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Dr Maramura
Dr Tafadzwa Maramura says she carved her path by remaining focused and resolute on her journey.

The African proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ conveys the message that it requires many people to provide a safe and healthy environment for children. The village gives the child the security needed to develop and be able to realise their hopes and dreams. 

Dr Tafadzwa Maramura believes that the same applies vice versa. “It takes a good child to be raised by a village. You need to understand that the village can only do so much, the rest lies on your shoulders as the child,” she says.

The journey of a child raised by a village
The senior lecturer reflects on the journey that led her to serve in the Department of Public Administration and Management at the University of the Free State. At the age of three, she lost her father, who was an army general in Zimbabwe. Soon after, her academic journey would begin at a boarding school. Her widowed mother then moved her to a mission school due to financial constraints, seeing that she had two more children relying on her for survival. Since her father served in the government, she qualified for a state scholarship, which saw her launch her academic career in South Africa as an undergraduate student. 

“I came to South Africa in 2010 and pursued a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Development Economics at the University of Fort Hare. Once my honours were conferred, I acquired my master’s within a year. Thereafter, I enrolled at the North-West University, where I completed my PhD within two years.”

Dr Maramura was the Vice-Chancellor’s valedictorian for her bachelor, honours, and 
master’s degrees. Graduating cum laude was another way of ensuring that she pays it forward to the village that raised her. Not only was she funded by the Zimbabwean government, but she also received financial aid from South Africa throughout her studies. 

Once a child, now part of the village 
Today, as founder of a foundation based in Zimbabwe, she pays the fees of orphaned and disadvantaged primary school learners. “I wish everyone could adopt a child, pay their fees, buy their schoolbooks – because we only have each other, we do not have anyone else. That’s also part of what I call co-creating.”

The Brightest Young Minds in Africa alumna goes above and beyond focusing on academics, as she believes that “if you are the only one holding the light, everyone else will have to follow behind you to make sure that they can see ahead. However, if you share that light, then it means many more can see, therefore making it easier to solve societal challenges as a collective”.

She argues that the amount of money you spend on lunch could pay a child’s school fees for a term, and the cash that you use to buy a jacket or a pair of shoes, could cover a child’s fees for a month.
Making a difference in the lives of young children is her way of playing the role of the village now that she is an adult. “I make sure that wherever I am, I make an impact in the lives of others.”

Dr Maramura says she plans to make sure that life is better for the next young African female, by setting up a mentorship programme for the next generation of leaders. In addition to that, her goal is to become an associate professor, rise in academic rank, and develop a research unit that can speak to issues of sustainable service delivery.

On how to be a good child 
You do not need to be a figure of authority to make an impact. According to Dr Maramura, all you need is a desire to co-create, and making sure that the public is in a different place after you have left the relevant office you hold or the organisation you serve. “Make sure that you can co-exist, because humans don’t live in a vacuum, we exist among each other.”

Serving the people makes all the difference. She suggests that everyone asks themselves what they are doing for their community, class, or family. 

News Archive

UFS appoints new head for Research Commercialisation and Business Development
2009-02-27

The University of the Free State (UFS) has appointed Dr Glen Taylor (pictured) as the new head of the Office for Research Commercialisation and Business Development.

The purpose of this new office is to optimize the commercialization of innovation and intellectual property at the UFS.

According to Dr Taylor, the core function of this office is to establish a sustainable third stream of income from intellectual property in order to diversify the funding base of the University. In essence, the office is responsible for the facilitation of technology transfer.

Aside from the normal aspects associated with technology transfer, such as innovation disclosure, intellectual property protection (patenting) and licensing, a rather broader approach of transferring knowledge to a user in society will also be sought.

“It is evident that the funding environment has changed significantly due to a shift in priorities from public funded agencies, which have impacted hugely on tertiary education,” said Dr Taylor. “Furthermore, due to the changes in the state funding of universities, there is more pressure on these institutions to become financially self-sufficient.”

“So in the light of these challenges, universities as generators of knowledge have a fundamental role to play in the knowledge society, and through the process of innovation and intellectual property development there must be value to the institutions and the individuals.”

Dr Taylor is the former Head of the Department of Agricultural Management and manager of research, technology and innovation activities on the George Campus of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

The Office for Research Commercialisation and Business Development was established at the beginning of 2009.

26 February 2009
 

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