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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 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.
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
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).
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

Letter to students from Prof Jonathan Jansen about student protest action at the UFS
2015-10-21

Dear Students

Student protest action at the University of the Free State

I wish to make clear that the senior leadership of the University of the Free State understands and supports the demands from students and their leaders that higher education be accessible to all students, especially the poor. For the past six years we have done everything in our power to meet that commitment to students who are academically talented, but simply cannot afford to pay; that is why our tuition fees remain among the lowest in the country. Our efforts to raise private funding have enabled thousands more students to study at the UFS than would have been possible on the government subsidy only. Whether it is the Staff Fund contributions (yes, our staff empty their pockets to support student fees) or the No Student Hungry (NSH) bursary programme (yes, we raise funds for food bursaries), we will continue our drive to fund students who cannot afford higher education. Let me repeat, no student with a solid academic record will be denied access to studies simply because they cannot pay.

Now, to the matter at hand. There is a national demand from students for a 0% fee increment for 2016. The Minister’s response, after consultation with stakeholders, was that universities should cap their 2016 fee increases at 6%. Despite this initiative from government, the protests continue on virtually all campuses across South Africa for the ‘no fee’ increase.

Our response, as the UFS leadership, is to continue engaging the SRC as the chosen leadership of our students in trying to negotiate a settlement on the matter. We have worked around the clock to be available to student leaders to find some resolution on 2016 fees. While we understand the demands of students, as university leaders, we can only work with the government subsidy we receive. Any agreement reached, cannot and must not place the university at academic and financial risk in its ability to deliver public higher education to the country - if that happens, everybody loses. Still, no matter what happens in terms of the response from government, the leadership door at the UFS remains open to finding a mutually acceptable solution to all parties in these deliberations.

Students, we are deeply concerned by the violence, intimidation and threats from the small group of protesting students. These dangerous and demeaning behaviours, like disrupting classes and verbally abusing students and staff, undermine the legitimate quest of students for relief concerning tuition fees. Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and the university will take action where required. We must also remember that we have an obligation to all 30 000 students whose right to learn without fear of violence and intimidation must be respected.

In conclusion, over the past few years we have worked hard to build a culture of mutual respect and embrace as we worked through some very difficult challenges on campus. You would have noticed that the university leadership responded quickly and sympathetically to reason and respect in difficult situations of rage and demonstration. A minority of students, with some outsiders, have come onto the campus to break down that culture in which, while we might disagree, we continue to work on the basis of mutual respect. I urge all students that, as we engage of this important problem of enabling greater access to higher education, we continue to remain true to the core values of our Human Project.

Best Regards

Prof Jonathan Jansen
Vice-Chancellor and Rector
University of the Free State


Letter to students from Prof Jonathan Jansen about student protest actions at the UFS (Pdf format)

 

 

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