SAGES Magazine

THE SOUTH AFRICAN GASTROENTEROLOGY REVIEW 2021 | VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 2 | 1 EDITORIAL Editorial Dear Readers I have been recuperating from bilateral cataract operations and enjoyed watching the spectacle of the Olympics without spectacles. One has marveled at many of the visual aspects, in particular, the length, color and sheer variety of ladies hair wigs, extensions and accoutrements most notably in the sprint races where weight and streamlining you would think might be the difference between winning and losing especially when the margins are measured in tenths or hundredths of seconds. I would have thought from the wind resistance point of view they would be better to have shaved heads like Demi Moore in GI Jane. What was even more staggering was the age of some of the winners. In both skateboarding events, street and park the medal winners were 13, 13, 19 and 19, 12, 13 years of age respectively. The 10 metre female high diving was won by a 14 year old with the silver medalist only a year older. With the uninhibited talent of youth coupled with their nerves both of steel and fraility taking centre stage it is reassuring to an old codger like me that a 62 Australian took home a silver and bronze in eventing and the oldest competitor was a lady of 66. You might ask why I should be rambling on about the Olympics like this. The reason being one has to recognise when the time has come to relinquish duties and allow the handover of the Journal Editorship to new blood. I have seen Reid Ally and Christo van Rensburg both my juniors come and go as Editors. They have been abley replaced by Adam Mohamed and Mark Sonderup respectively as we have transitioned from the print to an electronic version of the journal. Whoever the new incumbent shall be, it is important that he or preferabley she ensures the journal continues as the voice of SAGES and makes a knowledge contribution to the Gastroenterology community not only of South Africa but of Sub-Saharan Africa. On this theme, in this issue, I have involved a Kenyan Surgeon Michael Mwachiro. In Michael’s contribution on the management of Oesophageal Cancer, based on work from Tenwek Hospital in Kenya and his involvment with the African Oesophageal Cancer Consortium, he describes the situation on the contient and the realities and potential for progress that can be made by collective efforts. Those interested should get involved. For the other contributions I have once again turned to the Cape Town Gastroenterology community who I have badgered into doing the leg work on these contributions. They range for oesophageal stenting to obscure overt GI bleeding and intestinal cocooning. I believe they are graphically appealing and informative for trainees and established gastroenterologists alike. SAGES is now well entrenched in the virtual world and by the time our now electronic publication is disseminated through the internet the “congress” will have been and gone. On this occasion the congress for the first time in over 20 years was accomplished without the eagle eye of Karin Fenton who became critically ill in the run up to the event. Karin is the glue that keeps, SAGES the Gastrofoundation and the UCT Groote Schuur GI Unit together and functioning. Her style is so seamless that you only realise how effective she is when she is not answering your emails and taking care of business. She is now convalescing and we wish her a complete as much as a speedy recovery from her illness. This years congress had very few technical glitches and lots of trade sponsored symposiums. In this issue the changing landscape of Congressess in “the virtual world” is given practical perspective by Academia, Congress organisers and the Biomedical trade which was the born out of a ASSA forum on the ZOOM platform. I hope you enjoy the insights it provides. On an even sadder not one has to report on the death Mike Kew whose achievements are chronicled appropriately by Chris Kassianides who as his mentee recognised the contribution he could and did make to the GastroFoundation as a trustee. While on my terms I dabble in activities gastroenterological and other I wish SAGES and the journal all the best going forward. Sandie Thomson GASTROENTEROLOGY South African Review Visit our website www.ihpublishing.co.za