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19 October 2018 Photo Anja Aucamp
Itumeleng Tsatsi - Using Occupational Therapy to tackle mental health
“Every opportunity you get is a chance that leads you to your goals, making the best of it; a journey of a thousand steps begins with just one.” - Itumeleng Tsatsi
Polokwane-born Itumeleng Tsatsi, junior lecturer in Occupational Therapy at the University of the Free State (UFS), pledged to improve the quality of life of South African citizens through her study and practice of Occupational Therapy.

Itumeleng Tsatsi was named in the Mail and Guardian Top 200 list of South Africans under the age of 35 who have done exceptional work in their fields, aiming to uplift their society.

Tsatsi explained that working as a clinician at the Thabamoopo Psychiatric Hospital in Lebowakgomo, Limpopo, lit a fire in her that was charged at dissociating and destigmatising the views that people associate with the term ‘mental health’.  Her focus as an occupational therapist zooms mostly into tackling mental-health issues and the injustices faced by people, making use of the services offered in the system.

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental-health issues around the world, and mobilising efforts in support of mental health. Tsatsi elaborated that one of the many challenges she faced in clinical practice, was the constructed theories of mental health that were too westernised and did not meet the needs of South African populations, particularly in the rural areas. Her aim is to create a niche area in academia and train occupational therapists to care for their citizens on a practical basis and not only through textbook guidelines that aren’t entirely applicable to the South African context.

With October being Mental Health Awareness Month, Tsatsi further highlighted that she wants to optimise the training of Occupational Therapy students at the UFS by ensuring that their attitude towards mental health as a specialisation in their field is a positive one, due to the growing number of South Africans subjected to mental-health issues today. 

Furthermore, her study aims to empower mental-healthcare users to speak up about their experiences in mental-health institutions, to aid their reintegration into communities and create supportive environments where they can equally contribute to society. 

News Archive

UFS Extraordinary Professor involved in public signing of historic charter
2010-10-27

Prof. Iain Benson

Prof. Iain Benson, an Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Constitutional Law and Philosophy of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS), was one of the speakers at the signing of the historic South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms on Thursday, 21 October 2010.

Thursday’s signing of the charter was the culmination of two years’ work of the Continuation Committee responsible for drawing up the document, of which Prof. Benson is a part. All the major religions signed the charter at the ceremony Thursday where Prof. Benson was one of the four speakers, who included the Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa, Justice Moseneke.

The charter, which has already received considerable international and national attention, will now be submitted to the ANC government for negotiations. Indicative of the important role that Prof. Benson played in the process of drawing up the charter is that he has been offered a role as an advisor for the newly created committee responsible for the drafting of the Constitution of the Council of Religious Freedom.

Originally hailing from Canada and currently residing with his family in France, Prof. Benson is an academic with a wealth of experience and expertise in the field of law, especially with regard to right of conscience and religion. His achievements number many, including being a Senior Associate Counsel at one of Canada’s leading law firms, Miller Thompson LLP; and serving on the Founding Board of the Global Centre for Pluralism. Prof. Benson gave his inaugural lecture last week with a lecture entitled Living together with Disagreements and the Limits of the Law.

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