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Dr. Nompumelelo Shange and Dr. Roderick Juba on their graduation day from Stellenbosch University.
Stefan Els / Stellenbosch University
- A newly married couple received their Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences the same day.
- They met in 2010 and became a couple in 2016.
- Doctors plan to pay off their good fortune from a good education by motivating and helping others to do the same.
There was jubilation throughout the Shange-Juba household when Nompumelelo Shange and Roderick Juba received their PhDs together on the same day, and both at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Agricultural Sciences.
Shange received his degree in Food Science and Juba in Conservation Ecology. The couple tied the knot in September 2019 during a traditional wedding in Inanda, near Durban.
“Due to Covid, we had to postpone our white wedding to next year,” Shange said.
The two come from Inanda and Humansdorp respectively. They were sophomores, living at the Erica and Helderberg residences, when their paths crossed in 2010 through mutual friends.
After years of “just being friends,” they started dating in 2016 when they both finally realized that they not only shared the same sense of humor, aspirations, and work ethic, but that they were actually soul mates and best friends.
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Over the past year or two, they have successfully navigated the complexities of a long-distance romance caused by their shared career aspirations. While Shange was based in Stellenbosch and Oudtshoorn, Juba studied part-time for his Ph.D. while working for Living Lands, an NGO involved in the comprehensive management of important catchment areas.
“From him I learned about perseverance, perseverance and hard work,” Shange said.
“And I’ve learned that she will do anything to get things done, and that hard work is part of that,” Juba said.
Taking the world by storm – together
They are planning to take the world by storm together and pay off their good fortune from a good education by motivating and helping others to do the same.
For his Ph.D. in Food Science, Shange investigated the extent to which two emerging pathogens, Campylobacter and Arcobacter, are found in the ostrich meat industry. These pathogens can cause gastrointestinal infections in humans.
“Regulations governing the contamination of any meat product with these species are not yet in place in South Africa, but my work could serve as a good baseline in case the government wants to implement guidelines,” he said.
Juba focused on the impact of invasive exotic trees on riparian areas and the potential value that could be derived from harvesting their biomass.
Among others, he analyzed the monetary value associated with the production of value-added wood products from felled invasive trees.
“Wheat and canola growers can use byproducts made from invasive plants, such as biochar and wood chips, with varying degrees of success in improving soil quality,” he said.
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