The Excelleration Award acknowledges South African institutions for achieving the most improved research performance over recent years as evaluated by independent parties and measured against a selection of critical indicators. UMP is the eighth South African University to win the Excelleration Award since the award was introduced.

The Vice-Chancellor of UMP, Professor Thoko Mayekiso, a C3 Rated Researcher (2013 – 2018; 2019-2024) received the award on behalf of the university. Professor Mayekiso believes that the award is an acknowledgement that UMP is on track in pursuit of its vision of being: An African University leading in creating opportunities for sustainable development through innovation.

“One of our strategic goals is to create and support an environment that fosters research quality, impact, and productivity. We have witnessed over the years an increase in the numbers of staff with doctoral degrees, NRF-rated researchers, research outputs and funding for research as well as scholarships for honours and master’s students. We congratulate our researchers on this achievement,” said Professor Mayekiso.

CEO of the National Research Foundation of South Africa, Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo.

Viewed as the benchmark for research excellence, the annual NRF Awards recognise individual academics and teams for their recent outstanding scientific achievements. Their internationally competitive work is assessed for, among other things, the contribution to the field of study focusing on quality and impact on society.

Congratulating the winners, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Mr Buti Manamela said, “It is also quite pleasing to see that the recipients are an eye of the demographics of our society. Of course, as noted in the report of the National Research Foundation, a lot more needs to be done.

Not only by you (as the NRF) but by all of us, institutions of higher learning particularly universities and universities of technology, for us to see more and more black and women researchers being recipients of awards.”

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Mr Buti Manamela.

Mr Manamela further added that scientists were important to society and that countries train scientists and researchers with the expectation that, through their specialised knowledge, they would lead humanity in the search for solutions to the day-to-day problems of human existence.

CEO of the National Research Foundation of South Africa, Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, said, “As we invest, we’re guided by our mandate. Our mandate includes the advancement of excellence in research in South Africa; it includes the support and development of the necessary human and infrastructural capacity; it includes leading and managing key national facilities; addressing the relationship between science and society and the promotion of a national science system.

It is thus very important for us to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions that were made by the shining stars of our country’s scientific cohort, researchers, and institutions alike who have committed themselves to scientific excellence that explores uncharted territories to create a more socially conscious and sustainable future for all members of our society.”

The University of Mpumalanga currently has seven NRF rated researchers: three C2 rated researchers, three C3 rated researchers and a Y2 rated researcher.

@ Additional information and pictures: National Research Foundation.

Volleyball, athletics, netball and soccer were the sporting codes that participated in the event, and Mbombela proved to be the indomitable side winning all the matches against Siyabuswa campus.

Among other sporting codes that took centre stage were the recently launched indigenous games: Morabara, Chess, and Diketo, which were another firm favourite for students and staff.

The well attended event was opened by the Dean of Students, Dr Paul Maminza who encouraged students to continue participating in sports. He further said that the university sport and recreation is committed to providing an environment that allows students to have a vibrant student life through sporting and recreational activities.

 Mbombela and Siyabuswa athletes competing for medals.

UMP Sports and Recreation Manager Velhemina Manamela said the institution last had an annual event in 2016: “We are here today at the UMP sports field celebrating the first ever officialised sports day.”

She further said that the university is looking forward to future sporting events where all the codes are included, and staff members may also participate to make it even more vibrant and exciting.

"As the Sports and Recreation manager, it is my hope and wish that event will continue to encourage fitness and wellness amongst students. We also encourage active participation."

Recently UMP has been performing outstandingly and received national recognition at provincial and national level with some of the university students being selected to represent Mpumalanga at national level.

Volleyball stars, Banele Thobela and Bongiwe Mahlangu were selected to be part of the Mpumalanga Volleyball team (The Buffaloes) that played at the National Volleyball tournament that took place in Bloemfontein from 26 to 30 September 2022.

UMP female athletes during a relay race.

Recently UMP introduced indigenous games at both Mbombela and Siyabuswa campuses, and two students were also selected to play nationally. Dibeke participant Limpho Motau and Cathrine Sitoe who plays Diketo were selected to represent Mpumalanga at the National Indigenous Games Competition which were recently held in KwaZulu Natal.

“Though the indigenous games were recently launched, we can see that the participating numbers are high. More students are engaging and participating in the games. When we launched, we never thought we will be where we are especially as we now have two students representing us nationally in KZN.

Earlier this year, netball stars Lerato Baloyi and another renowned star, Condi Sibiya, represented the university at the Sunbirds Netball trials, which were held in Nelspruit on 20 March this year.

“Our teams are members of the different sports federations and participate in the various leagues, local, district and provincial. The university is also part of Universities Sports South Africa (USSA) and participates in the various USSA Tournaments throughout the year,” said Ms Manamela.

The 2022 sports day ended with the Mbombela soccer, volleyball and netball teams receiving gold medals. The winners received a rotating trophy, which will be up for grabs again next year as the Sports and Recreation Division plans on making this an annual event.

Ms Manamela concluded: “The university continuously encourages students to participate in sporting activities and towards the introduction of new sporting codes. We look forward to seeing what next year will hold and how many more codes we will be able to include in this great event.”

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures @Chrisplphoto.

In the 21st century mankind has totally dominated the globe, and everything in it. Our endeavour to develop our natural resources for human growth and prosperity has affected every seen and unseen part of this small planet we all call home. Today all approximately eight billion people on earth are more connected than ever, we know almost instantly what is happening in some of the most remote parts of the world and get to participate in the who, what, why, when, and how of almost every discussion taking place around the world.

But our development of natural resources comes at a cost, a trade-off that we are not aware off, and generally not engaging in. Our resources are limited, we can use them up and we are most definitely overusing them. The consequences of our excessive use of our vulnerable water resources include social and ecological disasters.

On 11 September 2022, in a small mining community named Jagersfontein in the Free State province of South Africa, a more than 100-year-old, 65Ha, man-made tailings dam filled with processed waste from the nearby diamond mine burst its walls. The resulting spill claimed at least three human lives and damage to property estimated to cost more than R100 million. The social impact of the spill has been tremendous, affecting the livelihoods of many thousands of people and the whole community of Jagersfontein.

The ecological impacts of the spill, however, are still being played out. The estimated more than 6000m3 of tailings has spread over a massive area and reached the Kalkfontein Dam as well as the Riet River. From the Kalkfontein Dam the moderately utilised Riet River flows for about 200 km into the Vaal River just 35km upstream of the confluence between the Vaal and Orange Rivers.

The massive spill of tailings is now spread over such a vast area of more than 30km that a clean-up is virtually impossible. Which begs the question: What is going to happen next?

We are in a high rainfall hydrological period. This means that over most of the central and eastern parts of South Africa we expect above average rainfall. In recent years this has been evident from the floods in Durban and KwaZulu-Natal to the deluges experienced in Johannesburg and across the Free State. We expect similar rains over the 2022/2023 wet season.

Urgent attention required

The recent rains of the 2021/2022 season may already have contributed to a highly saturated landscape that after years of drought may have been one of many contributing elements to the Jagersfontein disaster. This year’s rains are now expected to mobilise the tailings and wash much of it into the upper Prosesspruit and the Kalkfontein Dam. Impacts of this event may be mobilised beyond the dam after the season’s first rains and possibly affect the Riet River along its length to the Vaal River and possibly the Orange River.

While the lower Vaal River is largely utilised and in an impaired ecological state, the Riet River has historically been a refuge area of aquatic biodiversity in the region and a favoured destination of specialist yellowfish anglers who frequent the Lilydale Rest Camp in the Mokala National Park to target regionally rare largemouth yellowfish. These fish are the living gold of South Africa.

The dedicated angling industry was worth more than R130 million in 2008 and has continued to grow. Yellowfish are also key indicator species and help us manage our river health. Today the Riet River below the Kalkfontein Dam is in a relatively better ecological condition than other tributaries of the lower Vaal River catchment and an important refuge area for aquatic biota and other biodiversity and key ecosystem processes.

The Riet River catchment also includes a nationally recognised Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Area: the Kromellenboogspruit fish sanctuary, a river that flows parallel to the Prosesspruit that has been affected by the Jagersfontein spill.

Should the tailings of the Jagersfontein Mine contaminate the Kalkfontein Dam and affect the 200km of the Riet River, this would be another regional disaster that may affect many more thousands of South Africans and threaten one of the few remaining refuge areas for aquatic biodiversity in South Africa. The worst impact of the Jagersfontein spill is yet to come.

Urgent action is required to ascertain the potential for the spill to spread across the landscape to contaminate the Kalkfontein Dam and the associated Riet River. In addition, the risk of multiple stressors associated with the spill to the vulnerable socio-ecological system of the Riet Catchment should urgently be determined. Only then a real understanding of the environmental impact of the spill will be understood and can mitigating measures be taken. Watch

The article is written by Dr Gordon O'Brien from the School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences at the University of Mpumalanga. Pictures supplied.

Ms Bhuda also serves on the committee that identifies indigenous knowledge systems that are about to become extinct, and advises on the documentation of that knowledge. The appointment had a criterion that focused on people who were doing great work in intangible heritage from all South African provinces, and Ms Bhuda, a culture activist, was one of those identified.

"I am very grateful for this opportunity. I would like to believe that this appointment has come at the right time as I have contributed quite a lot in the systems field, and the department is investing in me as a young professional with great potential."

Part of the work that the committees does is to establish a criterion that guides which knowledge is worth documenting urgently. We work with elders and young people to ensure that the knowledge is well captured. The committee also creates platforms such as workshops, interactive networks for promoting inter-generational learning between elders and young people on indigenous knowledge. 

“Since its inception of the committees, we have discussed the indigenous knowledge systems and intangible heritage and the progress made. We have identified appropriate methods to document the indigenous knowledge and identified the initial knowledge that needs to be documented," she says.

Ms Bhuda is passionate about the decolonization of education, promotion of indigenous languages, indigenous knowledge preservation, protection, management and dissemination. She explains that the department of Sport, Arts and Culture has a project that identifies living human treasures and profiles them, and the subcommittee that she sits on oversees that the correct protocols and guidelines have been followed during the selection process, then report the findings to the rest of the panel.

"When it comes to languages, the panel will seek advice from PanSalb which directly deals with the current 11 official languages and those becoming extinct. There are a few committees within government that are available to work with in certain aspects that link to our work.”

Ms Bhuda adds: "The relationship with indigenous communities is important for the department because they are knowledge holders and should form a part of the decision making when it comes to the protection and development of their knowledge. The panel includes knowledge holders, academics, and traditional leaders.

Through the panel, the department wants to establish a good relationship with the indigenous communities and work closely in preserving and promoting indigenous knowledge systems."

Ms Bhuda, a PhD student of indigenous Knowledge Systems is also passionate about sharing African culture and heritage has penned a children's book, Kwekwezi’s Cultural Mural Art (English), which was then translated into isiNdebele as Umgwalo Wobukghwari baka Kwekwezi.

"I believe that I am a role model to young people who look up to me and who always have questions about careers in African studies and why IKS is relevant in the 21st century. So many young people expect only adults to be in such fields and show interest. It is therefore important that I become a good example by working hard and providing tangible results."

@Story by Lisa Thabethe. Pictures supplied.

The UMP Team was led by Vice-Chancellor and Chairperson of CFERI Advisory Board, Professor Thoko Mayekiso, and CFERI Centre Manager, Dr Ogujiuba Kanayo, Entrepreneur Lecturer in Entrepreneurship Dr Mazanai Musara. The three students: Jesse Steyn, Nomdeni Khoza and Ngthabie Mpaza, developed an innovative app for women in business, which aims to simplify the way women businesses and stakeholders connect with each other.

Following their best pitch award, these students will now collaborate with UMP CFERI to develop the app and establish a sustainable business model for Women Entrepreneurs by creating a mutually beneficial portal for communication and connection.

UMP students were involved in the Start-Up for Studentpreneurs where they interacted with others from the consortium and exchanged business ideas. They were also taken to MRANTI Technology to experience one of Asia’s finest technology centers. The tour included a manufacturing house and a group workshop for science and technology.

The three students, who were selected based on their performance during the internal rounds of the 2022 EDHE Competition organised by the UMPCFERI, also had an entrepreneurship mentoring programme, hosted by APU, which featured panelists for academics and industry, that discussed a variety of interesting entrepreneurial topics.

UMP CFERI Centre Manager, Dr Ogujiuba Kanayo. 

Opening doors for skills exchange

The summit comes four months after UMP signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the APU, which was to build capacity in supporting start-up and spin-out companies, as well as to exchange knowledge and skills among faculty, develop entrepreneurial students who will create employment, and build capacity for supporting start-up and spin-off companies.

The Entrepreneurship Summit was designed to share best practices on entrepreneurship programmes across universities, curriculum content and teaching delivery of entrepreneurship modules/courses, and support systems for start-ups. It also provided a platform for networking amongst participating universities for joint projects and research.

Some of the events included the global webinar discussions where Professor Mayekiso presented in one of the sessions, which was streamed live.

Students were assigned industry mentors who supported the Academic Mentors in planning their business pitches. The start-up programme was meant to enable students to develop and maintain start-up businesses. Upon completion of the training, all teams presented a business pitch.

The Malaysian programme also included the following:

• Entrepreneurship discussions and support for incubators.
• 2023 planning schedule for members of the consortium.
• Joint research discussion and book publication [entrepreneurship] in 2023 by the consortium.
• Enterprise Wednesday Talk by the Enterprise Team at APU.

Also in the programme was a tour of the APU campus and students were given the opportunity to visit the Augmented Reality Lab and experiment with ground-breaking Virtual-Reality Technology, where they were introduced to the university’s advanced IT and coding centre.

Professor Mayekiso took part in global webinar sessions which were streamed live.

Global connections

The other nine universities participating universities included: Tra Vinh University and Can Tho University, Vietnam; Universitas Trisakti, Universitas Indonesia, and Telkom University, Bandung from Indonesia; Palawan State University, Philippines; the Chea Sim University of Kamchaymear, Cambodia; and National University of Laos.

The visit is in line with the UMP’s mission to develop graduates that are innovative and entrepreneurial. The university established the Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator (CFERI) to transform students with business ideas into entrepreneurs with viable businesses.

The universities will also jointly organise ideation bootcamp/competition or accelerator programmes, mentor sharing/training sessions for start-up/spin-off companies.

It will also provide advisory to start-up or spin-off companies on regulatory requirements and understanding of the market in each parties’ countries, and offer guidance relating to regulatory requirements, and/or venture capitalists or angel investors funding opportunities and undertake joint research in entrepreneurship.

Part of the agreement was to collaborate on mutual visits, access to facilities in the incubation centres, advisory to start-up/spin-off companies on regulatory requirements, understanding of the market in each parties’ countries and joint research relating to entrepreneurship. It also includes exchanging knowledge among faculty staff.

UMP delegates also experienced the wonderful Malaysian hospitality and visited beautiful sights, and cultural heritage sites including a visit to Batu Caves, Buddhist Temple, Museum, Twin Tower, and a World-Class Aquarium.

@ Story by Lisa Thabethe. Pictures supplied.

Motau and Sitoe participated in Dibeke and Diketo respectively. “I feel very honoured, and I’m inspired to do my best because I know Mpumalanga believes in and is counting on me. To have teams here at school to play Dibeke with will help me prepare for my games in KZN,” says Motau, a third-year Bachelor of Administration student.

Motau adds that her strategy at the games will be to work hard and keep doing her best. “My plan is to keep a positive mindset even when I face challenges along the way. I want to keep moving with a positive spirit and play hard to represent Mpumalanga very well. I plan to practice as early as possible.”

She further says that her short stint participating in the indigenous games has taught her teamwork and social skills. “This experience has been great. At first, I thought it was all for fun and a one-day thing, but when I played the regional tournament, I realised the potential of success and my interest grew from there,” added Motau.

“I gave my all to be selected to play in the Provincials and Nationals, I still can’t believe I was selected. I am looking forward to playing the games in KwaZulu Natal.”

Cathrine Sitoe is excelling in Diketo.

Second-year Bachelor of Arts student. Sitoe, who discovered her love and skill for Diketo during the UMP launch says she only became interested in the games after the launch.

“I started as an ambassador advertising and promoting the games, my interest grew after the launch. After then I had the opportunity to engage and learn the new officialised rule, I found myself playing so well that I was selected to represent Ehlanzeni District and to be part of the Mpumalanga Diketo team.”

Sitoe adds that she enjoyed playing Diketo during the launch of the games a month ago. "I then decided to do my best which earned me a selection to represent Ehlanzeni District at Middleburg. I also did my best at Middleburg, and I am now representing the Mpumalanga Diketo team."

Growing up, Sitoe used to play these games as a child and now the introduction of the games at the university has relived her childhood dream.

“During the district competition, I loved engaging with participants and learned not to take things lightly. I also discovered to use opportunities presented, and that working hard can take you places unaware and unplanned.”

The two students are in preparation for the upcoming competition. Motau says UMP is supportive of her dream of winning. “I cannot wait for the games to begin. Everyone is looking forward to supporting me in the Nationals," Sitoe adds: "The competition has impacted me positively. I am thankful to the university for introducing the indigenous games and paving a way for us to be in the National competition.”

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures supplied.

In recognition and celebration of the cultural wealth of South Africa, we celebrate Heritage Month every year in September. Within the context of languages and media in South Africa, the community media industry prides itself on having a diverse offering of community media platforms covering different regions across the country.

The Media Development and Diversity Agency (a state-owned enterprise) was established with a mandate to “create an enabling environment for media development and diversity which reflects the needs and aspirations of all South Africans, promote media development and diversity by providing support primarily to community and small commercial media projects, and provides training and monetary support for most, if not all, community media structured across the country.

In this way, says Dr Molale, most of the South African population gets to celebrate the pride and richness of their indigenous languages, through indigenous language content in the form of news, information, education, traditional music, and interesting traditional and cultural content.

“However, a careful study of the status and use of indigenous languages in the media reveals that our cultural wealth is dissipating at an alarming rate due to the widespread use, encroachment, and hegemony of the colonial English language,” he notes.

In a recently published chapter in the book African Language Media: Development, Economics and Management, Dr Molale and Dr Phillip Mpofu explore how the English language still dominates the community media space. This is further confirmed by a case study of a local community newspaper in the North-West Province which demonstrated the instability and unsustainability of the use of Setswana, as a South African language, in Mmega Dikgang – the community newspaper in question.

Community Media Migrating  

The study, according to Dr Molale, shows why it is difficult to promote African languages in the press amid the postcolonial hangover and market model of the media.

“While the rise and demise of African language newspapers from colonial to post-independence Africa is documented, a good example is Mmega Dikgang started as an African language newspaper and later metamorphosed into an English language newspaper.”

“The newspaper’s transition is due to the understanding of the imperative of African language media, the language question, especially the English-African language debate in public domains, and the performance of African language press in colonial and post-independence South Africa. This shows that the English hegemony with colonial roots is the fulcrum for the struggle of African language newspapers,” he says.

English is established as the language of commerce, politics, education, and parliament, among other domains. It is the established language of journalism and news. Hence, all the justifications for the poor performance of African language newspapers are hinged on the dominance of the English language newspapers, which enjoy the lion’s share of the readership.

In the chapter in question, it is further argued that having African language publishing and distribution in English hegemony is antithetical to the goal of promoting previously marginalised African languages. Mmega Dikgang should take a leaf from other African language newspapers, such as Ilanga and Isolezwe, on how they survived the relentless competition of English language newspapers.

“In this way, celebrating Heritage Month would mean more if community media platforms will go out of their way to counter the hegemonic status quo of the English language that has assumed the position of lingua franca across community-based radio stations and newspapers,” concludes Dr Molale.

@ Pictures supplied.

The aim of the competition was to communicate that heritage plays a role in the promotion of the Arts thorough storytelling, protest and raising awareness of a particular subject that is a topical issue in the country such as gender-based violence and femicide.

UMP Senior lecturer in Culture and Heritage Studies, Dr Sibongile Masuku, said that the competition demonstrates that the discipline is not only about dancing and singing or commemorating Heritage Day once a month. “It was also to encourage creative writing in indigenous languages and centre them as language of counsel and protest.”

The competition lived up to UMP’s vision of being An African University leading in creating opportunities for sustainable development through innovation. “We received 53 poems which were submitted by 37 students from all disciplines of the University. The highest number of submissions were in English, followed by Siswati and IsiNdebele,” adds Dr Masuku.

“The quality of writing was excellent, and it was particularly encouraging that a number of male students penned their condemnations, concerns, counsel and pain on this scourge as a response to the call.”

 The winning students. 

Dr Masuku adjudicated the English submissions; other UMP lecturers who were involved in the competition were Ms Cynthia Ndlovu, who played a key role in the development of the call to action and Siswati adjudication, while Culture and Heritage lecturer Ms Monicca Thulisile Bhuda did the same for IsiNdebele.

“Creative Writing lecturer at Sol Plaatje University and master’s graduate in Creative Writing on Poetry from Rhodes University, Ms Siza Nkosi Mokhele also adjudicated and will continue to assist UMP to run an online workshop for emerging and seasoned poets to give them guidance on poetry writing and publishing.”

Another critical player in this competition was the Nelson Mandela Museum. The Deputy Director of the museum, Mr Zibekile Mrebelele from Mtata in the Eastern Cape, awarded the winners with prizes.

“We hope this partnership will be sustained and thank the museum for this gesture,” added Dr Masuku.

“This was a pilot competition; we hope that those who did not submit their works will do so next year and the students who did not get the prizes will sharpen their skills and re-enter next year.

The competition will continue next year, and the subject themes will change. We are hopeful to include Portuguese and other languages that have been introduced in the university.”

Below are the winners of the poetry competition:

• Overall winner: Simphiwe Nkuna for Emaculo Emngcwabo (Bachelor of Commerce)
• Second runner ups: Gabriel Mavie for a Child’s Cry and Amanda Ngcane for Eighteen (Bachelor of Commerce)
• Third runner up: Mahlangu Sinothando for Inarha ilila ezimathonsi (Bachelor of Law).

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures supplied.

The exchange programme, funded by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation, is a result of a partnership between DHBW and UMP, which was going to ensure collaboration between the two institutions and includes student and staff exchange, Tourism Management curriculum development, joint internationalisation projects on Sustainable Tourism, and joint virtual lectures.

The programme has given Ms Sealetse the opportunity to gain intercultural skills through teaching and learning, attend meetings, workshops, and also to meet with delegates from other countries.

“I have attended my first research retreat in the Black Forest region of Barden Württemberg. The colloquium was attended by colleagues from Hospitality and Tourism departments from CPUT and Namibia University of Science and Technology,” she says.

“I participated in a colloquium where the group was given the opportunity to present their areas of research, which led to sharing of ideas and possibilities for future collaborations. All participants received valuable feedback about their respective research projects."

For her Doctorate in Food Operations Management thesis Ms Sealetse is focusing on food insecurity in higher education and the impact it has on students’ health, academic performance and success. It was prompted by reports on food insecurity in higher education which indicated that the majority of students experiencing starvation and hunger are students reliant on financial aid.

Ms Sealetse explains that in the South African higher education context students in need of financial aid are funded by NSFAS. A portion of this funding is allocated for food. This allowance is paid directly into students’ bank accounts to afford them the freedom and financial responsibility of managing their own finances.

“However, this responsibility is shifted to students without offering proper management skills. There are no measures put in place to ensure that funds made available for the alleviation of food insecurity are used for the intended purpose." 

Ms Sealetse has been attending a series of workshops and hospitality visits in Germany.

Exchange enriches cultural capital

Besides her research work, some of Ms Sealetse’s engagements include intercultural training, which was presented by the Female International Research (FIRE), a network of female researchers from Germany, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania.

“One of the network’s purposes is to support female researchers in both Germany and Southern and Western Africa. The training was enlightening and thought provoking particularly for academics in educational institutions that cater for students from diverse cultural backgrounds,”  adds Sealetse.

She was also a part of the DHBW team that hosted a delegation of Tourism and Hospitality staff and students from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana (UCC), which spent a week in Germany on a cultural exchange programme, with the aim to expose students to the host country, its people, culture and tourism to stimulate an exchange of ideas for the development of innovative and sustainable tourism activities in Ghana.

For her the Ghana visit emphasised the importance of social interaction amongst students, as well as learning outside the classroom.

“It promotes social interaction fosters independence and affords students the opportunity to learn about different social issues and cultures. I also presented a lecture on South African heritage and culture to Dr Fehlner’s Intercultural communication class,” she adds.

“One of the activities of the Ghana delegation itinerary was a visit to one of DHBW’s industry partner, Travel-to-nature, a sustainable tour operator which has committed itself to sustainable business approaches. The agency promotes social, economic and environmental approaches which benefit both the traveller and the travel destination.”

Ms Sealetse further explains that the exchange programme has prompted an awareness about sustainable practices in the hospitality industry.

“It has encouraged me to put more emphasis on sustainability as a concept in the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management curriculum with the purpose of producing Hospitality graduates who champion sustainable and innovative business practices,” she adds.

Some of her highlights include, exploring European cuisine with particular interest in the curriculum components of the culinary studies and nutrition module that she facilitate at UMP. "I attended an informative tour of Pfalzgraf confectionery, one of the biggest bakeries in Germany with a production of over 40 000 pastries a day and also learnt about German and Italian cuisine and their way of cooking.

It was interesting to learn the black forest cake was developed in the Black Forest mountainous region of southwest Germany. I also explored the Champagne region and went on a champagne tour in Reims. I am excitedly looking forward to sharing these experiences with my students.

I am also learning the language and culture of German people and the many interesting facts about Germany. This experience has enriched my cultural capital which has made a significant contribution to my research.”

@ Story by Lisa Thabethe. Pictures supplied.

As part of the work towards obtaining her PhD, Dr Ambe conducted a study investigating annual report disclosure as a vehicle for public accountability by South African PHEIs in terms of the 2014 DHET Regulations for reporting by PHEIs. The study was necessitated by the absence of disclosure measurement and quality assessment indices to assess the fitness for and of purpose of an annual report in terms of DHET Regulation for Reporting by PHEIs in SA, which leads to stakeholders' inability to hold accountable those charged with governance of PHEIs. 

Dr Ambe conceptualised and applied a Disclosure Measurement Checklist and Quality Assessment Checklist which led to the development of a Public Accountability Disclosure Index (PADI), Annual Report Quality Index (ARQI) and Public Accountability Model (PAM) for South African Public Higher Education Institutions.

The study investigated universities’ annual report disclosure as a vehicle for public accountability. Content analysis and the Delphi technique informed the development and application of a Public Accountability Disclosure Index, an Annual Report Quality Index and a Public Accountability Model.

It concluded that annual reports are not fit for purpose in ensuring public accountability and neither reflect nor integrate qualitative characteristics. The self-assessment tools are expected to assist the regulator in improving accountability and transparency.

Improving Public Accountability

"Public accountability and transparency can be improved if the regulator considers updating its regulation for reporting in line with the King IV Code of Good Governance and adding compliance, monitoring and evaluation framework as part of the regulation. PHEIs could use such a self-assessment tool or checklist to ensure the completeness and adequacy of their annual reporting to DHET and enhance public accountability," she says..

"The framework could be used to support the constitutional responsibilities of the Parliament Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training in ensuring the implementation of the provisions of sections 41 and 69 of the Higher Education Act.”

D Ambe further explains that the proliferation of the mainstream press on PHEIs public accountability by activists and media coverage will be enhanced by the monitoring and evaluation framework to justify their role as watchdogs of society, leading to improved governance, leadership, internal controls, and therefore enhancing public accountability.

“A shift is essential in providing contextualised rather than general information. A collaborative effort is required to hold PHEIs duty bearers accountable and equip PHEI executives to account to citizens. Fostering a direct, conscious, and strategic relationship between civil society, activists, and media through the employment of the monitoring and evaluation could improve public accountability by PHEIs, resulting in enhanced delivery of its socio-economic and developmental mandate,” she adds.

“Finally, monitoring and evaluation are expected to provide critical information to other stakeholders, indicating the level of accountability and transparency discharged by PHEIs through their annual reports.”

Dr Ambe holds a National Diploma, a Bachelor of Technology (Cost and Management Accounting) and an MBA. She has worked in university finance systems for over 20 years. Some of the institutions she worked at include Acting Director at the University of Limpopo where she was responsible for the development and implementation of Revenue Management Strategic Plan, Annual Performance Plan, policy and procedure manual, and communication strategy.

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Picture Supplied.