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22 February 2018 Photo Xolisa Mnukwa
Future of South Africa discussed at UFS peace conference
Delegates form the UFS and Osaka University gathered together at the Peace Conference.

The Department of Political Studies and Governance as well as the Centre for Africa Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS), together with the Osaka School of International Public Policy of Osaka University, jointly hosted a Quo Vadis South Africa Conference at the UFS on 12 and 13 February 2018.

Prof Hussein Solomon, Department of Political Studies and Governance, stated: “The focus is very much policy-oriented using academic insights to help resolve the myriad challenges confronting South Africa as a country as well as those on the continent.”

Prof Philippe Burger, Head of the Department of Economics and Acting Dean at the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the UFS, spoke on the state of the national economy saying that factors contiguous to education could explain unemployment in South Africa. He pointed out that 60% of the population who were unemployed had not completed high school. He said only 20% of the employed population had tertiary education. Prof Burger said that labour-intensive, export-driven and investment-driven growth are the three integral sectors to consider when looking to improve the economy and overall growth of the country.

Prof Andre Duvenhage from North-West University delivered a presentation on his Strategic Perspectives of the ANC’s 2017 National Conference. Prof Duvenhage said that he had anticipated President Jacob Zuma’s recent departure from the ANC, saying his exit strategy had been negotiated behind the scenes. Some of his focal points included the state decay as a result of corrupt state practices, and the ideal future of the legitimate state which envisions the optimistic turn-around of the current condition of the South African Constitution.

“The future of Africa will be determined by politics”, said Jakkie Cilliers; Chairperson of the board, and Head of African futures and Innovation at the Institute for Security Studies. He explained that politics would drive events leading up to the national elective conference. This would offer political-election-outcome forecasts for 2019, 2024 and 2029 for the ANC, DA, EFF, and other national political parties. 

News Archive

UFS invests in community journalists
2013-12-09

The first group of journalists who completed the Department of Communication Science’s short-learning programme for community journalists. The course was developed by Mrs Willemien Marais (far left) and Mrs Margaret Linström (far right). In front in the middle are Prof Lucius Botes, Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities, and Mr Lumko Mtimde, CEO of the Media Development and Diversity Agency, the sponsor of the programme. Fifth from right is Ms Manana Monareng Wa Stone, Programme Manager of the MDDA.

An investment in our people, our region and our democracy. This is the value of the Department of Communication Science’s short-learning programme for community journalists.

The first 20 community journalists from radio stations and newspapers in the Free State and Northern Cape received their certificates recently after successfully completing the course Basic Journalism Skills for Community Media.

This credit-bearing short-learning programme is fully sponsored by the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), a statutory body with the aim of developing and promoting community media.

The University of the Free State (UFS) is the first university in South Africa that presents a course of this nature. “It is also the first large-scale formal training of community journalists in the Free State and Northern Cape,” says Mrs Margaret Linström, journalism lecturer in the Department of Communication Science. She developed the course together with another journalism lecturer in the Department, Mrs Willemien Marais. “What distinguishes our programme for similar programmes is the element of mentoring,” explains Marais. Students attend a week-long training session on the Bloemfontein Campus of the UFS. The lecturers then visit all the participating newsrooms to provide further training in terms of the unique challenges of their area. “During the second semester we’ve travelled more than 3000 km to visit radio stations and newspapers as far afield as Springbok and Phuthaditjhaba,” says Linström.

During the certificate ceremony the CEO of the MDDA, Mr Lumko Mtimde, said this partnership with the UFS has the potential to make a tangible difference in communities. “Combined community media reaches the largest target audience in the country. Against this background the importance of training community journalists becomes very clear,” says Mtimde.

The role of community journalists differ from that of journalists who work for state or commercial media. Yet most of these community journalists fall outside the network of formal training, mostly due to a lack of resources and access to training.

“This course has changed my life. I came back as a newborn baby for whom everything is new!” said Mr Setona Selisa from Naledi FM in Senekal. Selisa and his colleague, Mr Teboho Mabuya, received the award for the best participants of the 2013 course.

 

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