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10 July 2018 Photo Supplied
Rynardt and Lynique selected for SA team at World Cup
Long jumper Lynique Beneke is one of two Kovsies selected for the South African team to the inaugural Athletics World Cup.

University of the Free State (UFS) middle-distance runner, Rynardt van Rensburg, and long jumper, Lynique Beneke, have both secured a spot in the South African athletics team for the inaugural edition of the Athletics World Cup to be held in London, United Kingdom, on 14 and 15 July 2018. 

The 2018 domestic rankings were used to select the team, with one UFS athlete in each discipline set to represent the country as one of the eight competing nations at the event. Beneke, aged 27, won the long jump for women over the past two years at the national track and field championships, this year with a winning distance of 6,22 m. Van Rensburg, aged 26, won silver.

South Africa will compete against teams from the United States, Poland, China, Germany, France, Jamaica, Great Britain, and Northern Ireland. Beneke and Van Rensburg are both experienced athletes who have competed in the Olympic Games in 2016. The programme for the two-day championship does not include long-distance or combined event disciplines. Yolandi Stander, Van Rensburg, and Beneke have also been selected as part of the preliminary team for the CAA African Championships taking place in Asaba, Nigeria from 1 to 5 August 2018.

Van Rensburg recently clocked his personal best, which was also recorded as the 24th best time of the year, when he finished the Hengelo World Challenge meeting in 1:45.15.
Stander, who has a personal best of 52,81 m, won the bronze medal at this year’s nationals and a silver at the University Sports South Africa (USSA) meeting.

News Archive

UFS Faculty of Law and Department of Health join hands to combat modern day slavery
2012-10-03

At this event, were from the left: Dr Adri Krieger and Dr Mariaan Kotze. Both are from the Department of Health: Directorate Forensic Services. Far right is Dr Beatri Kruger from the Unit for Children's Rights and the Department of Criminal and Medical Law at the UFS.
4 October 2012

Research and court cases confirm that the trade in people is a reality in South Africa. According to Dr Beatri Kruger from the Unit for Children's Rights and the Department of Criminal and Medical Law at the University of the Free State (UFS), complex challenges are faced in combating human trafficking. One of these challenges is a lack of knowledge of this crime and the difficulty in identifying trafficked victims.

To address the lack of knowledge, a number of discussions took place between Dr Kruger and delegates from the Department of Health.

A project has been initiated to address this problem in the public health sector. A need to raise awareness and provide training to medical practitioners to better understand human trafficking was identified. The most important aim of this initiative is to empower medical staff, to identify trafficked victims that visit hospitals and clinics countrywide and to also treat them appropriately in light of the severe trauma they have often been exposed to. The initiative will also empower medical practitioners to refer patients to other service providers such as social workers and psychologists.

The talks with medical practitioners from the Department of Health have led to training and awareness raising that will be provided at some of the local hospitals before the end of the year. Further training seminars are planned for medical practitioners, which will include a presentation by Dr Kruger on legal issues that are relevant for staff in the public health sector. The multidisciplinary cooperation that was established between representatives from the UFS Faculty of Law and the Department of Health has contributed substantially to a more effective response to human trafficking in South Africa.
 

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