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15 June 2018 Photo Sonia Small
Go Bokke says rector to wealth of Kovsies in Bok management team
Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, paid a special visit to the Springboks on Friday 15 June 2018 to wish the four former Kovsies good luck for the test match against England on Saturday (16 June 2018). From the left are: Jacques Nienaber, Oupa Mohoje, Prof Petersen, Rassie Erasmus, and Swys de Bruin.

 Listen to Prof Petersen's message to the Springboks here.

Former Kovsies are in abundance in the management team to face England in the second test in Bloemfontein on Saturday (16 June 2018).  

No less than four of the management team, including three of the five coaches, are Kovsies, having studied at the University of the Free State (UFS) previously. They are Rassie Erasmus (head coach), Jacques Nienaber (defence coach), Swys de Bruin (consultant for attacking play), and Vivian Verwant (physiotherapist). Nienaber is also a qualified physio who started his career in this role at Shimlas before advancing to coaching later on. Erasmus and De Bruin both donned the blue jersey.

Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, paid a special visit to the Springboks’ hotel in Bloemfontein on Friday morning (15 June 2018) to wish Erasmus and company good luck for the test. “I just want to wish you all the best. The entire Kovsie community is behind you and the Springboks, and we only want one result tomorrow,” Prof Petersen said.

Erasmus, who studied at the UFS in the early 1990s, said it was a joyful week in Bloemfontein. “It is good to be here. We really enjoyed the facilities, having trained at Shimla Park with all its good memories. Hopefully the result will be good tomorrow. We are proud former Kovsies, with quite a few of us here,” Erasmus said.

Although he won’t play on Saturday, loose forward Oupa Mohoje is still part of the training squad. Ox Nche, who was released from the squad on Sunday (10 June 2018), became the 76th Kovsie Springbok in the match against Wales on 2 June 2018.

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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