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25 February 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer
Tharina van der Walt
The hammer thrower Tharina van der Walt is one of several first-class athletes among the first-year students at Kovsies this year. She is the South African U18 champ and record-holder in 2018.
Several top athletes, some of whom were the very best in the country in their respective events at school, have joined Kovsies as first-year students. They already had their first taste of glory as Kovsies when they recently won their events at the first-year meeting.
 
Among these first-years are Jannes Schlebusch (javelin thrower), Joviale Mbisha (sprinter), Colette Uys (discus/shot-put), and Tharina van der Walt (hammer thrower), who have all represented South Africa in the past two years.
 
Schlebusch won the silver medal at the World U18 championships in 2017, but was injured last year. Great things were expected for 2019, but during the first-year meeting he injured his ankle to such an extent that he will have to undergo an operation that would put him on the sideline for the rest of the season.
 
Van der Walt was the South African schools champ in the hammer throw for girls U19 in 2018, when she managed to set up a new school record of 57,83 m. She was ranked fourth at the World U18 champs in 2017. At the same meeting, Mbisha ended 14th in the 100 m.
 
Uys, who participated in the CAA Southern Region Youth and Junior Championships last year, achieved a second place in the discus at the 2018 National Secondary Schools Championships for girls U19. Other first-years who took part in the SA’s last year, are Vicky Oelofse (1 500 m) and Michael Skosana (long jump).
 
They will strengthen Kovsie Athletics, which already boasts a large group of athletes with international experience. Of the 16 athletes who participated internationally last year, only Kesa Molotsane and Lara Orrock will not be in action for the students again.
 
■ Imperium Residence won the men’s division and Arista/Amelia were the ladies’ winners.
 

News Archive

MSc student plans to FEED our hungry planet
2015-01-27

Photo: Hannes Pieterse

Since attending the 2014 Youth Ag-Summit in Canada, Lisa Coetzee – an MSc student in Plant Pathology in the Department of Plant Sciences at our university – developed a plan to address hunger:

FEED – Forum of Education, Empowerment and Development.

Coetzee, together with a junior lecturer at Plant Sciences, Marguerite Westcott, started this student association to tackle the issue of food insecurity head-on.

Education, empowerment and development “are keywords vital to the solutions to poverty. Hunger is an issue which is found in our own homes. One in every four South Africans is food insecure. Hunger kills more people every year than Aids, malaria and TB combined,” says Coetzee.

“This forum allows awareness to be raised about the hunger situation locally and globally. FEED is talking about hunger and it is assisting in reducing it by reaching out to communities which are in need.

“FEED is the generation which is going to make a difference in eradicating hunger,” Coetzee continues. “We want students to think about how they can feed the hungry through what they are studying”. For Coetzee it is a high priority to ensure that the youth are aware of the importance to feed our hungry planet in a sustainable way.

Her philosophy on relieving hunger and increasing food safety is to enhance the efficiency of crop production, ensure crop security and reduce mycotoxins in the food we eat.

During the 2014 summit, Coetzee was elected to represent the African delegates on the Youth Ag Summit Committee. Ever since, she has been enthusiastically active in the agricultural community. As 43% of the globe’s farmers are women, Coetzee also feels she acts as a voice for female farmers in South Africa.

An important lesson Coetzee has learned is that there is power in one person to make a change – that we should start small but think big.

If you would like to get involved in this project, contact Lisa Coetzee on +27(0)51 401 9681 or email coetzeela@ufs.ac.za.

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