Sunday Independent Sunday, April 4, 2021

TRANSFORMATION Another race row brewing at UCT Black woman in charge of transformation axed and replaced by a “white saviour” EDWIN NAIDU ANOTHER race-charged row is brewing at UCT over the axing of a black woman in charge of transformation only to be replaced by a 72-year-old retired “white saviour” on a R2-million salary package at a time when academics, staff and unions have been ordered to make cut-backs. Deputy vice-chancellor (DVC): Transformation, Professor Loretta Feris was removed and replaced with British historical archaeologist Professor Martin Hall, who served in a variety of roles at UCT between 1983 and 2008, assumed duties as acting deputy vice-chancellor: Transformation on April 1, prompting an uproar on campus. An academic, speaking on condition of anonymity because she fears reprisals, has alleged that Feris…

KILL THE BILL Mapisa-Nqakula in a R5m gifts and cash scandal MZILIKAZI WA AFRIKA OUPA MOKOENA African News Agency (ANA) TOBY MELVILLE Reuters DEFENCE and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly received wads of cash and gifts totalling about R5 million from an SANDF contractor between 2017 and 2019. These damning allegations are contained in a letter that United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader, General Bantu Holomisa, sent to the chairpersons of the parliamentary joint standing committee on defence last week. In the letter seen by Sunday Independent, where the contractor is not named, Holomisa claims Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly received: • R300 000 that was given to a senior SANDF official “for the benefit of the minister” at OR Tambo International Airport in November 2017. • R150 000 to pay a night…

HEALTH New TB vaccine on the cards TSHEPISO TSHABALALA tshepiso.tshabala@inl.co.za BACILLUS Calmette–Guérin (BCG), a tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, has for more than a 100 years been the sole TB vaccine that has been administered to newborn babies. Developed by French bacteriologists Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin, the vaccine was developed between 1908 and 1921 and targeted mostly meningitis TB. Now, a century later, Sefako Makgatho University together with Serum Institute of India, Max Plank Institute and Vakzine Projekt Management GmbH, are in the process of conducting a study of a second possible vaccine, known as VPM1002. In the 2020 Global Tuberculosis report, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded approximately 360000 South Africans who are infected with TB, which is a 20% increase from the preceding year, which was 301000 in 2018.…

TERROR Mozambique unrest on SADC talks agenda NTOMBI NKOSI ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za THE insurgency in Mozambique has forced the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Troika to hold an urgent meeting in the next few days to discuss the attacks and the security situation. The meeting has been called by the president of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi. Masisi will convene the meeting in the next few days in his capacity as chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, and it is occasioned by the ongoing insurgency affecting the province of Cabo Delgado in the northern part of Mozambique. President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that he deployed SANDF personnel to rescue citizens trapped in Mozambique Ramaphosa said the SANDF personnel were working hard in ensuring the safety of South African citizens. Yesterday, the…

Varsity move slammed Yesterday, the Black Academic Caucus (BAC) slammed the side-tracking of Feris and the selection of Hall saying it demonstrates the typical short-sightedness of the university with regards to the fundamentally important issues of transformation, and in particular the inclusion of historically marginalised groups into positions of power. “Specifically, the recycling of retired white colleagues into positions of power completely goes against the infinitesimal ‘gains’ that may have been recorded in the area of transformation over the years,” it said. The caucus said a similar and recent “anointment” of two hand-picked men to the office of the now departed ombud (a black woman) confirms the problematic pattern of celebrating whiteness and endorsing patriarchy at UCT. Ishmael Mnisi, spokesperson for Minister of Higher Education and Training, Blade Nzimande, referred…

BOOKS Reflection on ads that saw us through apartheid LESEGO MAKGATHO lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za WHETHER we’re conscious of it or not, adverts have a way of creating memories in our lives. Now the book, It’s Not Inside, It’s On Top: Memorable Moments in South African Advertising written by Khanya Mtshali takes us back to some of the best and worst ads of our time. South Africans know how to make iconic ads. Brands have influenced and borrowed from TV, music, sports, comedy and youth culture in a way that has allowed communication across our diverse peoples. It also sometimes gets it horribly wrong. Mtshali’s offering is a blend of memoir, criticism and cultural commentary that is fresh, contemporary and informed. On why she decided to work on a book like this, she…