Moputso: My Next 100 by witsmarketing

“WITS FOR GOOD.

MY NEXT 100 YEARS” IN PRAISE OF THE POSTGRADUATE MERIT AWARD

THE SCHOLAR VS The Influencer

CONTENTS

3. Featured Writers 5. The Scholar vs the Influencer 7. In Praise of the Postgraduate Merit Award Post-Covid Student Leadership 8. My Wits Student Experience 9. Fragments of Four Years 11. A Renaissance in Postgraduate Student Leadership PG Experience: The Journeys 15. A one-on-one session 17. Generations through Wits – Creating the Pan African Space

FROM INTER NATIONAL TO FINDING A home AT WITS

ZIYA-KHALA

FAQS Answered by Prof. Nqondo

WITSie WITS

WITS

P25 18. Kwezi’s Postgraduate journey 19. A journey to innovation and entrepreneurship 21. From international to finding a home at Wits 23. Postgraduate community 25. Ziyakhala (FAQs) 2022/2023 PG Events and Highlights 27.PGA Welcome Day 28. Book Club 29. PG Symposium Winners 32. PhD Seminar Winners 36. PGA Dialogue 37. PGA Network Trip 39. Acknowledgements

CONTENTS

P21

FOREWORD

“WITS FOR GOOD. MY NEXT 100 YEARS” By Professor Robert Muponde, Head of Postgraduate Liaison (January - December 2022)

Moputso: Rewarding Knowledge, formally proposed to the university in April 2022, is a postgraduate digital magazine that will serve as another means for postgraduate communication. It is a central cog of the PG Network which seeks to communicate initiatives, meritorious and innovative activities by our postgraduate students. It encourages communication of the Witsiness and graduate attributes of our students. In addition, the PG Network, founded by the Postgraduate Association in 2018, whose VOICE is now the PG Magazine, is cognisant of its critical knowledge-exchange role within Wits, the African continent and the Global South. The aim of the magazine is therefore to cover postgraduate affairs that put students’ own voices at the centre. The idea is not to always resort to the default position where students are spoken about, spoken to, and spoken for like objects incidental to knowledge-sharing. Listened to in stereo, and positively cultivated, one finds that postgraduate students’ voices possess what the Greeks call thrasos and can be relied upon to unleash refreshing surprises. In thinking about the content of Moputso, we proposed key themes such as: • • •

• •

• • •

The Postgraduate African Network and PG Experience. Academic exchange programme news that involves student participation. Creation of a platform for an African postgraduate community for all research, social and career news PG news/current affairs from the rest of the continent and Global South. Positioning of PG voices as next generation of leaders/scholars/researchers. Spaces for celebration of PG meritorious achievements in any field of endeavour. (For example, students who publish excellent papers, win top prizes in competitions, or come up with astonishing innovations). Reports on Seminars and Guest Lectures that centralise PG student experience. Space called WHERE ARE THEY NOW? For graduates making waves after graduation. Poetry, artworks, short think pieces, op-eds by PG students.

Interesting to note is that the name of the magazine was put forward by Dumile Manana, 1

an Honours student who won First Prize in the Magazine Naming Competition held in 2022. As Wits had just celebrated its 100 years, we wanted students to take possession of the next 100 years. We therefore asked postgraduate students to consider a name that reflects the digizine theme: Wits for Good. A representative committee considered all entries and selected a first, second and third place winner. Dumile Manana’s entry was unanimously approved by the judges because of the way it captured the many facets of learning. Above all, it proved once again the power to name that is hidden in indigenous African languages; they remain the source of original thinking for an Africa that is desperately seeking relevance in the knowledge-generation economy. “Moputso”, wrote Manana, “means reward/ accomplishment in Sotho language. Postgraduate work should be rewarding to an individual first of all otherwise why pursue it. The first reward while studying is discovering new knowledge (its immediate and reassuring), benefit of learning from others, widening your network, gaining confidence to talk and make sense of complex topics, writing for influence should reward effort and hard work, will power to act. As a student, I would be interested to read how rewarding postgraduate experience was for others (while studying and or at work/ in their community). How others used this experience to better themselves and others. That’s the reward for me. Ke moputso wa nnete! True reward!” It was my pleasure to work on the idea of the magazine with a variety of like-minded people whose names or offices appear in the Acknowledgements in this magazine. As this is the first edition, and by nature it is tentative, it is hoped that in future thought be given to the need to think of the magazine and the PG Network as a result of continued collaborative work between The Postgraduate Association, Dean of Student Affairs and the central Postgraduate Research and Development Office (previously known as the The Postgraduate Affairs Office). More important, as the magazine’s content is written by students and edited by students, and is about students, it might be strategic to make it one of the major tasks (agreed deliverables) that every Postgraduate Association executive accomplishes in order to measure the effectiveness of its term of office and to bring some predictability to the projects they carry out. I have no doubt in my mind that our students will shine if challenged and properly supported, as can be seen in the research they carried out under the PG Network in 2022.

THE WITS POSTGRADUATE ASSOCIATION The Wits Postgraduate Association (PGA), is an institutionally recognised postgraduate student body with the mandate to represent postgraduate students across the various levels of governance within the university. The Association is made up of 15 offices, each of which is held by dedicated postgraduate students from different schools and faculties. The PGA term of office is concurrent with the SRC term of office, which runs from 1 November in the year of election to 30 October, the following year. Over and above our constitutional duty, we seek to create a postgraduate network that is student-centred and encourages conversation, debate and knowledge production. We appreciate the efforts of the student executives before us. These have shaped and paved a way for this current term of office. As the 2022/23 PGA we seek to bridge the gap between postgraduate studies, academia, and corporate and industry; by creating an interdisciplinary community emphasising a student-centred approach. In essence, accelerating the postgraduate experience. We will do this by focusing on five core areas - transformation, access to funding, opportunities linked to corporate and industry, opportunities within academia, as well as the postgraduate network. Our programs and projects will be mainly centred around these. However, where the need arises, we will ensure that other areas are given the necessary attention.

PGA Chairperson: Ms Nqobile Mkhize

This digizine MOPUTSO seeks to start conversations within the postgraduate community that stir discussions on matters that are of national and global importance, in line with Wits’ mission and positioning. It further seeks to broaden the postgraduate network, inaugurated by the 2018-2019 PG Association in collaboration with the then Director of Postgraduate Affairs, by promoting the exchange of ideas amongst postgraduate students and associations in South Africa and on the African continent, and producing impactful knowledge that can reshape our lives for the better. Office of the PGA Chairperson

PGA Deputy Chairperson: Ms Angeline Duma

FEATURED

WRITE KGOMOTSO MORAPEDI is a Phd student from Wits School of Education, under the division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Her research interests include higher education, transformation, educational policy analysis, and the Third Mission of universities.

PRINCE MALAKA is a first-year master’s student and tutor in the Fac-

ulty of Humanities. One of the few outstanding students who holds a postgraduate merit award. His academic interests include, but are not limited to, media and gender, health communication, and digital/new media, with his current thesis/research focusing on the use of digital media during the 2021 South African civil unrest under the hashtags #lootingSA and #freezuma. Prince is a young, resilient, self-motivated individual who sees education as a viable change and leadership strategy.

PALESA MOFOKENG is the Founder of Edtech Bridges NPC and a teacher

by profession. She completed her master’s in educational technology degree with the University of the Witwatersrand and also did both her B.Ed. & B.Ed. Honours degrees with the university.Palesa is a mentor and a multi-award-winning leader and activist with immense experience in various leadership structures and governance dating back to her schooling and varsity days (including being an LRC President). The pinnacle of her leadership career and activism was when she was elected to be in the 2018/19 Wits University’s Student Representative Council as the Academic Officer.

HELENA VAN URK is currently a postgraduate honours student of

English Literature at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she also earned her BA in English and History in 2021. Her current research focuses on comparative linguistic theories of Ngūgī wa Thiong’o and Dante Alighieri. A Johannesburger through and through, there was never any serious question about which university she would be attending when the time came.

NOBANTU SHABANGU is an academic, performing artist and writer.

Nobantu holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Science and Public Administration as well as two postgraduate degrees in Applied Drama. Nobantu’s passion is in community building, governance, entrepreneurship, self-actualisation, the healing arts, visual arts, theatre and physical performance. She has served on various student bodies at both school and faculty level, namely as the Humanities Faculty Officer for the 2019/2020 Wits Postgraduate Association. With her passion for student governance fired up she was selected for the deputy chairperson position for the 2022 International House Residence House Committee. Along with her constitutional duties she served as the 2022 Transformation Officer in the All-Residence Subcouncil (ARSC) wherein, they represented Wits university at the 2022 ACUHO-I Green Campus Conference held at the University of Pretoria. Nobantu has written for various media platforms such as the highly acclaimed Okay Africa and Kalahari Review. Her short stories and essays are published in Living While Feminist and The Coinage Book.

ERS SARA SEOPETSOA

Concisely, I am an educator, an academic, and a very proud Wits alumni. I am enrolled in the Bachelor of Education Honours program in the division of Educational Leadership and Policy Skills. The nature of my honours research project was to investigate strategies that school leaders can employ to improve teachers’ instructional practices so that Sustainable Development Goal 4( “Quality Education”) could be realised in the year 2030. So far, I have received my first belt and am looking forward to receiving my second during the graduation ceremony, which could take place in early 2023. On that, the next ladder to climb is titled “A Master’s Candidate.”

KARABO-MAYA SANKARA RODWELL is an MA Candidate in Social

Anthropology .One of her main areas of interest is Pan Africanism, having done her Honours research on Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe and his impact on youth pre- and post-1994. Her MA research focuses on the experiences of Black women in South African liberation movements, specifically the Black Consciousness Movement. She intends to stay in the academic space and make the world of academia more accessible and reflective of the society in which we live.

HLENGIWE NKOSI is a 30 years old, fourth-grade teacher at a primary

school in the East Rand. She teaches English and Natural Sciences and Technology.. She is currently doing her Master’s in Education. Her research project is about the representation of father and son relationships in African fairy tales

CHIKAIKO WISEMAN BALETI is currently studying a Master’s of Science in Engineering in Extractive Metallurgical Engineering. His project is on recovery of platinum group metals from old car exhaust systems. I am comparing a method which uses surfactants (found in soaps etc) to recover platinum group metals from solution with ion exchange (an established method also used in water treatment).

TANAKA DAKACHA is from Zimbabwe and has earned a BA in Law and

International Relations (2020) and a Bachelor of Laws (2022) from the University of Witwatersrand. He is currently a postgraduate student, and a writing fellow and academic tutor at the School of Law. Tanaka has served in the Law School Council and the International Students Sub-Council. He has also participated in the Emerging Leaders Program, a program given by the Development Leadership Unit at the university

THE SCHOLAR VS

The Influencer

So the other day, my 16-year-old neighbour Nthabiseng asked me the infamous question: “What do you do for a living?”. I replied with “I am a postgraduate student” then I further explained my field of study. My response was quickly followed by the usual criticism that I am used to hearing which included how “useless and overrated higher education was, how no-one will read my research and how people become millionaires without a tertiary education”. My response was “where did you get those facts from?”. “From a podcast, TikTok and YouTube” Nthabiseng replied. I immediately brushed aside these criticisms and thought about how this 16-year-old child’s mind is being poisoned by these pseudo-intellectuals, who just had mics and opinions (and how I needed to pray for her lost soul). I, the future academic from Wits who conducts empirical research cannot be shaken by such criticism. 5

Instead of being offended by this child’s opinion, I was fascinated by how social media content creators’ aka influencers have shaped this child’s perspective about academics in general. There is no denying how influential social media is in general. So, my fingers ran to Google and I found that 30 million South Africans are active on social media platforms, this is half of the population. Even ENCA has a slot dedicated to social media during the news. I guess the weather is no longer that important. Furthermore, a survey found that teenagers globally actually want to become influencers. This made me question why influencers’ opinions carry such weight? I noticed that whenever McGee and Sol from podcast and Chill literally breathe, they trend or when Bonang’s tweet questioning the validity of the R22 million flag project, caused the project to be ceased. Their opinions get people thinking and engaging in current affairs. Yet, when an

academic publishes a paper, the only attention gained is a citation. Yes! I do acknowledge conferences. However, this comparison made me wonder who the true public intellectual is between the two. By virtue of our pursuit of knowledge and excellence we the scholars are responsible for getting people talking and thinking. Yet, these influencers are doing our job. Now the question is what is the root cause? Is it an issue of language that is used by scholars, are concepts such as ‘positivism, ontology, applied vs blue-sky research’ creating barriers between scholars and the general public. Hence, the over reliance on influencers for knowledge? Or is it the issue with the mode of dissemination of our research? Do we now need to host podcasts, post academic thirsttraps on Instagram, or create TikTok dance

challenges with data from our studies. And ditch the traditional peer-review journal publication system? Or is this whole social media and influencers culture just a passing phase and we the scholars will survive it? If that is the case, then who are we creating this knowledge for? Is it just meant for our disciplines, or it is meant to educate the general public? With that said, my postgraduate experience has made me imagine ‘Wits for good, my next 100 years’ as being about 1) breaking the barriers that exist between scholars and the public, 2) getting the public talking and thinking about the research that is being conducted, 3) Being more open to opinions that are outside our disciplines and 4) changing the mode of diffusion of research to be more accessible and relevant to the public. Let’s hope that a little bit of hangtags can make 16-year-old Nthabiseng to become a scholar. -Kgomotso Morapedi #Wits_for_ good_ my_ next_100 years. 6

IN PRAISE OF THE POSTGRADUATE MERIT AWARD Have you ever thought of progressing to postgraduate degrees, but you don’t have funding? The fundamental aim of the Postgraduate Merit Award (PMA) is to assist students who perform exceptionally well in their academics.

As Wits University celebrates its centenary of producing critical thinkers and leaders nationwide, I argue that, the PMA is worth celebration because it provides financial relief , which gives me more time to focus on my academics and be able to maintain the scholarship. Coming from deep rural areas of Limpopo province one would not even dare try to dream of becoming an academic or researcher, especially at a prestigious university such as Wits. Now, I am able to imagine my future. My biggest vision? I see myself as a researcher, independent publisher and a professor in the global community. By far, the award helped me to build self-confidence and leadership skills because, as an award holder, I am required to assist the faculty with tutoring and organizing departmental events. As much as Wits pushes you to the edge, it also gives you the ability to push yourself to your maximum potential to succeed, along with financial benefits. -Prince Malaka

MYWITS WITS MY STUDENT EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE STUDENT Wits continues to grow and transform lives FOR GOOD. My time at the university has been a journey not free from frustration, tears, doubt, and difficult times. Equally so, I did shed tears of joy. I have been stretched beyond my wildest dreams and I have been supported in ways I cannot begin to fathom. I will start by sharing my experience as an undergraduate student. As a young girl from Soweto, I interpreted the monumental Mandela bridge as a direct psychological shift implying bridging over to a satisfying life. In other words, I was psychologically and physically leaving behind the life of poverty and lack and consciously connecting to the life of fulfilment and abundance through obtaining a qualification at a higher learning institution. Even though the monumental bridge itself is notorious for crimes such as robbery, its iconic stature carried a sense of hope for the young me then and, more so, today. My undergraduate years were coupled with intensive activism and leadership in various student governance structures, the highest being in the Wits SRC which I served as Academic Officer. As a structure that has and continues to shape and address the socio-political and socio-economic issues in society, being in the Student Representative Council opened my eyes to a plethora of things. From how an institution is run from academic and financial viewpoints and how that translates to policy discussions and implementations. One policy that I have fond memories of was the ‘Student Success Framework’ under Prof. Dianne Grayson’s leadership. This Framework looked at the holistic success of a student across their academic years at Wits. As a research-informed Framework, it further spoke to the kind of graduate the institution would want to produce. At its core, the policy was context-sensitive and served as a responsive measure to students’ needs and demands. Additionally, as a Masters student at the height of a global pandemic, I experienced Wits Management as an agile team that provided solutions to students’ academic needs. The same goes for the lecturers. It was a learning curve for all of us, but I am most proud to have been a Wits student at this time given how successfully the institution managed to save the academic year(s) against the odds. While acknowledging the strides made thus far, for the next 100 years I hope to see representation in all its forms in the Senior Management Team. Secondly, more financial and psychosocial support for Postgraduate students. Thirdly, each School must aim to lead in terms of research outputs and student throughput

such that we remain in the top 200 universities and number one in Africa. Lastly, the institution should be more inclusive in accommodating students from townships and rural areas; and sufficiently address student funding and accommodation. In conclusion, we’ve come a long way and achieved a lot. We still have a long way to go, a lot to achieve and get right. After all is said and done, it must all be FOR GOOD. - Palesa Mofokeng

Fragments

Four

I By the entrance of a certain siege port, it’s ordained: “University is a place where men and women without regard to race” are promised knowledge of the finest sort. --Three faces, three men: unremarkable each in his own way. In my first-ever lecture hall, I saw them. Three heads: one crowned, one covered, one bare. Buckskin, Taqiyah and an iPhone, Together in a single moment… All a teenager’s sentiment. II “I don’t know why I am crying, really,” these words interrupting COVID-baking, perfect sourdough loaf in the making “Parking Office Guy - his name was Stanley.” --We are All in This Together. Same storm, but in different boats as Man becomes an island. I learn of the deaths via Whatsapp Status. Learning becomes a maze of laptop loaning faceless unkind grading and initials floating but not speaking. We count cases, breathless, and soccer stadiums fill with tents. Ashamed to admit in surveys we are Doing Alright. 9

Years

III At a violet hour, when eyes straining passed over still deserted streets’ ghosts and Doomsday heralds greet us on lamp posts, my final year comes through emails chiming. --It was to Nabokov that all the credit must go, for keeping a campus (novel) alive in my mind satire, of course! when I have been on one barely a year. In some ways things change but mostly remain the same. Perhaps a funny Powerpoint to light up a week, now-more colourful interface that looks like a sad clown, on the verge of tears. Third year’s ending comes thudding in with an anticlimax, sinking, swamping, feeling an endless maze of Leading. IV ‘My first day back? We’re on campus…really!” But all the stories of postgrad lounges could not fill that First Day Back’s emptiness. “Not to complain, but I am so lonely…” --We (I) came through it, mostly. The world is big, after all, and is unlikely to perish in its entirety. So where does this leave us, now that things are Normal? Perhaps picking up pieces, Blending learning anew to concentrate, sit exams, Connecting…? What is University? Now that I am stuck schooling expressions for the public again, I guess… that is to say, I will learn. by Helena van Urk

Renaissance

A IN POSTGRADUATE STUDENT LEADERSHIP 11

There is something powerful when one truly believes that their learning is not truly complete; this is evident in postgraduate students who return to the busy corridors of learning, eager and ready to be churned into more evolved versions of themselves. However, the adage states that it is difficult to pour new wine into old wineskins but postgraduate students, especially those returning from years of work or those dabbling in both the rat race and furthering their studies, are adamant about proving the idiom wrong.

Central to the university life is affiliation with societies that share our values as students and actively participating in student life particularly where there is an overwhelming need. This brings me to the observable trend in the waning faith of student leadership especially following the wave of the Fees Must Fall movement that shook universities from the west coast to the high altitudes of Johannesburg right back the east coast. At the time of these protests, I was working in a permanent job after being financially excluded from one of the top three universities in the country, that beautiful university perched on the foot of Table Mountain. I digress but the protests across the country inspired the fire for education that was once quelled and seeing young students stand fiercely in the onslaught of violence that opposed the movement rekindled my hope that I would one day return. And return I did in 2019, but something was different, student leaders no longer seemed as defiant save for the occasional EFF protest which in themselves were quickly dissolved or forced off campus. That said, students’ faith in leadership remained but not with the same tenacity and volume that was seen in 2015/2016. Student leadership in the postgraduate community is even more difficult to ascertain, to gauge and to hold. The postgraduate community is special in that usually the cohort has reached a maturity whereby systems’ thinking and understanding has precipitated but so too has independence. Perhaps the individuation level of postgraduate students acts as an obstacle to solid leadership, a disconnect between the collective postgraduate mass and its leaders is present. Another facet of this level is that self-leadership primarily takes hold at this stage whereby all postgraduate students would rather initiate tiny little flames of a movement rather than commit to the one big fire that the student bodies bring. Identification with student bodies and what they represent is what I believe is at the core of a successful relationship between student leaders and their constituents. It is this identification that

moved even armchair activists on social media during Fees Must Fall to participate in some way, either buying airtime or donating funds to students in need and their affected families whilst actively adding their voices to the movement through hashtags and Twitter threads. It is the identification with the hopes and values of justice, intersectionality and radical progress reflected in the Fees Must Fall movement that eventually led me to return to school to complete my postgraduate degree. Currently the seeming limbo state of student governance bodies requires invigoration that will once again strengthen the relational element in student leadership through rebuilding the values that strengthen identification in order to move from individual desire to a collective vision. A renaissance of student leadership and a postgraduate community that is more faithful and committed to the collective gains of democracy. Each generation births a new type of leadership; however collective efforts are required to dismantle systems of oppression built to thwart collective growth. Furthermore, a new symbiosis between students in the postgraduate space is also required, as postgraduate studies are known for being a time of extreme isolation. Recently a postgraduate book club was launched to bridge the social gap whilst feeding the intellectual yearnings. It is endeavours like this that draw in the collective to the already burning fire for student governance and leadership; herein the individual desire for further education and the vision for collective gains stemming from the Fees Must Fall movement were married. As students slowly recover from the shock as a result of the pandemic, student leadership will also recover and hopefully more in the postgraduate community as there is plenty of fine wine there bursting to pour itself out. -Nobantu Shabangu

Postgraduate Research and Development Ofﬁce: https://www.wits.ac.za/postgraduate-research-anddevelopment/ Postgraduate Association Ofﬁce: https://www.wits.ac.za/pga/ Student Affairs Support: https://www.wits.ac.za/teaching-and-learning/studentsupport/

The 14th Cross-Faculty PG Symposium 2023 The Postgraduate Research, and Development Office is pleased to inform all Masters and PhD postgraduate students of the 2023 edition of the Cross-Faculty Postgraduate Symposium competition. This 14th edition will take place in-person. 6 - 8 September 2023

NCB (New Commerce Building), Braamfontein Campus West The symposium gives postgraduate students and their supervisors the opportunity to engage in high-level intellectual research exchanges with colleagues and students across the five faculties. Students will get to showcase their research in two different forms this year and will compete for prize money.

There will be TWO categories for presentations and awards this year, as follows: • 60 second GradFlash (Contestants present their research in 60 seconds!) • 10-minute Oral Presentations

*06 September 2023: 10 pre-selected Masters students for the Gradflash and 10 pre-selected Masters students for the Oral talks will present

*07 September 2023: 10 pre-selected PhD students for the Gradflash and 10 pre-selected PhD students for the Oral talks will present

Awards Winners will receive prizes from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research & Innovation, Prof. Lynn Morris. Oral: Cross Faculty Competition 60-second GradFlash: Cross Faculty Competition First Prize - R 10 000 Second Prize - R7 000 Third Prize - R 5000

First Prize - R 10 000 Second Prize - R7 000 Third Prize - R 5000

Deadline for submission and how to enter The deadline for the submission of the registration form together with the abstract is 21 July 2023. The Postgraduate Research, and Development Office will communicate further details of the competition to successful applicants by 4 August 2023. If you have not heard from us by this date, please consider your application unsuccessful. The successful applicants will develop their abstract to be presented via a 10-minute oral presentation or develop and play a pre-designed presentation via a 60-second gradflash video Please send your completed registration form, abstract form, proof of registration and proof of approved proposal to mmatshepo.taunyane@wits.ac.za by no later than 21 July 2023.

Judging of the Competition There will be an Abstracts Selection Committee as well as a Panel of Judges made up of Wits Academics.

Rules and Eligibility

ONLY registered Wits Masters and PhD candidates (part-time or full-time) in their semi-final and final year are eligible to apply and participate in the competition. These students must also be beyond the approved proposal stage and proof will be required. Registered students who have completed and submitted their research for examination but have not yet graduated are still eligible to participate. For Guest Attendance Registration please complete the RSVP form: shorturl.at/clmuR

A ONEON-ONE

Session

Many perceive it as the continuation of student life, but I see it as the beginning – Postgraduate. Understanding the experiences of an undergraduate (UG) student is necessary to comprehend those of a postgraduate (PG). At the UG level, most students are more concerned with the outcomes, such as receiving their degrees and entering the workforce, than they are with the process. The situation is very different at the PG level, where the procedure is of utmost importance. On this level, one is figuratively selling themselves. Selling themselves by offering to share their knowledge and make connections with those in positions of power. In contrast, I did not care that I had little to no interaction with any lecturers or tutors during my UG studies. However, in my PG program, I now communicate outside of the traditional learning settings with the instructors who make up half of my contact list. Additionally, it becomes simpler to socialize with classmates or rather colleagues at this level. This is caused by less substantial groupings than those at the UG level. The PG level marks the start of an academic career for me. This is necessary since your experience as a student will be impacted by each action you take, each person you converse with, and each contact you add to your list. Prior to starting my student life (PG level), I used to believe that I could not carry on a conversation with anyone. However, I found that not only can I participate in conversations, but I can also lead them. A ‘one on one session’ will be the simplest way for me to convey the PG level. To explain, the PG level is where one feels acknowledged, or more precisely, prioritized. For instance, when working on a research project, a supervisor is assigned to guide the student through the process. To add, at this level, one has the opportunity to speak with professors; but this time, not about critiquing essay marks, but rather concerning a literature review. Fun fact: I had no idea whether lecturers’ offices had windows when I was in the UG program, but I can now confirm that they do thanks to my experiences as a PG student. And the fact that many students have left Wits’ buildings without this understanding shows that PG is not the continuation of student life, but rather the commencement of it. I, therefore, envision a mandatory PG level for some degrees, primarily those in the humanities, in the next 100 years. Based on my experiences, I believe that every student should be given the chance to be a postgraduate. No student should be denied the chance to have a ‘one on one session.’ Therefore, within the time frame of 2022 to 2122, I would support shortening some UG programs while lengthening PG programs in some courses. A 4-year bachelor’s degree, for example, could be finished in 3 years with the completion of a 1 to 2-year PG program. This will allow many students to live the student experience rather than the learner experience. In addition, secure vital contacts for future use, and further establish significant ties. It is perceived as the next step; however, the postgraduate level is the first. -Sara Seopetsoa

GENERATIONS THROUGH WITS – CREATING THE PAN

African Space

My grandfather was born in 1922, one hundred years ago. He came to Wits in the 1940s; my mother came to Wits in the 1980s. I am a third generation Witsie and so proud of 100 years of this institution of higher learning. Wits has given me everything. I know exactly who and where I want to be. I have studied for my BA, Honours and now Masters in the Anthropology Department. My mother boasts that she forced me to study Anthropology, as she had, under the late David Webster and Prof Hammond Tooke. And yes she did force me, and I will be forever grateful. This amazing department filled with human beings that I admire, has made me think a lot about what a university should be. What I see the university being in 100 years from now, is a space where academia engages more deeply and closely with the society in which it is based, and the society engages more deeply with the university. The ‘ivory tower’ role that universities have played will be over. At the same time, I have, through my time at Wits 17

realised the importance of academic freedom. If all else fails in the society, if a fascist regime or a corrupt kleptocracy takes over a society the pillars of free thought must stand, and the image of course is that of the Great Hall. My mother tells me of all the political meetings that took place in the Great Hall during apartheid, all the plans made by student leaders against the apartheid state, the marches on the campus that the university never stopped. That freedom of expression the university has to uphold. My passage has been extraordinary, from a first-year student to a tutor of first years. I put myself in their shoes and try to remember what it was like in my first year, and second year, before COVID-19 hit so hard. My commitment for the future? I want to be a lecturer and create a Pan African space that is more accessible to all who want to be part of it. -Karabo-Maya Sankara Rodwell

KWEZI’S POSTGRADUATE In her early 30’s, Kwezi was still without child. A broken two-years old marriage had ended in a hostile divorce that left her renting a backroom in Daveyton Ramza street. The only logical thing left to do was to go back to varsity and pursue a postgraduate education. Please do not get me wrong. A postgraduate degree in the field of Education does not mean promotion, better salary or anything fancy. It just means you read to improve your own knowledge and keep busy. Kwezi had left Wits in 2012 when she completed her bachelor’s degree in Education. Although Kwezi was eager and grateful for the distraction and mental occupation an honours degree would offer, she was not impressed with the extra money she would have to pop up. A trip from Daveyton to the School of Education in Parktown was 50 minutes’ drive. Emotionally exhausted by her Grade 2 pupils, Kwezi would still need to pass two toll gates, an e-toll and fill up a tank to carry her throughout the week. Not to mention the lump sum in tuition

journey fees she would have to pay off. This twice a week journey was mentally, physically and financially exhausting. However, like many other part-time students, Kwezi persisted through the long hours in traffic,going back home to a pile of workbooks and DBEs to mark. Then in 2020 a global pandemic hit South Africa. The Covid-19 pandemic became an answered prayer for Kwezi. Schools were shut for months, that meant Kwezi could focus on completing her research proposal. Like the rest of the other courses, Honours classes were online. This eliminated a lot of unnecessary spending on fuel and other transport costs to get to a lecture, where you were asked to comment on the readings, something Kwezi always felt she could do by herself at home. Kwezi’s vision for the next 100 years is that Wits university affords postgraduate students the choice to decide without judgement or prejudice if they want a face-face learning experience or an online experience. A Wits University where postgraduate education offers flexibility and accommodates the crazy work schedules of part-time students. Lastly the CCDU should also begin to be flexible and accommodate students in digital platforms who need counselling. -Hlengiwe Nkosi 18

A JOURNEY TO INNOVATION AND

Entrepreneurship Chikaiko Wiseman Baleti My journey at Wits began in 2017 as a postgraduate diploma in Metallurgical Engineering student. Prior to this journey I had worked for LafargeHolcim Cement for five years in Malawi as a process engineer using my BSc Chemistry degree, but my childhood desire to study an applied chemistry program was much greater than the job security, allowances, international trips and exposure offered by my former employer. I eventually resigned from my position, and I have no regrets of pursuing my dreams at Wits. I graduated with a postgraduate diploma in 2019. In 2020 I decided to pursue a full research Master of Science in Engineering on precious metal recovery from secondary resources. My experience on campus has helped me to develop problem solving skills. One such area has been in the laboratory. At the beginning of my project, I procured an undissolvable form of a required compound. It did not dissolve in acidic solutions as I required it to do; it is expensive, and I couldn’t return it for the 19

required form. I found a way to dissolve it and incorporate it in my required acidic solutions and since then I use it for my work. During my research I have also learned a subject called design of experiments (DOE) which has been used by many Fortune 100 companies like Ford and Toyota, which led to their growth. DOE enables the simultaneous study of various parameters that affect a process or product instead of studying one parameter at a time which is expensive, time-consuming and is unable to relate more than one parameter’s effect on a process or product. Besides my academic skills this year, 2022 has led to great interactions with new and old students as Covid-19 measures have been relaxed. Close up meetings with first year students in my faculty have been fascinating. This has come in the form of tutoring first year chemistry students through the Academic Development Unit. This experience has been an eye opener and a privilege for me to contribute something to young people of

South Africa. I have learned and seen some gaps in the local education system. These revelations came when some first year Engineering students confessed to have never been to a chemistry laboratory prior to joining Wits. Some even confessed to not knowing whether hydrochloric acid was a liquid or solid. My tutoring sessions have led me to understand why Africa is a major exporter of raw materials rather than finished goods. Our primary and secondary curriculum are not tailored to create innovators and entrepreneurs. They enforce cramming of theories rather than their understanding and their application in solving problems on the continent and worldwide. My vision for my life and the next 100 years is to create successful companies that apply science to create wealth. I would like Africa to manufacture more finished goods rather than selling raw materials and buying goods

with those materials at much higher prices. An example is in the export of refined platinum group metals which amongst their uses is in manufacturing of electronics and autocatalytic converters. At present these devices are imported for much more money earned than when the refined precious metals are exported. I believe entrepreneurship is key to this vision and would curb the continent’s bill on imports of finished goods that can be manufactured in Africa. Many in the continent hear about innovation and entrepreneurship when their brain cells are no longer very active. Not only are they old but they also have responsibilities such that they are not willing to take the risk a younger person would take. I would like to lobby relevant authorities across Africa to incorporate entrepreneurship as part of the primary and secondary education system. I believe being a postgraduate student at Wits has enabled me to see challenges and opportunities that need attention on the African continent. 20

FROM INTERNATIONAL TO FINDING A AT WITS

home

Reflecting on my out-of-stater experience at the University of the Witwatersrand, it was never too frightening. It was simply a process of settling in, adjusting, and then eventually calling this place my second home. Being a postgraduate student at Wits in 2022 has been amazing. As the university held its centenary celebrations, I also want to unpack, suggest, and reimagine the future for Wits in the next 100 years.

As an international student at Wits, I was not easily identifiable at first glance – one would usually identify me by minor idiosyncrasies revealed through prolonged conversation. Being born and educated in Zimbabwe, I considered some things I encountered in South Africa as strange, which a local might not have paid attention. I was in a cross-cultural situation where I was exposed to students and staff from different backgrounds and expected to cope in a new culture that was completely unfamiliar to me. This proved to be an invaluable experience as I learnt a lot from other people’s experiences. Being an international student has made me appreciate all that Wits has to offer. I can attest to Wits being the most beautiful anywhere in the world. A contributing factor as to why I decided to pursue my postgraduate studies here was because of the warmth and support people showed me. As we approach the next century, the university needs to ensure that these sentiments are shared beyond the streets of Braamfontein and the confines of the borders. There should exist a basic package of support for students particularly after graduating; one of the ways the university can achieve this is by creating a single digital platform where all Wits graduates can connect. With the use of algorithms, the university can access employment opportunities from the government and private sectors and at the same time find candidates on this platform. This platform will also help in leveraging the university’s role in addressing unemployment and being a hub for the recruitment and employment of young graduates.

that universities need to play a more dynamic role in their relationship with industry and society at large in order to maximise the use of research results and balance between university knowledge and industry knowledge. The World Economic Forum predicts that 85 million jobs will be lost by 2025 as the workforce is automating faster than expected. What this simply means is that higher education will completely move to an on-demand format and universities in their current form will cease to exist and be modified as makerspaces and application-based learning spaces. As we are approaching this era, Wits therefore has an obligation to adapt with time and make sure that students are equipped with tangible skills that can be applied. One of the ways the university can achieve this in the next 100 years is to adopt an incubator-style structure where students from different faculties and backgrounds can come together in a transdisciplinary format to solve world problems. The future of work requires us to become transdisciplinary learners and operate at the intersection of the human and the digital. All things considered, being a postgraduate student at Wits in 2022 has been amazing. I cannot begin to imagine what the next 100 years has to offer. We are living in a time of revolution and the university needs to be driven and kept up to speed with the rapid evolution of digital technology and produce competent graduates with the knowledge and skills that match the developments and needs of the time. -Tanaka Dakacha

Wits has been distinguished as one of the top universities in the African continent. As the university celebrates its centenary, the unequivocal consensus is that education needs to change in the next 100 years. The university requires students and leaders who have the courage to reflect, challenge and innovate in order to create a university that is worthy of generations. The rapid technological advancement and population growth means that even leading universities like Wits have no time to rest on their laurels. This therefore comes as no exaggeration that the future of younger generations, Africa and the world at large lies within our hands – Wits University. The university needs to develop an appropriate context, structure, and process for its involvement in university-industry collaborations. It has become clear with the advent of COVID-19

POSTGRADUATE COMMUNITY One of the privileges of being a postgraduate student at Wits university has to be the exposure to the current debates concerning transformation of education in Africa. My vision of an African Postgraduate Community is based on the idea that we need to change how South Africans think. In doing so their African knowledge should be at the centre of what they learn (how they come to know themselves).

Vanessa Konope Mpho Matlala

The Wits academic support it ensures that underprivile support they need. When I damaged, and I was worried home. I found out that the where they loan laptops to s with their academics, as w monthly data allowance, wh access online classes and

Themba McNo

Bachelor of Education Honours

Postgraduate Industrial En

Today, as PhD candidate, a lecturer, researcher, scholar, and a woman, I represent the struggles and strength of females of colour. Despite the odds, I flourished and as homage to my journey I will use this platform to inspire the youth of the world through the passion and purpose that Wits ignited in me. With a brilliant mind and a powerful voice, I take my place alongside scholars and activists in our stride to use Education to change the world and make it a better place for future generations.

Fatima Vally Essa

(PhD) candidate in Education

My vision for my ‘next 100 yea to bring more industries from small, and partner with them. a FYE for postgraduates; in a doing my Wits first yea

As a rural girl who had big dreams in a small area, it seemed like an impossible dream, but with focus, dedication and perseverance, getting a PhD will make those dreams a reality. I want to change a rural girl’s dream by becoming the first PG student in my area and encourage those girls that a dream can become true if you follow it. Working as a teacher and studying part-time at Wits has worked well for me because I have time to work while studying. It also gave me a chance to be a good example to my colleagues, to learn that education doesn’t end with a job, and that education isn’t limited by age or job.

Bongiwe Mtambo

PhD; School of African Languages, Humanities

ars’ is that Wits will be able m different sectors, big or . I think Wits should also do a case like me where I am ar but as a postgrad.

t system is great because eged students get all the enrolled, my laptop got d about how to work from institution has a system students for a year to help well as help students with hich is helping me a lot to internet for researching.

olan Mawila

Diploma in ngineering

As the demand for infrastructure increases owing to the growing population in developing countries, there is a constant pressure on the construction industry to respond to this demand in a sustainable and environment-conscious manner, by using innovative materials and technologies. The University of the Witwatersrand (WITS), the University of Cape Town and Indian Institute for Technology – Madras (IIT-M) responded to this challenge through the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) project.

Besides all the social conflict, the transition into the postgraduate environment at Wits is quite remarkable; you move into personalised postgraduate study areas, greater access of educational resources and occasional informative conferences and events that always include a great meal. Not to forget the countless support systems. There is always help waiting for you to approach it on an academic, psychological, physical, and financial basis. What I found to be the most remarkable as a young postgraduate student at Wits is the constant opportunity to easily network with experts from reputable establishments.

Mitchell Muchichwa

Master of Science in Medicine (Vaccinology)

One of the key deliverables of the project was to produce a monograph targeting practicing engineers, highlighting the latest developments and research on the use of recycled aggregates in concrete.

Janina Prakash Kanjee

PhD candidate in Faculty of Built Environment

ZIYA-KHALA FAQS Answered by Prof. Nqondo

WITSie WITS

WITS

What funding or financial aid opportunities are available to study MBA at the university? Prof Nqondo: The university does not provide funding for MBA degrees as these are professional degrees, we do however have a postgraduate funding portal where you can search to see if there are any funding opportunities for MBA students. www.wits.ac.za/funding-portal/

What are the requirements for a Postgraduate Merit Award?

Prof Nqondo: Please see below link to assist with all information on the PMA and other available funding opportunities at Wits https://www.wits.ac.za/media/wits-university/study/fees-and-funding/documents/ pma-terms-and-conditions-2023.pdf

What other funding opportunities are available at Wits?

https://www.wits.ac.za/funding-portal/ https://www.wits.ac.za/study-at-wits/financial-aid-and-scholarships-administration/ scholarships-and-bursaries/

How can one conduct interviews on Wits Academics /Collect data from Wits staff and students? Prof Nqondo: For the process of obtaining permission to conduct research at the University of the Witwatersrand, you need to complete a permission form B: Request to conduct Research at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg from the Registrar’s office (thato.chauke@wits.ac.za). It is important to note that you need to have completed Ethics training and have obtained an Ethics clearance certificate to conduct the research/interviews/data collection.

What is the procedure that international postgraduate students have to follow to register at Wits https://www.wits.ac.za/internationalstudents/

How do you apply for Ethics clearance? All research activities under the auspices of the University of the Witwatersrand requires ethics clearance for research involving human participants. For medical research, the rule of thumb is that any staff or students from the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) must submit an application for ethics clearance to the HRECHuman Research Ethics Committee (Medical) if the research involves any human participants. If the proposed research is done at a medical facility (hospital or clinic, etc.) with/out medical professionals then an application for ethics clearance must be submitted to the HREC (Medical). For non-medical research, an application must be submitted for any study/research if it involves humans participants; and if the research includes social, educational and/or psychological behaviour or perceptions, personal data required by an institution to the HREC (non medical) For Further information on how to apply for Ethics clearance from these committees and the requirements, follow the link: https://www.wits.ac.za/research/researchersupport/research-ethics/ethics-committees/

POSTGRADUATE 2022/2023 EVENT HIGHLIGHTS POSTGRADUATE ORIENTATION The purpose of the event was to officially welcome new postgraduates to wits. Photo link: https://photos.app. goo.gl/dtNfmgfydusS93q38.

POSTGRADUATE HUB The event showcased the support available to postgraduates within the university.

Invited guests included all student affairs units, postgraduate office, financial aid and scholarship office, international office, gender equity office, alumni office and student leadership (SRC/PGA). PG Hub Photos.docx

BOOK CLUB SERIES

An event to enhance outside classroom experience through authentic literature exposure and a vibrant space for an exchange of ideas. The Club is usually led by a PG student panel and the PGA. Dated: September and October. Bookclub Series Pics.docx

WORKSHOPS

A benchmarking exercise for Wits to think through the postgraduate student support experience offered at other institutions. In total four conversations held in 2022. A. LOCAL WORKSHOPS:

University of Pretoria University of Cape Town University of Stellenbosch

Nelson Mandela University 2. A National Colloquium partnered with SAASSAP, National Research Foundation, Centre

B. INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPS

Brazil: University Rio De Grande Sol Nigeria: University of Lagos Uganda: University of Makerere Mauritius: University of Mauritius India: India Institute of Bombay Scotland: University of Edinburgh

for Higher Education and 26 Universities Theme: Postgraduate Student Experience National Context

POSTGRADUATE SYMPOSIUM

The Postgraduate symposium took place on the 11th -15th of July 2022. Here postgraduate students from across all faculties took part in the oral, poster, and gradflash presentations. Please see the winners for 2022’s competition. 13th PG Cross Faculty Symposium Winners Profiles.docx

13th PG Cross Faculty Symposium Winners Profiles ORAL PRESENTATION WINNERS

1st Prize | Bereneice Sephton

Bereneice is currently busy with her PhD at the Structured Light Lab in the physics department where she is undertaking experimental quantum optics research. Here she is busy twisting and changing the color of light from bright lasers to photons in order to teleport the patterns of light in high dimensions. By encoding information on the patterns being teleported, the previously complex dimensional barrier has been broken so that many states or information can be sent at the same time and in a way that ‘bypasses’ the direct communication link.

2nd Prize | Lan Xu

I am a 24-year-old student, currently completing my Master’s in Chemical Engineering. My most recent project is on developing a low-cost loadshedding resilient medicine storage compartment for insulin. This project was prompted by the manufacturing, engineering and related services SETA for development in medical devices and has also won the award for most promising innovation/ MedTech for the MerSETA mediventors challenge. The device has been developed as part of my MSc thesis on dynamic heat transfer modelling, which is about modelling unpredictable, dynamic systems and can be applied to multiple settings with strict temperature parameters. The most relevant settings are biological systems, where unpredictable events disturb temperature control. The research applies this to protecting temperature sensitive medication (such as insulin) and controlling the internal environment of greenhouses, which is relevant for global water sustainability goals.

3rd Prize | Mbongiseni Lungelo Dlamini

Mbongiseni Lungelo Dlamini is a PhD candidate in Environmental Analytical Chemistry. His study focuses on the synergistic adsorption and biocatalytic degradation of emerging organic contaminants from wastewater, such as pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and potentially endocrine disruptive chemicals (EDCs). His research typically examines metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as effective and reliable crystalline supports for the immobilization of oxidative enzymes. This study is supervised by Dr Heidi Richards and Dr Izak Kotze.

GRADFLASH PRESENTATION WINNERS 1st Prize | Karabelo Shirinde

Karabelo Shirinde is a South African filmmaker and film scholar. She is currently completing her Master’s degree in Film & Television. As a filmmaker, she aims to dismantle preconceived stereotypical notions of the African continent through film, particularly through genre specific narratives that Showcase African futurism and African magical realism. As a young, black South African filmmaker, she prides herself on being part of the generation of young filmmakers who aim to shape and solidify the identity of South African cinema through experimentation and imagination. Her Master’s research focus is on africanfuturism and the extent to which the African continent can be represented through the lens of the science fiction genre. Her passion for screenwriting, directing, and producing has allowed her to use filmmaking as an extension of her artistic expression and through the visual language of cinema, she would like to share narratives that are engulfed in representation and fresh perspectives of Africa.

2nd Prize | Boitumelo Makgabutlane

Boitumelo Makgabutlane is a PhD Candidate in the Science Faculty, School of Chemistry. Her research focuses on the application of carbon nanotubes as reinforcement materials in building and construction composites derived from waste. The aim of the work is to beneficiate waste such as plastics and coal fly ash (coal combustion by-product) -which have adverse effects on both the environment and the health of human beings- into valuable products such as bricks. The research addresses 3 sustainability goals (SDGs), i.e. SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 13 (climate action). Thus, contributes positively towards the move from a linear to a circular economy. The work is done under the supervision of Dr Maubane-Nkadimeng, Prof Coville and Prof Mhlanga from SabiNano (Pty) Ltd. The ultimate goal for this study is prototyping and commercialization, as the market need has been identified and it is one that can be met.

3rd Prize | Tamzyn Smith

Tamzyn is an MSc geography candidate in the school of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies. Her interdisciplinary research quantifies vulnerability of the South African tourism sector to climate change. She works as a management consultant with a focus on supply chains and is passionate about implementing workable sustainability in Africa through the shaping of corporate strategy, policy and practice to ensure resilience in the face of climate change. As a public communication of science enthusiast, she firmly believes that the strategic framing of information and analysis of data can influence and enhance our impact on society.

POSTER PRESENTATION WINNERS 1st Prize | Ruvesh Pillay

Ruvesh Pillay is a final year Phd student in the Faculty of Science and School of Molecular and Cell Biology. My research is on Cancer. Cancer is a global burden with colorectal cancer being the third most frequently occurring cancer worldwide. Several cancers, including colorectal cancer have been shown to accumulate cholesterol for cell proliferation and survival. This research focuses on depleting excess cholesterol in colorectal cells using a patented cyclodextrin, KS-01, to impede cancer growth and progression. Additionally, over the years the mutational landscape of colorectal cancer has made apparent alterations in the Wnt signalling pathway, with downregulation of tumour suppressor genes being the most prominent. Treatment of colorectal cells with KS-01 is shown to up-regulate the expression of secreted Frizzled-like protein 1 (sFRP1), an inhibitor of the Wnt pathway. Mechanistically, the depletion of cholesterol using KS-01 stabilises sFRP1 in cancer cells, impeding tumorigenesis.

2nd Prize | Ruan van Deventer

I’m Ruan van Deventer, an MSc candidate under the supervision of Dr Ikechukwu A. Achilonu in the protein structure and function research unit (PSFRU). I am a biochemist specialising in enzymology and computational biochemistry. My current research focus is to characterise and define the binding event that occurs between a molecule known as adenine triphosphate (ATP) and an enzyme known as a nicotinate-nucleotide adenylyltransferase (NNAT). This enzyme is critical for cellular survival as it produces the energy molecule known as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), and as such has been used as a druggable target. To put it simply NAD+ is one of the compounds within an organism that allows for energy transfer and thereby allows the organism to function. I am researching this within the bacterial species Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecium as they are a part of a group of bacterial species abbreviated as the ESKAPE group, which is a classification of the most problematic bacterial species that are resistant to our current framework of antibiotics. By researching this binding event, we hope to define the chemical and physical properties of the pivotal step in NNATs action, within these species. Providing the necessary information required for further downstream clinical applications. By building on our existing knowledge of these potential druggable targets, we will be advancing our progress to develop novel antimicrobial chemotherapies.

3rd Prize | Bonakele Mtolo

Bonakele Mtolo is a PhD candidate in Material Science at the University of the Witwatersrand in the School of Chemistry. She holds an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and Geology, Honours in Chemistry, and an M. Sc in Chemistry (WITS). Broadly conceived, her doctoral work is focused on developing a novel hybrid catalyst to overcome the separation difficulties faced with using a homogeneous catalyst in most industrial chemical processes. She is particularly interested in developing a heterogenized homogeneous catalyst by encapsulating a homogenous catalyst inside a nanoreactor (HCSs) to improve the catalyst activity, recovery, and its recyclability after a catalytic reaction. She is fascinated by ground-breaking work and a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and Catalysis Society of South Africa (CATSA). Her goal in life is to leave a mark through her research and a legacy she could always be remembered with.

THE WITS PHD SEMINAR

Inaugurated in 2020 by the then Wits Director of Postgraduate Affairs, Professor Robert Muponde, the competition is based on a pre-selected concept or word that PhD students are asked to respond to from the strength and uniqueness of their own research and discipline. In 2020 the word was Pandemic, and in 2021 it was Resilience. Last year the word was Innovation and the presenters were truly innovative with their groundbreaking research. This took place on the 12th-16th September 2022. These are the presenters that came out victorious: Winner Profiles.docx

1st Prize Winner | Sukanya Sinha

Sukanya Sinha is a final year doctoral student at the School of Physics. Her main research interest is dark matter searches in ATLAS and beyond, focussing on final states which have not been explored yet and she has also published papers on collider phenomenology. She has produced the first ever results on an unique final state, termed semi-visible jets, and presented her work in national and international conferences. Sukanya has been involved in the mentorship of students working towards their Masters’ thesis from her department since the start of her PhD. She has been a part of outreach activities in South Africa, in the form of radio show interviews, and believes that science education plays a crucial role in shaping the present and future generations. She likes traveling, meeting new people, and binge watches web series in her free time.

2nd Prize Winner | Alicia Joshua

I am a PhD candidate in the School of Molecular and Cell Biology with a specialization in Protein Biochemistry. My specific focus is on transcription factors and how these factors regulate the immune system. Prior to pursuing my PhD in Protein Biochemistry, I obtained my MSc degree from the University of Pretoria in Malaria research and my undergraduate degree had a key focus on both Biochemistry and Physiology. My goal in life has always been to help people through my research by providing an insight into how the human body functions. This is in line with my current research which focuses on understanding the dynamics of the immune system and how transcription factors play a role in the dynamic behaviour of it.

3rd Prize Winner | Mande Goldfein

Mande Goldfein is currently completing her PhD, part time, in the Protein Structure and Function Research unit through the School of Molecular and Cell Biology. She is a practising homeopathic practitioner and lectures biochemistry. Her current research enables her to further explore and identify scientific interactions related to speech and language disorders and the various adjunctive supplements given for these disorders. The role of FOXP2 is most well-known for speech and language development, through the discovery of a missense mutation affecting the forkhead domain (FHD), however it has been implicated in other syndromes including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit disorder, dementia and schizophrenia. The use of micronutrients both in the treatment and prevention of various neurodevelopmental disorders have increased significantly, yet there are few known interactions between these various important vitamins and FOXP2. Her project aims to determine if there is an interaction between FOXP2 FHD and either folic acid, retinoic acid and/or pyrroloquinoline quinone and if this interaction has an impact of the transcriptional activity of FOXP2. 32

4th Runner-up | Paballo Moshupya

My name is Paballo Moshupya, I am a PhD candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand in the School of Geosciences. I am also a Researcher at the Centre for Nuclear Safety and Security of the National Nuclear Regulator. My area of focus is on environmental radioactivity, radiation protection and Hydrogeology. The research that I am involved in assess the radioactivity levels in natural and anthropogenic sources and evaluate the impact of mining residual products on the environment and the public. The research develops regulatory tools and provides scientific support for the development of safety standards to regulate and control radiation exposures. I am interested in doing research that identifies community problems, creates awareness and solve problems that are a concern to members of the public.

5th Runner-up | Divesha Essa

Divesha Essa is a PhD student in Pharmaceutical Chemistry My research is using nanotechnology to develop smart drug delivery systems for chemotherapy. These systems are designed to evade immunological responses and exploit tumour characteristics in order to target and destroy cancer cells. They have demonstrated the ability to enter cancer cells, to kill them at lower doses and to prevent cancer cell regrowth more effectively than cancer drugs alone. Further work will be to investigate the activity and feasibility of the systems for clinical applications.

6th Runner-up | Nino Rodda

Nino is a PhD candidate in administrative law. She is interested in Transformative Constitutionalism in administrative law and state self-review cases. Nino did masters degree in water and environmental law at Wits University. She has 3 years legal research experience. Nino has particular skills in water law. She is interested in municipal accountability and water service delivery to local government level. Nino will be very much interested in teaching water law at masters level”

People’s Choice Winner | Malehlogonolo Mphahlele

I am a second year PhD candidate in the school of chemistry and have just recently converted from an MSc degree. I completed my BSc in Geology and Chemistry at UCT and transitioned to Wits in my Honours year. I am an avid runner and a fitness enthusiast; I also love the great outdoors and very much enjoy being in nature. My fondness for nature is one of the reasons I am pursuing my current project, which entails water treatment. My reserach involves synthesizing adsorbents that can be used in recovering precious metals (PGMs) from mining waste solutions, thus aiding in pollution control as well as alleviating the scarcity that is associated with these precious metals. I believe that the earth is our only precious home, therefore ours to take care of, and we should all be soldiers of the earth by looking after it such that future generations will also experience the treasures of our beautiful planet. I am also the chairperson of the Chemistry Postgrad Committee, which was initiated this year, with hopes to build an environment that seeks out the best interests of Postgrads; allows them to network with each other through various seminars and events that we have implemented and lastly to ensure that their postgrad experience will be a memorable one.

PGA EVENTS

The Postgraduate Association hosted three events namely, PGA Debate, PGA Dialogue, and PGA Open mic with Belita Andre (formerly PGA Poetry night). The Objectives for the events were to create a PG Community, enhance PGA visibility and amplify postgraduate voices, support and exposure.

PGA Debate- held on the 22nd of September 2022. The topic of the debate was “Can big data play a role in ethical decision-making and improve institutional research?” PGA Debate Photos.docx

PGA Dialogue - held on the 12th of October 2022. Topic: How can we create sustainable PG student structure/s that can support evergrowing research-intensive universities?”

WESTERN CAPE BENCHMARKING AND PG NETWORK 21st to the 23rd of October 2022. PGA Team: Mr Khethani Mathikhi Ms Nqobile Mkhize Mr Thando Dlamini Mr Tanner Kerspuy Ms Malefo Seeletse

MISSION The Creation of a PG experience that promotes diversity, inclusion and collaboration. The PG experience will place focus on integrating educative and socially transformative conversations based on the PG community, through consultations and dialogues related to teaching, learning and the postgraduate experience.

VISION To Establish a human centered Postgraduate(PG) network, based on collaboration and the creation of a broad PG community, both nationally and regionally. This community would be founded on a postgraduate identity that is rooted in a research strategy that pioneers innovation and sustainability.

Members of the Wits Postgraduate Association were delegated to hold conversations with student bodies at the University of the Western Cape, the University of Cape Town, and Stellenbosch University. The trip had two components that aligned with the abovementioned aim and mission at an institutional and national level: Benchmarking and the establishment of a “National PG Network” that could eventually be the basis upon which a broader, continental postgraduate network can be realised. Continentally, this could start with PG hubs linked closely to the missions of research-intensive universities in Africa. A carefully imagined and adequately resourced PG Network can also assist the university to widen its pool of international postgraduate students.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Moputso “Digizine” Team: PG Research and Development Ofﬁce: Head of Postgraduate Liaison: Prof Robert Muponde (January-December 2022) Administrative Officer: Mmatshepo Taunyane

Student Affairs Ofﬁce:

Special Projects Assistant: Rebecca Mahaule Dean of Student Affairs: Jerome September Postgraduate Association Ofﬁce: Deputy Chairperson 2021/2022: Tanner Kerspuy PGA Academic & Legal Officer 2021/2022: Khethani Mathikhi PGA Chair 2022/2023: Nqobile Mkhize Deputy Chairperson 2022/2023: Angeline Duma Local Student’s Rep 2022/2023: Dimakatso Hlahla Special Thanks to: Wits Communications Senior Communications Officer: Deborah Minors Marketing/Design Team UCDP (University Capacity Development programme) Grant for support of the PG Magazine initiative which falls under the PG Network.