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27 September 2018
KovsieSport crowns their best
The University of the Free State honoured their best sports achievers on Wednesday night. The major winners are, from the left: Tyler Beling (best junior sportswoman), Raynard van Tonder (best sportsman),Lynique Beneke (best senior sportswoman), and Rynardt van Rensburg (best senior sportsman).
The athletes Rynardt van Rensburg and Lynique Beneke walked away with the two major awards at the KovsieSport honours function on Wednesday 26 August 2018.

The two were announced as the Kovsie Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year. Both of them represented South Africa at international level in the past 12 months and were the national student champions in their items.

Van Renburg’s major achievement was the 1:45.15 he ran in the 800 m at the Hengelo World Challenge meeting, which is the 32nd fastest time in the world in 2018 and also his personal best. Beneke, among others, earned a bronze medal at the African Senior Championships in the long jump and won the item at the National track and field championships for a sixth consecutive year.

Tyler Beling, another athlete (middle distance), was named the Junior Sportswoman of the Year while cricketer Raynard van Tonder was the best Junior Sportsman. Van Tonder captained the South African team to the U19 Cricket World Cup, where he scored the third most runs at an average of 69.6. Beling is the country’s best junior in the 1 500 m.

Juanelie Meijer, Louzanne Coetzee (athletics), and Johann van Heerden (swimming) received special awards for their achievements as athletes with a disability.

Other nominees on the night were:

Senior Sportsman of the Year: Ox Nche (rugby).

Senior Sportswoman of the Year: Kesa Molotsane, Ts’epang Sello, Yolandi Stander (all athletics), Khanyisa Chawane, and Meagan Roux (both netball).

Junior Sportsman of the Year: Pakiso Mthembu (athletics), Lubabalo Dobela, and Rewan Kruger (both rugby).

Junior Sportswoman of the Year: Casey-Jean Botha (hockey) and Michaéla Wright (athletics).

News Archive

Renowned forensic scientist speaks at the UFS
2014-04-02


Forensic science is about the truth. At the presentation delivered by Dr David Klatzow, were, from the left: Tinus Viljoen, lecturer in Forensic Genetics, Dr Klatzow and Laura Heathfield, also a lecturer in Forensic Genetics.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs 

It is necessary for more research to be done in the field of forensic science in South Africa. This is according to Dr David Klatzow, well-known forensic scientist, during a lecture delivered at the University of the Free State (UFS) last week.

The university is offering, for the first time this year, a BSc degree in Forensic Science in the Department of Genetics. This three-year degree is, among others, directed at people working for the South African Police Service on crime scenes and on criminal cases in forensic laboratories. Students can also study up to PhD level, specialising in various forensic fields.

There is no accredited forensic laboratory in South Africa. “It is time to look differently at forensic science, and to deliver research papers on the subject. In light of the manner in which science is applied, we have to look differently at everything,” Dr Klatzow said.

Dr Klatzow praised the university for its chemistry-based course. “Chemistry is a strong basis for forensic science,” he said.

A paradigm shift in terms of forensic science is needed. Micro scratches on bullets, fingerprints, DNA, bite marks – all of these are forensic evidence that in the past led to people being wrongfully hanged. This evidence is not necessarily the alpha and omega of forensic science today. DNA, which seems to be the golden rule, can produce problems in itself. Because a person leaves DNA in his fingerprint, it is possible that DNA is transferred from one crime scene to another by forensic experts dusting for fingerprints. According to Dr Klatzow, this is only one of the problems that could be experienced with DNA evidence.

“No single set of forensic evidence is 100% effective or without problems. Rather approach the crime scene through a combination of evidence, by collecting fingerprints, DNA, etc. It is also very important to look at the context in which the events happened.

“A person sees what he expects to see. This causes huge problems in terms of forensic science. For example, if a criminal fits the profile of the perpetrator, it doesn’t follow that this specific criminal is the culprit. It isn’t what we don’t know that gives us trouble, it’s what we know that isn’t so,” Dr Klatzow said.

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