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27 August 2018 Photo Sonia Small
Prof Thuli Madonsela persuades women to pursue their purpose
Discovering that she was “pretty” for her purpose gave Prof-Adv Thuli Madonsela’s life direction.

What does embracing womanhood mean? For Prof Thuli Madonsela it is about loving yourself and whatever you believe is your purpose in life. 

“All of us are designed for our purpose and are fit for our purpose, you should embrace that and make the best of it,” said South Africa’s former Public Protector in her keynote address to the Women’s Breakfast. In commemoration of Women’s Month, the University of the Free State (UFS)’s Employee Wellness Division hosted the annual event on 21 August 2018 where 900 women gathered under the theme: ‘Embrace your womanhood.’ 

Being a woman today


Law Professor and Law Trust Chair in Social Justice at Stellenbosch University, Prof Madonsela, urged the audience to look beyond the exterior and recognise “that we as individuals have a lot in common”. Speaking of unity in diversity, she praised some of the giants on whose shoulders modern women stand, such as Charlotte Maxeke, Olive Schreiner, Una Wookey, Albertina Sisulu, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Helen Joseph, Pam Golding, Bessie Head, and Ellen Khuzwayo.

These leaders are the epitome of following the purpose of “embracing everyone’s humanity and challenging things that diminish the humanity of others”, according to Prof Madonsela.

Remaining resilient and resolute 

Despite having to contend with a patriarchal system and face challenges such as gender-based violence, femicide, poverty, inequity, media stereotypes, as well as poverty, women continue to rise. Prof Madonsela called for women to capitalise on positives such as freedom and possessing a certain degree of power, legal equality, playing a role in political spaces, economic progress, and owning a public voice.

Drawing inspiration from her humble beginnings and the lessons learnt in leadership, Prof Madonsela conveyed a simple message to all women: “You are exactly as you should be. You are a perfect expression of your creator’s magnificence. You were created for a purpose and whatever you do, just step up and pursue your purpose.”

A word from an inspired woman

It was a memorable event for Burneline Kaars, Head of Employee Wellness. “This year it was an honour to host Prof Madonsela who could share both her academic background and professional experience. She accomplished this by skilfully incorporating lessons from our country’s history and her passion for justice,” she said.

News Archive

UFS Student counselling and Development co-hosts SAACDHE conference
2012-08-31

The Free State region of the Southern African Association for Counselling and Development in Higher Education (SAACDHE), together with the University of the Free State’s Student Counselling and Development, is to host the 33rd annual SAACDHE conference. The conference will be held at a resort at Thaba Nchu from 10 to 13 September 2012.

SAACDHE represents the interests of counselling and development service providers in higher education and facilitates the holistic development of staff in counselling and development centres. Botswana, Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, North West, Western Cape and Witwatersrand are part of the association.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Back to Basic: Getting in touch with our students today”, which promises to be relevant for professionals who are involved in student counselling and development. Members will attend academic presentations and workshops on topics related to various sub-themes, including career counselling/development - building your brand in a competitive world of work; technology; adjustment (first-generation students); student psychopathology; trends and ethics in student counselling.

Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the university will deliver a keynote address at the conference.

For more information, contact Mrs Petro Herbst at 051 401 2853 or HerbstP@ufs.ac.za. Also visit the SAACDHE website at www.saacdhe.org.
 

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