Project Explanation / requirements Contact

1. Community Students who want to apply must have some past experience of producing a
Organisation for Video and should be able to show this to stakeholders if requested.
Health - Belhar CHF Prof Leslie London at
video leslie.london@uct.ac.za
This practicum emerges from the problem that elected officials and
parliamentarians, who are key role-players in the process of achieving policy and
legislative changes, often do not appreciate the importance of upstream
interventions to address alcohol-related harms in South Africa, where alcohol is
responsible for fully 7% of Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost in the Aadielah Maker SAAPA Regional
country. SAAPA SA will be undertaking a brief poll to assess the knowledge and Coordinator Phone 0823388308
perception of national, provincial and local elected parliamentarians and officials Email: aadielah.maker-
related to alcohol and its use in South Africa. A student is required to assist diedericks@saapa.africa or
SAAPA SA in implementing this poll, by assembling a database of the relevant saapa.za@gmail.com
target audience, collaborating on the finalisation of the poll questions, assisting
2. A poll of in the poll’s administration and analysis of findings, and writing up of strategies
parliamentary for engaging parliamentarians that could be of use to SAAPA SA
decision-makers Could also be a thesis topic if combined with (5)
3. A mapping of liquor This practicum focuses on the regulatory framework for retail alcohol outlet Aadielah Maker SAAPA Regional
legislation and licenses (off-consumption and on-consumption), the extent to which citizens are Coordinator Phone 0823388308
related public able to influence decisions on whether licences are awarded or not, and the Email: aadielah.maker-
participation extent to which they have access to information that enables their meaningful diedericks@saapa.africa or
processes across participation in such decision-making. It will highlight transparency, saapa.za@gmail.com (Saleha
selected provinces accountability and the right of citizens to participate in matters of governance Suleman has taken this up)
and metros and to seek redress. Although national legislation exists and should be
translated into similarly-framed provincial legislation, each province may
develop and enact legislation differently. In some provinces – Western Cape and
Eastern Cape in particular – municipalities also have alcohol-related bylaws in
terms of Schedule 5B of the Constitution. There is wide variation in how
provinces manage liquor license applications, how they involve municipalities,
and how municipalities themselves view liquor licensing. This practicum will
 collect, collate and compare information across three provinces and three
selected metros as to how different government entities manage licensing and
monitoring of liquor outlets and how public participation is or is not facilitated
by these provisions. It will come up with recommendations for improving public
participation in liquor outlet licensing and management decisions, especially
with respect to mitigating the public health impact of alcohol on the lived
experiences of people living in communities across the country.
Could also be a thesis topic if combined with (4)
This practicum would be a placement with the South African chapter of the
Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA) office to work with SAAPA on
its campaign to address alcohol-related harms. Its current focus is to ensure that
the Control of Marketing of Alcohol Bill, which was first promulgated in 2012 but
which is languishing in cabinet, is released for public comment. The Bill proposes
Aadielah Maker SAAPA Regional
4. Health Promotion to ban alcohol advertising except at the point of sale and is informed by strong
Coordinator Phone 0823388308
for Public Health evidence, as summarized in the World Health Organisation’s ‘best buys’ for
Email: aadielah.maker-
Messaging on alcohol harm reduction. The Bill, however, has met with considerable opposition
diedericks@saapa.africa or
Alcohol from industry and other vested interests. SAAPA proposes, therefore, to product
saapa.za@gmail.com
a campaign to ensure the Bill is released for public comment where public
awareness about the issue can be raised. The practicum will involve developing
messaging for various media engagements including the development of a short
U-tube. It will require a student to apply a range of public health and health
promotion skills
5. Biological pest South African agriculture continues to be a high chemical user and the toxic Regene at
control methods to effects of pesticides remain a big public health problem, both for workers Unpoisonunpoisonsa@gmail.com
reduce pesticide exposed through occupational routes and for the public who are at risk from
usage in agriculture low-dose long-term exposure through various environmental pathways. This
exposure is disproportionately high compared to other parts of the world due to
our outdated regulations which still legally allow the use of many Highly
Hazardous Pesticides that are banned in the global North, our lack of
enforcement, and Big Agri's aggressive business development strategy for Africa.
The use of biological solutions (e.g. bacteria, enzymes, predator insects, and
other natural enemies of pests) offers far less toxic methods of pest control
while often building the soil and the ecology of the ecosystem. However, there is
 little state support for the adoption of biological solutions and no existing
registry or guidelines for the use of such agents to form the basis for any policy
advocacy or transition in the fields. The Civil Society network Unpoison (see
https://unpoison.org/) has requested assistance to establish a registry of
biological solutions in order to assist farmers transition and advocate for a
reduction on the reliance of chemical pesticides in agriculture. The practicum
has two parts, firstly a student will be needed to assist with a desk top review of
how biological products are registered in other countries, looking for good
practice, with a focus on the model proposed by Food and Agricultural
Organisation (FAO), summarise key informant opinions about how a registry
might work and a provide a briefing document for stakeholders with proposals
for a registry. Secondly, the student will need to work with agricultural experts
and agronomists within the Unpoison Network to compile a list and guidelines
for the use of biological solutions that can replace a selection of Highly
Hazardous Pesticides currently in use that UnPoison is advocating need to be
phased out.
6. Preparation of a This practicum is a placement with the South African chapter of the Southern Aadielah Maker SAAPA Regional
civil society African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA) office to work with SAAPA on its Coordinator Phone 0823388308
submission campaign to address alcohol-related harms. South Africa is a signatory to the Email: aadielah.maker-
(‘shadow report’) to International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and is due to diedericks@saapa.africa or
the UN on SA’s submit its third report on progress in realising social and economic rights in saapa.za@gmail.com
progress on Social South Africa. The report is submitted to the UN Committee overseeing the
covenant but Civil Society organisations are permitted to submit their own
and Economic
reports, which provide a bottoms-up view that is part of the checks and balances
Rights.
in the UN reporting system for human rights. These ‘shadow reports’ from Civil
Society can play an important role in highlighting state failures to advance SER.
SAAPA is planning to submit a commentary on the South African government’s
approach to the legislative control of alcohol-related harms. In particular, South
Africa has failed to progress a number of key laws and regulations which would
assist in the reduction of alcohol-related harm. A practicum student will assist
SAAPA in assembling a comprehensive submission to the Committee on Social,
Economic and Cultural Rights. In doing so, the student will become familiar with
the use of human rights mechanisms to advance health, apply their skills in
 engaging stakeholders, synthesising information and writing skills for policy
interventions.
Advantageous: Completed the Public Health and Human Rights course on the
MPH (PPH 7053S).
Development of a guideline for the City to boost community-based care for TB
throughout the treatment process so as to maximise positive outcomes and
retention in care to the end of treatment. We know from the literature1 quite a Contact: Dr Lenny Naidoo, City Health
7. Guideline for
lot about what factors impede retention in care. This practicum will involve Phone 021 400 3981| Cell: 082 792
community-based
activities such as mapping existing social support in communities (maybe in 3748 | Email:
care for TB
some specified communities) at treatment initiation/on treatment, e.g. food Gengiah.Naidoo@capetown.gov.za
support , social services (social worker), incentives, etc – to develop a guideline
as a deliverable.
Updating of existing Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material Contact: Dr Lenny Naidoo, City Health
on TB for City Health Services. These include local DSTB flipcharts (DRTB already Phone 021 400 3981| Cell: 082 792
8. IEC material on TB
updated) and NDOH TPT flipcharts and z cards/pamphlets – which are about 3748 | Email:
conveying appropriate health messaging to the public and patients. Gengiah.Naidoo@capetown.gov.za
Increasingly, people are relying on Social Media for information, particularly Contact: Dr Lenny Naidoo, City Health
9. Social Media young people. City Health wish to reach the audience of SM users for conveying Phone 021 400 3981| Cell: 082 792
messaging on TB appropriate messaging around TB – intended to convey appropriate information 3748 | Email:
for the target audience. Gengiah.Naidoo@capetown.gov.za
The occurrence of single or multiple TB cases in congregate settings (schools,
creches, old age homes) creates a very difficult problem to manager. How
exactly should investigation happen and what steps should be taken (who Contact: Dr Lenny Naidoo, City Health
10. An SOP for
should be informed, treated, removed, etc?). An existing draft policy/procedure Phone 021 400 3981| Cell: 082 792
managing TB in
on managing “TB exposure in a Congregate setting” requires updating. In this 3748 | Email:
congregate settings
practicum, the student will review the legal, ethical, epidemiological and service Gengiah.Naidoo@capetown.gov.za
factors and constraints to update the policy and use that to come up with a SOP
to inform the management of TB exposure in congregate settings
11. Post TB treatment There is considerable evidence that patients who are post-TB treatment are left Contact: Dr Lenny Naidoo, City Health
morbidity with considerable morbidity. This practicum will develop an SOP for post TB Phone 021 400 3981| Cell: 082 792
treatment cure/completion follow-up. 3748 | Email:

1
See, for example, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34662887/
 Gengiah.Naidoo@capetown.gov.za
This practicum aims to to develop SOP for implementation of new TB Preventive
Treatment (TPT) guidelines. TPT is being introduced for high risk individuals. Contact: Dr Lenny Naidoo, City Health
12. An SOP for
However, we have little sense of how best to introduce this programme. A Phone 021 400 3981| Cell: 082 792
introducing TB
practicum student would do a situational analysis to identify obstacles and 3748 | Email:
Preventive Therapy
facilitatory factors with the aim of developing an SOP for adoption in the Gengiah.Naidoo@capetown.gov.za
services
Pesticides are chemicals designed to be harmful to biological systems and,
although intended to control pests and disease vectors, often have adverse
impacts on human health and the environment. Because of poor policies, often
heavily influenced by corporate interests, lack of political will and weak
enforcement, there are many instances of environmental injustices resulting
from pesticides, including harms to workers, communities and other users. The
Permanent People’s Tribunal is a an international human rights organization
founded in Italy in 1979. It was initially established to denounce the crimes
committed by the military regimes but then because a permanent platform and
model for communities seeking justice but encountering the impotence of
international law. It operates as a grass-root initiative that researches and
13. A People's Pesticide Contact: Prof Leslie London
promotes the process of liberation and justice for marginalized and oppressed
Tribunal Email: Leslie.london@uct.ac.za
groups.
A network of South Africa civil society groups will be hosting a People’s Pesticide
Tribunal in 2024. As part of the lead up to the Tribunal, an extensive process of
grassroots consultation will take place, soliciting stories and evidence from
vulnerable communities and groups across South Africa.
This practicum involves a student supporting the process leading up to the
Tribunal by assisting communities, workers, farmers and other groups to
formulate their experiences into submissions for the Tribunal. The student will
work closely with the Civil Society networks involved in the form of “Teach in,
Speak Out” workshops. The practicum will run over the second half of 2023.

14. Exploring Summary: Drug misuse results in poisonings and deaths of many South Africans Co-ordinator: Bronwen Davies
successful annually. With the global increase in illicit manufacturing and misuse of Novel bronwen.davies@uct.ac.za
international drug Psychoactive Substances (NPS), many jurisdictions have moved to establish (Yusrah Dinnie has taken)
 toxicosurveillance systems to enable timely detection of harmful substances in
the community. These systems typically include the involvement of analytical
notification toxicology laboratories, to provide reliable identification of drugs involved in
networks adverse events.
(toxicosurveillance In collaboration with the Forensic Toxicology Unit, of the Forensic Pathology
systems) and Service in the Western Cape Department of Health, this practicum will explore
recommendations global illicit substance surveillance and alert networks that have proven
for successful at identifying patterns of drug use and emerging drugs of concern,
implementation in and methods of providing this information to health authorities.
South Recommendations of ways in which these interventions can be tailored to the
South African context will be explored.

15. An SOP for The City of Cape Town is responsible for managing water supplies in the City. Contact: Dr Natacha Berkowitz, City
managing water This practicum will develop an SOP for practical collection of data and evidence Health
quality incidents following the triggering of an Incident Management Plan following an excursion Email:
in water quality results. City has a well-documented process for responding to Natacha.Berkowitz@capetown.gov.za
abnormal water quality results taken during routine sampling (bact and chem),
however, while teams usually respond adequately, the documentation of this
process differs across the areas. The student would be tasked with developing
an SOP that teams could utilise to standardise evidence collection, storage and
reporting.