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22 February 2018 Photo Thabo Kessah
Pakiso aims to conquer the world
Pakiso Mthembu will be representing South Africa in Mauritius and Algeria.

This year, the University of the Free State’s Qwaqwa Campus will unleash a running sensation that is equally comfortable on track, cross-country, and road running and is on a mission to conquer the world. His name is Pakiso Mthembu from Tweeling in the Eastern Free State. Pakiso has recently qualified for the Junior Men’s Southern Region cross-country championships that will be held in Mauritius on 24 February and in Algeria on 17 March 2018.

“I am glad that I managed to run my personal best time of 24:02 during the qualification trials held in Bloemfontein in January, which set me on the road to Mauritius and Algeria,” said Pakiso, a BEd FET first-year student.

His personal best in the 10 km road-running category and in the 5 000 m track are 30:55 and 14:29, respectively.

Praise for Soke
“It is only through dedication, hard work, and listening to my coach that I can achieve my dreams of representing South Africa at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Junior Championships (IAAF) to be held in Finland in July, and at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I have one of the best coaches in this part of the world and it gives me great pleasure to work with him, having grown up admiring him during his days,” he says in reference to Boy Soke, who identified his talent and recruited him to the Qwaqwa Campus.

Pakiso has already represented South Africa in Uganda.

News Archive

Prof Conradie makes UFS proud with prestigious Chemistry award
2015-03-25

Prof Jeanet Conradie and Dr Karel von Eschwege

Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

Prof Jeanet Conradie, Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of the Free State (UFS), has received the Merck Medal for 2014 from the South African Chemistry Institute (SACI), for her paper Redox potentials of ligands and complexes. A DFT approach, S. Afr. J. Chem. 2011, 64, 203-209.

Dr Karel von Eschwege, the co-author of the paper is also from the Department of Chemistry.

The medal is awarded to the senior author of the paper, published in the South African Journal of Chemistry in a specific field of chemistry, that is judged to have made the most significant contribution to the discipline. The award for 2014, covering papers published in the period 2010 to 2013, was in the field of Inorganic Chemistry.

As part of the award, Prof Conradie will deliver the Merck Medal Lecture at the presentation ceremony.

In 2014, Prof Conradie was runner-up in the senior category for Distinguished Women Researchers: Physical and Engineering Science in the Department of Science and Technology’s 2014 Women in Science Awards. The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) also invited her to become a member.

Prof Conradie believes to reach a goal, you have to utilise opportunities that come your way. “Remember, results speak for themselves. Any researcher can prove himself or herself this way. Nothing in life is for free; you need to work very, very hard. This is only possible when you love and enjoy your work,” she said.

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