Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Months
February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
20 December 2019 | Story Charlene Stanley | Photo Anja Aucamp
Sprouting Hope
Shadei Lepholletse, BSc Genetics and Physiology; Masabata Sebusi, BCom Accounting; and Tumelo Zondi, BCom Entrepreneurial Management; three of the directors of Sprout Africa, an agriculture and agri-processing company - the perceived potential of which has earned them each a place on the list of News24’s 100 Young Mandelas of the Future.

Enactus, 100 Young Mandelas of the Future, Sprout Africa, Masabata Sebusi, Shadei Lepholletse, Tumelo Zondi, and Farai Mzungu

Kovsie students’ innovative agri-processing venture is paying off. Two years ago, a seed of resolve was planted in four young UFS women. They entered the Enactus National Competition for entrepreneurship projects –and came stone last.

But instead of giving up, they re-grouped, re-evaluated their priorities, and came up with an innovative agri-processing community-upliftment concept that has earned each of them a place on News24’s list of 100 Young Mandelas of the Future.

“We asked ourselves what the big businesses out there were looking for when it came to community development. At that stage, we focused on arts and crafts and recycling. But we realised the need was for projects providing solutions around food insecurity, water management, and sustainable development,” explains Masabata Sebusi, final-year BCom Accounting student.

Masabata and her three partners, Shadei Lepholletse, Tumelo Zondi, and Farai Mzungu, are all studying in different fields. They pooled their diverse insights, knowledge, and perspectives. And Sprout Africa was born.

The company’s aim is to give people in rural communities training in modern farming techniques, equipping them with basic business skills and helping them to find an outlet for their produce. As part of the process, the women approached potential business partners – from local supermarkets to big commercial companies – to negotiate on behalf of the farmers.

This time, they seem to have struck the right nerve. Having won various grants while the concept as still an Enactus project, they have since registered Sprout Africa as a company. Various stakeholders have already shown interest to partner with them.

Their main advice to fellow entrepreneurs: Think outside the box, find innovative ways to solve problems, learn from the communities you serve, and collaborate with people who have different skills from you.

Except for Farai, who graduated earlier this year, all of them are in their final year of study. Next year, they won’t be job hunting like other new graduates. They’ll simply be stepping full time into their innovative enterprise.

An enterprise that promises to keep on sprouting and growing. And hopefully produce seeds of inspiration for other students to pick up.

News Archive

Record number of students to graduate at UFS
2017-06-19

Description: Day 2 Mid-year Graduation Bloemfontein Campus Tags: Day 2 Mid-year Graduation Bloemfontein Campus

Eleven graduation ceremonies will form part of the
mid-year graduation ceremonies at the
University of the Free State.
Photo: Charl Devenish

Livestream of Graduation Ceremonies

Six days, eleven ceremonies, and more than 5 000 degrees. This all forms part of what is the biggest set of graduation ceremonies in the history of the University of the Free State (UFS).

The mid-year graduation ceremonies, taking place from 19 to 26 June 2017 in the Callie Human Centre on the Bloemfontein Campus, will see the most students graduate during a week. A total of 5 258 degrees, which includes 460 master’s and doctoral degrees, will be conferred – including 72 doctoral degrees.

First graduation ceremonies for Prof Petersen
It will also be the first ceremonies that Prof Francis Petersen, new Rector and Vice-Chancellor, attends on the Bloemfontein Campus. Students from all seven faculties, as well as the South Campus, will graduate.

Graduates per faculty are (without master’s and doctoral degrees): Faculty of Education (488), Faculty of Health Sciences (345), Faculty of Theology (29), Faculty of Law (686), Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (1 029), Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (1 044), Faculty of the Humanities (826), and the South Campus (354).

Guest speakers include three judges
Guest speakers for the ceremonies include Dipiloane Phutsisi, Principal and Chief Executive Officer of the Motheo TVET College in the Free State, Dr Susan Vosloo, UFS Council member and founder member of the World Society for Paediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery, and Prof Petersen.

Three judges will also act as speakers. They are Justice Ian van der Merwe, Judge of Appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal and former Chair of the UFS Council, Justice Mahube Molemela, Judge President of the Free State Division of the High Court and Acting Justice of the Supreme Court of South Africa, and Justice Connie Mocumie, Judge of Appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Graduations ceremonies:

19 June 2017:
09:00: Faculty of Education, except educational qualifications in Open Distance Learning –  South Campus
14:30: Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Theology and Faculty of Law (including the School of Financial Planning Law)

20 June 2017:
09:00: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences: All Bachelor’s degrees
14:30: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences: All Diplomas and Bachelor Honours degrees

21 June 2017:
09:00: Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences: All Certificates, Diplomas, Bachelor’s degrees and Bachelor Honours degrees, excluding BCom degrees
14:30: Faculty of the Humanities: Social Sciences and Communication Sciences only

22 June 2017:
09:00: Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences: BCom degrees only
14:30: Faculty of the Humanities: All qualifications except Social Sciences and Communication Sciences

23 June 2017:
14:30: Educational qualifications in Open Distance Learning – South Campus

26 June 2017:
09:00: All faculties except the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences: Master’s and Doctoral degrees
14:30: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences: Master’s and Doctoral degrees


Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept