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09 March 2018 Photo Barend Nagel
Experts engage in stimulating discussion on South Africa future
Moeletsi Mbeki, Prof Phillippe Burger, Dr Ina Gouws, and Waldimar Pelser.
The University of the Free State (UFS) and the broader Bloemfontein community had the privilege of listening to expert opinions on the country’s future at the Wynand Mouton Theatre on the Bloemfontein Campus on 2 March 2018. On stage were Waldimar Pelser, Rapport editor; Prof Phillippe Burger (Department of Economics); Dr Ina Gouws (Department of Political Studies and Governance) from UFS; and author and businessman Moeletsi Mbeki. Together they painted a critical picture of our current and future state of affairs during a remarkable morning hosted by Rapport Regstreeks and kykNET. 

The ills of our economy
Master of his subject, Prof Burger had the audience spellbound when he explained the real issues surrounding our current sluggish economy. He was concerned about the general lack of growth – the major reason for unemployment. Figures have shown that even a slight increase in economic growth, creates an increase in employment. “We know that good education leads to economic growth,” he said. Poor education is one of our big problems, with our school mathematics performance among the worst in the world. He further advised that we should roll back patronage, stabilise public debt, facilitate a true partnership between government and businesses, identify specific growth sectors, address tenure rights, develop supply chains, and develop special skills. “I believe that we should bring back apprenticeships,” he said. 

Political pains
Mostly in agreement with Prof Burger’s contribution, Mbeki wanted to add politics in the mix as a factor that harms our economy. Capturing the audience with his impressive knowledge and insight, he explained that we basically still sat with the British economic systems set out between 1902 and 1910 – the production and export of minerals, fuelled by cheap labour. The mining sector provided a market for agriculture that also used cheap labour. Currently, we sit with two elites: the capital elite that produces, and the political elite that taxes the profits. Hence, the money is not reinvested. “We need new elite, that will invest in the country, instead of consuming the profits,” he said. Who should this be? “Such a coalition must include owners of productive assets who should form an alliance with rural people.”

Remain vigilant
Dr Ina Gouws supported this notion, saying that now was not the time to put our hopes in one leader for a better future. We should remain critical and vocal about our concerns. Political leaders did not always paint a true picture of what the people wanted and felt. 

More interesting and current topics were addressed during the question and answer session, and Pelser ensured that all adhered to a strict schedule, while using the available time optimally. We hope to see more such events on campus, inviting discourse on current topics. 

News Archive

#Women’sMonth: Who am I? Questions of identity among Rwandan rape survivors
2017-08-03

 Description: Michelle Nöthling, Questions of identity among Rwandan rape survivors Tags: Michelle Nöthling, Questions of identity among Rwandan rape survivors 

Michelle Nöthling, master’s degree student
in the Centre for Trauma, Forgiveness, and
Reconciliation Studies at the UFS.
Photo: Eugene Seegers

From 7 April to 15 July 1994, a mass genocide swept through Rwanda after years of Belgian colonial rule that divided the country along ethnic lines. Rape was also used as part of a political strategy to torture and humiliate mainly Tutsi women, and as a means of spreading HIV.

Individual focus
Why is it important to listen to what these rape survivors have to say? Michelle Nöthling, a master’s student in the UFS Centre for Trauma, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation Studies, responds, “We speak of groups – refugees, foreigners, and the like – yet we tend to forget the individuals and the lasting impact trauma has had on each person.”

Narrative exploration
Michelle maintains that we are the product of the narratives around us; things like – how to be a woman, how to dress, speak, or treat others. Her research delves into how these rape survivors see themselves, how they narrate their lives. She also investigates power relations based on gender; for example, how language can be used as a divisive tool.

Rwandan backdrop
In Rwanda, gender roles are deeply entrenched. Traditionally, a ‘girl’ remains such while she is a virgin. Her transition into womanhood is usually marked by marriage and followed by motherhood. But rape disrupts this structure, leading to an identity crisis as these girls are catapulted into motherhood with an unplanned child resulting from a traumatic event.

“We are the product of
the narratives around us.”

Reaching their mid-teens, the children, too, started asking questions about identity or paternity. For those mothers who were finally able to open up to their children, the experience has been mostly liberating – often leading to a closer relationship between parent and child. Michelle intends to interrogate how such significant moments shape the way these women perceive themselves. Research tends to portray these survivors solely as mothers of rape-born children. Michelle, however, seeks to examine their identities more deeply.

“These survivors still bear the heavy burden of being marginalised, stigmatised, and severely humiliated. Despite this, they have developed their own communities of belonging; people with whom they connect, to whom they relate, and to whom they are not ashamed to tell their experiences,” she said.

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