Workshop Speakers

Nzaph Chabikuli is professor at the University of Pretoria and holds a medical degree with specialties in family medicine from Medunsa and health systems management from the University of London, UK. He has extensive clinical experience in PHC in South Africa, and researched particularly the factors influencing health care provider's behavior in the implementation of STI clinical guidelines in the private sector. He has been leading a program on managed health care in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Pretoria since September 2005.


Michel Clasquin lectures in the Department of Religious Studies and Arabic at theUniversity of South Africa. Dr Clasquin's main academic emphasis is on the study of Hinduism and Buddhism, both as philosophical alternatives and as sectarian phenomena in South Africa and abroad.


Pieter J Fourie has published extensively in the field of communication and media studies, and is a regular participant at national and international conferences on topics in his field of specialisation. He is a rated NRF researcher and in 2003 he received the South African Academy for Science and Arts’ Stals Prize for his contribution to communication studies in South Africa. He was guest professor at the Free University of Brussels and the University of Amsterdam, is the editor of the journal Communicatio: South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research, serves on a number of editorial boards, and is the author of a number of books in film- television and media studies, including Media Studies: Institutions, Theories and Issues and Media Studies: Content, Audiences and Production. He is a previous president of the South African Communication Association. Until 2003 he was the chair of Unisa’s Department of Communication Science for seventeen years.


Robin Hamilton is a psychologist and training manager for Aurum Health Research. He is currently responsible for training nurses, lay counsellors and doctors in counselling skills for the antiretroviral treatment (ART) programme run by Aurum Health for the Anglo American group of companies. Robin has developed training materials on a range of HIV/AIDS issues for Soul City, loveLife, the University of Pretoria and the University of the Witwatersrand. He was the first chairperson of the Catholic Diocesan AIDS Commission in Johannesburg. Robin has a particular interest in HIV/AIDS and spirituality, compassion fatigue and burnout, and gender issues.


Godfrey Harold is a senior minister at Livingstone Baptist, Richards Bay, the Vice President of the Baptist Association of South Africa and Baptist in Partnership. His present research focuses on "Preaching in the Context of HIV\AIDS" and "The Christian God and Suffering". He is a temporary lecturer at the University of Zululand- Communication Science Department.


Volker Hooyberg has been lecturing in Communication at the University of Zululand since 1 October 1990. In the years 1982-1984 and again in 1989-1990 self-employed, and before that leading conflict and communication research in the South African Gold Mining Industry. From 1974 to 1982 lecturing in the Department of Communication at the University of South Africa. Before that employed as a journalist with the SABC, and in the years 1966-1969, and 1972-73 worked as studio assistant for the South African stained glass artist - Leo Theron. (See www.globalsong.net ).


Gus Luthuli is a volunteer lecturer at the University of Zululand. He completed his BA degree in Communication Science in 1997 and he has worked in different parts of the country. He is currently pursuing a masters degree in Communication Science undertaking a dissertation; A Challenge to Communicators: HIV/AIDS Exposure amongst the KwaZulu Natal youth".


Tinyiko Sam Maluleke is a protégé of the late Professor Dawid Bosch, South Africa’s leading missiologist, and former Dean of Theology at UNISA. Professor Maluleke is himself a trained theologican and currently holds the position of director of research at UNISA.


Lincoln Michell holds degrees in philosophy and theology, including a doctorate for a dissertation entitled: "The Play of Metaphor in Philosophical Discourse." He has a number of publications to his name, in various academic journals. Dr Michell has lectured for over twenty years and worked in five South African universities. He is married and has two children. His recent publications focus on euthanasia and the hermeneutical foundations of counselling.


Mothae Moletsane holds a B.A. degree in Communication Science and a Certificate in Journalism and Media Studies. He is currently completing his Honours degree in Communication Science, Information and Technology at the University of Zululand. He is currently a member of the Peer Educators Team on HIV/AIDS at the University of Zululand.


Sunette Pienaar completed the degree BA (Admission), cum laude, in 1995 at the RAU. In 1997 she received a BD (cum laude) at the UP and has recently (2004) received a PhD in Practical Theology from the University of Pretoria (cum laude). The title of her thesis was: “The Untold Stories of Women in Historically Disadvantaged Communities, Infected and/or Affected by HIV/AIDS, about Care and/or the Lack of Care”. She is also an ex minister of the Dutch Reformed Church and founded Heartbeat Centre for Community Development in 2000, an NGO which aims to alleviate the suffering of children orphaned mainly as a result of HIV/AIDS. She is currently the CEO of an organisation which collectively cares for 7000 children.



Leon Roets, Programme Coordinator, Unit for Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS and Health (USBAH), Department of Sociology, UNISA USBAH is an integrated and transdisciplinary academic unit coordinating and facilitating the mainstreaming of the development impacts of HIV and AIDS into academic development, research and community outreach. Coordinator of the BA (Hons) and MA Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS. Master trainer in training of academic departments on Mainstreaming of HIV and AIDS into academic programmes. Project leader of several social research on HIV/AIDS - KAP surveys for workplace, impact analysis for Government depts, VCT case studies, Children affected with HIV and AIDS. Executive Board Member of Industrial Relation Association of Southern Africa on HIV and AIDS. Coordinator of Tshwane Metropolitan AIDS Council.Personal studies Academic Programme Development in HIV and AIDS through Partnerships - A Model for Higher Education. Several publications and papers at national and international conferences.


Vijay Rugbeer is the Head of Department (Communication Science) at the University of Zululand. He is responsible for training Public Relations Officers, small business entrepreneurs and ministerial leadership in rural areas. His outreach programmes include AIDS awareness and implementing of e-learning solutions in rural communities. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Unizul Radio Station, which is an outreach initiative.


Etsko Schuitema is the managing member of Schuitema Associates. He has an honours degree in Social Anthropology, having done extensive research into employee discontent under the auspices of the South African Chamber of Mines. His work has since been developed into a business philosophy based on the universal principles of care, honesty and trust which he lectures annually on at Cambridge University.


Piet Swanepoel is Professor in Afrikaans and Dutch Linguistics at Unisa. His fields of specialization are Cognitive Linguistics and Document Design. He is leader of a SANPAD-EPIDASA project on evaluating and improving the efficacy of HIV/AIDS information and education materials in South Africa. The research partnership includes researchers from three South African and three universities in the Netherlands. The research output of the project can be accessed at http://www.epidasa.org


Tom Were Okello is currently working towards his PhD at the University of Zululand on “University student’s response to HIV/AIDS intervention strategies”. Tom is a founder member of Kenya Aids Intervention programme (KAIPPG), & Act-Alive Consortium. He is a past holder of the young Kenyan of the year award 2003 in recognition of his community work.


Marike W de Witt is Professor in Educational Psychology in the Department of Teacher Education. Her interest is teacher training for the preschool and foundation phase. As coordinator of all the training programmes regarding this phase, she is also involved in the guidance of Masters and Doctorate students in this field.