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UFS traditional medicine expert to address Science Summit at 77th UN General Assembly

13 September 2022 | Story Andrè Damons | Photo Andrè Damons

Prof Motlalepula Matsabisa, Director of Pharmacology at the University of the Free State (UFS), has been invited to give a keynote speech on Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and Health during a session at the eighth edition of the UNGA77 Science Summit around the 77th United Nations General Assembly (SSUNGA77).

While in New York, Prof Matsabisa will also meet with officials from the Wellcome Trust – a global charitable foundation – where he will present a strong and compelling motivation for the Wellcome Trust to invest in traditional medicines. Says Prof Matsabisa: “I will deliver a compelling message for investment to be made in scientific research and development around traditional medicines. This development will be piloted in a hub-and-spoke model based on the African economic blocks, with the hub being in South Africa. The returns on the investment put in this initiative will be massive for the African continent, both socially and economically, and I believe it will lead to self-sustainability and Africa being a supplier of innovations based on the science of traditional medicines.”

SSUNGA77 is organised by Intelligence in Science and will take place from 13 to 30 September 2022. It will bring together thought leaders, scientists, technologists, innovators, policy makers, decision makers, regulators, financiers, philanthropists, journalists and editors, and community leaders to increase health science and citizen collaboration across a broad spectrum of themes, including ICT, nutrition, agriculture, health, IKS, and the environment.

Prof Matsabisa, an expert in African traditional medicine (ATM) and Chairperson of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Expert Advisory Committee on Traditional Medicines for COVID-19 (REACT), is also the convener of this session, following his successful proposal for such a session. The session will take place in person on 20 September at the UN headquarters in New York. It is an official side event of the UN General Assembly’s 77th anniversary and will be co-sponsored by the permanent missions of Ireland, Spain, South Africa, Brazil, and Bangladesh to the UN.

His message at Science Summit

“At the end of the summit, we are to make recommendations to the UN, EU, and AU on IKS and health developmental matters. This is exciting and nerve-wracking for me, but I will remain calm knowing that I have a message to deliver to the highest global decision-making body. There can be nothing greater than presenting my talk and proposals for consideration to such a body.”

“I will convey three simple messages, namely the importance of traditional medicines in contributing to universal health coverage, the need for Africa – through the heads of state and governments – to take seriously the local manufacturing of traditional medicines for industrialisation, economic emancipation, and responding to poverty and inequality. The third message is the need for sustained and adequate financial support by African ministries of health for the development, commercialisation, and market access to quality and well-researched, safe, and effective traditional medicines in order to contribute to priority diseases as well as responding to pandemics,” says Prof Matsabisa.

According to him, this address at SSUNGA77 is a chance to correctly position the story on IKS with arguments based on good scientific evidence. “It means we are getting much closer to the institutionalisation and formal economic contribution of IKS to health, and that the African IKS health system is getting international recognition and acceptance,” he says.

Prof Matsabisa says he hopes the message will emerge clearly from his talk that Africa has the resources for raw materials and that the science, as well as the infrastructure, exists to develop IKS and to contribute to new health products. The spin-off is the industrialisation, job creation, and wealth generation that Africa can offer to the rest of the world.

Overall information on the summit is available here

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New SRC: Records of support and a victory for women

2014-09-04

Ms Mosa Leteane and Ms Louzanne Coetzee
Photo: Johan Roux

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While campuses across South Africa regularly report falling voter turnout in campus elections of student representatives, the University of the Free State, in its recently completed SRC elections, registered record levels of support across our campuses with a total voter turnout of 44%. At the Bloemfontein Campus 34,4% of students voted (5052 votes) and 53,3% (1583 votes) at the Qwaqwa Campus.

Also, for the first time under the new SRC constitution, students elected a woman to lead the student body – Ms Mosa Leteane was elected as President. Another first was the election of a blind woman to the SRC – Ms Louzanne Coetzee. She will be responsible for student accessibility of our Bloemfontein SRC. This marks a victory for women in student governance.

Mr Tulasizwe Sithole was elected as the President of the SRC at our Qwaqwa Campus.

The election of Ms Leteane as President underscores the progress achieved for gender equality with near half of her SRC consisting of women (48%).

These successes are all the more significant, since this is the 4th year of elections under newly adopted SRC constitutions that allow for broader participation of diverse student constituencies in student governance.

This means that the crucial 3-year mark to test a new approach and method in governance and elections was not only successfully reached, but also in its 4th year shows the constitution as one that sustains its impact to deepen democracy and citizenship among our 30,000-strong student body.

“The results of the SRC elections across campuses show that our students are not only ready to lead our campus communities on issues relating to justice, freedom and democracy beyond our societal legacies of race and gender, but do so also for the student movement nationally. We’re immensely proud of our students, who show courage and resilience to choose leaders not for expediency, but for significance, and to lead not for some, but for all”, the Dean of Student Affairs, Rudi Buys, said.

The Qwaqwa SRC was installed on 2 September 2014, while the Bloemfontein SRC will be installed on 5 September. The Central SRC will be established on 14 September by joint sitting of the two SRCs.

The SRC members 2014/15 at the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses are as follows:

Bloemfontein Elective portfolios:
President: Ms Mosa Leteane
Vice Pres: Mr Waldo Staude
Secretary: Ms Dineo Motaung
Treasurer: Ms Maphenye Maditsi
Arts & Culture: Mr Stefan van der Westhuizen
Accessibility & Student Support: Ms Louzanne Coetzee
First Generation Students: Ms Mpho Khati
Media, Marketing & Liaison: Ms Lethabo Maebana
Legal & Constitutional Affairs: Mr Lindokuhle Ntuli
Sport: Ms Dominique de Gouveia
Student development & Environmental Affairs: Mr Victor Ngubeni
Transformation: Mr Tumelo Rapitsi

Bloemfontein Ex officio Portfolios
Dialogue & Ex officio: Associations Student Council: Mr Piet Thibane
Academic Affairs & Ex officio: Academic Affairs Student Council: Mr Jonathan Ruwanika
Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Campus Residences Student Council: Ms Melissa Taljaard
City student Affairs & Ex officio: Commuter Student Council: Ms Kerry-Beth Berry
Post graduate Affairs & Ex officio: Post Graduate Student Council: Ms Masabata Mokgesi
International Affairs & Ex officio: International Student Council: Mr Makate Maieane
Student Media Affairs & Ex officio: Student Media Council: Mr Samuel Phuti
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Fundraising Council: Mr Johan du Plessis
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Community Service Council: Mr Manfred Titus

Qwaqwa Elective portfolios:
President General: Mr Thulasizwe Sithole
Deputy President: Ms Zethu Mhlongo
Secretary General: Mr Vukani Ntuli
Treasurer General: Mr Langelihle Mbense
Media & Publicity: Ms Nongcebo Qwabe
Politics & Transformation: Ms Nkosiphile Zwane

Qwaqwa Ex officio Portfolios
Student Development & Environmental Affairs: Mr Ndumiso Memela
Academic Affairs: Mr Simon Mofekeng
Arts & Cultural Affairs: Ms Samkelo Mtshali
Off-Campus Students: Mr Khanyisani Mbatha
RAG, Community Service & Dialogue: Mr Njabulo Mabaso
Religious Affairs: Mr Mfundo Nxumalo
Residence & Catering Affairs: Ms Ntombifuthi Radebe
Sports Council: Mr Luvuno

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