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10 June 2020 | Story Nitha Ramnath | Photo UFS Photo Archive
Prof Anthony Turton.
History was made in South Africa this week when a commercial laboratory became the first to extract COVID-19 RNA from various sewage samples in the country. This was done as a proof of concept, after the Dutch research agency KWR entered into an agreement with the SA Business Water Chamber on 9 April this year.

It was KWR that first demonstrated the potential of wastewater surveillance to identify the total viral load in a defined population in the Netherlands. This technology breakthrough has opened a new chapter in wastewater epidemiology on a global scale.
 
Prof Anthony Turton from the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of the Free State (UFS) says it is now possible to monitor the total viral load in each of the 824 wastewater treatment works in South Africa. Once the population size within the catchment area of the works is known, a calculation of the total viral load is possible, with a reasonable degree of accuracy. This accuracy will improve over time as the technology becomes more robust. 


Rapid deployment of technology
Prof Turton says this proof of concept is significant, because it took just eight weeks after reaching the agreement with KWR to find a laboratory with the necessary capabilities and to conduct the first tests. This is a rapid deployment of technology necessitated by the urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic. The source of funding for this demonstration was the private sector, so no taxpayer money was used. The proof of concept was deliberately designed to achieve two specific objectives. The main objective was to determine whether the Dutch methodology could be replicated in South Africa without major investment into training and procurement of laboratory equipment. The secondary objective was to understand the logistical complexities of sampling at multiple sewage works in one province, and then safely transporting those samples to the laboratory in another province. This emulates what will be needed if this methodology is adopted by government and rolled out across all provinces as required. 

Taking samples
Samples were taken over a 24-hour period using an automatic bulk sampler provided by a service provider at risk. A number of sewage works were sampled to emulate the complexity of a national operation should rapid implementation be required. The first samples were taken on Thursday 4 June. These were prepared according to a precise protocol and were shipped to the laboratory hundreds of kilometres away. The samples were prepared according to the stringent requirements of the protocol, and COVID-19 RNA was successfully extracted on Monday 8 June. Lessons learned in the first trial are being fed back to the team in preparation for the second sampling run that will take place shortly. 

Prof Turton, who serves in a facilitating role and in different capacities with each of the critical components of the overall value chain, is the man in the middle tying this whole process together. This is also a demonstration of the value of a university working in close collaboration with both government and private sector partners towards a common objective.  It is part of the Public Private Growth Initiative (PPGI), where the private sector works closely with the state to deliver core services needed to create employment opportunities as a matter of growing urgency.

Determining if the total viral load is increasing or decreasing
The second sampling run, which is about to be launched, will be a refinement of the first. Lessons learned during the logistical exercise will be applied to streamline the operation and generate an accurate costing of the service. By comparing the data for each sampling sequence, it will be possible to determine with a considerable degree of accuracy whether the total viral load in a given population is increasing or decreasing. When applied to multiple sewage works, it will be possible to identify hotspots for appropriate government intervention. This technical capability will provide robust information to both government and private sector decision-makers as they navigate their way through the complexity of a shutdown and phased re-opening of the national economy. Rapid upskilling of suitably qualified personnel will be needed, and the UFS will be playing a role in that process. 

News Archive

Community of Qwaqwa gives Prof Petersen a warm Basotho welcome
2017-05-16

 

 Description: Prof Petersen with Basotho hat and blanket Tags: Prof Petersen with Basotho hat and blanket

 Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the University of the Free State
Photo: Ian van Straaten

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Various stakeholders pledged their support to the newly-appointed Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof Francis Petersen, during the first in a series of welcoming events that was held at the Qwaqwa Campus on Thursday 11 May 2017.

A message of support and welcome from the Paramount Queen of the Bakoena Royal Council, Mofumahadi Mathokoana Mopeli, took everybody in attendance back three decades to the time when the campus was first established.

“The Qwaqwa Campus of the then University of the North was created to swell this area and the broader Eastern Free State with intellectual capacity,” she said.

“It is with this in mind that we encourage you, Prof Petersen, to continue upholding the best of your predecessors. Search for what they could not achieve and learn from that. Traditional leadership in this area will always be a friend to the university,” she added.

Description: Community of Qwaqwa gives Prof Petersen a warm Basotho welcome Tags: Community of Qwaqwa gives Prof Petersen a warm Basotho welcome

Prof Petersen received a warm Basotho
welcome from Morena Thokoana Mopeli and
Paramount Queen Mofumahadi Mathokoana Mopeli of
the Bakoena Royal Council. With them is
Mrs Cheslyn Petersen.
Photo: Thabo Kessah

The Thabo Mofutsanyana Education District was represented by the Acting District Director, Lindiwe Mabaso, who expressed the district’s pride in being associated with the university.

“Our district is excelling in Mathematics and Science, and this can be attributed to the educators that we get from the Qwaqwa Campus. We are proud to say that we are number one nationally when it comes to Mathematics and Science, and this is through the support we get from the campus. Our schools will continue to be centres of excellence under the new leadership of Prof Petersen,” she said.

Staff and students weigh in

Both Nehawu and Uvpersu expressed their optimism in working with Prof Petersen.

Branch chairperson of Nehawu, Teboho Pitso, said the union appreciated the fact that Prof Petersen was taking over the leadership of the institution at a very difficult time, both institutionally and nationally.

“As workers, we are faced with a lot of challenges and we hope that none of us will be retrenched under your leadership,” he said to an appreciative audience consisting of various internal and external stakeholders.

Acting Chairperson of UVPERSU, Khethiwe Biyo, said the workers’ union was happy that Prof Petersen believed in teamwork.

“Your commitment in working with us is appreciated. We look forward to learning from you about institutional innovation,” she said.

Students were represented by the Qwaqwa Campus SRC President, Njabulo Mwali, who expressed the need for a deeper and detailed transformation process.

“Your expertise and skills have set you above all other aspirant applicants for this position, and we hope that we will learn a lot on this journey,” he said.

“We at the UFS are actively, intentionally,
and continuously engaged in promoting
diversity.”

"Ensure fairness" 

In his response, Prof Petersen emphasised the importance of inclusivity and innovativeness. He said, “Staff and students at the three sites of learning must do all they can to ensure that the UFS realises its goal of being an inclusive institution, one that provides equal access and opportunities to everyone, makes a conscious effort to prevent discrimination, and ensure fairness.”

“Being committed to inclusivity means that we at the UFS are actively, intentionally, and continuously engaged in promoting diversity. This diversity is expressed through our people and through the curriculum, and in the way we work with our communities to promote awareness, empathy, and understanding of the complex ways individuals interact. As you know, our ultimate goal as a university is not only to educate young people up to the point that they graduate. What they learn during their time with us should help shape them into people who can think innovatively in order to address the challenges that face us in the 21st century,” he said.

The Qwaqwa Campus Chorale and the award-winning choir from The Beacon Secondary School in Phuthaditjhaba provided the entertainment.

Similar events will respectively be hosted on the South and Bloemfontein Campuses on 18 and 19 May 2017.

 

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