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12 February 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Charl Devenish
Kovsie ACT
The University of the Free State encourages its students to prioritise social awareness through fun and exciting community-engagement activities.

9 February 2019 marked the conclusion of the Kovsie Act programme, which took to a competitive start with the UFS Bloemfontein South College being named as the overall winners of the Kovsie ACT 2019 Eco-vehicle race. West College won the trophy for the drag and slalom races, with the South College taking the trophy for endurance.

The UFS Kovsie Act theme for 2019 was centred around building social awareness and encouraging students to develop and maintain lasting methods of preserving the environment that they live in.

The 2019 group of first-year students enjoyed a fun- and adventure-filled first two weeks (28 January–9 February) of varsity life as they undertook a number of projects and activities that aligned community engagement and service learning in order to invest in and promote overall responsible behaviour and a sustainable environment.

Activities that formed part of the line-up included a tree-and-traffic-signs project that entailed old T-shirts/material being sewn/crocheted together to make different patterns that were fitted around the trees on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus in order to create a beautiful piece of art portraying a message of social awareness.

A canvas painting put together by first-years with assistance from their seniors addressed environmental, crime, gender-based, and other societal issues, and will be placed on the wall at the Thakaneng Bridge at a later stage.

Art sculptures were built to form part of the Eco-vehicle race, and if approved, will be assigned a spot on campus where they can spread the message of awareness and be appreciated by fellow students.  

Kovsie Act, as per norm, succeeded in getting students involved with social-awareness campaigns that are detailed and purposeful, and allowed them to put their time and effort into meaningful projects to aid the development of a sustainable environment.

The day of the Eco-race progressed into a festive one, with members of the Bloemfontein community and students amassing at the Bloemfontein Campus rag farm to enjoy musical performances from industry giants, such as Bittereinder, Busiswa, and Shod Madjozi at the Kovsie Act Music Festival. The audience rumbled in a frenzy, with shouts of enjoyment and gratification as the stage came alive with beautiful performances.

News Archive

“A night of celebration” – Dr Van der Merwe
2016-05-04

Description: “A night of celebration” – Dr Van der Merwe Tags: “A night of celebration” – Dr Van der Merwe

The University of the Free State Faculty of Health Sciences held its annual prize function on 11 April, to celebrate the achievements of its top students from the three schools within the Faculty. Dr Lynette van der Merwe, undergraduate programme director at the School of Medicine, described the night as a celebration of success on many fronts.

The School of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health Professions gave students various awards, medals, and trophies for their academic performance and achievements in 2015.

Students encouraged to seize the day

Professor William Rae, Head of Medical Physics at the School of Medicine, was the occasion’s guest speaker. He encouraged students to use the limited time each one of them has in the world to the best of their abilities by always seizing the day. “As prize winners, be leaders, changers in the world. Seek more, appreciate diversity, and mingle with people different from you; always overflowing with joy,” concluded Prof Rae.

Best overall students

Belinda Meyer received the award for best final-year student in the School of Allied Health Professions. Hailing from Potchefstroom, Meyer obtained her Bachelor in Occupational Therapy degree with distinction, and was nominated as the top achiever of her year.

In the School of Medicine’s undergraduate medical programme, Pieter Jan Louw was recognised as the final-year student with the highest academic achievement in all study years. He went on to receive his degree cum laude.

Michelle Horvath, a BSocSc Nursing student, received an award for being the student who displayed the most professional growth during her training. Her years of study were described as being characterised by perseverance and a sense of duty and professionalism.

And lastly, the trophy for the student with the best results in a first Bachelor’s degree in the Faculty was awarded to Karl Nicholas Sachse, who completed his degree in BMedSc (Radiation Sciences) cum laude. Recognised as one of the top five students in his first, second, and third years of study, Sachse is currently doing his BMedSc Honours in Medical Physics.

The evening carried with it its own special ambiance as achievements were celebrated by students, their families, and staff members from the Faculty.

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