Page 40 - Transformation Report 2021

International student enrolments decreased by 15.1 percent • Food and material relief (tied into the
in 2021. Efforts to address this included implementing distribution of donations to the Convergence
various concessions for international students, including Fund)
a range of payment options. Of the 888 international
• Capacity-building in GBV for first responders
students who registered by 30 April 2021, 212 students
• Archiving website and citizen journalism
met the criteria for concessions.
• Supporting masks campaigns
7. Reimagining Engagement • Public webinars, and
• ETP engagement and research projects related
As an engaged University, we aim to join with our community
to COVID-19.
to create new knowledge, drawing on the experience
and practical understanding of our stakeholders and
Over this reporting period, the HOC actively worked with
communities. The idea of engagement as ‘convergence’
food sovereignty, gender-based violence, community-
is the conscious effort of drawing together internal and
based economic activities, and knowledge communication
external stakeholders to unlock the knowledge and praxis
and application. CIPSET is advancing its solidarity economy
that enable us to better engage on issues affecting our
education programme with a group of TVET College
society. Engagement, social responsiveness and social
graduates who are mostly young women. CIPSET is also
embed¬dedness, therefore, link our academic scholarship
engaging with colleagues in the Community Convergence
with the work we are doing to address the major societal
Workstream to support community gardeners, as well as
challenges of our time and place. This is essential if we
the Young Black Engineering Co-operative (YBEC). YBEC
are to make social justice an integral part of our learning,
is exploring the construction of eco-friendly greenhouses
teaching, research and innovation. The ETP, in the few
that combine engineering skills with food production.
years since its establishment, has already shown us many
of the possibilities and challenges of what it might mean to 8. Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
be a university in service of society.
Through the CCC, our University engaged with government
The efforts of the ETP towards a more sustainable future
and other external stakeholders at the national, provincial
continue, as documented by the engagement project
and local levels. The University identified areas where it
mapping process. The Institutional Engagement Forum
had expertise, research and engagement skills to offer
continued its consultations in the fourth quarter to provide
in combatting the pandemic. Interventions specifically
interdisciplinary engagement partnerships, systems, and
focused on marginalised community-based workers,
capacity-building platforms. For example, the University
people affected by GBV, vulnerable groups who
engages with the AmaJingqi Chief and community with a
experienced hunger, education stakeholders, farmworkers,
focus on early childhood development, quality education,
casual workers, and unemployed youth, among others.
sustainable ICT development, and wildlife economy with
This workstream included tele-counselling, material relief,
partners such as the Department of Environmental Affairs
community food gardens, and working closely with the
and Exium.
Mandela University Convergence Fund.

CriSHET continues to model a successful strategy for
The Convergence Fund built on the University’s existing
strengthening research and covering its own costs through
commitment to partner with civil society and communities
research subsidy generation. This year, CriSHET submitted
to assist in resolving pressing societal issues. This included
60 outputs for subsidy claims (five books, 24 book chapters
food and other material relief through the CCW, as well
and 31 articles), which should generate more than R4
as funding longer-term, sustainable initiatives, such as a
million in subsidy for the University, with CriSHET’s 2021
university-wide food systems project. The Food Systems
budget coming in below this by at least R1.3 million.
Working Group was established on 27 January 2021
to explore the potential of connecting the various food
The ETP moved to re-orientate its engagement work
systems programmes and projects active within the
in order to respond to the pandemic, with the Hubs of
University. A steering committee representing relevant
Convergence (HOC) and the Centre for Integrated Post-
faculties and units was constituted to better coordinate
School Education & Training (CIPSET) co-ordinating
these initiatives. The work coordinated through the CCC
the Community Convergence Workstream (CCW). This
pointed to the fertile ground upon which the University
workstream reports to the COVID-19 Co¬ordinating
could build its strategic reorientation to engagement.
Committee (CCC), which has been responsible for
There are plans to upscale this work going forward to
coordinating the University’s external stakeholder
continue post-COVID-19 and utilise the lessons learnt for
engagements related to the pandemic and is chaired
the conceptualisation of the HOC and the re-imagination
by Prof André Keet. The CCW constituted a number of
of engagement.
projects driven by the various entities:
• Tele-counselling
From the outset of the pandemic, EBEIT entities rapidly
• Community-based food systems responded to assist our communities and industries
with speed, depth, and scope. The Faculty's Centre for
40 | 2021