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18 January 2018 Photo Free State Cricket.
Kovsie cricketer, Raynard van Tonder, impresses at U19 World Cup
Raynard van Tonder, captain of the South African under-19 cricket team, is a BSocSci student at the University of the Free State. Izel Cilliers, a BCom student at the UFS, was included in the women’s squad of Cricket South Africa’s national academy programme.
Raynard van Tonder, captain of the South African under-19 cricket team, has had an excellent start to the U19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.

The Kovsie student smashed 143 runs in his team’s 169-run victory over Kenya in the teams’ first outing in the tournament on 14 January 2018.

Player of the match

Van Tonder’s century came from just 121 deliveries and earned him the player of the match award.

With that, the 19-year old recorded the third-highest score ever by a South African in under-19 one-day internationals, matching AB de Villiers’ 143 he made back in 2003.

The South African youngsters will next be in action on Wednesday 17 January 2018 when the team faces the defending champions, the West Indies.

Van Tonder, who is studying for a BSocSci at the University of the Free State (UFS), is going places with his cricket. Last year he played in 19 international fixtures in which he scored six 50s and one century – a brilliant 131 not out against the Windies.

He had already made his first-class debut whilst still in matric in Grey College in 2016.

Member of Cricket SA academy programme

He scored 22 and 39 not out in his first-class debut and scored an impressive 63 in his very first A-list match.

On 15 January 2018, Van Tonder was named as a member of the national academy programme of Cricket South Africa.

Izel Cilliers, a BCom Kovsie student, was included in the women’s squad.

The programme runs from 21 May until 27 July 2018 and aims to prepare young players for the demands of professional cricket.

News Archive

UFS hosts sign language workshop to educate parents
2017-05-22

Description: Sign language workshop to educate parents Tags: Sign language workshop to educate parents

Back row; from left; John Keitsemore from
Bartimea School for the Deaf; Philip Cook,
the headmaster at De la Bat School for the
Deaf in Worcester; Jeannie Cook, De la Bat School
for the Deaf; front, from left; Marisa Vermeulen, mother
of two deaf children and teacher at Bartimea
School for the Deaf in Thaba Nchu; Marianne Kühn,
audiologist, and Susan Lombaard, acting Head of the
Department of South African Sign Language.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

“Ninety percent of deaf children are born into hearing families. When parents first receive the news, they are shocked, angry and confused,” says Susan Lombaard, Acting head of the Department of South African Sign Language at the University of the Free State (UFS).

The department hosted a workshop, “Early intervention options for the child with a hearing loss”, on Friday 12 May 2017 on the Bloemfontein Campus. “It is the first time a sign language workshop of this kind was hosted by the Department of South African Sign Language at the UFS,” says Lombaard, who facilitated the workshop. They hope to make it an annual event.

Parents of deaf children do not always know how they will communicate with their children or where the child must attend school. The workshop aimed to provide parents with the necessary information on different communication options and also touched on school placement.

Support group for parents established
A support group for parents was also established, the first of its kind in the province. It will provide much-needed support, information and guidance for parents of deaf children.

Some of the speakers at the workshop included Anri Esterhuizen, an audiologist; Marianne Kühn from the Carel du Toit Centre, Marisa Vermeulen, who is a mother of two deaf children, and Phillip Cook, the headmaster at De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester, in the Western Cape. Jeannie Cook, also a presenter, provided information on sign language acquisition of the small deaf child, which is done through creative play.

Professionals have responsibility
South African Sign Language is a language in its own right and is not international. “Sign language is a visual language with its own grammar and syntax different from spoken language,” Lombaard said.

There has been much controversy surrounding teaching deaf children to speak and teaching them to sign. “We as professionals have the responsibility to provide information on all options. This is to help the parent make informed decisions about communication and school placement.”

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