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Kovsie joins young Commonwealth leaders to tackle global challenges

01 April 2020 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Valentino Ndaba

Commonwealth read more — Takudzwa Nyamunda represented the UFS at the latest Commonwealth Futures Workshop where youth from across the globe convened to develop solutions for social issues.

Gender-based violence, global warming, and inequality are just some of the challenges faced by societies internationally. Examining this and other topics Takudzwa Nyamunda represented the University of the Free State (UFS) at the Commonwealth Futures workshop which convened at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). Participants from 13 nations gathered from 11-14 March 2020 to discuss the future of the world.

Over the course of four days, student leaders explored ways of bringing peace and nonviolence to the challenging issues we are facing in the world, under the theme: Reimagining Peace. The workshop was organised by the DUT in collaboration with the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and the British Council.

The voice of young people
International forums such as the Commonwealth Futures workshop are to Nyamunda a prerequisite in these modern times. Nyamunda believes that global problems warrant global solutions. According to the Industrial Psychology Master’s student, young leaders have a crucial role to play in nation-building.

“My experience proved to me that the differences that come out of our diversity are indeed a source of strength demonstrated by the rich insights that came out of the conference,” said Nyamunda who is also an employee of the UFS Department of Human Resources.

Producing practical solutions
The three-tiered workshop aimed to bring change to campuses across the world, in communities and beyond. This was the third workshop in the series which has taken place in India and the UK. The outcomes will directly feed into the 2020 Commonwealth Youth Forum to be held in Kigali, Rwanda later this year.

The group of students worked together to develop tangible solutions that address shared global issues such as gender-based violence, climate change and inequality. Joining the young leaders were expert speakers and organisations including the International Centre of Nonviolence, the Gandhi Development Trust, as well as the Commonwealth Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Unit.

Global solutions for global problems
The Commonwealth states that with more than 60% of the Commonwealth’s 2.4 billion people younger than 30, the voices of young people have never been more important. Students across the globe are setting new agendas for social debates, challenging communities and governments to listen and work with young people to develop solutions to these intersecting issues and bring about real change.

In joining forces with other young thought leaders from around the world, Nyamunda drew on his experience as an International Students Association Founder and first President, the former 2017 Student Representative Council (SRC) member for International Students, and the Vice-Chairperson of the South African Board for People Practices: UFS Chapter.

As one of the 40 delegates from across the globe, Nyamunda was given a sense of hope after he witnessed how keen young people are to build a better future.

News Archive

UFS keeps the power on

2015-06-24

At a recent Emergency Power Indaba held on the Bloemfontein Campus, support structures at the university met to discuss the Business Continuity Intervention Plan to manage load shedding on the three campuses of the UFS.

Currently, 35 generators serving 55 of the buildings have already been installed as a back-up power supply on the three campuses of the university. According to Anton Calitz, Electrical Engineer at the UFS, the running cost to produce a kWh of electricity with a diesel generator amounts to approximately three times the cost at which the UFS buys electricity from Centlec.

Planned additional generators will attract in excess of R4 million in operating costs per year. For 2015, the UFS senior leadership approved R11 million, spread over the three campuses. Remaining requirements will be spread out over the next three years. University Estates is also looking at renewable energy sources.

On the Bloemfontein Campus, 26 generators serving forty-one buildings are in operation. On South Campus, two generators were installed at the new Education Building and at the ICT Server Room. Lecture halls, the Arena, the Administration Building, and the library will be added later in 2015. Eight generators serving 12 buildings are in operation on the Qwaqwa Campus. In 2015, the Humanities Building, Lecture Halls and the heat pump room will also be equipped with generators.

Most buildings will be supplied only with partial emergency power. In rare cases, entire buildings will be supplied because the cost of connecting is lower than re-wiring for partial demand. According to Nico Janse van Rensburg, Senior Director at University Estates, emergency power will be limited to lighting and power points only. No allowances will be made for air-conditioning.

“Most area lighting will also be connected to emergency power,” he said.

Where spare capacity is available on existing emergency power generators, requests received for additional connections will be added, where possible, within the guidelines. The following spaces will receive preference:
- Lecture halls with the lights, data projectors, and computers running
- Laboratories for practical academic work and sensitive research projects
- Academic research equipment that is sensitive to interruptions
- Buildings hosting regular events

According to Janse van Rensburg, all further needs will be investigated. Staff can forward all emergency power supply needs to Anton Calitz at calitzja@ufs.ac.za

Staff and students can also manage load shedding in the following ways:

1. Carry a small torch with you at all times, in case you are on a stairwell or other dark area when the lights go out. You can also use the flashlight app on your phone. Download it before any load shedding occurs. This can come in handy if the lights go out suddenly, and you cannot find a flashlight. Load-shedding after dark imposes even more pressure on our Campus Security staff. We can assist them with our vigilance and preparedness by carrying portable lights with us at all times and by assisting colleagues.
2. Candles pose a serious safety risk. Rather use battery- or solar-powered lights during load shedding.
3. Ensure that your vehicle always has fuel in the tank, because petrol stations cannot pump fuel during power outages.
4. Ensure that you have enough cash, because ATMs cannot operate without electricity.
5. The UFS Sasol Library has study venues available which students can use during load shedding.
6. When arranging events which are highly dependent on power supply, especially at night, organisers should consult the load-shedding schedule before determining dates and preferably also make back-up arrangements. If generators are a necessity, the financial impact should be taken into consideration.

The senior leadership also approved a list of buildings to be equipped with emergency power supplies.

More about load shedding at the UFS:
Getting out of the dark
More information, guidelines and contact information

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