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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

Don’t sit at home, Graduates take a bow
2014-04-10

 

Pride, joy, gratitude and cheer echoed across our Bloemfontein Campus this week as we celebrated the 2014 Autumn Graduation Ceremony.

These prestigious ceremonies did not belong to the graduates exclusively, though. Their parents, family, friends and academics also received several bows of gratitude for their support.

The guest speakers provided a wealth of wisdom and encouragement to the graduates. Dr Ruda Landman, well-known media personality, advised that “success doesn’t just happen, it is achieved.” Comedian Loyiso Gola told graduates to go out and conquer the world – a message that Lucas Sithole cemented. Sithole, ranking at Nr 2 in wheelchair tennis world wide, said that the only one who could stand in your way is yourself. “Today, you have power in your hands. Try to change the world with that power.” Siyabulela Xuza, South African rocket scientist and Harvard graduate, was a true embodiment of his words, “We are equally capable of achieving global innovation.”

After the conferral of the degrees and certificates, Prof Jonathan Jansen reminded the graduates that their “degree will mean nothing” if they cannot distinguish between what is right and what is wrong as they go into the world. When faced with a difficult situation, “base your decision on what is right and what is wrong, not on the colour of someone’s skin, the way they pray, or the way they choose to love,” he urged.

Dr Khotso Mokhele, Chancellor of the UFS, concluded the proceedings by expressing the spirit of this celebration, “I take a bow to you all.”

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