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13 May 2019 | Story Selloane Mile | Photo Tsepo Moeketsi
Qwaqwa Campus Open Day
Colourful learners from near and far descended on the Qwaqwa Campus for this year’s Open Day.

The 2019 University of the Free State Open Day on the Qwaqwa Campus was a colourful affair, attended by learners from high schools in and around Qwaqwa. Leaners were treated to information tables that saw a display of activities, highlighting the multifaceted nature of the campus, dubbed ‘the education hub in the mountains’. The first session began with an excited crowd of mainly Grade 12s receiving words of encouragement from the Campus Principal, Dr Martin Mandew, who extended a word of welcome and gratitude to the teachers for responding to their call. He also encouraged learners to apply as early as possible for the 2020 academic year, as space in tertiary institutions is limited.
 
“Your future is here; Qwaqwa Campus is the place to be,” he reassured the learners. He concluded by saying, “Ours is a smart campus, well-resourced with information and communication technology facilities, among many other features”. 

Learners explore campus

In the second session, learners explored the campus to learn more about what is being offered. They were met by warm and welcoming smiles from representatives of all the faculties and departments. Support services sharing information with potential students included Housing and Residence Affairs, the Student Representative Council (SRC), Student Life, and KovsieSport. Pretty Nzong, a learner from the Seotlong Agricultural and Hotel School, said she has learnt a lot, especially from the faculties, as she did not know what she wanted to study next year. “My highlight of the day was the inspiration I drew from the Assistant Deans and Campus Management in their academic regalia. I hope one day I will ascend that very stage as a graduate,” she said. Her friend, Lebohang Motsoeneng, said the experience gave her a sense of direction on the career path she wants to follow, and this experience re-ignited her spark to become a natural scientist.

Student Life

Although academy was the centre of attention on the day, learners also experienced ‘the feeling’ said to be only known by Kovsies, as they indulged in the essence of student life, including sports, student leadership, counselling services, and career guidance.
 
A sports fanatic, Moleleki Motaung from Mmathabo Secondary School, alluded to his experience as ‘exciting’. “I have been struggling to get exposure, and I believe this campus will afford me an opportunity to showcase my talent on the football field.”  Kamohelo Pholohang, also from Mmathabo Secondary, said the experience was enlightening, as it dealt with his indecisiveness on the course of study that he wants to pursue next year. Both learners emphasised that they are definitely coming to study here next year; both will be studying for a Bachelor of Education degree, with the former reiterating that he will also be the campus football star!

News Archive

Research into veld fires in grassland can now help with scientifically-grounded evidence
2015-04-10

While cattle and game farmers are rejoicing in the recent rains which large areas of the country received in the past growing season, an expert from the University of the Free State’s Department of Animal, Wildlife, and Grassland Sciences, says that much of the highly inflammable material now available could lead to large-scale veld fires this coming winter.

Prof Hennie Snyman, professor and  researcher in the Department of Animal, Wildlife, and Grassland Sciences, warns that cattle and game farmers should be aware, in good time, of this problem which is about to rear its head. He proposes that farmers must burn firebreaks as a precaution.

At present, Prof Snyman focuses his research on the impact of fire and burning on the functioning of the grassland ecosystem, especially in the drier grassland regions.

He says the impact of fire on the functioning of ecosystems in the ‘sour’ grassland areas of Southern Africa (which includes Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, and the Harrismith environs) is already well established, but less information  is available for ‘sweet’ semi-arid grassland areas. According to Prof Snyman, there is no reason to burn grassland in this semi-arid area. Grazing by animals can be effectively used because of the high quality material without having to burn it off. In the sourer pasturage, fire may well form part of the functioning of the grassland ecosystem in view of the fact that a quality problem might develop after which the grass must rejuvenate by letting it burn.

Prof Snyman, who has already been busy with the research for ten years, says quantified data on the impact of fire on the soil and plants were not available previously for the semi-arid grassland areas. Fires start frequently because of lightning, carelessness, freak accidents, or damaged power lines, and farmers must be recompensed for this damage.

The shortage of proper research on the impact of fires on soil and plants has led to burnt areas not being withdrawn from grazing for long enough. The lack of information has also led to farmers, who have lost grazing to fires, not being compensated fairly or even being over-compensated.

“When above-and below-ground plant production, together with efficient water usage, is taken into account, burnt grassland requires at least two full growing seasons to recover completely.”       

Prof Snyman says farmers frequently make the mistake of allowing animals to graze on burnt grassland as soon as it begins to sprout, causing considerable damage to the plants.

“Plant roots are more sensitive to fire than the above-ground plant material. This is the reason why seasonal above-ground production losses from fire in the first growing season after the fire can amount to half of the unburnt veld. The ecosystem must first recover completely in order to be productive and sustainable again for the long term. The faster burnt veld is grazed again, the longer the ecosystem takes to recover completely, lengthening the problem with fodder shortages further.  

Prof Snyman feels that fire as a management tool in semi-arid grassland is questionable if there is no specific purpose for it, as it can increase ecological and financial risk management in the short term.

Prof Snyman says more research is needed to quantify the impact of runaway fires on both grassland plant productivity and soil properties in terms of different seasonal climatic variations.

“The current information may already serve as valuable guidelines regarding claims arising from unforeseen fires, which often amount to thousands of rand, and are sometimes based on unscientific evidence.”

Prof Snyman’s research findings have been used successfully as guidelines for compensation aspects in several court cases.

 

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