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07 August 2018
Reitz the road to reconciliation nearly a decade later
Brugbouers Die Reitz-video en die pad na versoeningis published by Penguin Books

People who work to reconcile communities, to bring about change and transformation, need to do more than get people to sit and talk. They need to go on and make something work afterwards, said the former UFS Dean of Student Affairs Dr Rudi Buys

Dr Buys launched his book, Brugbouers Die Reitz-video en die pad na versoening, on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS). 

Challenging peace, bringing people together

“Bridge-builders bring people together and drive forward a process that challenges peace," said Dr Buys. 

The book talks about the 2008 controversial Reitz-video that surfaced at the UFS when white male students demeaned and humiliated five black university workers in 2007 at a campus residence. The degrading treatment of the workers, recorded on film, led to racial conflicts at UFS and condemnation worldwide.

At the time Dr Buys was approached as a reconciliation consultant and later became the Dean of Student Affairs. 

“It is my picture,” says former dean of students

The book tells the stories of four student leaders during the turbulent time that followed. Dr Buys said he added his own story to these, explaining what his process was as an Afrikaner who was challenged by the events. “It is my picture and what I experienced while I was part of the UFS and the process here at the time.”  

He said the book was not an analysis of what happened. 

Dr Buys said one of the things that stood out from the experiences of the student leaders was that their internal struggles with issues of racism were more similar than different. “The world would have us believe that it is something different.”

“Change will not come in one generation”


Taking part in the discussion, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Francis Petersen, indicated that the team who led the earlier process of transformation and integration had done excellent work. However, he warned that nobody should have the illusion that was enough. He said in a society where issues were profoundly entrenched, change would not come in one generation. 

Prof Petersen said initiatives such as the constant debates, dialogues and conversations at student level and the current Thought Leadership Series were essential.  “More of these engagements should happen,” Prof Petersen said.

News Archive

Profiling of small businesses discussed
2010-06-03

From the left are: Mr Christoff van der Merwe, businessman from Pretoria, Ms Jackie Ntshingila, Provincial Manager of SEDA in the Free State, Prof. Tienie Crous, Dean: Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the UFS, Mr Barry Chang from Mijona International in Bloemfontein and Mr Hendrik van der Merwe, businessman from Pretoria.
Photo: Stephen Collett


“We need some kind of innovation to help small businesses in the Free State grow to their full potential.” These were the words of Ms Jackie Ntshingila, Provincial Manager of the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) in the Free State at a breakfast presented by the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein.

The faculty and SEDA presented the breakfast after identifying the need to profile small business development agencies and to get the role-players in the province together to discuss the development of small business enterprises.

“It is important that we start to profile small agencies in the province and a university is a good neutral ground to start an initiative like this,” said Prof. Tienie Crous, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the UFS.

“Small business development agencies are working in silos, there are fragmented reporting lines, a duplication of services and the service is rotated among the same group of small, medium and micro enterprises,” said Ms Ntshingila.

“Students do not see themselves as job creators and entrepreneurs are not contributing optimally to the gross domestic product of the province. Job creation opportunities are also not efficiently reported and there is a competitive approach amongst different business associations,” she said.

Ms Ntshingila proposed a couple solutions: “Establish an electronic database, do government reporting through a systems or database administrator and make a presentation to government for adequate funding for these projects,” she said.

At the breakfast it was proposed that the small business development agencies will now be identified and follow-up meetings will be arranged by the faculty and SEDA.


Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za  
2 June 2010

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