Greetings, The University of Port Elizabeth and Vista University-PE Campus along with PE Technikon are scheduled to merge by 2005, as part of the restructuring of South African Higher Education post apartheid in order to form a new "comprehensive institution". The new institution is likely to be called "Mandela University", according to one UPE and Vista insider. An already strong DL powerhouse, UPE along with Vista-PE and PE Tecknikon, the new university will be a major DL provider in SA and beyond. Kenneth K. A.
In a peripherally related story, Asmal worries about money. http://allafrica.com/stories/200306030683.html Jack
The reference is probably related to the fact that Mandela reportedly has Marxist tendencies. I don't know that, but have read it in a few places. I am just sharing in response to the question. clint
I think it would be unfortunate if UPE were to assume the name "Mandela University." UPE is a mediocre university with no significant connection to Mandela.
Re: ... It is my understanding that Mandela has consistently denied that he is a "card carrying" member of the Communist Party. However, it is also my understanding that the post-WWII ANC clearly worked hand-in-glove with the Communist Party of South Africa. So, was Mandela a Communist or perhaps a Communist sympathizer? If so then this fact has been totally eclipsed by his stature in the anti-apartheid movement. While even the most cursory google search will reveal evidence of Mandela's connection to the Communist party, it seems clear that most people simply don't care about this one way or the other. Jack
Roosevelt and Churchill got in bed with Joe Stalin to win. Churchill was definitely not communist nor was Roosevelt in most people's opinion. Where else would Mandela have looked for support?
I don't really care whether or not Mandela "[is], or [has] ever been, a Communist"; I've known some fine Communists in my time (as well as some fine far-right Republicans) who have made a positive contribution to the world regardless of whether or not they happen to agree with all of my beliefs. Fact is that Nelson Mandela was a major force for the anti-apartheid movement, he suffered greatly in prison for his anti-racist beliefs, and (not referring to anybody in particular here) I'd say that anyone who dismisses him as just another "Communist" should consider turning off Fox News for a few hours and cracking open a history book instead. There are things I respect about conservatism, but there's nothing I respect about self-righteous ignorance. Cheers,
Turn off Fox News? Steady now! I admire Nelson Mandela because of his leadership in post-aparthied South Africa. I have no doubt there is still much healing to be done but, South Africa could have easily boiled over into chaos. Look at Zimbabwe. Mandela's alumnus from Fort Hare University, Robert Mugabe, has almost single-handedly run Zimbabwe into the ground. Mandela does not think too highly of Mugabe, and refers to him as "Uncle Bob". Uncle Bob also has a degree from UNISA and three from the University of London. Currently, with Fox News on in the background, I'm reading “Our Votes, Our Guns: Robert Mugabe and the Tragedy of Zimbabwe” Reviewed here: http://www.david-kilgour.com/news/mugabe.htm
Mugabe's official bio claimed the following degrees: BA Rhodes BEd, BAdmin, Unisa BScEcon, LLB, LLM, MScEcon, London Hon. LLd Ahmadu Bello, Morehouse, Zimbabwe, Edinburgh, St. Augustine's (N. Carolina), Massachusetts, Moscow, Michigan State, Mauritius, Solusi. Hon. DPSc. Belgrade, Hon. DLitt. Africa University, Hon. DComm. Fort Hare, Hon. DTech. NUST.
Oxpecker, Mugabe's bio on the Zimbabwe government website lists the following earned degrees: B.A. (Fort Hare) B. Admin., B.Ed (UNISA) B.Sc. Econ., LLB, LLM , Msc. Econ. (University of London). http://www.gta.gov.zw/President%20Bio/HE_Biography.html Regardless, I should have said according to “Our Votes, Our Guns: Robert Mugabe and the Tragedy of Zimbabwe”, he has a degree from UNISA and three from the University of London, along with the B.A. from Fort Hare.
Your list is the same as mine except for the honorary degrees. Fort Hare was affiliated with Rhodes until forcibly separated in 1959 under apartheid laws.
Funny place, South Efrica. The SACP has been a brake upon race-politics and civil liberty violations by the ANC--as has Mandela himself. Joe Slovo's replacement, Jeremy Cronin, has been a watchdog against incipient Mugabeism in the ANC. Where else in the world has a Communist party ever defended civil society, instead of heaping up mounds of corpses (or slavering to do so)? Funny place, South Efrica. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, isn't funny at all. Not any more.
Thanks, Oxpecker. I learned something new, again. Not nearly as bad as when I recently learned the Afrikaans meaning of my last name. Quite by accident, when comparing English and Afrikaans tutorial letters, I discovered that 'fout' in Afrikaans means 'mistake'.
