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10 June 2019 | Story Charlene Stanley | Photo Charl Devenish
4IR Prof Marwala
Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg and speaker at the first UFS public event on 4IR awareness (middle), with Prof Corli Witthuhn, UFS Vice-Rector: Research (left), and Tafadza Kachara, member of the UFS 4IR committee.

A computer programmed to play poker and learning by itself how to bluff; an algorithm that predicts whether two countries will ever go to war; machines that detect epilepsy with almost flawless accuracy these are some of the groundbreaking abilities brought about by technologies associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Addressing the first UFS public event to enhance 4IR awareness, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg, briefed staff, interested parties and members of the media about recent 4IR developments and their implications.

Prof Marwala is currently a thought leader on the impact of the 4IR on higher education in South Africa as well as the Deputy Chairperson of the national commission appointed by the president to formulate 4IR strategies for South Africa.

Industrial revolution history

He recapped how, during the first industrial revolution, people started to understand how nature worked, ultimately leading to the development of the steam engine.
The second industrial revolution was marked by the development of electromagnetism which led to electrification and mass production, while the third produced computerisation and a rise in digital technology. 

The fourth industrial revolution is characterised by a fusion of technologies that blur the lines between cyber, physical and biological systems. This has led to rapid advances in fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and 3D printing.


Artificial intelligence

Prof Marwala pointed out that, although fears were rife of machines taking over people’s jobs, the flipside of the coin was that dangerous jobs such as fire rescue operations could be carried out by machines without endangering lives.

Artificial intelligence can be employed to prevent bridge and building collapses by monitoring the condition of structures. It can also be used in credit scoring, where machines search for and analyse all the available data on a credit applicant, without having to rely only on the (sometimes fraudulent) information supplied by the credit seeker. 

He emphasised the great need to develop algorithms applicable to our continent, such as translating software that makes provision for the clicks in languages like isiXhosa, and facial recognition software that incorporates data collected in African countries. 


Is Africa ready? 

Responding to a question from an audience member, Prof Marwala indicated that Africa was certainly not ready for the 4IR when it came to the content of teaching curricula and infrastructure.

“As universities, we should not sit back and wait for change. We have the responsibility to lead our societies to have the same experiences as elsewhere in the world,” he concluded.

News Archive

Handing-over of the Centenary Edition of the Journal for Juridical Science
2005-08-18

On 13 June 2005 the editor of the Journal for Juridical Science (JJS), Prof Charles Ngwena, and the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof Johan Henning, handed over the Centenary Edition of the Journal to the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Frederick Fourie.

The Journal of Juridical Science has published original accredited jurisprudential research articles in both English and Afrikaans since 1976.  The Centenary Edition of the Journal (which was published so as to coincide with the University’s centenary celebrations) comprises publications contributed mainly by staff of the Faculty of Law as well as of the Centre for Accounting.  This special edition includes, inter alia, the inaugural lecture of the Honourable Judge of Appeal Joos Hefer (following his appointment as the first honorary professor of Private Law at the UFS) entitled “Billikheid in die Kontraktereg” (Equity in the Law of Contract) and an article comprising a comprehensive review of the history of the Faculty of Law co-authored by Professors JJ Henning, HA Wessels and Adv JH de Bruin (all members of the Department of Roman Law, Legal History and Comparative Law).

The year 2005 marks the 30th year of publication of the JJS.  Two or three editions are published annually (depending on the prevailing circumstances), and each edition comprises 200 – 220 pages.
 

Prof. Charles Ngwena, left, handed a copy of the Centenary Edition of the Journal for Juridical Science to the Rector, prof. Frederick Fourie. With them is prof. Johan Henning.
 

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