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09 October 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Varsity Sports
Lefebere and Khanyisa
Lefébre Rademan (left) and Khanyisa Chawane before the start of the Varsity Netball clash. Rademan was named the Player of the Tournament, a reward Chawane received last year.

For the sixth time in the seven years of the competition, the best player in the Varsity Netball tournament hails from the University of the Free State (UFS).

Lefébre Rademan, captain of the Kovsie netball team who ended third in Varsity Netball, was named as the Player of the Tournament and the Players’ Player of the Tournament on Monday night (7 October). Previous UFS recipients of the award are Ané Bester (2013), Karla Pretorius (in 2014 and 2015), Khomotso Mamburu (2016), and Khanyisa Chawane (2018).

Rademan shot 176 goals from 214 attempts for a goal average of 82%. In both the Premier League and National Championship, she received the prize for the best shooter this year.

The news comes shortly after the announcement that a UFS teammate has secured a contract to play overseas next year. Khanyisa Chawane, who impressed immensely as a member of the Proteas at this year’s World Cup, will represent Bath in Europe’s Superleague. The 23-year-old Chawane also received an offer to play in the Australian league, but the one in England suited her better.

She will return to Bloemfontein midway through the year and will still be available for the Kovsie netball team, as she will continue her studies. The talented mid-courter follows in the footsteps of Pretorius, who also spent a season with Bath in 2016.

“I am really thrilled to have signed with Bath. There is no doubt that I’m going to come out a better player; I’m grateful to have been scouted and given this opportunity to play for such a big team. It still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.”

“My goal has always been to play abroad and to challenge myself. I always strive to better myself and give my best on and off court,” Chawane said about the opportunity next year.

News Archive

Largest group on African continent introduced to Sign Language
2016-07-05

Description: z UFS101 SASL Tags: z UFS101 SASL

The introduction of basic Sign Language
as part of the UFS101 course was a great
success. From left are Susan Lombaard,
Annemarie le Roux, Tshisikhawe Dzivhani
(all from the Department of South African
Sign Language), and Lauren Oosthuizen
(UFS101).

Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

As a result of a new initiative at the University of the Free State (UFS), the largest group of students on the African continent took part in a first-year seminar which included Sign Language.

A total of 5400 students on the Bloemfontein Campus and 1000 on Qwaqwa Campus were taught basic Sign Language by Susan Lombaard, Acting Head of the Department of South African Sign Language, and her team members, Tshisikhawe Dzivhani, Annemarie le Roux, and Nicolene de Klerk.

It forms part of the UFS101 module presented to all first-year students. The initiative, begun in the first semester of 2016, will form part of UFS101 in future and was met with an overwhelmingly positive response.

Three segments of course

Sign Language was taught in three segments and positioned as large-class learning experiences in the Callie Human Centre (Bloemfontein Campus) and the Nelson Mandela Hall (Qwaqwa Campus). Students were taught about deaf culture, Sign Language theory, as well as how to sign their names, exchange pleasantries, and have a basic conversation.

A valuable skill to have

“It (the Sign Language experience) was very interesting and helpful,” said one of the students. “It is important to have the ability to communicate with all sorts of people, and to be able to help them in a crisis”. According to another, it sparked an interest in Sign Language. “It is a skill I will continue to use and try to learn more from it,” said a third.

Lombaard – in collaboration with the UFS101 team – will be presenting a paper related to this achievement at the DeafNet Africa Conference in Johannesburg, from 26 to 30 September 2016.

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