Opportunities galore for learners and students this recess

Guest blogger Roslyn Baatjies

For many learners school’s out, but for those who intend improving their marks and getting into university next year, there is no rest.

Driving into work this morning, we saw a number of young people entering the campuses and someone asked when lectures are ending. I responded that lectures have ended and that those young people were learners attending either the accounting or engineering winter schools or the Science Discovery Week at NMMU.

This week close to  900 Grade 11 and 12 learners will be exposed to the fascinating worlds of accounting, science and engineering over the June/July school holidays at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

The Science Discovery Week – that will be attended by 300 learners from 56 schools in the Eastern Cape - promises to open the eyes of Grade 11 and 12 learners to the intriguing fields of Science in a fun and informal setting. Daily activities will include visits to various Science Faculty departments where learners will participate in subject-specific experiments.

Offered for the past eight years, the event started off with 60 learners and has now grown to 300 participants. With topics like ‘’Game Changers - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Science”, “Light Fantastic” and ‘’Chemistry Unplugged‘’ learners will not only be educated, but also entertained.

NMMU’s Accounting winter school programme, geared towards helping Grade 11 and 12 pupils improve their marks and their chances of attending university, boasts an impressive track record.

Almost a third of the 520 pupils who attended last year’s Grade 12 winter school successfully registered for degrees or diplomas at NMMU. An analysis comparing their June matric results with their December results has revealed that many of them shot up by as much as 30%.

This year’s week-long Accounting winter school for Grade 12s, sponsored by Deloitte, takes place from June 29 to July 3, while the three-day Grade 11 winter school, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC), takes place from July 7 to 9.

The annual engineering winter school has been offered for the past 10 years and will take place from 12 to 17 July. The programme for 30 learners from 14 high schools will include, among others, visits to VWSA and Continental Tyre.

In addition, a winter school project with a difference will be held off-campus by the NMMU Department of Social Development Professions and driven by social work lecturer Dr Veonna Goliath.

Dr Goliath says the winter school is truly interdisciplinary in nature and has a longer term community development focus.

The project, located in the Northern Areas at Bethvale Primary School, was initiated by the Uniting Reformed church in Chatty and part of Dr Goliath’s  post-doctoral work. From Monday 29 June to Thursday 2 July 2015 tutors from mainly the Faculty of Education’s postgraduate programme will tutor Grade 10 and 11 learners in specific subjects.

And in rural Eastern Cape, our SRC is making information accessible in a bid to assist high school learners in raising their awareness of matters relating to access to higher education.

At NMMU there definitely is no lack of opportunities to share or gain knowledge. 

NMMU funny man in the running for SA Comics Awards

 Guest Blogger Khanyisa Melwa

Accolades amassed by NMMU students and staff are never in short supply. It is not everyday however, that we can say that one of our own IT students stands a chance of winning awards at the South African Comics Choice Awards.

Our very own, Lukhanyiso Matshoba’s people-centred style of comedy has earned him nominations at the 5^th Annual South African Savanna Comics Choice Awards.

Lukhanyiso has been nominated in the following categories: Best friend of Comedy and the Audience Choice, for which he will need the public’s votes in order to win.

The budding comedian recently returned from Johannesburg where he was battling it out with stand-up comics from around the country, for the coveted Best Newcomer nomination which will be announced in early July.

Lukhanyiso "DirtyBumzz" Mathshoba on the carpet in Joburg recently.

This young man, who is currently completing his IT Diploma at NMMU, started stand-up comedy in 2013.

“It was when I was in the Drama Society that I discovered I had a knack for making people laugh,” he says.

He says he chose the stage name “DirtyBumzz” because he wanted to destigmatise the name.

"Dirty bums" is a term that is often used when one is referring to disadvantaged or marginalized people. My aim is to give those people hope and to motivate them. To make them believe that they are capable of doing so much.” says the budding comedian.

His material consists of stories about his township upbringing; and he compares this with life in surburbia, in a bid to ultimately unite people through laughter.

Lukhanyiso doing his thing on stage.

“Winning these awards would be great. No one from the Eastern Cape has ever won a Comics Choice Award. So it’s not only me who will be winning, but PE and the Eastern Cape too,” says Lukhanyiso.

For Lukhanyiso to win in the aforementioned categories, members of the public will need to vote and stand a chance to win a VIP experience to the awards. The winner will receive two double tickets to the awards show on the 15^th of August 2015, dinner at Montecasino to the value of R500, a chance to sashay down the yellow carpet with celebs, comedians and media as well as access to the after party.

SMS 3975 to 45757 to vote.

SMS’s cost R1.50 | Limited to 20 votes per mobile number | RSA Only

Let's get behind our funny man, and bring those accolades home!

Open Day, Madibaz Day – All in May!

Guest blogger Khanyisa Melwa

8 and 9 May was a busy weekend in Nelson Mandela Bay, as a number of events were hosted in our beloved city, namely: The Spar Ladies Race, Kaizer Chiefs vs Chippa United, The DA Congress and of course, NMMU Open Day.

NMMU Open Day 2015, under the banner of “Putting your future in focus”, hosted thousands of high school learners from Port Elizabeth and the greater Eastern Cape. The aim of this annual event is to assist and guide learners in selecting their desired field of study, and ultimately, career.

These kids were bursting at the seams with excitement as they wandered through the Vodacom Indoor Sports Centre on South Campus. Over 120 stalls were set up with staff and students ready to answer the plethora of questions from prospective students. These stalls were beautifully branded with the relevant department’s posters and other marketing materials aimed at inform the eager grade 11s and 12s.

Inter alia running around campus and attending to questions from both parents, teachers and learners, I took some time to ask a few of these learners what they thought about Open Day. The general consensus was that it was very insightful but there was just too much from which to choose.

Prizes were awarded to departments/faculties that boasted the most visually-appealing and interactive stalls, respectively.

Just as we thought things were over, Madibaz Day came along!http://nmmu10.nmmu.ac.za

Students at NMMU's George Campus for Open Day

NMMU celebrated their 10 year anniversary with an exhibition followed by a picnic-in-the-park themed concert at the Madibaz Stadium.

Quick question, how many of you knew about the VC’s illustrious dancing career in his past life? Okay, no, I’m kidding. But the Professor has rhythm.

Those in attendance were serenaded by the smooth sounds of the NMMU Choir, Two Tone Band and the NMMU Big Band to name just a few. We enjoyed a jovial atmosphere all round. It was a prime opportunity to once again showcase our diversity – in music and in culture.

Fast-forward a few days later, and off we were to our oft-forgotten, yet beautiful George Campus for the George Campus Open Day.

George Campus at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains

George Campus is home to offerings such as Nature Conservation, Agriculture, Forestry, Wood Technology and the like. It is also known as our “green campus”. Surrounded by a majestic mountainous range, you cannot help but enjoy some piece of mind when you are here.

Although operating at a much slower pace, the George Open Day was just as successful – attracting learners from both the Southern and Western Cape.

I would like to quote the George Campus Principal, Quinton Johnson’s speech prior to the Open Day festivities when he said: “The great philosopher, Frantz Fanon, once said: ‘Every generation, out of relative obscurity, must discover its mission. Fulfill it, or betray it’. The mission for this generation is education.”

I sincerely hope that these learners manage to put their futures in focus and are now ready to apply to NMMU, the University for tomorrow.

‘We are Africans, before we are South Africans!’

Guest blogger Khanyisa Melwa

In recent weeks, South Africa has seen the re-emergence of a phenomenon that has claimed the lives of a number of our fellow African brothers and sisters; one that has divided our nation and continent - this phenomenon is that of xenophobia.

While some might wish to engage in intellectual debate of Afrophobia vs xenophobia, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) students chose to have their voices heard and marched against the senseless killing of Africans by Africans. The #SayNOToXenophobia march was a joint effort between student leaders, the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism & Democracy (CANRAD) and many others, which took place on 23 April – and saw about 3 000 students, staff and members of the Nelson Mandela Bay community uniting in one voice to say: Not in our name!

NMMU staff and students came out in large numbers, marching from North to South Campus to make their voice heard

NMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz

Staff and students at NMMU come together in a march against xenophobia 

The march began at North Campus, just outside the Conference Centre, with scores of people from all walks of life coming together as one, against the scourge of xenophobia. We then proceeded to South Campus where a pledge, signed by over 10 000 members of the NMMU community was handed over to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Derrick Swartz, together with Chairman of Council Judge Ronnie Pillay, Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Councillor Ben Fihla and Eastern Cape Premier Phumulo Masualle.

Prior to the handing over of the pledges, we were greeted by the beautiful voices of our world- renowned NMMU choir, followed by speeches from the Mayor, Premier, VC and student leaders.

Students at NMMU make their voices heard with a silent march

What is also worth noting is that although it was a silent march, we weren’t completely silent, as the march afforded us the opportunity to interact and engage with people you otherwise might never have met.

I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Port Elizabeth businessman and former political activist Khusta Jack about the state of our nation and the advent of these xenophobic attacks. Such opportunities are few and far between. Hence I relished the pearls of wisdom he imparted.

He encourages us to read more and engage each other on critical issues, thus raising our sense of consciousness, just as they did during the struggle for liberation.

Residence students were there too

In his infectious and charismatic manner, our Vice-Chancellor delivered a speech that spoke to three very important themes. The first being the apprehension and punishment of those who are inciting these violent attacks and calls for the arrest of anyone who brandishes weapons with the intent of causing harm to another.

Secondly, accountability … “Those who are responsible for these crimes should be held to account” he says.

Thirdly, he encourages the creation of an inclusive economic system; one that will see every citizen existing in a politically, socially, as well as economically just South Africa.

It was very interesting to see the kind of celebrity status our VC enjoyed once the event was over. Almost every student was trying to either get a selfie (selfie sticks and all) or introduce themselves to the man. The excitement and jubilance shown by the students when in the presence of our leader must not be neglected. That one speech, that engagement, will surely bode well for the camaraderie among our students. Hopefully, more engagements will follow.

This violent scourge has sadly divided Africa and her people. It is however refreshing to know that the consciousness of NMMU students has been awakened. This asserts my belief that it is our generation that will change the status quo, and alleviate these unjust social ills that continue to plague our society.

Furthermore, this reinforces our stance as a dynamic African university that seeks to produce quality individuals who will add to the global knowledge economy.

It also reinforces our commitment to uphold the values of Ubuntu and respect for diversity; our students espouse these values with aplomb.

It was only fitting that we stand firmly against xenophobia, bearing in mind that about 8% of the 27000 students that attend NMMU are international students. Some identify with NMMU and South Africa as their home. We identify with them as our brothers and sisters and nothing less.

If we err, let us err on the side of compassion. Because we are Africans, before we are South Africans.

PS And thanks to NMMU staff member Selwyn Milborrow and Nikolaas du Plooy for the photographs.

Y oh Y

New signage going up at different stages on the top of the tower block

Why oh why, I ask? The question I pose right now has nothing to do with the topical issue of toppling statues - quite the contrary, I think.

I'm asking a question with respect to new structures and in particular Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's tower block. Oh, the 18-story edifice is not new. It was built in the early 1970s for one of our predecessor institutions, the University of Port Elizabeth.

The new structure of which I speak is the brand new signage that is presently being placed at the top of the said tower block.

I saw it going up yesterday - a wonderful splash of red in the sky caught my eye, and I thought, wow, our good name is finally up in lights. This is good. This makes me feel proud. This is fitting for our 10th anniversary year.

It’s a sentiment that’s being echoed elsewhere but especially by our students as captured via Facebook. Everyone appears to be very happy about NMMU being in the business of erecting signs, while the rest of the country is pretty intent on tearing things down.

“While other universities are destroying, we're building!” shares Siminikiwe Ncise.

Yes, we are … in fact, R1.1bn has been spent on infrastructure since 2009 at NMMU. (But that’s another story altogether).

I’m none too sure how much the signage being erected on both the North and South side of the building is costing, but it’s impressive. The logistics in getting it all in place before Graduation starts in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday are impressive too.

Here are some of them:

• The sign is 40m x 6m high
• It’s made up of 6m x 3m panels
• The sign weighs about 50kg
• Installation is via workers who are abseiling the panels into position

And if there’s too much dew, any rain or the wind happens to go above 15km/h, and then work has to stop. The noise factor is another challenge – sound travels easily through concrete density.

But challenges can be overcome ... which brings me to the Y oh Y question.

Why oh why, I ask, is the y in the word “university” in our brand new signage a capital letter, as in UniversitY!

Check the upstart Y

Yes, take a look at the signage … a big, fat, awkward Y in an otherwise beautiful sign. The instructions have been checked … there was no BIG Y in the brief. Why would anyone think a big Y was correct (especially at an institution of higher learning) while the rest of the word, bar the U, is in lower case? Why did the company continue to erect the panel? Why wasn’t someone from the installation company paying attention? Why, oh why?

So I guess NMMU isn’t so different, after all?

We’ll be in the removal business ourselves soon enough because that badly-behaved Y will have to go. He needs to be brought down to size …

I suppose we all do from time to time.

PS. That upstart Y was brought back down to size on Saturday 11 April with no protesters or green paint in sight.  

From statues to random acts of kindness

Guest blogger Bev Erickson

Our country is really experiencing a lot of turmoil with what’s happening around the issue of statues and their colonial connections. Everyone has their own opinion on this and I’m certainly not going to go into it here, but it certainly got me thinking about things and about students in particular.

Having worked in the higher education environment for many years – I’ve been exposed to students, lots of students (I guess that’s what keeps me young!). According to our old friend the dictionary “A student is a person who is studying at a university or other place of higher education” and the origin of the word is from Latin - student- 'applying oneself to', from the verb studere, related to studium 'painstaking application'. It’s this painstaking application by our NMMU students that I’m referring to here.

We see it all the time – our students who painstakingly study hard to achieve great results and in the process, not only bring honour to themselves and their families, but to our university family too. Others painstakingly apply themselves to complete their studies and achieve great heights in their chosen sport or other extra-mural activities – and we have lots of them too who fly the fly very high.

Then there are those who are painstakingly apply themselves to helping others. There are so many examples of this taking place at NMMU every day – I think of our Human Resource Management students’ “Pay it Forward” project which they run each year, the Beyond the Classroom students who do so much good for others, the Enactus Society putting service first and now the Random Acts of Kindness group, started by first-year Computing Science students who filmed a video and have started a Facebook page as “a platform for everyone to post and share their random acts of kindness - spreading the love for one another.”

Check out why NMMU students make us proud - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruDlOPx9OzY

So these things got me thinking. Are our students different? Are they special? Do they care more than others?

My answer is YES, I think they are special. We so often see our value of ubuntu being demonstrated and lived by our students and it is so heart-warming and uplifting. Many a time I walk away from a student interaction and think that our future is bright.

So with faeces being flung at statues, riders being flung from horses, our namesake’s likeness in front of the Union Building under threat of being toppled – what I see at NMMU is upliftment, kindness and the building of a great future.

NMMU students – you make me proud!

‘Jumping off planes with parachutes’: attributes for success …

NMMU Vice-Chancellor's Scholars with Chancellor Santie Botha and Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz (centre).

An excellent academic record just isn’t going to hack it anymore. That’s as Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Chancellor Santie Botha* intimated in her address to the university’s chosen few – the 2015 cohort of Vice-Chancellor’s Scholars.

Today’s ever-changing world means what was good enough yesterday is no longer good enough today. Instead, today’s generation must strive far beyond top marks.

Ask the Chancellor herself.

The former South African Business Woman of the Year works in our volatile, uncertain, ever-changing world … a far cry from the one in which she grew up when a degree guaranteed you a decent job.

Now, says Ms Botha, only the fittest, creative out of the box thinkers, entrepreneurs and true innovators are successful.

“You won’t be boarding trains with tickets, you’ll be jumping out of airplanes,” Ms Botha told the 26 Vice-Chancellor’s Scholars, their parents and NMMU staff at the Awards Dinner to recognise their achievement in being selected to the R82 782-a-year bursary.

“Success is no longer about playing it safe.”

Instead, she continued at the prestigious event in the university’s Indoor Sports Centre, it’s about getting involved beyond your books, showing what you can give and by providing solutions to the likes of our ailing global economy, crime, terrorism, climate change, poverty, disease … (no pressure, guys!)

To do this, you need:

1. The ability to add true value

2. The capacity to try new things

3. An appetite for risk and

4. The acceptance of trial and error as a career strategy.

Ultimately, to succeed in a world that is going to bulge to three billion within the two decades with a massive middle class, today’s students are going to have to add real value in whatever field they find themselves in.

Are you up to it?

VC Scholars (back from left) Mylon Jonas, Ruan Olivier, (front) Carla Barnard, Anandi Botha and Sumaiya Moses

*Full transcript of Chancellor’s address at the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship Awards Dinner

I would like to start by congratulating every one of the students here this evening on being a deserving winner. It is an honour to have students of your calibre at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University to specialise in your chosen fields. I would also like to congratulate you on your excellent choice of university. I can assure you, that wherever you might end up working in the world one day, you will never have to explain where Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University is situated or which country you are from.

Also, as you have chosen the only university in the world that carries the name of the greatest leader of all time, Mr Nelson Mandela … I would like to give you one of his famous quotes…’A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination. There are very few misfortunes in the world that you cannot turn into a personal triumph if you have the iron will and the necessary skill. It is what we make of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another’.

My request to you is that as young achievers and potential leaders in your respective fields and also of our beloved country and beyond…that you don’t only look at what Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University can give to you but also what YOU can give back to the university. What I mean when I say that is that you don’t only excel in your academic studies but that you get involved …. In community work, in sport, in research and truly make a difference to other people’s lives, your own life and ultimately, make NMMU the university where all top achievers want to be. Because this will prepare you even more for the world of work when you leave here.

Because we live in the right-brain society today. Where it is about survival of the fittest, creative out of the box thinkers, entrepreneurs, true innovators. People who question the status quo…irrespective of the kind of discipline that you are in. To always ask the critical questions and improve on the answers. Everybody has a point of view but it’s impossible for everyone to always be right …Think of the global challenges today… an anemic global economy, transnational crime and terrorism, climate change, poverty, disease … and there-in lies the challenge … how to become involved in solving those global challenges and creating a new order..

To succeed in the world to come, you won’t be boarding trains with tickets; you’ll be jumping off planes with parachutes.

We live in fast changing, enormously disruptive times. Success is no longer about playing safe, being predictable, or following schedules. That’s how it was when I was growing up.



There are too many disruptions still afoot to believe in the train metaphor anymore. Digital-mobile-social-technology platforms have already laid waste to a whole range of industries and professions. There are no predictable trains running in media, music, and communication or publishing anymore because the old rules have been overturned by the fact that a billion people now carry connected consumption devices in their pockets.

Watch the heat being turned up even more, as easily used software and mobile hardware takes away a big chunk of what professionals used to see as their bread and butter. Doctors, lawyers, accountants will no longer be able to sell simple processing or basic procedures – they will have to elevate to higher-level advisory roles, or become irrelevant.

In the next two decades, three billion people are expected to be added to the already growing middle class. That’s great for consumption - many sales to be made - but a huge strain on limited resources like food, water, oil. Technological change will have to be even more rapid for the planet to cope with all those extra wallets, mouths and fingers. New forms of energy, synthetic foods and tighter environmental regulation are not just likely – it’s a done deal.

So, you will ask me, what is “safe” in the world of work tomorrow?

The truth is, no one knows. “Safe” work does not exist anymore. In our unpredictable world today, you have to be able to do the following.

1. The ability to add true value, not just simple procedural inputs

2. The capacity to try things out that have never been done before

3. An appetite for risk and

4. The acceptance of trial and error as a career strategy. Thinking out of the box and finding your “own brand and your own way” of doing things in your chosen discipline is a no brainer.

It’s scary stuff, but if it’s any consolation, I am in exactly the same boat. But I know that at the heart of success, it is always about providing genuine, distinctive value to others. And that never changes. What does change, however, is the form and format of delivery with constant re-invention at its core. What is new today is yesterday’s news tomorrow. And that is what I want you to have at the back of your minds as you start your studies.

So in a competitive environment, where you want to win, you always have to push the boundaries. And when you make those big decisions, there is always risk involved. If there is no risk involved, then the decisions are not big enough to start off with. Remember the market today is global…and the war for the best talent is intense. You have to ensure that you become the best that you can ultimately be.

To every parent, teacher and headmaster here this evening, I would like to congratulate and thank you for your support, your love and belief in creating deserving winners and our leaders of tomorrow.

Ndiyabulela nongomso.