Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
05 September 2019 | Story Prof Francis Petersen (UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor)

In light of the ongoing violence against women, and recent surge in femicide in South Africa, the University of the Free State (UFS) recommits itself to challenge, fight and eradicate all forms of gender-based violence on its campus and in the country.

The recent rape and murder of 19-year-old Media and Film Studies student at the University of Cape Town (UCT), Uyinene Mrwetyana, and the murder of University of the Western Cape (UWC) student, Jesse Hess, are painful reminders of the pervasive nature of misogyny and patriarchal violence that impedes the freedom of women/womxn in South Africa. The UFS stands in solidarity with UCT and UWC, and all other South African universities that are currently steeped in this national crisis pertaining to gender-based violence.

The UFS perceives this as an enduring manifestation of patriarchy that results in women’s/womxn’s subordination, inequality, and violation of bodily integrity. These horrific events underscore the extent to which attempts to address women’s/womxn’s inequality and gender-based violence nationally, and more pertinently at universities, have failed. Recent discussions have underscored the issue of ‘belonging’ as a concern in Higher Education contexts. Belonging is often couched in the language of ‘access’ and ‘transformation’. However, these terms often provide limited substantive change for students who experience a sense of marginalisation and alienation at South African universities. Decolonisation discourse challenges the nature of hegemonic knowledge production that excludes voices of alterity.

Epistemic violence is central to decolonisation discourse referring to the nature of hegemonic knowledge production that excludes voices of alterity. The extent to which knowledge production manifests in universities is, however, not only white and Western, but also male and masculine. South African universities are therefore confronted again with the urgency of recognising and responding to the issue of women’s/womxn’s subordination, with specific emphasis on their safety and freedom.

The UFS is committed to creating a university space where all our students feel that they belong, by broadening current epistemologies and including women’s/womxn’s voices and lived experiences. More pertinently and in a practical manner, curriculum change should include diverse intellectual perspectives and incorporate an ethics of care in teaching practices. The UFS acknowledges that more must be done as a space of higher learning to investigate the causes that underlie the continuance of sexual violence against women/womxn.

On Friday 6 September 2019, the UFS held a day of mourning, standing in solidarity with other universities in their attempt to respond to the present crisis. In mourning Uyinene and Jesse’s death and all other victims and survivors of gender-based violence, the university will critically self-reflect on the multi-layered demand for transformation and consciousness needed for deep change.

The UFS calls on the Department of Higher Education, civil society, the business sector and all others to actively contribute to efforts that will eradicate gender violence. As the UFS, we call specifically on the City of Bloemfontein, the mayor, members of local government, South Africa Police Service and all inhabitants to assist us in making the city safe for all.

Prof Francis Petersen
Rector and Vice-Chancellor
University of the Free State
5 September 2019


News Archive

First woman appointed to represent the religious community on UFS Council
2015-12-08

Dr Nthabeleng Rammile

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) approved the appointment of Dr Nthabeleng Rammile as representative of the religious community during its meeting on Friday 4 December 2015. She is the first woman to be appointed in this portfolio on Council.
 
“We are really privileged to have on Council a person of high integrity who not only has a sound knowledge of the academic world, but also brings real skills in marketing and brand management to university governance. In addition, Dr Rammile has a heart for students, including both their academic and spiritual needs,” says Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS.
 
Dr Rammile, an alumnus of the UFS, was a lecturer in the university’s Department of Business Management from 2003. She ended her lecturing tenure when she decided to join the ministry full-time in December 2014. She was ordained in 2003 as a Pastor of the Global Reconciliation Church. While at the UFS, she completed her Master's in Services Marketing and a PhD in Brand Management.
 
She played a pivotal mentoring role and gave her students first-hand work experience by working closely with the private sector, as she wanted to ensure that her students leave the UFS with a real understanding of the working world.
 
At the Global Reconciliation Church, she is responsible for women’s ministry, community outreach projects, as well as multimedia services. She is passionate about inspiring and empowering women to become successful in all spheres of their lives, namely career, business, motherhood, academia and socially. Dr Rammile is an advocate for a healthy lifestyle, and she also conducts workshops that teach women in her ministry how to live healthy and well-balanced lifestyles.

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