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Keynote address in support of the conference of the University of the Free State Department of Urban and Regional Planning

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Keynote address in support of the conference of the University of the Free State Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Humans the focus of human settlement conference at the UFS

18 October 2019 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Leonie Bolleurs

Human Settlements Conference — Attending the first National Student Conference for Human Settlement students were, from the left: Dr Anita Venter, Lecturer in the Centre for Development Support; Phelani Mkhize, master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning; Prof Maléne Campbell, Head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the UFS; and Nhlakampho Mahlalela, also a master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning.

“This invitation by the University of the Free State (UFS) comes at a critical moment when we begin to roll up our sleeves in an attempt to transform the lives of our people, and in efforts to modernise our cities and towns to attain sustainable livelihoods.” This was the words of the MEC for Public Works, Infrastructure and Human Settlements, Tshidi Koloi, on attending the first National Student Conference for Human Settlement.

“The urban population of the world has grown rapidly – from 751 million in 1950 to 8 billion in 2018. How do we plan for rapid urbanisation?” Koloi asked.

“We turn to the academic world for continuous research in various fields related to the development of human settlements. The role of the university and of this department cannot be overestimated. Clearly, we need to forge partnerships where our department can benefit from ongoing research towards the improvement of its value chain and programmes. In return, government could offer bursaries and internship opportunities for students.”

Integrate communities

More than 130 students from the Nelson Mandela University, the UUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of the Witwatersrand, and the UFS attended the conference to gain a better understanding of the challenges, policies, and practices of human settlements. The conference also allowed students the opportunity to not only engage with key members of government, but also with each other and delegates from the private sector.

Head of the Department of Human Settlements, Tim Mokhesi, said his department’s objective with housing for the future is to integrate communities; not to separate them because they are poor. If we separate communities, our next struggle will be a class struggle.

“South Africa is in a crisis in terms of human settlement. In the past years, there was an exponential growth in informal settlements – 300 to 3 000 (with 143 in the Free State); the housing budget shrank, and local authorities do not have the capacity to deal with informal settlements. Can the few of us make a sufficient and significant contribution? Seeing your commitment as students is what gives us hope for a better future for all,” Thomas Stewart, Lecturer in the UFS Department of Urban and Regional Planning, said.

content photo 1

Attending the launch of the new Bachelor of Spatial Planning Honours with specialisation in Human Settlements were, from the left: Thomas
Stewart, Lecturer in the UFS Department of Urban and Re-gional Planning; Tshidi Koloi, MEC of Public Works, Infrastructure and
Human Settlements; and Pura Mgolombane (Dean of Student Affairs at the UFS). (Photo: Leonie Bolleurs)

Innovative and inclusive re-housing

Students experienced two fieldtrips, one to the Hillside View Development Project, where the focus was on mixed housing. This project is part of the Mangaung Metro Municipality’s five-year integrated human settlements plan. According to developer Freddie Kenney, the project needs to be a development model for South Africa to change the picture of social housing.

The second site visited was the Innovative Housing Building Project: Qala Phelang Tala, where peo-ple are trained to build their own houses. “It is a very easy process,” said Dr Anita Venter, Lecturer in the Centre for Development Support, who is lecturing Human Settlements Theory in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Since 2013, she was involved in the building of five houses.

The latest building project at the Meraka Cultural Village in Roodewal, outside Bloemfontein, is a stu-dent-led project where they learn to develop a basic shelter suitable for survival in a future, post-natural, and climate-crisis world that will become between 2 and 4 degrees Celsius warmer within the next century. “It is important for people to build in climate-friendly ways,” Dr Venter said.

She continues: “The project seeks to also renew, restore, and revitalise communities.” Sebabatso Mofama, who now helps with training, built this house similar to the one where she comes from in the Eastern Cape. “It is where I feel at home,” she said.

The human aspect

Dean of Student Affairs,Pura Mgolombane, touched on the human aspect of human settlements. “We first need to see the human in human settlements. ‘Yebo’, meaning I see you. See the human and develop quality houses.”

The event coincided with the launch of the new Bachelor of Spatial Planning Honours with specialisation in Human Settlements. The first two students graduated in April this year.
Content photo 2

Thapelo Chacha, master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning at the UFS, MEC Tshidi Koloi, and Sebabatso Mofama, mentor in the
Innovative Housing Building Project: Qala Phelang Tala. (Photo: Leonie Bolleurs)

From left; Claudia Loggia, Phinda Nogcinisa, Thomas Stewart, and Phatheka Nyati. Nogcinisa and Nyati are honours students specialising in Human Settlements, who graduated in April this year.

From the left: Malefetsane Mokoena, Dr Anita Venter , Thomas Stewart, Freddie Kenney.

Freddie Kenney (developer of the Hillside View Development Project) on the development site. He wants this project to be a development model for South Africa to change the picture of social housing. IMG 4133

from the left: Thomas Stewart, Lecturer in the UFS Department of Urban and Regional Planning; Tshidi Koloi, MEC of Public Works, Infrastructure and Human Settlements; and Pura Mgolombane (Dean of Student Affairs at the UFS).

News Archive

Researchers international leaders in satellite tracking in the wildlife environment

2015-05-29

Ground-breaking research has attracted international media attention to Francois Deacon, lecturer and researcher in the Department Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences at the UFS, and Prof Nico Smit, from the same department. They are the first researchers in the world to equip giraffes with GPS collars, and to conduct research on this initiative. Recently, they have been joined by Hennie Butler from the Department of Zoology as well as Free State Nature Conservation to further this research.

“Satellite tracking is proving to be extremely valuable in the wildlife environment. The unit is based on a mobile global two-way communication platform, utilising two-way data satellite communication, complete with GPS systems.

“It allows us to track animals day and night, while we monitor their movements remotely from the computer. These systems make possible the efficient control and monitoring of wildlife in all weather conditions and in near-to-real time. We can even communicate with the animals, calling up their positions or changing the tracking schedules.

“The satellite collar allows us to use the extremely accurate data to conduct research with the best technology available. The volume of data received allows us to publish the data in scientific journals and research-related articles.

“Scientific institutions and the public sector have both shown great interest in satellite tracking, which opens up new ground for scientific research for this university. Data management can be done, using Africa Wildlife Tracking (AWT) equipment where we can access our data personally, store it, and make visual presentations. The AWT system and software architecture provide the researcher with asset tracking, GPS location reports, geo-fencing, highly-detailed custom mapping, history reports and playback, polling on demand, history plotting on maps, and a range of reporting types and functions,” Francois said.

Data can be analysed to determine home range, dispersal, or habitat preference for any specific species.

Francois has been involved in multiple research projects over the last 12 years on wildlife species and domesticated animals, including the collaring of species such as Black-backed Jackal, Caracal, African Wild Dog, Hyena, Lion, Cheetah, Cattle, Kudu, Giraffe, and Black Rhino: “Giraffe definitely being the most challenging of all,” he said.

In 2010, he started working on his PhD, entitled The spatial ecology, habitat preferences and diet selection of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) in the Kalahari region of South Africa.

Since then, his work has resulted not only in more research work (supervising four Masters students) but also in a number of national and international projects. These include work in the:

Kalahari region (e.g. Khamab Nature Reserve and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park)
Kuruman region (Collared 18 cattle to identify spatial patterns in relation to the qualities of vegetation and soil-types available. This project took place in collaboration with Born University in Germany)
Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate and Kolomella Iron Ore – ecological monitoring
A number of Free State nature reserves (e.g. Distribution of herbivores (kudu and giraffe) and predators (camera traps)

Francois is also involved with species breeding programmes and management (giraffe, buffalo, sable, roan, and rhino) in Korrannaberg, Rustenburg, Hertzogville, Douglas, and Bethlehem as well as animal and ecological monitoring in Kolomella and Beesthoek iron ore.

Besides the collaring of giraffes, Francois and his colleagues are involved in national projects, where they collect milk from lactating giraffes and DNA material, blood samples, and ecto/endo parasites from giraffes in Southern Africa.

With international projects, Francois is working to collect DNA material for the classification of the nine sub-species of giraffe in Africa. He is also involved in projects focusing on the spatial ecology and adaptation of giraffe in Uganda (Murchison Falls), and to save the last 30 giraffe in the DRC- Garamba National Park.

This project has attracted a good deal of international interest. In June 2014, a US film crew (freelancing for Discovery Channel) filmed a documentary on Francois’ research (trailer of documentary). Early in 2015, a second crew, filming for National Geographic, also visited Francois to document his work.

More information about Francois’ work is available at the GCF website.

Read Francois Deacon's PhD abstract

Direct enquiries to news@ufs.ac.za.

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