Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
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

UFS research on yeast nanorobotics
2006-05-09

Ten members from the University of the Free State's (UFS) Lipid Biotechnology Research Group in the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology will be presenting their research  on yeast nanorobotics (nanotechnology) at three international conferences in Europe during May and June 2006.

 

It is one of the biggest group of students from the department to present their research overseas.  

The conferences to be attended include the 2nd International Conference on Non Mammalian Eicosanoids, Bioactive Lipids and Plant Oxylipins held in Berlin, Germany; the 3rd European Conference on Computational Mechanics (ECCM-2006) held in Lisbon, Portugal and the 25th International Specialised Symposium on Yeasts (ISSY 2006) held in Helsinki, Finland.  The UFS Lipid Biotechnology Group is also co-organising the conference in Berlin.

The group members are in front from the left Ms Chantel Swart (M Sc student), Ms Ntsoaki Leeuw (M Sc student) and Ms Monique Goldblatt (M Sc student).
Middle from the left Mr Olihile Sebolai (Ph D student and recipient of the Free State Premier Excellence Award), Ms Ané van Heerden (M Sc student) and Dr Catrine Strauss (post-doctoral student).
At the back are from the left Mr Desmond Ncango (M Sc), Dr Carlien Pohl (Senior Researcher), Prof Pieter van Wyk (Head: UFS Center for Confocal and Electron Microscopy) and Prof Lodewyk Kock (Head: UFS Lipid Biotechnology Group).
Photo: Stephen Collett

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept