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27 December 2019
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Story Ruan Bruwer
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Photo Supplied
Tanya Britz (left) and Liné Malan, former Kovsie and Protea teammates who are now both playing club hockey in Perth.
“Kovsies shaped me into the player I am now.” Two former UFS hockey players plying their trade abroad, attribute the opportunity for them to play in Australia to the foundation laid at the UFS.
Australia is one of the leading hockey countries in the world.
Tanya Britz and Liné Malan, former Kovsie teammates and both former Protea players (Britz reached over 50 test caps), are both playing club hockey in Australia. Malan represents the Hale Hockey Club and Britz the Aquinas Hockey Club in the Perth Premier Hockey League.
Between October and November, Malan also played for the Western Australian team, the Perth Thundersticks, in the professional league called Hockey1. It is Malan’s third season in Australia and Britz has been playing there for four years.
Kovsies a close-knit family
“I grew so much as a player at Kovsies, which shaped me into the player I am now,” said Malan, a former UFS captain. She and Britz were key members of the team that reached the Varsity Hockey final in 2015. The team did not lose once in the run-up to that final.
“The UFS is such a close-knit family setting, which gave me many opportunities to receive a lot of individual attention as a player and also opportunities to play in big tournaments. This all played a part in reaching my goals, representing my country, and ultimately ending up in Australia. I am very grateful,” said Britz.
Got to face each other in 2019
After playing in the lower division the past few seasons, Britz’s team was promoted to the Premier division, which meant that she and Malan faced each other (twice) in 2019.
“The standard is very high, the Australian players are drafted evenly into each club team to strengthen the team,” said Malan.
If not playing hockey, Britz is a hockey umpire, studying Marketing and Communication, and working in the same field.
UFS academic leaves for national parliament
2009-05-28
The Head of the Department of Afro-asiatic Studies, Sign Language and Language Practice at the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof Annelie Lotriet (pictured), is leaving the university at the end of this month.
Prof Lotriet has been seconded to the national parliament as a member of the Democratic Alliance’s shadow cabinet responsible for arts and culture.
“I am very sad to go because I think I am leaving the university at a point where there are many changes coming and I think we are going to go into a very interesting and challenging time at this university with our new rector taking office one of these days,” she said.
“On that point I am actually sad that I am not going to be here to experience it because I think the university has all the potential to become one of the main role players in higher education in South Africa and, obviously, I will be watching it with interest.”
Prof Lotriet has worked for the UFS for 25 years and regards language and multilingualism as her passion. She reflected on her major achievement: “I think what still stands out for me was the fact that we ran the interpreting service for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and that made an indelible impact on my life. We were involved in it right from the start to the end. We really put interpreting on the map.”
Mr Philemon Akach, a senior lecturer in the department, will act in her position until the end of the year.
“I have full confidence in him,” she said. “He is a world-renowned expert in interpreting and sign language, so I think the department is in good hands.”
Media Release:
Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za
28 May 2009