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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

#PeopleOfKovsies brimming with positivity
2016-12-26

Kovsies both young and old, whether they are currently studying or have already graduated, abound in positive energy. Striving to harness this positivity, the #PeopleOfKovsies campaign was born. Over the past three years, this campaign has garnered a collection of photographs and quotable quotes from visitors, staff, students, and alumni that showcases the feeling that only a Kovsie knows.

The process is simple: Staff photographers approach people on campus and ask whether they are willing to pose for a photo. How they do this is up to the individual’s favourite style: pouting, looking serious, pointing, or just smiling. Participants then also have the opportunity to share a brief message with the Kovsie community, whether it is just how they feel at that particular moment, what it means to them to be a Kovsie, or how they picture that indescribable Kovsie feeling. These photographs, along with their captions, are shared on our social media platforms, and, in some cases, used on campus billboards or in our publications.

Description: Retha Hill Tags: Retha Hill

“I loved being a Kovsie, because my fellow Kovsies were more than just friends   they were like
FAMILY.” - Retha Hill

Description: Keamogetswe Nnyane Tags: Keamogetswe Nnyane

“I get to enrich my community through the diversity and exposure I received as a Kovsie.
To help uplift those who can’t do the same for themselves.” - Keamogetswe Nnyane

Description: Byron Wegger Tags: Byron Wegger

“The gateway that opened my mind to different ideas as well as giving me opportunities
through sport and academics I never would have experienced anywhere else.” - Byron Wegger

Description: Tamie Mbombo_PeopleOfKovsies Tags: Tamie Mbombo

“They have succeeded in creating the conditions wherein students from disadvantaged
backgrounds can be brought to the starting line of a race that many are unaware is even
being run.”-  Tamie Mbombo

Description: Lerothodi Molete Tags: Lerothodi Molete

“It means being an agent of change. Also equipping me with skills and exposure to be the
change I want to see in the world.” - Lerothodi Molete

Description: Lebogang Kotsi Tags: Lebogang Kotsi

"To be a Kovsie means being in a multi-racial learning institution and striving to be a great
leader in the future." - Lebogang Kotsi




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