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14 February 2018 Photo Xolisa Mnukwa
Kovsie donates text books to needy first-year student
Kovsie student Lebohang Ntoli has donated her books to a first-year student
Kovsies BAcc student; Lebohang Ntoli understands the complex domain students step into when they kick off at university.

Faced with a number of challenges that include adjusting to freedom, stepping up academically, and being able to navigate and prioritise your social life with your emotional and mental health, students are at risk of feeling discouraged, confused and fearful. However, being afflicted by financial constraints where tuition fees and study material are concerned is undoubtedly one of the most disheartening feelings a first-year student is forced to deal with - and Lebohang understands this.

She says: “Everyone deserves at least one shot at life,” and has taken it upon herself to donate all her first-year textbooks to a student who she felt was deserving.

Lebohang explains that her actions were sparked by her encounter with a female student in December 2017 who had opened up to her about not being able to meet the financial demands that awaited her in January 2018.

This motivated Lebohang to want to help as many students as she could. She then took to social media to express her concerns for first-year students. At the time the topic of first-years had accumulated a lot of momentum because of their concerns regarding university and how to prepare for it. Through this Lebohang was able to attract attention to her tweets which enabled her to find the deserving candidate for her textbooks.

Students who are interested in textbook donations can contact Elizabeth Msadu, who is in charge of the Hand-to-Hand Foundation at the UFS Health and Wellness Centre on +27 51 401 9600.

News Archive

UFS first to mechanise agricultural technique
2006-05-09

    

Small farmers from Thaba `Nchu were the biggest group attending the farmers day at the UFS Paradys experimental farm.  From the left are Mr David Motlhale (a small farmer from Thaba 'Nchu), Prof Leon van Rensburg (lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and project leader), Mr Nhlonipho Nhlabatsi (Agricultural Research Council, Glen), Ms Meisie Mthethwa (small farmer from Bloemspruit).  In front is Mr Patrick Molatodi (chairperson of the Tswelopele Small Farmer Association).
 

 

Some of the participants of the farmers day at the UFS Paradys experimental farm were from the left Prof Leon van Rensburg (lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and project leader, Mr Patrick Molatodi (chairperson of the Tswelopele Small Farmers Association) and Prof Herman van Schalkwyk (Dean: UFS Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences).

UFS first tertiary institution in world to mechanise agricultural technique
The University of the Free State (UFS) is the first tertiary institution in the world to mechanise the in-field rain water harvesting technique on a commercial scale.

The technique was recently demonstrated to about 100 small farmers at the UFS Paradys experimental farm outside Bloemfontein. 

“With this technique rain water is channeled to the plant and in this way food security is increased.  The advantage of the technique for commercial farmers lies in the reduced cultivation of land.  Small farmers will benefit from this because they can now move out into the fields and away from farming in their back yards,” says Prof Leon van Rensburg, lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and project leader.    

Rain water harvesting is an antique concept that was used by communities before the birth of Christ.  In South Africa the technique is mainly used in the plots of small farmers where they make surface structures by hand. 

"The technique is also used for the first time by the UFS on commercial scale by means of the cultivation of a summer crop on 100 ha at the Paradys experimental farm,” says Prof Leon van Rensburg,

Of the farmers who attended the farmers day most represented about 42 rural communities in the vicinity of Thaba ‘Nchu.  A group of seven from KwaZulu-Natal also attended the proceedings.  These small farmers can for example apply this technique successfully on the 250-300 ha communal land that is available in the Thaba ‘Nchu area. 

The project is funded by the UFS and the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the farmers’ day was funded by the Water Research Commission.   

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
9 May 2006

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