Former Wits Chancellor and Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke says the university has produced great leaders in the past and must continue doing so in future.

Universities in South Africa have a leading role to play in the socio-political landscape of South Africa, where a dire lack of political leadership is dragging the country down.

Moseneke, who said recently that South Africans need to “rethink how we relate to the state” and move away from “statism”.

“We need to go back and tach our people how to look inward; how to grow their own vegetables; how to build their own homes; how to paint them when they get dirty; how to pick up their litter, and their dignity will be restored – not by a ruling elite that is ever-evasive and ever-and often unethical.

“We must, in other words, cultivate a system of progressive activism, because we have no reason to trust those who call us ‘our people’, and in vain promise us that they will eradicate triple burdens. We have no business in believing in the ruling elite. We have no business to be this gullible,” said Moseneke.

Speaking at Wits University’s Founders Tea during the university’s Centenary Celebration, Moseneke said universities must take a lead in the reformation of the country.

“Universities must remain a safe crucible of independent and critical thought. You must remain a bastion of research and new knowledge. You must continue to hone generational succession of leadership that is informed, that is ethical, that is people centric, that is development centric. 

“A true university must be an incubator for social, industrial and financial innovation. A true place of higher learning and teaching must all the time be asking ‘why all the poverty around us? Why is poverty increasing? Why is it so stubborn? Why is it so endemic? Why are there fewer and fewer people who are capable of being innovative – creating new wealth and new ways of better living?’.”

Universities must also be probing the social arrangements that continue to burden the country, like why are our public institutions so fickle, so susceptible to subversion and inaction, and, why is there such a “damning leadership” deficiency in the country?

“If you care to watch the discussion in parliament, you would know just the level – the low, low level – of leadership that we have to stomach and suffer.”

Quoting former Wits Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adam Habib who said South Africa’s single biggest bane or curse is a paucity of quality leadership, Moseneke said that Habib should have qualified this statement by saying there is no quality leadership “within politics”.

“Our biggest curse is just not having the kind of leaders that we need most at a time that we have to make the most of our conceptual notions of our just, good democratic society.”

Naming the names of several leaders who came from Wits University, such as Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe and Duma Nokwe, Moseneke said that Wits has produced great leaders in the past, and should be able to produce them again in future.

“So as Wits celebrate’s its 100th year, it must continue to produce more and more special leaders, because that is what we need most.”

Following up on Moseneke’s speech, Wits Vice-Chancellor Professor Zeblon Vilakazi said while South Africa has great leaders, they are not in politics. Naming leading academics such as Professors Glenda Grey and Shabir Madhi who helped government mitigate the impact of COVID, Vilakazi said you can find many “wellsprings” of leadership in the academic and private sector, and that unlike in the past, you don’t find the top students going into politics anymore.

“The Greek warrior leader Pericles said: ‘If you run away from politics, politics will come to you’, and ‘if you are not interested in politics, you will find yourself being ruled by your intellectual inferior’.”

This article first appeared on Wits University website.

An Australian state has voted to pass a bill that would introduce harsh penalties for men who remove condoms during sex without the consent of their partner, an act colloquially known as ‘stealthing.’

The South Australian (SA) parliament passed the bill on Wednesday, joining other Australian states including ACT, Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales, which have also outlawed the practice. Anyone convicted of stealthing could potentially face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The legislation, dubbed the Criminal Law Consolidation (Stealthing) Amendment Bill, was introduced by SA MP Connie Bonaros, who described ‘stealthing’ in a statement as a “repugnant” and “disgusting act of betrayal.”

“Such grotesque acts of indecency deserve to be treated in the same manner as rape and a crime punishable by terms of imprisonment,” Bonaros said.

A study of 10,000 people conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology last month reportedly found that as many as one in three women and one in five gay men had been stealthed at least once.

While it’s expected that the introduction of criminal liability for the act of “stealthing” may deter potential offenders, some have raised concerns that not many people are even aware of the term.

Stealthing is a particularly intricate type of sexual violence because the definition, by default, means that you have consented to having protected sex with the perpetrator, meaning you probably had positive feelings towards that person,” the director of the Australia Institute’s Centre for Sex and Gender Equality, Chanel Contos, told The Guardian last month.

She went on to call for the introduction of a national curriculum on consent and respectful relationships and to harmonize Australia’s laws on stealthing in order to “facilitate education and public awareness that stealthing is a form of sexual assault.”

– RT.Com 

South Africa now has a new 24-hour, state-of-the-art regional space weather centre, which was launched in Hermanus, Western Cape.

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Blade Nzimande, described the launch as a historic development and illustration of the country’s excellence in science.

“It is yet another demonstration that the DSI, together with its agencies, continues to respond to the socio-economic challenges of our country by using science, technology and innovation as a catalyst and catalyser for economic development.”

The department’s entity, the South African Space Agency (SANSA), developed the new centre, which is also the only one in Africa.

SANSA’s space weather centre provides an important service to the nation by monitoring the sun and its activity, and by providing space weather forecasts, warnings, alerts, and environmental data on space weather conditions.

Through SANSA, Nzimande said the department now has managed to improve the coordination of South Africa’s space arena to maximise the benefits of current and planned space activities.

During the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal, Nzimande said the agency provided satellite imagery to the National Disaster Management Centre and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) to support the disaster response and understanding of the level of damage.

The same service was provided at the Jagersfontein mine waste dam that collapsed.

“The space weather capability that we are launching is a direct response to our good safety track record, which led to the International Civil Aviation Organisation selecting SANSA as one of the two regional centres to provide space weather services, including solar storm forecasts and warnings to the global aviation sector,” Nzimande said.

Development agenda

The unveiling is part of the overall strategy to position science, technology and innovation at the centre of the country’s developmental agenda.

SANSA’s mandate is to promote and use space and cooperation in space-related activities, foster research in space science, advance scientific engineering and develop human capabilities in space science.

It also includes supporting for the creation of an environment conducive to industrial development in space technologies within the framework. 

The establishment, which was completed by end of September 2022, took three years to build.

The centre includes infrastructure development, instrumentation deployment, product and service development, and skills capability development. 

The total investment, according to the Minister, amounted to R107.5 million over the three years, which included a ring-fenced establishment grant of R70.89 million received from the DSI and R36.6 million invested directly by SANSA.

Space

Through SANSA’s researchers, South Africa has a growing international footprint and impact on new research within the space sector.

SANSA has since ensured its increased focus on transforming the space sector through skills development and public outreach.

“SANSA also has a role in international space cooperation, for example, we are currently negotiating with NASA for the establishment of a tracking and telemetry station in Matjiesfontein in support of future lunar exploration,” the Minister said.

The space agency, according to Nzimande, continues to implement activities targeting women in science and previously disadvantaged youth, while inspiring future space scientists and entrepreneurs through its public engagement programme.

“Thousands of learners have, through the years, engaged with SANSA experts at science and career festivals, school visits, science centres, and now even online.”

The Minister said he is heartened to witness the contribution of SANSA to the people and the global space industry.

“Examples of this important economic role of SANSA include its work in the agricultural economy through the use of open and big data for vegetation condition and stress monitoring, crop and other vegetation assessment, estimation of cropped arable land and production area statistics, above-ground biomass and yield estimation, and agricultural drought assessment and monitoring.”

Meanwhile, he said the agency contributes significantly to the national economy and job creation.

“We must promote this centre as part of tourism,” said Nzimande. 

– SAnews.gov.za

The Western Cape High Court heard arguments on both the challenges and opportunities regarding the collaboration schools model, which the provincial government argued makes high quality no-fee education available to over 12 300 learners in poor communities.

Today is day 2 of our #PublicSchoolDemocracy case. We are asking the court to:

1. Declare that the introduction of collaboration schools, donor-funded schools and intervention facilities clashes with the Constitution. #WCSchoolsLaw https://t.co/LOs4XrKfwK pic.twitter.com/0BYZxpLENJ

— Equal Education (@equal_education) November 3, 2022

“When the action was instituted, our collaboration schools were just getting off the ground. Since then, the model has produced excellent results, with learners having access to incredible learning opportunities.

Our collaboration school donors have contributed to the value of over R325 million to our schools to date, a contribution to our education sector that might otherwise not have been made. Of the schools using the model, 10 are new schools, offering over 8 300 no-fee school places to learners.”, provincial MEC of Education David Maynier said.

We must stop SADTU/Equal Education from shutting down our collaboration schools!

Read more here: https://t.co/KmPh2wrXFX pic.twitter.com/dOFKrTLbAp

— David Maynier (@DavidMaynier) November 3, 2022

Lawyers representing Maynier urged the court to stop Equal Education, and the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) from shutting down collaboration schools.

Although parents must give permission for learners to be sent to these facilities, learners themselves are not given enough of a say in this decision. There is no court oversight in this process, which is very important because of the serious risk to a learners’ rights. pic.twitter.com/yynLuiEwGq

— Equal Education (@equal_education) November 2, 2022

2. Declare that collaboration schools, donor-funded schools, and intervention facilities clash with the South African Schools Act.
3. Declare collaboration schools, donor-funded schools, and intervention facilities unlawful. #PublicSchoolDemocracy #WCSchoolsLaw

— Equal Education (@equal_education) November 3, 2022

EE is asking the court to:
* Declare that the introduction of collaboration schools, donor-funded schools and intervention facilities clashes with the Constitution. #WCSchoolsLaw #PublicSchoolDemocracy

— Equal Education (@equal_education) November 2, 2022

Equal Education (EE) is represented by the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC).

Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier says it is unfortunate that an organisation like Equal Education is challenging the validity of the province’s collaboration schools model, which he said makes high quality no-fee education available to learners in poor communities.

On Wednesday Equal Education (EE), represented by the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC) presented heads of arguments in the Western Cape High Court challenging “potentially dangerous changes” made to Western Cape education law. 

“When the action was instituted, our collaboration schools were just getting off the ground. Since then, the model has produced excellent results, with learners having access to incredible learning opportunities.

Our collaboration school donors have contributed to the value of over R325 million to our schools to date, a contribution to our education sector that might otherwise not have been made. Of the schools using the model, 10 are new schools, offering over 8 300 no-fee school places to learners, the Western Cape education department said through a media statement. 

The Western Cape Provincial School Education Amendment Act of 2018 (the Amendment Act) has changed the Western Cape education law in major ways, the court heard. 

“It has made it possible for two new types of schools to be established – collaboration and donor-funded schools – where donors and private entities are given significant control of public schools in a way that undermines the principles of democratic governance and accountability,” Equal Education argued Wednesday. 

Equal Education says the Amendment Act has also made possible the establishment of intervention facilities for learners found guilty of serious misconduct. Learners sent to intervention facilities can be separated from their family and community for up to a year.

“We are challenging the introduction of these three institutions because the law around them is vague, is inconsistent with the Constitution and in conflict with the South African Schools Act (SASA),” Equal Education and Equal Education Law Centre said in a joint statement.  

Maynier said his department is seeing a positive trend in systemic test and matric results at schools, but said it is not the only reason the model is valuable. 

He added that learners at collaboration schools also benefit from access to opportunities made possible by the involvement of operating partners.

The involvement of operating partners allows additional resources to be brought in, like career guidance counsellors and mentors, partnerships with non-governmental organisations promoting the mental health and wellbeing of learners, resources for remedial education, teacher training, support for the school’s financial management, and other interventions to support teaching and learning.

“The model has also allowed communities to become more involved in establishing schools that serve the unique needs of their community. This kind of direct parental involvement can only benefit our education system, and our learners.

“One need only look at collaboration schools like Apex High School, Jakes Gerwel Technical High School, and Boundary Primary School, to see the benefits that the model offers, Maynier said. 

The NGO told the court that it is not opposed to testing innovative education models, but recognise that experimentation in education is a very sensitive undertaking as it involves the lives and futures of learners.

Click here to listen to Tarryn Cooper-Bell, Senior Attorney at Equal Education Law Centre.

The case continues on Thursday.

– Inside Education 

BERNARD SATHEKGE

THERE has been a significant increase of learners both full-time and part-time registered for the exams this year.

Close to a million South African matric pupils registered for the 2022 final exams in all the nine provinces.

According to Department of Basic Education, there has been a gradual increase in the number of full-time enrolments in 2022, as compared to the previous years.

The number of full-time enrolments increased from 733 198 in 2021 to 755 981 in 2022.

This is an increase of 22 783 candidates.

“The increase in learners enrollment for matric this year came out as a surprise. This allays the concern that there would have been a significant dropout of leaners post the Covid-19 pandemic. But that is not the case,” according to DBE Director-General, Mweli Mathanzima.

The number of part-time learners has also increased from 163 965 in 2021 to 167 479 in 2022.

In addition, a total of 193 question papers will be administered at 6 912 examination centres.

These examination centres have been approved for the administration of the October and November 2022 exams.

As part of managing the security of question papers and managing risks, examination centres have been audited and categorized according to their risk profile and will be monitored accordingly during the conduct of the examination.

The DBE states that a total of 52 811 markers are appointed for the marking of the November 2022 NSC Examinations.

This marks an increase of 11 215 markers, compared to 41 596 markers in 2021.

The increase in markers is in keeping with the increase in the learner enrolments.

In a way, the recruitment of more markers will enhance meeting the deadline of marking exam papers on time.

Mathanzima says the DBE liaises closely with all nine PEDs to identify any challenges or security risks in a timeous manner to ensure that no candidate is disadvantaged in any manner and to ensure watertight security of question papers.

“To ensure an irregularity-free examination, the DBE has stepped up its security across all points in the question paper chain, based on a continuous review of all examination processes,” says Mathanzima.

In addition, all learners sitting for the NSC examinations, and their parents will sign a ‘Commitment Agreement’ to maintain honesty and not to participate in irregularities during the writing of examination.

The Commitment Agreement binds the learners and parents to follow the rules relating to the examination.

In line with this agreement, learners and parents are obliged to make any irregularity related information immediately available to the school principal or the DBE hotline.

Further, they are also expected to surrender cell phones and any other related device if there is an allegation of involvement in an act of dishonesty.

Learners are briefed on all the rules and regulations pertaining to the examinations and on the consequences, should they be implicated in irregularities.

Prisoner matric candidates are also ready for exams. Preparations for special needs for people with disabilities are also put ready in place in order for smooth process without any hindrances.

Although all systems look sharp and green to allow this year’s matric final exams, what appeared to be a threat and likely to derail exams is the current problem of Eskom power outages.

Eskom is battling to restore stability to its generation fleet as breakdowns once again skyrocket to record levels, and this could trigger smooth running of matric exams.

However, the DBE says it is continuously liaising closely with Eskom, the security cluster, PEDs and other relevant stakeholders to manage the risks posed by loadshedding and other security related matters.

Mathanzima says that the DBE can confidently state that it is fully prepared to administer the November 2022 examinations based on the principles of fairness, reliability, validity and integrity.

Last year’s matric results came as a surprise when compared to the previous year’s matric results.

The Matric Class of 2021 achieved a national pass rate of 76.4% which is an increase of 0.2% when compared to 2020.

Even though 2021 Matrics were the most impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, their results showed their resilience. However, education experts calculated that although 2022 has been free from the pandemic such as Covid-19, this year’s matriculants are likely to result in better marks.

Experts says the current late disruptions from Eskom power crisis, will not dealt a major blow as DBE hasbeen aware and surely got contingency plans in place.

The National Senior Certificate (NSC) is a South African Qualification achieved by learners who pass Grade 12 (Matric) in High School.

Students generally complete an NSC in 3 to 5 years, which includes studies done in 3 Grades: Grade 10, Grade 11 and Grade 12.

INSIDE EDUCATION

THE matric class of 2022 has officially commenced writing their final National Senior Certificate examinations on Monday.

While the Department of Basic Education vowed to provide smooth matric final examinations, the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) said it remained concerned about the rolling Eskom blackouts which would negatively impact learners throughout the process of writing final examinations. 

This year’s matric cohort had Grades 10 and 11 impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted schooling. 

The impact of disrupted education following the COVID-19 outbreak was devastating, with learners falling between 75% and a full school year behind where they should be, according to a 2021 report by humanitarian organisation, UNICEF.

Rotational attendance, sporadic school closures, and days off for specific grades, resulted in school children losing 54% of learning time.

21-year-old Boitshepo Makgakgane from Kgosithebe combined school in North West, said that load shedding is affecting her negatively, especially at night. 

“Load shedding is affecting me negatively because I have eye problems. Studying at night is difficult if there is no electricity,” said Makgakgane. 

Makgakgane said that she has been attending extra sessions to help her prepare better for the final examinations.

“I’m having extra classes for 2 hours every day to help me with things I don’t understand. I give economics a lot of attention because it’s the subject that is difficult to understand and the way they ask questions is challenging.” 

Makgakgane said difficult subjects are giving her anxiety attacks at night. 

Kgolothuto Secondary School learner, Lerato Seetsi, said rotational schooling has disadvantaged the class of 2022, “as we now have to learn everything that we missed, which adds a load to the grade 12 work.”
Seetsi said that writing the first paper was scary.

“It was a scary experience, the reason being this is the last paper, as I was writing and I was having these negative thoughts of ‘what if I fail’.” 

The Kgolathuto learner said that she attends school every day and spends four hours on one subject then sleep. 

“I am mentally exhausted because there’s a lot of work to do and we are not given any breaks. We attend school every day, and I spend four hours on one subject, then I sleep.”

“I don’t exercise because I don’t have the time.”

Seetsi gives Maths and Physical Science more attention, because “those are the subjects that are given more attention at our school.”

Meanwhile, Matthews Moloto from Kgabo Secondary School in Limpopo said that load shedding disturbs his studying routine. 

“I like to study at night, and most of the time we experience load shedding at night. I struggle with keeping up with my routine and it is very difficult to study using a light candle.” 

Moloto further said that when there is no power, he has anxieties as he feels like he’s losing valuable time.

“I get stressed a lot, especially when I check the power outage schedule. I feel like I’m losing out when we don’t have electricity.”

The examinations will end on December 7, 2022. 

The marking of scripts will start on December 9th and run until December 22nd, 2022, in 19 marking centres spread throughout Gauteng the province.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Research has found that babies born during lockdown have been later to meet some language and communication milestones. During this time, babies met fewer new people and had fewer chances to socialise with other adults and babies, whether in baby groups or in family and friends’ homes, and parents had work responsibilities while caring for their babies. This may have led to the lag in skills in the 2020 babies.

Parents often worry more about their child not talking than they do about their child not meeting other milestones. Parents are also more accurate in telling researchers when their child should meet talking milestones than other milestones, such as play or gesture.

Many children who are a bit slow to talk but catch up later, and children who are more likely to carry on having language problems are not necessarily the ones who talk late, but the ones who also don’t understand as many words as their peers.

But it’s important to keep a good handle on whether a child is experiencing some delay with communication, as children who have a serious language delay when they start school are more likely to have problems making friends later on. In general, good language skills help children to do well at school.

The best way to help your toddler with their language and communication is to make sure that people talk to them and listen to them, whoever they are coming into contact with.

No ‘right way’ to talk

Parents may feel they aren’t talking to their children in the right way, but research shows there really isn’t a “right way” which will definitely improve your child’s language over a long period of time. Parents from different cultures talk to their children differently, and so far we have found that small changes in talking to toddlers are unlikely to affect a child’s language at school age.

We do know that talking to children about what they are interested in is one of the most effective ways to help the youngest toddlers to learn new words. A controlled trial carried out in the north of England taught some parents to use this type of “contingent talk” – talking about what a child is paying attention to, when they are paying attention to it.

So, for example, parents were taught to say “oh that’s the LORRY you’re playing with, what a fun LORRY” while their child was already paying attention to the lorry. Other parents in the trial were just taught about healthy eating and dental health.

The researchers made sure that they included families from a wide range of backgrounds, including families in low income areas. The study found that children whose parents were given these tips on talking to their children when their children were just under one year old were saying more words when they were 18 months old than those in families who didn’t get these tips.

But as with previous research, there wasn’t a measurable difference between the two groups of toddlers six months after that. So while it’s good to talk to toddlers, it doesn’t necessarily mean changing the way you talk to them is going to carry forward into their future language skills.

Specific instructions on how to talk to a baby or toddler may also be jarring for parents when they differ from practices from their own culture. Of the babies born in England and Wales in 2020, 30% have a mother who wasn’t born in the UK. Out of those babies, their mother’s most common country of birth was Pakistan. The top ten countries of birth for non-UK-born mothers in 2020 also include Romania, Nigeria, Somalia and India.

We know that parents from different parts of the world use different ways of talking to children and have different ideas on bringing up their children. For example, research has found that parents in Sub-Saharan Africa are more likely to use “instrumental” speech to children – trying to ask them to do something, or pointing out something dangerous near the toddler. In the past, researchers in western settings have mainly studied parents talking to toddlers when they were playing together, focusing on toys and games.

Given how concerned parents of babies born in lockdown might be, the important thing to remember is that however you talk to your toddler now, it’s likely to help them. Whether this is part of a dedicated sit-down play session, getting them to help you with things around the house, or learning to do what adults are doing – it’s all good.

THE CONVERSATION

As part of their Good Luck Campaign, Student Recruitment at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) recently visited Sastri College to donate over 200 stationery packs to the Grade 12s and pass on their well wishes ahead of their final exams.

According to a timetable released by the Department of Basic Education, the National Senior Certificate (NSC) final examinations began on Monday, 31 October 2022 and ends on Friday, 09 December 2022.

The Student Recruitment Manager at DUT, Alex Mdletshe was accompanied by his two colleagues, whom are both Student Recruitment Officers at DUT, Michael Zulu and Dr Sathishah Ramrathan.

Addressing the matrics, Mdletshe said: “We are here because you were one of our Top 26 feeder schools. This means your school is amongst the schools that gave DUT most students and we thought we should do something for you. The team prepared stationery packs that you can use during your final exams. We want to say to you good luck for your exams,” said Mdletshe.

He also handed over a certificate to the school as a token of appreciation from DUT, to acknowledge their mutual beneficial partnership.

The matrics were filled with excitement as their stationery packs from DUT were handed over to them. All seemed confident about starting their exams soon, with the hope that their hard work will pay off.

The School Principal, Santosh Rajcoomar expressed his gratitude to the DUT for the support and fruitful partnership over the years.

“Thank you very much to the DUT for the partnership that we enjoy with the institution. Being neighbours and being so close to each other, we embrace the DUT as a great partner to us. We enjoy quite a few programmes with the DUT. We have been registered as the service provider for providing work integrated learning for the DUT interns. We have the DUT ICON office proving us with tutors for our learners in the gateway subjects, so we enjoying some really interesting partnerships with the DUT. We encourage lots of our learners to enrol with the DUT,” said Rajcoomar.

Passing his message to the Matric Class of 2022, Rajcoomar said they are looking for some great results.
He indicated that he is aware that the past two years have been challenging, especially to the Class of 2022, who were in Grade 10 when the COVID-19 pandemic started.

“They have been through a difficult time, in the last two years, including this year. Sastri College and its loyal team of educators have done everything possible to support our leaners. We are hopeful that the results are going to be great,” concluded Rajcoomar.

Other schools that benefited from this campaign are Adams College, Empangeni High, Eshowe High, Gcinimfundo Secondary, Gugulesizwe Secondary, Masijabule High, Mconjwana High, Menzi High, Sinethezekile Secondary, Sithengile Secondary, Umthoqotho High, Velabahleke High, Vukile High, Zwelibanzi Secondary, Arena park Secondary, Marburg Secondary, Margot Fonteyn Secondary, Mthwalume High, Nkosibomvu Secondary, Pinetown Girls High, Port Shepstone Secondary, Sibusisiwe High, Verulam Secondary and ML Sultan Secondary.

STAFF REPORTER

UKZN honours student in Drama and Performing Arts Kwanele Nyembe was named the 2022 National Poetry Slam Champion during UKZN’s Poetry Africa Festival.

Nyembe, who won a cumulative prize of R22 000, will represent South Africa at the World Slam Poetry Competition in Brazil next year.

Also known as Tory Saint, Nyembe is a Durban-based poet, writer, actor and dancer.

‘There is a lot more work to be done. But today, we celebrate an evening spent with the best poets the nation has to offer,’ he said at the announcement.
‘Gratitude to the Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) and UKZN for providing this platform for artists. South Africa has the best poets in the world, and I am grateful to Poetry Africa for reflecting on this established belief. I look forward to retaining the title next year in Brazil.’

CCA Director Dr Ismail Mahomed said: ‘Congratulations to Kwanele. The 2022 Poetry Africa was an incredible success, affirming its position as a most relevant platform that brings poets together from across the world to share, critique and celebrate each other’s creativity. At the same time, the festival is a barometer of how poets read and interpret our social, political and global conditions. Poetry Africa is a dynamic advocate for social justice.’

A jury member for Slam Jam and Head of World Poetry Slam, Dr Philip Meersman of Belgium, added: ‘The use of Kwanele’s voice, the deliberate delivery in (not) using the microphone, the audience interaction, restrained emotions, biblical references together with decorticating the human body into its essence with texts that were harsh as well as blaming and bringing people together, resulted in a well-deserved win.

‘Kwanele is a true winner in every sense of the word, capturing and captivating his audience. He is a kind of magic that must be experienced live by the world.’

Nyembe is the co-founder of the Sink or Swim Podcast, a platform that serves as a media outlet for Durban-based performing artists to talk about their work and introduce the world to the people involved.
As a performer he has worked with the Embassy of Sweden in Pretoria together with Hear my Voice, which curated a virtual series that incorporated creatives from different art sectors, including fashion, literature, music, the spoken word, media, government and academia, for co-learning and adapting to change and support during the peak of the pandemic.

He also performed at the Playhouse Sundowners Poetry and Jazz Show.

Beyond this he has shared his work on various platforms such as Word N Sound and Worlds of Words.

He was a winner of UKZN’s Golden Key Poetry competition.