Latest news with #UniversityofWitwatersrand
The Citizen
14-05-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Graduation celebrations or cultural chaos? Expert weighs in
Education activist slams use of traditional weapons at graduations, calling for more respectful cultural expression on university stages. Education activist Hendrick Makaneta has voiced his concerns over what he describes as 'chaos masquerading as cultural celebration' on university graduation stages. Autumn graduation ceremonies for various South African universities in 2025 are scheduled between April and May. The University of Witwatersrand [Wits] undergraduate graduations took place from 25 March to 3 April 2025, while the University of Cape Town held its Autumn ceremony on 31 March to 4 April 2025. While graduations continue at other institutions throughout the year, Makaneta urged institutions to rein in disruptive traditional practices during ceremonies. Cultural celebration Makaneta on Wednesday criticised the growing trend of graduates bringing knobkerries, assegais and other traditional items onto the graduation stage. He argued that the practice poses safety concerns and undermines the dignity of the event. 'As we celebrate the achievements of our graduates, it is essential to reflect on the conduct of waving knobkerries and assegais at our graduation ceremonies,' Makaneta stated. ALSO READ: Frustration mounts as higher education websites remain offline for days 'Waving knobkerries and assegais can be perceived as intimidating or threatening.' While acknowledging the importance of cultural expression, he called for a more measured approach that balances tradition with safety and decorum. 'We love African celebration, but some of the things that we see on the graduation stage are no longer celebration but chaos,' he said. Order must prevail Makaneta emphasised that the well-being of professors, guests and fellow graduates must be the top priority. He warned that traditional dances and displays of weaponry during ceremonies can cause unnecessary delays and create discomfort for other attendees. 'Our graduation ceremonies are a celebration of academic achievement and cultural diversity. 'Let us ensure that these events remain a source of pride and joy for all attendees, while also promoting a culture of respect and safety,' he said. ALSO READ: Soweto schools disrupted after student's tragic death He encouraged students to express their heritage in safer, less disruptive ways. 'We urge our graduates to reflect on their actions and consider alternative ways to celebrate their achievements. There are many ways to express cultural pride and joy without compromising safety or disrupting the ceremony,' Makaneta added. Institutional responsibility The activist also urged universities to set clear guidelines protecting the integrity of graduation ceremonies while honouring South Africa's diverse cultural backgrounds. 'Graduation should be a sacred moment. Graduates should be encouraged to respect the stage and to respect others who are waiting for their names to be called,' he said. 'Traditional dancers must also respect the families who have travelled long distances to come and witness the graduation ceremony of their child.' NOW READ: DUT denies claims of Nsfas registration portal closure
News24
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Halala! Dr Musa Mthombeni earns his Master's in Diagnostic Radiology
He is no stranger to the spotlight. He grew up a child star and now, he often shares sweet moments with his wife on social media while achieving great things in the medicine field. His intellectual prowess is impressive as he has just achieved a major milestone. Read more | 'Retirement is too far to put off travel' – Dr Musa Mthombeni gives top travel tips Dr Musawenkosi Mthombeni (35) is a specialist radiologist, media personality, and husband to former Miss South Africa 2015, Liesl Laurie - Mthombeni. Musa recently completed his Master of Medicine in Diagnostic Radiology from the University of Witwatersrand, and he took to his Instagram page to share the exciting news on social media, posting a screenshot confirmation email from the university. The email reads, "Dear Dr. Musawenkosi Mthombeni, congratulations on completing the Master of Medicine in Diagnostic Radiology. We wish you all the best in your future career." This achievement is a nod to Musa's hard work and dedication to his craft. His wife, Liesl, expressed her pride commenting, "Sooo proud of you, my husband," along with Musa's friends and celebrities sending congratulatory messages to him. The email came just on time as Musa was celebrating his birthday, and he captioned the post "A little birthday present to me. Ke di batla one by one!" View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr Musa Mthombeni (@drmusamthombeni)
Voice of America
14-03-2025
- Health
- Voice of America
Africa faces diabetes crisis, study finds
Researchers warn that type 2 diabetes could affect millions more people in the coming decades after a study published this month revealed the disease is rising far faster among people in sub-Saharan Africa than previously thought. Take 51-year-old security guard Sibusiso Sithole, for example. Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes came as a shock, he said, because he walked six miles to and from work every day and never thought his weight was a problem. Then his wife noticed changes in his health. Since his diagnosis 13 years ago, Sithole has been on a rigorous treatment for diabetes and high blood pressure. 'I have to take six ... medications every day,' he said. Diabetes is a condition in which the body struggles to turn food into energy due to insufficient insulin. Without insulin, sugar stays in the blood instead of entering cells, leading to high blood-sugar levels. Long-term complications include heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and amputations. The International Diabetes Federation estimated in 2021 that 24 million adults in sub-Saharan Africa were living with the condition. Researchers had projected that by 2045, about 6% of sub-Saharan Africans — over 50 million — would have diabetes. The new study, published this month in the medical journal The Lancet, suggested the actual percentage could be nearly double that. By tracking more than 10,000 participants in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Burkina Faso over seven years, researchers found that poor eating habits, lack of health care access, obesity and physical inactivity are key drivers of diabetes in Africa. Dr. Raylton Chikwati, a study co-author from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, said another risk factor is living in or moving to the outskirts of cities, or 'peri-urban areas.' 'Access to health care, you know, in the rural areas is a bit less than in the urban areas,' Chikwati said, adding that increased use of processed foods in the peri-urban areas was a problem. Palwende Boua, a research associate at the Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro in Burkina Faso, said long-term studies are rare in Africa but essential to understanding diseases. 'Being able to have a repeated measure and following up [with] the same people ... is providing much more information and much valuable information,' Boua said, 'rather than having to see people once and trying to understand a phenomenon.' Boua is preparing a policy brief for Burkina Faso's government to assist in the fight against diabetes. For Sithole, managing his diabetes has been a long journey. But with treatment and lifestyle changes, he has regained control over his health. 'What I can tell people is that they must go and check — check the way they eat — because that time I was having too much weight in my body,' he said. 'I was wearing size 40 that time. Now I'm wearing size 34.' Experts stressed that Africans should get their blood-sugar level tested and seek treatment when diabetes is diagnosed.
Voice of America
27-02-2025
- Business
- Voice of America
Global splinters evident at G20 finance ministers meeting
The Group of 20 major economies has been instrumental in coordinating the response to crises like the COVID pandemic. But top officials from the U.S. and several other member states skipped the G20 finance ministers' meeting in South Africa this week, raising questions about the group's continued relevance in a splintered global environment. The two-day meeting in Cape Town ended without a communique, with current G20 leader South Africa saying there was not sufficient consensus to issue one. In his opening remarks at the event, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa referred to the fractured geopolitical climate and stressed the importance of international cooperation. 'At this time of global uncertainty and escalating tension, it is now more important than ever that the members of the G20 should work together,' Ramaphosa said. 'The erosion of multilateralism presents a threat to global growth and stability.' He said the G20 finance ministers meeting had to address major issues like climate change financing, ensuring debt sustainability for developing countries, and Africa's need to process its own critical minerals for inclusive growth. But it appeared the world's largest economies were not able to find common ground on a number of issues. South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana noted this wasn't the first time. 'The issue of the communique and the absence of it is not something new,' Godongwana said. 'To my knowledge, I mean, since the Russia-Ukraine war, it has been difficult to find a joint communique. Now, new differences have emerged on a number of other topics.' Climate adaptation funding was one of the areas where there was a 'difference of opinion,' he said. The finance ministers meeting was beset with similar problems faced by last week's G20 foreign ministers meeting in Johannesburg, which laid bare the discord in current geopolitics. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent skipped the event amid a spat with host country South Africa, and after the U.S. criticized the themes around climate change and 'solidarity, equality and sustainability.' The finance chiefs of other large economies, including Japan, India and China also sat it out. However, all of them, including the U.S., sent representation at various levels. Still, the absence of some top officials underscores global divisions sparked by Russia's attack on Ukraine and the 'America First' administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, said Professor Alex van den Heever of the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. 'I think that this has caused a sort of a general review of how people see global issues,' van den Heever said, 'with people becoming a lot more insular and not really looking at sort of global social solidarity in any way, shape or form – largely looking to look after their own situation.' However, Britain's chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, who was in Cape Town for the meeting, added to Ramaphosa's call for unity, posting on social media platform X, 'Productive and successful collaboration with our international partners is front of mind, now more than ever.' Asked about the issue of tariffs, Godongwana said there had been, 'general agreement against protectionism' at the G20 meeting.
Khaleej Times
18-02-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
Africa's 'bold generation' see bright future at home
AFP met six African students from Generation Z who, from Dakar to Nairobi, and Johannesburg to Abidjan, displayed a realistic optimism and a desire to transform their countries. Born just before or after 2000, these students in urban planning, environment, medicine or biology combine their education with a deep political commitment, far from the stereotype of a self-centred generation cut off from reality. For 24 hours, they allowed an AFP team to share their daily lives. For Dakar native Sokhna Ndeye Merry Sall it began with morning prayer. For Ivorian Marie Elodie Yeo Guefala it was a tour of a cramped student room on the Bingerville campus near Abidjan. Thick fog enveloped the famous Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg when Palesa Molefe went to class at the University of Witwatersrand while Kenyan Geoffrey Mboya made light work of Nairobi's traffic jams riding on the back of a motorcycle taxi. All six of them said they want to stay in their countries to contribute to development. That kind of commitment is not always obvious: nearly six out of 10 young Africans plan to emigrate within three years, primarily to find a job, according to a 2024 study by the South African Ichikowitz Family Foundation. That report was conducted in 16 countries on the continent. In Nigeria, this widespread aspiration for a better life abroad even has its own slang — "japa" — which means "to flee" in Yoruba language. "There's the 'japa' syndrome everybody talks about, but, for me, I mean, I'm a patriot," said Nigerian student Covenant Oluwafemi Odedele. The 21-year-old juggles "marathon days" between medical studies and a project preparing his classmates to enter into the job market. "I just want to do all I can to help develop my country." Senegalese Sall said she is shocked to see many of her young compatriots risking their lives and taking the road of irregular emigration. The 21-year-old student in biology, chemistry and geosciences at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar also talked about the crowded lecture halls and the college years cut short by "political unrest". Her face dimly lit by the flame of a Bunsen burner, Ivorian student Guefala, 25, pointed to the difficulty of studying with frequent power cuts as her laboratory often plunges into darkness. Despite difficulties, the six students all showed a deep desire to transform their countries. And they did not wait until the end of their studies to get involved in community or political life. South African Molefe, 21, raises awareness about the environment with her church. Sall is busy with an association cleaning the cemetery in her Yoff neighbourhood in Dakar. They also agree that their generation is not sufficiently listened to by those in power. "We still have a long way to go," Odedele said. For South African Molefe: "The change I would like to bring is to ensure that the voice of youth is included in every decision-making process." This will translate into "more young people in parliament or among the country's leaders," she said. "Along with all conscious youth, we aspire to have a place in institutions," Senegalese student Sall said. Those demands are significant not least because of the continent's demographics: 70 percent of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is under 30, according to the UN. In 2024, this generation made themselves heard, shaking power with protests in Kenya, driving change in Senegal or no longer listening to the historic parties that emerged from independence, such as the ANC in South Africa. "Young people in Kenya are rising up, they are uniting across all political divides, across all ethnic groups," said Geoffrey Mboya, 24, a social sciences student who participated in the protest movement and wants to become a member of parliament. "Young people from all walks of life are now politically aware," he added. Gen Z "is a bold generation", said Nigerian medical student Odedele, "a generation that believes it can conquer the world, that the world is there to be conquered by it."
