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20 March 2019 | Story Mamosa Makaya
Human Rights

Human Rights Month is a time to reflect on the nation’s journey to democracy, the attainment of change, and the building of awareness and education about human rights in academic institutions and society at large.
  
Human Rights Day in South Africa is historically linked to 21 March 1960, and the events of the Sharpeville Massacre where 69 people died and 180 were wounded when police fired on a crowd that had gathered in peaceful protest against the pass laws. In observing this important time, Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor said: “As a university community, let us join the rest of the country and celebrate the rights of all people to be protected from violation, irrespective of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc. Let us observe this day and stand together to promote respect for human rights.”

Human rights in action

At the University of the Free State (UFS), Human Rights Month is marked with celebratory events, awareness campaigns and fund-raising for social justice causes in faculties and departments by staff and students alike throughout the month of March, and is seen as an important time to show support for human rights in our society. The Student Representative Council (SRC) recently launched the #UFSWalkToUhuru project that aims to raise R2 million by soliciting academic and financial support from the public, stakeholders affiliated with the UFS, staff and students, to enable their fellow students to register for and continue with their studies across all three UFS campuses in 2020.

The Dean of Student Affairs, Pura Mgolombane said “Education is a fundamental human right which all citizens of a country should have an opportunity to access. Due to the legacy of slavery, colonialism and apartheid, most of the majority of our people could not be educated or educate their children.  The Walk to Uhuru campaign that has been initiated by the SRC becomes not only a social justice issue but a human rights response to the poor and impoverished. When the nation responds as we hope it will, it will be humanising not only the lived experiences of the students who will be beneficiaries of the fund, but to their families, society and to the nation. So, we call upon everyone to demonstrate their humanity (Ubuntu) by donating whatever they can.”

The first tier involves a 350 km walk from the Bloemfontein Campus to the UFS Qwaqwa Campus from 17 to 22 March 2019. On the second tier, the group continues the journey by road through four countries for 5411 km to Uhuru Peak on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, from 20 June to 20 July 2019. 

The fundraising walk is a student-led initiative that seeks to promote and advocate educational rights to less privileged students, mitigating the exclusion of the financially disadvantaged and promoting their right to education.

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

Support, promotion and advocacy for human rights

The UFS through its various structures has adopted policies that recognise the rights of its students and staff with policies such as the anti-discrimination, promotion of equality and social justice policy and procedures, which is a demonstration of its commitment to providing opportunities for staff and students to pursue excellence and satisfaction in their academic and social lives.
   
The Free State Centre for Human Rights (FSCHR) was established in 2016, with a focus on the relationship between human rights and transformation at UFS and runs a research division which runs postgraduate teaching programme, while its advocacy division presents human rights training and awareness courses to staff and students, coordinates the resolution of human rights-related disputes, and assists management on an ad hoc basis in human rights-related policy development. The centre’s advocacy office held a human rights awareness campaign at the Thakaneng Bridge on the Bloemfontein Campus, from Thursday, 14 March to Wednesday 20 March with lucky draws and prizes. 

South Africa has included indivisible human rights in our own Bill of Rights, in Chapter 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. The Bill of Rights also comprehensively addresses South Africa’s history of oppression, colonialism, slavery, racism and sexism and other forms of human violations. The Bill of Rights embeds the rights of all people in our country in an enduring affirmation of the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom.

Prof Danie Brand, Director of the FSCHR said “at the UFS I like to think that we have a different understanding of rights: we see human rights as regulating relationships between us, as mechanisms that require us to enter into conversation with one another when we have disputes and reach solutions in which all of our human rights are, even if not vindicated, then at least taken account of. The rigorous process of engagement and consultation about what to do with the statue of MT Steyn illustrates this; as does the current process in which we are considering together what is and what is not acceptable as protest action on campus. Human rights require us to think and to talk, before we act.”

The field of human rights touches on a myriad of areas at higher education institutions. It is therefore an opportunity for staff and students to become aware of the immense contribution they make in their daily work, especially in academic areas such as gender studies, law, health sciences, and in support services structures such as staff and student wellness, LGBTIQ+ advocacy, protection services and with the work of the Centre for Universal Access and Disabilities, amongst others.

News Archive

UFS to investigate implementation of quality-monitoring system for SA food industry
2006-02-07

Some of the guests who attended the workshop were from the left Prof James du Preez (Chairperson: Department of Biotechnology at the UFS); Prof Lodewyk Kock (Head: South African Fryer Oil Initiative (SAFOI) at the UFS)); Mrs Ina Wilken (Chairperson: South African National Consumer Union (SANCU)); Prof Herman van Schalkwyk (Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS) and Mr Joe Hanekom (Managing Director of Agri Inspec).
Photo: Stephen Collet
 

UFS to investigate implementation of quality-monitoring system for SA food industry

The University of the Free State (UFS) will be investigating the implementation of a quality-monitoring service for the South African food industry. 

This was decided during a workshop to discuss the external quality monitoring in the edible oil industry of South Africa, which was recently held at the UFS.

Major role players in the fast-food sector like Nando's, Spur, Captain
Dorego's, King Pie Holdings, Black Steer Holdings, etc and various oil
distributors like Felda Bridge Africa, Refill Oils, PSS Oils and Ilanga Oils attended
the workshop. Also present was Mrs Ina Wilken, Chairperson of the South African National Consumer Union (SANCU) and key-note speaker of this workshop. She represented the consumer.  

These role players all pledged their support to the implementation of this quality- monitoring system for the whole food industry. 

The decision to implement this system follows the various malpractices reported in the press and on TV concerning food adulteration (eg the recent Sudan Red Scare), misrepresentation (eg olive oil scandal exposed in 2001) and the misuse of edible frying oils by the fast-food sector. 

“One of the basic rights of consumers is the right to safe food. Consumers must be protected against foods and food production processes which are hazardous to their health. Sufficient guarantee of the safety of all food products and food production processes should be implemented. It does not help to have adequate food standards and legislation and there is no manpower to do the necessary investigation or monitoring,” said Mrs Wilken.

The South African Fryer Oil Initiative (SAFOI), under the auspices of the UFS Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, currently monitors edible oils in the food industry and makes a seal of quality available to food distributors.

“Last week’s decision to implement the quality-monitoring system implies that we will now be involving also other departments in the UFS Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences who are involved in various aspects of the food chain in an endeavor to implement this quality monitoring system,” said Prof Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean:  Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS and one of the main speakers at the workshop.

Prof van Schalkwyk said that the main aim of such a system will be to improve the competitiveness of the South African food industry.  “It is clear that the role players attending the workshop are serious about consumer service and that they agree that fraudulent practice should be monitored and corrected as far as possible.  Although some of the food outlets have the capacity to monitor the quality of their food, it may not seem to the consumer that this is an objective process.  The proposed external monitoring system would counteract this perception amongst consumers,” said Prof van Schalkwyk.

The workshop was also attended by representatives from SAFOI and Agri Inspec, a forensic investigation company collaborating with inter-state and government structures to combat fraud and international trade irregularities.

Agri Inspec has been working closely with SAFOI for a number of years to test the content of edible oils and fats.  “Extensive monitoring and control actions have been executed in the edible oil industry during the past four years to ensure that the content and labeling of oil products are correct.  Four years ago almost 90% of the samples taken indicated that the content differed from what is indicated on the label.  This has changed and the test results currently show that 90% of the products tested are in order. However, to maintain this quality standard, it is necessary that quality monitoring and educational campaigns are continuously performed,” said Mr Joe Hanekom, Managing Director of Agri Inspec. 

“The seal of quality presented by SAFOI should also be extended to include all the smaller oil containers used by households,” Mrs Wilken said.

The SAFOI seal of quality is currently displayed mainly on some oil brands packed in bigger 20 liter containers, which include sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil etc which are used by restaurants and fast food outlets.  “Any oil type is eligible to display the seal when meeting certain standards of authenticity.  In order to display the seal, the distributor must send a sample of each oil batch they receive from the manufacturer to SAFOI for testing for authenticity, ie that the container’s content matches the oil type described on the label. This is again double checked by Agri Inspec, which also draws samples countrywide from these certified brands from the end-user (restaurant or fast food outlets). If in breach, the seal must be removed from the faulty containers,” said Prof Lodewyk Kock, Head of SAFOI.

“It should however be taken into account that oils without a seal of quality from the UFS can still be of high quality and authentic. Other external laboratories equipped to perform effective authenticity tests may also be used in this respect,” said Prof Kock.

“It is also important to realise that any oil type of quality such as sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil etc can be used with great success in well controlled frying processes,” he said.

Further discussions will also be held with the Department of Health, the SA National Consumer Union and Agri Inspec to determine priority areas and to develop the most effective low-cost monitoring system.

More information on the UFS oil seal of quality and oil use can be obtained at www.uovs.ac.za/myoilguide

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
6 February 2006

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