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29 May 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Reg Caldecott
Khanyisa Chawane
Khanyisa Chawane is one of 12 members of the national netball team to the World Cup in July. Other team members include former students of the University of the Free State, Maryka Holtzhausen and Karla Pretorius.
Exactly one quarter of the South African netball team to the World Cup tournament in England in July will consist of current and former students from the University of the Free State (UFS).

Less than a year after making her Protea debut, Khanyisa Chawane was selected for the team alongside former UFS students, Maryka Holtzhausen and Karla Pretorius.

Chawane is a fifth-year BSc Geography and Statistics student who made her Kovsie debut in 2015. 

“The selection means so much to me. It’s such an honour and privilege to represent my country at this high level of netball. I’m super excited about it, because any team can win it this year,” Chawane, a centre court player, said.

Both Chawane (2018) and Pretorius (2014 and 2015) were previously named as die best student netball player in the country.

Pretorius, with 80 caps behind her name and widely regarded as the best goal defender in the world, represented and captained the UFS team from 2009 to 2015. She is the Protea vice-captain.

Holtzhausen, a goal attack and only the second player to reach 100 tests for the Proteas (106 in total), played for and captained the UFS between 2007 and 2014. She played her netball in England over the past couple of months. When she returns from the World Cup, she will again take up her part-time job as a sports manager at KovsieSport.

Burta de Kock, who has coached all three players at the UFS, said they serve as a motivation and example for the current group of players from the UFS.

News Archive

A mind shift needed in agriculture in Africa
2010-12-02

Prof. Frans Swanepoel (Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development), Prof. Monty Jones, Prof. Driekie Hay (Vice-Rector: Teaching and Learning), Prof. Alice Pell (Cornell University, USA), and Prof. Izak Groenewald (Director of the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development) at the inaugural lecture of Prof. Jones as Professor Extraordinary. 
- Photo: Stephen Collett

Food stability is essential for stability in all countries around the world. Radical interventions, and not incremental changes, are necessary to end hunger and poverty in Africa, said Prof. Monty Jones, Professor Extraordinary in the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development at the University of the Free State (UFS), in his inaugural lecture.

Prof. Jones is Executive Director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and Chairperson of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR). In his lecture he focused on the contribution of agricultural research to development and food security in Sub- Saharan Africa.

He said Africa is not known for good politics to promote food production. Countries under invest in research, education, knowledge management, agriculture finance, etc. There is also uncertain and restricted access to land. He specially mentioned women’s access.

Sub- Sahara Africa moved from being a net exporter of food to a net importer of food (28%). “Government spending on agriculture and transport went down and stagnated. A mind shift is necessary. Africa has the resources. We must take advantage of the opportunities,” he said, and added: “Africa must create visionary and inspirational leaders and managers who can drive developmental issues.”

Prof. Jones emphasised that fact that nutritional security is just as important as food security. The number of hungry people has grown to more than a billion in 2009. Hunger is the most severe in the developing world, especially Africa. Added to this is Africa’s population growth that i s also higher than the rest of the world. It is estimated that the demand for food in Africa will double in the next 40 years.

“Research and development alone cannot win the war against hunger in Africa. Everyone has a role to play,” he said.
– Leatitia Pienaar.

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