Remote working: Lessons for the future

Enactus UP, a student-run organisation, aims to transform the world through entrepreneurship.

“The programme offers students who have been identified by their faculties as high academic performers the opportunity to further develop their leadership potential through additional lectures and practical tasks relating to emotional intelligence, corporate behaviour, project management and social empowerment to develop adaptable, public-spirited leaders of South Africa’s, and the world’s, future,” said Amir Rezaei, Business Advisory Board Chairperson: Enactus UP.

Enactus UP (formerly known as SIFE UP) is the affiliate body of the Tuks Top Junior and Senior Leadership Development Programme (TTJ&S). To supplement the practical component of the TTJ&S programme, all members also register as active members of Enactus UP, which is one of 23 South African teams involved in this global non-profit organisation located in more than 1 730 tertiary education institutions in 36 countries worldwide.

“The goal of Enactus is to create economic opportunities for communities in need by developing and implementing numerous social empowerment projects. Students who join Enactus are encouraged to help empower communities through the practical implementation of their academic, social, emotional, and general skills,” said Rezaei.

This student-led programme hopes to mainly achieve two goals: developing UP’s students into well-rounded citizens, enabling them to succeed locally and globally; and creating an entrepreneurial environment where students can get “a taste” of what entrepreneurship is all about.

Dr Rina Wilken, Head: Student Development in the Department of

Enactus University of Pretoria (UP) is a non-profit, studentrun organisation that is part of an international organisation committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better and more sustainable world.

Student Affairs, said the programme started out as an initiative where students could be inspired to get out of their comfort zones, broaden their horizons and give back to society through their community projects as they work towards an academic qualification.

Enactus UP has a dedicated Department of Student Affairs’ staff member overseeing and supporting the organisation. A Business Advisory Board (BAB), which was established in 2010 under the principles of team governance first issued by Enactus Worldwide in 1997, provides an ongoing source of support and guidance to successive executive committees.

Of the 10 times Enactus UP has participated in the Enactus South Africa Nationals Competition, it has been ranked among the top four South African universities on eight occasions. The UP programme also won the South African competition twice and finished as a semifinalist at the 2010 and 2013 Enactus World Cups (ranking in the top 16 out of 1 700+ worldwide chapters).

Left: Enactus UP Executive Committee for the term 2019/20. Below: F1 Mobile Carwash is a non-Enactus owned car wash company which is an environmentally friendly, cost-effective and time-saving alternative to the traditional car washing systems. Enactus UP has teamed up with the F1 Mobile Carwash in an agreement that allows Enactus UP to run Project F1 Mobile Carwash on our campus using “green machines” provided by the business.

Since its establishment in 1920 when a mere 32 students were enrolled for the BEcon degree, the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) has expanded its programme offerings to produce graduates who are ready for the future world of work and can meet the demands of the dynamic business environment. Today, there are close to 8 000 undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in various specialised BCom and BAdmin degree.

Reaching the 100-year mark is a formidable achievement.

Under the leadership of the Dean, Prof Elsabé Loots, EMS continued to distinguish itself as a major role player in undergraduate and postgraduate education and made significant contributions to the social and economic advancement of the country. “I would like to pay homage to my 13 predecessors who, each in their own way, built solid foundations that paved the way for this Faculty to be a leader in public administration and in the economic, financial and management sciences fields on a national and international level,” says Prof Loots.

“EMS has enjoyed numerous successes over the years but I would like to specifically recognise the outstanding alumni produced by this Faculty. Our alumni have made and are continuing to make a mark across the globe in their respective industries. Graduates are sought after in areas such as accounting, auditing, taxation, investment management, supply chain management, economics, industrial psychology, marketing, public administration and as innovative entrepreneurs,” says Prof Loots.

She adds that because the quality of graduates is so important, EMS is constantly investing in its students to ensure they are wellrounded graduates with the ability to adapt to the future world of work. Some of the most prominent initiatives include leadership training opportunities through the student leadership structures; introduction to the dynamics of responsible leadership in the classroom; training based on the Sustainable Development Goals; and hands-on exposure through the UP Business Incubator and the Mamelodi Business Clinic, where aspiring entrepreneurs are trained and supported.

Testament to these efforts is the fact that EMS, for the past 14 years, occupied either the first or the second place in the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants (SAICA) Initial Test of Competence (ITC) exams. EMS is also recognised as one of just ten Centres for Internal Audit Excellence globally by the Institute of Internal Auditors.

The Faculty is also extremely proud of the fact that, where applicable and available, a number of its degree are accredited by statutory and professional bodies at national and international levels. In 2017, EMS became a member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International and in 2018, received eligibility status from the AACSB, an important milestone on the international accreditation path. EMS has also increased its global competitiveness and recognition by being included in international rankings. “In this regard I need to recognise the continuous dedication, innovation and commitment of EMS staff over the years,” says Prof Loots.

International Rankings

Accounting and Finance Economics and Econometrics

Business and Economics (includes business and management, accounting and finance, economics and econometrics, and public administration)

Economics Finance

The centenary year was not only a time of remembrance and reflection, but also about inspiring the current and future generations to continue to lift the standard of academic excellence to higher levels, and to produce well-rounded, high quality graduates.

During its centenary year, EMS profiled some of its esteemed alumni on a weekly basis. These profiles are available on www.up.ac.za/ems-alumni

Author: Nonkululeko Kubeka Moyo

As the University of Pretoria’s Orientation Week signalled the start of academic activity on the various UP campuses, the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) received a special cohort of first-year students. The 2020 intake joins UP in the year that the Faculty of EMS celebrates its 100-year anniversary.

The students had a festive welcome when they attended the Dean’s session at the Amphitheatre on the Hatfield Campus. Dean Professor Elsabé Loots, along with the senior management of the Faculty as

Prof Elsabe Loots (centre), Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, with some students from the 2020 intake who were each given a centenary cap. well as the executive committee of the student faculty house Commercii, handed centenary caps to each student as a memento of the event.

Prof Loots explained: “2020 is a very special year for the Faculty and we are excited about all the planned activities to commemorate this accomplishment”.

The Faculty’s student body has grown from just 32 enrolled students in 1920 to 7 800 students in 2019. “Growth, though, has not only been in quantity only but also in the quality of our degrees,” said Professor Loots. EMS has a large cohort of alumni who are esteemed in the business world, such as Laurie Dippenaar (retired Chairman of FirstRand Financial Group), Louis van der Watt (Group CEO and co-founder of Atterbury), Dr Hilton Fisher (Ambassador to the Republic of Chile) as well as three former Reserve Bank governors and two deputy governors. The faculty ranks highly globally and is recognised in all its fields of specialisation.

In 2020 UP took the number one spot in the Chartered Accountancy initial test of competence (ITC), out of the 16 universities accredited by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. The University maintained its leadership position by being first for the past three years in the ITC results, with an average first-time writer pass rate of 94% over the past 14 years.

Over the years, the Faculty has, with success, focused on further improving the qualifications of staff; refocusing and deepening its research impact; and implementing various hybrid teaching and learning models to entice a new generation of students. On a global front, the Faculty has expanded its footprint and now has international subject rankings in all its fields of specialisation.

“While the centenary year will provide an opportunity to reflect on all the achievements in the Faculty to date, it will also be an exciting period as we collectively envision how the Faculty will continue to grow over the next 100 years. Our mission is to continue to advance relevant knowledge and develop employable, innovative and diverse graduates to co-create value for society,” Prof Loots concluded.

Prof Elsabe Loots (centre), Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, with some students from the 2020 intake who were each given a centenary cap.

32 students in 1920

7 800 students in 2020

Author: Primarashni Gower

Faculty of Veterinary Science, South Africa's only veterinary science faculty, and the only faculty of its kind on the continent, has added another achievement: turning 100 years.

The Faculty was established by Professor Sir Arnold Theiler, a Swiss veterinarian, in 1920. His argument for local training was that foreign graduates did not understand the diseases of the country well enough to assist the local agricultural industry.

According to the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Vinny Naidoo (right), UP’s Veterinary Science faculty can make a powerful contribution to the South African economy. “I believe it can, with organised agriculture, become a driving force behind the South African economy in terms of animal production. Furthermore, better food production will not only result in a healthier nation but can help build foreign reserves from trade with international partners. Our training also empowers our students to work in any environment they choose. As a result of our large caseloads we offer some of the best clinical training in the world.”

The Faculty has always had the strategy of training veterinarians suited to practice under local conditions. Farming in early South Africa was near impossible due the high load of disease like sleeping sickness (nagana), horse sickness, theileriosis, babesiosis and numerous poisonous plants. Prof Theiler was a researcher to his core and wanted to solve problems, with the result that he and his team not only described new diseases but found innovative treatments for them. In addition to having a veterinarian who understood local disease, he wanted the locally trained veterinarian to have a solid basis in veterinary research.

Having started out with no facilities of its own, the Faculty now has one of the most comprehensive veterinary hospitals on the continent that can manage any species under hospitalised condition from a pet hamster to a rhino. Plans beyond 2020 We would like to: • develop the academic hospital into a tertiary care facility that is focused on cutting-edge veterinary medicines • become innovators in the inclusion of new technologies into the practice of veterinary medicine • be leaders in infectious disease management • continue the tradition of innovative research that Arnold

Theiler started when the Faculty came into being in 1920 • be ranked in the top 30 veterinary schools in the world.

According to the QS World University and Shanghai Rankings of veterinary schools. (Academic Ranking of World Universities)

1 500 Undergraduate and postgraduate students

101 Academic staff members

Over time the Faculty also introduced specialist training in 22 fields of veterinary medicine, the Master of Science and the PhD research degree and a nursing diploma. Most recently the Faculty transitioned into a new nursing degree and a postgraduate diploma.

“We have trained over 90% of the veterinarians in the country,” says Prof Naidoo. “This has had a major impact on the wellbeing of animals in the country from the way we manage pets to how we support the farming industry. Through efforts of the early staff, the Faculty was also able to introduce specialist veterinary services in the country such as internal medicine, surgery, epidemiology and public health. As a result, there are now numerous specialist veterinary centres in the country. The Faculty has also been a pioneer in the chemical immobilisation of wildlife that now supports an extensive wildlife industry of the country.”

Author: Prim Gower

Inspirational stories of resilience and community support during the national lockdown as a result of COVID-19 were highlighted during a virtual webinar. ‘Women as Agents of Ubuntu Philosophy During the COVID-19 Pandemic’ was hosted by the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Faculty of Health Sciences and the National Research Foundation.

Lockdown has brought with it food insecurity, poverty, homelessness, gender-based violence as well as other forms of abuse against women and children. “The philosophy of ubuntu means a person is a person through others,” said the moderator of the webinar, Professor Fhumulani Mavis Mulaudzi, a professor of Nursing at UP and holder of the South African Research Chair Initiative in Ubuntu Community Model of Nursing. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen how ubuntu was implemented in societies and how women were involved.”

Tina Power, an attorney of the High Court of South Africa and member of

During the webinar women shared stories about how ubuntu was implemented in societies during the COVID-19 pandemic and how women were involved. Legal Practice South Africa, pointed out that freedom of expression is at the heart of a democracy – that refers to both online and offline activities. The move to more regular online usage during lockdown revealed the digital divide between men and women. “Access to the internet became a lifeline not a luxury,” she said. This became a significant challenge in accessing healthcare information and educational material.

“Women found novel ways to bridge this divide,” added Power, pointing to the ‘Tupperware text’. This entailed those who were experiencing abuse appealing for help by sending a text to a family or community member saying that she would like to return her Tupperware. “This demonstrated the creative way in which women support one another in a

crisis,” said Power.

Professor Fhumulani Mavis Mulaudzi

“Ubuntu is a cultural, political and religious concept,” added Professor Olga Makhubela-Nkondo of Unisa. She highlighted the power of women’s co-operatives, where those in the most deprived communities are able to gather resources to empower one another in terms of literacy, childbearing and strengthening infrastructure.

Mpho Selina Maringa, who, along with her family, was infected with COVID-19, spoke of the experience during the webinar. “Breaking the news to our extended family was challenging,” said Maringa, who works at the Department of Employment and Labour in Limpopo. “We had to do video calls so people could see that we were fine.” People displayed their humanity to her family, she said. The local pastor would pray over the phone and one woman brought them food. “There was a dedicated professional nurse who would do her rounds three times a day, while our family doctor was also helpful.”

The pandemic brought fear and anxiety into their lives: Maringa could see the pain on her husband’s face and would dream of coffins in her sleep. “Everything happens for a reason. Deep down, I knew the virus had attacked my family for a purpose. It made me the brave woman that I am today.”

While there is no vaccine just yet, “the vaccine we have seen is the love and care that our community and family shared with us”, said Maringa. “You cannot fight the pandemic alone. Love, care, support and prayer give people the courage and faith to fight the pandemic.” women – it became a lifeline not a luxury. “It takes a village to raise a child,” said Dr Moselene du Plessis, a specialist in nursing leadership and management, and a lecturer at UP. Retired nurses and community activists came together in Eersterust in Pretoria, where a “war room” was set up to strategise on how to help the community. A multisectoral level approach was needed. Children were hungry as feeding schemes were not operating due to job losses. “You cannot go to bed knowing that people are struggling,” she said.

With the help of non-governmental organisations, they managed to feed the children. In addition, Dr Du Plessis appealed to the public to donate baby scales to weigh the babies who were being fed.

Professor Roinah Nkhensani Ngunyulu of UP also revealed how pregnant women were affected by transport issues during lockdown, making access to clinics a challenge. Midwives were guardian angels as they comforted pregnant women who were in labour as their partners were not allowed to be with them, she said. It was challenging for these women to wear masks while in labour and social distancing was difficult to observe.

Prof Mulaudzi concluded that ubuntu is part of the global village. “If we really embrace this philosophy, the moral decay will improve,” she said. “People will no longer be self-centred.” If people win government tenders, it must be the community’s tender, she added. “Improve the community –

The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, is an internationally recognised hybrid institution; both an academic department in the Faculty of Law and a NGO/ CSO that combines academic excellence, effective activism, education, training, research and capacity-building to advance human rights in Africa.

• Human Rights & Democratisation

• Trade & Investment Law

• Multidisciplinary Human Rights

• Disability Rights

• Sexual & Reproductive Rights

...in an African context

from 2007 to 2019 in the Centre

JOURNALS ...edited & published by the Centre

African Human Rights Law Journal

African Human Rights Yearbook

African Disability Rights Yearbook

Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics Unit

Disability Rights Unit

Children’s Rights Unit

Women’s Rights Unit

Business & Human Rights Unit

Democracy & Civic Engagement Unit

Expression, Information & Digital Rights Unit

Freedom from Violence Unit

Litigation & Implementation Unit

Sexual Minority Rights in Africa

Disability Rights in an African Context

Children’s Rights in Africa

Women’s Rights in Africa Police Oversight & Vulnerable Groups

Right to Development in Africa

Civil Society Law in Africa

African Human Rights System in Comparative Perspectives

As part of Mandela Month, during which we remember the birth date of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela on 18 July 1918, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, in collaboration with Leading Like Mandela Institute and the Thembekile Mandela Foundation, hosted the first in a series of online Mandela Talks.

The first Mandela Talk contemplated the best way in which to approach the constitutional implications of the COVID-19 regulatory framework. The Talk was chaired by Ms Abigail Noko (Head, Regional Office Southern Africa, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) while Prof Frans Viljoen (Director, Centre for Human Rights) and Dr Liaqat Azam (Director, Leading Like Mandela Institute) provided welcoming and introductory remarks.

In his presentation, Justice Johann van der Westhuizen (Former Judge, Constitutional Court of South Africa) explained that all rights may be limited, but only if the limitation (such as a COVID-19 regulation) is in line with section 36 of the Constitution. He explained that the “rationality” test should not be viewed in isolation, but as the part of the section 36test. The “rationality” test inquires whether there is a credible connection between the specific means (such as banning the sale of alcohol) and the desired ends (such as preventing more infections or saving lives). The pandemic highlighted that this was a case of the “chickens that have come home to roost”: After years of neglect, it is difficult to manage societal problems with laws in a society where the law itself has routinely been disregarded. Justice van der Westhuizen also called on South Africans to realise that asserting their rights has to take into account the need to respect the rights of others.

Ms Okyerebea Ampofo-Anti (Partner, Ampofo-Anti Consulting and Sessional Lecturer, Media Law and Ethics, University of Witwatersrand) highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed a gap between government’s intentions and society’s willingness to work with government for the better protection of all. She indicated that much work was needed for government to convince the people to join its journey of decisions and to make sure that the population is on board. She criticised attempts to extend the ban on the sale of alcohol to take repressive measures against anyone drinking alcohol. She also linked the violence of the security forces that led to the death of Collins Khosa to their overzealous attempts to punish the use of alcohol.

Adv Mohamed Shafie Ameermia (Commissioner, South African Human Rights Commission) noted that although the inequalities and other societal problems in South Africa are exposed by the pandemic, all is not lost. He urged South Africans to collectively lead like Mandela by becoming active citizens, joining hands and working towards a collaborative partnership. Commissioner Ameermia concluded by quoting Nelson Mandela: “A new world will be won not by those who stand at a distance with their arms folded, but by those who are in the arena, whose garments are torn by storms and whose bodies are maimed in the course of the contest.”

Justice Zak Yacoob urged the government to better focus its efforts on the rights of the most marginalised, in particular very poor people. In his view, government’s primary objective should be to educate its citizens to become more responsible during the pandemic (wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and looking out for each other). While the state must do all it can to curb the spread of the coronavirus and save lives, it has overregulated, with the policing of citizens taking precedence over the education of the people, leading to infringements of their rights. Ms Abigail Noko Prof Frans Viljoen

Dr Liaqat Azam Justice Johann van der Westhuizen

Ms Okyerebea Ampofo-Anti Adv Mohamed Shafie Ameermia

“You can’t use a hammer to tighten a screw. The government failed to get the balance right and is relying too much on regulation and not enough on education.” He also highlighted the importance of curbing corruption, as a way to restore trust in the government. A necessary starting point, in his view, is that government must admit to having been engaged in inexcusably plundering the resources for which there now is such a dire need.

In its general response to COVID-19? In banning the sale of tobacco products? In banning the sale of alcohol? In reopening schools?

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