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02 August 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba
Red Square Upgrade artist impression
Eco-friendly measures will ensure better water management at the University of the Free State.

The first phase of an exciting environmentally focused project to upgrade Red Square between the Johannes Brill Building and the H van der Merwe Scholtz Hall on the Bloemfontein Campus is currently underway.

The project forms part of the water-wise and grey-water initiative of the University of the Free State (UFS) implemented in 2018 in response to climate change and drought conditions in the Free State, and to save water in alignment with global standards of environmental efficiency.

Out with the old, in with the new

Modern architecture will be used at Red Square to project the image of a campus that cares for the environment and believes in sustainable solutions. Phases 1, 2, and 4 of the upgrade will be dealt with during the current project. This will take approximately three months to complete, with the remaining phases to follow. 

The initiative also entails the upgrading of areas with crucial focal points that have a visible impact, such as the traffic circles at the George du Toit and Francois Retief buildings. Vegetation such as artificial grass, stones and drought-resistant plants will be the new signature look for these and other areas. 

Going green 
 

More than 100 indigenous trees will be planted as part of the initiative. This will ensure that all available water sources are used for consumption and for maintaining a healthy ecological footprint.
 
Red Square

News Archive

Kovsie alumni honoured
2012-09-10

Mr Mickey Gordon, Head of Marketing at the UFS, with Jaco Loubser (right), Kovsie Alumnus of the Year.
Photo: Dries Myburg
10 September 2012
 

Jaco Loubser, the producer of television programmes such as Shoreline on SABC and Groen, Roer and MK Kampus on kykNET has been named as the Kovsie Alumnus of the Year by the University of the Free State (UFS). Loubser and five other Kovsie alumni were honoured for outstanding achievements and contributions at the Kovsie Alumni Awards held on the Bloemfontein Campus.

Jaco, who obtained a master’s degree in Zoology from the UFS, received the award for outstanding achievements on national and international level for his contribution to and development of the South African film and television industry.

Prof. Stephen Brown, Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health and Prof. Hennie Theron, Associate Professor in the Department of Cardiology, received the Cum Laude Award for exceptional service for a specific profession. Profs. Brown and Theron were recognised as pioneers in the development and application of medical technology, as well as for their pioneering work in paediatric care.

The Kovsie Alumni Awards for outstanding service to the UFS was also shared by two people, namely Prof. Hendri Kroukamp, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, and Advocate Wessels Oosthuizen, Director of the Centre for Financial Planning Law at the UFS. The Kovsie Ambassador’s Award went to Prof. Matie Hoffman, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics.

Jaco thanked Prof. Hoffman in his speech and said it was good to share the stage with one of his former lecturers. Jaco, who has received numerous awards for his television programmes, said the Kovsie Alumni Award was unexpected and it was a great honour to receive it from his alma mater.
 

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