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01 October 2018 | Story UFS | Photo Johan Roux
Newly elected South Campus SRC
Newly elected South Campus SRC with campus principal Prof Daniella Coetzee and Dean of Student Affairs, Pura Mgolombane.

The University of the Free State’s (UFS) 2018/2019 SRC elections on the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses solidified institutional transformation with the implementation of the newly adopted Constitution of the Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC). 

The 2018/2019 elections marked the first ever SRC elections on the South Campus, which will take place on two legs because of the residential period of qualifications on the South Campus. Based on this, only the elective portfolios of Deputy-President, Secretary, and Student Development and First-Generation Students were elected. The next leg of the CSRC elections on the South Campus will take place in March 2019, when the elective portfolios of President, Treasurer, Policy and Transformation, and Commuter Students will be elected.

After a meticulous nomination process, Campus Student Representative Councils (CSRC) were elected for the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses.
 
The outcome of the UFS CSRC elections tallied 6 912 votes on the Bloemfontein Campus, 3 216 on the Qwaqwa Campus, and 419 votes on the South Campus.

Newly elected 2018/2019 Bloemfontein Campus ISRC President, Sonwabile Dwaba, thanked students for respecting democratic processes, and for their maximum participation throughout the election procedures. He assured students that they did not make a mistake by appointing him as their president and added, “I condemn all forms of violence against women”. He also pleaded with students to always pursue justice for victims of any form of violence within the margins of the law.

Sakhile Mnguni, Qwaqwa Campus CSRC President, celebrated his victory with a whopping 65% of the votes. He emphasised the importance of ongoing dialogue to avoid what he termed ‘problems’ at a later stage. “Like a traffic light, let’s discuss matters when conditions are still conducive and not wait until the light turns red, for that’s when discussions are no longer conducive,” he said.

According to the amended constitution, the newly elected ISRC members must represent the interests of the student community in all representations and interactions with UFS structures, as well as with the public. The ISRC will also serve as ambassadors of the UFS at other institutions, organisations, and entities.

Bloemfontein Campus list of results:

Elective Portfolios:

President: Sonwabile Dwaba (EFF-SC)

Vice-President: Bokang Fako (EFF-SC)

Secretary General: Khanya Ralarala (EFF-SC)

Treasurer General: Emmanuel Viwe Mqushulu (EFF-SC)

Policy and Transformation: Koketso Mathews Khunou (EFF-SC)

Student Development and First-Generation Students: Serame Patrick Sebudi (EFF-SC)

Commuter Students: Nasmé Puley (INDEPENDENT)

Ex-Officio Portfolios CSRC Members

Day Residence Student Council: Jon-Dylon Petersen

Arts and Culture Student Council: Patrick Chrilele

Student Associations: Thato Dlamini

Academic Council: Pauline Mugerwa

Postgraduate Students: Seithati Ramonaheng

International Students: Omar-Raphael Tabengwa

Sports Affairs: Katleho Lechoo

Student Organisational Council: Ntsitsa Ned

Civic and Social Responsibility: Chéri Matjila

On-Campus Residences: Thabang Sako


Qwaqwa Campus list of results:


President: Sakhile Khulekani Mnguni (SASCO)

Deputy President: Mongezi Miracle Khethwa (SASCO)

Secretary General: Selloane Antonett Mile (SASCO) 

Treasurer General: Andiswa Sibonelo Khumalo (SASCO)

Policy and Transformation: Lwanele Reginald Madonsela (SASCO) 

Student Development and First-Generation Students: Makalo Tsuluba (SASCO)

Commuter Students: Bongumenzi Siphelele Praiseworth Mdakane (SASCO) 
 
Media and Publicity: Patricia Ntomfuthi Kubheka (SASCO) 

Ex-Officio Portfolios CSRC Members

Associations and Religious Affairs Student Council:
Lindokuhle Sydney Vilakazi

Campus Residence Council: Motshedisi Fortitude Raliphoko

Arts and Culture Council: Ntandoyenkosi Khumalo

Academic Council: Duduzile Ritter Mhlongo

Universal Access and Social Justice Council: Senomfundo Mhlongo

Postgraduate Student Council: Teboho Mofokeng

International Student Council: Omotayo Ashafa

Sports Affairs: Lebohang Hendry Miya


South Campus list of results:


Deputy President: Nomathemba Pakade

Secretary: Mvuyo Madlala

Student Development and First-Generation Students: Allistaire Abrahams

News Archive

New Research in Hebrew Language and Culture
2014-01-17

The newly formed Department of Hebrew at the university is hosting an international conference from 27 to 29 January 2014. The conference has speakers from Israel, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, as well as South Africa, Zambia, Congo and Nigeria. The goal of the conference is to highlight recent research in Hebrew language and culture by bringing international scholarship to the university and by highlighting the importance of the African context as a conceptual space for research on Hebrew. The rich cultural heritage of Hebrew finds particular resonance in Africa through the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).

Some highlights from the conference include new research on the use of the ancient Hebrew script by Jews in the Persian and Roman periods as a means to maintain their religious and ethnic identity in times of distress, linguistic research on metaphors in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), Jews and non-Jews in the Hebrew and Yiddish writings of the South African author Morris Hoffman, the development of a rabbinic prayer for rain in the land of Israel and in South Africa, pedagogical advances in teaching Hebrew in Africa, and translation of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as a means of reshaping VaTsonga cultural identity. 

The study of ancient and modern Hebrew language and culture provides important insights into the complex cultural situation in modern Africa, generally, and South Africa, in particular. The use of language by minority religious and ethnic groups can provide a powerful force for identity in turbulent political realities. Religious texts can be re-contextualised to provide guidance in new cultural contexts or translated to enhance and empower local societies. 

Venue: CR Swart Auditorium 

For more information, contact Prof Cynthia Miller-Naudé, Head of the Department of Hebrew at millercl@ufs.ac.za
 
 

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