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29 March 2019 | Story Lacea Loader
Edward Kiesswetter
Edward Kieswetter, newly appointed SARS Commissioner.

The Chairperson of the Council of the University of the Free State (UFS), Mr Willem Louw, extended a message of congratulations to Mr Edward Kieswetter on his appointment by President Cyril Ramaphosa this week as Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

Mr Kieswetter served as Deputy Chairperson of the UFS Council from 2008 to 2014 and was Visiting Professor at the university’s Business School until 2018.

“On behalf of the Council and the university community, I wish Mr Kieswetter well in his work as newly appointed SARS Commissioner. It is evident that the high-level selection panel made an exceptionally good choice for this crucial position. Mr Kieswetter’s vast experience as former SARS deputy commissioner, his subsequent track record of transformative leadership, and his experience in turning around a large institution will serve him well in this new role,” says Mr Louw.

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Africa’s lost voice during the Second World War echoes throughout book
2016-08-24

Description: Second World War book launch Tags: Second World War book launch

Prof Judith Byfield and Prof Heidi Hudson at the
book launch of Africa and Second World War at the
UFS Sasol Library.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

If you pick up any historical record on the Second World War, you would see that, to a large extent, Africa has been missing from the history pages until now.

Africa and the Second World War (WW II) is a book edited by Prof Carolyn Brown from Rutgers University and Prof Judith Byfield from Cornell University in the United States. The book is the outcome of various papers presented during a workshop at Rutgers University and at a conference on WWII hosted at Cornell University.

The co-editors of the book were invited by Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the University of the Free State (UFS), to launch the book at the UFS. The Centre for Africa Studies at the university, in collaboration with the UFS Sasol Library, presented the launch on Tuesday 16 August 2016.

Bestowing honour upon Africa’s role during WW II
Many people do not know that WW II started in Ethiopia with the Italian Invasion. This is generally omitted from discussions or complete histories of WW II. The present book explores the experiences of male and female combatants, peasant producers, women traders, missionaries, and sex workers during the war. “Many people are not aware that Africa produced most of the mineral and agricultural during the war,” said Prof Brown.

Book to reach a greater audience for discussion
The co-editors hope that the book reaches people who teach WW II history, as many talk about only the nationalist movements. “The opening of the book also talks about the importance of South Africa during WW II,” said Prof Byfield. The authors hope that people will read the book to start thinking comparatively about the war.

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