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Four universities to walk 200 000 km in ten weeks

12 April 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Charl Devenish

“May the best team win the 2019 BestMed Pedometer Challenge!” said LJ van Zyl, Pedometer Challenge ambassador.

Participants in the 2019 BestMed Pedometer Challenge will start improving their health step by step after the University of the Free State (UFS) challenged the Stellenbosch University, Central University of Technology, and North-West University (NWU) to an eight-week walking competition.

South African 400-metre hurdles record-holder and the Pedometer Challenge ambassador, LJ van Zyl, embraced the initiative as an alternative method to achieve fitness. “I am so tired of running and this is great way to stay fit,” he said during the official launch on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus on 5 April 2019.

Inter-institutional fight for fitness

Last year, the UFS Division for Organisational Development and Employment Wellness in the Department of Human Resources led a UFS-only challenge that saw 60 teams of staff members log a total of 54 606 km in eight weeks. The division then challenged the NWU.

Together, the NWU and UFS walked 132 000 km. This year, the UFS is taking it one step further by challenging two more institutions.

Leading the way

“We aim to get South Africa active – starting with the UFS – by embracing fitness and health ourselves,” said Arina Engelbrecht, UFS Employee Wellness Specialist.

Participants on all fitness and activity levels will gun for a 200 000 km target over 10 weeks.

The challenge kicked off on the Bloemfontein Campus with a 3-km walk at the launch, leaving 199 997 km between the four universities for the rest of the eight-week challenge.

News Archive

SRC elections continue despite illegal protests on UFS Main Campus

2011-08-17

After today’s (17 August 2011) illegal protest by about 150 demonstrators from outside the university in front of the Main Building on our Bloemfontein Campus, Mr Rudi Buys, Dean: Student Affairs, said the elections for a Representative Student Council still continues. “Student Council candidates will continue with their campaign and, as agreed, no external politics will be allowed in the elections.”

Student leaders have expressed their frustration with the outside groups who interfere with processes on campus.

The UFS was the target of a group of people from outside the university who protested in front of the Main Building. The group, armed with sticks and bricks, had no clear demands other than that the UFS Council should be dissolved and management fired. It appears that some of the outsiders – from places such as Welkom and Kroonstad – did not know what they came to do at the university.

No students were involved in the protest action.

During the demonstration, the police and campus security were deployed and some of the demonstrators were arrested.

Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector said: “The UFS is worried about the thuggish behaviour by outside groups invading the university campus. An urgent interdict has been obtained and any further invasions by outside groups will lead to arrest.”

The illegal process had no impact on the academic programme at the university. Everything continues as normal.

Media Release
17 August 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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