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17 January 2019 | Story Mamosa Makaya | Photo Xolisa Mnukwa
Nkahiseng
Nkahiseng Ralepeli will join the Rhodes Scholarship cohort of 2019.

Aspiring lawyer and political prodigy, Nkahiseng Ralepeli, will soon join a cohort of Rhodes Scholarship recipients at the University of Oxford in the UK later this year. He completed his LLB at the University of the Free State (UFS) in 2018, and it comes as no surprise that this young achiever has his eyes set on greater heights.

As a student, Nkahiseng was always a cut above the rest, with his involvement in non-governmental organisations such as Corruption Watch and Debate Afrika, where he used debating to not only educate youth in South Africa but to engage various social ills that plague the country in whichever way he could. He represented the UFS at various debating tournaments such as the Pan-African Universities Debating Championships and the World Universities Debating Championships.

“This is something I’ve wanted for an incredibly long time. Receiving this scholarship is so important, and makes me feel that all my efforts and work have been validated. What I’ve learned is that regardless of the situation you’re born into, rich or poor, hard work is rewarded. I hope this experience will help me realise my dreams and career goals, but most importantly I want to have a significant impact in whatever space I find myself in and on the people I encounter,” said Nkahiseng.

As an Abe Bailey Bursary recipient, he is deeply interested in the transformation of African political theory and the establishment of various structures in the development and maintenance of African ‘infant’ democracies and post-civil wars. He later hopes to pursue a career in South African politics. His list of achievements keeps getting longer as he adds to it the Rhodes Scholarship. The UFS is truly proud to have an alumnus of this high calibre.

News Archive

UFS Department of Architecture Building receives SAIA Award
2014-08-21

 
The South African Institute of Architects (SAIA) conferred a national merit award on renovations and additions to the DHET UFS Department of Architecture Building. The UFS is very proud of this award.

The building, which was completed in 2012, was designed by Typology Architects' director, Henry Pretorius. Pretorius is also the Head of the Department of Architecture at the UFS.

“The merit award by the South African Institute of Architects, which was presented on 1 August 2014 at the International 2014 UIA congress (held for the first time in South Africa), is a great honour. Not only does the award recognise my work as an architect, it also brings back a certain degree of pride to the Free State and especially the UFS’s Department of Architecture,” says Pretorius.

The SAIA Awards Programme runs over two years to coincide with the presidential term of office, starting with the Regional Awards for Architecture during the preceding year.

A total of forty-nine (49) entries for varying buildings were received from the regions. The project range included residential projects, new public buildings, restoration of heritage projects and an academic research project.

From these submissions, fourteen (14) projects received merit awards, of which eight (8) projects received excellence awards.

The adjudication panel comprised:
• Sandile Ngonyama: SAIA President
• Paul Kotze: Architect, planner and academic from WITS
• Malcolm Campbell: Architect from ACG Architects in Cape Town
• Annemarie Meintjies: Deputy editor of VISI magazine, representing a prominent member of the public
• Peter Kidger: representative of Corobrik, sponsor of the awards. 

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