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20 August 2018
Alicia Puren captain of the Kovsie netball team
Alicia Puren, captain of the Kovsie netball team, will play in her fifth Varsity Netball series.
Now is the time for Kovsie Netball to claim gold again, says their captain, Alicia Puren, ahead of the Varsity Netball series.

Alicia explained that they are hungry for success, and that it’s been too long since they last won a title. “We don’t only want to win gold for our coach Burta de Kock, but also for ourselves,” said Alicia. Some of the veterans could possibly play in their final tournament, so fellow team members want them to finish on a high note.

The Kovsie Netball team won the first two competitions in 2013 and 2014, but since then could not progress further than the semi-finals. They have very favourable draws, with five of their seven matches in the group stages being played in Bloemfontein, including the game against the finalists of the previous two years, Tuks and Pukke.

They also have a very experienced team. Tanya Mostert will participate in her sixth series, Rieze Straeuli and Alicia Puren are playing in their fifth, and Khomotso Mamburu, Maryke Coetzee, Khanyisa Chawane, and Gertriana Retief are all playing in their fourth. Lefébre Rademan is playing in her third series. Jabulile Mabina, Bianca de Wee, and Petro Coetzee are the only newcomers in the squad of 15 players.

“We have a lot working in our favour; we have to make it count,” says Alicia.
Kovsie Netball will start their campaign on 26 August in the Callie Human Centre against the defending champs, Tuks.
 
Their match fixtures are as follows: 26/8 vs Tuks in Bloemfontein; 27/8 vs the University of Johannesburg in Bloemfontein; 2/9 vs the Vaal University of Technology in Bloemfontein; 3/9 vs the University of the Western Cape in Bloemfontein; 9/9 vs the Madibaz in Stellenbosch; 10/9 vs Maties in Stellenbosch, and finally 24/09 vs Pukke in Bloemfontein.

The Kovsie Netball squad players are: Alicia Puren (captain), Ané Retief, Gertriana Retief, Jana Scholtz, Khanyisa Chawane, Khomotso Mamburu, Lefébre Rademan, Meagan Roux, Sikholiwe Mdletshe, Tanya Mostert, Maryke Coetzee, Rieze Straeuli, Jabulile Mabina, Bianca de Wee, and Petro Coetzee.

News Archive

Triumph of the Human Spirit – a symbol of hope
2015-08-24

Ahmed Kathrada discusses his latest book, Triumph of the Human Spirit.
Photo: Johan Roux

“A triumph of courage and determination over human frailty and weakness; a triumph of the new South Africa over the old.” – Ahmed Kathrada

Ahmed Kathrada, stalwart of South Africa’s liberation struggle, visited the Bloemfontein Campus on 18 August 2015 to launch his latest book, Triumph of the Human Spirit. Turning page after page, the reader travels back with Uncle Kathy – as he is fondly known – to revisit Robben Island with the more than 300 guests he has accompanied since 1994. With each photo – be it a celebrity or school child, head of state or famous artist, friend or royalty – the significance of the island is eternalised, right alongside Ahmed Kathrada.

Message of triumph
“Why this specific title for the book?” Prof André Keet, Director of the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ), asked during the book launch. “Robben Island,” Kathrada answered, “should not be remembered only as a place of suffering – that’s history. But the message of Robben Island is the message of triumph – triumph of the human spirit over all sorts of adversities.”

Speaking about Kathrada’s quiet but profound impact, Zaakirah Vadi, editor of the book, said “I think Uncle Kathy does not realise what an inspiration his own strength of spirit is”. The fight for human values and dignity was “honed and perfected in the cells of Robben Island,” she said. “It created the vision for a new South Africa and, as Uncle Kathy puts it, the triumph of the new South Africa over the old.”

UFS surprises Ahmed Kathrada with a birthday cake.
Photo: Johan Roux

Freedom was sacrifice
This triumph was not achieved without a cost, though. “No freedom comes on a platter,” Kathrada said. “Freedom was fought for. Freedom was sacrifice. Through the sacrifices of those who did not survive, we are still here to tell the story.”

And that is exactly what Triumph of the Human Spirit does. As Kgalema Motlanthe writes in the foreword, “This book serves as a preservation of history and a symbol of hope.”

Birthday celebration
Just as the event seemed to come to a close, members of the Student Representative Council carried a candle-lit cake – shaped in the number 86 – toward Kathrada. This surprise was organised by the UFS to celebrate his birthday on 21 August 2015. And, as the audience cheered and sang, Kathrada’s smile spread like a light across the hall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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