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13 December 2019 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
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David Shikoyeni received a master’s degree in Town and Regional Planning during the UFS December Graduation Ceremonies. He was inspired to study at the UFS after he experienced the competency of UFS graduates he worked with.

Amid hardship and difficulty, David Shikoyeni received his master’s degree in Town and Regional Planning. It was awarded to him at the December Graduation Ceremony of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) on 11 December 2019. 

Shikoyeni, who completed his undergraduate studies at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, had the opportunity to work with several town planners who graduated from the UFS. He was inspired by their competence, which motivated him to apply for his postgraduate studies at the UFS Department of Urban and Regional Planning.

At the time (2013) when he applied for an Honours Degree in Town and Regional Planning, Shikoyeni was working for the Walvis Bay Municipality in Namibia.

Persisting and the will to overcome

He describes the start of his UFS journey: “After a 26-hour bus ride, I arrived at the UFS for the first contact session of my honours studies. It was expensive, since I did not secure any study loans or bursaries and I had to stay in a hotel for the duration of the block classes.”

He continues: “And studying was boring since I did not study for a while. The pressure of school, work, and family life was too much to handle.”

Shikoyeni, however, believed in himself and knew that he had a goal to achieve. Seeing what he was capable of, Shikoyeni persisted and proceeded to a master’s in Town and Regional Planning. 

The impact of mining on small towns

In addition to his recent qualification, Shikoyeni believes that the UFS has equipped him with research skills. For his master’s dissertation he researched the topic: The impact of mining on the land use and planning of a small town: the case of Karibib, Erongo Region, Namibia.

Shikoyeni explains: “Mining has both positive and negative effects on land use as well as on the development of most of the small towns.”

The study was conducted in Karibib due to the town’s rich mineral resources. The area is dominated by mining activities, including gold, lithium, and marble. Development is largely dependent on the mining staff and the mines’ land use demand. As a result of consistency of the gold price and the newly opened lithium mine, the population in the area is still increasing. 

Shikoyeni found that although there are employment opportunities in Karibib, people are faced with challenges regarding property values, employment opportunities, economic growth, unaffordable housing, an increase in informal housing, and pressure on existing services.

Contributors to Shikoyeni’s study indicate that mining regions are undergoing land-use change processes that are different from what might have been expected in the absence of high-quality mineral deposits and, as such, they should be managed differently. Knowing how to do this requires a general understanding of land-use change processes that occur in these regions. 

“To prevent another ghost town, Karibib must be attractive to investors. It needs industries to generate income, transport services, trade, educational facilities, and health services. 

Shikoyeni states that most of these requirements are provided partially or entirely by local providers. “This is the role that diversification plays. Local authorities should not prescribe but encourage investors to take up such activities. They should promote all attempts to ‘go local’.

“If the government, be it at local or regional level, cannot encourage the growth of a tax-paying population, it has failed in its purpose,” Shikoyeni concludes.

News Archive

An incident-free recess for the UFS
2010-07-19

The improved security measures at the University of the Free State (UFS) have resulted in an incident-free recess on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the annual Volksblad Arts Festival.

The UFS provided accommodation for international spectators visiting the country for the World Cup and recently also hosted the hugely popular Volksblad Arts Festival without any security glitches.

These successes could be attributed to the hard work of staff members from various divisions at the UFS to ensure that the security was improved.

“The main question we had to deal with was: should our Main Campus be fenced off? This matter had been under discussion for quite some time. In order to ensure the feasibility thereof, a second impact study was done by a consulting engineer,” said Prof. Niel Viljoen, Vice-Rector: Operations at the UFS.

“This study has shown that, given the nature of activities on the campus and the access configuration, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to effectively control access to the campus, especially as far as visitors were concerned. Any type of access control measure would result in delays at the gates, which could have a major impact on the traffic flow, delays, costs and emissions.”

“It is important that our staff and students feel safe on the Main Campus, whether they are walking on campus or working in their offices. In that way we can ensure an environment that is conducive to staff and students to work and study,” he said.

Various measures are being implemented to make the campuses safer. These include, among others:

  • The installation of alarms in buildings on the Main Campus. The project for the South Campus has been completed and the installation of a new alarm system on the Qwaqwa Campus will start soon.

     
  • Staff and students will be required to wear identification cards once the new identification system has been put in place. These cards will allow access to all buildings.

     
  • Fences around the Main Campus are being repaired and the areas around these fences are being cleaned. This project should be completed by August 2010.

     
  • Lights will be installed in badly lit areas on the Main Campus. The first phase of this project includes the area between the Mooimeisiesfontein, Welwitschia and Vergeet-my-nie residences. This project will also be completed by August 2010.

     
  • The walkways on the Main Campus will be patrolled more frequently and effectively.

     
  • Contracted security workers will be utilised more effectively.

     
  • The monitoring of security cameras on the Main Campus on a 24/7 basis. “For this purpose the security room of our Protection Services is in the process of being upgraded,” said Prof. Viljoen.

The possibility of placing security cameras and panic buttons in parking areas and walkways is investigated.

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za  
16 July 2010

 

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