On at the Baxter

The Baxter performances for March 2004 include:

• Salaam Stories: 16, 17, 19, 20, 24, 26 and 27 March at 20:00. Written by Ashraf Johaardien, designed and directed by: Neville Engelbrecht with original music by Meryl van Noie. It features Faruq Valley-Omar, Roshina Ratnam, Ashraf Johaardien, Chad Abrahams, Sufeyah Johaardien and Niquita Arendse. Salaam Stories is a celebration of cultural pride with a touch of pathos. Effortlessly weaving story telling, humour, politics and history into compelling and entertaining theatre, the play is a magical tapestry. The action moves fluidly through multiple timeframes and landscapes to trace the origins of the Cape Muslim community from the days of slavery to modern times. After winning the coveted Judges Award at the PANSA Festival of New Writing, Salaam Stories was showcased in New York City and enjoyed critically acclaimed seasons at several local venues, including a sold-out run at the Baxter.
• At Her Feet: Opens 15 March, thereafter Monday to Saturday at 20:15 until April 10, in the Sanlam Studio. Written and directed by: Nadia Davids and starring: Quanita Adams. Winner of the 2004 Fleur du Cup Award for Best Actress and Best New Director. After sold-out performances at the Baxter in 2003, and successful seasons in Grahamstown, Johannesburg and Bloemfontein, At Her Feet is returning by popular demand. The work explores the complex inner worlds of Muslim women living in Cape Town. Using poetry, music, movement and monologue, characters from disparate cultural backgrounds and of different ages weave narrative round their sense of self and belonging.

For further information please contact Candice Petersen at the Baxter Theatre Centre on (021) 689 3962 or visit the website www.baxter.co.za.

VC contract

Council has started the process for the reappointment of an incumbent vice-chancellor, opening the way for a possible renewal of Professor Njabulo Ndebele's contract for a second term. Professor Ndebele's current contract ends in 2005.

This process was started on the initiative of the Chair of Council. In terms of the process, if the vice-chancellor wishes, or is prepared to consider a renewal or extension of the contract, the Chair will consult informally and privately among members of the Council, the Institutional Forum, the Chancellor, the Senior Leadership Group and the office bearers of the SRC. After these consultations, a decision will be made by the Chair of Council as to whether to put a proposal for a renewal or extension of the contract to the Senate and Council, or whether a full selection committee process should be initiated.

Five-star staffers sought

Help! Our flow of five-star staff nominees is drying up. Please don't forget to send in your candidates for our regular column celebrating our stalwart colleagues, especially those who rise above the mundane to provide superlative service to the university. You can forward your nominees to Helen Théron, e-mail theronh@bremner.uct.ac.za.

Chilean economist for Baxter

The Faculty of Health Sciences and the Division of Occupational Therapy invite you to spend a day with Professor Manfred Max-Neef, world-renowned Chilean economist, author and creator of the principles of "Barefoot Economics" and the theory of human scale development. Max-Neef will be speaking at the Baxter Theatre on March 26 and the theme for the day is Poverty, Disability and Health. For further information and to register (limited spaces available) please contact Florence Curtis on 406-6043 or e-mail: fcurtis@uctgsh1.uct.ac.za. The cost is R50 per person.

Sustainable development up a gear

The GSB's Elspeth Donovan and Professor Anton Eberhard attended the second annual Southern Africa Business and Environment Programme (BEP) executive seminar in Stellenbosch. What emerged from the conference may give rise to a greater focus on sustainable development in the school's programmes.

Donovan, director of the MBA programme, attended the four-day seminar as a representative of civil society and said she was left with a positive impression.

"I was particularly impressed by the strong focus on social issues by the delegates - I am sure this doesn't happen so readily in the US and Europe. Some of the dilemmas that businesses are dealing with here are very specific to our context and it was an eye opener for the non-Africans at the seminar," she added.

Eberhard said a number of interesting discussions had emerged that could have an impact on the GSB's programmes.

"These are issues that are no longer relegated to the corporate social responsibility portfolio of our leading companies. Increasingly they are being integrated into core business practices."

It would not be too long before far-sighted business leaders challenged business schools to incorporate these issues into their core courses.

New course for the water sector

A pioneering new short-course, Frontiers in Water Sector Reform and Regulation is set to play a major role in building capacity and best practice in the water sector.

On offer at the GSB from May 23 to 28, the new course aims to teach best practice in water sector reform and regulation in Africa and around the world. The course will also give leaders the opportunity to develop a peer network in Africa for ongoing knowledge exchange.

Course director Dr Rolfe Eberhard said South Africa needed to improve the way in which water services are run.

"Water sector reform is critical in South Africa. There is a need for basic facilities in many communities and a need to upgrade existing services and improve operational and investment efficiencies."

Eberhard said that there had been a lack of focused training programmes designed for water sector leaders to upgrade their skills and knowledge base.

"What managers need in the sector is to be empowered and to be able to share their experiences. This course not only enables this, but more importantly it gives them the knowledge about what can be achieved and the technical skills to achieve it," he said.

For more information please contact Anine Geel on 406-1314 or e-mail aninegee@gsb.uct.ac.za.