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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

SA and Indonesia strengthen educational ties
2016-05-19

Description: Embassy of Indonesia Tags: Embassy of Indonesia

From the left were Prof Hussein Solomon, Senior Professor at the Department of Political Studies and Governance; Professor Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, Research Professor of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences; Suprapto Martosetomo, ambassador of the Embassy of Indonesia to South Africa; and Prof Theodor Neethling, Head of the Department of Political Studies and Governance.
Photo: Johan Roux

“Indonesia and South Africa share one common trait which is diversity,” were the opening remarks of Suprapto Martosetomo, ambassador of the Embassy of Indonesia to South Africa. The ambassador drew parallels between the two republics at a public lecture hosted by the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the University of the Free State Bloemfontein Campus on 10 May 2016.

Professor Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, Research Professor in the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, presented the lecture on “Managing Political Diversities: The Indonesian Experience.” He outlined the history of Indonesia’s political and economic development, political system, and government’s policy in dealing with political and economic challenges, as well as the lessons learned from its experience.

Diversity and governance
As is South Africa, Indonesia is a ‘rainbow nation’. Being the largest country in the Southeast Asia, it boasts a population of approximately 250 million people, 300 ethnic groups, and 650 local languages. However, despite such diversity, the nation has been united behind the motto of “unity in diversity”, which was adopted when Indonesia proclaimed its independence in 1945.

Indonesia and SA also bear similarities in terms of a multiparty parliamentary system. Their current Joko Widodo and our Jacob Zuma administrations are governed by policies including anti-corruption, economic prosperity, equity and equality, quality education and healthcare, and maintenance of security.

International relations
The two countries have a long-standing relationship since 1955 when the Asia-Africa conference was held in Bandung, Indonesia. The conference represented solidarity against colonisation.

Prof Hussein Solomon, Senior Professor at the UFS Department of Political Studies and Governance, attributes Indonesia’s success as a product of education and leadership - something South Africa could learn from..“Indonesia like SA has been struggling with how to balance social diversity, democracy, and a political system. Despite this, they have managed to develop a functioning democracy and a vibrant economy. They are one of the top 20 economies in the world, and by the year 2035 will be in the top seven economies in the world, according to the Goldman Sachs, report,” he said.

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