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05 September 2018
Excellent start for Kovsies and Mamburu
Khomotso Mamburu (right on photo) has been the star for the Kovsies in their first two matches of the Varsity Netball Series.

The Kovsie netball team – Khomotso Mamburu in particular – has had an excellent start to Varsity Netball 2018. Mamburu, who plays goal defence and wing defence, became the first Kovsie player in the history of the series to bag two Player of the Match awards consecutively.

The Kovsies won both their opening matches with ease. Their big win over the defending champions, Tuks, by 68-43 in August, was the biggest defeat the Pretoria students have ever suffered in the competition. 

The Kovsie netball team, who are the two-time champions of 2013 and 2014, also earned a bonus-point victory in August when they drubbed the University of Johannesburg by 69-29. The Kovsies are now joint first on the log.

They faced the Vaal University of Technology in the Callie Human Centre this past Sunday, followed by a meeting against the University of the Western Cape on Monday afternoon.

Khomotso, an LLB Law student who was voted Player of the Varsity Series last year, has received three Player of the Match awards, which is just one less than the Kovsie record of four held by Karla Pretorius, playing for the team from 2013 to 2015. 

Meanwhile Karla, a postgraduate student, is making huge strides overseas. Her club, Sunshine Coast Lightning, won the Australian league for a second consecutive year on Sunday. She was named in the Team of the Tournament as goal defence. Karla finished the tournament with 50 incepts, which were the most in the tournament. 

News Archive

Compassion improves psychological well-being and reduces emotional distress
2017-09-27

Description: TEDxUFS   Tags: TEDxUFS

Participants in the Kindness Project sharing a
Random Act of Kindness with the cleaning staff,
Mathabiso Sehlabaka and Madineo Mokoena.
Photo: Thabo Kessah

Various studies have reported that the cultivation and practice of compassion may result in improved self-esteem, a decrease in depression and anxiety, increase in subjective well-being, and overall improvement in physical and psychological health. This is according to Counselling Psychologist, Tobias van den Bergh, during the Kindness Project (KP) on the Qwaqwa Campus.

“Students that are involved in this project have shown statistically significant improvements in overall well-being and compassion towards themselves and others,” said Van den Bergh, the project leader and Head of Department: Student Counselling and Development, Qwaqwa Campus.

“In addition, student participants of the compassion-based intervention showed a decrease in their experience of debilitating emotions and depressive symptoms, as well as a significant increase in measurements of positive affect (an indication of life vitality), self-compassion, and well-being. Humans appear to be genetically programmed to be kind. Studies have shown that the same brain structures that are activated when we procreate (i.e. have sex) or eat chocolates, are activated when we are kind. Thus, it means showing an instinctive predisposition towards compassion for our kin and others. Kindness also appears to be contagious. Whenever we observe kindness or experience kindness ourselves, we are much more likely to be compassionate towards our fellow human beings,” he said.

The KP is based on the Science of Compassion, with participants completing a four-week compassion-based intervention where they learned about and practised self-compassion and compassion towards others. In the last week of the programme, participants completed various Random Acts of Kindness off and on the campus.

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