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18 July 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Evert Kleynhans
Heidedal Drug Awareness Campaign
Pastor shares with Heidedal learners how drugs landed him in prison.
His father died when he was just three years old. A mourning single mother had to raise three boys. As the middle child, feeling abandoned and unloved, he joined a gang. Home was a cold and empty place and so were the streets of Grabouw, a small town in the Western Cape where he grew up. This is how Ivor Swartz’s story began.

A 15-year-old Swartz told himself: “Because I am not loved at home, maybe I will feel loved on the streets.” It did not take long for the ugly truth to emerge. When it did, he turned to drugs for comfort.

Behind bars

One evening when Swartz and a friend were at a local tavern, they were involved in an altercation. They pulled out guns and fired shots at two males. “My judgement was clouded by the drugs so my friend and I shot my blood brother,” he remorsefully reminisces. 

From prisoner to pastor

Swartz was imprisoned for six-and-a-half years, during which time he matriculated. He has been a free man for 14 years. For the past five years Swartz has been a youth pastor at St. Paul’s United Church in Johannesburg. He has also trained as a life coach and holds an Honours degree in Theology from the University of Pretoria.

Swartz shared the story of how drugs almost ruined his future with 1100 Olympia Primary School learners in Heidedal recently. He was the guest speaker at a two-day Community Outreach Drug Awareness campaign led by the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Division for Organisational Development and Employee Wellness.

Compassionate beyond campus

Burneline Kaars, Head of the Division, said the campaign is one of the ways in which the university shows that it cares for the community. “We strive to improve the wellbeing of staff and the community at large.”

Swartz and the UFS team visited seven schools in Heidedal from 10-11 July 2019. where they cautioned future leaders and parents against how drugs shape the choices that individuals make. 

Pursuing a better story

Swartz was sitting in solitary confinement when he heard a song by UK singer Robbie Williams. The lyrics were: “Cause I got too much life running through my veins going to waste.” These words changed his life.

“I decided I wanted a better life,” said Swartz. He now lives to make a positive contribution to society and has written a new conclusion to his life’s story.

News Archive

Student leaders 2012/13 announced
2012-08-30

Ready for the task - Sabelo Khumalo, SRC President of the Qwaqwa Campus and William Clayton, SRC President of the Bloemfontein Campus.
Photo: Johan Roux
31 August 2012

The 2012/13 elections for the Student Representative Councils (SRC) of the University of the Free State were completed successfully and show meaningful support for the changes in student governance adopted by students across campuses over the past two years.

The SRC elections at the Qwaqwa Campus were completed on 23 August 2012, while the elections at our Bloemfontein Campus took place on 27 and 28 August 2012.

The SRC Elections at our Bloemfontein Campus showed a voter turnout of 4516 votes (30.8%), with the elections at the Qwaqwa Campuses showing 1753 votes (46%) – both campuses reached the required quorums and the IEA (Bloemfontein Campus) and IEC (Qwaqwa Campus) declared the elections free and fair and announced the results as a true reflection of the will of the student bodies at the campuses.

The full SRC at Bloemfontein Campus now consists of 62% black and 38% white, and 53% female and 47% male members.

In the Qwaqwa elections, SADESMO achieved 46, 38% of the vote, with SASCO, PASMA and NASMO each achieving 30,23% and 8,39% and 14,26%, respectively.

The successful elections at Bloemfontein Campus show that the detailed transformation of student governance introduced by students at the Campus in 2010 and adopted by the university in 2011, succeeded in mobilizing greater participation of students in governance and representation. These changes in the main included a shift to independent candidacy for elective portfolios (12 seats) and organizational candidacy in nine sub-councils that holds ex officio seats on the SRC. Changes also included the establishment of student representative seats in faculty governance and management forums and the adoption of a reviewed Central SRC Constitution. Ex officio seats hold full and equal constitutional authority in the SRC.

Students at Qwaqwa Campus introduced additional portfolios to its SRC, including ex-officio seats for academic affairs, arts and culture, commuter students, Rag Community Service, religious affairs, residences and sports.

A joint sitting of the Campus SRCs will establish the Central SRC 2012/13 on 9 September 2012.

As a further opportunity for participation in and the development of student governance and representation, the current Central SRC herewith also announces its recent adoption of a student governance advisory programme, namely the UFS Student Elders Council (SEC).

The SEC is established as a combined programme between the Central SRC and the Dean of Student Affairs and will consist of selected senior student leaders from all campuses who completed their terms of office, apply and are appointed to the Elders Council by the Central SRC.

The Council will serve as an advisory structure to the Central SRC and other student structures in support of the continuous development of student governance and representation of the student body at the university.

The SEC will advise the Central SRC to be constituted following the constitution of the respective Campus SRCs.

The SRC members at the Bloemfontein Campus are:

President: Mr William Clayton

Vice-President: Mr Bonolo Thebe

Secretary: Ms Karis-Robin Topkin

Treasurer: Mr Pieter Coetzee

Arts & Culture: Ms Chanmari Erasmus

Accessibility & Student Support: Ms Gene McCaskill

First-generation Students: Ms Tanya Calitz

Legal and Constitutional Affairs: Ms Nokuthula Sithole

Media, Marketing & Liaison: Ms Neo Chere

Sport: Mr Tshepo Moloi

Student Development & Environmental Affairs: Ms Thabisile Mgadi

Transformation: Ms Koketso Mofokeng

Dialogue & Ex officio: Associations Council: Mr Anesu Ruswa

Academic Affairs & Ex officio: Academic Affairs Council: Ms Nombuso Ndlovu

Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Residences Council: Mr Johann Steyn

City Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Commuter Council: Mr Michael van Niekerk

Postgraduate Affairs & Ex officio: Postgraduate Council: Mr Fadeyi Akinsuyi

International Affairs & Ex officio: International Council: Ms Tumelo Moreri

Student Media Affairs & Ex officio: Media Council: Mr Jamal-Dean Grootboom

RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Fundraising Council: Mr Jaco Faul

RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Community Service Council: Ms Keneue Mahloana

The SRC members at the Qwaqwa Campus are:

President General: Mr S Khumalo

Deputy President: Mr P T Lenka

Secretary General: Mr D Khethang

Treasurer General: Mr S I Sithole

Media & Publicity: Mr S N Ntombela

Politics & Transformation: Tbc

Student Development & Evironmental Affairs: Tbc Academic Affairs: Mr T Molawude

Arts & Cultural Affairs: Mr T Nkohli

Off-Campus Students: Mr B Mtshali

RAG, Community Service & Dialogue: Ms S F Mlotya

Religious Affairs: Ms D C Khau

Residence & Catering Affairs: Ms Z Mzolo

Sports Council: Mr S Mngomezulu

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