Upcoming assessment period

15 September 2023

All assessments planned for the next two weeks will continue as scheduled. With the increased loadshedding and the cut of water supply in Vanderbijlpark, we are confident that all measures are in place to handle these.

Contingency plans have considered all probabilities to ensure that assessments and other planned activities on the campuses can continue uninterruptedly.

We want to wish our staff and students all the best for the next two weeks. Should any changes need to be made, it will be communicated in advance.

Kind regards
Prof Marlene Verhoef
Registrar and chairperson of the Emergency Power Management Response Team

Vanderbijlpark Campus: teaching and learning arrangements in the period of water shortage

13 September 2023

In the communique of 12 September 2023 to the Vanderbijlpark Campus community, management indicated that it will constantly monitor the situation and challenges brought about by the planned interruption of the water supply to the campus and the bigger Vanderbijlpark area.

The Response Team again met this morning and after taking into account all the possible risks associated with the situation, a decision was made that the teaching programme for Vanderbijlpark Campus scheduled for 14 and 15 September will primarily move online. The resolution had been endorsed by the vice-chancellor.

Lecturers have been asked to publish the teaching material and recordings online for students to download and continue with the academic programme. Essential contact classes as defined by faculties can continue but these will be communicated to students on their eFundi sites by the faculties. Further changes to the teaching and learning programme as it affects the campus will be communicated in advance.

Staff are requested to as far as possible work from home. All students not residing in on-campus university residences will still have access to the campus to ensure that they can connect for classes. The library, all labs and other venues which were available during the recent assessment period, will again be available from where students can have access.

This arrangement was necessitated to ensure that the emergency water supply on the campus would be able to accommodate the need.

Your assistance in managing the upcoming challenge is appreciated. Please use water sparingly and assist us in averting a crisis.

Further updates will be provided.

Kind regards
Prof Marlene Verhoef
Registrar and chairperson of the Emergency Power Management Response Team

Upcoming interruption of water supply: Vanderbijlpark Campus and surrounding areas

12 September 2023

The NWU this morning took note of official communication from the Emfuleni Local Municipality regarding the maintenance they have to do on a water pipe at the Vanderbijlpark Reservoir. According to their communique, they will shut down the water supply on Thursday, 14 September 2023 until Monday, 18 September 2023.
Even though the reservoir responsible for the water supply to our campus and surrounding areas can maybe last for two to three days, the university has put emergency contingency plans in place to ensure that our academic programme can continue uninterruptedly. We however need the support of every staff member and student to ensure this. We need to use water as sparingly as possible.

Precautionary measures: Drinking water is crucial

• It is crucial for every student in campus and off-campus residences to gather at least 10 litres of drinking water in clean containers.
• Staff are also urged to ensure that they have adequate drinking water available in their offices.
• These measures should already be in place as of tomorrow, 13 September.

Measures put in place by the NWU

• We will also place temporary water containers (bladders) filled with water on the campus as well as at Faranani residence to ensure access to water. This water is however not fit for human consumption and can only be used for washing and ablution purposes. Owners of leased residences have assured the university that they are fully self-sufficient to provide emergency water.
• The capacity to replenish the irrigation tank with borehole water, will be increased and multiple taps will be installed next to the irrigation tank. This water will be available for flushing of toilets and will have to be collected by users. 20L buckets will be made available for this purpose. This water is also not fit for human consumption.
• The NWU will liaise with privately owned residences and urge them to put the necessary measures in place to accommodate students during this period.
• Hand sanitiser will be available in all on-campus residences and offices.

The way forward

Management is doing everything possible to ensure that business can continue as normal as possible. For the time being, all face-to-face classes will continue as normal. Should this situation bring about any challenges in terms of the academic environment, we will communicate it immediately.
Your assistance in managing the upcoming challenge is appreciated. Please use water sparingly and assist us in averting a crisis.

Kind regards
Prof Marlene Verhoef
Registrar and chairperson of the Emergency Power Management Response Team

Together we have succeeded in reducing the use

29 June 2023

Dear NWU staff and students

We are on the verge of completing the first opportunity of the June/July 2023 assessment period. One of the major concerns during this period was to ensure a sustainable supply of emergency power to safeguard the academic programme and the overall business of the university.
We had to prioritise the supply of emergency power to support the academic programme, quite often with the result of having to implement internal load-shedding in some of the non-academic buildings and in residences.

From the outset we made it clear that under no circumstances would we be able to supply emergency power to the extent of the “normal” demand for electricity. Looking back to 5 June 2023, when students started writing their first assessments, I can now say that we were all very concerned about whether we would be able to keep the lights on – and yes, we did.

However, this would not have been possible without the support and cooperation of every staff member and student of the NWU. I need to single out the students living in our on-campus residences. The way in which you adhered to the processes put in place made an enormous difference to us being able to ensure that no blackouts occurred in the venues where assessments were taking place. We all played our part despite the inconveniences, and I am glad that we have succeeded in reducing the use!  

I want to express my sincere appreciation for your cooperation during this period. Although we were, to a large extent, spared by Eskom with very limited load-shedding during this period, we would not have been able to succeed in ensuring the smooth running of the assessment period if it had not been for your commitment too.

I also need to thank the Emergency Power Management Response Team for the work they have done since their establishment towards the end of May 2023. Various emergency plans were put in place, and apart from that, a short-, medium- and long-term plan has also been compiled to fast-track the planning and implementation of various strategic sustainable energy generation and distribution projects. These include the procurement of uninterruptable power supply (UPS) devices, inverters, and grid-tie solar systems, as well as the contracting of large solar plants.

Going forward, we need to remain cognisant of the fact that power cuts, load-shedding and electricity supply interruption will remain with us. We will continue to monitor the situation and update you accordingly.
Let us continue to Reduce the Use!

Enkosi
Ke a leboga
Baie dankie
Prof Mzubanzi Bismark Tyobeka
Principal and Vice-Chancellor

Ad-hoc bus services during the assessment period

8 June 2023

Dear student
In an attempt to create an even more conducive environment for students to prepare for the ongoing assessment period during times of loadshedding, arrangements have been put in place to assist students travelling to and from our campuses. This is to ensure access to WiFi and emergency electricity for in case off-campus accommodation might be off-line.

During this assessment period, limited ad-hoc bus services will be available on the three campuses for students who reside in off-campus accommodation, wish to study on campus and who do not have access to an existing shuttle service or their own transportation.

Students will, on a daily basis, be required to indicate whether they will be making use of the ad-hoc bus service the following day. The bus-service will only be available on weekdays and will therefore not be available over weekends. If you want to make use of this service, please see the bus routes and schedules, as well as the process in joining a dedicated WhatsApp group where campus specific information on the service will be communicated.

We trust that this arrangement will greatly benefit our students.

Regards
Prof Marlene Verhoef
Registrar and chairperson of the Emergency Power Management Response Team

 

Additional arrangements during the assessment period

7 June 2023

Dear student

As indicated in the communique  that was distributed on Saturday, 3 June 2023, additional study venues have been identified across the campuses, to ensure that students can study and prepare for the assessments.

If university residences are without power during loadshedding, the WiFi will be off as well, due to the fact that WIFI is dependent on power supply in buildings. In addition to access to facilities such as libraries and computer laboratories during daytime, students are invited to make use of the list of venues in academic buildings that are supplied with emergency power to access the WiFi and systems required. These venues will only be available during daytime on weekdays (08:00-17:00) to cover the downtime in residences.

The same rules as applicable to libraries, will be in place in these venues. No eating, no smoking and noise levels should be kept down. If studying requires group discussions, these venues will not be suitable. Please also keep in mind that these venues will be in close proximity of exam venues, so you are kindly requested to respect the rights of other students and allow them the opportunity to complete their assessments in a conducive environment.
You are once again reminded to ensure that all measures are in place to cut down on the use of electricity, especially during loadshedding when the university is making use of emergency power. It is important to again stress the fact that the NWU cannot, under any circumstances, supply emergency power to the extent of the "normal" demand for electricity. Together we can Reduce the Use!
Although you are given the assurance that everything possible will be done to allow you to prepare for and participate in the ongoing assessment period, it cannot be accomplished without your continuous support. We urge you to be prepared, and proactively download all the study and assessment material you might need well in advance, to ensure that you are in a position to cope with the challenges in case of power interruptions. Please always ensure that laptops and phones are fully charged. Refrain from using unnecessary equipment during load shedding e.g., heaters, kettles, stoves, etc.
We thank you for your active cooperation in ensuring a smooth assessment period.

Regards
Prof Marlene Verhoef
Registrar and chairperson of the Emergency Power Management Response Team

 

Arrangements during the assessment period in regards of loadshedding

Dear student

Ensuring a sustainable supply of emergency power to safeguard the academic programme and the overall business of the university, remains the university’s priority during periods of loadshedding. This was reiterated in the message from the principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Mzubanzi Bismark Tyobeka on 23 May 2023.

Of importance is to once again stress the fact that the NWU cannot, under any circumstances, supply emergency power to the extent of the "normal" demand for electricity. Therefore, energy/electricity demand reduction is required to enable the core business to continue during loadshedding.
We urge all students to be prepared, and proactively download all the study and assessment material they might need well in advance, to ensure that they are in a position to cope with the challenges in case of power interruptions.

During the upcoming assessment period, 5 June to 14 July, the following arrangements will be in place:

1. Contingency plans have been put in place to ensure that lecture rooms and teaching and learning buildings have no power interruptions from 09:00-12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00. Outside these times, normal loadshedding will apply.
2. During daytime loadshedding, the residences will not receive emergency power to ensure sufficient capacity for buildings where assessments are taking place. This means that, during scheduled loadshedding periods, residences will have no electricity and WiFi.
3. In extreme circumstances during night-time, when the emergency power supply cannot cope with the demand, residences may also not receive emergency power. The implication hereof, is that the active cooperation of all residents is required to avoid any extreme situation where the demand may exceed the available emergency power supply.
4. In the event that some generators might not be functioning, an internal loadshedding schedule will be implemented, resulting in additional buildings on the campuses being without power. Should there be a need for this, it will be communicated.
5. IT critical servers are being assessed and Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) devices/inverters are in the process of being installed to allow for network connection during load shedding in academic buildings.
6. WIFI is dependent on power supply in buildings, so if a residence is without power during loadshedding, the WiFi will be off as well. In addition to access to facilities such as libraries and computer laboratories during daytime, students are invited to make use of allocated venues in academic buildings that are supplied with emergency power to access the WiFi and systems required. The details regarding lecture rooms which will be available for students to use for the purpose of studying during loadshedding, will be communicated soon.
7. No sports facilities will be allowed to use sport field lights during the assessment period. Should this be allowed, it can cause the automatic switching off of larger areas on the campuses, because the usage will increase beyond the generator capacity.

We know that the demand for electricity is higher during winter, especially in residences. Therefore, we need the full cooperation of all students to ensure that all measures are put in place to reduce our electricity usage and switch off all appliances that are not essential or those that we can manage without.

This unfortunate and unpredictable supply of electricity is surely having an impact on all of us, but you are given the assurance that everything possible will be done to allow you to prepare for and participate in the upcoming assessments.

The Emergency Power Management Task Team, responsible for addressing the electricity supply challenges within the NWU, consists of role players across various divisions of the NWU, including student leaders.

We are exploring the possibility of creating a platform where you will be able to view the impact of electricity usage during normal supply as well as during emergency power supply. This will enable you to get a full understanding of the pressure on our emergency power supply.  

Please acquaint yourself with the loadshedding schedules in your area and constantly get the latest updates from the university.

We thank you for your active cooperation in ensuring a smooth assessment period. Together we can Reduce the Use!

Regards
Prof Marlene Verhoef
Registrar and chairperson of the Emergency Power Management Task Team

Play your part to keep the NWU lights on today and tomorrow

23 May 2023

Dear NWU staff and students
Power cuts, loadshedding, electricity supply interruption or whatever name or phrase we use, the fact remains that the current unpredictable supply of electricity is causing havoc in many sectors of our economy and to society in general. The higher education sector has not been spared, and there is no hint of any potential improvement soon. We have been trying hard to keep the lights on and ensure that, as far as possible, business continues uninterrupted.

However, this has come at a huge cost to the university and looks set to continue to be an increasing cost item on our budget. Running the generators on the Potchefstroom Campus costs approximately R 40 000 per hour, R 30 000 per hour at the Mahikeng Campus, and R 15 000 per hour at the Vanderbijlpark Campus, resulting in a total of R 85 000 per hour to provide emergency or alternative power to the NWU community during power cuts/loadshedding. On average, stage 4 loadshedding for the remainder of the year will cost the university an additional R 175 million over and above our normal electricity bill.

Therefore, University Management has resolved to introduce some interventions, including the establishment of an Emergency Power Management Task Team, to address the electricity supply problems within the NWU. The purpose of this team is to manage the supply of emergency power during the coming winter and beyond, and to ensure that the measures implemented will ensure business continuity. All relevant role players from various areas of the NWU will form part of this team.

We have no choice but to ensure a sustainable supply of emergency power to safeguard the academic programme and the overall business of the university. This dictates that we prioritise the supply of emergency power for purposes of supporting the academic programme including academic assessments. Considering that the upcoming assessment period will be during the peak time in terms of electricity demand and consumption, our efforts to supply and save electricity must be prioritised and enhanced. We should all be aware that the electricity demand and consumption increase drastically during winter. For example, there is a huge increase in consumption in almost all buildings during the day, and even more consumption in the university residences at night due to the need to keep buildings and spaces warm. Although this is understandable, the current unfortunate situation requires all of us to embrace a culture of energy/electricity saving more especially during loadshedding when we receive emergency power via generators.

All of us – staff and students – must reduce our electricity use and switch off all appliances that are not essential or those that we can manage without for a while.

The NWU cannot, under any circumstances, supply emergency power to the extent of the "normal" demand for electricity. Therefore, energy/electricity demand reduction is required to enable the core business to continue during loadshedding. You may be aware that we are already implementing internal loadshedding. This is necessary and if we do not save sufficiently, we may need to increase the internal loadshedding intervals – hence the dire need to reduce the use!

The Facilities Department has done well thus far, under extremely difficult circumstances, to manage the supply of emergency power and to maintain all the necessary equipment. I am sure the department will continue do a good job. We must, however, accept that due to multiple unforeseen issues such as unplanned failures and the unavailability of spares and service providers, it will not always be possible to operate all generating units on full capacity.

I urge all of us – staff, students, and contractors – to play our part to support the colleagues in the Facilities Department to save electricity, ensure business continuity, and try to avoid an uncertain future due to shortage or unavailability of emergency power. Failure to do so will affect the university's business negatively and make it impossible to develop sound medium to long-term plans.

I am pleased that the relevant departments are working together to ensure that the IT network and WiFi remain operational including during possible internal loadshedding.

This unfortunate and unpredictable supply of electricity has triggered us to fast-track the planning and implementation of various strategic sustainable energy generation and distribution projects. These include the procurement of Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) devices, grid-tie solar systems, as well as the contraction of large solar plants. We are optimistic that once these projects are completed, they will enable us to generate power and sustain ourselves.

My dear colleagues, we can only succeed to keep the lights on when we put all hands on deck and Reduce the Use!

Our actions today can avoid a darker tomorrow.
Enkosi
Ke a leboga
Baie dankie

Prof Mzubanzi Bismark Tyobeka
Principal and Vice-Chancellor

Challenges brought about by loadshedding

6 March 2023

Loadshedding is having an enormous impact on the daily operations of the NWU, and even though emergency power is supplied, that too also comes with challenges.

Emergency power

All three campuses of the NWU have central emergency power generation units to supply emergency power during loadshedding.

However, it is important to note that emergency power is not an alternative to replace the power supplied by Eskom. This is only sufficient for emergencies as the generators do not have the capacity to allow us to function as normal.

The distribution networks on the campuses are built as such that the 11 000V reticulation is shared between academic, sport, support and residence facilities.

The emergency power generating systems also have controls installed to enable capacity control that will protect the generating systems for overcapacity situations. This is done at the main substations to ensure that the generating units do not overheat or get damaged due to overcapacity expectancies, which does occur frequently.

This means that if electricity usage during emergency power is too high, certain parts of the campuses will be switched off.

The current situation on each of the campuses regarding residences is as follows:

Mahikeng Campus: Currently the generation capacity is sufficient to carry the campus and residences during loadshedding.

Vanderbijlpark Campus: Currently the generation capacity is sufficient, but capacity is under strain and measures affecting residences might be implemented.

Potchefstroom Campus: The current generation capacity is not sufficient, therefore from 07:00 to 18:00 (during weekdays) residences will not have any emergency power during loadshedding periods. Do note – if Eskom power is available during the above-mentioned time period, residences will have electricity.

If residences are without power, the campuses still have facilities available for students – including those living off-campus – to buy food and study in an area where there is WI-FI.

Engineering Compliance receives various special emergency power requests, but due shortage of emergency power, very few of these will most probably be approved, since we have to ensure that the emergency power sustain the core business, which is the academic facilities that have critical infrastructure or research requirements.

Apart from the fact that equipment fails due to increased pressure on it, there are extremely long waiting times for the delivery of spares, and the increased demand for diesel is also presenting challenges.

We therefore need all staff to make a concerted effort to decrease the use of electricity during loadshedding by switching off non-essential appliances.

Should we continue on an average of stage four loadshedding, it will cost the university an additional R175 million for 2023, over and above our normal electricity bill.

We are aware that a number of staff members still do not switch off air conditioners during loadshedding. For this reason, load switch devices are now being installed to enable the load control system to switch off unnecessary appliances during load shedding. If non-compliance in this regard persists, the possibility is also explored to permanently disconnect the offenders' air conditioners, meaning that they will not be able to be used during times of normal electricity supply.

Availability of WI-FI

Loadshedding, the global shortage of silicon chips and a doubling in the demand for WI-FI services over a very short period of time, had a severe impact on the IT infrastructure of the university. Not all network distribution equipment is on uninterrupted power and with any power dip it takes a few minutes to start up these intelligent devices.

Since electronic equipment is very sensitive to power dips and many of them do not reboot themselves, a person needs to physically reboot these devices.

Currently there are 5 000 WI-FI access points on the campuses. We know this is not enough and we are addressing this issue. Unfortunately, it will take time due to the shortage of silicon chips. Be assured that the infrastructure refresh project, which includes WI-FI upgrades, is a very high priority to stabilise this service as soon as possible.

The university has also embarked on a plan to implement alternative energy sources which in the long term will lessen the impact of loadshedding.

We thank you for your cooperation in this regard.

Information Technology and Engineering Compliance.

Practice for electricity consumption in university residences

20 June 2023

This practice is established and specifically implemented within the University Residence environment of the NWU to ensure that the consumption of electricity is reduced when emergency power is supplied, which may extend beyond national loadshedding periods. Read more