Limpopo Leader - University of Limpopo

LIMPOPONUMBER 17AUTUMN 2009IeaderDISPATCHES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPOWORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS:Tito Mboweni visits TurfloopFULL MEDICAL SCHOOL FOR LIMPOPO:It’s definite and imminentTRANSPORTATION IN SA:The University lends a hand

What have you been reading lately?SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBEto Limpopo Leader and be informed by theprovince’s most dynamic magazineStudents subscribe now and save 50%Subscribing to Limpopo Leader Magazine for ONE YEAR costsjust R50 per annum for Students & R100 per annum for Alumniand local subscribers!• Student subscriptions MUST include your student number• Subscribe by post and include your proof of payment• Subscriptions can be paid directly to DGR Writing &Research’s account• Or by cheque made payable to DGR Writing & Research• Proof of payment FAXED with subscriber’s full details to: (+27) 011 782 0335Account Details:Bank:Standard BankBranch:MelvilleBranch Code: 00-61-05Account Number: 002 879 336Account Name: DGR Writing & Research ccReference:Subs/(+ your initials & surname)Contact: Clare-Rose JuliusTel: (+27) 011 782 0333 Fax: (+27) 011 782 0335 Cell: 072 545 2366Email: info@developmentconnection.co.zaPO Box 2756, Pinegowrie 2123, Gauteng, South Africa

LETTERS TO THE EDITORA REQUEST FROM UGANDAI AM A FREELANCE JOURNALIST BASED IN UGANDA, AND I WASREADING Limpopo Leader NUMBER 14 ONLINE. It had some veryinteresting pieces. I saw the article concerning the Dr George MukhariHospital, and I am especially interested in getting in touch with with oneof the hospital’s public relations people, like Kealeboga Mohajane. Is thereany chance you could help me getting in touch with her, or any of hercolleagues? Thanks in advance.ARNE DOORNEBALUganda.We have sent the relevant contact details to this correspondent – Editor.HERE’S ANOTHER RESPONSE FROM THE EDITORSEVERAL TIMES RECENTLY, I HAVE BEEN QUESTIONED REGARDING THEUSE OF EPITHETS AND TITLES IN Limpopo Leader. We have followednational and international print media style in this regard. The full designation– professor or doctor or governor or minister – and the first name is used atthe first mention; thereafter surnames only are used. Terms like Mr and Msare never used. The first name usually reveals the gender; otherwise theearly use of pronouns – he or she – will clarify the situation – Editor.pPREFERENCE WILL BE GIVEN TOSHORT LETTERS. Aim for a maximumof 100 to 150 words or expect yourepistle to be edited. Please givecontact details when writing to us.No pseudonyms or anonymousletters will be published.ADDRESS YOUR LETTERSTO:The EditorLimpopo LeaderPO Box 2756Pinegowrie 2123South AfricaFax: (011) 782-0335E-mail: dgrwrite@iafrica.comBudget Accommodation (Cape Town)Riverview Lodge (Observatory)• FIVE-STAR budget accommodation• Ideal for large/small GROUPS• CONVENIENTLY situated close to UCT and all that CAPE TOWN offers• HOLIDAY accommodation• RATES: From R125 per person sharing (BED & BUDGET BREAKFAST)Meals available upon requestPhone: (021) 447 9056Fax: (021) 447 5192Email: info@riverview.co.zaWebsite: www.riverview.co.zaP A G E 1

Limpopo Leader ispublished by the Marketing andCommunications Department,University of Limpopo,PO Box X1106,Sovenga 0727,Limpopo,South Africa.HYPERLINK “http://www.ul.ac.za”www.ul.ac.zaEDITOR: David Robbins.Tel: 011-792-9951 or082-787-8099 ordgrwrite@iafrica.comADVERTISING:Clare-Rose JuliusTel: 011-782-0333 or072-545-2366EDITORIAL COMMITTEE:DK Mohuba (chairman)Daphney KgwebaneNorman NyazemaElizabeth LubingaDavid RobbinsGail RobbinsARTICLES written by JANICEHUNT: Campus with a Past –Part Two, School of DentistryRises High Above Mediocrity,The School That’s Taken aBig Bite Out of Life, The Highsand Lows From the Top:Pages 24 – 32PHOTOGRAPHS:Robbie Sandrock – pages:cover photograph, top left &bottom right 16, 23;Liam Lynch – pages: top right16, 21, 24, 25, 28;The Bigger Picture – pages:back cover, 4, 5, 8; ULarchives – page: 11;David Robbins – pages: top &bottom 6, 9, 13, 15, bottomright 16, 18;Medunsa campus LibraryArchives – pages: 27, 30, 31esDESIGN AND LAYOUT:JAM STREET DESIGN (PRETORIA)PRINTING: Colorpress (pty) LtdPRODUCTION MANAGEMENT:Gail RobbinsDGR Writing & ResearchTel: 011-782-0333 or082-572-1682 ordgrwrite@iafrica.comARTICLES MAY BE REPRINTEDWITH ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.ISSN: 1812-5468EDITORIALaAN IMPORTANT FOCUS IN THIS 17TH EDITION OF Limpopo LeaderMUST BE THE COMING OF LIMPOPO’S NEW TERTIARY HOSPITAL ANDTHE FULL MEDICAL SCHOOL THAT WILL BE ATTACHED TO IT. In somerespects this is old news. Ever since the merger between the oldUniversity of the North and Medunsa (the medical university close toPretoria) at the beginning of 2005, an improved health sciences trainingplatform for the province has been on the cards. Only the when and thehow have been under constant discussion. What has finally emerged isthat the merger will mean a duplication of training facilities rather thantheir physical relocation. A task team has now been established toco-ordinate the wide-ranging activities that are necessary to get the newfacilities off the ground, as well as the teaching that needs to take placefor the facilities to be fully and effectively utilised. Some key facts arebeginning to emerge: exactly where the new facilities are to be built;when the first intake of medical students will be admitted; and so on.Particularly interesting is what already exists in the Polokwane andMankweng hospitals that will form the basis of the medical school, andthe work now going on to strengthen the allied health departments of theschool, which will include training for such professions as dentistry,physiotherapy, pharmacy, radiography and the like. Our coverage onthe latest developments (that are of profound importance to Polokwane,the province, and indeed the SADC region) starts on page 17.Closely allied to this news is the appointment of a new ExecutiveDean of Health Sciences to oversee activities both at Ga-Rankuwa (theold Medunsa campus) and at the university’s headquarters at Turfloopand Polokwane. It’s going to be a difficult job. However, if pastexperience is anything to go by, the appointee, Professor Errol Holland,will be equal to it. Hard to imagine these days that Holland, afterqualifying as a specialist haematologist during the 1970s, was debarredfrom working at the Johannesburg General Hospital because of thecolour of his skin.There’s plenty more to occupy readers with our coverage of SouthAfrica’s transportation challenges and the university’s contribution totheir resolution; and with the annual visit to Turfloop of Tito Mboweni,Governor of the Reserve Bank. He spoke candidly to economics studentsabout the world economic crisis and had some penetrating things to sayabout Africa’s propensity to development aid dependency and tocorruption.Finally, there’s part two of our anecdotal history of the Ga-Rankuwacampus, this time shedding particular light on the early days of theSchool of Dentistry there. Enjoy.NEXT ISSUEA TURFLOOP ACADEMIC IS TEACHING FRENCH TO CHILDREN IN THESOVENGA COMMUNITIES SURROUNDING THE UNIVERSITY. Eccentricor realistic? When the sheer size of Francophone Africa is taken intoaccount, the answer may well be the latter. It’s another sign that SouthAfricans, after the isolation of apartheid, are moving closer to being partof the continental main. We’ll also be examining the relationship betweenthe University’s School of Education and the provincial education authorites.Water will be another important focus. Aves-vous soif de plus?P A G E 2

IN THIS ISSUEcover picture:A young doctor at work in Mankweng Hospital – one of theinstitutions that will be involved in the full medical training platformcoming to Polokwane.page 4:Getting from A to B in SA. THE TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGE, anAmerican expert speaks; and an update on University of Limpopoinvolvement.page 8:Getting from A to B in SA. WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE?page 10:WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS – the university’s involvement.page 11:TITO MBOWENI AT TURFLOOP – The Governor of the South AfricanReserve Bank gives his annual lecture.page 14:THE SOCIAL IMPACT of the economic crisis in South Africa.page 17:COMING AT LAST, Limpopo’s very own medical training platform.page 19:Limpopo’s medical training platform – WHAT’S ON THE GROUNDALREADY?page 20:THE OTHER HALF of a medical school comprises the allied healthprofessions.page 21:A COMPLEX AND CHALLENGING TASK. Profile of Professor ErrolHolland, new Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences.page 24:CAMPUS WITH A PAST. Part 2 of our extensive look at theanecdotal history of the medical activities on the Ga-Rankuwa campus.page 25:Campus with a past – SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY RISES HIGH ABOVEMEDIOCRITY.page 28:Campus with a past – THE SCHOOL THAT’S TAKEN A BIG BITE OUTOF LIFE.page 30:Campus with a past – THE HIGHS AND LOWS FROM THE TOP.

Getting from A to B in SATHE TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGEwWE ALL KNOW THE MAINELEMENTS OF THE SOUTHAFRICAN TRANSPORTATIONSTORY: INADEQUATE PUBLICTRANSPORT, SPORADIC TAXIWARS, CONGESTED ROADS,HIGH ACCIDENT RATES, ANDAN UNDER-UTILISED RAILWAYSYSTEM. It’s very often quite anightmare trying to get around.Little wonder, therefore, thatconsiderable interest was shownin a lecture on the subject deliveredin March on the Turfloop campusof the University of Limpopo.‘Transport Management inSouth Africa: Challenges andProspects’ was presented byDr Oliver Page of the Universityof Michigan TransportationResearch Institute in the UnitedStates. Page was well-qualified todeal with such a subject, havingworked earlier this decade as atransportation researcher withSouth Africa’s CSIR for five years.A delegation from the CSIRtravelled from Pretoria to attendPage’s presentation, as didrepresentatives from the transportdepartment of the Limpopoprovincial government. Thepresence of these bodies on theTurfloop campus was significantbecause the University ofLimpopo, in collaboration with theCSIR, had designed a Bachelor ofAdministration in TransportManagement degree that kickedoff in 2005 with nearly 50 students.Most of them had been awardedfull bursaries from Limpopoprovince in exchange for a threeyearemployment commitment tothe Department of Transport.A further 50 have been enrolledeach year since then in a dealthat is worth R17-million overseven years. (See story in box onpage 7: Is Limpopo provincegetting its money’s worth?)P A G E 4

The Bigger PictureThe original motivation behindthis development was straightforward:to improve the levels ofspecialised transportationexpertise in the province and toenhance the status of transportationmanagement generally.During his presentationPage identified anotherimportant function. He spokeabout the urgent need for moreresearch capacity in the countryto cope with mounting pressurefrom the numerous challengesconfronting transportation inSouth Africa. ‘I know that studentsare keen to turn their academicachievements into real economicimprovements as soon as possible.But a real national need is forcapable people to work inresearch. There simply aren’tenough transportationresearchers. Students shouldseriously consider this option: theywill get to travel, and to becomeinvolved in cutting-edge projects.It’s a really worthwhile career.’The content of Page’s presentationcertainly underscored theseclaims – while at the same timepainting a frequently sombrepicture of a country facing acollection of transportationproblems in urgent need of seriousexamination and resolution.Page isolated several criticaltransportation issues confrontingSouth Africa, and indeed theworld, with the problem of trafficcongestion being the mostimportant. ‘Congestion,’ Pagesaid, ‘is a symptom of excessdemand over supply of roadspace. There are two types –intermittent congestion caused byspecial events or accidents; andrecurring congestion, for exampleduring morning and afternoon‘rush hours’ – that have becomeendemic to any given road system.’P A G E 5

Getting from A to B in SATHE TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGEProf Obeng Mireku and Dr Oliver PageFROM LEFT Prof Obeng Mireku, Polly Boshielo and Dr Oliver Page with Turfloop campus colleaguesGauteng, for example,experiences the latter type, whererush hours have steadily extendeduntil at no time of the workingday does congestion cease.The costs of congestion arevaried and can quickly becomeserious. They include economicconsequences: people can hardlybe economically active when theyare stuck in the traffic.Environmental consequences:pollution from slow-moving trafficis becoming a severe problem.Health consequences are mademanifest through increases inrespiratory diseases andincreased incidents of road rage.Finally, logistical consequencesoccur when deliveries of goodsand services are delayed.Expanding outwards from thisfundamental critical issue, Pageidentified the major challengesfacing South African transportationsystems.Beginning with the country’sroads, he pointed out that thegrowing congestion and highaccident rates could be attributedto various factors, not least ofwhich was ‘the migration of cargofrom rail to road to a point whereonly 12 percent of freight iscarried by rail while the remaining88 percent is hauled across theroad network’. The Durban toGauteng corridor was particularlyoverloaded. Another contributingfactor to the lack of road supplywas that road-users did not payfor the true costs of road use,resulting in surface deteriorationof road infrastructure and limitednew construction. There was alsoa disparity between urban andP A G E 6

IS LIMPOPO PROVINCEGETTING ITS MONEY’SWORTH?rural road supply, with theadvantage weighted heavily infavour of the former.‘The country’s railways alsoface severe challenges,’ Pagecontinued. ‘They stem largely fromlack of investment in the system.The result is ageing rolling stockand infrastructure, which in turnmeans that freight throughput andcapacity are limited. This iscoupled with low staff skill levelswhich translates into generallypoor and unreliable servicedelivery. All this is exacerbatedby widespread theft of cabling inparticular, and by wilful damageto infrastructure.’The result of these challengesis a public transport network withserious challenges of its own: anageing minibus fleet; minibus taxiviolence; supplier-driven farestructures; and a general publictransport environment ofcriminality and insecurity.What can South Africansexpect? Page listed a number ofdevelopments that will benecessary to improve SouthAfrica’s ailing transportationsystems. Among the mostimportant were:• Major upgrading andrefurbishment of the railwaysinfrastructure.• More customer-driven railservices like the SowetoBusiness Express and theGautrain.• The decentralisation of railservices.• The taxi recapitalisationprogramme to continue.• Improved automobile safetyfeatures – anti-locking brakesand electronic stability control– to become mandatory on allvehicles to reduce accidents.• Improved safety and securityon and around public transport.• The introduction of integratedrapid transit systems thatwould combine minibus taxiservices with formal bus andrail routes on one ticket.• Transponders fitted to vehiclesto complement the currentmanual systems on toll roadsand speed up the flow of traffic.However, Page is acutely awarethat the success of all theseprospects or suggested improvementswould be heavilydependent on the acceleratedtraining of transportation personnel,from drivers and maintenancestaff to managers, planners and(yes, you’ve guessed it)researchers.‘What is needed,’ he told hisTurfloop audience, ‘are increasedbursary and sponsorship opportunities,increased partnerships withinternational universities andresearch and developmentinstitutes, more versatilemanagement developmentprogrammes capable of deliveryas full- or part-time courses; andserious consideration needs to begiven on how to reward personnelwith scarce and critical skillswithin the transportation sector foroutstanding performance.’THE QUESTION CONCERNSTHE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THEUNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO ANDTHE CSIR, THE TWOORGANISATIONS WHICHDESIGNED THE DEGREE INTRANSPORTATION THAT HASBEEN TAUGHT ON THETURFLOOP CAMPUS SINCE2005.‘Most emphatically, yes,’ saysPolly Boshielo, the provincialdepartment’s general manager ofpublic transport and closely involvedwith the university-based programme.‘We’re getting our money’s worth.The programme is really helping toimprove our standards of transportplanning and management; andnew skills are being developed.We’re very keen to continue withthe partnership.’So far, 100 graduates havepassed the course, most of whomare employed in the TransportDepartment. A further 150 studentsare in training.Now, plans are afoot to changethe Bachelor of Public Administrationdegree to a BCom specialising intransportation economics, not leastpublic transport. ‘We’re pressingfor this,’ says Boshielo, ‘becausethat’s where the future of SouthAfrica’s transportation systems lies.Private transport will increasinglybecome too expensive and toocostly in terms of the environment.’Boshielo points to the NationalTransport Master Plan 2050 and tothe Public Transport Strategy Plan2020 for verification. ‘It’s importantthat as a province Limpopo acquiresthe necessary skills effectively toassist to put these important plansinto practice.’P A G E 7

Getting from A to B in SAWHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE?Imagine a frequent rail service speeding on widegaugetrack between Polokwane and Marble Hall.The route runs through some of the most denselypopulated parts of south-central Limpopo. A pictureemerges of a transportation system that willradically improve the developmental options forwell over a million people.The Bigger PicturetTHERE ARE BIG TRANSPORTATION PLANS FOR 21STCENTURY SOUTH AFRICA. First off, there’s NATMAP2050. This is the national transport master plan thatbegan in 2005 and is scheduled to run to the middleof the 21st century. Then there’s the Public TransportStrategy and Action Plan 2007 – 2020, the result ofextensive consultation with all stakeholders culminatingin the Transport Indaba held in Soweto in October2006 and approved by cabinet several months later.But what do these plans contain, and what are theimplications for Limpopo province? Polly Boshielo, theprovince’s general manager of public transport and agraduate of the Turfloop Postgraduate School ofLeadership’s MBA programme, provides some of theanswers.NATMAP 2050, she says, is concerned with examining,determining and crystallising the relationshipsbetween various areas (whether industrial, urban,agricultural, etc) in the country and the transportationrequirements emanating from area-specific needs.‘The interaction between land use in the variousareas and the evolution of an integrated transportationplan is a fundamental planning consideration,’Boshielo points out. ‘The way in which transportationmaster plan unfolds must facilitate sustainablesocio-economic growth and should help to promotecoherent and integrated development planning acrossthe country.’NATMAP 2050 will focus on major nationaltransportation networks and macro planning. To dothis effectively a central land-use and transportationdatabank will be maintained. A few of the principlesthat will guide the planning process are:• To offer a central transportation vision into whichprovinces can fit their own transportation plans.P A G E 8

Polly Boshielo, a senior transportation manager in Limpopowith an MBA from the University of Limpopo’s TurfloopPostgraduate School of Leadership• To make maximum use of existing transportationinfrastructure (roads and railways and airports)before developing new ones.• To gradually overhaul the country’s extensive railnetwork by shifting from the presently used 1067 mmCape railway gauge to 1435 mm gauge and theincremental introduction of high-speedrailway equipment and rolling stock.Slotting into the overarching master planning processis the shorter term Public Transport Strategy andAction Plan 2007 – 2020. The first phase of this planhas been designed to implement integrated rapidpublic transport networks (IRPTNs) in the 2010 WorldCup host cities, and hopefully in a few more places aswell. The second decade in the life of the plan willextend the IRPTNs to other cities and areas, which willultimately impact on half the total population of SouthAfrica.WHAT’S AN IRPTN?Boshielo points to the national documentation. It’s acentrally controlled transport network that incorporatesall modes of transport active in the network oftransport corridors. ‘Imagine a network,’ saysBoshielo, ‘where trains, buses and taxis all form partof a single co-ordinated whole, getting people fromA to B in the shortest possible time, and supported byappropriate pedestrian and cycling networks withfacilities like footpaths and bridges, and park-and-rideamenities for motorists linking into the rail and roadservices of any particular IRPTN.’Such transportation services would require whatBoshielo called ‘intermodal facilities’ where thevarious modes of transport – trains, buses, taxis, aswell as private modes of transport – could interact,thus speeding up the travel time for ordinary people.She said that seven areas in Limpopo had alreadybeen targeted for the development of intermodalfacilities at the heart of IRPTNs. They were Polokwane,Giyani, Jane Furse, Mikado, Thohoyandou, Northamand Burgersfort.According to the national documentation, IRPTNswill aim for high frequency services (say every fiveminutes in peak periods) and between 16-and 24-houroperations. Wheelchair passengers will be cateredfor; and the network will prioritise walking and cyclingand the use of public transport over private car travel.As an example of the transportation improvementsin the pipeline for Limpopo, Boshielo refers to the‘Moloto rail corridor initiative’ that is planned tooperate between Polokwane and Marble Hall 120 kmto the south. The route runs through some of the mostdensely populated parts of the old so-called homelandof Lebowa. Now add the advantage of 1435 mmgauge tracks for extra speed to a high-frequencyservice (as outlined above), and a picture emerges ofa transportation system that will radically improve thedevelopmental options for well over a millionpreviously under-served people. And there’s a roaddecongestion bonus into the bargain: currently morethan 500 buses work that particular route – vehicleswhich could be redeployed to provide feeder servicesthat penetrate deeper into the remoter rural areas.‘A specialist rail research company has alreadybeen appointed to undertake a preliminary study onthe Moloto corridor project,’ Boshielo says. ‘And thisis just one of the projects that will help to transformtransportation – and facilitate development – in ourprovince.’P A G E 9

21 20021 200WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS21 20021 20020 40020 20020 00019 800tTHERE’S A WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS GOING ON. Everybody knows that. Our television screens and newspapersare full of it. We’ve all heard about such things as sub-prime lending, credit crunches, collapsing banks,economic recessions, tens of thousands of job losses, increasing numbers of home repossessions. There havebeen sombre recollections of the Wall Street crash of 1929 when not a few investors jumped from skyscrapersrather than face disastrous stock exchange losses. If we’re students of economics we may even have enteredinto the current philosophical arguments symbolised by Adam Smith, the 18th century father of laissez faire,on one side, and on the other Maynard Keynes, the arch proponent, after the Great Depression of the 1930s,of state intervention into and control of national economies. But what does it all mean – and not least forordinary South Africans? In the pages that follow, some answers emerge from the Turfloop campus of theUniversity of Limpopo.19 60019 40019 20019 000To begin with, the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Tito Mboweni, is an honorary professor in the Departmentof Economics and at the end of March he was on campus to deliver his annual lecture. He had some wisethings to say to a packed lecture hall. As counterpoint, the caretaker director of the School of Social Sciences,Professor Sello Sithole, examines the socio-political consequences of the economic recession in South Africa.Both these contributions make for essential reading for those interested in the economic mysteries andanomalies that stalk abroad in the world today.18 80018 600P A G E 1 0

World economic crisisMBOWENI SPEAKS ON TURFLOOPCAMPUSGovernor Tito MbolweniINTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS;iSALIENT FEATURES OF THE SOUTH AFRICANECONOMY AND FINANCIAL MARKETS; KEYECONOMIC INDICATORS; MONETARY POLICY ANDINFLATION; AND SOME GOOD PRACTICAL ADVICE –THESE WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT SUBHEADINGSIN GOVERNOR TITO MBOWENI’S LECTURE.According to Mboweni, the real GDP (grossdomestic product) in the United States dropped by6,3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, a declinethat reflected contractions in exports, gross privatedomestic fixed investment and personal consumptionexpenditure. American unemployment increased to8,1 percent in February 2009 and the four-weekmoving average surged to 650 000 job losses in theweek ending 21 March 2009. Across the Pacific, thereal GDP in Japan contracted by 12,1 percent in thefinal quarter of 2008, due mainly to negativecontributions from net exports and private investment.Economic activity in Western Europe contracted by 5,7percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, mainly as a resultof the decline in net exports, gross fixed capital formationand consumption expenditure; and the economicsentiment indicator declined further to 65,4 points inFebruary 2009. Mboweni mentioned these and otherfigures to show that the world economy was in badshape. According to the latest International MonetaryFund (IMF) forecasts published in March 2009, globaloutput was expected to contract for the first time inmany decades by around 0,5 to 1.0 percent in 2009.Thereafter, recovery would begin gradually, with globaloutput rising by around 1,5 to 2,5 percent in 2010.Oil prices had decreased sharply since mid-2008due to the financial crisis and slower global economicgrowth. The daily price of Brent crude oil, however,had gradually increased during March 2009. BrentP A G E 1 1

World economic crisisMBOWENI SPEAKS ON TURFLOOP CAMPUScrude oil futures prices are currently around US$54per barrel for delivery in the second quarter of 2009.South Africa’s export commodity price indexcontinued to recover through February 2009, althoughit remains much lower than the record highs registeredin early 2008. Inflation projections for advancedeconomies as well as emerging-market and developingeconomies were revised downwards for 2009 in theforecasts released by the IMF in January 2009,moving up again only in 2010.Meanwhile, South African banks had recordedstrong asset growth in recent years. Total bank assetsamounted to R3,2-trillion in January 2009, rising fromR2,7-trillion in January 2008, reflecting a growth rateof 20 percent over twelve months. This rate had nowslowed. Government revenue, boosted in recent yearsby improved tax compliance and administration, willalso decrease as economic activity slows, unemploymentrises and disposable income drops.Against this general background 1 of short-termgloom with brighter prospects for 2010, Mboweniprovided a set of specific interpretations to guide hisaudience to a more practical grasp of the crisis.He started by stressing that the global economywas inextricably integrated. What happened in onepart of the world affected other parts. He gave asan example the case of South Korea. That heavilyindustrialised country depended for its economicstability on the export of manufactured goods. If theUnited States, one of South Korea’s major exportmarkets, goes into recession, then demand for SouthKorea’s products lessens. Now add to this lesson incause and effect the fact that South Korea buys a lotof its raw materials from South Africa. Inevitably,South Korea’s raw-material demand is reduced, whichin turn means that South Africa will need to reduceraw-material production, which ultimately willtranslate into job losses in South Africa.‘We’re living in a connected world,’ Mbowenisaid. ‘There is no exclusively South African way ofdealing with the crisis. We’re part of hugeinterdependencies. That’s what it means to be partof the global economy.’In consequence of these interdependencies,developing countries will not be able to escape theeffects of the crisis. African countries will definitely notescape, Mboweni said. However, they could alleviatesome of their vulnerability by reducing their relianceon development aid and by fighting the corruption intheir governments. He referred, as an example, toNigeria as ‘a potentially rich economy’, but thenalluded to the recent theft in a Nigerian port of anentire oil tanker.‘There’s a lot to be done in Africa,’ he told hisaudience. ‘Budgets and currencies in circulationshould relate to production levels. Corruption acrossthe continent will have to be stamped out, and selfsufficiencyaimed at. The continent must stopdepending on handouts from the developed world.’Mboweni said that the bulk of South Africa’snational budget was increasingly becomingindependent of remittances by forgeign donors.Budget deficits were not funded by the InternationalMonetary Fund, but by borrowing through openmarket transactions. The point, however, was not toallow large budgetary deficits. That meant livingwithin one’s means. Over recent years, South Africahad moved from large deficits to small deficits, and toa target of breaking even, or even to a small surplusas had occurred in the last financial year (2007/08).‘To run a big deficit now would not be sensible,’ hesaid. ‘It’s not a good time to go to the Sovereign BondMarkets: the recession has pushed up interest rates.’A member of the audience asked whether it wasa good idea to bale out industries such as the automobilemanufacturers. Mboweni replied by saying that‘no amount of state money will reverse shrinking orderbooks’. The industries themselves – management andlabour – should make their own arrangements to copewith reduced production. Shortened hours of work, jobsharing, and other solutions needed to be developedbefore actual job losses were incurred.‘Instead of trying to support ailing industries weneed to improve consumer confidence,’ Mboweniasserted. ‘This will take a while, and in the interim joblosses will be inevitable. Fortunately, in South Africa,the current high levels of public works – for example,the construction of the Gautrain and other 2010 infrastructure– will help with employment for a time. Butthe world economic crisis will be accompanied by1 Dorcas Manzini of the University of Limpopo Communications Department collated the background facts used in this coverage of GovernorMboweni’s lecture.P A G E 1 2

negative social consequences in South Africa.’In this regard, Mboweni said it had surprised himthat the audience had asked no questions concerningthe impact of the economic crisis on South Africa’ssystem of social grants. ‘Perhaps we can discuss thatnext time,’ he concluded.A LINK INTO THE ECONOMICMAINSTREAMTITO MBOWENI, A FORMER MINISTER OFLABOUR, HAS BEEN GOVERNOR OF THE SOUTHAFRICAN RESERVE BANK SINCE 1999. He’s alsocarried on a special relationship with theDepartment of Economics at the University ofLimpopo for most of that time. This relationship,which is the result of his affection for the university,is marked by the delivery of an annual lecture onthe Turfloop campus. The relationship was furtherstrengthened some years back when he was madean honorary professor in the Department ofEconomics.Mboweni’s lecture at the end of March this yearis the sixth time in as many years that he hasspoken at the university. Primarily his audience iscomprised of economics students – although ofcourse many in the university community areanxious to find a seat in the auditorium.‘We’re very grateful for this link into theeconomic mainstream,’ says Economics HODProfessor Richard Ilorah. ‘It’s precisely the kind oflinkage that we want for the department. In fact,it’s a great honour for students and staff alike.’The Department of Economics is a sizeableaffair. It’s part of the School of Economics andManagement, which in turn is housed in theFaculty of Management and Law. There are seveneconomics lecturers teaching 623 first years,172 second years and 88 third years. ‘Regularly,we duplicate lectures to cope with these highundergraduate numbers,’ says Ilorah.Of concern to Ilorah is the low number ofpostgraduate students: only 24 engaged inHonours degrees, seven working towards theirMasters, and three studying at the doctoral level.‘The reason for this is undoubtedly economic,’Professor Richard Ilorahhe says. ‘Most of our students are from poor ruralbackgrounds. They get to university with the primepurpose of wanting to uplift themselves and theirfamilies from poverty. This is entirely understandable.A Bachelors degree is a passport to the worldof work with access to financial resources. For now,that’s enough for most of them. But the result in thedepartment is this scarcity of postgraduate studentsand research. We’d love to turn this situationaround – and we will. But it will take time.’That is why Mboweni’s regular visits are soimportant. They have the potential to inspirehundreds of young Limpopo students to keeplearning, or to return to learning at some laterstage, and to inspire some of them to make a realcontribution to African and South African economicresearch and philosophy.P A G E 1 3

World Economic CrisisTHE SOCIAL IMPACTB Y S E L L O S I T H O L E 2tTHE CURRENT ECONOMICCLIMATE HAS STRIKINGPARALLELS WITH THEECONOMIC DEPRESSION OFTHE 1930S, WHICH WAS ALSOFELT FIRST IN THE UNITEDSTATES AND THEN SPREADTHROUGHOUT THE WORLD.Look at some facts about thecurrent economic climate in SouthAfrica:• ‘40 000 mine workers will losetheir jobs’ (mutiply this figureby 10 because each workerfeeds almost ten people)(Hill 2008:43)• Donor funding for NGOs thatprovide welfare services aredrying up• People are losing their housesand cars• Many small businesses aregoing belly up• The burden on the country’swelfare system will be heavy.(The xenophobic attacks of lastyear are just one indicator ofa shrinking welfare pie.)It is true that every cloud has asilver lining – even if the lattermay not be visible to the nakedeye. The economic depression ofthe 1930s in the United Stateshad apocalyptic ramifications forbusiness and welfare. The impacton business was negative; on thewelfare front, however, thingswere much worse. However, anumber of positive and significantmilestones were also recorded.The combined failures of theeconomic system, privatecharitable agencies and state andlocal governments, placed socialwelfare much more firmly on thefederal agenda. In addition, the1930 Great Depression in theUnited States paved the way forthe election of Franklin Rooseveltto the presidency. Roosevelt, likePresident Barack Obama, had agenuine concern for others.Roosevelt had a personalexperience of polio, andObama’s parents, and Obamahimself to some extent,experienced ‘jim crow’. 3 Afterascending to power, Rooseveltintroduced policies referred to asthe New Deal, which weredesigned to reverse the economicwoes of the nation.The 1930 Depression in SouthAfrica had similar results. Theresponse of the then governmentwas to institute the CarnegieCommission to look into the PoorWhite Problem. Members of thecommission travelled throughoutthe country investigating theimpact of the ravages of thedepression on poor whitefamilies. After collecting data,the commission made thefollowing recommendations:• The establishment of a statebureau which would beresponsible for people’s socialwelfare (for whites only).• The training of skilled,university-educated socialworkers well versed in thesocial sciences.Consequently, the first statewelfare department was institutedin 1937, a development thatmarked the beginning oforganised state intervention insocial welfare, the rapiddevelopment of courses for socialwork training in South Africanuniversities, and the professionalisationof social work.It is inevitable that the currenteconomic recession will meanhardship in South Africa:unemployment will rise, andfamilies will face shortages offood, loss of shelter, and transportdifficulties. Families and marriagesbreak down during periodsof scarcity. People who wereliving above the poverty linesuddenly have to strip themselvesof their dignity, swallow theirpride, and queue for days on endfor unemployment insurancebenefit funds. Worse still, manywill be reduced to begging for2 Professor Sithole is caretaker director of the School of Social Sciences on the Turfloop campus of the University of Limpopo.3 A euphemism for American-style racial segregation.P A G E 1 4

food and shelter from friends andrelatives. All this means that thosewho depend on the country’ssocial welfare system will increasein number and the system itselfwill be placed under huge strain.The current recession will alsoplace on the agenda a robustdebate about which welfaremodel to follow; and which onewould most effectively ensure oursurvival. Is it the minimalistselective model based on themeans test or the institutionalisedone that is universally accessible?The central question that weface in our country is: where dowe go from here? South Africahas developed a neo-liberaleconomy that is residualist in itswelfare provisioning. This meansthat the current crisis will stretchthe government’s spending tolevels that were never beforeimagined. This in turn will placepressure on the state to move,albeit incrementally, fromneo-liberalism to real socialdemocracy as the size of our‘welfare state’ expands.Another parallel with theUnited States is that the recessionappears to be at its worst just asSouth Africans went to the polls.In the United States, BarackObama was voted into the WhiteHouse with a clear mandate fromthe electorate to turn thingsaround. Too many Americanswere choking under increasedProfessor Sello Sithole was born in Bela Bela and matriculated in nearby Mokopane. He went to the University ofthe North (now Limpopo) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work in 1983. After working for theTransvaal Administration for five years as a social worker, Sithole returned to his alma mater as a junior lecturerand continued his studies. He achieved his Honours degree in 1992, his Masters in 1998, and his doctoratethrough the University of Pretoria in 2002. He’s been acting as caretaker director of Turfloop’s School of SocialSciences since 2007. Asked why he had chosen social work, he replied candidly: ‘My higher education was sponsoredby my minister, but with this proviso, that I either enter the ministry or serve society in some way.’ Sitholesmiled engagingly. ‘I was very young at the time. I didn’t think I’d make the ministry. So here I am.’credit card debts and mortgagebond foreclosures. Obama, withhis Yes WE CAN clarion call, haspromised relief in a number ofways, including increased socialspending.Interestingly, Obama’s clarioncall is echoed by the ANC’selection slogan: Working togetherWE CAN achieve more. Almostcertainly, South Africa’s 2009general election will usher in anadministration characterised bya leftist agenda and rhetoric.Will the forces of globalisationundermine the good intentions?Believers in increased governmentspending on the welfare frontmust hope that the new administrationwill have the courage of itsconvictions – because talking leftand acting right could be a contradictionbeyond redemption by2014 (the probable date of SouthAfrica’s next general election).P A G E 1 5

Professor Peter FranksP A G E 1 6Professor Jabu Mbokazi

Limpopo’s very own medical training platformIT’S COMING AT LAST: A FULLMEDICAL SCHOOL IN POLOKWANEfFOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS, THERE’S BEEN TALK OFTHE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TERTIARY HOSPITAL ANDMEDICAL SCHOOL IN LIMPOPO. IT’S OFFICIALLYBEING CALLED A NEW ‘HEALTH SCIENCESTRAINING PLATFORM’.The in-principle decision to embark upon thisdevelopment was bound up with the complexities ofthe merger between Medunsa in Gauteng and the oldUniversity of the North. The process has beencomplicated by the involvement of the National andProvincial Departments of Education and theprovincial Department of Health, not to mention theaccommodation of the various interests in the twocampuses of the merged University of Limpopo. On thesurface, sometimes, the promise of new health andteaching facilities has seemed a distinctly on-off affair.But this time it’s definite. Key preparations havestarted in earnest: the facilities are on the way. Hereare some of the basic facts.The whole project is mandated and supported bya national cabinet decision. A 600-bed hospital is tobe built at the Edupark campus in Polokwane. It’ll bea multistorey affair so as to limit the distancebetween departments. The cost will be in the regionof R1,2-billion, and the hope is that construction willcommence later this year (2009). A detailedenvironmental impact study is already under way.But there’s a lot more to the project than this. In theplanning stage is the actual medical school buildingand of course residential blocks for staff and students.A delegation of university and provincial personnelwill be going to Australia and India soon to look atthe spatial relationship between hospitals and medicalschools in some of the newest developments of thiskind in the world.‘We’re looking for facilities here that are worldclass,’ says Professor Peter Franks, the University’sDeputy Vice-Chancellor Academic and the Turfloopcampus principal. ‘We’re determined to make thePolokwane teaching platform the best we possibly can.’On behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Franks chairs thetask team that has been established to co-ordinate thewide-ranging activities that are necessary to get thenew facilities off the ground, as well as the teachingthat needs to take place for the facilities to be fullyand effectively utilised.The task team was established at a workshop thattook place last November and was attended byrepresentatives of the University of Limpopo (fromTurfloop, Medunsa and the embryonic medical campusat the Polokwane Provincial Hospital), the LimpopoProvincial Department of Health and SocialDevelopment, as well as the Limpopo Office of thePremier and Provincial Treasury.The task team appointed several key committees tofacilitate the alignment of the vision of the Polokwanemedical training platform with various specialisedaspects of the university as a whole. These committeesdeal with curriculum issues, staffing requirements,logistics (including a full assessment of facilitiesrequired and a transport strategy that will link medicalstudents with the two provincial hospitals as well asthe Turfloop campus), and financial matters.The hope is that the first medical students –probably around 50 of them, but increasing forsubsequent annual intakes – will be registered at thestart of 2010. Of course, the new facilities won’t beready. They’ll start their studies in the sciencedepartments on the Turfloop campus and do theirclinical work (from year two) in the existing Polokwaneand Mankweng hospitals while the Health SciencesTraining Platform is being built.This projected 2010 commencement date is not amoment too soon for Dr Morwanphaga Nkadimeng,senior general manager of health care services inLimpopo’s Department of Health. ‘This country is desperatefor doctors,’ he asserts. ‘We simply can’t affordany more delays.’Nkadimeng supported his statement by pointing outthat South Africa had only 20 000 doctors registeredP A G E 1 7

Limpopo’s very own medical training platformIT’S COMING AT LAST: A FULL MEDICAL SCHOOL IN POLOKWANEwith the Health Professionals Council, many of whomwere working overseas, and 12 000 of whom were inprivate practice.‘Now compare this with World Health Organisationguidelines that advise a doctor/population ratio of1:500. Even at 50 percent of the WHO ratio, SouthAfrica should have 45 000 doctors. But existingmedical schools are producing only a thousand newdoctors a year. Looked at from this perspective,the whole country is on the brink of a medicalcatastrophe. We in the poorer provinces are runningour health services on foreign nationals. Here inLimpopo, the need is desperate.’Franks said his steering committee was currentlyengaged in the preparation of a business plan forsubmission to the national Department of Educationwhich will be asked to fund the Medical School facilitiesto the tune of up to R1,5-billion over three years.The project is not without its difficulties, however.Nkadimeng talks forcefully about the need for the newmedical school to foster relationships and linkageswith top international medical universities. ‘It’s difficultto attract top academic staff to Polokwane,’ he says;‘and the job of getting people from other countriesin the south is definitely made no easier by theaccreditation rules of the Health Professionals Council.But unless we unlock these particular doors – thosepertaining to international linkages and accreditation– it will be much more difficult to succeed.’Nevertheless, there is genuine enthusiasm for thePolokwane medical school project, and a determinationto face the challenges that the project presents.Franks points out that Polokwane is growing rapidlyand that it will become a big regional centre over time.‘The vision of the university is to be a top-class Africanuniversity solving African problems. My personalvision is that the Polokwane medical teaching platformwill become a regional African resource.’Professor Jabu Mbokazi, 4 the Deputy Dean of HealthSciences who is running the embryonic medical schoolat Polokwane Hospital, told of a recent visit by Britishacademic Dr John Cookson, who had helped tolaunch the Hull/York Medical School in north-eastEngland five years ago. ‘He was favourablyimpressed,’ Mbokazi said. ‘He admitted that theDr Morwanphaga Nkadimengembryonic Polokwane facility was currently operatingwith more specialised staff than had been at it hisdisposal when he began with the Hull/York school.’Professor Philip Venter, 5 the co-ordinator of theFaculty of Health Sciences on the Turfloop campus,makes no bones about his enthusiasm. ‘We have hugepotential here – for teaching and research,’ he says.‘We’re sitting right in the middle of SADC and we’rein the process of getting a state-of-the-art medicalschool and training hospital.’Professor Errol Holland, 6 the newly appointedExecutive Dean of the University’s Faculty of HealthSciences, says he firmly believes that the two medicaltraining platforms in his faculty will become worldleaders in developmental medicine. ‘In addition, we’llbecome the institution of choice for the most talentedteachers and most gifted students, particularly thosewith noble ideals to serve the most vulnerable.’We should allow Nkadimeng the last word.‘In 1956, a small hospital in Stellenbosch, against allthe odds, became a tertiary hospital. But the will tosucceed was there. Today that hospital is Tygerberg,one of South Africa’s largest tertiary teachinginstitutions. The will to succeed – in the provincialadministration and in the university – is now the mostimportant ingredient for us.’4 See the article on page 19 for more from Mbokazi. 5 See the article on page 20 for more from Venter.6 See profile on page 21 for more on Holland.P A G E 1 8

Limpopo’s very own medical training platformWHAT’S ON THE GROUND ALREADY?We take a look at the existing postgraduate school forspecialist doctors operating out of Polokwane Hospital, andget an inkling of how this will dovetail into the full HealthSciences Training Platform of the future.bBEHIND THE SPRAWLING POLOKWANE HOSPITALSTANDS AN INCONSPICUOUS RED-BRICK BUILDINGTHAT CAN BE CONSIDERED THE EMBRYO FROMWHICH LIMPOPO’S FULL MEDICAL TEACHINGPLATFORM WILL GROW. At the gate there’s a signthat refers to the building as a satellite campus of theUniversity of Limpopo. Inside, there’s a thrivingpostgraduate school for the training of doctors in arange of specialities.‘In fact, we have twelve fully accrediteddepartments,’ says Professor Jabu Mbokazi, who runsthe school. He is what is called a joint appointee,responsible simultaneously to the Limpopo Departmentof Health and the University of Limpopo, where heholds the position of Deputy Director in the Faculty ofHealth Sciences.The fully accredited departments are currentlytraining specialists in Public Health Medicine;Psychiatry; Radiology; Radiation Oncology;Ophthalmology and Paediatrics (both these specialitiesare centred at Mankweng Hospital which is situatedclose to the Turfloop campus in Sovenga); Obstetricsand Gynaecology; Nuclear Medicine; ForensicPathology; Anatomical Pathology; and Family Medicine.There are also six partially accredited departments.This means that registrars train in Polokwane for twoyears before going elsewhere for their final years.Obviously, partial accreditation is a first step tobecoming fully accredited. The following departmentsare still in the ‘partial’ category: Emergency Medicine;Internal Medicine; General Surgery;Otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose and throat);Orthopaedics; and Anaesthesiology.‘In anybody’s language, that’s a thrivingpostgraduate school,’ says Mbokazi. ‘We are currentlytraining 60 registrars in the various programmes.The required specialist/student ratio is 1:2 (theexception is Emergency Medicine where the ratio is1:4) so you can see that a good number of specialistteachers have already been attracted to Polokwane.Other specialities soon to be incorporated into theschool are Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Plastic andReconstructive Surgery.’But will the school be ready to train ordinaryundergraduate doctors?Mbokazi explains the new teaching methodologyused in many leading medical schools and also to beemployed in Polokwane. After a first year of basicsciences, undergraduate students are exposed to aseries of medical ‘themes’ – for example, nutrition orthe digestive system or cardiovascular issues – intowhich many of the existing specialist departments willbe able to make useful inputs.‘We’ve visited many medical schools,’ Mbokaziexplains, ‘and spoken to many people. For example,we were recently visited by British medical academicDr John Cookson. He was instrumental in launchingthe Hull/York Medical School in north-east Englandfive years ago. He was favourably impressed by whathe found here in Polokwane. He admitted that ourfacility was currently operating with more specialisedstaff than had been at it his disposal when he beganwith the Hull/York school.’The probable pattern for the future would be tobuild the general undergraduate training platform atthe Polokwane and Mankweng hospitals, while thespecialist and sub-specialist departments, currentlyoperating out of these hospitals, would eventually becentred at the new hospital and medical schoolcomplex to be built on the Edupark campus.P A G E 1 9

Limpopo’s very own medical training platformTHE OTHER HALFExamining the process of developing a range of alliedhealth disciplines to enrich the training range of thePolokwane medical school.dDOCTORS AREN’T THE ONLY HEALTHPROFESSIONALS THAT THE COUNTRY NEEDS ALOT OF. Indeed, doctors would be hard-pressed tobe effective without the support of a whole range ofdisciplines that together make up the total healthcarepackage. So it wouldn’t make sense for a medicalfaculty, complete with the necessary sophisticatedtraining hospital, not to pay close attention to these‘non-medical’ or ‘allied health’ disciplines. Thesedisciplines constitute the other half of the medicalschool package planned for the special health campusadjacent to Edupark in Polokwane.The person charged with developing this side ofthings is Professor Philip Venter, currently theco-ordinator of the Faculty of Health Sciences on theTurfloop campus. It would be difficult to find anyonemore motivated, and more in tune with the potential.Speaking about the prospects of a Health SciencesTraining Platform for Limpopo Province in 2005,Venter was quoted as saying that ‘the big opportunityis to develop one of the finest rurally-based trainingplatforms in the whole of the developing world’. 7Now he – and the whole of Limpopo province –have got the chance.To effect the necessary preparatory work, Venterhas already established an Allied Health DevelopmentTeam (AHDT) which has met on several occasions.An important innovation in Venter’s approach is tohave included non-academic clinical practitioners fromthe provincial health services in the team.The reason for this is straightforward. The alliedhealth disciplines already established in the Facultyof Health Sciences are optometry, pharmacy, nursing,nutrition, medical science and public health. These willform a useful base for the non-medical side of the newfaculty. But more departments will need to be added toachieve the vision of a full medical faculty for Limpopo.‘Our approach with regard to those departmentsthat do not currently exist,’ explains Venter, ‘is tobegin to build on the clinical services alreadyoperating in the province. These include radiography,speech therapy and audiology, physiotherapy,dentistry, and so on. So we have asked the staff fromthese services to help the AHDT to establishappropriate curricula for undergraduate degrees.Ultimately, of course, we’ll be talking masters anddoctoral degrees as well.’Venter says that this inclusion of existing clinicalservices staff has generated real enthusiasm for whatis happening in the province. This enthusiasmreinforces the feedback that Venter himself gave to theAHDT from the second faculty restructuring workshopheld earlier this year: that the Edupark health campuswill house a full school of allied health sciences.No fewer than 16 allied health departments areenvisaged. As well as the existing Turfloopdepartments and those to be developed from existingclinical services departments within the provincialhealthcare system, some brand new specialities arebeing considered. An example of this as the mooteddepartment of Kineseology (a branch of sportsmedicine for sports trainers, coaches, and physicaleducation in schools). Training in this last categorywill soon be in high demand because the Departmentof Education has agreed in principle to reintroducephysical education into government schools.‘We have huge potential here – for teaching andresearch in the allied health sciences,’ says Venter.‘We’re sitting right in the middle of SADC and we’rein the process of getting a state-of-the-art medicalschool and training hospital. That’s an appetisingcombination. It certainly augurs well for the future ofthe University of Limpopo.’7 See Limpopo Leader 3 Autumn 2005, page 23.P A G E 2 0

Profile: Professor Errol HollandA COMPLEX AND CHALLENGINGTASKProfile follows on page 22.P A G E 2 1

Profile: Professor Errol HollandA COMPLEX AND CHALLENGING TASKaAT THE BEST OF TIMES, RUNNING A HEALTHSCIENCES FACULTY IS MORE THAN A FULL-TIMEJOB. Running one with two teaching platforms – inlayman’s parlance, with two full medical schools – isan almost unimaginably complex undertaking.Nevertheless, that’s what Professor Errol Holland hastaken on. On 1 April this year, he started work as theExecutive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at theUniversity of Limpopo. This means that he’s in chargeof the old Medunsa medical school on the university’sGa-Rankuwa campus and that he’ll be intimatelyinvolved with the establishment of the new medicalschool currently being established in Polokwane.That’s a huge AND. However, Holland very clearlysees what could easily be considered two distinct jobsas a single challenge.‘My top priority will be to integrate the oldMedunsa with the new Polokwane,’ he says. ‘We’reall part of a single institution. We have commongoals. Our joint mission is to serve the vulnerable.I want Medunsa to be proud of being part of thePolokwane initiative. I want Polokwane to work inclose association with the needs and aspirations ofhealth service delivery in Limpopo province.’Brave words, particularly when they are soconsciously uttered against the backdrop of the stopstartmerger, officially established in January 2005,between the old University of the North and Medunsa.Holland (now 61) knows what he’s talking about.Since September 2005, he’s served as the Strategicand Technical Manager in the office of the Chief ofOperations in Gauteng’s Department of Health, andsubsequently the office of Special Advisor to the MECfor Health. During his period with Gauteng, he’s donesome extraordinary things. During a period ofexplosive labour unrest in 2006, he served ascaretaker CEO of the Dr George Mukhari Hospital(to which Medunsa is attached), when he was obligedto pick up a personal bodyguard each morning on hisway to work. Once again stepping into the breech,Holland found himself in charge of Gauteng’s ForensicPathology Service for several months. And he wasclosely involved in the complex process of therelocation of the Pretoria Academic Hospital to theultra-modern Steve Biko Academic Hospital facilities.Holland’s experience in the administration andservice delivery side of health, as well as his extensiveacademic experience, brings a genuine depth ofunderstanding to his new job. He was a prominenthealth activist during South Africa’s struggle years.He helped to write the ANC’s health policy documentthat appeared in the early 1990s. He also has clearideas of where he wishes to take his twin-platformedfaculty.‘Since 1994, a lot has been said about declininghealthcare standards. Some of it is true. But the overallreality is that for the first time in the history of ourcountry every individual is now within walkingdistance of free primary health care. That’s a pricelessachievement. And it’s on that foundation that thefaculty should build its contribution. There’s areawakening of a larger social consciousness, notleast in health care and medical science. TheUniversity of Limpopo is a part of this trend. It’sstated mission and vision fits us perfectly into thisglobal community that sees our common humanity asthe most valuable thing.’Holland was born in Johannesburg – both his parentswere teachers there – and did all his schooling inCoronationville. He then did two years of science atthe University of the Western Cape before moving tothe University of Cape Town to train as a doctor. Hegraduated in 1972, returning to Johannesburg tocomplete his internship period at Coronation andBaragwanath hospitals. It was while working at thelatter that he completed a postgraduate specialistdegree in internal medicine, and then pursued hisinterest in the super-specialised field of ClinicalHaematology. He should have been transferredimmediately into the city’s only haematology unit atthat time, which was housed in the JohannesburgGeneral Hospital in Hillbrow.‘But I wasn’t allowed to work there,’ he said.When asked why, he smiled and pointed at the colourof his skin.Johannesburg’s loss was America’s gain. Hollandand his family moved to Washington DC where hehad been awarded a one-year fellowship at theGeorgetown University Medical Center. He thenmoved to the research institute of the American RedP A G E 2 2

Cross where for a further year he did advancedresearch on the adhesive properties of blood platelets,which served as the basis for his PhD that was subsequentlyawarded by the University of Cape Town in1994.Back in South Africa, the political writing was onthe wall, and he had little difficulty in finding aposition in the haematology unit at Groote SchuurHospital in Cape Town. He served there for 14 yearsbefore being appointed as head of the School ofClinical Medicine at the Wits Medical School inJohannesburg. He also served as acting vice-dean ofthe Faculty of Health Sciences at that institution.From there he went to Gauteng Health; and nowhe’s facing what is arguably the biggest challenge ofhis career.‘It’s a very exciting challenge as well,’ he says.‘The opportunities are enormous. And I’ve no doubtthat we’ll be successful. The staff at Medunsa and inLimpopo are dedicated and motivated; and I believewe are ready to embrace our historic mission.’Holland described this ‘historic mission’ asresponding to the health and development needs ofordinary people. ‘The aims of the university’s arecorrect. To be a world-class African university thataddresses the needs of African communities throughinnovative ideas. To strive for excellence of research,teaching and community outreach, and to work handin glove with provincial, national and regionalauthorities within a developmental paradigm.’More specifically, Holland refers to the internationallyagreed Millenium Development Goals as the firsttargets for his new faculty. In particular he mentioneda renewed focus on the health of women and girls, areduction in child mortality, improved health care formothers and pregnant women; and more generally theeradication of hunger and poverty, the protection ofliving conditions and the environment, and the controlof major epidemics, such as those of malaria,tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS.‘Success in these endeavours will guarantee thatwe produce high-quality graduates with the highestideals.’Holland returns repeatedly to the ethicalimperatives inherent in medicine. He talks withunderstanding of the rush of the previouslydisadvantaged to secure higher living standards forthemselves. But he notes that in the face of the newbusiness and managerial opportunities that havepresented in the country since 1994, medicine is nolonger the premier economic draw-card. ‘Hopefully,’he says, ‘this means that medicine will once againattract more people interested in social responsibility,in service to others, and in the developmental goals ofthe University of Limpopo as a whole, all the facultiesworking in concert.’He speaks convincingly of the need for anentrenched partnership with the Limpopo provincialgovernment, and the symbiosis that will be necessarybetween health service provision and academichealth, and particularly between service challengesand research, ‘if we are to achieve our developmentalgoals’.In conclusion, Holland paints a picture of the futurein colours defined by his definition of the ultimate goalfor the Faculty of Health Sciences on the university’stwo campuses.‘In everything we do,’ he asserts, ‘we will optimisedevelopment – economic development, as well as thatpertaining to the physical, intellectual, social andspiritual spheres. We will become world leaders indevelopmental academic programmes. And we willbecome the institution of choice for the most talentedteachers and most gifted students, particularly thosewith noble ideals to serve the most vulnerable.’P A G E 2 3

CAMPUS WITH A PAST – PART TWOiIN THE PREVIOUS EDITION OF Limpopo Leader, WE STARTED A PEEK BACK INTO THE 30-ODD YEARS THAT MAKE UP THEHISTORY OF UL’S GA-RANKUWA CAMPUS, AND AT SOME OF THE HIGHS AND LOWS THAT HAVE HELPED TO SHAPE THISINSTITUTION THAT HAS NOT JUST SURVIVED, BUT THRIVED, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT AGAINST THE ODDS.In this review of our past, we look at the School of Dentistry from the perspective of Professor Tshepo Gugushe, Director of theSchool, who has been at the university for about 20 years. We also speak to Dr AK Seedat, a part-time lecturer in dentistry anda past activist, who has interesting insights from his more than 25-year association with this campus.Professor Len Karlsson, who joined Medunsa in 1980 as Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health, andbecame Vice-Principal of Medunsa in 1986, recalls a several anecdotes that added spice – and often amusement – to his yearson the fifth floor.Our history is invaluable. As Mohandas Gandhi said, ‘A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in theirmission can alter the course of history.’ The key is of course the small body of determined spirits. Let’s meet some more of ours.P A G E 2 4

Campus with a pastSCHOOL OF DENTISTRY RISES HIGHABOVE MEDIOCRITYaA CURIOSITY. That’s how Professor Tshepo Gugushe’swhite colleagues viewed him when he joined whatwas then Medunsa’s Faculty of Dentistry as a seniorspecialist in the Department of Community Dentistry inthe 1980s. He was the first black specialist to beappointed in the faculty – ‘and they watched closelyto see if I was up to it’, he recalls.Gugushe had left the relative ‘comfort’ of theUniversity of Witwatersrand’s Dental School to joinMedunsa, which had been operating for about10 years – not many of which had been free ofcontroversy. ‘Very few people could understand whyI made the move from Wits. It was considered to bea progressive environment; one where I could advancemy career, even as a black person in South Africaunder an apartheid government.’But for Gugushe that was not what it was about.He says that one of the reasons for coming toMedunsa was ‘to give back to what I perceived to bea predominantly black institution. I wanted to spendthe rest of my career in an environment that wouldoffer me spiritual enrichment’. And it has, he says. Ithas not always been an easy or comfortable ride, butit has been rewarding.It has also been a challenge, maintains Gugushe,who today holds the position of Director of the Schoolof Dentistry on the university’s Ga-Rankuwa campus.The philosophy of life and value system that havekept Gugushe on his committed path were instilled inhim by his father and mother – a teacher and nurserespectively. Their mentorship, encouragement andguidance kept him fixed on his goals, even throughthe tough days in Soweto in the 70s and 80s.After completing his BSc degree at the University ofFort Hare, he was conditionally accepted intosecond year BDS at the University of theProfessor Tshepo GugusheP A G E 2 5

Campus with a pastSCHOOL OF DENTISTRY RISES HIGH ABOVE MEDIOCRITYWitwatersrand, pending ministerial permission tostudy at a predominantly white university. Thepermission was granted in June of that year, andGugushe completed all his professional qualificationsat Wits. He enjoyed the university’s academic culture,but detested the patronising liberal ethos that prevailedat the time. On completion of his registrarship inCommunity Dentistry, he opted for an environmentwhere he could make a contribution to young black lives.He reflects back on the South Africa of the 80s.‘We were a nation divided, and on both sides of theblack/white conflict there was insecurity. The whiteswere certainly apprehensive of blacks moving in towhat they perceived as their domain; while the blackswere often so intimidated by the challenges they facedthat they were prepared to embrace mediocrity.’That was abhorrent to Gugushe. ‘My belief hasalways been that we must reject mediocrity! Wecannot build greatness on a foundation of mediocrity.We have to fight it constantly and reject it with thecontempt it deserves.’And has the School of Dentistry done that over thedecades? A natural modesty prevails and Gugushesays, ‘We’re not doing badly. But we can do better.There is a need for a sense of common purpose interms of raising the bar.’In fact, the Health Professions Council of SouthAfrica (HPCSA) audited the school about five yearsago and granted it a five-year accreditation for itsBachelor of Dental Science degree, as well as fullaccreditation for the dental therapy and oral hygieneprogrammes – a definite kick in the teeth ofmediocrity! The HPCSA will be back later in 2009to conduct a new audit, and Gugushe is confidentthat all will be well.When Gugushe joined the university in 1988, theFaculty of Dentistry was already established in itsown building on campus, and had been operatingincreasingly successfully since the university openeda decade earlier. By 1981 the faculty’s medical facilitieshad moved from Ward 36 of Dr George MukhariHospital – then Ga-Rankuwa Hospital – to the facultybuilding.The faculty had started as a training ground fordental therapists. The need had been highlighted inparliament by Professor Leon Taljaard – who went onto become principal of Medunsa – and Professor Jandu Plessis, who was HOD of the Department ofCommunity Dentistry. ‘These men were the custodiansand brains behind the training of black dentaltherapists here,’ says Gugushe. It was a hard-wonbattle because the government did not want torelinquish the training of dentists wholly dominated bywhites to blacks. But a strong case was made for thehuge need for dental care in black communities, andpermission for the faculty was granted – and with timedentists and specialists were trained.The faculty grew steadily and became a schoolwithin the Faculty of Health Sciences in 2005 as aresult of the merger with the University of the North.The school currently has 243 BDS students,32 B.Dent.Ther. students and 16 UDOH students,giving a total of 291 undergraduate students and afurther 55 postgraduate students. Postgraduate offeringsinclude the specialities of community dentistry, maxillofacialand oral surgery, oral pathology, orthodontics,periodontics and oral medicine and prosthodontics, aswell as generic masters and doctoral programmes,and postgraduate diplomas.Gugushe’s own career burgeoned along with theschool’s development. Having joined as a seniorspecialist; he was appointed chief specialist andprofessor in the Department of Community Dentistryin 1992 and soon after, was appointed HOD. In1999 Gugushe was appointed Dean of the Facultyof Dentistry, and acting Director of the School ofDentistry in 2005. A point of pride for Gugushelooking back on his years at the university is the factthat most of the dentists and dental therapists whocome out of the University of Limpopo stay in thecountry. Another is that he did not let the side downand give up in the face of the challenges he faced.His white counterparts did eventually accept that hewas highly competent and committed. ‘I had tosucceed; my failure would have simply entrenched thestereotypes. To me that would have been a tragedybecause of the message I would have given thestudents in our university.’As it was, the message that he proclaimed loudlyand clearly to his students – by his words and actions– was the need for students to work hard. It was amessage that was heeded by many of them. Some ofthe notable ones, says Gugushe, include Dr PhumzileHlongwa, head of Orthodontics at the University ofP A G E 2 6

First two black veterinarians to qualify in South Africa, November 1987,Griffiths Bawuti and Emily MogajanePretoria, and Dr Londi Shangase, a specialist periodontistand lecturer in the School of Dentistry at theUniversity of Pretoria. Both were featured in LimpopoLeader 6, summer 2005. On the school staff isDr David Motloba, lecturer in the Department ofCommunity Dentistry. There are many others who havenot stayed within academia but have joined the privateand public sectors as dentists, therapists and specialists.Having witnessed the university come through thehighly tumultuous 80s, when not a year went bywithout a student uprising, Gugushe says thatpost-1994 there was a definite change in the calibreof debate engaged in by students. ‘They had, asa rule, challenged management. They had beenreactionary. The change was positive. They becamemore proactive in their approach; more willing toengage with management to get the institution towork. It certainly contributed to a stabilising of theorganisation – and has been a gratifying trend.’Gugushe continues: ‘With this attitude prevailingamong the students, it has been relatively easy to shiftour focus on the core business. The post-apartheidera is exciting at all levels of higher education,particularly with regard to the scholarship of teaching.Dental schools are encouraged to be innovative withtheir curriculum development processes. There has tobe a paradigm shift from teaching to learning.’Another area within the school where Gugusheyearns to see improvement is community engagement.‘While this dental school has never been an ivorytower, disconnected from the surrounding communities,we find there is always a lot more we can do to linkour profession with the issues of poverty – the pedagogyof service learning has been introduced in thehigher education landscape precisely to address thisissue. This therefore means that the scholarship ofcommunity engagement is important in this era ofhigher education.’ Gugushe is thoughtful when he pronouncesthat a real improvement in this area – as wellas in the areas of teaching/learning and research –will enable him to ‘go off into the sunset with a clearconscience’.‘When we are at the cutting edge in these crucialareas within this school, our credibility will be trulysound.’ And though he has finished speaking, his warcry ‘reject mediocrity!’ still echoes around the room.P A G E 2 7

Campus with a pastTHE SCHOOL THAT’S TAKEN A BIGdDENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR‘NON-WHITES’ WAS ALL BUTNON-EXISTENT IN SOUTHAFRICA BEFORE THE 60S, SAYSDR AK SEEDAT, PART-TIMELECTURER AT THE UL’S SCHOOLOF DENTISTRY FOR ABOUT25 YEARS AND A PRACTISINGORTHODONTIST. It was a realitythat affected him too. ‘As far asI can recall, the only dental clinicthat I knew of at the time was onerun by the University ofWitwatersrand in Alexandratownship.’Problems with sepsis and oralpain abounded in blackcommunities and while theirwhite counterparts received, orhad access to dental clinics thatcould meet their primary dentalneeds, blacks did not. Dentaldiseases increased exponentially,which led to the establishing ofa dental faculty in the Universityof the Western Cape in the early70s – a step-child of theUniversity of Stellenbosch, saysSeedat.‘But the school served only thecoloured and Asian communities.No blacks or whites wereallowed.’ The Soweto riots thenfurther highlighted the excruciatinglack of facilities at all levelsfor blacks in South Africa – andthe concept of a medicaluniversity for blacks was acceptedby the country’s apartheid leaders.Lobbying for a dental school wasDr AK Seedattaking place at the highest levelat the same time, motivatedprimarily by Professor LeonTaljaard, later principal ofMedunsa, recalls Seedat. Thiswas also approved.Seedat in the meantime hadobtained his degree in dentistryat the University of the WesternCape and had moved up to Witsto specialise. He became the first‘black’ person to qualify as anorthodontist in Africa; anachievement that was supremelyagainst the odds.Seedat was one of 10 children,P A G E 2 8

BITE OUT OF LIFEborn to illiterate parents living inAlexandra township. His parentshad come to South Africa in theearly 1900s and settled inNorwood, Johannesburg, but theywere forcibly moved toKensington, and then soon after,to Alex. His father ran a smallbusiness and with much difficultywas able to send Seedat and oneof his sisters to university.Seedat’s political activism hadhim expelled from school andrefused entry to Wits. But with thedetermination of a bulldog,Seedat overcame the oddsstacked against him and achievedhis degrees.When he was eventuallyaccepted into Wits, he says itgave him a world-class education.The consultants were exceptionallypatient and their input made allthe difference to him, while at thesame time inspiring him to give toother disadvantaged students inthe same way.Having already madesomething of a mark in academicdentistry, Seedat wanted to givesomething back to the profession.In 1984 he became a part-timelecturer at then Medunsa and stillcontinues to this day. ‘Nearlyevery single black student whohas attended UL’s Faculty ofDentistry since 1984 has beentaught by me,’ he announces withjustifiable pride.Seedat’s memories of hisearlier days at Medunsa are, onthe whole, positive. He explainsthat while there were some‘troublesome incidents’, involvingstudents, staff and police on themedical side of the university, hedoesn’t recall any serious eventthat related directly to the dentalfaculty. Relations between blackand white staff members werecordial, he maintains, as severalof the white staff were activistswith understanding and sympathyof the political situation.‘The academic standard hasremained excellent throughout thefaculty’s history, and the culture ofresearch is good.’He recalls some of thecolleagues, mentors, friends andassociates that he has workedwith through the years –professors, consultants, hygienists,laboratory technicians, personalassistants, and many others –people who made a real effort tomake a difference. And they did.On a lighter note, he alsowistfully recalls delightful anddisorganised informal sportingevents – rugby, squash, andcricket – entered intowholeheartedly by staff membersof all shapes, sizes and colours.Those were in the very earlydays, and they fell away whenlife on campus became moreserious and demanding.Seedat has a regret though.He believes not enough is beingdone now to attract consultants tothe School of Dentistry. Whileeverything is in place in terms ofthe school’s credibility, hebelieves that the distance isprohibitive for most people. ‘Thefact is, one doesn’t become aconsultant at the Ga-Rankuwacampus to make money. Onedoes it for other reasons.I learned during the struggle justhow important it is to give.’He’s deeply impressed by whathas been achieved at Medunsaand now the University ofLimpopo throughout its history,particularly in the School ofDentistry. It was the exceptionallevel of commitment from thepeople who worked there thatmade all the difference. ‘Theseare people who should berecognised and applauded fortheir selfless dedication,’ is hisheartfelt belief. ‘Their contributionhas made a powerful mark notonly on the progress of the dentalprofession in South Africa, butalso on South African society.The institution owes these peoplea huge debt of thanks.’Today the best thing about theGa-Rankuwa campus for Seedat isthat it is de-racialised. And thatmakes it a pleasure for him tovisit faithfully every week, comerain or sunshine.P A G E 2 9

Campus with a pastTHE HIGHS AND LOWS FROM THE TOPaAN IMPORTANT THING THAT PROFESSOR LENKARLSSON LEARNED FROM THE ‘HIGH SOCIETY’CONTACT DURING HIS YEARS AS VICE-PRINCIPALOF MEDUNSA IN THE LATE 80S WAS THAT ‘THEMORE PEOPLE HAD TRULY ACHIEVED IN LIFE, THEHUMBLER THEY WERE. They had no need to jockeyfor the most important places at the dinner table orsmile endlessly for photographers’. It was an interestinglesson, but it dwarfed against the myriad of otherlessons he experienced while on the fifth floor.Something that invariably either tugged at theheartstrings or provoked a smile or a chuckle, werethe bursary committee meetings. As Vice-Principal,Karlsson was chairman of the committee. By far themajority of students needed financial support for theirstudies, he recalls. Most came from extremely disadvantagedbackgrounds, and several had single mothersworking as domestic servants, trying desperately to scrapetogether enough money for their child’s education.Sadly, these were the people who often becamevictims of unscrupulous and merciless loan sharks.Karlsson invested a large portion of his time to tryto build the fund’s resources. ‘It was not easy,’ hesays. ‘Medunsa students had received considerablenegative publicity following strike action and damageto property. A common response to a request forfunding assistance was, ‘if that is the quality ofstudents and potential doctors, we’re not interested’.Karlsson gives credit to many students who went insearch of sponsorship for themselves. Many were successful,so much so that negative perceptions held by manycompanies changed when they met the students face toface and heard their side of the boycott story – theintimidation, the threats to parents and family, and so on.There were, of course, also many chancers; thosestudents who were convinced that they were theSWEDISH VISITOR 1985 – Professor EL Karlsson (Vice-Dean, Medicine) ,Miss A Robertson (Nursing Science), Mrs L Fridolv (Press Liaison Officer of SA Foundation in Sweden), Mr H SvenssonP A G E 3 0

world’s most deserving candidates for bursaryassistance, and Karlsson relates a particularlymemorable incident. ‘He was a third-year student. Heknocked timidly on my door one day, then opened thedoor very slowly. At first I did not see anybody, but asI looked down, I could just make out someone on hishands and knees in the door opening. He crawledtowards my desk sobbing uncontrollably with tearsstreaming down his face. Between the sobs, hepleaded. If he didn’t get a bursary, it would meanthe end of his university studies – and so on.‘Unfortunately for him I recognised him. I knewwhat his financial background was. I invited him to sitin the chair so that we could discuss his problemproperly. He refused. He would stay on the floor untilI had relented. So I asked him to explain two otherbursaries from private donors that he had, as well asthe taxi service he was running with a vehicle boughtwith bursary money. When he realised that he hadbeen found out, the sobbing and tears stoppedabruptly and he fled my office!’Karlsson recollects another incident that addeda smile to a potentially awkward situation. He was athis desk when his office door suddenly flew open andabout 20 students streamed in. ‘Without a word theytook up positions on every available chair, on thefloor and one even on my desk. Their spokespersonexplained that they had all had had their bursaryapplications turned down. This was a sit-in action.They were prepared to stay as long as necessary toget a reversal of the committee’s decisions.‘I listened without comment to what was beingsaid, shrugged my shoulders and continued workingas though oblivious to their presence. OccasionallyI would ask the student sitting on my desk to lift herbottom so that I could get hold of a document or file.DISRUPTIONS ON CAMPUS 1992 – Striking workersP A G E 3 1

Campus with a pastTHE HIGHS AND LOWS FROM THE TOPAfter a while I asked the students if they wanted a cupof tea. This offer was firmly turned down. I, though,enjoyed a cup of tea with 20 students eyeing me sullenly.‘Within less than two hours, the strikers realisedthat this was a battle that they were not going to winand without a word or backward glance they troopedout of my office. I had no more problems with sit-instrikes.’During his tenure as Vice-Principal, Karlsson heldthe position of acting Vice-Chancellor when ProfessorLeon Taljaard was given a six-month sabbatical.It coincided with a strike of a more ominous nature.The domestic staff went on strike. Negotiations andoffers of mediation were refused. The strike went on,but then word came from within the workers’ ranksthat their resolve was weakening. They wanted toreturn to work and enter into further negotiations whileat work. But before this could be agreed, the worsthappened. The total student body went on a classboycott in sympathy with the workers. The studentrepresentatives refused to meet the administration untilthe demands of the striking workers had been met.Karlsson continues the story, ‘The Senate discussedthe issue and there was little sympathy for thestudents. The decision was made to take a firm line.Giving in to unreasonable demands would only resultin an escalation of new demands. The boycottdragged on, and increasingly, notes were beingslipped under my door. “Please call in the cops.We want to go back to class”. An acrimoniousmeeting with the student representatives showed littleprogress, but at least we were talking. I receivedmore notes from students urging me not to give in.They wanted to see the domination of a few militantsbroken.‘After five weeks the boycott was suddenly over.As I drove onto campus it was to see studentsstreaming back to their classes. Some gave thethumbs up sign. I heard later that the militants hadbeen threatened with retaliation from the mainstudent body.’A more productive event for Karlsson and one ofthe highlights of his year, was the first meeting hehad with Herb and Joy Kaiser, the American couplewho established MESAB, Medical Education forSouth African Blacks. Herb was a diplomat attachedto the American Embassy in Pretoria. He had hadcancer of the bowel and a Pretoria surgeon had operatedon him, which resulted in complete recovery fromthe cancer. The surgeon in question was now Professorof Surgery at Medunsa. In appreciation Herb wantedto give something back, especially in the medicalfield, to South Africa – the Faculty of Medicineseemed the logical starting point.‘We discussed various options, relates Karlsson.‘I was now more firmly convinced than ever that theSouth African medical services needed to fast trackthe training of black doctors. The major impedimentwas the lack of financial support for such aprogramme. Our bursary fund seemed to be theway to go. The Kaisers were enthusiastic and withincredible drive, they set up the MESAB programmeon their return to the US.’A high-profile board was appointed and fundinginitiatives started. Soon enough funding had beensecured to take five students through their six yearsof study. The programme expanded rapidly and wassoon supporting black medical students in otheruniversities. Later on nurses and physiotherapists alsobenefited.‘The story of MESAB is about the devotion of twopeople. Over a period of about 20 years, more than2 000 black doctors qualified with MESAB assistance.I believe medical history will record the important rolethat MESAB played in addressing the imbalancebetween the numbers of white and black doctors inthe country,’ Karlsson states. In recognition of theircontributions to the training of black doctors inSouth Africa, the Kaisers were both awardedhonorary doctorates by Medunsa.Karlsson handed over his Vice-Principal’s reignsto Professor Ephraim Mokgokong, HOD of Obstetricsand Gynaecology since 1978 and long–timecolleague and friend, in 1990. In an interview at thetime with Medunsa Brief, Mokgokong looked ahead:‘It is time for me to concentrate on the academichealthcare philosophy, not only of Medunsa, but alsoof the country as a whole. I’ll certainly miss the hustleand bustle of obs and gynae, but I look forward tothis next phase. I have no doubt that in years to comeMedunsa will remain the predominant medical schoolin the country.’As usual, he was right.P A G E 3 2

UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPOALUMNI SEARCHPlease help us update our ALUMNI database withcurrent contact information, so that we can continue tobe in touch with all University of Limpopo alumni.UNIVERSITY ALUMNI FORM:Title: .................................................................................................Initials: ..............................................................................................First Name: ........................................................................................Surname: ...........................................................................................Date of birth: (yyyy/mm/dd) ................................................................Address: ..........................................................................................Postal Code: ......................................................................................Tel: (H) ..............................................................................................Tel: (W) .............................................................................................Cell: .................................................................................................Email: ...............................................................................................When were you at UL? (e.g. 1993 – 1970) ............................................Degree(s) obtained: ............................................................................When was/were your degree(s) obtained: .............................................Degree(s) obtained at other institutions (Please specify): ....................................................................................................................................Occupation: ......................................................................................Special achievements /honours: ...........................................................Please return the completed questionnaire to Clare-Rose Julius:Tel: (+27) 011 782 0333 Fax: (+27) 011 782 0335 Cell: 072 545 2366This form is available on the website at www.dgrwriting.co.zaPostal address: PO Box 2756, Pinegowrie 2123, Gauteng, South AfricaEmail: info@developmentconnection.co.za(Photocopies are accepted)

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