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T his month we are celebrating history, power,

sophistication and strength of a woman, a

month worth being proudly celebrated. We

acknowledge the effort and sacrifices wom-

en make on daily basis to improve their lives and of

those around them. Life of a woman has become so

very hectic nowadays trying to balance it all out, how

women put in effort to ensure a successful outcome

whether it is with their families or work and some are

quietly working behind the scenes playing the role of

a bread winner. It is undoubtedly remarkable how

women have seized these moments strength by

strength. Prof Seekoe is one good example of success

personified an epitome of power and an inspiration to many. She has made great strides

and has recently won the Regional Business Achievers Award for Women in Government,

read about her impressive rise and career time line on page 2.We continue to celebrate

and admire those before us , Amaqhawekazi (heroines) who fought against all odds for

the liberation and acknowledgment of women’s value, read page 4 . As a woman, the

struggle is real every day, we need to rebel and redefine our own notions of success, let

us insist on working together and stay winning. Everyday should be a celebration of

making it through the previous day, let’s rise and celebrate together.

This quote was shared by the Vice Chancellor, Dr Tom in memorial of the late Chancellor

of the University of Fort Hare , Rev. Dr. M Stofile, who was laid to rest on the 25th of

this month. These words speak value and should be emulated as his last wish to the

entire University communal. May we all strive to live by his words. Our deepest condo-

lences to his close relatives and friends.

Connect to this link https://1drv.ms/b/s!AlVD0ZydWAJ0g4M4ymQflJZ5mesPWQ to read the

tribute to the late Chancellor of the University of Fort Hare

Let this Month be the Month of great Wisdom…

“ Work like it is your last opportunity to do your job”

- Rev. Dr. M Stofile

Wongs

AU

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EDITOR’S NOTE

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Wongeka Mtembu: Congratulations! You won the

Regional Business Achievers Award 2016 for Women in

Government, what does this mean for you?

Eunice Seekoe: It means that there are people who are

aware of what I am doing and that the difference I make is

visible. I feel appreciated and motivated to do more.

1984-1994

Professional Nurse to

Chief Professional

Nurse involvement in

transformation

1994-2002

Lecturer and Managerial Posi-

tions in the Part of transfor-

mation leadership at University

of Free State

2002-2008

Lecturer, Introduced the Student Mentor-

ing Programme and part of leadership

during transformations through mergers

at the University of Johannesburg

2008-2010

Manager of Health

leadership development

at Mind Set Health

2016 to date

Head of the School to

Faculty of Health Sciences

WM: What do you think is the most significant barrier to female

leadership?

ES: Firstly, it’s because men think that women are not capable of

thinking critically and making strategic decisions and that we should

depend on them to create opportunities for us. Secondly other

women not being prepared to support each other but wanting to be

submissive to men for favours. Thirdly is balancing leadership role in

order to make sure that family is not neglected and that children are

also empowered to be independent and believe in themselves.

WM: People often wonder about the differences between how men

and women lead. What are your thoughts on that?

ES: I think women are even more considerate as they are capable of

taking care of the needs of family members. They are more thoughtful

and they are able to see things from a significant angle that men

might miss because they only focus on the bigger picture and not

always realize when other aspects are not considered or neglected.

Men come from a point of power and having things taken care of

them at home that they tend to down play and not focus on im-

portant things that make a leader. I am capable of dealing with differ-

ent stake- holders and to advocate for people who have needs lesser

than mine. When dealing with my team, I always make sure that I

share my vision so that they can contribute knowing that they also

can become empowered and grow in the process.

WM: How did you overcome gender-related roadblocks in your ca-

reer?

ES: Being assertive, perseverance, patience and focusing on the vision

and what I know best. I have managed by keeping focused on my

goals and achievements irrespective of the roadblocks that were set

before me.

WM: Have you ever felt intimidated by power?

ES: My calmness nature helps me not to get intimidated therefore

power does not intimidate me. I only become intimidated by lack of

knowledge so I then try by all means to acquire knowledge if I don’t

know something. I know that if I have a strategy and leadership style

to achieve goals everything is in order.

Prof E Seekoe Career T ime L ine

We chat with the Inspirational and

Incomparable Role Model of Good

Leadership, Prof E Seekoe.

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WM: Was there any mind-shift you went through as you rose

through the ranks?

ES: Yes, there has been a mind-shift. I initially planned to be an

academic and researcher in nursing science. My personality

enhanced by my professional orientation and my qualification

in (MBA) Master of Business Administration, made me realize

that I cannot focus on teaching and research only. I found my-

self creating a vision, developing strategies to support areas

that I am currently involved in, such as leading change, building

relations and integrating stakeholders including building capaci-

ty of my team. I now lead in an establishment of the faculty

which has more health sciences disciplines

WM: The launch of the new Faculty of Health Sciences was a

great success; congratulations are in order, so how the idea of

adding the new Faculty came about?

ES: The introduction of the Faculty of Health Sciences was es-

tablished to reflect the University of Fort Hare’s response to the

challenge of transformation in higher education and in national

health policy. The establishing and approval of the Faculty of

Health Sciences is in line with the requirements of the NDP and

the University’s Vision of Introducing New Academic Initiatives

as it is celebrating its centenary year. The Faculty of Health Sci-

ences further demonstrates a response by the university to

meet the demand of training more health care professionals in

order to respond to the human resource policy for health or

more health professionals in South Africa and the Eastern Cape

Province specifically.

The need for development of strong human resources capacity

for the health sector can be achieved through scaling up educa-

tion and research. The Faculty of Health Sciences is located in

East London and has its presence in Alice because of Human

Movement Department which will be moved at a later stage.

This Faculty of Health Sciences will start with 5 departments

such as Nursing Science, Public Health, Natural Sciences, Hu-

man Movement and Rehabilitative Sciences, some programmes

will continue being gradually introduced. In order to strategical-

ly meet this demand the proposed Faculty of Health Sciences

will be guided by Boyers Model of scholarship which highlights

the focus on Discovery (research), Teaching, Integration and

engagement. The Boyers Model of scholarship will be followed

emphasizing the domains of discovery, teaching, integration

and engagement. The domain discovery will be demonstrated

through commitment to human knowledge for its own sake and

intellectual climate through research.

Teaching will lead to development of graduates that are critical

and analytical thinkers and problem solvers through methodolo-

gies that are already used within all Health Sciences programmes

such as Problem Based Leaning and Community Based Education

as well as Case Based Teaching. Teaching will be through a blend-

ed curriculum as recommended by DHET and will aim to graduate

the 21st century health professional

WM: ……..and how has the University and other external Stake-

holders responded to the launch?

ES: The University approved the faculty of Health Sciences

through its Governance structures. The faculty contributes to the

growth of the university and the launch received support as part

of the centenary celebrations. Our stakeholders appreciated the

growth of the Health Sciences programmes and felt that we are

contributing to the health needs of our communities. Our fun-

ders felt that they contributed to the growth from us moving

from being a School to a Faculty, which means we have utilized

resources effectively. Other universities which have Faculties of

Health Sciences are willing to share resources available and have

started involving us in different forums of health sciences in high-

er education.

WM: How do you strike a work-life balance?

ES: I budget my time, making sure that I plan ahead for my family

needs and I communicate my plans in advance, in cases like, if I

have to travel I communicate and make plans for them. I have

transport for taking my son to school and to some activities. I

have household help and make use of facilities like laundry and

ironing and I do my own cooking. I organise extra lessons for my

son’s homework, support and monitor so that I can support

when I identify challenges. I communicate with him all the time

to make sure that I am aware of what is happening in his life. I

did the same with my two daughters. My husband and I try not

to be away at the same time. If it happens, we do have family

friends who assist us because we also assist them with their chil-

dren, electronic media makes it much easier as we use mobile

phones, social media or skype to communicate. When I am in

town I try to be available, even watch his soccer practices and

matches.

WM: After all this success, is there a goal you feel you haven’t

achieved yet?

ES: Yes, I have been promoted to a full Professor position and

have gained experience in Higher Education leadership and man-

agement. I need to move up in the ranks of senior manage- ment

in Higher Education because I believe I can make a differ- ence,

given the opportunity.

By: W Mtembu

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The 9th of August declared in South Africa as the Women's Day marks the anniversary of the great women's march of 1956, where 20 000

women marched of all races marched to Pretoria's Union Buildings to protest and present a petition against the carrying of passes by women

to the prime minister, JG Strijdom. The march against the pass laws was organised by the Federation of South African Women (FSAW or FED-

SAW). The Federation famously challenged the idea that 'a woman's place is in the kitchen', declaring it instead to be 'everywhere'. Although

Prime Minister J.G. Strijdom was not at the Union Buildings to accept the petition, the women of South Africa sent a public message that

they would not be intimidated and silenced by unjust laws. The march was led by Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia

Williams (pictured). Other participants included Frances Baard, a statue of whom was unveiled by Northern Cape Premier Hazel

Jenkins in Kimberley (Frances Baard District Municipality) on National Women's Day 2009.

After the petition was handed over to the secretary of the prime minister, the women stood silently for 30 minutes and then started singing

a protest freedom song that was composed in honour of the occasion: Wathint` abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo! Since then, the phrase 'wathint'

abafazi, wathint' imbokodo' (You Strike a Woman, You Strike a Rock) has come to represent the courage and strength of every South African

women. The first National Women's Day was celebrated on 9 August 1994. South Africa had just become a democratic country at the time,

and the day was declared a national holiday. Since then annual celebrations take place throughout the country. It has become one of the

national holidays where activities are organised with women in prominent positions making appearances and giving speeches at different

venues across the country. In 2006, a reenactment of the march was staged for its 50th anniversary, with many of the 1956 march veterans.

August has since been declared National Women’s Month.

Source: http://www.sahistory.org.za

“The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.”

- Roseanne Barr

WOMEN’S DAY HISTORY

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Upon receiving the Half-Year Assessments the OD unit at HR is engaging in a Valida-tion and Analysis exercise which will reveal areas where challenges appear to be still prevalent in using the new IPA and Assessment workbook;

The Validation and Analysis process will identify the challenges and same will be defined to prepare for future Advocacy and Engagement sessions with identified stakeholders;

The Advocacy and Engagement sessions will include Refresher trainings to all staff in terms of the IPA and Assessment workbook;

The content of the Refresher training will be informed by the outcome of the Validation and Analysis exercise and any other related matters;

The Refresher training are scheduled for the month of September and communication will be accordingly disseminated closer to time to all staff;

Further, as attached, we are pleased to announce the 2016/17 PMS Scoring system and Reward Structure as approved by the relevant authorities.

The deadline for submission of the Half-Year Assessments was Friday, 22nd July 2016. We appreciate those employees who had adhered to the call to conduct and participate in the Mid-Year Assessment in terms of the Performance Management System.

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT SCORING

With regards to the Half-Year PMS Assessments and the way-forward,

take note of the following:

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Protect Your Private Time. Once you've put private

time on your schedule, protect it, unless there's an

emergency. If you don’t allow yourself pockets of

personal time, you’ll become too burned out to

fully appreciate any part of your life. Put aside an

hour on your schedule to read a book, take a walk,

or just to be alone.

__________________________________________

Set boundaries. Today's technology can make the

line between your work life and personal life quite

blurry. Turn off your cell phone and laptop when

you're at your son's soccer game, and ask friends

and family not to interrupt your workday unless it's

an emergency.

________________________________________

Find a mentor. Do you know someone who has it

all a successful career and a terrific personal life?

Ask him or her to give you advice on career devel-

opment, setting priorities, and time management.

__________________________________________

Evaluate your work-life balance on a regular basis

Achieving work-life balance is a never-ending

journey, and your needs will be different at differ-

ent times in your life. Set aside some time once

every other month or so to reflect on your current

balance, what you would like it to be, and what the

plan is for arriving there.

We are a Society of multi-tasking, balancing a career and personal

responsibilities while attempting to remain healthy enough to do

this effectively. Here’s how to bring more balance into your life:

Build downtime into your schedule. When you plan your week, make it a point

to schedule time with your family and friends, and activities that help you re-

charge.

Drop activities that consume your time or energy. "Many people waste their

time on activities or people that add no value for example, spending too much

time at work with a colleague who is constantly venting and gossiping," says

Marilyn Puder-York

Concentrate on one thing at a time. Forget multi-tasking. It's not possible to

focus on two things at the same time. Instead, devote your full attention to the

task at hand. When you are working, work. When you are spending time with

your family, focus solely on them.

Take a look at your personal habits and general lifestyle. Lack of sleep, poor

nutrition, and bad exercise habits can cause you to feel a lack of balance in your

life, and can counteract any efforts you are making to achieve work-life balance.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

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In any workplace, forming a strong team to work together to achieve a common vision, Project or goal is a huge advantage. If you’re a Team Leader, or Manage a team, here are

8 ways you can improve Teamwork in your workplace:

1. Act as a guide: Every team needs a great leader who’s willing to guide the team in working and making decisions collaboratively. The team leader must also be committed to reaching the team’s goals and have strong communication skills to be able to share their passion and vision for success.

2. Make every team member feel valued: Success as a team can only come when each team member is aware of the importance of their role in the team’s success. Involve all team members by sharing any available information relevant to the goal/project and any deadlines. Assign them with responsibility for specific goals/outcomes and reward all members of the team for achieving them.

3. Set increasingly challenging team-based goals: Each time the team reaches a goal, set a more challenging goal for them to achieve to encourage team members to stretch themselves and learn from and build on their previous successes. Recognise the team for meeting the challenge and openly discuss how their team effort led their achieving the goal.

4. Incorporate team-based problem solving into staff meetings: At each team meeting ask every team member to share a project or task they might feel stuck on, or challenged by, and request that other team members give feedback, provide some mentoring and share their ideas to help resolve the dilemma or impasse. Encourage team brainstorming of solutions.

5. Facilitate conversation, idea-sharing and team brainstorming: Where possible, set up work areas where team members can get together to easily share ideas, brainstorm or discuss progress on goals/projects. Open office environments don’t always work, so this might mean allocating certain rooms, or even outdoor spaces in the workplace, where team members can work together.

6. Encourage teamwork on projects: Develop a protocol that requires team members to work together on projects. For example, before any important document or plan is finalised, ensure that more than one team member has been responsible for creating, reviewing and giving their feedback on it.

7. Discuss team dynamics on a regular basis: Encourage open communication in team meetings about the team dynamic - for exam-ple, talk specifically about what’s working well and what could work better. Use this as an opportunity for team members to dis-cuss how they can work more effectively as a team, but never to whinge or criticise one another in front of other team members. Also encourage conversations reflecting on what has enabled positive achievements as a team.

8. Welcome comments, questions and suggestions from all team members: Great ideas and improvements can come as a result of asking what might seem to be ‘dumb’ questions or looking at a situation from a completely different perspective. Be open to and encourage input from every team member. Be supportive of new ideas and, as a team, work through all ideas and weed out any that won’t work.

Source: www.blueskycoaching.com.au.

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NEW APPOINTMENTS

Dr Luke Buckland Senior Researcher Centre for Leadership Ethics in Africa (CLEA)

Dr Wiseman Mupindu Lecturer Human Settlement

Dr Sonwabo Perez Mazinyo Lecturer Geography and Environmental Science

TEMP TO PERMANENT

Miss Ngcali Mathimba Data Capturer Examinations

Mr Lakheko Beja Data Capturer Examinations

APPOINTMENT TO SENIOR POST / PROMOTION

Miss Unathi Ngxesha Junior Exams Officer Examinations

RESIGNATIONS AS AT 31/07/2016

Prof Gideon De Wet Dean of Research GMRDC

Mrs Michele Flanegan NRF Administrator GMRDC

The HR Wellness Unit will be hosting a wellness day for both Discovery and Bonitas members, cross all the University campuses from the 6th to the 8th of September. UFH staff members who are not on Medical Aid are also welcomed

For further queries please contact Ms M Tyanti on 043 704 7249 or Ms S Citashe on 043 704 7547

DATE UFH BRANCH VENUE TIME

06 SEPTEMBER 2016 BISHO BRANCH PUBLIC ADMIN BOARDROOM 8h00 TO 13h00

07 SEPTEMBER 2016 EAST LONDON ABC HALL 8h00 TO 15h00

08 SEPTEMBER 2016 ALICE STAFF CENTRE 8h00 TO 15h00

UPCOMING HR EVENTS