AWARD OF HONORARY DOCTORATES AND EXTRAORDINARY PROFESSORSHIP AT VUT

VUT has awarded an number of honorary doctorates and an extraordinary professorship at the Spring graduation in September.

MOLEFI NATHANAEL OLIPHANT

Doctoris Technologiae (Honoris Causa Molefi Nathaniel Oliphant was born in the Vaal Region. He holds a BA (UNISA), BEd (Wits University), and a Business Development Certificate (Wits). He is currently studying towards a Master of Education degree with North West University.

Molefi Oliphant started his working career as a teacher in 1978 at Lebohang high School rising to the rank of Principal in 1983, and was later promoted to Inspector of Schools in 1993. He capped his educational professional experience by holding the post of District Director of Education in the Sedibeng West District of the Gauteng Department of Education.He holds the following positions in national football structures: Treasurer: Soccer Association of South Africa and Transvaal Soccer Association. (1985-1991); Vice-President - South African Football Association (1992-1996); and President: South African Football Association: 1997 – to the present.

His current responsibilities in continental and international football affairs are: Vice President: Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Committee Member FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee. He holds the following directorships in football: SAFA World Cup Bid Committee 2010, and FIFA World Cup SA 2010 Local Organising Committee

Molefi Oliphant has received numerous national awards: a Special State Award by President Nelson Mandela (In recognition of service to SA Football.; International Olympic Committee award for remarkably contributing as a volunteer towards the development of sport and Olympics; and the Super Sport Recognition Award (Contribution for securing 2010 World Cup in SA. Local awards received are: Vaal Achievers Award & Legends (2002); Bophelong Community Award (Life time achievement); Vaal Triangle Technikon Merit Award 2001(For sterling service to the institution), and the Vaal Eisteddford certificate of excellence (1999). He has a long professional association with Vaal University of Technology as a Council Member, 1999- 2003; Vice-Chair of Council, 2001-2003; and Chair of the Council’s Audit Committee, 2002-2003. He is Chairman of the Bahlodi Group, (Pty) Ltd, Eastgate, Johannesburg.

Molefi Nathaniel Oliphant is married with two children and lives in Three Rivers, Vereeniging.It is indeed an honour for VUT to confer a Doctoris Technologiae (Honoris Causa) on Molefi Nathanael Oliphant.

FAITH DIKELEDI PANSY TLAKULA

Doctoris Technologiae (Honoris Causa) Pansy Tlakula was born Faith Dikeledi Pansy Rabotapi, in Evaton in 1957. She completed a B.Proc at the University of the North in 1982; an LLB at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1984 and an LLM at Harvard University, USA in 1989. She has been the Chief Electoral Officer of the Independent Electoral Commission since February 2002. She manages and provides strategic leadership in an organisation that consists of approximately 900 full-time employees at national, provincial and municipal levels.

Pansy Tlakula began her career as a Trainee Law Adviser in the Department of Justice, Bophutatswana in 1984; then as a Lecturer: Department of Private Law at North West University (1985-1988); a Visiting Scholar at Cornell University, USA (1989 – 1990). Senior Lecturer - Department of Private Law at North West University (1988-1993); and Acting Executive Director and Executive Director of the Black Lawyer’s Association (1994-1995) She was admitted as an advocate of Supreme Court of Bophuthatswana in 1984.

Prior to joining the IEC, Pansy Tlkula was a Commissioner at the South African Human Rights Commission (1995 – 2002). As one of the first members of the South African Human Rights Commission, she assisted in the establishment of the Commission and was part of the team that developed the mission, vision, organisational structure and systems of the Commission. Having been designated as the National Commissioner for Equal Opportunities, she was responsible for all the projects and programmes relating to racism and racial discrimination. Pansy Tlakula has over the years made significant contributions in a number of fields: as a Regular Assessor in murder trials, Supreme Court of the then Bophuthatswana; Pro-forma complainant of the Nursing Council of Bophuthatswana; ministerial appointee on the Council of University of North West). (Now North-West University) and served as Chairperson of Council; appointed by the former Minister of Justice, the late Adv. Dullah Omar to the Rules Board of Courts of Law. The Board is responsible for the drafting of rules of Court; chaired the Constitutional matters Committee of the rules Board; appointed by the former Minister of Education, Professor K Asmal as a member of a working group on Values in Education and was part of the team that wrote a report on Values, Education and Democracy in schools; appointed by the former Minister of Education, Prof. K Asmal and the current minister of Education Ms N Pandor to chair the panel of Most Improved Schools Competition; appointed by the Minister of Education, Ms N Pandor as a member of the Fulbright Commission; appointed as a member of the African Commission for Human and People's rights at the African Union Heads of States meeting that was held in Lybia in July 2005. She has travelled extensively and read papers in many conferences in South Africa and abroad. Some of these papers have been published in journals and books.Pansy Tlakula is a Director of Khomanani Women's Investment (Pty) Ltd and MMRT (Pty) Ltd; Board Member of the Constitutional Court Trust; Ditswanelo - Centre for Anti-Racism and Anti Sexism Trust; and University of Limpopo student Trust Fund.

She is the recipient of a number of awards, such as:Attorneys' Fidelity Fund Award, harvard / SA Fellowship, South African Career Development.Internship Program, USA, Community Leader: Vaal Achievers Awards, and the Black Business Executive Circle Award in recognition of outstanding performance in managing the 2004 elections.It is indeed an honour for VUT to confer a Doctoris Technologiae (Honoris Causa) on Faith Dikeledi Pansy Tlakula.

MARTIN HINOUL

Extraordinary Professor Dr Martin Hinoul completed a Master’s degree in Physics (cum laude) at the Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven (KUL), Belgium in 1965 with a dissertation titled: "Building a quartz oscillator for measuring the thickness of ultra thin films"; a PhD in Solid State Physics (summa cum laude) at KUL in 1972 with a thesis titled: "Spinwaves and exchange parameters in Ni-Fe, Ni-Co and Fe-Co layers". This work resulted in a series of publications (10) and a series of lectures in Turku (Finland), Budapest, Bucharest, Moscow, Cambridge, Coventry, Paris, Boston, San Francisco, Kyoto. This work was done at KUL but also at MIT, Lincoln Labs, Stanford University and several other research institutes in the world. The second part of this PhD was a study on "Polarons - a theoretical study." This work resulted in several publications with the famous professor Jos Devreese of University of Antwerp.

Dr Hinoul continued with postdoctoral studies in 1973 in Solid State Physics - "The fabrication of a Josephson Tunnel Diode". This resulted in several papers presented at a conference in Madrid. This work was done at KUL, Alcatel in Annecy (France) and CERN (Geneva).

In 1973 Dr Hinoul joined Bell Telephone Manufacturing Company (ITT). He spent two years in the advanced manufacturing staff (1975); two years working on development of components for the semi-electronic switching systems Metaconta and Pentaconta ( wires, cables, printed boards, thick film and thin film components); two years in ITTEurope (development of telecom systems with the other ITTEurope houses such as STL (Standard Telephone Laboratories in Harlow UK), SEL (Standard Electric Lorenz in Stuttgart Germany), LMT in Paris, STR in Zurich etc. He became a member of the KTSG (the key technology steering group) in ITT, working on complex multi-layer PCB's, thick films, thin films, optical fibre and custom integrated circuits.

He worked for four years in the United States in laboratories in Shelton Connecticut, for the development of System 12 - a full digital switch - and the development of custom-integrated circuits for this digital system. He then spent two years in China (Beijing and Shangai) for the transfer of technology of System 12 to the Chinese Post and Telecommunications Industry. In July 1983 a joint venture was signed between Bell (ITT) and the PTIC in China. He also did some work in Delhi, Bombay and Bangalore for the transfer of System 12 to India.

In 1984 Dr Hinoul became the first Science and Technology attaché for the Belgian Government (foreign affairs) with an office in the United States. He worked in Los Angeles at the Belgian Consulate General (1984-1990). While there, he was able to observe science and technology in that part of the world, mainly the West Coast with emphasis on Silicon Valley, and then later also in the Seattle area, Denver, Utah, San Diego. He was also able to observe and analyse the technology companies at the West Coast, and the financial centers, with special attention to Venture Capital firms. The defense industry was also quite important for Belgium with offset contracts for F16 fighters. He set up top contacts with the universities of Stanford, Berkeley, Caltech, Davies, Brigham Young, etc.

In 1990 he transferred to the Belgian Embassy in Washington D.C. - this time with more focus on the East Coast. Over a period of 14 years he was successful in setting up many high tech companies in Belgium and was also successful in setting up Belgian companies in the U.S. In those 14 years he developed a unique network in the U.S. with more than 4000 high profile contacts.

In April 1998 Martin Hinoul came back to his old Alma Mater to become business development manager at K.U.Leuven - an interface cell between the university and the industry. He helped build a unique team for spinning off companies from the university, doing contract research with the industry and protecting the intellectual property of the university. They were able to establish 6 to 8 new start up companies every year. At the same time a series of international companies transferred to Leuven. A unique infrastructure was built to host these companies. Today Leuven has more than 300 technology companies, with 5 billion Euros in revenue, and employing 15 500 high tech added-value jobs. In this period he was also member of the board of the venture capital group Gemma Frisius; board member of the Belgian Venture Association and board member of several Leuven spin-off companies.

In June 2001 Dr Hinoul became Chief of Staff for the Minister of Economy, Investment and Export for the region of Flanders, Belgium. Within two years he developed a new economic strategy for the region. A new strategy for export and investment which resulted in a new instrument called FIT (Flanders Investment and Trade). He also engineered a new instrument for start-up companies called Arkimedes, a seed capital fund installed by the Flemish Government for entrepreneurs.

In January 2004 Dr Hinoul set up his own company - "Silicon Consulting bvba". This is a company advising entrepreneurial high tech knowledge regions. However, most of his time is still devoted to the Leuven High Tech Region. Today he is the Business Development Manager for the High Technology Region (a cooperation between the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the City of Leuven and some financial groups). He is also adviser to the Silezia Region of Poland where he implementing the "Leuven Model" to commercialize their knowledge from universities and technical high schools (A European Union project); adviser for the high tech region in Tampere (Finland), one of the most advanced high tech regions in Europe; adviser at Chemelot (Geleen- Netherlands) a top research park of DSM (one of the largest chemical companies in Europe); and is on the board of Trust Capital - an important venture capital company in Belgium.

Dr Hinoul is also, amongst others,

- founder of Infocom 21, a small company in the field of software development

- member of the Think Tank - Charter 2010 in Leuven - a selected group in the Leuven High Tech Region.

- board member of MLP- a group set up by the European community - a multi-learning platform

- board member of the Multi Media Valley in Limburg-Belgium

- founder and board member of Leuven Inc- the Leuven Network for like-minded people

- board member of the Leuven Research Park Arenberg - a unique research park for high tech companies in Leuven

- board member of the Leuven Bio Incubator - a new initiative in Leuven to build an infrastructure for Life Sciences Companies

- a lecturer at several universities in Europe and gave several hundred lectures for governments, chambers of commerce, etc.

- author and co-author of several books

It is indeed an honour for VUT to confer an Extraordinary Professorship on Martin Hinoul