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14 September 2018
Honouring great African leadership
Celebrating the legacy and leadership of the founder of the Basotho nation. From left are: Prof Itumeleng Mosala, Prof Puleng LenkaBula and Prof Francis Petersen, who attended the Moshoeshoe 1 memorial lecture delivered by Prof Mosala.
Prof Itumeleng Mosala, author, academic, public intellectual, researcher and business consultant, delivered the fourth King Moshoeshoe memorial lecture at the University of the Free State (UFS), Bloemfontein Campus. The lecture attracted audiences from as far as Lesotho including representatives of the Bakoena royal house. Ralechate Mokose, the High Commissioner of Lesotho also graced the lecture with his presence.

The King Moshoeshoe 1 memorial lectures are organised by the Department of Community Engagement and form part of the initiative to demonstrate the university’s commitment to transformation.

An example for global leadership

“I believe that throughout his reign, King Moshoeshoe demonstrated the power of ethical leadership. Not only as a model for African leadership but surely providing an example for leadership globally,” said Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, in his welcoming message. He added that it was an integral part of the university’s mission to produce and disseminate knowledge on African affairs as well as to preserve the heritage and history of the country and the continent.

Leadership in times of battle

The keynote address by Prof Mosala was inspired by an article titled; 8 Facts about King Moshoeshoe I: The Razor of Southern Africa by Bill Humphrey. In his lecture, Prof Mosala focused on King Moshoeshoe’s leadership skills and resilience in battles. “King Moshoeshoe never lost a major battle. He was able to withstand insults and assaults but where there was no major battle, he would decide to retreat,” Prof Mosala said.
 
Drawing from King Moshoeshoe’s leadership, he said it was important for leaders to have the wisdom to allow insignificant battles to pass and focus the energy on winning major battles. Prof Mosala emphasised that King Moshoeshoe defended the land and built the Basotho nation. Leaders today need to learn such leadership qualities from this great Basotho king.

Prof Puleng LenkaBula, Vice-Rector: Institutional Change, Student Affairs and Community Engagement said in her closing remarks that the youth needed to draw from King Moshoeshoe’s ethical leadership, generous hospitality and understanding of coexistence.

Read full speech here

News Archive

Gauteng business community experiences UFS
2010-09-23

Prof. Matie Hoffman from the Department of Physics of the UFS, presenting at the Boyden Observatory to a group of business executives from Gauteng, during their recent visit to the university.
Photo: Gerhard Louw

The University of the Free State’s (UFS) Corporate Liaison Office recently hosted a group of eleven business men and women from the private sector in Gauteng on its Main Campus in Bloemfontein. The purpose of the campus visits, which are held two to three times a year, is to give representatives from the corporate sector the opportunity to get to know the UFS first-hand and to help build the brand of the university as a national asset.

During their visit the group of business men and women, amongst others, met with faculty members, they enjoyed a networking session with UFS staff at the Oliewenhuis Art Museum, visited the Unit for Students with Disabilities as well as the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health.

The day ended at the Boyden Observatory where a feedback session was facilitated by Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, and Prof. Ezekiel Moraka, Vice-Rector: External Relations. After this opportunity where the visitors discussed their experience of the UFS, the day came to an end with a presentation on: The African skies: Stories and science by a Ph.D. candidate from the Department of Physics, Mr Bosco Oruru. One of the highlights of the evening included a sighting of the Hubble Telescope in the sky over Bloemfontein and observing the moon and Venus through one of the Boyden telescopes.

The visitors left with new insights and a great appreciation for the contribution of the UFS to education, research and community service in South Africa.

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