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30 October 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Sonia Small
Springboks
Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, paid a special visit to the Springboks in 2018 before they faced England in Bloemfontein. From the left are Jacques Nienaber (Springbok assistant coach), Oupa Mohoje (Springbok), Prof Petersen, Rassie Erasmus (Springbok head coach), and Swys de Bruin (Springbok consultant coach at the time). De Bruin, Erasmus, Nienaber, and Mohoje are all Kovsie alumni.


Like the rest of the country, we are behind our Springboks all the way. This is what Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS), told alumnus Rassie Erasmus in a letter this week.

Prof Petersen wrote the letter to Erasmus, the head coach of the Springboks, to wish him everything of the best in the team’s preparation and for the game on Saturday (2 November 2019) at which they face England in the Rugby World Cup final in Japan.

"On behalf of the staff and students of the University of the Free State, I would like to wish you and the Springbok team all the best with your preparations this week and for the final. I know that Saturday’s match will be played with vigour and determination,” Prof Petersen wrote.

Prof Petersen said the UFS community was extremely proud of the Springboks’ achievements during the 2019 Rugby World Cup – especially with Erasmus at the helm of the team. The Boks defeated Japan in the quarter-final and Wales in the semi-final to reach their first final since 2007.

“As a former Shimla player and Kovsie Alumnus of the Year 1998, we are truly proud of what you have achieved during your career in South African rugby, and especially during the World Cup tournament. We are also proud of our other alumni – Jacques Nienaber as defence coach, and referee Jaco Peyper.”

Peyper refereed one of the quarter-finals and will be an assistant referee in the bronze medal play-off between New Zealand and Wales on 1 November 2019.

Under Erasmus the Springboks won the Rugby Championship this year, the first time since 2010. Erasmus and Nienaber have a long relationship. They met in the army in 1991. Later Nienaber served as physiotherapist with the Shimlas and Erasmus captained the team. They worked together at the Cheetahs, Cats, Stormers, Munster and now the Springboks.

News Archive

UFS offers first structured Master’s degree in Social Cohesion and Reconciliation in South Africa
2015-06-26

The University of the Free State’s (UFS) Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ) will offer the first structured Master’s degree in Social Cohesion and Reconciliation in South Africa from 2016.

This unique degree – MRecon&SocCoh – will advance scholarship and practice in the fields of Reconciliation, Social Cohesion, and Social Justice. This programme responds to various challenges facing contemporary societies regionally, nationally, and internationally, as expressed in the South African National Development Plan (NDP).

The programme is open to all students with background studies in the Economic, Management, Natural, Social, and Health Sciences, as well as students with qualifications in the Humanities, Law, Education, and Theology. Students and practitioners in the heritage, development, human rights, transitional justice, and peace sectors, as well as candidates from the cultural and creative industries, will also benefit from this degree.

This programme is ideally suited for persons working in public and private institutions, community and non-governmental organisations, social movements, regional and transnational structures, and those pursuing careers across a variety of social-justice-related fields.

For more information on admission requirements, the structure of the degree, costs, and how to apply, please visit http://institute.ufs.ac.za or contact Joe Besigye at besigyejb@ufs.ac.za; Dr Willy Nel at nelwn@ufs.ac.za; or Professor André Keet at keeta@ufs.ac.za.

Closing date for applications: 31 August 2015

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