Africa Centre for Inclusive Health Management

05/10/2026

Rialdo Alexander is a postgraduate programme administrator with years of experience in academic programme administration, admissions, recruitment, stakeholder engagement and operational coordination. He has been part of the Africa Centre's team since the early days and has been part of all the strategic development and growth.

That said, he likes new challenges and expanding his knowledge and skills. He values constructive feedback as an opportunity to contribute more effectively to the success of his team and organisation.

Perfectly aligned to his responsibilities, Rialdo has a student-centred approach aimed at efficient support ‒ many of the Africa Centre's current students and alumni will know of "Ralex" (part of his email address :)). If you enrol for our PgDip programme in 2027, you'll also become very familiar with that email address, and we encourage you to do just that!




Stellenbosch University

02/10/2026

Blues guitarist/singer B.B. King said, “The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.”

We’ll give him an A+ for that! Gaining new knowledge or skills is always a worthwhile investment. So why not have a look at our accredited Postgraduate Diploma and/or MPhil in HIV/Aids Management and enrol for 2027?

It will equip you to deal with the challenges and opportunities around managing all facets of HIV/Aids and in the world of work, including a wider inclusive health management focus. Nothing like a unique qualification to broaden your perspective on healthcare and human resources.



Stellenbosch University

30/09/2026

Anja Laas ensures that the Africa Centre's academic programmes run smoothly and that students are supported throughout their academic journey. She coordinates the administrative processes that take place from registration through to graduation.

"A big part of my role is planning and coordinating the academic year. I help bring together the academic calendar, teaching schedules, assessments, academic events and other key activities, making sure that the different pieces fit together and that everyone knows what needs to happen and when," Anja says. "I work closely with our students, academics, supervisors and the university to ensure that important deadlines are communicated and administrative challenges are addressed as efficiently as possible."

There are many moving parts behind a successful academic programme and Anja enjoys bringing these together, planning ahead, solving problems and making sure that everything is in place to support the Africa Centre's students in their academic journey. For her, good academic administration is about more than processes – it is about people, planning, support and creating a positive experience for students.



Stellenbosch University

28/09/2026

Have you applied to join our postgraduate diploma class of 2027 yet?

Enrol today for the most comprehensive international training programme in HIV/Aids management in the world of work – the only qualification of its kind!

More info (and encouragement and inspiration) on https://www.healthmanagement.sun.ac.za/programmes/postgraduate-diploma-in-hiv-aids-management/

Apply here:
https://student.sun.ac.za/signup/



Stellenbosch University

25/09/2026

The personal staff-and-student touch is important to us, both in academic interaction and support services. So we're going to tell you a bit more about the team and their specialities. First up is senior lecturer Dr Chioma Ohajunwa.

Chioma convenes the MPhil programme and teaches the module on qualitative research methodology. She also supervises masters students who are conducting research and writing their theses. For the PgDip programme, she teaches the modules on HIV/Aids and culture as well as qualitative research methodology.

"In all my roles, I focus on being a facilitator of knowledge creation rather than 'the teacher'," Chioma says. "I realise that students come with contextual knowledge and personal experiences that I can learn from, so I do not stand aside but participate in the learning space."



Stellenbosch University

23/09/2026

Last week this time the HospiVision conference was winding down. As our partner, we asked CEO Dr Annemarie Oberholzer and marketing/fundraising manager Christél Kloppers to reflect on it and look forward.

Annemarie:
I am truly encouraged by the meaningful discussions. Trying to bring spirituality into healthcare can sometimes feel like a lonely journey because it is often met with resistance or misunderstanding. But this conference reminded me that we are not alone. It was inspiring to see researchers, healthcare professionals, faith leaders and practitioners come together around a shared goal of recognising the spiritual dimension of holistic care. There is a growing community of people who believe that spirituality has an important place in holistic healthcare, and the Africa Centre for Inclusive Health Management plays a key role in this.

Christél:
In ten years I think we'll look back and think "Wow, we had hope, and look how far we've come". We won't have imported healthcare, we'll have built a system that genuinely represents the South African context ‒ one that holds space for all of our people. The broader continental view fits this quite well. HospiVision wants to build a distinctly South African model of spiritual care, as part of a wider African conversation.

Annemarie looks ahead:
For HospiVision, the next priority is to build on this momentum by strengthening the evidence base, expanding training and finding practical ways to integrate spiritual care into healthcare settings. Our association with the Africa Centre for Inclusive Health Management opens exciting possibilities for collaboration across Africa. The conference may be over, but I believe this is only the beginning of an important conversation and a new chapter for spiritual care in African healthcare.

HospiVision NPO Stellenbosch University

21/09/2026

There are 101 days left in 2026. That's 3 months and 10 days, or 14 weeks and 3 days.

Check this visual timer: https://visualtimer.com/calculators/days-left-in-year/

More to the point, there are 70 days until deadline day for 2027's PgDip and MPhil applications. Don't let 30 November creep up on you and catch you unawares.

Our website has a comprehensive Study FAQ page that tells you everything about studying with us, including how and where to apply: https://www.healthmanagement.sun.ac.za/study-faqs/

We're looking forward to receiving applications from enquiring minds who are keen to further their education in a growing field!



Stellenbosch University

This page explains the ins and outs of becoming an Africa Centre student, including who can study with us, what to expect and how to apply.

19/09/2026

At the HospiVision conference this week, CEO Dr Annemarie Oberholzer asked the panellists at the "From evidence to practice" session: "If we meet again in 2036 and say spiritual care has genuinely become part of healthcare in Africa, what will have had to happen and what should we start doing right now?"

Several inspiring and practical threads came through:

Own an African spirituality: The clearest note was a caution against being "baptised into a European or American understanding of spirituality without noticing it". The decade's work is to keep asking what African spirituality within healthcare looks like and to always keep someone in the room who disagrees ‒ the grain of sand that lets your own pearl form.

Did we do what we said? In ten years the honest first question will be whether we implemented what we planned here, while staying open, so that we come out richer as communities, countries and a continent.

A test at the bedside: Success looks like a patient leaving a healthcare institution being asked whether their spiritual needs were also met. This should be backed by African-centred research and real movement towards integrated care where biomedical, spiritual and traditional providers work together with training and proper referrals.

Embed it, drop the competition: Spiritual care built into health-training curricula and taught with real rigour, delivered by many role players; less rushing for funding or wanting to be seen as "the ones who know", because we're all serving the same humanity.

Stellenbosch University
HospiVision NPO

17/09/2026

Last week we co-hosted the inaugural session of the MSR Africa chapter, which aims to ensure that African voices are recognised in the fields of management, spirituality and religion, specifically research, teaching and practice.

This is an integral platform for the Africa Centre and Prof Munya Saruchera says it will facilitate our work by decolonising management practices to benefit inclusive health management. Read more here:
https://www.healthmanagement.sun.ac.za/rich-african-wisdom-has-much-to-offer-management-studies/



Stellenbosch University

16/09/2026

The last HospiVision conference day kicked off with a panel discussion on the future of spiritual care in African healthcare, from evidence to practice.

Chaired by HospiVision CEO Dr Annemarie Oberholzer, the panellists certainly knew their game around these questions:
• What do you believe is needed to move spiritual care into everyday practice in the healthcare system? (Prof John Swinton, University of Aberdeen)
• How can spiritual care be developed in a way that is responsive to African understandings of spirituality, illness and healing, while still being grounded in evidence-based healthcare? (Prof Yaa Adobea Uwusu, University of Ghana)
• How can theology and pastoral care contribute to the future of spiritual care in African healthcare, with patients from diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds? (Prof Christo Tesnaar, Stellenbosch University)
• If we want spiritual care to become part of healthcare rather than remaining an optional service, what needs to change in the healthcare system, particularly in African countries with limited resources?

The Africa Centre's Prof Munya Saruchera tackled the last question:
"A paradigm shift is needed, and not so much material resources. Our understanding of wellness and wellbeing is paramount so that we have an integrated view and understanding of these two concepts. Wellbeing is the broader state of life that reflects how satisfied, healthy and fulfilled one feels. While health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease, wellbeing captures a sense of purpose, financial security, safety and connection to people.

It requires a mindshift, emphasising and prioritising wellness and wellbeing more than just health and then the spiritual care component becomes integral, central and measurable. African understanding of wellbeing have a strong spiritual component that the biomedical health system needs to acknowledge and encourage. This will need to be included in health professionals' training (and retraining) and revised curricula."

Stellenbosch University
HospiVision NPO