UNISA
PODASA
Nurturing Leadership for the Future
REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE HELD ON 03 AND 04 MARCH 2005
PODASA is a college students’ academic structure representative of students registered in the
academic departments of; Philosophy, Political Sciences, Development Studies and Public
Administration at the University of South Africa.
This structure hosted a student conference on the 3rd and 4th of March 2005.This was an
academic conference intended to stimulate debate and contribute to the wider scholarship of the
disciplines it is affiliated with. In the conference students of high caliber from the institutions of
higher learning within South Africa and a few from the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) region presented various papers addressing issues under the general
theme of the conference which was: “The challenges facing the SADC region’s emerging
democracies”
The conference was attended by; ten students from the National University of Lesotho of which
one presented a paper and five students from the University of Botswana attended as well as
made presentations. A representative from Swaziland who works at the SADC Youth Movement
and two of his colleagues also delivered papers. Twenty students from the University of the
North West from both Potchefstroom and Mafikeng campuses as well as three of their lecturers
attended the conference. Four students from the University of the Witwatersrand attended and
presented papers at the conference. The Africa institute of South Africa also sent five
representatives from their youth wing who also presented papers at the conference. A platform
was also given to four Unisa students of the Political Sciences Department from UNISA, a Phd
student, a Master’s student and two undergraduate students.
The delegation comprised of a number of Unisa students (PODASA members and non
members) who came from as far as Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Polokwane, Durban and Mafikeng, as
well as representatives of the UNISA SRC student bodies.
On the evening of the 3rd of March , the first day of the conference, a welcome dinner was held
at Hotel 224 in Pretoria. This event was comprised of live music entertainment, good food as
well as an academic talk (that became the highlight of the evening) from the renowned Prof.
Joseph Diescho, who became a favourite amongst the attendants. He booked himself a few
invitations on the occasion.
Interest on the membership of PODASA and future conferences was shown by phone calls and
email addresses of a number of students who could not attend the conference because of prior
engagements and proximity. This communiqué came from; the Minister of Agriculture Thoko
Didiza who is a student at the Department of Political Sciences, students in Cape Town ,
Durban, Bisho, King William’s Town and Giyani. Some of these students requested that such
activities should be taken to these towns as well in the future.
It is needless to point out the excitement that the organizers of this conference felt on the first
day of the conference when everything finally came together. It was more of a thrill however to
see the last hours of the second and last day. The few weeks of organization prior to the
conference days were not at all rosy, to say the least. A number of logistics problems were
encountered: The major, being that funding for the conference expenses was difficult to find
despite letters written months before, to the different bodies within the University and outside.
It was from refusing to give up that after numerous letters and meetings to the Deanery of the
college and the student and alumni affairs as well as pleas from the chairperson of the
Department of Public Administration and Development Studies that we finally got an amount of
money that we could work on.
Before we get into detail on the exact amounts, we would like to highlight the invaluable support
that the Department of Political Sciences has given PODASA, not only on the said conference
but also support given over the years which has sustained this structure’s existence to date.
Towards the conference, this Department has given (for lack of a better word) PODASA an
amount nearing the region of a R1000.00 which was used mainly for marketing and advertising
the conference to the students. This amount was budgeted for, on the initial budget document
when PODASA still hoped to receive money from sponsors. Thus, it was initially intended to be
a loan to be returned to the Department.
The Department of Public Administration, also granted an amount of R300.00 Towards the
conference. This amount was used to finance tea at registration on the first day of the
conference.
The Dean of the College of Humanities Prof. M. Makhanya , granted an amount of R2000.00
towards the conference. Of this amount R1800.00 was used to pay for accommodation at the
Hotel 224 for guests outside South Africa.
The Dean of Students and Alumni Affairs Prof. R.C. Bodibe granted an amount of R10 000.00
towards the conference. This was our biggest contribution ever and it helped us with most of the
expenses of the conference. An amount of R4750.00 financed a welcome dinner held on the
evening of the 3rd of March for the speakers and special guests at the conference. An amount of
R4500.00 paid for lunch during the conference on both days. A BEE company from Mabopane
called ‘Mary’s Spaza wholesaler’s and Catering’ was used for this purpose. The remainder of
the money was divided equally to finance midmorning tea for both days during the conference.
A subsequent amount of R300.00 raised from affiliation fees and non-member contributions
during the conference was used for the second tea break on the second day of the conference.
An amount in the region of R130.00 raised from door to door donations three days before the
conference was used to buy biscuits for midmorning tea from Shoprite stores as well as for
faxes sent at the internet café in Sunnyside to a delegate from Nigeria for his Visa organization.
It should be mentioned that compliments and well wishes came from all who attended the
conference.
Regardless, of the now seemingly minor hiccups on the run up to the conference PODASA is
proud to have successfully hosted a conference of this magnitude for the first time at UNISA
and is grateful and thankful to all that have contributed to its success. We also hope that such
support will only grow from strength to strength in the coming years.
Compiler:
Pumza Mgijima
Department of Political Sciences
University of South Africa