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22 May 2018 Photo Rulanzen Martin
UFSAfricaWeek - Focus on Dr Tariro Kamuti
Dr Tariro Kamuti, postdoctoral fellow in Africa Studies.

“Africa is a continent endowed with vast natural resources and the ways through which these resources are governed for the development of the continent and the upliftment of its people are critical.” These are the words of Dr Tariro Kamuti a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State. 

Believer of advancing Africa and African scholarship
Dr Kamuti said it was important to celebrate Africa Week because “as a continent, we have come a long way through so much sacrifice to be where we are today”. 

He said Africans needed to celebrate their achievements attained so far by remembering where they had come from while embracing change and focusing on the future with hope. 

“Pausing to reflect on the issues facing the continent in order to chart the way forward through celebrating African Week is a good thing to do,” he said.

Dr Kamuti supports the notion of growing African scholarship on the continent to “to turn the tide and reflect on what really transpires”. 
“It is incumbent upon us to own and tell the African story,” he said.

Personal experience attributed to interest in Africa Studies

Dr Kamuti’s experiences and roots as a child of peasant farmers shaped his world view and drove his passion towards a career in Africa Studies as a scholar and researcher.

“My research work seeks to offer a fresh perspective on the policy processes surrounding the governance of the private wildlife ranching sector in South Africa,” he said. “It is an interesting research angle when considering the role of wildlife ranching in shaping the agricultural and environmental policies and land-use patterns in a situation where the land question itself is highly contested from various perspectives.

“Issues relating to wildlife ranching can be used as a lens to analyse challenges facing democratic South Africa,” Dr Kamuti said.

News Archive

Great turnout for Hannes Meyer Symposium in Cardiothoracic Surgery
2017-05-05

Description: Hannes Meyer Symposium  Tags: Hannes Meyer Symposium

Symposium attendees watch attentively as
Dr Johan Brink demonstrated a MAZE procedure
with a pig’s heart.
Photo: Supplied

The University of the Free State’s Faculty of Health Sciences hosted the annual Hannes Meyer Symposium in Cardiothoracic Surgery. The symposium was organised by Prof Francis Smit, head of the department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the UFS, with the support from the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of South Africa and the European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery (EACTS). Over the past 16 years this symposium has steadily been growing in stature and prestige leading to the resounding success that was this year’s event.

Medical advancements explored
The aim of the symposium is to provide an overview of the latest advances in Cardiothoracic Surgery and perfusion as well as providing hands-on training via simulation to trainees from South Africa and the rest of the African continent. Didactic lectures and papers by registrars were an integral component of the symposium. The South African community was represented by various heads of departments, trainees, senior specialists and perfusionists from all the training centres in the country. There were also delegates representing Uganda, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia.

Heart surgery off to new heights
Simulation in Cardiothoracic Surgery and Perfusion can be compared to airline pilots with high risk, with complex surgeries being first done in simulators before being attempted in the real world. The UFS is proud to have a state-of-the-art simulation facility, which was used to facilitate the programme.

The range of simulation was extensive and included simple procedural models to complex full theatre setups with Human Performance Models in perfusion that simulated crisis scenarios with the aid of computerised devices that react in real time to human intervention.

Industry support highly appreciated
This event was coordinated by Dr Jehron Pillay, senior registrar in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Marilee Janse van Vuuren, deputy-director clinical technology, in the department. This was the first time that such extensive simulation models were used in the programme and judging from the positive response received, it has certainly set the benchmark for all future events.

The event has received invaluable support over the years from EACTS that has selected Bloemfontein as the site of its African training programme as a result of the high level of training and education achieved here.

The academic discussions were chaired by Profs Marko Turina and Jose Pomar (past presidents of EACTS) and Pieter Kappetein (past secretary general of EACTS) who are extremely well known internationally for their contribution to advancing Cardiothoracic training and education.

Our guests from EACTS presented didactical lectures on research methodology, international randomised trials and discussed recent developments and controversies in cardiothoracic surgery.

Registrars from all South African units presented a thoracic and cardiac surgery paper from each unit highlighting specific disease conditions, moderated by heads of departments and the international panel.

An event of this magnitude requires significant financial support and the medical industry in South Africa stepped up to the plate in providing financial and logistical support in order to make it possible.

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