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24 May 2018 Photo Leonie Bolleurs
UFS and CUT joint SASUF Research Symposium discusses urbanisation
From the left are: Prof Nils Ekelund from Malmö University in Sweden; Buhleng Masake, Honours student in Spatial Planning at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the UFS; Per Schubert from Malmö University in Sweden; and Wanda Verster, UFS Department of of Architecture.
The University of the Free State (UFS) and the Central University of Technology (CUT) recently joined hands with the Swedish University Forum (SASUF). The universities jointly presented at a research seminar with the theme: ‘Urban Rural Dynamic’. The seminar was a side event to the stream ‘Urbanisation in the 21st Century’ of the SASUF Sweden-South Africa Research Week that took place in the same week. This stream of the research week was academically chaired by Wanda Verster from the UFS Department of Architecture. 

SASUF is a collaboration of 30 universities in Sweden and South Africa together with embassies, civil society organisations, funding agencies and ministries in both countries of which CUT and UFS are partners. Other themes of the research week were ‘Climate Change, Natural Resources and Sustainability’; ‘Transforming Higher Education Curricula’; ‘Social Transformation Through Change’; ‘Understanding the Burden of Disease’; and ‘Digital Technologies, Big Data and Cybersecurity’. One of SASUF’s main goals is to connect researchers with funding agencies, industry, ministries, and society in working towards the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Tri-partite between local and international universities
The first day of the event was hosted by the UFS Department of Architecture on the Bloemfontein Campus and was supported by the UFS Department of Urban and Regional Planning. 

The focus of the seminar was on the rural/urban dynamic that secondary cities are frequently experiencing.

Researchers from the UFS, CUT and Malmö University in Sweden presented at the seminar. Stuart-Denoon Stevens, an honours student from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the UFS, presented his research on human settlements. “There are 200 million informal settlements in Africa. In 1994 there were 260 informal settlements in South Africa. Today we have 2600 informal settlements,” said Stewart. 

Take hands, not handouts
He believes that one needs to support what is happening rather than introduce new technology all the time. “Take hands, not handouts,” he said. 

Presenters from the CUT included Dilip Das, who presented on sustainable urban roads and transport, as well as Oke Saheed, who gave an overview of research on sustainable water resources and environment. Prof Nils Ekelund, the head of the Department of Science, Environment and Society at Malmö University in Sweden, presented on perceptions of the ecosystem services concept. He presented together with his colleague, Per Schubert, a lecturer in physical geography. 

The Director: Internationalisation at the UFS, Cornelius Hagenmeier, stressed in his welcoming remark the contribution SASUF and the side event organised by UFS and CUT make toward comprehensive internationalisation and strengthening the local collaboration between the two universities in Bloemfontein. 

News Archive

UFS SIFE is the best in SA!
2004-07-09

The SIFE team celebrates their victory with Jack Shewmaker, founder of SIFE in 1975 and past-president of Walmart in the USA, and Moses Kgosana, Chairman of KPMG SA.

The Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team of the University of the Free State competed in the National SIFE championships on Thursday, June 17, 2004 at Ceasar’s Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Strong competition was experienced from the other ten participant SA universities, e.g. the Universities of the Western Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Cape Town and RAU, but die UFS SIFE team retained the national championship for the third year running.

The team will now represent South Africa and the University of the Free State in Barcelona, Spain at die SIFE World Cup. The competition will be held from 22 to 24 September 2004.

The presentation team members for the competition were Tsholofelo Tlhomelang, Imameleng Matete, Kenneth Lefa, Kabelo Lephaka, Nadia van Staden, Tshepo Mahloko (Multi-Media), Werner Schmidt (Faculty Advisor). Supporting the presentation team were Lineo Peete, Keketso Ntene, Ruth Morienyane, Motaung Mathaba, Tshireletso Seekoe, Peter Letsoalo, Obakeng Msuthwana, Tshepiso Lebentle, JC Langeveldt and Michelle Stanley.

SIFE is a world-wide non-profit organisation with the express aim of encouraging students to spread their business knowledge - gained in the classroom - to the community, to promote and expand the principles of free enterprise.( www.sife.org )

The criteria by which SIFE-projects are measured are the following:

• How free markets work in the global economy.
• How entrepreneurs succeed by identifying a market need and then profitably producing and marketing a product or service to fill that need.
• The personal entrepreneurial, communications, technology and financial management skills needed to successfully compete.
• Practicing business in an ethical and socially responsible manner that supports the principles of a market economy.
• Measuring the results of projects, utilizing mass media and the Internet, involving non-business majors and utilizing a Business Advisory Board, communicating the program through a written report and verbal presentation.

The UFS’ SIFE-team’s presentation complied with all the above mentioned criteria. SIFE UFS’ education drive stretched from primary school learners, to adults who had been working for thirty years – this diverse group was taught about the free market system and its value in the global village. Business ethics and basic business principles were communicated in a fun and interactive way to learners. High-level business advice was given to entrepreneurs who started new projects, e.g. a brick-maker, and marketing advice were given to existing businesses in need of expansion.

If you are interested in helping SIFE UFS achieve its goals, e-mail Werner Schmidt at
schmidtw.ekw@mail.uovs.ac.za or phone him at 051 – 401 3376.

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