is important for government to take a deliberate position and each and every company should be employing young people. Government should have a creative policy which says that everyone in the department who is employed should nurture a young person,” said Dr Molepo in an interview with SABC.

Dr Molepo further said that every country should invest in young people. He laments what he calls ‘Silent Discrimination’ against young people.

“Each and every country needs to invest in young people, especially for sustainable development and for the survival of the country. There are reasons why young people are not given opportunities because of silent discrimination and limited opportunities for young people to particularly grow or to be given a leadership position. And also to participate formally and informally in leadership roles."

Dr Molepo added: “There’s questions of trust and greed amongst leaders who do not want to nurture the young ones.”

However, President Cyril Ramaphosa also has concerns about issues affecting the youth and during youth month announced that government will launch the Future of Work Ambassadors programme, which will focus on improving and modernising the recruitment and retention of youth in the public service.

“We are pursuing innovative new ways of linking learning with earning. For example, the National Skills Fund is pioneering the pay-for-performance skills development model that will create 8 000 job opportunities for young people in digital skills,” he said, adding that National Youth Service would also be launched.

"This is where youth can contribute to civic responsibility, a common identity, development and nation building. There is a great deal of work for them to do in public schools, in tackling social problems such as alcohol and substance abuse and gender-based violence, and in building social solidarity in their communities,” said President Ramaphosa.

@ Additional Source: SANews.gov.za and SABC News.

The 2020/21 report tabled by the Auditor General of South Africa, Tsakani Maluleke, signals the need for rethinking procedures on public participation along the lines of allowing for increased citizen power to ensure that municipal officials are held accountable by the public.

Currently, there are poor citizen-centric accountability frameworks put in place, thus implying that public participatory processes only serve the interests of a select few. In provinces such as North West and Mpumalanga, the discovery of material irregularities in the use of public funds, amounting to millions of wasteful and irregular expenditure in 13 municipalities, demonstrates a culture of impunity, a lack of accountability, and the failure in legislated processes that should serve as safeguards in the use of public funds. What is worse is that several municipalities in Mpumalanga, according to the Auditor General are on the brink of collapse. Let us take Dipaleseng, Dr JS Moroka and Govan Mbeki municipalities as examples.

The AG discovered material irregularity at these municipalities, meaning that there were instances where there was “non-compliance with, or contravention of, legislation, fraud, theft or a breach of fiduciary duty”. In accounting and auditing language, material irregularity usually means that the amount flagged as either irregular or wasteful expenditure is extremely high considering the total budget that the municipality has.

The situation is so dire that the municipalities are among the 35% in the province that are deemed so broke that they might be able to continue. Arguably, citizen participation at these municipalities may have not been at an acceptable or derailable standard, hence the absence of strong public accountability mechanisms. From an academic perspective, South Africa is struggling with ways to improve public accountability in local government as a way of fulfilling the envisioned hallmarks of participatory governance and participatory democracy systems across the local government sphere.

• Local Citizens are not materially empowered to make decisions concerning local development and social change. They are merely asked to converge in Ward meetings to provide municipal officials with “10-point wish-lists” of needs in their communities. As to whether these wishes will come true or if Santa Claus will indeed deliver, is another story.
• Citizens are passive participators and they only serve the purpose of ratifying pre-planned development ideas and objectives set out by those with the controlling power over Integrated Development Planning processes.
• Local citizens have no direct power over how municipal budgets are spent, who is appointed in strategic position, or which service providers will be responsible for which projects.
• Since municipalities have annual targets set out in the Municipal Systems Act, dialogue, in the form of genuine discourse aimed at facilitating inter-subjective engagements and equal exchange of ideas aimed at joint-decision making, hardly takes place since the participatory process is adopted as a means to achieve desired ends by municipal officials (i.e., it could be argued that they only hold public participation processes because of the legislative boxes they need to fill).

I would not be surprised if such experiences resonate across the aforementioned municipalities in Mpumalanga, who are said to be on the brink of collapse. Looking at the solution, it might well be argued that if local citizens are materially empowered, thus creating what some scholars in Political Science, Development Studies and Sociology would call a ‘Zero-Sum Game’- effectively implying that those who currently have a controlling power over the community development process should relinquish some of their authority and give over to local citizens as a way of enhancing accountability. This might be true and perhaps this might as be what is needed if public trust in municipalities is to be restored.

One thing is for sure, we need to rethink how power is distributed in local government. Local citizens need to be empowered to directly hold their leaders accountable because, as noted by the AG, there are indications where some leaders just turn a blind eye on serious cases of material irregularity, while some have just been too slow to act on allegations of corruption, flouting of supply-chain regulations and prescripts, fraud, and  wasteful and irregular expenditure.

@ The article is the view of Dr Tshepang Molale, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Mpumalanga School of Social Sciences. His main research interests include communication for development and social change as well as public participation in local government. His PhD Thesis is entitled: “A Framework for Participatory Communication in the IDP context of Ward 31 in Rustenburg Local Municipality”.

Technologies driven by the 4IR include: artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, cloud computing and amongst others.

“Digitisation and technology are widely regarded as having the potential to spur economic growth, with opportunities for youth in digital jobs as a key consideration,” says Masuku.

Although the working class is upskilling themselves to align with the digital word, the youth (especially from the rural areas) still leave school without digital skills. It is said that by the year 2030, millions of jobs will be automated. While this might create some disruption and change how we work, it also presents new opportunities for the youth to create solutions for existing social issues.

When there were no job opportunities after graduating in Nature Conversation, UMP alumnus Bongani Sibuyi turned to IT, providing solutions, software maintenance and upgrades.

“I’ve always been a rather technically-minded person and have been fascinated with tech since an early age. I wanted to pursue computer engineering but unfortunately couldn’t because of my matric results," he adds.

“I’m driven by my passion to succeed in the IT industry. Currently, we are in the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), which has brought with it many business opportunities. I saw one of the opportunities and ran with it."

Having the skill and passion for IT drove Sibuyi to venture into the IT field and start his computer repair company, Relevant Technologies, in 2018.

"I started out by collecting students’ laptops from their residences and repairing them off-campus. At the moment I am conducting studies that will provide integrated IT solutions that connect technology with nature conservation,” he says.

Robot Farmers are the future.

Digital skills should be introduced in high school, students should start learning how to solve problems using 4IR technologies and turn solutions into businesses. 4IR skills such as coding, and data science, artificial intelligence, IoT, cloud computing are in high demand.

Masuku adds that these skills are now required and beneficial in every industry. Even other non-IT sectors, for example the agricultural sector, could start making use of IoT smart farming solutions or utilize drones to sow, while benefitting the community.

“Entrepreneurs can also use digital marketing and create apps for their businesses instead of selling or marketing products or services door to door. They can make use of digital platforms where they can reach a wider audience,” she adds.

The world requires people to be digitally savvy. There are new needs: drones, robots, programming and this is why the South African government has collaborated with NEMISA and universities to create 4IR awareness and skills to communities, says Masuku.

While there are a number of different private and public sector initiatives that have been undertaken to capitalise on this opportunity, there are a number of challenges that constrain the realisation of this digital dividend.

Masuku adds that the rural areas are mostly affected because they lack digital devices, struggle with readily available internet access, and digital illiteracy is still widespread.

To address some of these challenges, the University of Mpumalanga through the Colab have been offering digital training to high school learners.

“Through the UMP Colab, we have come to understand these challenges hence we usually start from the basic skills, and then take them up to 4IR technologies. The UMP CoLab has been in an outreach programme to identify schools to partner with. We have identified youth centres and schools around the Mpumalanga province; we have so far approached schools around Lekazi, Nkomazi Daantjie, Mataffin and Bushbuckridge.”

Reaching rural youth

Masuku adds that even educators in the rural schools have been trained in Digital Literacy courses.

“The aim of the programme is to prepare high-school learners on what to expect when they reach university level, and familiarizing them with tools and technologies used at tertiary institutions. Moreover, it is also to promote the University of Mpumalanga as an institution.”

Sibuyi is looking at solutions that will cater for youth in rural areas. His dream, he says, is to lead a professional IT company that operates in different locations that are accessible and visible to his target market, which is mainly students.

“I’ve also employed four current UMP students, which implies that Relevant Technologies is not only a monetary seeking organisation but also gives back to the community and brings about positive change.

I’d like to become a top leader in the IT Industry focusing mainly on providing IT support to students in a fast and economical manner. I’d love to have branches across all the tertiary campuses in South Africa.”

@ Story by Lisa Thabethe. Picture Supplied.

Professor Kutu first outlined the African Union (AU) 2063 mandate which seeks to deliver on a set of seven key aspirations that reflect the collective desire for shared prosperity, wellbeing, unity and integration; and how the South National Development plan aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality.

Regrettably, over 237 million people in South Africa still suffer from chronic undernourishment; under-investment in agriculture research and poor seed quality that are not adapted to climate change,” he said, mentioning that the agricultural research for development in the 21st century should deal with issues of global change, hunger and unemployment.

South African smallholder farmers comprise four million mostly black and female farmers from about 2.6 million households working on a small piece of land which is about 13% of South African productive agricultural land.

Professor Kutu notes that smallholder farmers use small pieces of land for farming activities and rely on a small income from the government grants. They are exposed to very high production risks, which include climate change, and soil fertility decline. Insufficient market access is also a limitation, and the resources available for production are very poor.

“Yet these are a group of farmers who can produce diverse crop species that are nutrient-rich and can help protect the vitality and good nutrition of most homes.”

Smallholder farmer challenges

Professor Kutu explained that in South Africa, because of the dualistic nature of agriculture, the smallholder farming sector is poorly developed for many reasons. Some include that historically they have been neglected in terms of the benefits of agricultural research, high-quality seeds and input fertilizers which they cannot afford.

“Smallholder farmers are vulnerable for some reasons, with the majority being women and elderly men because farming in the past decades has not been attractive to the young generation - people are now interested in quick money.

There is a need to transform the sub-sector so that beyond the production of stable food, they can also produce profitable crops that are market demand which can help the improvement of the livelihoods.

The national development plan of 2030 demands that we allow these groups of farmers to contribute to the food basket of the country,” he said.

Programme leader for Bachelor of Agriculture in Agricultural Extension and Rural Resource Management, Dr Ndoro gave a note of thanks.

Professor Kutu explains that the challenges faced by smallholder farmers include their ability to increase productivity gap, which is large when compared to commercial farmers.

“The comparison disadvantages them and it’s a major concern on their field, and the reason being that we do have water regime challenges in terms of the rainfall. South Africa is not a water-rich country and when water is a challenge, agricultural production is a challenge.

Climate change and extreme climate variables, weather events such as drought and floods lead to stress and losses. Access to a variety of resources challenges their cropping systems and management practices while soil fertility and land degradation are also widespread.”

“Only 13% of 122,5 million hectares of South African land is useful for crop production, and only 22% of that amount which becomes above 4 million hectares is considered agriculturally useful and described as having high potential for marginal land. That’s why we say the issue of land reform needs to be addressed urgently," he added.

“Looking at the number of smallholder farmers involved in the production, the support required to guarantee an improved increase in production needs to be provided by the government. It is now that the transformation of the smallholder farming sector in South Africa needs to be undertaken to deliver healthier, equitable and sustainable food and nutritional value.”

Robust interventions

To counteract the challenges faced by smallholder farmers, Professor Kutu suggested that a robust approach is required, and this includes the development of resilient crops or new livestock systems that can withstand climatic systems.

“The major benefits are the development of resilient new crops and livestock systems that can withstand extreme climatic conditions,” said Professor Kutu, adding that another solution is to come up with sustainable agriculture intensification," he continued.

"This would offer a viable income and livelihood, provide nutritious food, increase resilience, and reduce environmental degradation. Development of climate-smart agriculture practices that are site-specific, not just generic, and promote environmental sustainability in nutritional sectors is vital."

The smart protection of crops with the development of integrated real-time surveillance is also a product of agricultural research. Forecasting systems with agronomic, genetic and chemical control measures to deliver new, safer and durable modes of actions.

“Such agricultural research can also bring about digital, and data-driven agriculture which is a key enabler for a better understanding of the complexity that characterises sustainable agriculture intensification. The general aim is that agricultural intensification can bring nutrient mining and land degradation but through research, there are improvements in a recommendation on how best to deal with these complexities and reduce nutrient losses.”

In closing Professor Kutu noted that innovative technologies are needed to increase crop value, reduce post-harvest losses, improve food security, livelihood and sustainability; and that smallholder farmers have to be included socially and economically in terms of market access.

@ Story by Lisa Thabethe. Picture Supplied.

The meeting was attended by Professor Moses Mbewe, Dean of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, and Professor Calvin Gwandure, Head of the School of Social Sciences.

Opening the meeting, University of Mpumalanga (UMP) Vice-Chancellor Professor Thoko Mayekiso said that UMP was committed to multilingualism. Currently, the university offers IsiNdebele, Siswati, Sepedi, and is  working on introducing IsiTsonga to the curriculum. Professor Mbewe added that UMP was in the early days of developing their language policy with the new Language Policy Framework for Higher Education Institutions in mind.

CoPAL members agreed at their first meeting for the year to steer the conversation in 2022 towards the implementation of the Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education institutions, which was finalised in 2021 and came into effect in January 2022.

Some of the outcomes included that in 2022 CoPAL would prioritise engaging the universities’ senior leadership and continue impressing upon them the importance of being represented in CoPAL.

The community’s physical meetings will be hosted at the institutions that are yet to finalise language policies so that parallel meetings to discuss their policies can be arranged.

CoPAL is currently planning the second Vice Chancellor’s Colloquium which would, among other matters, use this platform to assess what language resources are available to give effect to the implementation of multilingualism across the academy.

The Colloquium would place on record for the Department of Higher Education and Training that commitment is in place to implement the Language Policy Framework but also underline even more emphatically the need to resource the sector better to turn this commitment into reality.

As part of their plans for 2022, CoPAL will seek to establish collaboration with the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), an organisation mandated to promote multilingualism, to develop the 11 official languages, and to protect language rights in South Africa.

@ Republished from South African Universities. https://www.usaf.ac.za/community-of-practice-for-the-teaching-and-learning-of-african-languages-remains-determined-to-achieve-more-in-2022/