Page 67 - UniZulu Annual Report 2020

that students are aware of these goals and how effective business governance will ensure a better planet for all of us. UNIZULU’s commitment to quality education is evidenced through the SAICA accreditation afforded to the University’s Accounting degree.
The Department of Mathematics is involved in community engagement projects with the DoE and Diagnostic Mathematics Information for Student Retention and Success (DMSIRS). Both projects are focused on the capacity development of teachers and lecturers who teach mathematics. The Department of Mathematical Sciences also serves in the EXCO committee of South African Automation and Control (SACAC) as an institution representative of UNIZULU.
Sustainable Goal 5 – Gender Equality
The Institution remained focused on recruiting and retaining a qualified cohort of academic staff in line with its employment equity plan and the training of women through leadership development programmes. A total of 13
females registered with UKZN for leadership programmes and 15 registered for leadership programmes with the University of Stellenbosch’s Business School. UNIZULU is working hard to increase the 33.33% representation of females in top management to 50%. A full report on equity targets is contained in the Vice-Chancellor’s Report as well as the Report on Transformation.
The Department of Consumer Science has been involved in a project for the inclusion of rural women into the economy: stokvels as a local-based economy mechanism. Stokvel is an informal financial system dominated by both rural and urban women. It is a finance saving tool, a mechanism to alleviate poverty and a system to promote social cohesion. However, its economic contribution is undervalued. In 2018, the department has been working with Hluhluwe women, 15 of whom were trained in leadership and entrepreneurship. In 2019, about 10 women from Kwa Dondotha were trained in agriculture. In 2020, a community engagement project was established at Kwa Dondotha as part of a follow-up training of 11 trainers on leadership and entrepreneurship (UNIZULU Community Engagement assisted in the training). In 2020, a group of 20 (10 trained to be trainers) women at Kwa Dondotha who are stokvel members earned a sewing machine through selling their prototypes developed during their training on sewing, beading and crocheting. Since 2018, about 40 women have been trained in leadership and entrepreneurship. The project led to network formation and internationalisation. In 2020, a staff member and a
student travelled to present to Sweden at an International conference. A staff member was interviewed by the Swedish Embassy on gender equity. In 2021, nine young women from UNIZULU were invited to celebrate International Women’s Day. The purpose was to encourage women in leadership. The outputs included training of women in agriculture, leadership, entrepreneurship, sewing, beading, crocheting and participation in a digital seminar of the Swedish Embassy as a panelist with a community member. One UNIZULU student is leading the South Africa-Sweden University Forum (SASUF) student forum and established the UNIZULU SASUF Student Forum to deal with issues around SDGs affecting the youth, two Honours graduates, one local and the other international.
In addition, UNIZULU has implemented and monitored its policy on sexual harassment and gender-based violence, with an anti-discrimination policy in a draft. These policies have been workshopped with students and awareness campaigns were held to make students aware of UNIZULU’s aim to foster gender equality. The Transformation Office partnered with faculties and conducted debates on culture and social inclusion. The Student Services Department and the Health Clinic also contributed to awareness campaigns on gender-based violence. UNIZULU supported the HeforShe initiative and actively participated in the HeforShe Webinar, hosted by the United Nations and launched the HeforShe Chapter at UNIZULU during the year under review.
Sustainable Goal 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation
Various UNIZULU projects focus on the delivery of clean water and sanitation, and affordable, clean energy. Water management remained critical and the University is in the process of installing new heat pumps. Short-term projects
include the University water reticulation network in major buildings as well as quantifying the water storage capacity required during water shortages, including centralising of rainwater harvesting (RWH) and supply structures within UNIZULU with a view of maximising the total volume of roof RWH during rainfall events. Large blocks within the University are being guttered to harvest and store a large volume of water. The Bioflocculation Group in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology contributes to sustainable clean water and sanitation. The research group is investigating different bacteria and yeasts from different natural sources with great success. The research group work is in close relationship with the coal mines and the municipalities in the uThungulu district.
5 GENDER EQUALITY
6 CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION
65
UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND ANNUAL REPORT 2020