LIMPOPO IeaderIeaderDISPATCHES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO

LIMPOPO NUMBER 14WINTER 2008

These people don’t do XENOPHOBIA - NEITHER DOES THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPOThe Institutional Operating Plan for the merged UniversityA Bright Future for the Dr George Mukhari Teaching Hospital

These people don’t do XENOPHOBIA - NEITHER DOES THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPOThe Institutional Operating Plan for the merged UniversityA Bright Future for the Dr George Mukhari Teaching Hospital

DISPATCHES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO

These people don’t do XENOPHOBIA -NEITHER DOES THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPOThese people don’t do XENOPHOBIA - NEITHER DOES THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO

Merger updateMAKING A UNITARY INSTITUTION

systems into a single University of Limpopoexchange.

• N e t w o r k i n f r a s t r u c t u r e . R13-million is to bespent on upgrading the computer linkages betweenthe two main campuses.

• V i d e o c o n f e r e n c i n g f a c i l i t i e s are to beinstalled that will link the two main campuses. A suitable space on the Turfloop campus hasalready undergone major changes, converting itinto a 66-seat conferencing facility. Each seat isequipped with its own microphone, and four largeplasma screens have been installed. A venue hasbeen identified where similar equipment wasinstalled during the winter vacation. Once completedand commissioned, the university will have a state-of-the-art inter-campus video conferencing capabilitywith numerous potential uses.

• L i b r a r i e s across both main campuses of the university are being merged into one database bythe introduction of the Millennium version of theexisting Innopac library software. The migration ofall bibliographic review files to a single server hasalready been completed. To further improve thelibraries, CCTV cameras have been installed forsecurity control purposes; and an additional 172computers have been installed at the Turfloop campus and 135 at the Ga-Rankuwa campus willimprove the library services by making informationmore accessible in support of teaching, learningand research. One final refinement: air conditioningis being installed in both major libraries.

Ndhlovu sums up the merger situation by stating that‘the merger process has moved into its last strides’.‘All outstanding major activities are expected to bemoving to their finality by the close of the currentyear.’

tTHERE CAN BE NO DOUBT THAT THE UNIVERSITYOF LIMPOPO’S INSTITUTIONAL OPERATING PLAN(L i m p o p o L e a d e r ’ s COVERAGE OF THE IOPBEGINS ON PAGE 4) WILL SPEED UP WHAT HASOFTEN BEEN A LABORIOUS MERGER PROCESSBETWEEN THE TWO OLD COMPONENTS OF THENEW INSTITUTION.

The vacillations between medical school relocationand the idea of multiple teaching platforms for themedical and health sciences seem at last, with theintervention of the national Minister of Education, tohave been resolved. The ‘harmonisation’ of such duplicated departments as Pharmacy, Public Health,Nursing and Human Nutrition & Dietetics will soon follow through the IOP review of academic programmes currently under way. What remains for the merger process is what merger manager Dr AsaphNdhlovu calls ‘the integration and revitalisation’processes necessary to get the merged university working efficiently.

‘The institution is as good as its constituent parts,’Ndhlovu says. ‘Therefore, the University of Limpopo,although consisting of two main campuses, should notonly be seen as a unitary institution but should function as such.’

So while the IOP pays attention to the review ofacademic programmes, integration of academicdepartments, restructuring of non-academic divisions,and the development of uniform policies and so on,the original merger process goes practical, providingthe infrastructural and technological systems to makethe integration and revitalisation imperatives practicallypossible.

Here’s a list of what is being planned at a practicallevel to bring the two campuses – 250-kms apart – closer together:• Te l e p h o n e s y s t e m s at both campuses (Turfloop

plus Edupark and Ga-Rankuwa) have already beenupgraded with the latest telephone exchange technology. This will integrate the separate campus

P A G E 1

EDITO

RIAL

tTWO SERIOUS ISSUES CLAIM CENTRE STAGE IN THIS 14TH ISSUE ofL i m p o p o L e a d e r . The first is the development of an InstitutionalOperating Plan for the University of Limpopo; the second is the responseof the university to the recent outbreak of xenophobia in many parts ofSouth Africa.

The Institutional Operating Plan (IOP) has come in response to seriousfinancial problems at the university and was instigated by the nationalMinister of Education who arranged for an independent assessor’s reportand a panel of experts to execute the IOP. There can be little doubt thatthe complexity and protracted nature of the merger between the oldUniversity of the North and Medunsa some 250 km to the south hasexacerbated the situation. Now, the IOP is designed to bring stability tothe merged institution as it embarks upon its financial turnaround. Itseems that one of the ways in which the desired institutional stability isto be achieved is the firm recent decision not to relocate the medicalfacilities but to strengthen them where they are – on the Ga-Rankuwa campus. This decision at least settles several years of uncertainty. Butthere’s a long way to go, and some serious soul-searching to be done on both campuses, if the IOP is to succeed.

The disgraceful xenophobic violence that exploded in Gauteng andelsewhere in May this year, never reached Limpopo. This is remarkablesince the province has been the first port of call for several millions ofpeople escaping the rigours of contemporary Zimbabwe over the pastfew years. Perhaps it goes without saying that any outbreaks of violenceof this kind would detrimentally affect university life. Not only are theremore than 250 students at the university from other African countries, but a significant percentage of academic staff fall into the same category.But the Vice-Chancellor had much more than this on his mind when hepenned his stirring denunciation of xenophobia: his concern was for themoral foundations upon which our development as a democratic nationmust be based if it is to be sustainable. Don’t miss Professor Mokgalong’sarticle, beginning on page 18.

Finally, some good news. There’s a revolution of improvement goingon at the Dr George Mukhari Hospital, the tertiary facility that providesthe indispensable wherewithal for the university’s medical faculty on theGa-Rankuwa campus to graduate around 200 health professionals eachyear. The commitment from senior managers at the hospital makes forheart-warming reading.

P A G E 2

GET READY FOR COVERAGE OF MINING IN LIMPOPO, A NEWANGLE ON NGUNI CATTLE, AND A CLOSE LOOK AT INFANT ANDUNDER-FIVE MORTALITY RATES IN OUR DEMOCRATIC SOUTH AFRICA.Has the country substantially improved since the bad old days ofapartheid, and what is the university doing in the fight to improve thenutritional intake and general health of the next generation? Get ready, too, to take part in a L i m p o p o L e a d e r reader survey.Are we giving you what you like to read?

NEXT ISSUE

L i m p o p o L e a d e r is published by the Marketing andCommunications Depar tment,Universi ty of Limpopo, PO Box X1106, Sovenga 0727, Limpopo, South Africa.HYPERLINK “http://www.ul.ac.za”www.ul.ac.za

E D I T O R : David Robbins. Tel: 011-792-9951 or 082-787-8099 ordgrwri te@iafrica.comA D V E R T I S I N G :Clare-Rose Jul ius Tel: 011-782-0333 or 072-545-2366E D I T O R I A L C O M M I T T E E :DK Mohuba (chairman),Daphney Kgwebane, Norman Nyazema, El izabeth Lubinga, David RobbinsGail RobbinsP H O T O G R A P H S :

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c o v e r p i c t u r e a n d i n s i d e f r o n t c o v e r : These people don’t do xenophobia. On the cover clockwise, fromtop left, they’re: Teargas, Simphiwe Dana, Tebogo Lerole and Relo.And on the inside front cover, they’re Shugasmakx, Nthabi, DJ Sbuand Tuks. These are eight of scores of South African and Africanmusicians who have openly taken a stand against the horrible violence that has racked our country recently. Read about the projectNot In Our Lifetime on page 16. Then read the forthright responseto the same phenomenon from the Vice-Chancellor of the Universityof Limpopo

p a g e 4 : A BRILLIANT OPPORTUNITY. Read about an Institutional OperatingPlan designed to establish sustainable viability for the mergedUniversity of Limpopo

p a g e 8 : THE PLAN UNPACKED. Here’s the detail of the turnaround plan

p a g e 1 1 : WHAT THE PLAN MEANS TO THE EXTERNAL PARTNERS. The Vice-Chancellor explains

p a g e 1 2 : RAYMOND OLANDER, the university’s new chief financial officer,can’t resist a good challenge

p a g e 1 4 : JOSEPH MOLOTO comes back home to help turn around his almamater

p a g e 1 6 : THESE PEOPLE DON’T DO XENOPHOBIA; NEITHER DOES THEUNIVERSITY

p a g e 1 8 : THE IGNORANCE OF XENOPHOBIA. The Vice-Chancellor’s powerfulmessage

p a g e 2 2 : THE DR GEORGE MUKHARI HOSPITAL SAGA begins here. Readabout the dramatic improvements taking place in a health care facilityof vital importance to the training of doctors and nurses in SouthAfrica

p a g e 2 5 : DID YOU KNOW there was an in-house radio station at DGMH?

p a g e 2 6 : NURSING. Bedrock of the hospital

p a g e 2 9 : A SOUND STRUCTURE MEANS A STRONG INSTITUTION. Meet thehospital’s Human Resources Director

p a g e 3 1 : BUILDING SUCCESS INTO CLINICAL SERVICES. There’s an award-winning director of clinical services at DGMH

IN THIS ISSUE

Institutional Operating PlanA BRILLIANT OPPORTUNITY

P A G E 4

Professor Mahlo Mokgalong, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Limpopo

i

P A G E 5

IT’S HAPPENED BEFORE ANDIT’LL HAPPEN AGAIN. Merginginstitutions need help to find theirfeet, and the University of Limpopohas proved to be no exception.Arguably, the merger between theold University of the North andthe Medical University of SouthernAfrica was one of the most complex in the country, not leastbecause of the physical distancebetween the two institutions.

Nevertheless, the merger tookplace on 1 January 2005 and agreat deal of attention has beengiven to the process in L i m p o p oL e a d e r since that auspiciousdate. See particularly the coveragein Issue 3 Autumn 2005; Issue 7Autumn 2006; Issue 12 Winter2007.

A glance at this coveragereveals that the pivotal mergerdebates centred on the medicalsciences. Would the Medunsamedical school relocate fromGauteng to Limpopo? Or would a full new medical school beestablished in Polokwane underthe guidance of the establishedschool at Ga-Rankuwa? Wouldthe Dr George Mukhari Hospitalbe downgraded from a tertiary to a regional level hospital? Orwould the merged university contain one medical faculty withtwo teaching platforms, one onthe Ga-Rankuwa campus and one250 km to the north?

But while these debates were continuing – sometimes with considerable vehemence – theimmensely complex merging oftwo sets of academic programmesand their supporting administrationsand financial systems took place.It was at this lower level of themerger that development was uneven.

Indeed, by the end of the2006/07 financial year, thefinances of the merged universitywere in considerable disarray –so much so that the Minister ofEducation, Naledi Pandor,appointed an independent assessorto examine the situation.

The assessor was a ProfessorBen Khoape who recommendedthat while the university counciland senior management shouldremain in place, a panel ofexperts should be assembled toassist with the development of an‘institutional operating plan’ (IOP)to replace an internally producedplan that was seen as having littlechance of success. An IOP isintended to provide the institutionwith the necessary systems,capacity and focus to achieve an even keel for coherent future operations.

The panel of external expertscomprised Professors PeterVermeulen and Anthony Melkefrom Pretoria University, ProfessorSelva Govensamy from ZululandUniversity, Ahmed Essop, an erst-

while chief director of higher education in the nationalDepartment of Education (DoE),and Craig Lyall-Watson a seniormanager in the DoE’s merger unit.

By November 2007 the IOPhad been drawn up andapproved both by Minister Pandorand the Council of the Universityof Limpopo.

The document pulled no punches. It stated baldly that ‘the university is not financiallysustainable; indeed, it is technicallyinsolvent with liabilities exceedingassets by some R537-million ...and its organisational and admin-istrative structures and systems areweak and inadequately aligned’.

Who or what is to blame? Theultimate answers will of necessitybe complex, but they need notconcern us here. Suffice to saythat the merger itself, while opening significant opportunitiesand possibilities, has served atthe same time greatly to complicatethe administrative systemsrequired to drive an institutionwith campuses in two differentprovinces and with consequentrivalries and insecurities withinboth academic and non-academicstaff complements. What needs tobe articulated for readers moreclearly than any premature resultsof a ‘blame game’ is what theuniversity intends to do about itspredicament.

A brand new Institutional Operating Plan and more than R12-million to implement it: this, in anybody’s language,represents a major opportunity for the University of Limpopo. Will this vitally important provincial (and SouthernAfrican) educational institution grasp the nettle? Can solid systemic and financial foundations be laid upon which theinstitution can develop to its full potential? Will the university community rise to the challenge? Read on for all theanswers ...

P A G E 6

The IOP document provides a succinct description of this intention.‘The university,’ it states, ‘hasdecided to de-link its short-to-medium-term planning andresource allocation processes fromits vision, mission and long-termgoals.’ To put it bluntly, the ideaof being a world-class African university that responds to education, research and communitydevelopment needs must be putaside while the institution concen-trates its total efforts on achievingthe necessary stability and sustainability to ensure its survival. The IOP document refersto the ‘turnaround of the universityin terms of enhancing academicquality and ensuring financial sustainability based on currentrealities’.

The desired ‘turnaround’ is tobe effected by the followingmeans:• Firstly, the university appoints

an implementation team underan external project manager,Craig Lyall-Watson.

• Secondly, the university makestwo crucially important strategicappointments: RaymondOlander as Chief FinanceOfficer and Joseph Moloto asHuman Resources ExecutiveDirector. (See pages 12 and14 for profiles of the newincumbents).

• Thirdly, the IOP implementationteam (which includes the twostrategic appointments) drawsup a short-term financial turn-around plan that will run until2010.

• Fourthly, to provide materialsupport to this financial turn-

around plan, the total IOP isdivided into four sub-projects,namely:- Review and modify

academic structure and programmes

- Improve management information systems

- Business process re-engineeringand data cleanup

- Review and modify adminis-trative support and services.

• Fifthly, introduce change management and leadershipdevelopment programmes tostrengthen and consolidate theentire IOP as outlined above.

Earlier this year, proposals wereinvited from external professionalsto cope with the special demandsof some of the sub-projects. ByMay, the necessary appointmentshad been made as follows:• The academic structure and

programme review will beheaded by Dr Rolf Stumpf, a previous Vice-Chancellor ofthe Nelson MandelaMetropolitan University.

• Improvements to the manage-ment information systems willbe overseen by FutureLeadConsultants.

• The business process re-engineering and datacleanup will be undertaken byITS Consultants and SpaceIT.

• Review and modifications toadministrative support andservices will be managed byFutureLead Consultants.

• The change management andleadership development programmes will be run byAfrican Leadership Group.

In an open letter to the universitycommunity dated 26 May, Vice-Chancellor Mahlo Mokgalongstressed that he and his seniorexecutive team ‘have taken fullresponsibility for the successfulimplementation of the IOP and,by implication, the turnaround ofthis university’.

By the end of May, theDepartment of Education hadapproved the R12,2-millionrequired to fund the various projects, and early in June theUniversity of Limpopo’s IOP wasofficially launched at two separate ceremonies, one on the Turfloop campus on 3 Juneand one on the Ga-Rankuwa campus nine days later.

‘We gave the IOP somethingof a fanfare,’ said Craig Lyall-Watson, IOP project manager.‘We wanted to emphasise toeveryone associated with the university that here was a brilliantopportunity to get things right. It’san institution with huge potential– if we can get it financiallyviable. The future is in our hands.’

Institutional Operating PlanA BRILLIANT OPPORTUNITY

THE IOP AT WORK ON THE GA-RANKUWACAMPUS

SERIOUS MONEY FOR UPGRADING MEANS THE MEDICAL SCHOOLIS STAYING PUT

The actual amount is R185-million. That’s serious money in anyone’slanguage. And the ‘physical relocation’ controversy is over as well.The Faculty of Health Sciences on the Ga-Rankuwa campus (that’s theold Medunsa) isn’t going anywhere.

This is the first good news to emerge from the new InstitutionalOperating Plan currently being implemented at the University ofLimpopo. One of the main tasks confronting the in-house IOP implementation team and the national Department of Education (DoE)was to decide once and for all about the long-term future of health sciences training on the university’s two campuses.

This they have done. Indeed, the Education Minister met with theuniversity council late in June. In a joint statement, the reasoningbehind their decision was explained. Both parties ‘recognised the critical role played by the faculty in the production of health care professionals’, the faculty on the Ga-Rankuwa Campus having beenresponsible for the production of up to 47 percent of African graduatesin medicine from all the medical schools in the country.

‘To strengthen the capacity of the faculty,’ the joint statementannounces, ‘the Ministry of Education has allocated R83-million forinfrastructure development and renewal, and a further R102-millionover the period 2008 to 2011 for improving clinical training capacity.’

The statement goes on to say that the minister and council ‘wish toinform all concerned that there will be no physical relocation of thehealth science faculty (on the Ga-Rankuwa campus). However, overtime, capacity will be developed in Polokwane for expanding healthscience training.

The Ga-Rankuwa campus will continue to be the primary site for training of health care professionals of the University of Limpopo, and will be headed by a deputy vice-chancellor.’

The university council will also establish a permanent subcommittee to advise it on matters relating to the strengthening of the Ga-Rankuwa campus.

Of course, the future of the Dr George Mukhari Hospital is inextrica-bly intertwined with the fortunes of the Ga-Rankuwa health sciences campus. Appropriately, therefore, this issue of L i m p o p o L e a d e roffers a special focus on this valuable health care institution. See page 22.

Craig Lyall-Watson

P A G E 7

P A G E 8

• Postgraduate taught programmes (diplomas, honours and masters) with a student enrolment offewer than 12

• Other postgraduate programmes (research) with astudent enrolment of fewer than 6

• Staff qualifications should at least be as follows:- for taught postgraduate programmes up to mas-

ters level staff should have a masters degree andbe research active

- for research postgraduate programmes at mastersand doctoral level, staff should have a doctoraldegree, be research active and not supervisemore than five students at any given time.

This IOP sub-project will pay special attention to theintegration of the five Health Sciences academic programmes that are common to the Turfloop and Ga-Rankuwa campuses, namely: nursing, pharmacy,public health, nutrition and the basic sciences. Thesecommon programmes require harmonisation in termsof curricula, modes of delivery and programme rulesand regulations. With the exception of the basic sciences programme and possibly pharmacy, the programmes will continue to be offered on both campuses. This harmonisation process has been going on for some time, but according to the IOP documentation ‘the university requires assistance with its completion’.

MANAGEMENT INFORMATIONSYSTEMS (MIS)

‘It is quite clear,’ comments the report of theIndependent Assessor that led to the design of the IOP, ‘that the amount and quality of managementinformation is not nearly adequate for assisting (university) management in decision-making ... andallocating resources in an efficient and effective manner’.

In response to this state of affairs, this IOP sub-project will do the following:

wWE NEED to return to the four so-called sub-projectsthat comprise the heart of the university’s InstitutionalOperating Plan (IOP). These sub-projects are alldesigned to provide support to the urgently needed‘financial turnaround’ that should be complete by2010.

The four sub-projects are:• The review and (if necessary) the modification

of the university’s academic structure and programmes;

• The improvement of the university’s managementinformation systems;

• The re-engineering and data cleanup of the university’s business processes;

• The review and (where necessary) the modificationof the university’s administrative and support services.

To these four must be added an important fifth: theintroduction of change management and leadershipdevelopment programmes to strengthen and consoli-date the changes required to successfully effect therequired turnaround of the university’s affairs.

Now for the detail.

ACADEMIC STRUCTURE AND PROGRAMMES

The current three-tier academic structure comprisingfour faculties that contain 15 schools which in turnhouse 97 departments (the majority of these, 67, areto be found in the five Schools in the Faculty of HealthSciences) will be reviewed. In addition, all academicprogrammes will be examined to establish their viability in terms of both finances and staff availability. Some of the criteria to be used to establish non-viability are:• Undergraduate programmes (or courses or

modules) with an enrolment of fewer than 20

Institutional Operating PlanTHE PLAN UNPACKED

P A G E 9

BUSINESS PROCESS RE-ENGINEERINGAND DATA CLEANUP

There are large-scale data quality issues at theUniversity of Limpopo. A preliminary assessment ofthese errors (especially in the student, academic andhuman resources data in the administrative computersystem) indicates that ‘poorly defined or executedprocesses’ are to blame.

In response to this unsatisfactory state of affairs thefollowing actions are to be taken:• The re-engineering of the applications and

registration processes on the Turfloop campus toenable the elimination of all walk-in students (thosewho have not made previous application for enrolment) within one to three years.

• Appoint more appropriately skilled staff• Integrate the MIS unit into the Institutional Planning

Office• Request technical assistance from other experienced

institutions in the region• Implement a software tool called ‘Higher Education

Data Analyser’ (designed for South African conditions) which will allow the delivery of manynew types of management information, includingfinancial information

• Integrate the Institutional Planning Office (with itsmore powerful information systems) into executiveand senior management processes, particularly sothat financial managers become part of the teamthat defines and validates the sort of managementinformation to be delivered.

If the adjustments to reduce the university’s ratio to thenorm were made, the number of administrative jobswould be reduced from the current 1 348 to 922, areduction of 426 administrative jobs, effecting an annualsaving of some R62-million. This figure accords almostexactly with the R60-million reduction required to cutthe university’s staff spend to 62 percent of the totalcouncil-controlled income.

Voluntary severance and early retirement packageshave been on offer for some time, but it is clear thatthis sub-project of the IOP will require sensitive andexpert handling. It is clear, as well, that the centralisation of certain administrative functions currently duplicated on the two campuses is very much on the cards.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING

This crucially important overarching aspect of the IOPwill be intended to assist managers and staff at theuniversity to properly align themselves with the goalsof the institution and to cope with the considerablechanges – not least in the administrative departments– that are very definitely in the IOP pipeline. The train-ing will be accompanied by proper departmental andindividual planning procedure, proper guidance andleadership by senior management, the monitoring andevaluation of activities and performance, and withrevamped systems of accountability and discipline.

‘The success of this project is vital for the future ofour university,’ says Vice-Chancellor Mahlo Mokgalong.‘While I recognise that staff are currently under someduress in carrying out their normal daily functions, it isalso admitted that this IOP project will make addition-al demands on their expertise and time. However, thisis OUR project and I would sincerely request thateveryone enters into it with the future of our universityin mind. This will ensure that the outcomes are appropriate and effective and will create a better institution for all of us.’

The University of Limpopo is too important nationally, and too strategically placed at the gateway to the SADC region, for its InstitutionalOperating Plan to fail.

P A G E 1 0

• The purchase of new software that will allow directstudent self-service access to the integrated tertiarysystems (ITS) database for biographical and con-tact-detail updates. This has the potential to radical-ly change existing application and registration processing.

• Redefining the relationship between faculties andCentral Academic Administration to ensure thatroles and responsibilities are clearly defined andduplication obviated.

• Harmonising all student and academic processeson the Turfloop and Ga-Rankuwa campuses.

• Centralise all HR data-capture functions at Turfloopto ensure more effective control.

• Defining the basic computer competencies and specific ITS competencies required by differentgroups of staff with different roles.

• Arrange for basic and job-specific computer training in accordance with the requirements for the various groups of staff.

• Ensuring that all data-capture processes into the ITSsystem are adequately supervised and subject toroutine quality checks.

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT AND SERVICES

An external service provider reviewed all administra-tive departments in 2007 to determine the appropriatestaffing levels, structures and competencies requiredfor these departments efficiently to discharge theirresponsibilities. The outcome of the review is awaitingapproval by the University Council. Thereafter, theprocess of implementation will begin.

According to the report of the IndependentAssessor, the following realities have emerged:• The University of Limpopo is spending too much

money on staff. The DoE’s guideline is that between58 percent and 62 percent of council-controlledincome should be spent on staff costs. The university’scurrent staff costs account for 71 percent.

• The ratio between academic and administrativestaff is out of kilter with the national norm of 1.75administrative staff for each academic. TheUniversity’s current ratio is 2.5 administrative staff for each academic.

Institutional Operating PlanTHE PLAN UNPACKED

P A G E 1 1

f

Institutional Operating PlanWHAT THE IOP MEANS TO THE UNIVERSITY’S EXTERNAL PARTNERSFAR FROM BEING SEEN AS SOME SORT OF DISCIPLINARY DAMPENER, THE INSTITUTIONALOPERATING PLAN (IOP) CURRENTLY BEING IMPLEMENTED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPOSHOULD SERVE AS A DEFINITE INCENTIVE FORPOTENTIAL INVESTORS.

This is the forthright opinion of Professor MahloMokgalong, the university’s Vice-Chancellor and manin charge since the creation of the new merged institution in January 2005.

‘The financial and institutional problems identifiedin the IOP are largely as a result of the merger,’Mokgalong says. ‘Or at least the problems have beenexacerbated by it. And the individual baggage thateach institution brought into the new university has certainly tended to complicate the business.’

Mokgalong outlined the history of the IOP. The university itself had identified certain areas thatrequired special attention. An IOP had been drawn up and submitted to the Minister of Education forfinancial assistance to implement the plan. The minister had responded to this original plan by saying that she wanted the situation to be examinedby an independent assessor.

‘This is what has happened. And the assessor’sreport has now formed the basis for the plan currentlybeing implemented. But it would be wrong to view theIOP as indicative of a serious crisis. We’re creatingsomething new out of several pieces of the old. TheIOP and turnaround strategy are a necessary part of the process of our rebirth.’

Indeed, the IOP process had already attracted substantial funding support. Apart from the R12-millionimplementation grant and the R185-million earmarkedfor improvements to the health faculty on the Ga-Rankuwa campus over the next few years, theHistorically Black Universities Trust had given a one-offR11-million to assist with the IOP turnaround of theuniversity. The Flemish government had also come to

the party with a R10-million per annum research andteaching collaboration.

‘In other areas, as well, our third stream income isimproving,’ Mokgalong states. ‘Our new Centre forLocal Economic Development1 is ready to come onstream, thanks to R7-million from the European Union;and our relationship with the Limpopo provincial government, which includes research and teachingactivities, is being constantly expanded and enriched.’

He added that he believed the successful implemen-tation of the IOP over the next approximately 10months would significantly increase the university’sattractiveness to the private sector and funding agencies. In particular, the special attention beingpaid to the rationalisation of academic programmes,and the improvements planned for the businessprocesses and management information systems usedin the university would be of interest to potentialinvestors and research and teaching partners.

1See coverage on page 12 of L impopo Leader 13, Autumn 2008

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mahlo Mokgalong

P A G E 1 2

Strategic appointmentsRaymond Olander: CAN’T RESIST A

r R100-million – were establishedduring Olander’s time there. It looks very much as if the sameemphasis will become a feature ofthe University of Limpopo in themonths and years to come.

Where had Olander learnedhis trade? After graduating withhis B Compt degree and completinghis articles in East London, heworked for a while as an charteredaccountant, dealing with bothsmall and medium clients, whileat the same time dealing with taxmatters, deceased estates, andeven managing a supermarketand dealing with large amountsof cash while the owner, hisclient, went overseas. Then in theearly 1980s, he joined the CiskeiPeoples Development Bank as aninternal auditor.

‘It was at a time when theCiskei was rapidly developing.Before long, I was offered theposition of manager of specialassignments. I found myselfinvolved in the building of damsand the installation of other infrastructure. Most importantly,though, I helped numerous industries from overseas and fromthe South African industrial centreson the Witwatersrand to relocateto the Ciskei, ensuring their continuing financial viability bymaking use of the existing relocation incentives available to them at that time.’

RAYMOND OLANDER JOINEDTHE UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPOAS ITS NEW CHIEF FINANCIALOFFICER IN SEPTEMBER 2007. Tosay that he is a good choice is torun the risk of understatement. HisCV reads like high adventure,and every chapter has a happyending.

‘I love challenges,’ he says. ‘I think it’s true to say that mostcareer moves I’ve made havebeen to sort out varying degreesof chaos in the new environment.It’s my destiny, I suppose,’ headds with his engaging smile.

Olander, who was born in EastLondon in 1958, comes to theUniversity of Limpopo from a highlysuccessful stint at the University ofFort Hare. His training in account-ing and auditing had been highlypractical. He completed aBachelors degree in accountingscience though Unisa while doinghis articles with a local charteredaccountant. His training was inter-rupted by one year’s compulsorymilitary service in the late 1970s.By the mid-1990s he was doingcontracting work for Ernst &Young and Price WaterhouseCoopers. The latter asked him togo to Fort Hare for three monthsin a holding position while a newCFO was recruited.

‘I looked at their financials,’Olander recalls, ‘and I found the university to be in serious

financial trouble. They required alarge overdraft to keep going.Then one day while I was workingthere the top management team of the institution was suspended.For me, it came out of the blue;and of course it meant that my time there was extended indefinitely.’

It was a period of great instability for many of the so-called homeland universities. They were called ‘previously disadvantaged institutions’, whichthey had been, but theDepartment of Education neededto bale them out financially. AtFort Hare, an acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor DerrickSwartz, was brought in. Swartzvery soon employed Olander asdeputy V-C in charge of finance,information technology andhuman resources.

‘Our objective was simpleenough. It was to turn Fort Harearound. We succeeded. It took afew years, but from a R90-milliondeficit when I first looked at thefinancials, we coaxed the institution back into the black. Wealso went through a mergerprocess when the East Londoncampus of Rhodes University wasincorporated into Fort Hare. I leftFort Hare in 2006 when thefinances were stable.’ At FortHare, over 300 third-streamincome projects – bringing in

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GOOD CHALLENGEThen Olander moved toBophuthatswana, another of SouthAfrica’s independent homelands,to work for a company involvedin the execution of capital projectsfor the Bophuthatswana government.The potential in Bophuthatswanaseemed so promising that after sixmonths Olander, with a partner,bought out a consulting companythat did the financial managementof the Bophuthatswana HousingCorporation. ‘We basically ranthe corporation, collecting therental from 55 000 residentialunits – which amounted to athroughput of R10-million amonth. We also took over thefinancial management of a privatehospital not too far away inBotswana’s capital, Gaborone.’

Then came the biggest opportunity of all. Olander’s company was asked to superviseBophuthatswana’s introduction ofvalue-added tax. ‘We developedthe entire system. We set it up –and we administered the systemthat yielded a monthy revenue forthe government of R35-million. I employed 60 people to administer the VAT system andservice our other big clients as well.’

At the re-amalgamation ofBophuthatswana into SouthAfrica, Olander sold his shares inthis highly successful business andreturned to East London. ‘I cameback for a rest,’ he admitted with

a grin, ‘but after a month I confessI was really bored. So I startedconsulting for the big accountingfirms, and in that way I foundmyself working at Fort Hare.’

On leaving, Olander took hisfamily to America. Some yearsearlier he had won an AmericanGreen Card on the annual lottery,and now he went to make use ofthe opportunity of working in theStates. He set up his own export-import business. The Olanderslived in Orlando and, once againto stave off boredom and a senseof isolation, he got a job atUniversal Studios’ theme parkwhere he dressed up as one ofthe villain’s henchmen from Shrekand took visitors around the park.‘It was lots of fun, and I certainlymet plenty of Americans and visitors from all parts of theworld.’

While still in America, he wasapproached by the South AfricanDepartment of Education with arequest to apply his extensivefinancial expertise at theUniversity of Limpopo.

‘When I read the assessor’sreport, I could see immediatelythat the university was in reallybad financial shape. Technically itwas insolvent. We’ve alreadypulled it back into a cash-positivesituation. If you take the non-cashitems into account, however,we’re running with sizeabledeficits. That side of things isgoing to be a battle. It’ll takeyears. Part of the solution will bein the area of third-streamincome. This will have to be veryseriously tackled.

‘It’s just another challenge tobe worked on,’ he says cheerfully.

Raymond Olander

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Strategic appointmentsJoseph Moloto: THE TURNAROUNDIS DOABLE

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jhe became involved with the Lebowa DevelopmentCorporation. But his heart lay more with human relationships than with administrative systems.

‘I had always felt that I wanted to be in humanresources. For me, the profession aligned well with mystrengths as a people person. So I started applying forjobs that would move me in that direction.’

A highly varied but ultimately purposeful careerensued. In 1987, he took a job as a project managerwithin the HSRC which took him to every corner ofSouth Africa, gathering socio-economic data and compiling reports. In 1990, he worked as a consultantfor the Centre for Cognitive Development (which wasattached to Vista University). ‘We trained managers indecision making, problem solving and general thinkingskills,’ he recalls, ‘then I was approached by theIndustrial Development Corporation, who sent me toKwaNdebele where I worked as a senior trainingmanager.’ By 1994, Moloto was working as humanresources manager in one of the business units insidethe CSIR. Later he became the chief director of humanresources for the CSIR as a whole, soon being promoted to head of corporate services (which included human resources, information technology, communications and legal services).

‘I consider myself fortunate to have worked in thelate 1980s and through the 1990s,’ Moloto says. ‘Itwas the era of nominal black people being appointedto senior positions. I was anything but nominal. I wasgetting real experience, being challenged and sometimes bashed in my chosen field.’

His work in higher education began with the newcentury. He joined Unisa as the executive director ofhuman resources on a five-year term. His contract wasrenewed in 2006. Those were tempestuous years atSouth Africa’s largest university. He was plunged intothe merger between Unisa and Technikon SA. He han-dled difficult staff rationalisations. He wrote merger and organisational roadmaps, new conditionsof service and job profiles. All this experience, ofcourse, was a perfect grounding for the tough taskslying in wait for him at the University of Limpopo.

‘I’ve got no doubt that the required turnaround isdoable,’ Moloto observes. ‘On the other hand, I’m notnaïve. It won’t happen on its own. It needs commitmentfrom the university council and from senior manage-ment, and particularly from those sections of the university community most directly affected by themerger. There are serious challenges – the physical distance between the two campuses, the traditionalculture of medical schools – but I’m certain we havethe resources and the skills to succeed.’

JOSEPH MOLOTO HAS RETURNED TO HIS ALMAMATER. He was appointed earlier this year as HumanResources Executive Director at the same universitywhere his academic career began – miraculously, he is convinced – in 1978.

‘I see my appointment at the University of Limpopoas an opportunity to plough back,’ he says. ‘I want toassist my old university in its turnaround. To be a memberof the team that guides the institution to greater stabilitywill be the greatest achievement of my career.’

That’s quite a statement, simply because Moloto(still only 51) has had quite a career. It began miraculously on the day that he wandered diffidentlyonto the Turfloop campus in the hope of enrolling for a B Admin degree. But we must begin at the beginning.

He was born at Moletjie, a rural village about 30 km west of Polokwane. In his own words, he ‘camefrom a very humble family; my mother was a singleparent who never went to school; I grew up inKatlehong on the East Rand where an uncle gave mea home’. His school career reflected these early insecurities, alternating between Moletjie andKatlehong for his primary years and then settling instandard six at Pax College, the excellent Catholicmission school in his home area. His uncle helpedwith the fees, but for the most part he won a series ofbursaries that carried him to matric.

After finishing school, and despite his mother’srequest that he take a job to supplement the familyincome, Moloto longed for a university education.With the help of his uncle (who paid the train fare) hefound his way onto the Turfloop campus on the veryday that registrations closed. He tried to register for aBachelors degree in administration. To his dismay theywanted a registration fee.

‘I didn’t have it,’ Moloto recalls. “I had arrivedwithout a penny. My only recourse was the CatholicChurch. I had heard that there was a bishop inPietersburg (Polokwane). I found my way back there. I found the bishop’s house. The bishop was on his wayout. I greeted him without knowing who he was. Heintroduced himself and took me inside. I explainedthat I had been to Pax and what my situation was.Without hesitation, the bishop sat down and wrote outa cheque for R180, the amount for the registrationfee. I rushed back to the university and registered. Itwas like a miracle. I could so easily have been leftstranded. It was a turning point in my life.’

Moloto made good use of his ‘miracle’. He completedhis first degree in 1981 and immediately enrolled forHonours. This had been made possible by a bursaryfrom Anglo American that covered tuition, board andpocket money for two years. At the end of that period,

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Not In Our Lifetime, which was launched in July and isstrongly supported by MTN, is a music-driven awareness,educational and fundraising initiative aimed at spreadinga positive message about South Africa and Africa as well as raising much needed funds to assist with initiatives linked to displacement, education and entrepreneurship.

As a spokesperson for the initiative comments:‘Musicians have the power to touch lives and changeattitudes. Their music transcends borders and unites

rRECOGNISE THE STARS ON THE FRONT COVER?Here are their names (clockwise from top right):They’re just four South African musicians who have

identified with an anti-xenophobia initiative called Not In Our Lifetime. There are scores of others. Some of their photographs can be seen running alongthe bottom of the page, and continuing all the waythrough the University of Limpopo’s response (a powerfulcontribution from Professor Mahlo Mokgalong) whichends on page 21.

XenophobiaTHESE PEOPLE DON’T DO XENOPHOBIA ...

NO ONE WILL FORGET WHAT HAPPENED IN SOUTH AFRICA AT THE END OF MAY THIS YEAR. IN MANY PARTS OF THE COUNTRY,

FOREIGNERS WERE ATTACKED IN A SHAMEFUL OUTBREAK OF XENOPHOBIC VIOLENCE. A MOZAMBICAN MAN WAS BURNT TO

DEATH IN THE STREET OUIRTSIDE HIS SHACK. NEARLY SIXTY OTHER PEOPLE DIED. PROPERTY AND ACCOMMODATION WERE

DESTROYED. MANY THOUSANDS OF FOREIGN NATIONALS AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, THE MAJORITY FROM ZIMBABWE, FOUND

THEMSELVES IN REFUGEE CAMPS, OR SHELTERING IN POLICE STATION GROUNDS AND CHURCH HALLS. ON THE WINDOW OF

ONE CHURCH HALL IN JOHANNESBURG HAD BEEN DISPLAYED A QUOTATION FROM NELSON MANDELA: ‘NEVER, NEVER AND

NEVER AGAIN SHALL IT BE THAT THIS BEAUTIFUL LAND WILL AGAIN EXPERIENCE THE OPPRESSION OF ONE BY ANOTHER.’ TO

WHICH THIS IRONIC REJOINDER HAD BEEN ADDED: ‘BUT NEVER IS HAPPENING AGAIN’.

Liam Lynch Leslie Kusumba Tumi

the legacy we all leave will be a proud and unifiedone. The initiative has also been created to find solutions by involving young opinion leaders andopening up discussions. The initiative invites musicians,artists, poets, the business sector, industry players andmedia to join the initiative to assist in growing the initiative and creating a positive movement throughoutthe continent.

Phase one of the initiative will include an awareness-generating music video featuring all the artists whoparticipated in the production of the Not In OurLifetime track, a series of public service announce-ments that will shortly be aired on television, variousmusic events beginning with a Not In Our Lifetimeconcert to be staged in August, and the distribution ofmerchandising with strong messaging to be sold at themusic events.

Ernst & Young will audit all funds raised for the initiative. Other supporting companies and institutionsinclude: MTN, Jazzworx Studio, Lumko DukasheProductions, Nandos, Loxion Kulca, ZA Kingmakers,Speakers Corner, Ernst & Young, VentilationProductions and Liam Linch Photography.

Musicians and others interested in identifying withthe Not In Our Lifetime initiative should contact Kim Sears: tel 079-494-0776; e-mail info@notinourlifetime.org.za

P A G E 1 7

disparate people They have the ability to educate,inform and raise awareness. This is the thinking behindNot In Our Lifetime, a campaign that aims to reclaimwhat has been lost by the recent spate of xenophobicviolence and by the crime that is ravaging South Africa.’

The photographs on the cover, and all those featuredhere and in the pages that follow, have been taken byLiam Lynch. He’s been taking photographs forL i m p o p o L e a d e r for the past three years. He’salso increasingly sought after as a photographer in themusic and advertising worlds – and he’s closely involvedin the Not In Our Lifetime initiative. It is difficult not tobe aware of the sense of silent disapproval thatemanates from his striking portraits.

Not In Our Lifetime kicked off with the launch of a track – recorded when the xenophobia was at itsheight – of the same name and featuring a number ofSouth African artists, including HHP, Slikour, Pro Kid,Siphiwe Dana to name a few.

The Not In Our Lifetime track communicates themessage that our time should not go down in historyas another era of tragedy. It aims to educate and upliftby avoiding a language of condemnation; instead, itreclaims Africa’s proud history of supportiveness, thestarting point of an initiative that stands for peace andrespect throughout the continent.

Not In Our Lifetime is aimed primarily at the youthbut is an initiative that is for all to join to ensure that

NEITHER DOES THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO

Bonang Matheba Nota Mpho Maboi

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Is this eruption of violence against strangers in ourcountry surprising? We will return to this question indue course, suggesting on the one hand that mimesisof the past oppressions has been entrenched in oursociety, and this is especially pronounced in a recognition of otherness resulting in fear and hate.

The constructs of our present xenophobic crisis areto be found in our recent past. For the apartheid government to succeed in its “divide and rule” policy,it had to strengthen the concepts of ethnicity and tribalism. A patchwork of homelands was the result ofthe conceptualisation of apartheid with the main ideabeing to separate our nation into controllable ethnicgroupings. The seeds of xenophobia were sown, and today we pluck the fruit of an overwhelming ethnocentrism. In a strange twist, the people who wereclassified as lower class citizens, have respondedmimetically and consider people from elsewhere inAfrica as inferior: the erstwhile downtrodden havebecome the copycats of the former regime, reminiscentof George Orwell’s pigs in his novel 1984.

Another reason is the incomprehensible approachour government, and specifically our president, hastaken to the crisis in Zimbabwe. It cannot be deniedthat South Africa is a popular destination for economicrefugees. Thousands upon thousands of people flock tothis country from the furthest reaches of Africa – andbeyond – to seek a living in this country. When crisesof various kinds, like war and famine, threaten their

cCOLLECTIVE FEAR STIMULATES HERD INSTINCT, ANDTENDS TO PRODUCE FEROCITY TOWARDS THOSEWHO ARE NOT REGARDED AS MEMBERS OF THEHERD – BERTRAND RUSSELL

In The Stranger (or The Outsider) by Albert Camus,the protagonist, Meursault, is sentenced to death forkilling someone because he was discomforted by theglare of the sun. In other words, for a triviality, someone died – and to compound the tragedy, the perpetrator was about to be executed, too, with onewish only and that was that the spectators at his execution would funnel all their hatred towards him.Meursault placed himself outside the constraints ofhuman morality but not outside its sanctions. In SouthAfrica, the South Africa that is supposed to be amodel democracy, the strangers have violent sanctionsthrust upon them for no other reason than for theirpresence, a horrific indictment of our society’sapproach to those who deserve our protection.

We may be deluded into thinking so, but xenophobia is not a uniquely African, or SouthAfrican, phenomenon. In Europe, in Iraq, in the USA,the fear of strangers is widespread. In one of thecounties in the state of Virginia, a resolution was proposed to ensure that illegal immigrants are dealtwith in ways to discomfort them. Thousands of peopleof Japanese extraction were herded into camps in theUSA during the Second World War. The examplescontinue unabated.

XenophobiaTHE IGNORANCE OF XENOPHOBIA: P R O F E S S O R M A H L O M O K G A L O N G V i c e - C h a n c e l l o r a n d P r i n c i p a l : U n i v e r s i t y o f L i m p o p o

Pro Andile Carelse DJ Cleo

P A G E 1 9

Two prominent reasons for the mounting intolerance ofoutsiders are given: the loss of jobs to immigrants,and the unabated crime wave. To the deadly cocktail,add unremitting poverty. When these phenomena areintroduced and entrenched in communities alreadyunder stress because of deficient social and economicstructures, it is as if a bomb has been primed, set toexplode at a random time. With people, citizens,labouring under the perceptions as described above,the very sight of material wealth, displayed in a vulgar manner, may be a catalyst for the attacks.

Under the guise of Broad-Based Black EconomicEmpowerment (BBBEE), a laudable theory imbued withlofty rhetoric, those who have already entrenched theirmaterial gain have sought to accumulate even morewealth, at a cost to the previously politically disenfranchised. The newly moneyed class is able toprotect itself behind barriers of gated communities,body guards and armed response units, while in thenew suburbs of low-cost housing and ghettos, the hungry eyes of liberated South Africans could onlylook at the ostentatious, vulgar display of materialismwith powerless envy. South Africans have also

survival, people follow their instinct to survive, andillegal immigration is often the only option.Zimbabweans turned to the relatively safe and prosperous environment of their neighbour, SouthAfrica. The more the South African president wasexhorted to intervene in the Zimbabwean situation, themore he insisted on “quiet diplomacy”, a euphemismfor a strategy of doing nothing. Approximately threemillion Zimbabweans – jobless, homeless, citizenless –have entered South Africa, living and working illegallyhere. Their own country does not protect them andspurns the skills and knowledge they have. In otherwords, if South Africa regularised its immigration policy, specifically to rapidly source skills, the countrymay benefit tremendously.

That being said, in many ways, it is the government’slaissez-faire attitude to illegal immigration that hascontributed to the xenophobic problem. With its seemingly benign tolerance of indiscriminate influx,based on the support it received in the past fromAfrican states, and especially those abutting us, thecurrent government is seen as too weak, mainly by itspolitical opposition, yet also by many of its supporters,to enforce the policing of our borders. It is easy, then,for xenophobes to latch on to the foremost reasonssuggested for the societal aberration that has befallenus. Within the areas afflicted, the victims, isolatedfrom their own countries were easy targets, characteristically framed as such by the xenophobes.

MIMESIS* AND ALTERITY*

*These words, favoured by scientists, have their approximate equivalents in ‘mimicry’ and ‘otherness’.

Professor Mahlo Mokgalong

KB Lungelo Relo

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Why should we combat this manifestation of xenophobia rolling across our country? The answertrotted out has become a platitude, tragically superficial: because the African people who havesought refuge in our country were those who gave ussuccour during the protracted period of our liberationstruggle. This is true. Absolutely. But this cannot be theonly answer, the main answer.

We should combat xenophobia and its corollaries –racialism, ethnicity, tribalism – because they arepremised completely on falsehoods, myths, and primarily on a distorted, shameful view of our place,not only in Africa, but also in the world. We are partof a continent that is developing at an unprecedentedpace. We have seemingly infinite natural resources atour disposal. The whole of our continent will benefit ifeverybody shares in its wealth, and if everybody iscommitted to construct and maintain an African identity. Instead, we destroy each other, and in thatprocess we are ourselves annihilated.

The problem with xenophobia (or rather, one of theproblems) is this: it destroys indiscriminately. This isnot immediately apparent. Removed from the terribleatrocities, we see the burning of vehicles, and hearthe body count mounting. But we are not engaged;after all, it does not involve us. But sooner or later, we will be exposed to the creeping destruction,despite our indifference. The often quoted words usedby Pastor Martin Niemöller are illustrative of the dangers posed by our indifference to xenophobia.Although they have been quoted frequently by othercommentators in the recent past, it may be salutary toacquaint ourselves with them once more. He said ofthe Nazis:

selfishly laid claims to empowerment only for themselves. In their acts of separating themselves from their countrymen, and from the continent, and by engaging in the exploitation of the largesseheaped on them through a weak administration, they have brought about an alienation of our country from our continent. The rest of the continent,as far as they are concerned, can languish and decay, and be ruled by tyrants who do not care about human rights and dignity, despite our countrybeing a signatory to the Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights.

A few of the articles dealing with appropriate sections of the Universal Declaration of Human Rightsare cited:

A r t i c l e 3 : Everyone has the right to life, libertyand security of person.A r t i c l e 6 : Everyone has the right to recognitioneverywhere as a person before the law.A r t i c l e 1 2 : No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, homeor correspondence, not to attacks upon his honourand reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference orattacks.A r t i c l e 1 3 : (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the bor-ders of each State.A r t i c l e 1 4 : (1) Everyone has the right to seekand to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

On perusal of the above, it would appear, then, thatSouth Africa has paid lip service only as a signatoryto the Declaration.

XenophobiaTHE IGNORANCE OF XENOPHOBIA: MIMESIS AND ALTERITY

Robin Kohl Unathi Eli

P A G E 2 1

The gap between rich and poor is becoming widerand wider, despite so-called empowerment deals. Thepeople affected are not only those who have come toour country from elsewhere but are mostly our ownpeople. The recourse they take is to blame the immigrants for the increased poverty, real or imagined. The only solution to this lies in a redistribution of wealth.

When one talks about the redistribution of wealth,all kinds of fears are ignited. We imagine nationalisation on a grand scale; we recall images ofexcesses from across our borders; we become desperate to escape this country with at least some ofour wealth. These fears are unfounded if the policy isimplemented rationally, deliberately and equitably.What is meant by a redistribution of wealth is really a humane sharing of resources. Shifting the preponderance of capital wealth from white ownershipto a finite group of empowered blacks is not redistribution; it is an entrenchment of material privilege that divides our nation even further.

Soon, those housed in camps will be forced to be reintegrated into their communities, with the government apparently believing the scourge has been eradicated and that it is safe for people to return‘home’. Who can blame the unfortunate victims forfeeling sceptical? Who can blame them for not trusting the government to ensure their safety when the record of securing the safety of the country’s owncitizens is so infinitely dismal?

To say that xenophobia is abhorrent is an understatement. To say that we should act against theperpetrators equally so. To say that we should findlasting solutions and to deal with the root causes? Yes. We live in hope, everlasting hope.

They first came for the communistsand I did not speak upbecause I was not a communist;Then they came for the Jewsand I did not speak upbecause I was not a Jew;Then they came for the trade unionistsand I did not speak upbecause I was not a trade unionist;Then they came for the Catholicsand I did not speak upbecause I was a Protostant;Then they came for me – and by that time there was no one left to speak.

At the heart of our xenophobia is the lack of the kindof moral fibre a nation requires to build and to prosper. Empires crumble and fall when basic morality is subverted. In our country, the signs are toopalpable: a president embracing a heartless, soulless,evil ruler; business leaders who make corrupt deals,blatantly; politicians involved in scams; calls madeirresponsibly by grandstanding oafs to kill. Sadly, thelist is endless.

In a land of abundance, and our country is trulyblessed with resources, and diligent workers, and thebest weather to be found on the planet – there are cli-matic constraints, though – people wander the streets,hungry. Food poverty? Farmers are murdered on anunprecedented scale. Land claims are moulderingsomewhere, tangled up in bureaucratic jungles. Yetnothing is done to address these fundamental issues.The signs pointing to incipient violence were there forthe government to read – but they did not act andwidespread violence has been the result.

Dobet Gnahore Thomas Msengana Slikour

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The DGMH sagaRAISING THE STANDARD OF HEALTH

iIT’S BEEN A REMARKABLE TURNAROUND. In littleover a year, the Dr George Mukhari Hospital transformed from a strife-ridden, financially-strappedinstitution that had failed accreditation for three years,to one that not only was accredited with an aggregateof 97% on 30 August 2007, but also closed its financial year on a high note.

‘For the first time in the hospital’s history the revenue section reached the set target in revenue collection,’ reads a glowing article in the April/May2008 edition of H e a l t h Ta l k , Gauteng ProvincialGovernment’s magazine for health workers. ‘What a year this has been, things really picked up in thesecond half of the financial year. I was proud torecord that we not only reached our target, but we exceeded it, and are still going strong,’ said Jan Napo, Director of Finance for Dr GeorgeMukhari Hospital (DGMH) in the article.

In fact, the overall change was so dramatic that itattracted the attention of President Thabo Mbeki whopaid an unscheduled visit to the hospital on NewYear’s Day this year, accompanied by Dr MantoTshabalala-Msimang, Minister of Health; BrianHlongwa, Gauteng MEC for Health; and other seniorofficials – and found everything in smooth runningorder. He visited the New Year babies in the maternityward as well as other centres of excellence in the hospital, and congratulated staff on the hard work anddedication that was so evident throughout the hospital.

At the helm of the team that made the differencewas Gale Ramafoko, CEO of DGMH for two years –until 13 June this year, when he left DGMH in searchof further challenges, this time with the Department ofSocial Services on the West Rand.

Ramafoko was appointed the hospital’s CEO inmid-2006 following the Gauteng Department ofHealth’s decision to decentralise powers into thehands of the management of its hospitals. The role of the provincial health department then shifted froman executive and administrative management role to

P A G E 2 3

a more supportive role of setting guidelines andprovincial policy. The aim was to improve planningand decision-making processes in the institutions.

When Ramafoko joined DGMH in July 2006, hefound that most of the shop stewards had been sus-pended following labour unrest. ‘It’s difficult to startsomething when you don’t have people on board,’ he says. He duly set about instituting change. He presented his vision for the hospital to his leadershipteam – and obtained their support for the changes hebelieved needed to be made. A memorandum ofunderstanding, which outlined points such as internalsystems of communication and conflict and disputehandling methods, was signed by top management.All suspended staff members were reinstated with nocharges laid against them.

‘Areas that needed urgent attention included a lackof trust and good relations between organised labourand management, which were critical for the successof the hospital; very limited commitment by hospitalemployees who had not been held accountable fortheir areas of work; no clear understanding of thevision of the hospital; lack of general cleanliness; lackof nurses uniforms; a high rate of theft and losses; andrenovation of crucial areas such as ablution facilities,’elaborates Ramafoko.

He started the process of change by establishingwhat he terms a psychological contract with allemployees. This contract entailed work place democra-tisation, involvement and empowerment at all levels,and team work, combined with consultation and worker participation in the vision and strategy of thehospital. Simply put, firstly, all employees were givenclarity on their individual job descriptions, as well ason the importance of their roles within the hospital,and, secondly, all employees were asked to commit tothe hospital’s vision of healing every patient whocame in.

Ramafoko shifted the focus from top managementto lower level managers and supervisors and instilled

Gale Ramafoko

SERVICES IN GA-RANKUWA

in them a sense of being change agents. He took themaway on a ‘bosberaad’ and listened and talked – and listened some more.

Within a couple of weeks of having joined the hospital Ramafoko took two days’ leave and went off to reflect quietly by himself. He came back with a strategy which he presented to his team. ‘From the start I made sure that we all believed that the strategy would work for all of us. Partnership with allemployees as team members was at the heart of oursuccess,’ he states.

The model for the financial turnaround of the hospital was established on a similarly consultativebasis. Having established common priorities throughthe shared vision, Ramafoko set up committees representing different department groups that discussed all financial issues and together assessedthe needs in relation to the budget – with a commitmentto revisit the budget on a quarterly basis. Organised

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The DGMH sagaRAISING THE STANDARD OF HEALTH SERVICES IN GA-RANKUWA

win-win for both sides. ‘Accepting that our patientsare the most important people in this institution; weare getting many compliments from them on the levelof professional care and attention they get while inhospital, in all the departments.’

What did Ramafoko see happening after his departure? Business as usual, he maintains. ‘The goalsare set and the strategy is sustainable; the systems arein place; everyone knows that people are as importantas the service we expect from them; top managementis committed to the strategy and is involved in theoperational activities; and organised labour has givenme their personal commitment to continue this journeyof improvement that we have started together.’Ramafoko’s training and background ably equippedhim for this Herculean task. He matriculated atMoruleng High School near Rustenberg in the 80s,and obtained his Bachelor of Public Administration atthe University of the North West, which was followedby an Advanced Certificate in Health Care ServicesManagement from the Pretoria University.

Ramafoko, ever the achiever, then obtained a dualMBA, both in General Management and in HealthCare Services Management, from the University ofFree State and last year he completed his Mastersdegree in Public Administration at the University ofFree State.

Before joining DGMH, Ramafoko had been working as the Director of Corporate Services at theDepartment of Health in the Eastern Cape, and thenas CEO, responsible for strategic and operationalplanning for the district. He had also served as CEOof the Boitumelo Regional Hospital in the Free State,responsible for management of health care servicesand facilities, and as Deputy Director at the NationalProsecuting Authority.

Ramafoko explains the drive that keeps him single-mindedly focused on his goals. ‘Investing in peopleand knowing that the investment is growing. And forpeople to translate the investment back into the community. I am inspired by seeing patients admittedto the hospital ill and unable to walk – and after-wards, being discharged and walking on their ownagain. It makes me believe that I am not only aleader, but also a community servant.’

labour was also involved in the budgeting process,every step of the way, as was the hospital board andheads of departments.

In fact, Ramafoko had all staff working so dedicatedly at turning the hospital around that organised labour ‘forgot about having strikes, evenwhen health workers throughout the country were onstrike!’ he quips.

Reducing theft and losses also involved makingsure that everyone understood they were on the sameside, working towards the same goals. While labourhad not condoned fraud and theft, effective controlshad not been in place and generally a blind eye wasturned to incidents. That changed. Security measureswere improved and with the shift in accountability tothe people who worked in the respective departments,incidents of theft and losses dropped dramatically.

Achieving accreditation was a major milestone forthe hospital. Before that, and after several failures,many staff had come to believe that it was an impossibility. To make it work this time, a full assessment was conducted and gaps were identified.Multi-disciplinary teams were established called TheBig Five – Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo – each of which held responsibility for a different areaof the hospital. The teamwork generated excitementand enthusiasm, but most importantly, each teamaccepted full ownership of their respective projects.

The proof is of course in the results. On 30 August2007, DGMH was accredited for two years on standards of hospitality and cleaning in the in-patientsunit, for facilities, for equipment and service standards,for high pharmacy standards, for the out-patients unit,and for top management.

The Big Five teams continue to operate, monitoringstandards in their areas and intervening in problemareas to make sure that the newly established standards are maintained. ‘The exciting thing was tosee just how enthusiastically the entire hospitalembraced and took responsibility for accreditation assoon as it was recognised as a possible achievementfor us – from executive level right through all theranks,’ comments Ramafoko.

In terms of the hospital’s relationship with the university – the Ga-Rankuwa campus of the Universityof Limpopo – Ramafoko believes the situation is

P A G E 2 5

AKEEPING THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION WIDE OPENTHE DGMH COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT LASTYEAR SAW A TREMENDOUS BOOST IN ITS CAPACITY.Its staff complement was enlarged from one person to 10. The result: a vast increase in its output andeffectiveness through posters, a newsletter, and avibrant hospital radio station.

The communication editorial team consists of Nolonwabo Bashe, Kealeboga Mohajane, OliverMaway, Pauline Sekgabi and Mmanoko Manamela.

Keeping staff motivated and informed was a fundamental element in the success of Ramafoko’s turnaround strategy – and this was largely achievedthrough three communication campaigns.

Posters with messages from the CEO, emphasisingthe ‘5 Cs’ – caring, cleanliness, competence, communication, cost-effectiveness – adorn the officeand passageway walls in an effort to keep stafffocused on the hospital strategy.

Another communication success was the launch ofan in-house staff newsletter called DGMH Times, passing on news and insight into developments at thehospital, as well as sharing and celebrating successfulachievements at staff and department level.

The radio station – Dr George Mukhari HospitalRadio – which had been operating, though on a smaller scale, since 2002 – adjusted its programmingto better suit its listenership of staff members (about 4 000), visitors (about 3 000), in-patients (1 600),and about 1 000 daily out-patients. It broadcasts from6am to 10pm daily and is headed by Vincent Serumula.

The objectives of the radio station were re-evaluatedand entrenched in the new overall communicationstrategy. They include improving communicationthroughout the hospital, improving patients’ perceptionsof health education, creating a soothing environment,educating the community on health related issues andhealth policies, and improving staff morale.

Communication methods are constantly underreview to ensure that ‘the under-communication syndrome of old is replaced with over-communication’,states Bashe.

Photographs from top to bottom:1. Jan Letsoalo (radio presenter) and Kgaogelo Masomane (radio presenter)

interviewing nurses2. From left - Kealeboga Mohajane (communications officer) and Nolonwabo Bashe

(communications manager)3. Communcations Unit - Back row: Nolonwabo Bashe, Moruti Phahlane,

Kealeboga Mohajane, Jan Letsoalo. Front row: Mmanoko Manamela, Vincent Serumula, Jonathan Kotu, Kgaogelo Masomane

4. Back row: Kealeboga Mohajane (communications officer) and Nolonwabo Bashe (communications manager). Front row: Jan Letsoalo (radio presenter) Vincent Serumula (radio station manager)

P A G E 2 6

The DGMH sagaNURSING – BEDROCK OF THE DR

Florah Kuypers

P A G E 2 7

to obtain her Diploma in Midwifery in 1974 and inIntensive Nursing in 1980.

Her thirst for further knowledge then took her on toa B.Cur nursing degree in Administration andCommunity Health Nursing and a Diploma in NursingEducation – both through Unisa, and a postgraduatecourse in Primary Health Care Management throughWits Postgraduate School. Kuypers has also completedcertificate courses in home-based care and palliativemedicine, in financial management, and in hospitalmanagement.

As her career has progressed, Kuypers has workedat various Gauteng hospitals, including Vereeniging,Chris Hani Baragwanath, Hillbrow, and Dr YusufDadoo Hospital in Krugersdorp, where she was theAssistant Director: Nursing. For four years in this position, she faced and overcame the challenges ofracism, abnormal staff allocations, and the transforma-tion of a conservative white hospital.

Kuypers’ responsibilities at DGMH for nursing careservices entail four main components: human resourcemanagement, education and training, patient care,and research. Staff-wise, she now has approved postsfor a total of 2 405 staff members, but a little sardonically points out that the posts may have beenapproved but not the money to fill them. In spite of thisKuypers is able to say: ‘It’s not all doom and gloom.We do have a post-filling plan and phases will beimplemented as and when budget is available. At themoment we are in phase one and have advertised101 posts of different ranks.’

An ongoing concern is the emotional trauma hernurses experience as a result of the high death rate ofHIV/Aids patients, the increasing number of violentcrimes that mean brutalised patients and gruesomemutilations. Programmes have been put in placethrough a private company to provide psychologicalcounselling to nurses and other medical staff who havehad to contend with severe emotional distress.

tGEORGE MUKHARI HOSPITAL

THE BEDROCK OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SECTOR ishow Minister of Health Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang,described nurses when she signed the new OccupationalSpecific Dispensation (OSD) in September 2007.

Florah Kuypers, Deputy Director of Nursing atDGMH agrees. Motivated nurses can make all the difference to a hospital – which means that ‘reallykeeping her staff motivated’, is one of her ongoinggoals. And she’s proud of the service that her 1 235nursing staff provide the hospital – sometimes againstthe odds.

Nursing at DGMH has, as in all the Gautengprovincial hospitals, been through tough times in thepast few years. The restructuring of the public servicesin 2004 resulted in severely diminished staffallowances. Lower staff numbers obviously make adequately efficient and professional nursing justabout impossible. But things are different now. TheOSD has seen nurses returning to South Africa’s publicservices from higher paid posts in the private sectorand in countries such as Saudi Arabia.

In the OSD agreement, there are two phases to thesalary adjustments – the minimum adjustment in linewith the OSD and the re-calculation and progressionbased on recognition of relevant experience. As partof phase one, entry level salaries for staff nurses arebeing increased by 20% while entry-level salaries fornursing assistants and professional nurses in generalnursing have increased by 24%. As many as 100 000nurses employed by government are benefitting fromthis agreement.

‘It’s been a wonderful move by government. It’smaking it easier for me to achieve my objective of providing this hospital with the best caring nurses and, in turn, providing the nurses with state of the art equipment to best do their jobs.’

Kuypers joined DGMH in May 2002, more than 30 years after having achieved her Diploma inGeneral Nursing at Vereeniging Hospital. She went on

P A G E 2 8

The DGMH sagaNURSING – BEDROCK OF THE DR GEORGE MUKHARI HOSPITAL

In the education and training field, DGMH has at any given time 1 000 student nurses doing theirfour-year diploma course through the SG LourensNursing College, post basic training through DGMHor other nursing courses run by the college, and thefour-year B.Cur nursing degree programme availablethrough Medunsa,.

Kuypers says DGMH’s nursing patient care standards are high, and over and above that, thereare pockets of excellence. ‘The trauma unit is one,’she says. ‘The nurses there see a number of emergencies every day. They have been given theskills and the equipment to cope with a wide spectrumof traumas – and they perform exceptionally wellunder highly demanding circumstances.’

Another area of excellence for Kuypers is the burnsunit. Kuypers had experience in the Hillbrow Hospitalwhich featured a sophisticated burns unit. Soon afterjoining DGMH she had a patient in general surgerywith 80 percent burns. ‘I decided there and then thatit was essential that we have our own burns unit here.The extensive use of wood fires and paraffin stoves inthe hospital’s catchment meant that burns were recur-ring problem.’ The unit became a reality in 2006 and provides an invaluable service to the local community.

Kuypers is also delighted with the strides being madein patient care of HIV/Aids patients through TshepangARV Clinic (which featured in L i m p o p o L e a d e rno. 13). ‘The HIV challenge is growing all the time;and the team in this clinic is constantly finding ways to improve the service it offers its patients all the time.’The Tshepang Clinic was first runner up in the prestigious provincial Khanyisa Awards for ‘projectswithin institutions that have made a difference in terms of service delivery’.

At the awards, the clinic was commended because,according to reports, ‘the people who work atTshepang are not ordinary; they are there for a reason. The staff members are so committed that whenthe clinic is really busy, they seldom go for tea orlunch breaks. This is why the clinic is so successful; it has a call beyond the ordinary, it has a goal and a purpose’.

Her ongoing challenge, says Kuypers, is to ensure that standards are constantly being raised within thenursing discipline of DGMH. ‘Many of our staff aretrained at different institutions and therefore have different ways of caring for patients. We must standardise our procedures and protocols and createone way of caring – the right way; the DGMH way.’

P A G E 2 9

The DGMH sagaA SOUND STRUCTURE MEANS ASTRONG INSTITUTION

rRESTRUCTURING IS OFTEN NOTA WORD THAT HOLDS GREATPROMISE. But it can be. Andwhen Gauteng Provincial HealthDepartment introduced capacitybuilding to its hospitals in 2002,it also introduced a completerestructuring of the top managementstructure. This meant a moveaway from the long worn-out‘medical superintendent-run hospital system’ to a more businesslike approach: a CEOand several non-medical seniormanagement positions.

‘This development, togetherwith various others within DGMH,has worked well for us here,’ saysReuben Letsoalo, the hospital’sHuman Resources Director.

‘We have been through uncertain times in the past fewyears,’ he acknowledges. ‘Mostparticularly has been the lack ofclarity about whether Medunsawas relocating to Polokwane ornot, which saw a tremendous exodus of senior clinical staff toother academic hospitals –because that relocation wouldhave meant a probable adjustmentof the status of this hospital froma level-three academic institutionto a regional-level hospital.’

Even before the June 20announcement that there wouldbe no physical relocation of thehealth science faculty, and thatMedunsa (now called the

Reuben Letsoalo

P A G E 3 0

The DGMH sagaA SOUND STRUCTURE MEANS A STRONG INSTITUTIONGa-Rankuwa campus of theUniversity of Limpopo) would continue to be the primary site fortraining health care professionals,Letsoalo was convinced that this would be the outcome. His conviction was based on theDepartment of Health’s reinstate-ment of previously phased outchief specialist posts. ‘It was avery encouraging move andhelped to stem the tide of medicalprofessionals leaving our hospital,’ says Letsoalo.

Letsoalo obtained his BA at theUniversity of the North in 1990,which was followed by a BAHons through Unisa, followed bya Masters and an AdvancedCertificate Programme in HealthManagement in 2002, and acourse on Policy Development andImplementation in 2006 – all fromthe University of Pretoria. Hiswork experience includes someyears with the Department ofEducation and Training as a personnel practitioner, and in theprivate sector in industrial relations. He joined DGMH in2002.

Outlining the hospital management structure, Letsoalosays it now consists of CEO anddeputy CEO posts (both of whichare unfilled at present); and threedirectors – of HR, Logistics andICT (held by Letsoalo); ClinicalServices (held by Dr PeterDdungu); and Finance and Supply

Chain Management (held by JanNapo, who is the acting CEOuntil the post is filled).

Below the Director of HR aretwo deputy directors and six assistant directors.

The Clinical Services Directorhas a Deputy Director of Nursing–- Florah Kuypers – and a DeputyDirector of Allied Services (suchas radiography, physiotherapy,occupational therapy, social work,orthopaedic and prosthetics, andclinical psychology). Also withinClinical Services are four ClinicalExecutives in charge of medical(Dr Pertunia Shembe), surgical (Dr Mpho Ditshego), critical care(Dr Fred Benganga) and motherand child disciplines (Dr RitaNathan).

Finance consists of a DeputyDirector of Finance and a DeputyDirector of Supply ChainManagement, and three assistantdirector positions.

Letsoalo has also witnessed adramatic improvement in the day-to-day running of the hospitalsince the institution of the five multidisciplinary teams – The BigFive – consisting of about 40-50people in each team, that meetmonthly and contribute significantly to the smoother running of the hospital by tacklingchallenges and addressing issuesas and when they arise.

‘Another area that has seensome improvement is the

administrative management atward level,’ Letsoalo says.‘Previously two wards were sharing one admin clerk. Now thehospital employs one clerk perward. This has made a big difference in the quality of administrative support and patientmanagement.

‘But,’ adds Letsoalo, ‘an area that has been sadly neglectedand needs urgent attention is thelevel of use of the hospital’sMedicom ICT system by clerks,nurses, doctors, and other supportstaff. This system can make thedissemination of information fromone department to another – suchas from a doctor to the pharmacy– much easier.’

On being admitted, apatient’s details are captured onthe system and then at everystage of the patient’s treatment,entries should be made, giving a full picture of the regimens followed. But use of the system islow throughout the hospital andthe ever-hopeful Letsoalo hasplans to encourage increased buy-in.

There is no doubt in Letsoalo’smind that there are challenges tobe overcome in DGMH. But he’sconfident that the structure existsto make that process a lot easierthan it has been in previousyears.

Success had already been a close companion of hisfor many years. When he took over as superintendentat the 430-bed Donald Fraser Hospital, he found therewere tensions among the senior management team. He drew up a code of conduct which outlined, amongother things, the minimum standards on how to treatother staff members. This was developed for andsigned by the senior management team and was thestart of a growing respect as people understood others’ perspectives. This co-operation bore fruit in several sectors. For instance, the hospital premiseshad been dismal and poorly kept. Ddungu got thecommunity involved in landscaping the property‘because it belonged to them too’ and turn it intobeautiful gardens. The result was that the community

The DGMH sagaBUILDING SUCCESS INTO CLINICALSERVICES

iIT MAY HAVE BEEN BY DEFAULT that Dr Peter Ddungumoved into hospital management from a successfulstint as a medical officer; but it was definitely bydesign that he stayed when he discovered that hecould add value from the administrative side. That wasin 1999 when Ddungu took over the medical superintendent’s post at Donald Fraser Hospital inLimpopo – the superintendent had left and nobodywanted the job.

Ddungu then moved on from Donald Fraser to different challenges at Chris Hani BaragwanathHospital as Senior Clinical Executive in 2003. He joined Dr George Mukhari Hospital as ClinicalServices Director in February 2007. Within a year hehad earned a CEO Service Excellence Award.

Dr Peter Ddungu

therapy, social work, orthopaedic and prosthetics, andclinical psychology. ‘In other words, I look after thepeople who offer direct patient care. What they deliver must be up to standard.’

His biggest challenge had been the uncertainty ofthe future of the Medunsa campus, and whetherDGMH would continue as an academic hospital. ‘But when the Department of Health announced thedecision in April to unfreeze and advertise eight chiefspecialist posts for this hospital, the impasse wasresolved. We had been haemorrhaging staff badly.The announcement was a big deal and eased a lot ofpressure. My sense was that the decision to restore thechief specialist appointments was recognition enoughof the reality to preserve this service, even as theLimpopo Medical School is being built up.’

Also encouraging has been significant investmentby the provincial health department into facilities, suchas the new MRI scanner and the provision of funds torelocate the orthopaedic workshop to a better site.

While the staff situation is improving, Ddungu saysthat it remains an ongoing challenge. He continues tomotivate for more personnel in some departments andconsolidate posts in others to try to attract people withbetter pay structures. He also wants to see more wardclerks on the staff because that would make a positive difference to record keeping, research,handing over, and maintaining the hospital informationsystem more effectively – day and night, and overweekends and public holidays.

It ties in with his ‘dream’ of an effective system todeal with all adverse clinical events – deaths, nearmisses, and lengthier hospital stays than necessary.‘We need a system that practically runs itself and pre-vents these situations from happening in the first place.This means a tremendous amount of information sharing at many levels, but it is possible. We havereporting systems at the moment, but at best they arepatchy. It’s something we are working on and will bereviewing until we get it right.’

And ‘getting it right’ is high on Ddungu’s daily listof priorities. He earned the CEO’s Service ExcellenceAward for that very reason.

P A G E 3 2

would bring visitors to see the gardens, and also usethem for special occasions such as having their wedding photographs taken. For two years runningthe hospital won the ‘Cleanest Hospital’ trophy inprovincial health awards.

Other highlights at Donald Fraser for Ddunguincluded building a strong and dedicated medicalteam with limited resources and setting up effectiveHIV management structures in the community. He alsomanaged a cholera outbreak with maximum communication into the clinics, personally joining the community team trudging around from village tovillage handing out chlorine tablets, setting up choleramanagement centres in the clinics, and spreading themessage far and wide. Ddungu is also proud of thefact that during catastrophic floods in Limpopo, thehospital was completely cut off, ‘but we were able tosurvive’.

Ddungu maintains that one of the secrets of successful leadership is being close to the staff on theground. ‘Before we can even talk about quality andservice delivery, we must be responsive to the needsof the people we work with.’ That ties in with his nextsuccess secret, which is teamwork. ‘No matter howbrilliant an individual is, it’s more important to have a well-functioning team. That’s the way to get thingsdone.’

Ddungu maintains that much of his success atDGMH can be attributed to the ‘cohesive nature’ ofthe senior team and the assurance that managementand staff wanted to work together for the same goals.

Ddungu had obtained his MBChB at MakerereUniversity Medical School in Uganda and then workedfor three years at a district hospital as a medical officer before coming to South Africa. Further studiesinclude a diploma in Primary Emergency Care, whichhe obtained while in Limpopo, and an MBA, which hecompleted in 2003. Ever thirsting for new learnings,Ddungu is completing his research thesis for a Mastersin Public Health degree with the University of theWitwatersrand.

His responsibilities at DGMH embrace the deliveryof all clinical services to patients. This means whathappens in the wards plus the allied health servicessuch as radiography, physiotherapy, occupational

The DGMH sagaBUILDING SUCCESS INTO CLINICAL SERVICES

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