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18 October 2018
Confederation of University and Colleges Sports Associations Games
Peter Makgato, Emmarie Fouché, Lynique Beneke, and Sefako Mokhosoa at the Confederation of University and Colleges Sports Associations Games. Fouché was one of the coaches, and all the athletes medalled in the jumps.
South Africa, Africa, and eventually the world’s leading jumping academy.

This is the aim of the Kovsie Jumping Academy, says head coach, Emmarie Fouché. She set the bar high for what they would like to achieve. The academy was brought into life on the Bloemfontein Campus at the beginning of the year and already produced the goods for Fouché to dream big.

The long-jump facilities at Pellies Park have also been upgraded to meet the standards of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

“The academy was the vision of Prof Nicky Morgan (then Vice-Rector: Operations) and DB Prinsloo, Director of KovsieSport. I headed a jumping academy at the University of Johannesburg and the university approached me to bring it to Kovsies,” said Fouché, an IAAF-qualified coach.

In Johannesburg, she coached most of the country’s best jumpers such as Zarck Visser, Khotso Mokoena, Lynique Beneke, and Andrea Dalle Ave. Beneke, the national women’s long-jump champion since 2013, followed her coach to Bloemfontein and participated for Kovsies in 2018.

Lots of successes

Beneke is also the national student champion, while Peter Makgato (long jump) and Sefako Mokhosoa (triple jump) both took silver at the University Sports South Africa championships. At the Confederation of University and Colleges Sports Associations Games, all three Kovsies medalled – Beneke and Mokhosoa with gold and Makgato with silver.

Furthermore, we have Michaéla Wright, who is both the South African and African U20 champion in the long jump, and Paralympian Juanelie Meijer, who ended fourth at the Commonwealth Games.

According to Fouché, Beneke and Makgato act as assistant coaches at the academy with the aim of taking over one day.

News Archive

UFS hosts sign language workshop to educate parents
2017-05-22

Description: Sign language workshop to educate parents Tags: Sign language workshop to educate parents

Back row; from left; John Keitsemore from
Bartimea School for the Deaf; Philip Cook,
the headmaster at De la Bat School for the
Deaf in Worcester; Jeannie Cook, De la Bat School
for the Deaf; front, from left; Marisa Vermeulen, mother
of two deaf children and teacher at Bartimea
School for the Deaf in Thaba Nchu; Marianne Kühn,
audiologist, and Susan Lombaard, acting Head of the
Department of South African Sign Language.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

“Ninety percent of deaf children are born into hearing families. When parents first receive the news, they are shocked, angry and confused,” says Susan Lombaard, Acting head of the Department of South African Sign Language at the University of the Free State (UFS).

The department hosted a workshop, “Early intervention options for the child with a hearing loss”, on Friday 12 May 2017 on the Bloemfontein Campus. “It is the first time a sign language workshop of this kind was hosted by the Department of South African Sign Language at the UFS,” says Lombaard, who facilitated the workshop. They hope to make it an annual event.

Parents of deaf children do not always know how they will communicate with their children or where the child must attend school. The workshop aimed to provide parents with the necessary information on different communication options and also touched on school placement.

Support group for parents established
A support group for parents was also established, the first of its kind in the province. It will provide much-needed support, information and guidance for parents of deaf children.

Some of the speakers at the workshop included Anri Esterhuizen, an audiologist; Marianne Kühn from the Carel du Toit Centre, Marisa Vermeulen, who is a mother of two deaf children, and Phillip Cook, the headmaster at De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester, in the Western Cape. Jeannie Cook, also a presenter, provided information on sign language acquisition of the small deaf child, which is done through creative play.

Professionals have responsibility
South African Sign Language is a language in its own right and is not international. “Sign language is a visual language with its own grammar and syntax different from spoken language,” Lombaard said.

There has been much controversy surrounding teaching deaf children to speak and teaching them to sign. “We as professionals have the responsibility to provide information on all options. This is to help the parent make informed decisions about communication and school placement.”

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