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27 August 2020 | Story Eugene Seegers | Photo Jolandi Griesel
Siphokazi Dlwati - Faculty of Theology and Religion
Sipho Dlwati lives to help others.
Siphokazi Dlwati believes in mentoring. Not only in being mentored, but in mentoring others as well. In fact, this is her life’s philosophy. As she puts it: “I am convinced that each one of us has the potential to be absolutely great at everything we do; but I also believe that we need assistance from those who have gone before us, people who have acquired the necessary skills and knowledge to guide and caution us.”

Sipho strives to be such a model and mentor: “I believe that everything I learn is not just for my benefit, but it is for the benefit of those who are looking up to me, those who are interested in my journey and how I have managed to make it a level or a step further than where they are.” 

“Good relationships are the
real measure of true success.”
—Siphokazi Dlwati,
Faculty of Theology and Religion

Please tell us about yourself

“I am the Teaching and Learning Manager in the Faculty of Theology and Religion. I see my role at the institution as that of a middleman between faculty staff, students, and the institution. Mine is to ensure that all three entities hear and understand each other’s needs. On one hand, institutional teaching and learning strategies and policies need to be disseminated at faculty level for input and later implementation to the betterment of the teaching and learning experience for both staff and students. On the other hand, the institutional culture needs to evolve and be more sensitive to the needs of its students and staff, inevitably adjusting its policies and strategies to better accommodate all Kovsies!”

What do you do at the university?

“I am inspired by all the women I am surrounded by, be it at home, work or even in social spaces. There is a common thread among all of them. Their strength, resilience, and courage to always try, even when it seems futile, is not only encouraging but also enabling, as it says, ‘I can also achieve much in my life’.”

What advice would you give to a 15-year-old you?
“Loss has helped me to channel my energies constructively. Realising that nothing lasts forever has motivated me to never take anyone or anything for granted.

Against all your pursuits, never compromise the value of relationships for commodities. Good relationships are the real measure of true success. Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. Let that pace you!”

Is there a woman who inspires you and who you would like to celebrate this Women’s Month, and why?

“I think my desire and commitment to see our staff and students grow from one level of success to the next is what makes me a champion woman. We all have the potential to be great at whatever we put our minds to, but we do need assistance from others. We need guidance from those who have gone before us and acquired the necessary information and skills to guide us as people journeying behind them. I believe that everything I learn and acquire should not solely benefit me, but others as well.”

News Archive

Multi-disciplinary research approach at UFS
2005-10-25

UFS follows multi-disciplinary research approach with opening of new centre 

“A new way of doing business in necessary in the research and teaching of agriculture and natural sciences in South Africa.  We must move away from  departmentalised research infrastructures and a multi-disciplinary approach to research involving several disciplines must be adapted,” said Prof Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean:  Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS).   

Prof van Schalkwyk delivered the keynote address during the launch of the Centre for Plant Health Management (CePHMa) at the Main Campus in Bloemfontein today (21 October 2005).  CePHMa is an initiative of the UFS Department of Plant Sciences.

According to Prof van Schalkwyk a tertiary institution must practice multi-disciplinary research to be a world-class research institution.  “It is difficult for researchers to admit that they do not know a lot about each other’s area of speciality.  It is therefore necessary for researchers to make a paradigm shift and to focus on inter-disciplinary co-operation.  To do this, we must encourage them to work together and to find a common language to communicate ideas en establish symbiotic relationships,” said Prof Van Schalkwyk.

“We tend to think that research is better and faster if it is specialised.  This is not true.  The new generation of scientists are young and they are trained to form a concept of the total system and not to focus on a specific area of speciality.  At the UFS we encourage this approach to research.  This was one of the main reasons for the establishment of CePHMa,” said Prof Van Schalkwyk.
CePHMa is the only centre of its kind in Africa and is established to extend the expertise in plant health management in South Africa and in Africa, to train experts in plant health and to conduct multi-disciplinary research about the health of agricultural crops.  

“CePHMa is a virtual centre comprising of ten disciplines applicable to crop production and crop protection,” said Prof Wijnand Swart, Chairperson of CePHMa during the opening ceremony.

“The UFS is the leading institution in Africa in terms of news crop development and manages three research programmes that concentrate on new crops, i.e. the New Crop Pathology Programme, the New Crop Development Programme and the Insects on New Crops Programme.  Other applied research programmes that are unique to the UFS are genetic resistance to rust diseases of small grain crops and sustainable integrated disease management of field crops,” said Prof Swart.

“Because the expected growth in population will be 80% in 2020 in sub-Saharan Africa, the future demands of food produce in Africa will be influenced.  Therefore research will in future be focused on ways to improve food security by employing  agricultural systems that are economically viable and environmentally sound,” said Prof Swart.

“Thorough knowledge of the concept of holistic plant health management is crucial to meet the challenge and it is therefore imperative that innovative crop protection and crop production strategies, with particular emphasis on plant health, be adopted.  This is why the Department of Plant Sciences initiated the establishment of CePHMA,” he said.

According to Prof Swart there is a shortage of expertise in plant health management.  “The UFS has shown the potential to address the demand of the sub-continent of Africa regarding expertise training and CePHMa is the leader in southern Africa to provide in this need,” he said.

The appropriateness and quality of training in plant health management is reflected in the fact that students from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, Ghana, Tanzania, Cameroon, Angola, Mozambique and Lesotho have already been trained or are in the process of being trained in at the UFS.

Scientists from CePHMa have forged partnerships with numerous national and international institutions including the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), various community trusts, seed, pesticide and agricultural chemical companies, in addition to overseas universities. 

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:  (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
21 October 2005

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