PhD Graduates

AGAINST all odds

73

UKZNDABA ACADEMIC Excellence

U KZN honoured four leading South Africans, amongst them, a Nobel Laureate,

for their outstanding contributions in the scientific, arts, human rights, political, and academic sectors and who, through their innovation, expertise and intellect in their respective fields, have changed the lives of people both in South Africa and globally. The degrees were awarded at the University’s graduation ceremonies from April 11-19. Two honorary degrees were awarded posthumously.

Approximately 7 471 gradu-ates at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, of which 4 572 (61.2 percent) are wom-en, received their degrees at the 19 ceremonies.

Approximately 1 641 degrees were conferred in the Faculty of Education; 440 degrees in the Faculty of Engineering; 462 in the Faculty of Health Sciences; 1 898 in the Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences; 283 in the Faculty of Law; 1 380 in the Faculty of Management Studies; 401 in the Faculty of Medicine and 966 in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture.

A total of 155 doctoral degrees were conferred and an impressive total of 321 graduands graduated cum laude and summa cum laude respectively.

Three academics received the University’s Distinguished

Teachers’ Award for teaching ex-cellence: Dr Helen Watson of the School of Environmental Stud-ies, Mr Mark Tufts in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Profes-sor Fatima Suleman, Head of the School of Pharmacy and Phar-macology. The University’s presti-gious Fellowship for distinguished academic achievement was pre-sented to the Dean of the Medical School Professor Umesh Lalloo.

Prominent guest speakers in-cluded: leading sociologist and educationalist Professor Crain Soudien; public health expert Professor Welile Shasha; Mr Trevor Ntokozo Maphumulo, Chairperson of the Engineering Council of South Africa’s Inves-

tigation Committee; Professor Aslam Fataar, Head of Education Policy Studies at Stellenbosch University; Head of the Con-sumer Education Department at the Financial Services Board Ms Olivia Davids; and speaker of the UMsunduzi Municipality Mr Babu Baijoo.

Honorary Degrees

Professor Sydney Brenner DSc (honoris causa): A pioneer in molecular biology, author, and Nobel Laureate Professor Sydney Brenner is a remarkable human being. “Known for his penetrat-ing scientific insight and acerbic wit”, Professor Brenner has had

a long and impressive scientific career which spans six decades. At Cambridge he collaborated to decipher the nature of the ge-netic code and other elements of gene function. Professor Brenner, together with scientists Rob-ert Horvitz and John Sulston, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for their groundbreaking studies in understanding the complexi-ties of molecular organisms. He played a critical role in Britain’s involvement in the Human Ge-nome project. Today in his ‘80s, Brenner remains an energetic provocateur of new ideas and avenues in biological research throughout the world.

Ms Busi Mhlongo DMus (honoris causa) posthumous: The late Ms Busi Mhlongo turned the Maskanda guitar music of migrant Zulu mine workers into a worldwide phenomenon. The international singer, composer and dancer’s infectious music and singing style had a universal appeal mesmerising audiences around the globe. Described as ‘one of the most phenomenal and exciting musicians to have ever emerged from South Africa’, her lyrics carried powerful and poignant messages.

Professor Lewis Nkosi DLitt (honoris causa) post-humous: A son of KwaZulu-Natal, and Durban in particular, the late Professor Lewis Nkosi, was one of South Africa’s foremost intellectuals, whose influence as both a writer and critic has been profound. He is the embodiment of African Scholarship. A renowned writer and essayist Lewis Nkosi was described by the Sunday Times as a ‘sharp and gifted writer with an irreverent take on life’. He was fearless and through his work criticised the harsh and senseless apartheid regime.

Judge Zakeria Mohamed Yacoob LLD (honoris causa): is recognised as one of South Africa’s sharpest and highly respected legal minds. A widely respected Constitutional law expert Yacoob’s personal journey is one of courage, forti-tude and resilience. In 1998 he was appointed to the bench by President Nelson Mandela. Zac Yacoob as he is fondly known lost his sight at the tender age of 16 months after contracting meningitis. But the disability together with political and social impediments did not deter him from reaching the pinnacle of success in his career.

6

THE PREMIER UNIVERSITY OF AFRICAN SCHOLARSHIP

Graduation 2011

The academic procession at the start of the 2011 Graduation Ceremonies on April 11.

Y O U R M O N T H L Y C A M P U S N E W S P A P E R • G R A D U A T I O N S P E C I A L 2 0 11 • A S O U V E N I R P U B L I C A T I O N

GRADUATION SPECIALMs Busi Mhlongo. Professor Lewis Nkosi. Judge Zakeria Mohamed Yacoob.Professor Sydney Brenner.

2 U K Z N D A B A B R I N G I N G Y O U N E W S F R O M U N I V E R S I T Y O F K W A Z U L U - N A T A L C A M P U S E S

T he University’s prestigious Fellowship for distinguished academic achievement

was presented to Professor and Chief Specialist and the Dean of the Medical School, Professor Umesh Lalloo at the Medical School’s Graduation Ceremony on April 15.

Professor Lalloo is also the Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Director: Adult HIV Programs and Executive Director: KZN Enhancing Care Initiative. He graduated from the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine (formerly University of Natal Medical School) in 1979 and did his internship at King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban. Professor Lalloo specialised in internal medicine and trained in pulmonology. He holds fellowships of the American College of Chest Physicians for which he is also International

Regent, and the Royal College of Physicians.

In 1985, he was awarded the Richard Ward Endowment Fund Fellowship to study occupational lung disease and respiratory epidemiology at the University of the Witwatersrand. He obtained his doctorate in 1992 and was among the first registered pulmonologists in South Africa. From 1993 to 1995, he was doctoral research scholar at the National Heart and Lung Institute at the University of London. Professor Lalloo is a member of the: Health Professions Council of South Africa Specialist Physician and Pulmonologist, South African Pulmonology Society, American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians, European Respiratory Society, Board of Directors of the Medical Research Council of South Africa, and Council for Medical Schemes.

Professor Lalloo is committed to research and training in HIV, TB pulmonology and critical care. He was among the team that reported on the first cases of XDR-TB outbreak in South Africa. In the past 10 years, he has attracted over R 290 million in grants and contracts, including the recent USD 10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI). Professor Lalloo has published extensively in the areas of TB, HIV and critical care. He has 13 non peer-reviewed, 70 peer- reviewed, five book chapters and numerous local and international conference publications. He con-tinues to supervise and train in pulmonology and critical care dating back from the time when he formed the first workers health clinic in Durban. This clinic assisted workers with occupational

health problems within a system that was heavily biased against people of colour and it also served as a centre for the evaluation and

documentation of the treatment of political detainees and their health status upon release from detention.

Mr Mark Tufts.

T hree academics received the University’s Distinguished Teachers’ Award for

teaching excellence during the Graduation Ceremonies.

The Distinguished Teachers’ Awards recognise and reward outstanding teaching by acknowledging and valuing the knowledge and commitment of academic staff who respond creatively to the complexity of teaching and learning environments and the rapidly changing student population.

Mr Mark Tufts has distinguished himself in Physio-logy teaching strategies and methodologies. His teaching strategies range from standard traditional didactic lectures, to interactive sessions. To enhance his students’ ‘understanding of Physiology terminology he employs crossword puzzles and quizzes. In addition, Mr Tufts is involved in curriculum design. He strongly subscribes to formative assessments. Cognizant of the diversity of his students, he adapts his teaching methods accordingly. His peers attest to his innovative and engaging approach to teaching Physiology.

Mr Tufts’ outstanding qualities are also evident in two areas of his research. The first is his work on the use of medicinal plants in the treatment of diabetes mellitus using a rat model. He is part of a team developing novel ways of administering insulin and other drugs such as chloroquine. Secondly, he is an avid proponent of research-led teaching. Mr Tuft has published papers assessing

the effectiveness of innovations in teaching.

Professor Fatima Suleman has distinguished herself as a teacher in the area of curriculum and module development. She has shown exceptional leadership in re-curriculating the modules in Pharmacy practice, using problem-based and case-based pedagogies. She has also introduced a new online module on HIV/Aids for first-year students in collaboration with Purdue University in the US and three

new Masters Programmes in Pharmacy at UKZN. In addition, she has successfully championed a new innovative master programme with e-learning.

Professor Suleman’s approach to teaching, strongly grounded in theory, is well-informed by current curriculum discourses in Higher Education and health. Her student and peer evaluations attest to her being a reflective and dynamic teaching practitioner. She has co-authored a number of publications demonstrating

excellent scholarship in teaching and learning.

A Fulbright Alumnus, Professor Suleman is Head of School and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in the Department of Clinical Sciences (2009-2012) at Drake University. Professor Suleman is one of the co-collaborators for the AIDS Online International course at Purdue University, as well as a national executive member of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa.

With more than 30 years’ experience as a specialist in Geography, Dr Helen Watson has been involved in developing current courses in her field. This applies not only in what she teaches, but she has also had an influence in changing curricula in other universities nationally as an external examiner. In what would otherwise have been mundane, students and peers of Dr Watson

commend her innovative ways of making Geography exciting. She subscribes to research-led teaching and addresses diversity among her student cohorts in novel ways.

Dr Watson, of UKZN’s School of Environmental Studies, is highly regarded in her field both nationally and internationally. Her wide variety of teaching methods include the use of the Internet, case studies, interactive GIS, role playing and poster presentations. She has produced five 40-minute films as teaching aids and has always insisted on taking students into the field for practicals and on field excursions.

Dr Watson has been invited as a “world renowned bio-energy expert” to address 23 international and national conferences. She has been hosted at high level events such as the Royal Society in London, the Institute for European Environmental Policy and the Royal Institute of International Relations in Brussels.

Professor Fatima Suleman.

Dr Helen Watson.

Dean of the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, Professor Umesh Lalloo was awarded the University Fellowship by UKZN Chancellor, Dr Zweli Mkhize, at the Medical School’s Graduation Ceremony on April 15.

Distinguished Teachers

University Fellowship

E D G E W O O D • H O W A R D C O L L E G E • M E D I C A L S C H O O L • P I E T E R M A R I T Z B E R G • W E S T V I L L E U K Z N D A B A 3

Academic ExcellenceAn impressive total of 321 graduands graduated cum laude and summa cum laude respectively across the four Colleges.

Ms Betty Aobakwe Siamisang received her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery cum laude.

Mr Daniel Agbiboa graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science Honours degree in Government, Business and Ethics summa cum laude.

Mrs Elizabeth Anne Briggs, who achieved her Masters degree in Classics summa cum laude at the age of 66, with her son.

Ms Nikkie Shine Khoza graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree summa cum laude.

Top Medical student Ms Kumari Naidoo received her MBChB summa cum laude.

Described as “undoubtedly” the brightest student that UKZN’s School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering has ever had, Ms Anna Zawilska received her Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering degree summa cum laude.

Miss Qhelile Nyathi was proud to receive her BSc in Actuarial Science summa cum laude, and happy to be following in her businessperson father’s footsteps.

Mr Michael oyesola okelola received his Masters degree in Applied Mathematics summa cum laude.

The top Law student at the Law Faculty in Durban Ms Toni Palmer, who graduated with a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) summa cum laude, is congratulated by her parents.

Mr Peter Smith, the Pietermaritzburg Law Faculty’s top student, graduated summa cum laude.

4 U K Z N D A B A B R I N G I N G Y O U N E W S F R O M U N I V E R S I T Y O F K W A Z U L U - N A T A L C A M P U S E S

Advocate Dali Mpofu accepting an Honorary Doctorate on behalf of the late Ms Busi Mhlongo.

Head of the School of Religion and Theology Dr Simangaliso Kumalo (far right) with the Schools 10 PhD graduates and staff members.

Professor Lewis Nkosi’s daughters cannot contain their emotion as an Honorary Doctorate is bestowed on their late father.

Mr Jared Padayachee (Mechanical Engineering) is capped by Vice-Chancellor, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba.

The UKZN Choir performs at the Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Studies Graduation Ceremony.

SRC President Mr Comfort Mnikeni Phakathi receives his Bachelor of Social Sciences Degree.

Professor Crain Soudien addresses the Faculty of Education Graduation Ceremony in Pietermaritzburg.

PhD graduate Riann Stopforth (Engineering) being hooded by the President of Convocation, Mr Sandile Ngcobo.

Graduation

E D G E W O O D • H O W A R D C O L L E G E • M E D I C A L S C H O O L • P I E T E R M A R I T Z B E R G • W E S T V I L L E U K Z N D A B A 5

Chair of the UKZN Council Mr Mac Mia prepares to lead the academic procession at the Faculty of Agriculture, Engineering and Science Graduation Ceremony.

An excited Ms Nikki Simone Plug holds up her summa cum laude certificate at the Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences Graduation Ceremony.

Families ululate during the Faculty of Agriculture Engineering and Science graduation ceremony.

Graduates celebrate by throwing their caps in the air at the Faculty of Education Graduation Ceremony.

Right: Jubiliant Gradutes at the Faculty of Humanities, Develop-ment and Social Sciences Gradu-ation Ceremony in Pietermaritz-burg.

A family from Msinga, 250 kilometres north of Durban share a light moment at the Faculty of Management Studies Graduation.

Highlights

6 U K Z N D A B A B R I N G I N G Y O U N E W S F R O M U N I V E R S I T Y O F K W A Z U L U - N A T A L C A M P U S E S

B lind student Miss Zama Ngwenya graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science

in Industrial Relations. She is now pursuing her Honours degree, and hopes to move on to a Masters degree in Industrial Relations.

Ngwenya started her studies in 2006 through the UKZN Access Programme and was funded by the Department of Education. She studied well until her single-parent mother passed away tragically during her final year of study. This affected her terribly, and she had to repeat her modules in 2010.

As the eldest child in the family Ngwenya had to provide for her siblings after her mother passed away. ‘I had to make sure that I sent money home for their school uniforms and food, so I used the allowance money I received from the Government scholarship to do this,’ she said.

‘It was a very difficult time to go through, but I motivated myself to complete my degree. I also went to Student Counselling and was able to accept her death,’ she added. Ngwenya is grateful to the Disability Unit and the lecturers at UKZN who supported her.

For a severely visually impaired father, graduating with a Bachelor of Education Honours in Education Leadership and

Management is a dream come true, but what made it more exciting is that he graduated on the same day as his daughter.

Mr Rajendralall Surjoo, a teacher at the Summit Primary School in Chatsworth for 25 years, was the first partially sighted student to enroll at the Springfield College of Education. Surjoo’s daughter, Ms Urishka Surjoo who graduated with a Bachelor of Laws Degree, said that she was very excited to graduate on the same day as her father. Surjoo’s son, Yuveer, is in his first year at UKZN studying towards a BCom Accounting degree.

Driven by the mantra ‘I can, I will and I’m going to pass all my courses’ which was passed on to

him by one of his mentors, Mr Eben Britz graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work degree on April 13.

After suffering a deprived childhood, Britz was diagnosed with Familial Mediterranean Fever in 2006. The condition is characterised by recurrent episodes of painful inflammation in the abdomen, chest, or joints.

Britz first registered for a degree in Social Work at the former University of Durban-Westville in 1994 and encountered several challenges that affected his studies. His determination to succeed and the ‘incredible support at UKZN’ helped him to finally complete his degree last year.

Against all Odds

Miss Zama Ngwenya.

These graduates overcame tremendous challenges to reach their chosen goal.

Mr Rajendralall Surjoo and Ms Urishka Surjoo.

Proud grandparents support Mr Eben Britz who graduated with a Bachelors degree in Social Work.

Twins’ Double JoyThis year’s Graduation was noticeable for the number of twins graduating in the same discipline.

Identical twins, Ayanda and Andile Zama graduated with a BSc in optometry.

Pravika and Ravika Sookraj graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

Naadira and Naadiya Nadasen graduated with their Masters degree in Geography and Environmental Management.

Yashna and Yajna Hurburun both graduated with a Bachelor of Administration degree in Public Administration and Supply Chain Management.

Heather Jane and Mhairi Kirsten Pattenden graduated with their Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts summa cum laude.

E D G E W O O D • H O W A R D C O L L E G E • M E D I C A L S C H O O L • P I E T E R M A R I T Z B E R G • W E S T V I L L E U K Z N D A B A 7

A total of 155 doctoral degrees were conferred at the Graduation ceremonies across the four Colleges.

E lectronic Engineering graduates, Drs Peter and Modupe Odedina received

their PhD degrees in absentia, on April 11. Both focused their PhD research on radio communication systems.

Lecturer at the School of Nursing Dr Sindisiwe Mthembu’s PhD analysed “knowledge construction in com-munity based service-learning programmes for basic nursing education at two selected nursing education institutions in South Africa”.

Dr Kobus Moolman a lecturer and distinguished writer based in the English Department at Howard College, produced a collection of poetry titled, Autobiography of Bone, as part of his doctoral research.

Mr Oluseye Kehinde Onajole received a PhD at the Science and Agriculture Graduation Ceremony. He hopes his research will contribute to the fight against HIV and TB.

Lecturer in the Faculty of Education’s School of Language, Literacies, and Media Education Dr Zinhle Primrose Nkosi’s PhD research focused on teaching learners to read in the isiZulu Home Language at Foundation Phase classes.

Senior lecturer from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Dr Panjasaram (Vassie) Naidoo graduated with a PhD in Community Health from the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine. Her PhD topic was “Evaluation of the clinical and drug management of HIV/Aids patients in the private health care sector of the eThekwini metro of KwaZulu-Natal. Sharing models and lessons for application in the public health care sector.”

Academics from the Durban Law Faculty, Professor Yousuf Vawda and Dr Tamara Cohen received their PhDs.

Professor Geoff Harris, Economist and Director of the Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies (CRPS) Programme in the School of Economics and Finance, supervised six doctoral candidates who graduated during the April Graduation Ceremonies:

“Peace through equity: An analysis of conflicts from Gender Discrimination in Lands Property Rights in Enugu State of Nigeria”, was the title of Dr Jonathan Madu’s thesis.

Dr Samuel Mensah’s thesis was titled: “Migration shocks and household income vulnerability in Lesotho: Dealing

with the development challenge of dwindling opportunities for external migration”.

Dr Mwesigwa Mugisa’s thesis focused on: “Building human security in Ituri Province

in the Democratic Republic of Congo”.

“Histories of violence, states if denial: Militias, martial arts and masculinities in Timor Leste”, was the title of Dr Henri

Myttinen’s thesis. Dr Kisukyabo Simwaka

was co-supervised by Dr Ferrer and his study focused on “The Economic impact of adult mortality and morbidity on

smallholder farm households in Malawi”.

Dr Corianne Wielenga’s thesis was titled: “Narrative as a means of healing in Rwanda”.

Professor Geoff Harris, with four of six Doctoral Students he supervised. l-r: Doctors Mwesigwa Mugisa, Samuel Mensah, Henri Myrttinen, and Dr Kisukyabo Simwaka.

Doctorates

Dr Sindisiwe Mthembu.

Drs Peter and Modupe odedina. Dr Kobus Moolman.

Dr Zinhle Nkosi was supported by the Faculty of Education during her graduation. Dr Panjasaram (Vassie) Naidoo.

continued on page 8....

8 U K Z N D A B A B R I N G I N G Y O U N E W S F R O M U N I V E R S I T Y O F K W A Z U L U - N A T A L C A M P U S E S

Produced by Corporate Relations. Tel: 031 260 1245/8668/2957 www.ukzn.ac.za

The School of Public Admin-istration and Development Management in the Faculty of Management Studies is one of the smaller Schools at UKZN. Six out of 21 doctoral degrees in the College of Law and Management Studies were conferred upon candidates supervised by academics from the School of Public Administration and Development Management.

Dr Vanitha Dayaram’s thesis was titled: “Organizational culture and values in the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA): A Batho Pele Perspective”.

Dr Zwelibanzi Mpehle conducted a study on: “Multi-purpose Community Centres as the primary vehicle in Service delivery: Trends and challenges.” Both Dayaram’s and Mpehle’s thesis were supervised by Dr Pregala Pillay.

Dr Deoram Sing supervised three candidates: Dr Dunkumarie Maharaj for a study focusing on the “Factors Impacting on good governance: A case study of service delivery in child abuse within he eThekwini Municipal District of KwaZulu-Natal”; Dr Modjadji Malahlela, for a thesis titled: “Policy considerations for the management of informal businesses in a fast growing city: A case study of Polokwane

Municipality”; and Dr Devan Pillay, whose thesis was titled: “Performance management and development system for senior managers in the public Service: A case study of KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education”.

The Head of School, Professor Yogi Penceliah, supervised Dr Peter van der Watt for his thesis titled: “Implementation of the Integrated Quality Management System Policy in Public Schools in the Ugu District”.

Doctoral graduates from the School of Public Administration and Development Management celebrating with academics (l-r) Doctors Modjadji Malahlela, Zwelibanzi Mpehle, Peter van der Watt, Professor Yogi Penceliah, Dr Devan Singh, Dr Dhunkumarie Maharaj and Dr Mogie Subban.

UTLO DVC receives Honorary Doctorate

HDSS Staff go the extra mile

A alborg University in Denmark paid tribute to South Africa’s leading

academic and expert in mathematics education, Professor Renuka Vithal, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of

Teaching and Learning at UKZN, ‘for her strong contribution to the development of critical mathematics education in developing countries’. Professor Vithal was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa at

the Faculty of Engineering, Science and Medicine at Aalborg University at a ceremony held on April 8 in Denmark. She is pictured with the Rector of Aalborg University, Finn Kjeærsdam.

I n preparation for Graduation each year, degree certificates are printed and then checked

individually by the Graduation Office to ensure all is correct before they are sent to the Dean of the Faculty for signing.

This year the printing of certificates was delayed. In order to ensure their students’ degree certificates were checked and signed timeously, management

and staff of the Humanities, Development and Social Sciences (HDSS) Faculty Office joined in and assisted the Graduation Office in checking the certificates. The checked certificates were then passed to the Dean who signed them.

An example of the goodwill and co-operation of all those who went the extra mile to make Graduation 2011 the success it was!

The Dean, Deputy Deans and staff of the HDSS Faculty office checking degree certificates in preparation for Graduation 2011.

Professor Yousuf Vawda and Dr Tamara Cohen.

Mr oluseye Kehinde onajole.

continued from page 7....

UKZNDABA is printed on environmentally friendly paper.