Latest news with #UniversityOfPretoria
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
The Customer Experience Africa Awards Return to Honour the Continent's Brightest in Customer Experience (CX)
After a powerful comeback in 2024, the Customer Experience Africa Awards (CXAs) are officially back for 2025 and bringing together the very best in customer experience from across the continent for a night of recognition, celebration, and connection. Taking place on Tuesday, 12 August 2025 at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town, the CXAs serve as the official opening of the CEM Africa Summit; Africa's leading platform for CX professionals. Last year's event drew over 70 applications and a full house of CX champions, industry leaders, and visionaries. This year, excitement is already building with entries rolling in from across the continent, including submissions from ABSA Kenya and the University of Pretoria, the latter entering the brand-new Government&Public Sector category. This year's CX Awards have already attracted entries from leading brands such as ABSA Kenya, ICX Kenya, QContact, Telviva, Wonga Digital, BOS Technology and more, a powerful reflection of the industry's growing commitment to customer excellence. Judged by CX Leaders from Across the Continent Joan Ntabadde Kyeyune – Senior CX Consultant, Steadfast Quality Solutions Benson Mukandiwa – Trustee, Customer Experience World Games (CXWG) Qaalfa Dibeehi – Managing Partner, Human2Outcome Chantel Botha – Founder, BrandLove Customer Experience Charlie Stewart – CEO, Rogerwilco Entries are assessed across four core criteria: Challenge&Market Context Strategy&Execution Impact&Measurable Results Scalability&Industry Relevance Spotlight on Past Winners The 2024 CXAs celebrated game-changing work across sectors, including: Liz Okomba, NCBA Bank – CX Leader of the Year Digital Solutions Group – Best Customer Experience Team NCBA Bank – Best Overall CX Solution Kim Dalton&Greg Van Der Plank, ABSA Bank – Breaking Barriers in CX Multichoice – Best Use of AI Bilha Maina, NCBA Bank – Rising Star in CX Telviva – Best Contact Centre Platform Their stories inspired a room of 300+ CX professionals and reminded us of the power of people-led transformation. Deadline Extended: 7 July 2025 Entries are open to individuals, teams, public sector departments, start-ups and multinationals across Africa. A free Tips&Tricks entry guide is available to help applicants structure their submissions. Submit your Application: Download the Tricks&Tips Guide: Sponsorship Opportunities A limited number of category sponsorships and on-site activations remain available. Sponsors benefit from on-stage visibility, branding across CXA campaigns, and direct access to Africa's leading customer-focused brands and professionals. The CXAs are not just about awards - they're about spotlighting the real people, ideas, and initiatives shaping customer experience across Africa. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Vuka Group. To apply, book tickets or enquire about sponsorship e mail:
The Herald
06-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald
First-ever mass vaccination of poultry in SA to combat bird flu
Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen on Thursday announced the first mass vaccination of poultry in the country to protect the local flock from avian flu. He also announced that the department had also ordered vaccines to combat foot and mouth disease. 'Our vaccination team, comprising poultry specialist vets from the University of Pretoria, along with the Agricultural Research Council, has received a list of farms to be vaccinated from the poultry industry and is prioritising high-risk areas and commercial flocks to contain the virus and prevent further culling,' Steenhuisen said. He said the country had secured a vaccine supply, ensured cold chain capacity and was building traceability and reporting mechanisms as part of a wider preparedness strategy . In addition, 50 animal health technicians were appointed on short-term contracts to help with the vaccination rollout. Their induction and refresher training was expected to start next week. Steenhuisen said the department had also ordered foot and mouth disease vaccines to cover KwaZulu-Natal, while assessment, as well forward and backward tracing of the outbreak in Gauteng, was ongoing. More than 900,000 doses of vaccines were ordered and the first batch is expected to arrive next week. 'These plans are not only about responding to outbreaks, but also about building permanent infrastructure to manage future risks. 'More broadly, we are establishing a biosecurity council that will bring together the police, veterinarians, scientists, the Border Management Authority and industry. We are rolling out a farm-to-fork national traceability system for livestock,' Steenhuisen said. He said Onderstepoort was being upgraded to restore vaccine self-sufficiency and rural veterinary services and emergency response were enhanced. The dip-tank model in partnership with traditional leaders was also being introduced. Steenhuisen praised Karan Beef for its quick response to the foot and mouth outbreak in its Heidelberg facility d uring a virtual meeting on Wednesday night with the company and departmental officials. The agriculture department said there were still signs of active virus circulation in the disease management area (DMA) in KwaZulu-Natal, with some outbreaks detected outside the DMA. A system has been put in place to assess the level of biosecurity on individual farms, with the intention of aligning the control measures to the biosecurity risks. TimesLIVE
News24
03-06-2025
- Business
- News24
How Mongiwa Hazel Ntuli bagged an actuarial science degree at 17
Mongiwa Hazel Ntuli began her university experience at 15. She found herself having to adjust to the large age gaps between herself and her university peers. Her family allowed her to have as normal a childhood as possible while encouraging her bright mind. ___________________________________________________________________________ While many at her age are still traversing through high school corridors, Mongiwa Hazel Ntuli has just bagged herself an actuarial science degree from the University of Pretoria at just 17 years old. The young and bright mind from Rosettenville, Johannesburg, started her first year at university at 15, having accelerated through primary and high school. How it all started Mongiwa explains, 'When I was in Grade 3, I mistakenly wrote a Grade 4 mathematics paper and scored the highest of all the actual Grade 4 students. My teacher identified this and allowed me to write more Grade 4 papers and saw that I performed exceptionally well.' Fast forward a few years and Mongiwa has pursued her passions in finance and mathematics, choosing actuarial sciences as a happy marriage of the two. Her undergraduate experience Mongiwa shares, 'Undergrad took up most of my time because I had to learn new study techniques because the ones I applied in high school were not sufficient anymore. I had a lot of help and a lot of tutors, which demanded a lot of my time. Spending so much time on my studies allowed me to learn to speak my mind more freely and to be more independent.' READ MORE | Meet the founder of Distinguished Living, an interior design business Undoubtedly, being the youngest in the lecture room is no easy feat and Mongiwa found herself having to find her place in the big world. She explains, 'I can learn about other people easily and I can observe their behaviour effortlessly, while blending in with the students around me. Disadvantages were instances where I could not engage with other people because of a larger, more intimidating age gap. Once people learned about my age, they started treating me more like a younger sibling than treating me like another student.' Mongiwa continues, 'I often felt out of place when attending big conferences or big events where serious topics are discussed and engagement was encouraged. There were highly intellectual people who I couldn't relate to or understand. They also didn't take into account that I only started learning about actuarial science relatively recently and didn't have an extensive background in that field.' Off the cuff What is the most important lesson you've learned from your journey so far? Never forget your roots but don't become your roots. What are five fun things that you like to do in your free time? I love watching medical or murder mysteries series, reading financial and/or self-help books and playing tennis. I also love spending time with my younger brother. He has an interesting point of view on life. I also like listening to music. If you could give advice to students aspiring to excel academically, what would it be? To never give up and to never stop learning. They should grab each and every opportunity they get and make sure that the decisions they make now don't come at the expense of the bright futures they could have. What strategies or habits have been crucial to your success? Making sure I talk to my guardians/family and remain grounded. Praying is a huge part of my life and connecting with other people from other cultures helps me define myself more. A strong support system Although Mongiwa was encouraged to keep her age a secret so as to not be treated differently, through it all, her family as her support system gave a chance to experience a normal, loving and fulfilling childhood. Mongiwa shares, 'I feel that my support system made it as normal as it could be. My age was not flaunted by my family members and I was protected by those around me. I never wanted to know another life.' On her greatest source of support and inspiration, Mongiwa says, 'Definitely my aunt who taught me that failure is not final and to keep going no matter what comes my way. There will always be opposition or adversity whenever you are successful at something. I just have to learn to ignore it and take pride that I am doing the best I can.' What's next for her? Mongiwa has plans to pursue honours and masters degrees and dive into the world of work. She explains, 'My short term goals are to actually pass my exams well enough to get an exemption and also have more job shadowing opportunities before I jump into anything long term. For the next few years I would love to have done something major for my guardians to show my appreciation, acquire some assets and have progressed in my academic and career life.'
Mail & Guardian
30-05-2025
- General
- Mail & Guardian
Antibiotic resistance profiles of oral flora in hippopotami (Hippopotamus amphibius): implications for treatment of human bite wound infections
Name of research institution: University of Pretoria Name of Faculty: Veterinary Science Name of department: Veterinary Tropical Diseases First author of the paper: Professor Anita Michel Authors: Maralize Engelbrecht, Francois Roux2 Jeanette Wentzel and Annelize Jonker Email address: Name of submitter: Professor Karen Keddy Capacity of submitter: Head of Department: Veterinary Tropical Diseases Email address of submitter: Submitting authority: Faculty of Veterinary Science Short description of the research: The common hippopotamus ( Hippopotamus amphibius ) which occurs in rivers, lakes and wetlands in sub-Saharan Africa, is known for its aggressive behaviour when defending its territory. This leads to numerous attacks on people close to water often leading to life-threatening injuries and severe wound infections. Our study investigated the bacterial spectrum common to the oral cavity of the hippopotamus and the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of those bacteria as this is of crucial importance to the effective treatment of bite wound infections caused by hippopotami. The findings showed that the bacteria usually residing in the hippopotamus' mouth are aquatic bacteria with a high level of antibiotic resistance to several antibiotic drugs which are commonly used to treat bite wound patients. This study highlights the need for revised, more effective treatment protocols that take into consideration the antibiotic susceptibility profiles reported in this paper. For the full paper see below:
News24
30-05-2025
- General
- News24
‘Please delete, worried my mother will see': SA reacts to 17-year-old's actuary degree
At just 17, Mongiwa Hazel Ntuli earned an actuarial science degree from the University of Pretoria while becoming the first graduate in her family, sparking national admiration and praise. Social media erupted with a mix of celebration and humour, with users reflecting on their own 17-year-old experiences compared to Ntuli's remarkable achievement. Some teens around the country jokingly asked for her posts to be deleted so that their own mothers don't see her remarkable achievement. Mongiwa Hazel Ntuli's incredible journey has captured the hearts of many, sparking admiration, inspiration, and much-needed doses of humour from social media users. Graduating from the University of Pretoria with a degree in actuarial science at the age of 17, Ntuli not only broke barriers as one of the institution's youngest graduates but also celebrated a monumental achievement as the first in her family to reach this milestone. Her story of brilliance and resilience began in Rosettenville, Johannesburg, with an early academic spark that hinted at her exceptional abilities. By the age of 15, while most of her peers were navigating high school, Ntuli took on one of academia's most difficult challenges - before she could even vote, drink or drive. In the original story published by News24, Ntuli said: 'When I was in Grade 3, I mistakenly wrote a Grade 4 mathematics paper and scored the highest of all the actual Grade 4 students. My teacher identified this and allowed me to write more Grade 4 papers and saw that I performed exceptionally well.' READ | She's only 17 and just completed her actuarial science degree: Meet Mongiwa Hazel Ntuli Responding to the story among the waves of cheers from News24 readers and social media audiences, some couldn't help but mix awe with humour. From sharing quirky self-reflections about their own 17-year-old selves to cracking jokes about Ntuli's academic prowess, the reactions have been as entertaining as they are celebratory. On News24's Instagram post, @ joked: 'Please delete, worried my mother will see,' becoming the most liked comment. Then, @Definitely_not_thabang added: 'I just know her cousins are fighting for their lives rn [right now].' Meanwhile, @ shared the celebratory energy with a side of caution, saying: 'I love to see black girls winning (I hope my parents don't see this).' News24 readers also shared their heartfelt congratulations and encouragement in the story's comments sections. One such comment by user R.N. 87 read: 'Really well done, actuarial science is an extremely difficult degree. I know people who had straight 10As in matric and a 90% in maths drop down to business science due to the difficulty of actuarial science. Furthermore, given your humble background, it makes this achievement all the more impressive. Your parents, friends, and family must be so proud.' Another reader, Shirleyg, praised Ntuli as an example of determination: 'How awesome! A wonderful example to others of what can be achieved if you are determined to rise above your adversities.' I just know she inhaled high school. Leaving it at 14? Damn she didn't see it for nothing. Insane IQ 🔥🔥🔥🔥 — Lady Harlot of House Harlots (@Iyaya_S) May 29, 2025 Over on X (formerly known as Twitter), the mix of humour and admiration continued to flow. User @broztitute jokingly lamented: 'Achievement so remarkable it ruined my day, bruh.' @Linda_mot acknowledged Ntuli's unique gift with the comment: 'A vocation such as actuarial science is one gift. You cannot hard work yourself into that degree.' Through all the jokes and heartfelt wishes, one thing is clear: Ntuli's achievement has resonated with people across the country as an inspiring story of perseverance, brilliance, and consistent belief in one's potential.
