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03 April 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Vhugala Nthakheni
Uhuru Qwaqwa Arrival
The #UFSWalkToUhuru team arrives at the UFS Qwaqwa Campus on Friday 22 March.

The University of the Free State (UFS) Division of Student Affairs, in collaboration with the UFS Office for International Affairs, have joined hands to drive a fundraising and student-accessibility initiative dubbed, ‘The Walk to Uhuru’ (#UFSWalktoUhuru), which is aimed at raising funds and advocating for the educational rights of the less privileged. 

The project aims to raise funds in excess of R2 million from the public and stakeholders affiliated with the UFS (Kovsie staff and students). The project derives from the 2018/2019 UFS Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC) mandate ‘Students Must Graduate’. The ISRC mandate aims to source funding opportunities for UFS students to register, and to complete their studies across all three campuses in 2020 and beyond.

The first leg of the project, a 350 km walk from the Bloemfontein to the Qwaqwa Campus, has already taken place and concluded on Friday, 22 March 2019 as planned. The #UFSWalkToUhuru team successfully completed the first leg of their journey to academic freedom for financially disadvantaged students at the UFS. The Uhuru team is now focusing its attention on the second leg and is determined to take on Mount Kilimanjaro (Uhuru) from 20 June to 20 July 2019.

The team sat down for a debriefing session to unpack the overall experience and result of the first half of the initiative, and they all agreed that the walk to Qwaqwa was an enlightening experience. It was a walk that comprised learning opportunities, team building, and goal crushing.

According to Rethabile Motseki, member of the #UFSWalkToUhuru team, the walk to Qwaqwa made a significant impact on the project, as the university community is now aware of the significant goals that the team is trying to accomplish. The team has also resumed their fitness-training programme to ensure that they are ready to take on the Uhuru climb in June.

A media briefing will take place shortly (date to be confirmed) to detail the ongoing fundraising initiatives rolled out by the #UFSWalkToUhuru team.  We implore you, and the nation as a whole, to help establish a better future for disadvantaged UFS students by donating to the initiative.

Students, staff, and the public can support the cause and make contributions/donations to the initiative by visiting the UFS Walk to Uhuru #givengain account page.

For more information, contact UFS SRC President, Sonwabile Dwaba, on DwabaSJ@ufs.ac.za  or Rethabile Motseki on MotsekiR@ufs.ac.za  

News Archive

New residences officially open
2013-03-06

 
Celebrating the official opening of the two new residences, were Vusumzi Mesatywa, Prime of House Outeniqua and Sherilyn Roelofse, Prime of House ConLaurês.
Photo: Johan Roux
06 March 2013

 

  Video clip (YouTube)

The one implies dreams of victory; the name of the other means ‘bringers of honey’ in the Khoisan language.

With these unique names, two new residences, House ConLaurês and House Outeniqua, will create new memories for generations of Kovsie students. The two residences were officially opened on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State, bringing the number of junior residences on the campus to 19.

Celebrating the new addition to residence life, Mr Quintin Koetaan, Director: Housing and Residence Affairs, told residents of House ConLaurês and House Outeniqua that they were part of history. He told guests that the residences will provide accommodation for a new generation of students and encouraged residents to breathe life into their respective abodes.

“Nobody thought that two residences could be built in a year,” he said about the short time between the planning and opening of the residences in January this year. The two residences welcomed 250 students each, with male and female students living under one roof, but in separate units.

Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, praised Koetaan and his team, as well as the developers, saying they have done something completely different on the campus. He said the two residences will create a place which students can call home. “It will create a place not just to eat and sleep, but also to learn. It will create memories for many years to come.”

Mr Rudi Buys, Dean: Student Affairs, said House ConLaurês and House Outeniqua is much more than simply residences. “It’s about the university putting its heart out there, showing what can be done.” He told guests that representatives from other universities and the Department of Higher Education and Training have visited the UFS to see what is being done here.

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