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21 September 2018 Photo Charl Devinish
Abe Bailey Bursary victor
“I believe in self learning,” says 2018 UFS Abe Bailey victor, Nkahiseng Ralepeli.
The Abe Bailey Trust is a leadership-development opportunity that targets university students or junior lecturers who are academically strong and have shown exceptional qualities of leadership and service. Recipients of the bursary are required to have a good record of accomplishments, not only on campus but also in a broader social context, where they function as an integral piece of a select and highly-skilled group of individuals.

Ralepeli, the over-achiever

Final-year Law student, Nkahiseng Ralepeli, embodies this exact description and exemplifies the essence of distinction and merit when it comes to who he is. Ralepeli  who has represented the university at various international debate platforms, an alumni of the F1 programme to Thailand and other leadership programmes such, recently, International Youth Leadership Conference (IYLC) programme in Prague, will represent the University of the Free State (UFS) during the Abe Bailey Travel Bursary tour in the UK in December 2018. He, along with 16 other candidates from other South African tertiary institutions, will participate in the tour for its full duration and will take part in the exciting developmental programme that is planned.

With an intense but fruitful leadership-training schedule, he said he was looking forward to meeting the British members of parliament as well as other persons of stature in the British government.

Travelling: A catalyst for critical thinking

Ralepeli, who was also 3rd overall Kovsie Dux student, underlined that he truly enjoys travelling. He has subsequently mastered the art of constantly positioning himself among the best academically and socially, and this has aided his mission to trot the globe extensively, which he has been doing since his junior years.

A man of value

“I have a small yet select and impactful network of people in my life who play an influential role in reminding me during times of triumph that, while it is important to celebrate, each win is just a step towards the ultimate goal of success,” said Ralepeli. 

He emphasised the importance of the roles played by those close to him, describing them as “my double-edged sword who played a crucial role in carving out the inner Nkahiseng, who, hopefully, will do great things”. The Kovsie Dux believes that those you surround yourself with, channel the kind of energy that will either make or break you.

News Archive

UFS leads the way with GMO testing
2003-08-25

A formal agreement linking Africa’s first testing facility for genetically modified organisms (GMO) to an international organization was signed at the University of the Free State.

According to the manager of the GMO testing facility, Dr Chris Viljoen of the Department of Plant Sciences, the facility is now part of GeneScan, a world leader in food diagnostic testing, which has its headquarters in Germany with subsidiaries in the Unites States, Brazil and Hong Kong.

The facility at the UFS has been selected by the second largest international food company to do all its South African GMO testing for export products.

The GMO testing facility is the brainchild of Dr Viljoen, who is a specialist in the field of marker biotechnology and its applications in crop science.

He says the need for such a testing facility arose due to the international regulations on GMOs in food, especially Europe and Asia that requires South African exporters to certify whether their products contain any GMO.

“The regulations in Europe and Asia reflect a consumer need for choice in what they eat due to concerns over the safety of GMOs, as well as environmental and ethical issues. GMO testing and labelling allow consumers the right of choice to eat genetically modified foods or not. According to EU regulations, any product with a GMO content of 1% or higher is labelled as containing GMO.”

According to Dr Viljoen only four products in South Africa are currently GMO. They are white and yellow maize that have been made insect resistant, soya bean that is herbicide tolerant and insect resistant cotton. He says that the awareness of GMOs among South Africans is still very limited, especially in poorer communities, but it is likely to increase with the efforts being made in consumer education by government, seed companies and NGOs.

The testing facility has been established to accommodate the local as well as international market. The GMO testing at the UFS facility is performed using real time PCR, the most advanced means of GMO detection currently available, and using GeneScan developed technology that is recognized worldwide.
 

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