Rhodes University would like to congratulate Tsebang Matlapeng, a chemistry MSc student who will represent Rhodes University in this year's national #FameLabSA final later on this year.

Rhodes University’s RU120 celebrations furthered its impact through the launch of two new ARUA/The Guild Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence (CoREs), which took place on 08 March 2024.

Havilah Nnadozie and Sofia Lazar reflect on their Writing Week experience at Assegaai Trails in February 2024.

The Sustainability Research & Innovation (SRI) Congress in collaboration with Sustainability Science Days is inviting contributions to the 2024 Congress program. This is an opportunity for anyone working in sustainability – from research, business, government, and civil society – to showcase their work and knowledge to a global audience and generate action around their priority issues. In addition to SRI/SSD2024 in Helsinki and Espoo, Finland, the call for contributions invites proposals for the SRI2024 Satellite Event in Africa.

The 9th FRIEND-Water Global Conference was held in the capital city of Senegal, Dakar, from the 25th to the 30th of September, 2023. The conference theme was 'Addressing unsolved problems in hydrology for a water secure world in a changing environment'.

My visit to the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research innovation and strategic partnership, Rhodes University, South Africa was quite remarkable.

AWaRMN doctoral scholars, Edgar Tumwesigye and Enahoro Owowenu participated in the concluding conference of the third cohort of the South Africa/Norway (SANO) Exchange Program and Interns for sustainability project funded by the Norwegian Retailer’s Environment Fund.

Sofia LAZAR, an MSc student specializing in water resources, made a noteworthy contribution to the 2023 CPGS Conference under the esteemed African Water Resources Mobility Network (AWaRMN) project.

Narratives of hope is a moderated talk series hosted by the IWR that engages leading African academics to share their academic journey with early career researchers. The talks offer insights from reflections on the academics’ journeys how they started, how they got to where they are, their success stories, their challenges and their best advice to up and coming future academic leaders. Join us this Wednesday as we kick start this series with one of our very own.

A recent publication has revealed that there is high antibiotic resistance among Campylobacter isolates from humans, animals, and water in South Africa.

It was not ‘research as usual’ for six MSc students from the Institute for Water Research (IWR) at Rhodes University on 16 and 17 February, 2023. The six students, Andrew Ali, Havilah Nnadozie, Esther Seriki, Peter Wasswa, Sakikhaya Mabohlo and Sofia Lazar participated in the 5th edition of the W4F Hackathon organised by the UNESCO ICIREWARD International Centre in Montpellier, France.

Mrs Margaret Wolff and Dr Rebecka Henriksson attended the ARUA Centre Directors meeting that took place in Mauritius on 23rd and 24th February 2023.

Collaborative Solutions for Sustainable Water Management: A Case Study of the ECWASA Water Infrastructure Management Conference in South Africa's Eastern Cape Region.

It was not research as usual for six students MSc students from the Institute for Water Research (IWR) at Rhodes University on February 16 and 17, 2023. The six students, Andrew Ali, Havilah Nnadozie, Esther Seriki, Peter Wasswa, Sakikhaya Mabohlo and Sofia Lazar participated in the 5th edition of the W4F Hackathon organised by the UNESCO ICIREWARD International Centre in Montpellier, France. This team entered the competition under the name "Afro Innovators" and emerged as the third place winners out of 69 teams from 17 countries. The African continent was represented by Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Benin, Niger, Cameroon, and South Africa (Rhodes University). (More details about the competition can be found on the University of Montpellier's website).

A team from Rhodes University’s Institute for Water Resources (IWR) recently travelled to Nigeria to participate in a workshop on the Strategic Adaptive Management (SAM) of urban water pollution in the Lagos community of Ilaje Bariga. The workshop was held on the 8th and 9th of February at the University of Lagos, bringing together stakeholders from local government, NGOs, schools and local communities to develop a collaborative action plan to address the city's growing water quality challenges.

1000 Youths, 200 solution prototypes; IWR MSc candidate and AWARMN scholar participated in Global Innovation lab India

Two water researchers at South Africa’s Rhodes University, Rebecca Powell and Sukhmani Powell say storytelling can be a powerful way to share scientific research with non-expert audiences- and in their case, it has proven to be a powerful tool to share water related research content with the ordinary man on the ground.

Early Career Researchers are shifting the world's grand challenges towards sustainability.

Think creatively about how you communicate key messages from your research

Storytelling and science may, at first glance, seem like strange bedfellows. Scientists usually share their research through academic journals and books or at academic conferences.

The latest issue of the African Journal of Aquatic Science, Volume 47, Issue 3 is a Special Medal Issue titled “Perspectives on Protecting African Freshwater Ecosystems in the Anthropocene”.

Six members of the ARUA Water CoE presented at the Garden Route Interface and Networking (GRIN) meeting held in Sedgefield from 11th to 13th October 2022. This networking meeting is held annually and provides a forum for researchers and practitioners interested in understanding and managing (navigating) social-ecological systems and their complex interactions and feedbacks. The Adaptive Systemic Approach framing the UKRI-funded Unlocking resilient benefits from African water resources (RESBEN) project, was given its own session on Day 2 of the meeting.

Research outputs and scientific discoveries usually end up in journal. While the academia appreciates the credible source of knowledge, a layperson such as your granny, the local people in the study area or a colleague in an unrelated field may not under the complex scientific terminology and is unlikely to appreciate this credible source of knowledge.

A review manuscript under African Water Resources Mobility Network (AWaRMN) project from Makerere University has been accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment (STOTEN).

The University of Bayreuth and four African universities will continue their successful cooperation in the Cluster of Excellence "Africa Multiple" in the next three years. High-ranking representatives of the five partner universities signed an agreement to this effect today in Lagos. The University of Lagos (Nigeria), Moi University (Eldoret, Kenya), Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso) and Rhodes University (Makhanda, South Africa) will thus continue to strengthen and advance joint projects in the fields of research and knowledge transfer with their "African Cluster Centers (ACCs)".

Drs Bukho Gusha and Matthew Weaver traveled to Ethiopia to support the Addis Ababa University and Water and Land Research Centre (WLRC) in facilitating an adaptive planning process with stakeholders from two learning watersheds in the Amare Region.

The manufacture of plastics has been one of the most useful inventions of humans. However, the increased production rate, low recycling rate, and lack of plastic degradation have created a sizeable problem, bringing about the accumulation of plastics in the environment at an alarming rate from the poles to the equator and from the depths of the oceans to the peaks of mountains.

Dr Boluwaji Onabolu, a Rhodes Alumnus (2014) and RISE Scholar, visited the Institute for Water Research for the first time post-graduation on the 5th of July 2022.

As a conclusion to the Panta Rhei decade (2013-2022), the XI Scientific Assembly of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS 2022) was held in Montpellier (France) from May 29 to June 3, 2022.

On 22 June 2022 the Institute for Water Research held a celebratory function to wish Prof Tally Palmer well on her retirement.

As Rhodes University increasingly engages with intra-Africa mobility programmes, issues regarding the equivalency of qualifications, credit transfers and joint degrees are becoming more prevalent. A hybrid workshop was recently hosted at the Environmental Learning Research Centre (ELRC), where relevant institutional leads at Rhodes University had the opportunity to share experiences with European Union (EU) colleagues through identifying gaps and sharing lessons from implementing such programmes.

The Institute for Water Research students, researchers and professor emeritus Denis Hughes, presented papers at the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) this past week.

The International Symposium on Poetic Inquiry (ISPI) is a platform where researchers and practitioners share conceptual and methodological basics about using poetry in a variety of ways.

Despite the challenges that come with two young children and funding constraints, six years after embarking on her PhD journey, Pindiwe Ntloko can now proudly put the title ‘Dr’ before her name.

The staff and students at the IWR welcomed Visiting Professor Jill Slinger back for a day visit on Wednesday 23rd February 2022.

A new Water Research Commission funded project being introduced to commercial farmers in the Koue Bokkeveld promotes stakeholder involvement to bring the “equitable” in sustainable water management plans.

On the 4th of September, Professor Tally Palmer presented the Jack Skead Memorial Lecture to the Makhanda Wildlife Society on water security and your experience of it.


Tally Palmer, from Rhodes University, Institute for Water Research (IWR) and the Director of the ARUA Water Centre of Excellence (CoE), was involved as a contributor in an event that shared emerging lessons on themes of resilience, water security and multinational interdisciplinary research partnerships in the context of UK and EU funding programmes on 6th July. The event was organized by Dr Adrian Healy, a Future Leaders Fellow at Cardiff University. The event included presentations from existing projects in order to learn from previous programmes promoting resilience under UK funding. With a focus on practical examples of AU-EU-UK collaborations the event shared knowledge of past activities, future potentials and the opportunities emerging from national and European Union funding programmes. The event raised awareness and built prospective research communities.

arious members of the IWR were involved in the Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa's (EEASA) 2021 online conference from the 21st to the 24th of June 2021. EEASA is lead by members from the Environmental Learning Research Centre (ELRC) and the conference was hosted in collaboration with the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE).

Speaker: Professor Nelson Odume, Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University (Academic Coordinator: ACC Rhodes University) Moderation: Professor Uchenna Okeja, Department of Philosophy Rhodes University (ACC Rhodes University) Discussants: Katsia Paulavets (Senior Science Officer, International Science Council), Dr Akosua Amaka-Otchere (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana)

In accordance with the month of May being mental health awareness month, the IWR joined in on a mental health conversation whose audience was drawn from different parts of the world. This engagement marked an important step in the institute’s commitment to supporting the health (mental and otherwise) of both students and staff, particularly under the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is contributing additional strain.

Drought (primary water scarcity) impacts in the Eastern Cape are compounded by failing water governance (secondary water scarcity).

Research at a Distance: Changing Approaches and Equitable Partnerships workshop was hosted by Dr Adrian Healy, UKRI Future Leader Fellow, Cardiff University on 12 April 2021. The workshop was 2 hours and 30 min long and comprised a formal working group with a number of experts such as academics, NGOs and research practitioners from different countries who are part of the collaborating partners of Cardiff University UK. Members of the Water CoE including Prof Ezechiel Longe, Ms Sandra Mutesi, Ms Rokhaya Diop, Prof Zerihun Woldu, Dr James Akanmu, Dr Sukhmani Mantel and Dr Bukho Gusha were among more than 30 people who attended this workshop.

A 2020 Global University Climate Forum (Yale University) green/circular economy project is gaining support at Rhodes University

Professor Tally Palmer, from Rhodes University, Institute for Water Research (IWR) led a webinar on ‘An adaptive, systemic approach to community-led engaged research’. The webinar was chaired by, Professor Cyril Nhlanhla Mbatha, from Rhodes Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER). The presentation by Prof. Palmer was followed by a brief presentation by Dr. Nontuthuzelo Gola from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) on her work on water security in the uMngeni River catchment in South Africa. Prof. Palmer is the Director of the IWR and the African Research University Alliance (ARUA) Water Centre of Excellence (CoE) hosted by IWR at Rhodes University. Prof. Palmer is a seminal leader in the field of engaged transdisciplinary research and complexity- systems based approaches to integrated water resource management (IWRM). Dr. Gola works for the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and is currently the Ecological Infrastructure Coordinator for the Greater uMngeni Catchment under the ‘Ecological Infrastructure for Water Security’ Project at SANBI. She holds a PhD in Water Resource Science from Rhodes University.

The Institute of Water Research (IWR) and Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Rhodes University invite you to join a collaborative webinar discussion on how to ensure that impacts from scientific research are broadened, locally owned and lead to just and sustainable socio-ecologically transformative practices.

Makerere University convened its first high level meeting virtually to introduce Uganda’s participation in the international project “Unlocking Resilient Benefits from African Water Resources”.

The IWR was recently awarded funding for a three-year research project that connects governance and hydrology. Leading the project will be Mr David Gwapedza, a final year PhD candidate who is expected to join the IWR as a postdoctoral fellow for the tenure of the project.

Prof Odume of the Institute for Water Researcher has been named among the Top 30 Rhodes University Researcher for the year 2019.

Biological assessment is important for assessing the health of rivers systems, the extent of human impact on these systems and for deciding on rehabilitation measures for impacted river systems.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced outcomes from its African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) partnership funded Excellence awards, including ARUA Water CoE .

The Water CoE and partners were successfully awarded a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Capability Grant entitled Water for African SDGs

We are pleased to announce the launch of the African Water Resources Mobility Network (AWaRMN) Programme call. Internal Submission Deadline: Friday, June 5, 2020

I arrived in Braunschweig, Germany on the 2nd of September 2019 and arrived at the Hotel am Woolmarkt to a tiny but cozy room. Before I could settle down, my ‘guide’ Christian arrived with the bicycle I was to use for transport and insisted we go for a test cycle.

Rhodes University students, academics and administrators committed to the adoption of new, ambitious sustainability indicators to measure institutional performance against revised annual targets for plastic, electricity, paper and water usage.

The Rhodes University IWR was approached to contribute materials to the ‘Open Online Course: Design for Inclusive and Adaptive Delta Management’ (DIADeM) on transdisciplinarity, stakeholder involvement and integrated coastal and port management. From 13-17 January 2020 Prof Tally Palmer and Dr Athina Copteros met at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands to co-produce materials on methods for transdisciplinary engagement in support of sustainable complex social ecological systems, in the context of climate change.

There is a general lack of information regarding wetland functioning and processes in South Africa, especially with respect to their hydrology. Palmiet wetlands in particular are understudied and there is limited scientific knowledge about their evaporative demands. In a semi-arid setting like South Africa, evapotranspiration (ETa) significantly affects catchment water balance. Therefore, it is important to consider how evapotranspiration can be quantified with reliable accuracy in order to improve monitoring and management of wetland ecosystems.

During the week of 11 Nov 2019 the Makana Water Forum and the Institute for Water Research hosted a Makhanda water tour for a delegation of German, Ethiopian and South African researchers visiting Rhodes. The group are exploring ways of designing and measuring the impact of, transformative research (research that aims to positively transform complex societal and environmental problems). Makhanda's water system and its management during the current water crisis were used as a real example of a complex and problematic situation.

"If you were to ask in the modern university how much engaged research there is, it would be very, very small and we are living in an era when society is pushing back at universities and saying, 'for us to see that you are valuable we want to see you take the risk of getting in to the messy spaces of real life'."

The IWR is home to the Governance Research community of Practice within the Tsitsa Project (TP). The TP is a large project funded by the Department of Environment, Fisheries and Forestry, : natural Resource management. They are investing in the restoration of the Tsitsa River catchment landscape so as to minimise erosion and maximise local livelihoods. Governance Research aims to empower local residents to represent their interests into different government structures such as local municipalities and traditional councils.

Prof Tally Palmer joined a group of researchers to co-operatively craft a starter-document that will contribute to shaping Social Science in Global Change research. Tally was a recipient of an early grant in this area, and the programme has been revitalised by the Global Change committee of the NRF, under the dynamic leadership of Prof Coleen Vogel. The new programme (GCSSRP2) will bring welcome funding into a neglected area and will underpin an emerging reality of transdisciplinary approaches to the urgent issues associated with global change.

The governance CoP together with Livelihoods and Sediment and Restoration CoPs conducted workshops in the Tsitsa River catchment in June. The areas that participated in the workshops were Qulungashe in Lower Sinqaku and Batlokoa. The participants who attended the workshop included citizen technicians, citizen monitors, LIMA coordinators, EPWP and CWP workers, Gamtoos Irrigation Board, vetiver nursery growers, and interested citizens together headmen.

Professor Palmer, who has been working with the IWR since 1989, held a workshop at City Hall on the evening of 30 May, with the tagline: Makhanda: Water Works for Everyone.

The IWR participated in the Rhodes University Science Faculty Open Day which was held on the 8th of March. The open day is an annual attempt by the faculty to engage high school learners and prompt their interest in science-related issues as well as showcase the numerous science program offered by the university.

Prof Tally and Dr Tony Palmer represented the IWR at the International Savanna Network Meeting 4-8 March 2019.

The South African River map created by Dr Sukhmani Mantel that went ‘viral’.

The Tsitsa Project (TP) governance team from the Institute for Water Research (IWR) held a workshop titled “Learning words workshop”.

On 16th October the Institute for Water Research along with researchers, managers, implementers, traditional leaders and community representatives, met in the Maclear town hall for update and feedback on the Tsitsa Project.

Courses on using free GIS platforms for Disaster Management for Stenden South Africa by Dr Sukhmani Mantel.

Scifest Africa is South Africa's largest science festival. The Institute for Water Research (IWR) had an exhibition that took the visitors on an aquatic journey.

Chika F. Nnadozie joins us at IWR as one of our newest postdoctoral fellows holding the Rhodes fellowship.

Rehabilitation of an area invaded by aliens by Dr Sukhmani Mantel and Dr Anthony Palmer

On behalf of all the staff and students of IWR, we would like to send a hearty congratulations to our newly MSc. and PhD graduates. The staff and members of IWR congratulate their five MSc graduates (Ms NS Mgaba, Ms T Keighley, Mr G Thompson, Ms N Oosthuizen, and Ms V Mvandaba) for their accomplishment, having worked tremendously hard.

Wednesday 18th July is a celebratory day in South Africa – it’s the celebration of Nelson Mandela’s birthday. At Rhodes University that means getting involved and volunteering to do something ordinary, out of the ordinary or just participate in an event for 67 minutes.

A high-level delegation from the Department of Water and Sanitation including among others the Deputy Minister Ms Pam Tshwete, Ms Portia Makhanya Chief Director Eastern Cape as well as the Provincial Chairperson of The Portfolio Committee On Water and Sanitation held a stakeholder meeting at the City Hall in Grahamstown/Makanda on the 24th of July 2018.

Our PhD student, Notiswa Libala presented at the National Indaba on Ecological Infrastructure for Water Security hosted by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).

Most of us access water via our taps and, until there’s a crisis, don’t give much thought to where it actually comes from. For those of us living in cities our water is often ‘imported’ from water source areas and dams far away: Theewaterskloof is 100km away from Cape Town. This week's water file, the last in the series, speaks to the theme of Nature for Water on World Water Day (22 March). We look at how important it is to safeguard a healthy natural environment in our catchments and who is doing what to look after these critical areas.

The 125th issue of International Innovation contains an interview with Professors Denis Hughes and Tally Palmer entitled Water Resources Sustainability.

One of our PhD candidate is participating in the Southern African Systems Analysis Centre (SASAC) programme.

Neil Griffin (IWR Researcher) was invited to teach in the Tropical Biology Association's field course held at the Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia, Kenya.

Matthew Weaver, a PhD candidate at the Institute for Water Research was awarded the Rhodes University Environmental Award in the individual category.

Institute for Water Research (IWR) welcomes another postdoctoral research fellow in the name of Gloria Ifeoma Ezenne.

Matthew Weaver, a PhD candidate at the Institute for Water Research was awarded the Rhodes University Environmental Award in the individual category. The award was in recognition for the extensive contributions he has made in participatory research processes to improve democratic water governance processes at a provincial and more markedly at a local governance scale in the Makana Local Municipality.

Matthew Weaver, who recently graduated with his PhD in Water Resource Science, was the last doctoral student supervised by the late Emeritus Professor Jay O’Keeffe, Founding Director of the Institute for Water Research (IWR).

Rhodes University students, academics and administrators, at a well-attended workshop yesterday committed to the adoption of new, ambitious sustainability indicators to measure institutional performance against revised annual targets for plastic, electricity, paper and water usage.

Lagos State can expect to experience 270 days of rainfall in 2020. Many Lagosians who suffered from the 2012 and 2017 devastating flooding are wondering whether this is usual or not. Nelson Odume unpacks the issues.

Rhodes University has been awarded an EU Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme grant to lead a five-year multi-partner project – the African Water Resources Mobility Network (AWaRMN) within the Institute for Water Research (IWR).

Rhodes University’s Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) has welcomed its new Director, Professor Cyril Nhlanhla Mbatha, who assumed duties last month

United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) announced the outcomes of its African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) partnership research programme to tackle global challenges such as disease, poverty, climate change, fragile states and food insecurity. This

United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) announced the outcomes of its African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) partnership research programme to tackle global challenges such as disease, poverty, climate change, fragile states and food insecurity.

On Wednesday, 20 October 2021, Rhodes University launched the African Water Resources Mobility Network (AWaRMN), a five-year multi-partner project funded by the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme of the European Union (Agreement N° 2019-1973/4 - Project N° 614587). The network is set to address the pressing water-related challenges faced by the African continent, through cooperation in higher education.

Rhodes University’s RU120 celebrations furthered its impact through the launch of two new ARUA/The Guild Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence (CoREs), which took place on 08 March 2024.