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28 June 2024 | Story Carmenita Redcliffe-Paul
Global Citizen Invitation Prof Thuli Madonsela 4 July 2024

The University of the Free State (UFS) and the South African Chamber of Commerce United Kingdom (SACC UK) are pleased to present a Global Citizen Series conversation, South Africa’s Future in Focus: the post-election impact on social justice, service delivery, higher education, and the economy, from the perspective of Prof Thuli Madonsela, Director of the Centre for Social Justice in the Faculty of Law at Stellenbosch University and Professor of Law in the Law Trust Research Chair in Social Justice Studies.

As part of the Global Citizen Webinar Series, Prof Madonsela – a member of the International Anticorruption Advisory Council and Global Justice Leaders – will join UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Francis Petersen, and SACC UK Chairperson, Sharon Constançon, for a conversation that explores what the future holds for social justice, service delivery, higher education, and the economy in South Africa.

After thirty years of democracy, South Africans once again made their mark on 29 May 2024 in one of the most pivotal elections since 1994. Join us in person during the Free State Arts Festival or online as we explore South Africa’s Future in Focus: The post-election impact on social justice, service delivery, higher education, and the economy.

Date: Thursday 4 July 2024
In-person event SA time: 18:00-20:00 SAST, Centenary Complex, UFS Bloemfontein Campus
Webinar SA time: 18:30-19:30 / UK time: 17:30-18:30

The livestream link will be shared with those who RSVP

Enquiries: Tebello Leputla - leputlatb@ufs.ac.za +27 51 401 3966

About Prof Thuli Madontsela

Prof Thuli (Thulisile) Madonsela is the Director of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) in the Faculty of Law at Stellenbosch University and Professor of Law in the Law Trust Research Chair in Social Justice Studies. She is the founder of the Thuma Foundation for Democracy Leadership and Literacy and a member of the African Academy of Sciences. She was recently appointed to the UN Scientific Advisory Board and as Chairperson of Cities Alliance. She is a member of the International Anticorruption Advisory Council and Global Justice Leaders.

The former Public Protector of South Africa and full-time Commissioner in the South African Law Reform Commission was one of the 11 technical experts who helped draft the South African Constitution, and is a co-architect of several constitutionally mandated laws, including the Equality Act, Employment Equity Act, and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act. She has an extensive background in applied constitutional, social justice, and administrative law principles, mainly based on her years of public service and her investigation of improper conduct in state affairs as Public Protector. A regular sought-after keynote speaker, Prof Madonsela has written, taught, presented papers, and published on these matters and ethical leadership, good governance, and gender mainstreaming for decades.

Prof Madonsela helped draft several international human rights instruments at UN, AU, and SADC levels, as well as country reports on such matters. She currently teaches Constitutional Law, Social Justice Law, Administrative Law, and Constitutional Governance and Ethical Leadership. She holds eight honorary law doctorates, in addition to two law degrees, a Harvard Advanced Leadership Certificate, and other postgraduate qualifications.

Named one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2014, Prof Madonsela’s global recognition includes more than 70 awards, including Rotary’s Paul Harris award, the Commonwealth Lawyers Truth and Justice award, and the global ACFE’s Cressy award. Prof Madonsela is a mother of two, a philanthropist, and an avid mountaineer who has summited Mt Kilimanjaro twice under the #Trek4Mandela-#Caring4Girls anti-period poverty campaign and the Musa Plan for Social Justice, and regularly hikes for the #Action4Inclusion campaign, a quest to end student debt.

News Archive

Research eradicates bacteria from avocado facility
2017-01-17

 Description: Listeria monocytogenes Tags: Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes as seen under an electron
microscope. The photo was taken with a transmission
electron microscope at the microscopy unit of the UFS.
Bacteriophages (lollipop-like structures) can be seen
next to the bacterial cells.
Photo: Supplied

“The aim of my project was to identify and characterise the contamination problem in an avocado-processing facility and then to find a solution,” said Dr Amy Strydom, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Microbial Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Her PhD, “Control of Listeria monocytogenes in an Avocado-processing Facility”, aimed to identify and characterise the contamination problem in a facility where avocados were processed into guacamole. Dr Strydom completed her MSc in food science in 2009 at Stellenbosch University and this was the catalyst for her starting her PhD in microbiology in 2012 at the UFS. The research was conducted over a period of four years and she graduated in 2016. The research project was funded by the National Research Foundation.

The opportunity to work closely with the food industry further motivated Dr Strydom to conduct her research. The research has made a significant contribution to a food producer (avocado facility) that will sell products that are not contaminated with any pathogens. The public will then buy food that is safe for human consumption.


What is Listeria monocytogenes?

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogenic bacterium. When a food product is contaminated with L. monocytogenes, it will not be altered in ways that are obvious to the consumer, such as taste and smell. When ingested, however, it can cause a wide range of illnesses in people with impaired immune systems. “Risk groups include newborn babies, the elderly, and people suffering from diseases that weaken their immune systems,” Dr Strydom said. The processing adjustments based on her findings resulted in decreased numbers of Listeria in the facility.

The bacteria can also survive and grow at refrigeration temperatures, making them dangerous food pathogens, organisms which can cause illnesses [in humans]. Dr Strydom worked closely with the facility and developed an in-house monitoring system by means of which the facility could test their products and the processing environment. She also evaluated bacteriophages as a biological control agent in the processing facility. Bacteriophages are viruses that can only infect specific strains of bacteria. Despite bacteriophage products specifically intended for the use of controlling L. monocytogenes being commercially available in the food industry, Dr Strydom found that only 26% of the L. monocytogenes population in the facility was destroyed by the ListexP100TM product. “I concluded that the genetic diversity of the bacteria in the facility was too high and that the bacteriophages could not be used as a control measure. However, there is much we do not understand about bacteriophages, and with a few adjustments, we might be able to use them in the food industry.”

Microbiological and molecular characterisation of L. monocytogenes

The bacteria were isolated and purified using basic microbiological culturing. Characterisation was done based on specific genes present in the bacterial genome. “I amplified these genes with polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using various primers targeting these specific genes,” Dr Strydom said. Some amplification results were analysed with a subsequent restriction digestion where the genes were cut in specific areas with enzymes to create fragments. The lengths of these fragments can be used to differentiate between strains. “I also compared the whole genomes of some of the bacterial strains.” The bacteriophages were then isolated from waste water samples at the facility using the isolated bacterial strains. “However, I was not able to isolate a bacteriophage that could infect the bacteria in the facility.

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