Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
28 February 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Image SA
Wayde van Niekerk
Former UFS student Wayde van Niekerk, who still runs for the Kovsie Athletics Club, made his comeback after a long injury layoff.

Exactly 16 months and 16 days after seriously injuring his right knee, Wayde van Niekerk, the world and Olympic champion and record-holder in the 400 m, made a successful comeback to the track over the weekend.

His participation in the Free State Championship on Saturday (23 February 2019) was the former Kovsie sprinter’s first competitive race, which ended in a victory for the 26-year-old.

Van Niekerk won the 400 m in a time of 47,28 seconds. The former Marketing student still participates for the University of the Free State (UFS) Athletics Club.

According to his coach, Ans Botha, there is no immediate plans for a next race; this race only formed part of his training. They will be working towards the World Championships in September 2019, where he took gold in the 400 m at the previous two champs in 2017 and 2015. 

The international sprint sensation picked up medial and lateral tears of the meniscus, as well as a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while participating in a celebrity touch-rugby match back in October 2017.

He underwent surgery in the United States, followed by six months of rehabilitation in Doha under the watchful eye of Dr Louis Holtzhausen, well-known sports medicine physician. Holtzhausen was previously the head of the University of the Free State’s Department of Sports and Exercise Medicine.

In second place in the 400 m on Saturday was Cornel Fredericks, a hurdles specialist. Fredericks, gold medallist in the 400 m hurdles at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, is now also training under Botha.

News Archive

UFS meets with Dihlabeng Municipality after the signing of a memorandum
2011-04-20

 
Delegates from the Dihlabeng Municipality and the University of the Free State met to discuss a process to outline the work after a MOU was signed in March of this year.

In March this year, the University of the Free State (UFS) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Dihlabeng Municipality in the Eastern Free State to capacitate the municipality in their mandate to provide quality services to the residents.

At this event, Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, said: “Municipalities need expertise on research and sustainable development. They also need to train their councillors and staff and that's where we come in as the UFS.”

As result of this MOU, a team of about ten delegates from the Dihlabeng Municipality and Business met with a group from the university. The group from the university represented several faculties. At this workshop the delegates discussed school support and research, agricultural and rural development, skills development and financial management.

According to Dr Choice Makhetha, Vice-Rector: External Relations (acting), other areas will be discussed at a workshop that will follow later, after the local government elections.

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