UCT ALUMNI NEWS 2011 1 VC’S FOREWORD
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2011 UCT ALUMNInews Saunders at 80 MEMORIES & MEMOIRS Landy to London Travels through East Africa www.uct.ac.za Africa’s last crusade Digitally preserving our cultural heritage 125 years of women on campus Michelle Obama visits UCT Interviews: Forensic pathologist Prof Lorna Martin/cryptographer Thyla van der Merwe/astrophysicist Dr Sarah Blyth/stock exchange fundi Maureen Dlamini Faculty alumni representatives Health Sciences Law Joan Tuff, Alumni and Bequest Officer Pauline Alexander, Development and Dean’s Suite, Barnard Fuller Building, Marketing Manager, Room 4.09, Kramer Anzio Road, Observatory School of Law, Middle Campus Tel: +27 (0)21 406 6686, fax: +27 (0)21 Tel: +27(0)21 650 5602, fax: +27 (0)21 447 8955, [email protected] 650 5662, [email protected] Science Humanities Katherine Thomson, Communication, Libo Msengana-Bam, Marketing and Development and Marketing Manager, OUR MISSION Alumni Officer, Room B27a, Beattie Room 6.51, Level 6, PD Hahn, Upper Building, Upper Campus Campus UCT aspires to become a premier academic meeting point Tel: +27 (0)21 650 4358, fax: +27 (0)21 Tel: +27 (0)21 650 2574, fax: +27 (0)21 686 9840, [email protected] 650 4511, [email protected] between South Africa, the rest of Africa and the world. Taking advantage of expanding global networks and our distinct vantage point in Africa, we are committed, Engineering & the Built Environment Commerce through innovative research and scholarship, to grapple Mary Hilton, Communications and Mar- Carolyn McGibbon, Manager: Communi- with the key issues of our natural and social worlds. keting Manager, Room 6.21.1, 6th floor, cation and Marketing, Room 6.34, Leslie Menzies Building, Upper Campus Commerce Building We aim to produce graduates whose qualifications Tel: +27 (0)21 650 4108, fax: +27 (0)21 Tel: +27 (0)21 650 4551, fax: +27 (0)21 are internationally recognised and locally applicable, 650 3782, [email protected] 689 7570, [email protected] underpinned by values of engaged citizenship and social justice. UCT will promote diversity and transformation within our institution and beyond, including growing the Graduate School of Business next generation of academics. Linda Fasham Alumni Relations Manager Room G4, Breakwater Campus, Waterfront Tel: +27 (0)21 406 1321, fax: + 27 (0)21 406 1464, [email protected] UCT Trust (UK) UCT Fund, Inc. (NY) UCT Regional Office: Canada UCT Australian Trust 83a High Street 132 East 43rd Street 2927 LakeShore Blvd West Level 9, 45 Clarence Street Esher, Surrey Box 526 Suite 227 Sydney, NSW 2000 KT10 9QA, United Kingdom New York, NY 10017 Toronto, ON M8V 1J3 Website: www.ucttrust.org.au Tel: 0044 1372 477 116 Tel: 001 646 522 7343 Tel: 001 289 997 4965 Contact Person: Lenore Fax: 0044 1372 477 118 Email: [email protected] Fax: 001 647 351 6836 Plummer; Lenore.Plummer@ Email: [email protected] Skype: uctfund.usa (c/o Suite 227) resimac.com.au, Tel: 0061 Contact Person: Angela Website: www.uctfund.org Mobile: 001 416 648 5801 292 480 313, Fax 0061 292 Edwards Contact Person: Holly Email: [email protected] 482 304. Ruth Thornton Tel: Lawrence Website: www.uctcanada.ca 0061 299 733 807, Email: Contact Person: Di Stafford [email protected] 9 32 7 24 34 CONTENTS 2 Vice-chancellor’s message 30 Growing up A billion in buildings broadens the campus 4 A place for race Dr Max Price on UCT’s admissions policy 31 Letters 6 125 years of women on campus 32 Letter from abroad Today’s pioneers and role models Dr Yashoda Manickchund writes from Timergara, Pakistan 14 Sport 34 Page-turners Alumni and staff take their marks Books by alumni and staff 20 Slow boat to China 36 Staying in touch Teaching and half-marathons in the Far East Development and Alumni Department report 22 Landy to London 39 Alumni reunions and events Duo’s travels through East Africa Travels and gatherings around the world 24 It’s a blood bond 44 Newsmakers Former vice-chancellor Dr Stuart Saunders at 80 Milestones on and off campus 26 Africa’s last crusade 50 Where are they now? A UCT team’s quest to digitise Africa’s fragile heritage Alumni report back 29 Back to basics 52 We remember Alumni roll up their sleeves to tackle basic education Obituaries EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHERS Development and Alumni We welcome Produced for the Helen Théron Katherine Traut, Raymond Department, University of contributions from our Development and Botha Cape Town, Private Bag alumni. To contribute Alumni Department by X3, Rondebosch, 7700. to the magazine, please the Communication and WRITERS DESIGN AND LAYOUT contact The Editor, UCT Marketing Department. Helen Théron Zwelibanzi Damba UCT Alumni News is the Alumni News, University Morgan Morris annual magazine for UCT of Cape Town, Private Bag COVER PHOTOGRAPH Chris McEvoy CONTACT alumni. It is also available X3, Rondebosch, 7700, or Katherine Traut Daniella Pollock [email protected] online at http://www.uct. email one of the faculty Di Stafford Tel: +27 (0)21 650 3746, ac.za/news/publications/ representatives listed on Andrew Alexander fax: +27 (0)21 650 5588, misc/. the inside back cover. COVER CAPTION US First Lady Michelle Obama visited Fuller Hall at UCT in June, meeting 50 local high-schoolers to share a message of hope and inspiration and extol the virtues of hard work and tertiary education. UCT ALUMNI NEWS 2011 1 VC’s FOREWORD Message from the vice-chancellor omen occupy a special place in Residence in the Gardens. In this edition of the University of Cape Town’s UCT Alumni News, we are also privileged Wongoing chronicle. This year to feature an interview with 92-year-old marks the 125th anniversary of women alumna Betty Whaley of Zimbabwe, a on campus and we are using the theme as former Fullerite. a leitmotif in this edition of UCT Alumni This has been a busy year on many fronts. News, beginning with our feature article on At home our student admissions policy alumnae. came under scrutiny and debate, on campus Serendipitously, UCT hosted a very and in the media. As this matter goes to the special woman on campus on 23 June: US core of transformation at your alma mater, First Lady Michelle Obama, who met with we thought it would be useful to include an 50 local high-school learners, with special edited version of the op-ed that appeared in guest Dr Mamphela Ramphele, a former several newspapers. vice-chancellor and one of UCT’s most To accommodate larger student numbers, distinguished alumnae. the new Student Administration Building A down-to-earth and affable guest, opened at the beginning of the year and the Obama delivered a message that reinforced new School of Economics Building opened a core part of UCT’s mandate: to provide its doors in April. In 2012 the new Obz opportunities to learners with the talent Square residence opens down the road from and motivation to gain access to a world- the medical school. In its scale, Obz Square class higher education, regardless of their is like nothing UCT has built before. It will social class and despite their disadvantaged increase our residence capacity by 15%, schooling. Many of these opportunities are enabling UCT to attract more of the top made possible thanks to the generosity and students from around the country and the ongoing support of our alumni and donors. world. A place in residence is also the most Interestingly, Obama is not the first US important support one can offer a student First Lady to grace the cover of UCT Alumni from a disadvantaged background through News. In 1997 Hillary Rodham Clinton the support of mentors and peers, after- visited this campus and featured on that hours access to libraries and study rooms, year’s cover. and good internet access. Given our focus on women in this issue, This is the purpose of much of our fund- it seems fitting that Obama’s meeting with raising at home and abroad. And it is built the high-schoolers took place in the iconic on the goodwill, generosity and vision of Fuller Hall women’s residence. Founded our alumni. We salute you all. in 1928, its forerunner was the Women’s Dr Max Price Umyalezo ovela kwisekela-ngqonyela bantu basetyhini bakweyona ndawo fundi abangama-50 bezikolo ezikwingingqi aye afumaneke kwaye ngoku singabulela ikhethekileyo kumqulu oqhubeke- yeKapa, ekunye nondwenwe olubekekileyo isisa nenkxaso engapheliyo yabo babe- Akayo wembali yezehlo kwiYuni- uGqirha Mamphela Ramphele, nowayes- sakuba yinxalenye yale Yunivesithi kunye vesithi yaseKapa. Lo nyaka uphawuleka akuba lisekela-ngqonyela nongomnye woo- nabaxhasi bethu. njengesikhumbuzo seminyaka engama-125 makhwekhwetha ababalulekileyo baseUCT. Eyona nto inika umdla, kukuba uObama amakhosikazi ekho kumhlaba wale yunives- Nanjengondwendwe oluthobekileyo nol- akayonkosikazi yokuqala kamongameli ithi kwaye siza kusebenzisa lo mxholo njen- unobubele, ingxam yomyalezo kankosikazi welo laseMelika ukuhombisa ngendili um- gomxholo oza kuhlala uvela kolu shicilelo Obama igxininise kumongo wenxenye phandle woshicilelo lweUCT Alumni News. lweUCT Alumni News, sisusela kwelona yomgomo weUCT: mgomo lowo uqulathe Ngomnyaka ka-1997, uHillary Rodham nqaku lethu liphambili elingabo babesakuba umyalezo wokunikezwa kwamathuba Clinton wandwendwela le yunivesithi, kun- ngabafundi bale yunivesithi. kubafundi abanezakhono nabakhutheleyo jalo nje wabekwa njengenqaku eliphambili Nanjengoko sisaziwa ngokubalasela ukuze bakwazi ukungena kumaziko em- lomphandle woshicilelo lwaloo nyaka. ekubhaqeni izinto ezikhethekileyo, iUCT iye fundo ephakamileyo akwizinga lehlabathi, Nanjengoko sigqalisela kumakhosikazi yasingatha umsitho wenenekazi elikheth- oku kusenzeka kungajongwanga nqanaba kolu shicilelo, kukhangeleka kufanelekile ekileyo kumhlaba wayo ngomhla wama-23 labo ngokwentlalo kwaye kungajongwa ukuba umhlangano kaObama nabafundi kuJuni: Inkosikazi kaMongameli waseMelika kuhleleleka kwabo ngokwemfundo abayi- bezikolo zamabanga aphakamileyo ube uMichelle Obama, noye wahlangana naba- fumene esikolweni.