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07 November 2019 | Story Thabo Kessah | Photo Johan Roux
Qwaqwa Campus top academic achiever, Selloane Mile, with Campus Principal, Dr Martin Mandew.
Qwaqwa Campus top academic achiever, Selloane Mile, with Campus Principal, Dr Martin Mandew.

Bosso ke mang? So goes a popular township saying derived from the late Hip Hop Pantsula’s (HHP) hit track, Bosso. Literally, it means ‘who is the boss?’

Selloane Mile, the 2018/2019 SRC Secretary General for the Qwaqwa Campus, was a tutor in the Faculties of Education and the Humanities from 2017 to 2019, and is also an aspiring poet and author. She is now the Qwaqwa Campus Dux Student for 2019, with an average of 84, 3%.

“I am very honoured and humbled to have been bestowed the award as the best academic student on the Qwaqwa Campus at the recent Student Excellence Awards ceremony. The experience certainly feels unreal and I am yet to come to terms with the magnitude of this accolade,” said Selloane, a final-year Bachelor of Education (Senior Phase and FET) student. 

The secret is, there is no secret

When asked what her secret was, she said: “I do not think there is any secret or technique that I can attribute my academic achievements to. However, I think setting a standard for yourself and being consistent in whatever we do to realise those standards we have set for ourselves, is the key to success. Also important is flexibility. One has to give yourself the chance to explore and tap into different horizons.” 

Cognitive growth

“You cannot grow cognitively if you do not challenge yourself. For instance, reading a book outside the scope of your discipline can prove beneficial, because you get to be more knowledgeable. The advice I would give is that you must constantly remind yourself why you are here and let that be the driving force, even when things are gloomy, to let that motivate you. If you want to achieve certain things, you have to compromise and deprive yourself of other things; so, priorities should be the order of the day,” said the future Biology and English educator.

Looking back

Selloane is a proud product of Qwabi, Molibeli, and Reabetswe primary schools in Qwaqwa.

“I was born and bred here at Mandela Park in Qwaqwa. I did my Grades 10-12 at Moteka Secondary School, and that is why I would like to go back and teach at a public school – to bring about change in my community.”

Other awards Selloane received, were the Faculty of Education Overall Best Performer, and the Top Academic Achiever in the 2018/2019 SRC. Clearly, bosso ke Selloane!

Some of the recipients on the day were:
Dineo Tsotetsi (81,5%) – Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences Overall Best Achiever
Katleho Motloung (78, 3%) – Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Overall Best Achiever
Tina Magaqa (74%) – Faculty of the Humanities Overall Best Achiever
Pakiso Mthembu – Sportsman of the Year
Sandakahle Msamariya Khumalo – Sportswoman of the Year
Thabo Mdletshe – UFS101 Teaching Assistant of the Year
Charlotte Maxeke Residence – The Cleanest Residence on Campus
Siphamandla Shabangu – Selfless Volunteer and Gateway Mentor
UFS Qwaqwa Campus Chorale – Outstanding Performing Arts and Cultural Society 

News Archive

Three UFS researchers attend cactus pear congress
2017-05-05

Description: Dr de Wit Cactus pear 2 Tags: Dr de Wit Cactus pear 2

Dr Maryna de Wit, one of the
UFS delegation team was appointed
coordinator for Agro-Processing
and Post-Harvest Technology during
the congress

Description: Dr du Toit Cactus Pear 2 Tags: Dr du Toit Cactus Pear 2

Dr Alba du Toit, also one of the members
of the UFS delegation during the
congress at the University of Chile
in Santiago, Chile.
Photos: Supplied





Dr Alba du Toit, a junior lecturer in Consumer Science at the University of the Free State (UFS), presented her research at the recent IX International Congress on Cactus Pear and Cochineal at the University of Chile in Santiago, Chile. The congress was themed, “CAM Crops for a Hotter and Drier World”.

Dr Du Toit, Prof HO de Waal and Dr Maryna de Wit, from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UFS, attended the five-day conference held between 26 and 30 March 2017.

Congress a platform for networking
The congress, held every three years since 1993, gathers cactus pear researchers, growers and processing managers from Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa to review current research trends by networking to form new collaborations that could lead to increased efficiency and shared knowledge. They also present new findings and plan for future research.

Great achievements for researchers
Dr Du Toit said: “My research on cactus pears focused on the utilisation of the slimy substance found in the cactus cladodes as a functional ingredient in innovative nutraceutical food products”. Functional foods are foods that promote health or prevent disease through adding or omitting specific ingredients. She also received the International Society of Horticultural Science award for best student oral presentation.

Dr De Wit also presented her research and was appointed coordinator for Agro-Processing and Post-Harvest Technology at the congress.

Dr Herman Fouché, Affiliated Researcher at the Department of Soil-, Crop- and Climate Sciences at UFS, developed “kuilmoes”, a type of silage from pulped cactus pear fruit, mixed with lucerne, in collaboration with Prof de Waal, which was also presented.at the congress.

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