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20 August 2018
WomenofKovsies Kesa praises the most important woman in her life
Kesa Molotsane, top Kovsies athlete says much of her success is thanks to the amazing backing of her mother Shani.

Most of Kesa Molotsane’s achievements on the athletic track and road can be attributed to the tireless support of her mother, Kesa says.  

“It might sound like a cliché, but my mother has taught me so much and I have learnt enough from her to survive anything. She has played the biggest role in my career and made it a priority in her life even before it (her athletics career) blossomed. 

‘My mother invested in me’

“My mother Shani has invested so much. She was present at the start and to this day she is still there for me,” Kesa says about the most important woman in her life.

Molotsane, who is doing her BA honours at the University of the Free State, has had a good 12 months behind her. She is the Spar Grand Prix 10km champion from last year, is the national student champion in the 5 000m and 10 000m and was the best South African performer at the Confederation of African Athletics African Cross Country Championships.

‘Improvement and growth motivates me’

She says improvement and growth motivates her big time. “It’s a way of weighing my efforts and hard work. I am inspired by a lot of things, depending on what situation I am in and the inspiration I’m looking for. I believe in and value inspiration in abundance.”

According to her, representing her country at the World Cross Country Championships in Uganda in March 2017 was the biggest accomplishment of her career. “It was my first time at world championships and I was the first South African to cross the finish line. I want to leave my legacy for years to come and want to touch lives using my God-given talent and gift.”

News Archive

Postgraduate student to conduct research on maize quality at Michigan State University
2017-03-27

Description: Student maze research Tags: Student maze research

Schae-Lee Olckers, master’s student in the
Department of Microbial Biochemical and
Food Biotechnology.
Photo: Supplied

Schae-Lee Olckers, a master’s student in the Department of Microbial Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the University of the Free State (UFS), will be travelling to the US in a few weeks’ time. For the next two years she will be doing research at the Michigan State University (MSU) at its Department of Food Science, working on wheat quality and its baking properties.

Increase the nutritional value of maize
The title of her master’s research project is: “The influence of low and optimal nitrogen conditions on the nutritional value of quality protein maize”. She is focusing on the influence of environmental conditions on the nutritional value of maize.

New hybrids of maize production developed

Olckers said: “I chose to start my research on this specific topic in my honours year because maize is the main staple crop in South Africa, as well as in the rest of Africa. Therefore, micronutrient malnutrition is a major concern for developing countries as well as for poor people who rely on it as a major food source. I found it interesting that these breeding programmes that are being developed for new hybrids of maize for production are focusing on increasing the nutritional value of maize and can therefore help eliminate micronutrient malnutrition in some populations of poor communities,” she said.

Prof Perry Ng will be her research supervisor. He is an affiliated professor at UFS in the division of Plant Breeding. “I am very excited about the opportunity to travel and to gain experience working with a well-known cereal scientist. The work he does is also closely associated with my research,” said Olckers.

Her supervisors at UFS are Profs Garry Osthoff and Maryke Labuschagne from the Departments of Microbial Biochemical and Food Biotechnology and Plant Sciences respectively.

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