“You have been excellent brand ambassadors of UMP realising the importance of acting prudently and properly so that our university is not brought into disrepute.”

UMP Vice-Chancellor, Professor Thoko Mayekiso said during SRC/CRC gala dinner held at the Orange Restaurant in Mbombela on the 25th of October 2019.

Hosted by Student Governance and Development, the dinner was to bid farewell to the 2019 SRC/CRC and usher in new leadership.

Opening the event Student Governance and Development Manager, Mr Joseph Mokoatala spoke about the types of leadership and how the 2019 SRC held it together even during the difficult times.

“The outgoing SRC came in at a very difficult time. But they pulled through because they were prepared to listen and be advised.”

In her speech the Vice-Chancellor described the 2019 SRC as having laid a solid foundation on which future generations of student leadership at UMP will build.

“You experienced first-hand the negative impact of strife and strikes, and undertook that you would like lead in a different way. You promised during your investiture to pursue the interest of students in your leadership, and did so with distinction,” she said.



Working towards one goal
The Vice-Chancellor went on to explain the relationship that management has built with the outgoing SRC/CRC leadership and how all parties were determined to pull the rope in one direction.

Outgoing SRC President, Castro Mashabane reiterated that 2018 was a year with challenges for the university but mostly, for the SRC and university management, as the parties had to open a new chapter and seek solutions, that will benefit students and the institution.

In his speech Mashabane said: “Working relationships between all the parties has been good engagement. The journey that was shared, guided, shook and has informed us. At the pinnacle of our term were the development, progress and success of all UMP students.

“I alone could have not done it. It is about the team. And to my team, I want to say you are the best! We can say as the SRC that we have not stood in the way of students’ success due to selfish interests. We were guided by principles and morals."

Ushering in new leadership
In closing the Vice-Chancellor welcomed the new SRC leadership and said: “As a new pioneering university, there are exciting opportunities that lie ahead of us. The incoming leadership should happily join us as we embark on the vision, mission, values and strategic objectives we set ourselves as we are on uhambo lomhlahlandlela.”

Mr Mokoatala added that the newly appointed SRC needed to find out how the 2019 leadership worked: what were their challenges and some of the issues they have to tackle going forward.

"Run your race and do not be copy cats. It’s important to understand that we are all parties. Do not stand on the other side and be opposers. We are all parties that ensure we have a smooth running university,” said Mokoatala.

Mashabane concluded by saying: “Walk this journey of leadership, always remembering that greatness is achieved through engagement. The responsibility afforded to you. Do your best. Leadership cannot be copied. Walk your path and be consistent with time and issues. I wish you all the best.”

The night ended with Vice-Chancellor recognising UMP shining and promising future leaders with awards for their sterling work of selflessly serving the students.

@ Story by Lisa Thabethe. Pictures @chrisclphoto

The new added courses are: Diploma in Animal Production, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, Bachelor of Administration, Advanced Diploma in Information Communication Technology in Applications Development and two post graduate degrees: Masters' in Development Studies and Science in Agriculture.

Our collaboration with the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) in Germany is working seamlessly and producing great results. This partnership has seen two of their students chose to be based at UMP for a semester. Jadzia May and Damaris Boehm both studying International Business Studies are enjoying the South African culture and UMP campus life.

This year the University of Mpumalanga has been hosting a series of public lectures, and one of these was by African-American Professor Molefi Kete Asante who spoke profoundly on: An Afrocentric Response to Calls for a Decolonised and Re- Africanised Education.

Two of our M.Sc. candidates are making history by being the first to conduct research on the reintroduction of lions and cheetah at Lapalala Wilderness Reserve in the Waterberg. Eleesha Lingenfelder and Kaeleah Andrew have commenced their fieldwork at the nature reserve and will come back to share more insights with us.

Land reform is one of the most topical issues in the country at the moment, and the University of Mpumalanga is serious about tackling this subject head on, hence we engaged with Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza during the land reform dialogue, which was held at the university.

The students have spoken through the ballot. UMP has new student leadership. I would like to take this opportunity to wish the outgoing SRC/CRC well in your future endeavours and hope to count on your support as the new leadership prepare to take office. Your example of leading is worth emulating.

Professor Thoko Mayekiso
Vice Chancellor

The new courses which will resume in 2020 are: Diploma in Animal Production, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, Bachelor of Administration, Advanced Diploma in Information Communication Technology in Applications, two post graduate degrees: Masters in Development Studies and Science in Agriculture.

Professor Bernard added that the university is in the process of appointing new staff and setting systems in place.

“We will recruit and add resources where needed but it will not be in all the departments. For example, the Bachelor of Administration includes modules in Public Administration and Politics, which we will recruit staff for. We will also ensure that the library is stocked with the required learning materials.”

Professor Richard shares more information about the courses, entry requirements and how the programmes are aligned to the 4th Industrial Revolution.

DIPLOMA IN ANIMAL PRODUCTION
The University currently offers a Diploma in Agriculture, which has a focus on plant production and farm management and excludes animal production. As such, the new Diploma in Animal Production fills a gap in our offerings and will provide education and training at Diploma level for students who are interested in animal production.

The first two years covers: theory and practical skills, including animal nutrition and health, large and small stock production, pig production, poultry production and animal breeding and genetics.

Third year is spent on farms and includes three rotations in large stock production, small stock and pig production and poultry production. This is a three-year diploma at exit level 6 and qualifying students may be able to progress to an Advanced Diploma.

Minimum entrance requirements:
NSC:

• Admission Points Score of 26 or more.
• Minimum NSC requirements for diploma entry must be met.
• English (home language or first additional language) on at least level 4 (50 – 59%).
• NSC achievement rating of at least 3 (40 – 49%) for Mathematics or 4 (50 – 59%) for Mathematical Literacy.
• Life Sciences or Agriculture at level 4.

NC (V) level 4:
Applicants must have completed an NC (V) level 4 in Primary Agriculture with:

• English (home language or first additional language) on at least level 4 (50 – 59%).
• Rating of at least 3 (40 – 49%) for Mathematics or 4 (50 – 59%) for
  Mathematical Literacy.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
The University already offers a general Bachelor of Science (BSc) and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSc in Agriculture) and the new BSc (Environmental Science) will allow students to specialise in environmental science.

The need for graduates in environmental science is greater now than ever, as the effects of population growth, ongoing industrialisation, intensified agricultural production and climate change combine to place the environment and its socio-ecological systems under increasing stress.

This BSc (Environmental Science) is a three year degree and in each year students will take two modules of environmental science and then can select a second major from water science, ecology with conservation and geography with geographical information systems (GIS).

In the first year students will take environmental science, biology and geography, supported by chemistry, mathematics and computer literacy. In second and third year, students continue with environmental science and select a second major subject from water management science, environmental biology, ecology and geography.

The BSc (Environmental Science) is a three-year exit level 7 degree. Qualifying students may be able to progress to a BSc Honours degree.

Minimum entrance requirements:
NSC:

• Admission point score of 32.
• Minimum NSC requirements for degree entry must be met.
• English (Home Language or First Additional Language on at least NSC level 4 (50-59%).
• NSC achievement rating of at least 4 (50-59%) for Mathematics or 6 (70-79%) for Mathematical Literacy.
• NSC achievement rating of at least 4 (50-59%) for two of Life Science, Physical Science or Geography.

BACHELOR OF ADMINISTRATION
The Bachelor of Administration (B Admin) is designed to address the human capacity development needs for public administration and support the achievement of the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF 2014-2019) and the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS III).

These meet identified needs of the Mpumalanga Provincial Government: Socio-Economic Review and Outlook (2018). Graduates will be able to work in Municipal, Provincial and National Government as managers and administrators.

Students take the core subjects of Public Administration and Business Management in first, second and third year and select supporting subjects from a range that includes sociology, political science, Industrial psychology and psychology.

The B Admin is a three-year exit level 7. Qualifying students may be able to progress to a B Admin Honours Degree.

Minimum entrance requirements

• Minimum NSC requirements for degree entry.
• Minimum Admission Point Score of 32.
• English (Home Language or First Additional Language) on at least NSC level 4 (50-59%).
• Second language on at least NSC level 4 (50-59%).
• Mathematical literacy on level 3.
• Students who have completed a 360 credit Diploma in an appropriate field such as public administration will be considered for this degree.
   

ADVANCED DIPLOMA IN ITC
The purpose of this qualification is to provide students with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the area of applications development by engaging critically with the new trends in ICT. The modules for this programme will enable students to engage with emerging trends in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. These new trends will be covered in the modules such as human computer interaction, emerging technologies and cyber security.

The modules on databases and application development at the Advanced Diploma level will enable students to gain in depth knowledge of managing and manipulating small and big data, which is directly linked to the emerging area of data science.

Applications development is a growing area with a huge demand for Application developers who can design solutions relevant to local, national and international business operations.

The project module is designed so that students will have close contact with industry and communities. They will develop implementable solutions that solve real-life challenges.

The identified skills set will provide society with ICT graduates who are innovative with applied and cognitive competences in the acquisition, interpretation and application of ICT principles, capable of taking up professional and ethical roles and responsibilities within societal and industry projects.

The Advanced Diploma is a one-year qualification at exit level 7. Qualifying students may be able to progress to a postgraduate diploma.

Minimum entrance requirements
To be able to do the course, learners should be in possession of a Diploma in ICT at NQF level 6 with level 6 modules in information systems and programming and an average mark of above 60%.

MASTER OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
This is a postgraduate degree in which students will undertake an original research project in an area of development studies under the supervision of staff members from the University.

The degree culminates in the submission of a thesis in which the original research is reported. The minimum entry requirement for this degree is an Honours degree in development studies with a final mark of at least 60%.

The number of students admitted to the Masters programme will be restricted and acceptance will be highly competitive. The minimum duration of a Master’s degree is one year but students typically complete the degree in two years.

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE
This is a postgraduate degree in which students will undertake an original research project in an area of agricultural science under the supervision of staff members from UMP. The degree culminates in the submission of a thesis in which the original research is reported.

The number of students admitted to the Masters programme will be restricted and acceptance will be highly competitive. The minimum entry requirement for this degree is an Honours degree in agriculture or a four-year exit level 8 BSc (Agriculture) with a final mark of at least 60%. The minimum duration of a Masters Degree is one year but students typically complete the degree in two years.

@ Story and Pictures by: Cleopatra Makhaga

The institutions are collaborating in areas of curriculum development for a module development under constrained conditions for Honours in Development Studies, and the development of innovation and Entrepreneurship in various fields.

Both students studying International Business Studies say they are enjoying the South African culture and UMP campus life. The pair share more.

We were intrigued…
To see a newly built university that is as big as ours. And that the climate is very different from Germany.

Our first experience…
Was overwhelming. I remember we were picked up in a small car and the first thing we were confused about, was how to get in. We accidentally opened the driver’s door because in our country we drive on the other side of the road.

That was the first African experience that was different from Germany. We also realised that people here have a different time management compared to back home.

We are studying…
International Business Studies in Germany and the programme requires us to study abroad for one semester. We decided to come to UMP because we had not been to South Africa before, so it is also good to try something new and exciting.

UMP is amazing…
People here are very friendly and helpful. Whenever something is up you can easily reach out to them. We felt really welcomed at the university of Mpumalanga. Where we come from classes are big with thousands of students and the professors will never get to know you personally or recognize your face.

UMP is different. Most importantly is that the lecturers here are very helpful. If ever you have a question you can approach them. In Germany there’s a distance between lecturers and students.

The teaching style…
Is similar to the one we have in Germany. It is impressive for a new university.

The big challenge was…
Struggling with some of the lecturers’ accents but we got used to it, now we can understand everything perfectly.

Tests and assignments…
Are so many and in between all that, we have group work and presentations, which is a lot of work for us. In Germany it’s different in that we have a semester with lectures and only one exam you have to study for at the end.

Working in groups…
Is different and we are still struggling with some concepts. In Germany as soon as you get an assignment there is already a plan mate assigned to you as well. We meet on the same day and allocate each other with work, way before the due date.

We love UMP events…
Especially the campus vibe and at res. We are currently staying at the new residences. The rooms are beautiful and very spacious. It is a very safe environment.

Our favourite event was the Heritage Day one, where we got to see different South African cultures and traditions displayed through art, music and dance. We got to see the diversity of the country.

We are exploring Mpumalanga…
There is a lot of travelling we have done lately. We went to Durban and Johannesburg during recess time. We spent the first week at The Kruger National Park and we got to see the Big Five, which was awesome. It’s not like going to the zoo. We actually got to see the animals in their natural habitat, and the history of the people at Sudwala Caves

The currency is very low here so we actually could afford to travel and rent a car for half a year for a reasonable price. But what was really exciting is that we got to be in a taxi, which was very crowded and it felt awkward.

SA weather is…
Great and the best. We are enjoying the sun. This time in Germany it’s getting colder and colder and here it is getting hotter so we have got an extended summer, which is very nice.

@ Story and Pictures by: Cleopatra Makhaga

Minister Didiza, who has written a paper on land reform titled: Land Reform 25 Years Late, encouraged delegates not to shy away from discussing land related problems. She explained that government can benefit from constructive ideas and that higher education has an important role to play in shaping the discussions around the land question.

“Though land dispossession dates back to many centuries, but it was the 1913 Native Land Act, in my view, that put the final nail to the coffin because it was really a codification of dispossession.”

During the debate the minister spoke about the crafting of section 25 of the constitution, which makes it possible for the state to expropriate land in the public interest without compensation.

“What is very interesting about the crafting of section 25 is that it accorded the rights to all South Africans to have access to land, protection of the property rights but within it. What others might have called it a contradiction was actually the inclusion of the state obligation to actually undertake land reform in the public interest to specifically deal with issues such as inherent land inequality in our country.” – Minister Thoko Didiza.

Research Capacity Development Senior Manager, Solani Ngobeni said the land reform dialogue comes a few months after the university hosted Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi author of the book: The Land Is Ours: Black Lawyers and the Birth of Constitutionalism in South Africa.

“Advocate Ngcukaitobi did a very good presentation considering the fact that the land issue is very important in our country. After his presentation, which was on an academic perspective, we felt the need to engage Minister Didiza who has also written a paper on land reform and has a deep understanding of it,” added Ngobeni that the event was well received.

"There was great feedback from the students, who feel that this form of promoting dialogue allows them to stay woke about matters of public interest. “When we invite a significant person to come and give an address at the university we first look at the topical issues, and sometimes we usually host the events based on books.”

In closing the dialogue Minister Didiza urged delegates to find historical records that can help them learn about their our own heritage and identity as people.

“One can never fully appreciate the land issue in South Africa unless, they reflect on the historical nature of dispassion and walls of resistance from our own history. It is important to familiarising ourselves with history, so that we understand our past, our present and the future.” – Minister Thoko Didiza

@ Story by Lisa Thabethe Pictures: @chrisclphoto

The UMP community gathered at the Wellness Conference Centre, where African-American Professor Molefi Kete Asante delivered his public lecture on: An Afrocentric Response to Calls for a Decolonised and Re-Africanised Education.

The Professor and Chair at the Department of American Studies at Temple University, Professor Kete Asante said that the Afrocentric paradigm is a revolutionary shift in thinking, proposed as a contractual adjustment to black disorientation, centeredness, and lack of agency.

“The Afrocentric asks the question, “What would African people do if there were no white people?” What natural responses would occur in relationships, attitudes toward the environment, kinship patterns, preferences for colours, type of religion, and historical referent points for African people if there had not been any intervention of colonialism or enslavement?”

“Afrocentricity answers this question by asserting the central role of the African subject within the context of African history, thereby removing Europe from the centre of the African reality. In this way, Afrocentricity becomes a revolutionary idea because it studies ideas, concepts, events, personalities, and political and economic processes from a standpoint of black people as subjects and not as objects, basing all knowledge on the authentic interrogation of location.”

Centred in History
Kete Asante added that one of the key assumptions of the Afrocentric is that all relationships are based on centres and margins and the distances from either the centre or the margin. “When black people view themselves as centred and central in their own history, then they see themselves as agents, actors, and participants rather than as marginal on the periphery of political or economic experience. Using this paradigm, human beings have discovered that all phenomena are expressed in the fundamental categories of space and time. Furthermore, it is then understood that relationships develop and knowledge increases to the extent that we are able to appreciate the issues of space and time.”

There is no functional Pan African academy, but there should be one. We can talk about Marco Pollo we have never heard about Ibn Battuta, we can talk about Athens. There are hundreds and thousands of things that we know about Europe and the West and we know nothing about Africa even though we are Africans, even though we are in Africa or even though we go to a historical black school in the United States. That’s a problem.

“It engenders notions of black inferiority, it engenders notions of white supremacy. It gives us beliefs that something is wrong with our ancestors, something was wrong with our religious beliefs. This is a crime, this is a human crime, and all human beings live in contact not just live in context but also comes from deep histories.”

Visionary Africans
The founder of the theory: Afrocentricity, Professor Kete Asante continued by saying that the first people to decide what was edible were Africans. “They were the first people to cross streams or figure out how to cross a river had to be these people. Otherwise we would not be here. No people would have been on earth if they had not figured that out. Those early people of Africa had to figure out their condition and their situation."

“They were the first ones who saw the stars and named them. They were the first ones who named their children. Who calculated a woman’s cycle? They were African people who did that first. They did not do that in Europe, in Asia, in North America and in South America. Three hundred thousand histories think about it.”

“One of the reasons I am so happy about being here in the University of Mpumalanga is that I read a story a couple of years ago or maybe a year ago about the stones, the monoliths that were here. They have them all over in Africa; the famous ones, are the ones that in South of Egypt, Chad and Libya.”

“The interesting thing is that these monoliths are older, far older than stone hinge. The oldest site that we know and I am told but I have never seen this place that was constructed by human beings. There is nothing that we have erected that is older than that that was built by humans.”

“Nobody knows anything that is older than that. Now, of course there are theories that: “somebody came out of space", that is part of the Pan European Academy. The Inferiority of Africans, it is impossible for Africans, just like the pyramids, it is impossible that they were built by Africans.”



Historical Knowledge
Professor Kete Asante reminded the delegates that Africans built the pyramids and adds that it was not someone from space.

“You have to be really out of your mind to think that anyone would come out of space and build that Africans constructed it based on the natural designs found in the physical environment based also on something else, geometry which Africans discovered.”

“The pyramids have been there before 25 hundred before Jesus Christ and we have not yet lived that long after Jesus on this side but the people of Egypt had already built the pyramids before Jesus Christ. Think about it, pyramids finished before two thousand five hundred years, even Jesus as a little boy could have been told that down there in Africa they have little monuments that are 2800 years old. Africans did not wait for Jesus to build the pyramids, no.”

“Imhotep is known as the first builder of pyramids. Black man built the first pyramids and why is it that we do not know Imhotep and we are in an African university? Imhotep built the first pyramids the Saqqara pyramids, he did not build it in America, it is not in United States, and he built it in Africa.”

Re-evaluate African values
Finally Professor Kete Asante encouraged guests not to loose sight of Africa’s history and shy away from telling their stories.

“You must tell your own stories, nobody can your story better than you, and nobody can interpret your story better than you. Imhotep lived in 2700 BC and he was given the authority by King Djoser to build the Saqqara pyramiding 2500 BC there is no Greece, there is no voice of intelligence from Greece, there is no Rome in 2500 BC, black people built pyramids and that is a fact.”

“Later black people built pyramids in Sudan, 200 pyramids in Nubia. Nowhere in there world are there as many pyramids as there are in affricate Greeks appeared in 800 BC, we start with ancient history they will tell you about the Greeks, that is not even old.”

“This negation of African civilisation is really a distortion from what Africa gave us; Africa is the mother of civilization. What mechanisms were used to throw Africa off of its course? How did we get to the point where the Pan European academy dominated our minds and created notions of African inferiority and white supremacy, how did we get to be like that?”

“We used to have a theory in the old days that initially when we met white people they had the valuable and we had the land and then soon we had the valuable and they had the land. Religion is a big problem. It has always been a big problem in Africa because we are spiritual people. We have a great sense of value.”

“If you read ancient reading of Ethiopia, you will recognise that we have always had this strong sense of spirituality. Before the Europeans came, black people didn't lock their doors. Now everywhere I look even though it's a Christian city and you have all these churches everybody is locking their doors.”

“We have to rethink what has happened to Africa and as educators we have a responsibility to never forget the answers.”

@ Story and pictures by: Cleopatra Makhaga

Eleesha Lingenfelder and Kaeleah Andrew have commenced fieldwork to investigate prey selection, activity patterns and ranging behaviour of the newly introduced lions and cheetah. Both species are considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

This research follows the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the University of Mpumalanga, Nelson Mandela University (NMU) and the Lapalala Wilderness Foundation

Not only does the signing of the MoU facilitate collaborative research between UMP and its strategic partners, but it also creates high quality opportunities for the development of human potential via postgraduate student training.

This collaborative research project, funded by board members of Lapalala Wilderness, aims to shed light on the ecology and predator-prey interactions of newly introduced lions and cheetahs. It will assist in guiding evidence-based management of carnivore populations.

Kaeleah Andrew, who will investigate shifts in prey preference with emerging prey anti-predator behaviours, says that she will be conducting a multi-site analysis to investigate shifts in prey choice following reintroduction throughout southern Africa.

I will use this data to produce a model which will be used to predict prey choice shifts of reintroduced carnivores. This data could be invaluable in refining carrying capacity models for reserves reintroducing these species in the future. It will allow models to take the shifting prey choice into account rather than assuming that predator prey choice remains constant." – Kaeleah Andrew.

“I am also investigating the variables that drive these shifts after reintroduction by studying the interactions between the reintroduced predators at Lapalala Wilderness and their potential prey. This data will allow me to determine if there is a shift in the variables that drive a predator to hunt a particular prey species, such as time of day and vegetation type, and if this changes with emerging anti-predator behaviours.”

With large predators being increasingly reintroduced into protected areas, Eleesha Lingenfelder will be refining predator-prey preference at the prey demographic level.

The development of predictive prey-preference models allows protected areas to better manage large predator reintroductions by ensuring the presence of prey within the preferred weight ranges of the various large predators,” she says adding that she would also determine whether seasonal variation in prey availability influences the reproductive patterns of predators across southern Africa.

“My aim is to refine the crude prey preference models currently used by many reserves by including prey preference for each demographic class (male vs. female; adult vs. juvenile) of the prey species. I also aim to determine the effect of seasonal prey availability on prey preference. The above will be done by gathering kill and prey availability data at Lapalala Wilderness.” – Eleesha Lingenfelder.

The M.Sc. candidates are supervised by Dr Liaan Minnie from the School of Biology and Environmental Sciences at UMP; Research Associate at the Centre for African Conservation Ecology, NMU together with Professor Graham Kerley from the Centre for African Conservation Ecology at NMU.

@ Story by Lisa Thabethe. Pictures courtesy Lepalala Wildlife Nature Reserve

How does it feel to be the convenor of the first alumni chapter?
I feel great and a little overwhelmed. This is basically starting a project off the ground. There will be a lot to do and I can already feel the weight of the task. The institution is putting its faith on me to run with the project. It's not going to be an easy road, but positivity always wins.

What is your biggest task, as the convenor?
My biggest task is to keep the alumni up to date with the latest UMP news, support the image of the institution and its developments. I will also administer the affairs of the chapter. My other responsibility is to identify members, coordinate chapter meetings and forge relationships among them.

What are your plans for the chapter?
As the first convenor of the chapter I will provide a plan that will support the alumni structure, including having at least one or two gatherings where our alumni will be able to raise their voices.

Tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born in Mogaladi, Marble Hall, Sekhukhune, in Limpopo. In 2015, I enrolled at the University of Mpumalanga to study towards a Bachelor of Agriculture in Agricultural Extension in Rural Resource Management. I obtained my degree last year and I’m currently studying towards my Honours Degree at the University of Limpopo.

You had some great achievements at UMP. Tell tell us about those.
At UMP I was a committee member of the Black Management Forum (BMF) and the very same year served as a Health Peer mentor. I also helped Mr Matonsi from the Sports and Entertainment Office with coordinating events including beauty pageant. In 2017 I became the student assistant doing data capturing during the registrations.

What drives you?
It is my love for people, which then granted me a mentor who was my second-year lecturer, Ms Edwina Lesudi. After completing my studies at UMP last year, I had a three-month teaching stint at Mangolwane Secondary School in Limpopo. I taught grade 10 to12 Agricultural Sciences, Sepedi Home Language and Life Sciences.

What are your future plans?
Like I said, I am currently doing my Honours Degree in Agricultural Management (Extension). My research topic is: The Role of Rural Women producing in Agricultural Projects in Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality.

It is about highlighting the role that rural women play in agriculture. It will also highlight the challenges these women face. I believe that women are less documented on this topic. It’s about time we acknowledge them for their contribution to the economy of our country.

What happens when you are done at this level?
I plan to enrol for a Masters Degree. My interest is to become a lecturer.

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures @chrisclphoto