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4YOUR MONTHLY CAMPUS NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 9 • NUMBER 9 • SEPTEMBER 2012Discovery of newspecies of batsSALLY FROSTHE scientific community isgoing batty! Four new speciesTof horseshoe bats have beendiscovered in east and southernAfrica, after scientists piecedtogether clues such as DNA data andthe most intense frequency of sonarcalls of each of these flyingmammals.The investigation was led by ateam of bat experts which includedDr Corrie Schoeman of UKZN’sSchool of Life Sciences. Lead authorof the study was evolutionarygeneticist Professor Peter Taylor ofthe University of Venda in SouthAfrica.Other team members were DrSamantha Stoffberg of StellenboschUniversity, Professor Ara Monadjemof the University of Swaziland, DrJulian Bayliss of the ConservationScience Group at the University ofCambridge in the United Kingdomand the Mulanje MountainConservation Trust in Malawi, andDr Woody Cotterill of StellenboschUniversity and the Africa EarthObservatory Network (AEON).The new species are the Cohen’sHorseshoe Bat (Rhinolophuscohenae), the Smithers’ HorseshoeBat (Rhinolophus smithersi), theMozambican Horseshoe Bat(Rhinolophus mossambicus) and theMount Mabu Horseshoe Bat(Rhinolophus mabuensis).Two of the species were named inhonour of dedicated SouthernDr Corrie Schoeman inMadagascar, holdingone of Madagascarsendemic bats, theMadagascar SuckerfootedBat (Myzopodaaurita).African conservationists, MsLientjie Cohen, a scientist of theMpumalanga Tourism and ParksAgency in South Africa, and the lateDr Reay Smithers of Zimbabwe,author of Southern Africa’s mostcomprehensive mammal anthology.The third species was named inhonour of Mount Mabu, the largestrainforest in southern Africa, whichis under threat and where the batsreside. The fourth new species isfound only in Mozambique.The discoveries are described inthe latest edition of the open sourcejournal PLOS ONE and can bedownloaded freely fromhttp://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0041744It was previously thought therewas only one type of large horseshoebat, Hildebrandt’s Horseshoe Bat(Rhinolophus hildebrandtii), whichis found throughout east Africa andin the tropical habitats of Zimbabweand the Mpumalanga province inSouth Africa.‘We now know that five distinctspecies of large horseshoe batsoccur in central and eastern Africa,’said Taylor. ‘We also know thatHildebrandt’s Horseshoe Bat, thespecies initially known to science,occurs only in east Africa.’The researchers compared keycharacteristics of the bats,including sonar calls, their skullshape, genitalia, and DNAsequences to diagnose and classifythe new species.Ucwaningo lwezeSayensi lokuhlaziyaizimo eNingizimu AfrikaKUNESIDINGO esikhulusabacwaningi emkhakheniweForensic Anatomy eNingizimuAfrika, kusho owayefunda e-UKZNnowaziwa umhlaba wonkeosebenza njengeSpecialist ForensicPathologist, uDkt Shereen Akoojee.U-Akoojee ubevakashele isikoleseLaboratory Medicine neMedicalSciences, ekhulumaemhlanganweni wabayinxenyeyencwadi yocwaningo iDisciplineof Clinical Anatomy (DOCA).Uthe amacala ocwaningoabandakanya izingane isikhathiesiningi abangwa ukulahlwakwezingane, ngenxa yabakhiphaizisu, nezingane ezintshontshwayokulelizwe.Kusungulwe indlela ebizwangeStreet Law Project yokubhekaindlela umthetho ongasebenzangayo uma kuziwa kwezocwaningonokuhlaziya izimo ezweni lakithi,engaphansi kwe-IndependentMedico Legal Unit (IMLU)yaseNingizimu Afrika. Lapha u-Akoojee uyiForensic consultant,umqeqeshi, nomcwaningi.U-Akoojee uthe ukwazingokwelapha kwezokuhlaziyakuyasiza ekuqondeniukukhubazeka kwemvelaphiyomuntu. Uthe ukufakaezokuhlaziya kwenzaabezomthetho nabezokwelaphababe ngongcweti ngokukhulakwengane engakazalwa nencaneesanda kuzalwa.Ukuba nogqozi kwezokuhlaziyakwezimo kanye nePhysicalAnthropology kwenze u- Akoojeeabonakale ebamba iqhazaekukhulisweni kwamakhononasekuqeqesheni emikhakheniyeClinical Forensic MedicineneForensic Pathology, nabasebenzangalokhu kwezempilonabezomthetho. U-AkoojeewayeyiChief Specialist forForensic Services and BioethicseMnyangweni wezeMpiloKwaZulu-Natali aphinde abeumseshi we-Anatomyesifundazweni.Inkulumo ka-Akoojeebekungukuthi aqale izingxoxo,nanokuthi aqale futhi agqugquzeleucwaningo kulomkhakha.Kuthenjwa ukuthi kuzobanemiphumela ezosiza kusungulweizindlela ezizosebenza eNingizimuAfrika. Abebekhona bakhombiseukuyithanda lenkulumo bafunanokuqala iqembu locwaningokulomkhakha.Uthe ukufunda ngalokhukungasungula kuphinde kwandiseizindlela ezikhona eNingizimuAfrika, kuphinde kuqhathaniswenezinye izinto zokuthola unyakawengane engakafiki esikhathinisokuzalwa. Nabacwaningibangaqala ukubheka izindlelaekungenziwa ngazo eNingizimuAfrika.Iqembu lalencwadi yocwaningoliphinde lalalela uDkt EdwinNaidu noDkt Adeyinka Alabiabenza izifundo zeMastersneDoctrate abethule ucwaningolwabo.UDkt Okpara Azu oyiSeniorLecturer esikoleni seLaboratoryMedicine neMedical Sciences uthebazokwandisa ucwaningo,ukufunda nokufundisa kwabo.‘Sihlele ukwandisa lokhungokumema abantu abahambaphambili, izinkampanineminyango emhlabeni wonkeukuthi bafike bazosipha ulwazilwabo.’* English translation of thisstory on page 6.UKZN student participates in GlobalTech camp in SingaporeA UKZN chemical engineeringgraduate, Mr Stuart Woolley, waschosen from students around theworld to participate in a summerschool in Singapore whichexamined water-related problemsfacing mankind.The Global Alliance ofTechnological Universities, orGlobalTech, held its summer campat the Nanyang TechnologicalUniversity.The 24 students from 10 differentcountries had a busy timetable atthe two-week camp. In the morningsthey attended lectures byinternational experts fromGlobalTech Universities on newwater treatment technologies andwater management techniques andpolicies while in the afternoons theywent on site visits to modern watertreatment facilities and watermanagement facilities in variousareas in Singapore.In the final days of the camp,they took part in a laboratory-basedcompetition where they were putinto groups tasked withconstructing two portable devices -one using membrane technologyand the other non-membranoustechnology – which could be utilisedas water purification devices in anatural disaster scenario.The feasibility of the deviceswere judged on the criteria of howeasy the devices were to operate, therate at which drinking water wasproduced and the quality of thewater.Woolley’s group was judged tohave produced the best waterfiltration devices overall anddeclared winners of the competitionThe GlobalTech Summer Camp winning group with camp organisers. From left: Professor ER Meng Hwa, Sun Siwei, Lee Tai Wei, Zeno Robbiani,Stuart Woolley and Associate Professor Darren Sun.The students’ work was latershowcased at the 4th GlobalTechWorkshop on Challenges andSolutions for Sustainable WaterManagement in Urban Centres. TheGlobalTech Summer Camp andGlobalTech Workshop coincidedwith the International Water Weekin Singapore, which provided thestudents with opportunities toattend world-class seminars and tointeract with experts in the industry.Woolley is currently studying forhis Masters in ChemicalEngineering at UKZN and wasinvolved with the PollutionResearch Group’s research into theBill & Melinda Gate’s Foundations’Reinvent the Toilet Challenge.Woolley said he applied to attendthe Global Tech Summer Camp asan opportunity to further hiseducation and experience in waterpurification technologies andmanagement, knowing theknowledge he gained would beinvaluable in his MSc research.Knowledge of water treatmenttechnologies, water managementtechniques and sustainabledevelopment policies are vital forAfrica and Woolley hopes theknowledge he gained in Singaporeand the connections he made therewill pay dividends for him when heenters the industry.
YOUR MONTHLY CAMPUS NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 9 • NUMBER 9 • SEPTEMBER 20125UKZN golf day earnsbursaries for studentsSITHEMBILE SHABANGUIGHT UKZN students fromdisadvantaged backgroundsEwere each awarded a R10 000bursary at UKZN’s 9th Annual GolfDay held at the Royal Durban GolfClub.This year 128 golfers teed off toraise funds for students frompreviously disadvantagedbackgrounds who have excelledacademically.Participants includedbusinessmen, staff, students,alumni, donors, friends of theUniversity and the local golfingfraternity.UKZN Registrar, Professor JaneMeyerowitz, told the participantstheir participation was in aid of areally good cause.Since its inception the Golf Dayhas raised R900 000 providing 90students with funding to completetheir studies. The main sponsor ofthe event for the past few years,Standard Bank, pledged R50 000.‘Nothing gives me more joy thanseeing the excitement on the faces ofthe students when they hear theyhave been chosen to receive abursary. I congratulate the studentsand wish them well in their futurestudies,’ said tournament organiser,Ms Shakila Thakurpersad.‘Next year is our 10th year andthe tournament will be held at theWild Coast Sun. We are hoping tocelebrate in style by giving awaymore bursaries to deservingstudents.’Memorial Lecturehonours Dr MV GumedeLUNGA MEMELAFAMILY and friends of the late DrMordecai Vusumuzi Gumede joinedthe University community as wellas traditional healers tocommemorate the life and times ofthe inspirational medical veteran.The gathering took place at theInaugural Dr MV GumedeMemorial Lecture held by theCollege of Health Sciences duringAfrican Traditional Medicine week.The lecture paid tribute to a manwell known for his work withtraditional healers in KwaZulu-Natal.Gumede played a key role inshaping the recognition anddevelopment of African traditionalmedicine earning him respectamong traditional healers at a timewhen his embodiment ofcollaboration between traditionaland conventional medicine was stillanathema to many. The celebratedpioneer was posthumously awardedan honorary doctorate by theUniversity of Zululand in 1999.Gumede published a number ofpapers in various journalsincluding the South African MedicalJournal, South African Journal ofFamily Practice, and The Leech: WitsMedical Graduate AssociationJournal.He was described as anexceptional medical doctor whocontributed substantially to thepublic service in the province. Hisbook: Traditional healers: amedical doctor’s perspective, isprescribed by several South Africanuniversities.A special tribute was paid toGumede on behalf of the KwaZulu-Natal Traditional Healers Group byBaba Sazi Mhlongo and BabaProtus Cele, who spoke about theimportant role traditional healersplayed in society, telling theaudience there was no ‘short cut’ tobecoming a traditional healer.A keynote address was deliveredby Professor Lizo Mazwai, Chair ofthe Medical Research Council(MRC) Board and SpecialistSurgeon: St Mary’s Hospital,Mthatha.Mazwai commended the Collegeof Health Sciences for having aspecific discipline for traditionalmedicine, saying UKZN hadpartnered with the MRC on manyprojects and he was hopeful thatground-breaking research would bedone on malaria, diabetes, TB andHIV.Professor Rob Slotow, ActingDeputy Vice-Chancellor: College ofHealth Sciences, said: ‘It is fittingat this time during AfricanTraditional Medicine week, for theUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal’sCollege of Health Sciences tocelebrate the life and memory ofDr MV Gumede and in particularhis contribution to theadvancement of traditionalmedicine and public health in thisprovince.Gumede’s eldest daughter DrLindiwe Simelane, said the familywas humbled by the gesture fromUKZN and the College of HealthSciences.Executive Director: Physical Planning and Operations, Mr Charles William Poole (left) and Director ofKwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV (K-RITH), Professor Bill Bishai at UKZN’s Golf Day.THANDIWE JUMOTHE former Research Director ofUKZN’s Health Economics andHIV/AIDS Research Division(HEARD), Professor Tim Quinlan,has co-authored and edited a bookwhich explores the gap betweenwhat governments say aboutHIV/AIDS and what they do tocombat it.Recently launched, the booktitled: African Responses toHIV/AIDS: Between Speech andAction, is one of HEARD’s firstprojects on African leadership andfeatures a host of public andscholarly disputes contextualisedby African scholars.The book refers to the record ofgovernments in a wide range ofAfrican countries with case studiesdrawing on the rhetoric ofgovernments and the nature ofleadership in Ethiopia, the Gambia,Morocco, South Africa and Zambia.Quinlan authored and edited thebook with Dr Segun Ige who did hisPHD at UKZN. Ige approachedQuinlan with the concept ofwriting about the rhetoric of AIDSas a way to examine the differencebetween how African governmentspronounce on HIV and AIDS andhow they act to deal with thedisease.‘The book was motivated bypublic anger and frustration inAfrica over the apparent inabilityof many governments to actdecisively in containing thepandemic and the seemingambivalence of many Africangovernments to the right to healthand health care for their citizens.There was also a need to presentAfrican perspectives on responsesto HIV and AIDS (a key concern); toshow the variety of responses inAfrica - the good and the bad; and tocounter a common perception thatnothing has gone right in dealingwith HIV and AIDS in Africa,’ saidQuinlan.‘From that came the hypothesisabout the ambivalence ofFrom left: Professor Rob Slotow; Dr Lindiwe Simelane, Mrs MelodiusGumede, Ms Nana Gumede; Dr Nceba Gqaleni and Professor LizoMazwai.Launch of book examining African Governments’ responses to HIV/AIDSFrom left: Professor Tim Quinlan and Dr Segun Ige with HEARDExecutive Director, Professor Alan Whiteside.governments; then we askedAfrican scholars to write on thebasis of their work and experienceon this seeming ambivalence andultimately the book was produced.The focus on rhetoric andgovernment ambivalence isreflected in part of the title:“between speech and action” whichrefers to the gap between whatmany governments say on HIV andAIDS and what they actually do.’HEARD’s Executive Director,Professor Alan Whiteside, said thebook was a necessary andprovocative critique of leadershipon HIV and AIDS and exposed theambivalence of Governments tothe health and welfare of theirpeople.The book also features aninteresting analysis fromresearcher, HealthCommunications and MediaSpecialist Dr John Lengwe Kundaand UKZN’s Professor KeyanTomaselli on the contradictions informer SA President ThaboMbeki’s African renaissance andanti-’western’ science rhetoric.
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