Our story
Strong foundations for sustainable impact
The Africa Centre has been instrumental in combatting one of the biggest public health challenges of our time – HIV/Aids. That is where our story began and it has remained an integral part of our foundational identity and mission, even as we have evolved with the changing global health landscape.
2000
A call from the deputy president’s office
- Around 2000, HIV/Aids numbers in South Africa were skyrocketing. Something had to be done, and the deputy president’s office – under the auspices of then deputy president Jacob Zuma, who was also the Patron of the South African National Aids Council (SANAC) at the time – was tasked with taking action.
- The presidency invited the Department of Industrial Psychology in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at Stellenbosch University and the National School for Public Health at Medunsa (the Medical University of Southern Africa, now known as the Sefako Makgatho Health Science University), to join hands with the government to tackle the problem of the growing pandemic.
- The call to the two universities was significant in that they represented different racial, academic and student profiles, resource endowment and management capacities and community reach.
Linking the HIV/Aids challenge to the world of work
- A core team quickly established that managing HIV/Aids in the world of work was a glaring gap. It was characterised by unevenness, inadequate training and distrust between managers and workers. At the time, no such training programme existed anywhere in the world to use as guidance.
A global first: the development of an HIV/Aids management programme for professionals
- In November 2000, the application for a Postgraduate Diploma in HIV/Aids management for professional practitioners was submitted.
- The development of the curriculum (anchored in industrial psychology and behaviour change) started at the same time. It was approved within only one month.
- An advertisement for applications for the Postgraduate Diploma in HIV/Aids Management in the World of Work appeared in the Sunday Times on 31 December 2000. A total of 106 students from across Africa and even abroad applied.
2001
First cohort of PgDip students
- The first cohort of PgDip students commenced their studies in January 2021 with the presentation of the first summer school – which still marks the start of the academic year for new PgDip students.
- The first intake of students were mostly HR managers and doctors.
2004
A master’s programme is launched
- In 2001, the Carnegie Corporation of New York provided a grant of $1 million in support of the programme, which they described as innovative and groundbreaking. The money was split between Stellenbosch University and Medunsa* and spread over three years.
- This substantial financial boost provided the means to expand the programme offering and in 2004 a master’s degree was introduced. It was open to both PgDip graduates and other students who meet the entry requirements.
Taking the fight against HIV/Aids to the stage
To help address gaps in social responsibility, a department of educational theatre and creative arts was set up in 2004. The department spearheaded two highly successful initiatives.
- Industrial theatre productions called “Lucky the Hero” and “Lucky Fish”: The focus of the production was on creating a positive outcome, providing support to avoid discrimination and encouraging behaviour modification. The production involved both education and testing and was targeted at farm workers, children and church congregations. It was presented to over 2 million people across the country between 2005 and 2017 in Afrikaans and English. It was also translated to Sesotho, isiZulu, isiXhosa and Setswana. The production was made possible with a grant from the Global Fund acquired through a partnership with the Ecumenical Foundation of South Africa (EFSA).
- An annual World Aids Day concert presented on 1 December: Nine concerts were presented between 2005 and 2013. For six of these, an additional mid-year concert (Artists in Aids) also took place. The concerts brought together representatives from government, religious organisations, local and international healthcare institutions and the entertainment world to raise awareness about HIV/Aids and to encourage testing. Attendees also had the opportunity to get tested.
2005
The Africa Centre for HIV/Aids Management is established
- Following significant growth, the programme broke away from the Department of Industrial Psychology in 2005 as an independent unit, leading to the establishment of the Africa Centre for HIV/Aids Management. The centre is still located in the Economic and Management Sciences faculty (view the EMS faculty’s transformation charter).
- The Africa Centre would become the first centre at Stellenbosch University that presented an academic programme, as opposed to focusing on research only. The centre is still located in the Economic and Management Sciences faculty.
2021
A doctoral programme is launched
- A PhD in HIV/Aids Management (by dissertation only) is introduced, with the first intake of students in 2022.
Start of strategic revisioning
- In late 2021, the Africa Centre embarked on a strategic revisioning process in consideration of how the global health landscape and the nature of health challenges have evolved since the PgDip was first launched in 2001. The strategic revisioning also recognised the interconnectedness of HIV/Aids with other critical public health priorities.
- The revisioning process explored how the centre could remain at the forefront of addressing evolving health challenges relating to current, future and re-emerging epidemics or pandemics by expanding the focus to broader issues of health management.
2024
Launch of new centre name and repositioning
- The strategic revisioning process concluded with the launch of the new name of the Africa Centre as the Africa Centre for Inclusive Health Management, encapsulating our expanded vision and focus to address health inclusivity comprehensively and sustainably towards an equitable and just society.
2025 onwards
Refining and expanding our offering to reflect a broader health management focus
- The centre is aligning its offering – across the academic programmes, research and community engagement pillars – with our refreshed mission. Examples include a revised Postgraduate Diploma in HIV/Aids Management with an inclusive health focus as well as new online short courses.
*Medunsa left the partnership in 2007 due to certain challenges.