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23 September 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Varsity Sports
Noxolo Magudu, captian of the Kovsies Women Soccer team
Noxolo Magudu (right), captain of the Kovsie football team, were one of her team's standout performers in Varsity Football.
The Kovsie women’s football team made history when they reached the semi-final stage of Varsity Football for the very first time.

They won two out of their three group matches (2-0 against the Central University of Technology and 1-0 against Tuks) on Thursday (19 September) and Friday (20 September) in Potchefstroom to finish second in their group behind the Tshwane University of Technology.

In the semi-finals on Saturday (21/09), the University of the Western Cape was too strong, prevailing by 7-0. 

Finishing in the fourth place is, however, a great improvement on the sixth place in the previous two years. This was the fourth year of participation for the UFS ladies. They didn’t play in the first three renditions. In 2016, they finished fifth.

According to coach, Godfrey Tenoff, he placed his hope on the trust and unity of the team to carry them far. “When you have that as a coach and as a team, you can do really well. A willing player and team are always easier to coach than a talented team or player.
“Our goal was to make it to the second phase of the tournament,” he said.

One of the standout players for the Kovsies was their captain and striker, Noxolo Magudu, who walked away with two Player of the Match awards. Even in the quarter-final defeat, she provided a moment of brilliance which earned her the Pulse Moment of Brilliance cheque.

The UFS team has recently been doing well in the Free State’s SASOL Women's League, winning eight of their ten matches thus far. 

News Archive

UFS first to mechanise agricultural technique
2006-05-09

    

Small farmers from Thaba `Nchu were the biggest group attending the farmers day at the UFS Paradys experimental farm.  From the left are Mr David Motlhale (a small farmer from Thaba 'Nchu), Prof Leon van Rensburg (lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and project leader), Mr Nhlonipho Nhlabatsi (Agricultural Research Council, Glen), Ms Meisie Mthethwa (small farmer from Bloemspruit).  In front is Mr Patrick Molatodi (chairperson of the Tswelopele Small Farmer Association).
 

 

Some of the participants of the farmers day at the UFS Paradys experimental farm were from the left Prof Leon van Rensburg (lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and project leader, Mr Patrick Molatodi (chairperson of the Tswelopele Small Farmers Association) and Prof Herman van Schalkwyk (Dean: UFS Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences).

UFS first tertiary institution in world to mechanise agricultural technique
The University of the Free State (UFS) is the first tertiary institution in the world to mechanise the in-field rain water harvesting technique on a commercial scale.

The technique was recently demonstrated to about 100 small farmers at the UFS Paradys experimental farm outside Bloemfontein. 

“With this technique rain water is channeled to the plant and in this way food security is increased.  The advantage of the technique for commercial farmers lies in the reduced cultivation of land.  Small farmers will benefit from this because they can now move out into the fields and away from farming in their back yards,” says Prof Leon van Rensburg, lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and project leader.    

Rain water harvesting is an antique concept that was used by communities before the birth of Christ.  In South Africa the technique is mainly used in the plots of small farmers where they make surface structures by hand. 

"The technique is also used for the first time by the UFS on commercial scale by means of the cultivation of a summer crop on 100 ha at the Paradys experimental farm,” says Prof Leon van Rensburg,

Of the farmers who attended the farmers day most represented about 42 rural communities in the vicinity of Thaba ‘Nchu.  A group of seven from KwaZulu-Natal also attended the proceedings.  These small farmers can for example apply this technique successfully on the 250-300 ha communal land that is available in the Thaba ‘Nchu area. 

The project is funded by the UFS and the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the farmers’ day was funded by the Water Research Commission.   

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
9 May 2006

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