And clearly, transformation in the universities means different things to different people. These are some of the contentious issues that will be debated, issues that have come out of the threatening behaviour towards academics that are taking place on many of South African campuses. Parents, students and tax payers have a right to hear some of the arguments and they are invited to attend. Professor Alf Stadler will host the debates which will be open to the public. By Amma Ogan.
Affirmative action is much more than recruitment and curricula.
It is literally transformation, says Wits University administrative staff member Makaziwe Mandela, who spoke to Amma Ogan about her role in the changing face of the university. With a secretary and an administration officer, Makaziwe Mandela oversees the 99 departments at Wits University, where her job is to establish and monitor an affirmative action policy for the institution. Aged 42, with a masters' degree in Sociology and a doctorate in anthropology, she stepped into the job two years ago when the position was created. Her eldest son is studying law and her daughter is a social work student. This will bear testimony to her success, she says.