Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
19 September 2019 | Story Amanda Thongha | Photo Charl Devenish
Dr Gwande
Dr Victor Gwande

Attaining his master’s degree cum laude, completing a PhD degree, and publishing in top academic journals, University of the Free State (UFS) academic, Dr Victor Gwande, has been an outstanding researcher throughout his career.

Adding to his list of notable achievements, the postdoctoral research fellow in the International Studies Group has just been awarded a fellowship at Princeton University, one of the top universities in the world. The US institution was recently ranked sixth in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020.

As a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, Dr Gwande will spend two weeks on the Ivy League university’s New Jersey campus in 2020. This will be followed by a weeklong session at one of two collaborating institutions in South Africa and the US, with continuous communication facilitated among selected scholars throughout a two-year period. 

Flying high the flag of the African academy
Dr Gwande believes the fellowship will expose him to new intellectual traditions and perspectives. “It will help me create international academic networks across continents, as I seek to put my name out there as an internationally recognised scholar.”

With his research interests in economic and business history of Southern Africa, Dr Gwande says he wishes to become “a great scholar of African economic history, flying high the flag of the African academy, as well as training and producing young scholars for the academy”.

Working with some of the world’s top minds at Princeton University, there will be much to focus on.

“I will be researching, writing, and presenting my research project in which I use the case study of the Anglo American Corporation to look at the histories of capitalism and to understand how monopoly capitalism shaped economic trajectories of Zimbabwe and the broader Southern African region.”

Longer-term plans include completing his monograph stemming from his PhD thesis.

There are many people to thank for his journey from the UFS to Princeton, and the scholar draws attention to some of those who have influenced him. 

“God and my family. But in my career, quite a number of people and institutions have really moulded me; the International Studies Group under Prof Ian Phimister has given me an environment to flourish in my young career.

News Archive

Kovsies excell in Free State Senior Open Badminton Championships
2009-09-14

Wiaan Viljoen, a student at the University of the Free State (UFS) won this year’s men’s singles at the Free State Senior Open Badminton Championships that took place in Bloemfontein the last weekend.

According to Ms Janine de Kock from KovsieSport at the UFS, Kovsie players Chris Dednam, Wiaan Viljoen and Annari Viljoen played a good game when they participated together with other top Protea players of South Africa and Botswana in the different divisions.

Wiaan beat Roelof Dednam (FS) 21/11 en 21/6 in the finals. In the men’s doubles final Wian again triumphed when he, together with Dorian James (WP), beat the Dednam brothers 17/21, 21/18 and 21/19.

In the women’s doubles final Annari Viljoen and Michelle Edwards (WP) defeated Charne du Preez (NG) and Stacey Doubell 21/12 and 21/10.

In the mixed doubles final Chris Dednam and Anneri Viljoen lost against Dorian James and Michelle Edwards.

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept