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22 July 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Allan McKenzie
Karla Pretorius
Karla Pretorius (left) receiving the trophy as the Player of the Tournament at the Netball World Cup.
Karla Pretorius downplayed all the praise and rather credited her team after she received the biggest accolade in world netball.

The former netball player of the University of the Free State was named Player of the Tournament after the conclusion of the Netball World Cup on Sunday 21 July 2019, making her officially the world’s best netballer.

“I feel very honoured and grateful to have been named the best player. You are only as good as those you surround yourself with. So, a massive thanks to the team who did so well,” she said about the Proteas who had their best showing at the tournament in 24 years. They finished fourth. 

“This good run was obviously what inspired me to play as well as I did, and I am grateful to have been given this very special award,” Pretorius said. 

‘Carried herself with huge distinction’

She represented and later captained the Kovsies between 2009 and 2015. During that time, she scooped one award after the other. In 2014 and 2015, she was the Varsity Player of the Year.

Pretorius was twice named as the Player of the Match during the World Cup, and her 20 intercepts were the joint third most.

She completed her master’s in Dietetics at the UFS last year (2018) and is now playing professional netball in Australia.

According to the organisers, the Player of the Tournament celebrates “the outstanding performance of one particular player who, more than anyone else, exemplified her country’s desire to put themselves back among the elite of world netball”. 
“The fact that South Africa reached the final four for the first time since 1995, is in no small way thanks to her impeccable reading of the game, timing, and composure. She has carried herself both on and off court with huge distinction, and has rightly claimed this honour,” they said.

News Archive

UFS launches a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Observatory, first of its kind in South Africa
2013-12-04

In cooperation with its partners, the Centre for Development Support at the University of the Free State (UFS), launched the SME Observatory at a function on the Bloemfontein Campus. This initiative is the first of its kind in South Africa. 
 
According to Willem Ellis, Director of the Centre for Development Support, this is a public-private partnership between the UFS, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (detea), which aims to gather information for research on small and medium enterprises. “With this research we will endeavour to empower policy formulators to make the right decisions in terms of development on a local, provincial and national level,” Ellis said. 
 
Presentations and the panel discussion at the launch covered topics such as: 
  • How many enterprises can survive in a town?
  • Are entrepreneurs being set up for failure? 
  • Is SMEs the answer to the unemployment question? 
  • The cost of red tape: is SMEs being tied down? 

To demonstrate the applicability of the enterprise architect for issues relating to enterprise policy, as well as entrepreneurship strategies, it was decided to focus the pilot phase of the observatory on towns in the Free State. Dr Daan Toerien, research associate at the Centre for Development Support, and Johannes Wessels, Project Manager of the SME Observatory, compiled the report: “50 Towns in the Free State: What the Enterprise Architecture of these towns is telling us about Entrepreneurial Space.” 
 
In his presentation at the launch, Dr Toerien said: “The Enterprise Observatory’s prime goal is to present valuable facts and insights about enterprises in the domains it is observing.” He has developed a database that contains information on a large number of South African towns. He said that studying the enterprise architecture of towns will contribute significantly to inform the policy and strategy debate on LED and enterprise development. “These activities will add valuable data and insights to approach entrepreneurship in the Free State and, after the pilot phase, also in other provinces in South Africa. The Free State government, district and local municipalities, and the consultant fraternity serving them, should find the SME observatory’s activities of value,” he said. 
 
Wessels said that the SME Observatory of South Africa is dedicated to base its arguments on sound theory, science and applied research; to engage policy and decision makers on an evidence-based approach; operate in a politically non-aligned mode in order to mirror truthfully the impact of policies and decisions and to partner with policy makers, entrepreneurs, public administration, think tanks, research institutions, business representatives and NGOs on building networks and alliances to promote an open and competitive enterprise environment.

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