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16 October 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Rulanzen Martin
Dr Thuli Mphambukeli and Victor Okorie
Water is a fundamental human right, says Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli, (left) Senior Lecturer at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. On the right is Dr Victor Okorie.

Research shows that “access to water and food remains critical to the survival and stability of any nation”. This is according to a team of academics that has been hard at work exploring ways in which to secure water and food in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS nations).

These scholars from the University of the Free State (UFS) and North-West University recently published a paper titled: Exploring the Political Economy of Water and Food Security Nexus in BRICS. Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli, Dr Victor Okorie, and Prof Samuel Amusan are members of the Food Security Research Cluster of the South African BRICS Think Tank that has been fervently tackling the water and food in(security) challenge.

Water as a key to social justice 

The team argues that unequal access and distribution of water has in the past led to violent conflict. The paper cites Qwaqwa as one of the many areas affected by water-service protests in the recent past. “Water and food crises are worsening thanks to the intensification of climate change, rapid urbanisation, nutrition transition and population growth. Solutions to these crises partly lie in cooperation and collaboration among nation states, regional economic commissions, and global power brokers.”

What are some of the local solutions? According to the scholars: “For agronomic and husbandry practices, there is a pressing need for research activities on innovative ways of supplying water to crops and animals such that water loss through evaporation and run-off is significantly reduced. 

“Similarly, research activities on redesigning toilets, especially the urinary section – where more than nine litres of water are used to flush less than one cubic centimetre of urine – are timely in the context of managing the water and food security nexus crises.”

Improving livelihoods

In an effort to achieve food security, BRICS aims to stimulate domestic capacity for production. Food and nutrition security cannot be achieved without water security, and vice versa. 

It is evident that the water and food insecurity issues are complex. However, concerted efforts are being made by various sectors to solve these challenges and improve the livelihoods of urban and rural citizens within BRICS nations.

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Two Kovsies in action for SA Netball Team in Melbourne
2016-10-18

Description: Tanya Mostert Tags: Tanya Mostert

Tanya Mostert will play at senior level for
South Africa for the first time when she
represents the Proteas Fast5 Netball team.
Photo: Johan Roux

Two players from the University of the Free State (UFS) will represent the country in the Fast5 Netball World Series in Melbourne, Australia.
Tanya Mostert and Lauren-Lee Christians will turn out for the Protea Fast5 team on 29 and 30 October. Fast5 is the shorter and faster version of netball.
Mostert was the UFS captain during the Varsity Netball tournament this year, after taking over the reins from her older sister, Karla Mostert. Tanya has to pass a final fitness test since suffering an injury earlier.

Lauren-Lee will captain this team

Christians represented Kovsies before, but this year she was above age to play in the Varsity tournament again. She represented South Africa’s Fast5 team in 2013 and 2014, but will this time be leading her country as captain "Down Under". She also was vice-captain of the Free State Crinums who won the Brutal Fruit Premier League in 2016.
Besides Christians and Mostert, three former Kovsies are also included in the Fast5 Netball team taking part in Melbourne. They are Vanes-Mari du Toit, Marlize de Bruin, and Fikile Mkhuzangwe.

Four national captains from UFS
With Christians’ selection as Fast5 captain, she became the latest of four Kovsies to be chosen as a national netball captain. All four South African teams – the Proteas, Fast5, U21, as well as the South African Universities team, were captained by Kovsies this year.
Maryka Holtzhausen, former UFS captain and currently assistant coach at the university, led the Proteas before suffering a knee injury. Alicia Puren led the SA U21 team, and Karla Mostert was captain of the South African Universities team that won the World Student Games in Miami, in the USA.

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