Contact Us

Head of Department

Position: Head of Department
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2428
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: aoelofse@uwc.ac.za

Academic and Administrative Staff

Position: Professor
Tel: +27 (0)21 959 2341
Fax: +27 (0)21 959 3125
Email: cafrica@uwc.ac.za

Position: Professor
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2387
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: tmonsees@uwc.ac.za

Position: Professor
Tel: +27 (021) 959 3535
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: epool@uwc.ac.za

Position: Professor
Tel: +27 (021) 959 3397
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: ghughes@uwc.ac.za

Position: Associate Professor
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2185
Fax: +27 (021) 959 1339
Email: dfisher@uwc.ac.za

Position: Associate Professor
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2334
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: dhiss@uwc.ac.za

Position: Associate Professor
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2054
Fax: +27 (021) 959 1457
Email: jklaasen@uwc.ac.za

Position: Associate Professor
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2242
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: mdekock@uwc.ac.za

Position: Associate Professor
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2189
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: tkohn@uwc.ac.za

BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Tertius Kohn graduated with a PhD in Biochemistry from Stellenbosch University in 2005. His dissertation focussed on skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise using human and rat models. He completed a postdoc at the University of Cape Town researching glucose transporter expression, mitochondrial biogenesis and the regulation thereof by exercise. He currently coordinates a unique laboratory that studies muscle contraction, structure and metabolism on gross and single muscle fibre level. His research focuses on muscle function and how genetics and/or exercise training or diseases influence its performance capacity. Specifically, why do particular groups excel in certain sporting codes? What is fundamentally different in the muscles of a lion vs. a wildebeest, and how to apply it to human performance? Additionally, how do muscle diseases (acquired or congenital) reduce muscle function or lead to life threatening conditions (e.g. exertional heatstroke, capture myopathy, insulin resistance), and how can they be prevented or treated?

Research areas
  1. Muscle weakness in acquired and congenital myopathies
  2. Exercise-induced pathophysiology: Elucidating the causes of exertional heatstroke, exertional rhabdomyolysis and capture myopathy.
  3. Diet, exercise, obesity and insulin resistance in humans and animals.
  4.  Nature or nurture: Understanding the physiology and biochemistry of the fastest, strongest and most fatigue resistant wild animals.

For more information, please visit the MyoLab website (www.myolab.co.za)

Position: Associate Professor
Tel: +27 (021) 959 3620
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: mshaw@uwc.ac.za

Position: Associate Professor
Tel: +27 (021) 959 3962
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: oekpo@uwc.ac.za

Position: Emeritus Professor
Tel: +27 082 202 3560
Fax: +27 (021) 959 1377
Email:

Position: Emeritus Professor
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2332
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: rhenkel@uwc.ac.za

Position: Senior Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2337
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: lmbonile@uwc.ac.za

Position: Teaching and Learning/Academic Planning and Senior Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2070
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: sabdul-rasool@uwc.ac.za

Position: Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2316
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: cwillemse@uwc.ac.za

Position: Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2186
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: kmakhathini@uwc.ac.za

Position: Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2182
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: jdesmidt@uwc.ac.za

Position: Senior lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2917
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: lmaree@uwc.ac.za

Position: Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 3581
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: frahiman@uwc.ac.za

Position:Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 9726
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: ckotze@uwc.ac.za

Biography:
Dr Retha Kotze (PhD) is currently a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Medical Bioscience (Faculty of Natural Science) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).  Dr Kotze’s career started as a health professional (dietitian) working in several clinical institutions. She also furthered her studies and obtained a MSc (2010) and PhD (2015) in Nutrition at North West University.
Dr Kotze joined UWC in 2015 and her main responsibility is lecturing anatomy and physiology. She is further involved in the BSc Medical Bioscience Honours programme and also supervises undergraduate projects and postgraduate students.
Her research career at UWC started in 2016 and included projects related to comparative sperm biology research in human and non-human primates. Currently, her research focuses on sperm biology of keystone insect species important for food security, including the South African honey bee subspecies. In addition, Dr Kotze is also involved in research projects investigating anatomy education tools for blended learning.
Collaborations
Agricultural Research Council, Plant Protection Research Institute (ARC-PPRI) (Stellenbosch); National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Department Anatomical Pathology: Tygerberg Hospital.

Publications
Peer reviewed publications
  1. Retha C.M. Kotzé, Nolan Muller, Lizette du Plessis, Gerhard van der Horst. 2019. The importance of insect sperm: Sperm ultrastructure of Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly). Tissue and Cell; 44-50.
  2. Retha C Kotzé, Cornelie Nienaber-Rousseau, Zelda De Lange, Moniek P De Maat, Tiny Hoekstra, Marlien Pieters. 2015. Genetic polymorphisms influencing total and γ’ fibrinogen levels and fibrin clot properties in Africans. British Journal of Haematology; 168(1):102-112.
  3. Retha C M Kotzé, Robert A S Ariëns, Zelda de Lange, Marlien Pieters. 2014. CVD risk factors are related to plasma fibrin clot properties independent of total and or γ’ fibrinogen concentration. Thrombosis Research; 134:963-969.
  4. Marlien Pieters, Retha C Kotze, Johann C Jerling, Annamarie Kruger, Robert A S Ariëns. 2013. Evidence that fibrinogen γ' regulates plasma clot structure and lysis, and relationship to cardiovascular risk factors in black Africans. Blood; 121:3254-3260.
  5. Pieters M, Vorster HH, Jerling JC, Venter CS, Kotze RC, Bornman E, Malfliet JJ, Rijken DC. 2010. The effect of ethanol and its metabolism on fibrinolysis. Thrombosis and Haemostasis; 104:724-733.

Non-peer reviewed publications
  1. Gerhard van der Horst, Janice Murray, Retha Kotze. 2020. A major breakthrough: Fully automated Computer Aided Sperm Motility Analysis of African bee sperm! Research gate. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.30363.69925.
  2. Gerhard van der Horst, Retha Kotze, Mike Allsopp. 2018. Birds and bees do it right: What is wrong with human sperm? Advances in andrology online, 5 (2), 21–36 http://www.postepyandrologii.pl/pdf/PAO_2-2018_05_Sprawozdanie-Konferencja-PTA-EN_11-02-2019.pdf
  3. Gerhard van der Horst, Retha Kotze. 2017. Importance of insect sperm. Research gate.   DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.32902.98887

Position: Senior Lecturer
Tel: (021) 959 3962
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: copuwari@uwc.ac.za

Research Interest
Effects of medicinal plants on mammalian reproduction and fertility.
Medicinal plants and their effects on oxidative stress and infertility.

Current project
Effects of Aspalathus linearis and Camellia sinensis on the human sperm functionality.
Effects of Aspalathus linearis, Camellia sinensis and Moringa oleifera on Male Reproductive Cells following induction of oxidative stress.

Position: Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2331
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: tmorris@uwc.ac.za

Position: Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2341
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: pabrantes@uwc.ac.za
Qualifications: PhD (UWC), PGDip (Edin), FHEA
Biography: Dr. Abrantes is a Medical Microbiologist currently involved in research projects on drug resistance of bacterial and fungal endogenous infections in at-risk population groups, nosocomial infections, sensitivity testing of potential therapeutic agents from synthetic and natural sources and microbial biofilm formation. He has an interest in teaching and learning and has been lecturing Dentistry, Pharmacy and Nursing modules at UWC since 2008, joining the Department of Medical Biosciences in 2020. Dr. Abrantes holds a PhD in Medical Bioscience from UWC and a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Education (with Merit) from the University of Edinburgh and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK).

Position: Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2033
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: hharribhai@uwc.ac.za

Position: Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2379
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: cmupfiga@uwc.ac.za

Position: Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2335
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email:

Position: Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 9722
Fax:
Email: nhaines@uwc.ac.za

Position: Associate Lecturer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 9490
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: gowilliams@uwc.ac.za

Position: Chief Scientific Officer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 3215
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: mbennett@uwc.ac.za

Position: Support Staff Matters and Animal ethics
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2181
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email:

Position: Chief officer (Medical Microbiology unit)
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2184
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: vjooste@uwc.ac.za

Position: Anatomy Officer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 3062
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email:

Position: Anatomy Officer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2333
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: marsmith@uwc.ac.za

Position: Senior Officer- Technical
Tel: +27 (021) 959 9251
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3029
Email: abraaf@uwc.ac.za

Position: Senior Scientific Officer
Tel: +27 (021)  959 3644
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: ymnyamana@uwc.ac.za

Position: Senior Officer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 9716
Fax:
Email: imesseir@uwc.ac.za

Position: Officer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 9365
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: mntsabo@uwc.ac.za

Position: Personal Assistant to HoD
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2433
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: ndlouw@uwc.ac.za

Position: Administrative Officer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 2883
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: cldavids@uwc.ac.za

Position: Anatomy Officer
Tel: +27 (021) 959 9723
Fax: +27 (021) 959 3125
Email: cymckay@uwc.ac.za