Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

UFS are new student cross-country champions

26 September 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Supplied

Kovsies Women Cross-Country Team Marné Mentz, Vicky Oelofse, and Channah du Plessis — Marné Mentz, Ts’epang Sello, and Tyler Beling played a huge role in Kovsies' cross-country champions win.

After coming within a whisker of claiming the title in 2018, the University of the Free State’s (UFS) runners ensured that the University Sports South Africa (USSA) cross-country trophy comes to Bloemfontein in 2019.

Kovsies are the new national student cross-country champions after they (men and women combined) won the USSA Championships in Nelspruit on Saturday, 21 September. Kovsies and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) both finished with three gold medals at the same event in 2018. UJ finished with nine overall medals compared to the eight (three gold, two silver, and three silver) of the UFS, who had to settle for second place. In 2017, the UFS finished third.

The Kovsie women’s team played a huge role in carrying the team to the top of the medal table, winning four golds. They won the 4 km and 10 km women’s team competitions as well as the road relay. The top three places by the runners of a university determined the team winner.

Marné Mentz’s gold medal in the four-kilometre race at the
USSA Cross Country Championships helped the Kovsies
win the overall title.

Marné Mentz (first), Vicky Oelofse (fifth), and Channah du Plessis (sixth) dominated the four-kilometre race. In the 10 km, Ts’epang Sello (third), Tyler Beling (sixth), and Lizandré Mulder (seventh) did enough to ensure another gold for the Free State students. Mentz, Sello, and Beling jointly took first place in the road relay.

In the 10-km race for men, Kovsies came fifth, with Victor Makhabesela the best performer (finishing ninth). Pakiso Mthembu, one of the contenders for the medal who won the silver medal at the National Cross Country Championships two weeks before, had to withdraw after 7 km in the race due to an injury.

News Archive

Centre for Africa Studies concludes ANC Centenary Dialogue series

2013-02-20

Attending the closing seminar were from left: Prof Chris Saunders, Editor of the ANC Centenary dialogue book; Vincent Khetha from the Free State Provincial Government’s Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation; Prof Kwesi Prah; Siphamandla Zondi, Editor of the ANC Centenary dialogue book; Dr Dennis Goldberg and Prof Kwandiwe Kondlo.
Photo: Steffi Cawood
20 February 2013

Speech:"The future of South Africa in Africa" (pdf)

The Centre for Africa Studies received praise for the series of dialogues it hosted on the ruling ANC party, conversations which started before the party held its 53rd National Conference on our Bloemfontein Campus.

The Centre recently hosted the last seminar in the ANC Centenary Dialogue series, a project which started in November 2010 when the ruling party prepared for its centenary celebrations in 2012.

Prof Kwandiwe Kondlo, former Head of the Centre, and currently professor at the University of Johannesburg, told guests at the closing seminar, "it was a job well done which kept dialogue going on". Prof Kondlo said a book with a collection of papers presented during the series is being finalised, with senior ANC officials expected to attend the book launch on the Bloemfontein Campus later this year. The book features chapters by scholars like Profs Stephen Ellis, Shireen Hassim, Colin Bundy and Ben Turok and covers topics on the role of women in the liberation struggle, the party's economic policy and the history of the party in exile.

Speakers at the closing seminar included Prof Kwesi Prah, whom Prof Kondlo introduced as "one of Afica's intellectual giants,” struggle veteran, Dr Dennis Goldberg and the new Head of the Centre for Africa Studies, Prof Heidi Hudson.

Prof Prah, who delivered the keynote address, spoke about "The future of South Africa in Africa."

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

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