Nedbank funds three new Research Chairs

Three new Research Chairs have been added at Sefako Makgatho University, Cape Peninsula University of Technology and The University of the Witwatersrand, thanks to funding generated through a public-private partnership between Nedbank, the National Research Foundation and the Department of Science and Technology.

Nedbank's R26-million support will take place over the next 10 years, to fund the three Chairs: Prof KE Mokwena - chair in Substance abuse and population mental health at Sefako Makgatho University; Prof TE Matsha - chair in Cardiometabolic Health at the Cape Peninsula University; and Prof N Moloto - chair in Energy Materials at University of the Witwatersrand. These new inclusions form part of a concerted drive by national government to prioritise certain vital elements of the National Development Plan (NDP). Under this NDP Priority Areas initiative, a total of 18 Chairs have been implemented at education institutions across the country.

Pinky Moholi, chairperson of the Nedbank Eyethu Community Trust, says the fact that the three Nedbank-funded Research Chairs are all women is as a significant indicator of the commitment to gender equality by all stakeholders in the country’s research and education spheres.