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03 August 2020 | Story Nitha Ramnath | Photo Supplied
Prof Ivan Turok.
The University of the Free State is pleased to announce that the Human Sciences Research Council’s (HSRC) Prof Ivan Turok has been awarded a research chair by the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI). Prof Turok is one of South Africa’s most cited social scientists. He will hold the Research Chair in City-Region Economies in the Department of Economics and Finance and the Centre for Development Support at the UFS. The UFS is now home to six SARChI chairs.  

The research chair is the first partnership of its kind between a South African university and the HSRC. The chair will seek to understand how cities can accelerate economic growth and inclusive development in SA. It will analyse why some cities are more successful than others, and what policies and practices can improve conditions for citizens and communities. It will also provide funding to increase research capacity through the appointment of postdoctoral, PhD, and master’s students.

SARChI is a government intervention aimed at strengthening the scientific research and innovation capacity of South African universities. It was established by the Department of Science and Technology in 2006 and is managed by the National Research Foundation (NRF). According to the NRF, its prestigious research chair is awarded to established researchers who are recognised internationally for their research contributions.  

“Prof Turok’s appointment as Research Chair is a great honour for the university. He is a highly rated researcher and his knowledge of city-region economies will be of exceptional value to the university’s research portfolio, as well as to the country’s agenda of transforming urban areas. Our country is in dire need of research in this area, in which Prof Turok will be playing a significant role,” said Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS. 

According to Prof Lochner Marais, Head of the UFS Centre for Development Support, the research chair will have four main themes: The Urban System – Demographics and Economics; Economic Sectors in Space; Dynamic Places; and Strategic Urban Assets. The chair brings together research from the Departments of Economics and Finance, Urban and Regional Planning, and the Centre for Development Support. The long-term goal is to develop the chair into a centre of excellence.

“The chair is co-funded by the South African Cities Network. All research will speak directly to the South African Cities Network’s agenda of transforming urban areas in the country,” Prof Marais adds.

In congratulating Prof Turok, the CEO of the Human Sciences Research Council, Prof Crain Soudien, said, “It is fitting that this research chair has been awarded to Prof Turok.  It is a culmination of many years of work in the area of city regions through which he has earned a sterling reputation as a scholar in this area of work.”

Prof Turok has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and 11 books/monographs. He holds an NRF B1-rating and is the former Editor-in-Chief of the top international journal, Regional Studies. He is currently Executive Director: Economic Performance and Development at the Human Sciences Research Council and was Chairman of the Durban City Planning Commission. He was formerly Professor of Urban Economic Development, and Director of Research: Department of Urban Studies at the University of Glasgow. Prof Turok was also a Mellon Fellow at the University of Cape Town and Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Strathclyde. He is an occasional adviser to the United Nations, OECD, African Development Bank, UNECA, and several national governments. His recent books include Transitions in Regional Economic Development (2018, Routledge), Value Chains in Sub-Saharan Africa (2019, Springer), and Restoring the Core: Central City Decline and Transformation in the South (2020, Elsevier). He has a PhD in Economics from the University of Reading.

News Archive

Moshoeshoe's legacy lives on in university's project: City Press - 2 May 2004
2004-10-14

 CITY PRESS                           2 MAY 2004   P8  

NEWS
JOHANNESBURG FINAL 

Moshoeshoe's legacy lives on in university's project

MATEFU MOKOENA


 

DRUMS were beaten and the sounds of traditional songs reverberated through corridors of the University of the Free State (UFS) as Basotho students gathered at the campus over the weekend to launch a project honouring their late great king, Moshoeshoe.

The launch was organised by the Lesotho Students Association and UFS management and was blessed by King Letsie III of Lesotho.

According to UFS rector and vicechancellor, Professor Frederick Fourie, the aim of the project is to make the legacy of Moshoeshoe a living part of the university.

He said the Moshoeshoe project will include a television documentary on his life as well as an anthology of creative writings, including prose and poetry, about him.

A television documentary is already being filmed and will be screened during an international conference at UFS in October.

Fourie said the university, as part of the project, is looking at the possibility of starting an annual Moshoeshoe memorial lecture that will focus on African leadership, nationbuilding and reconciliation.

He said the university would introduce a PhD-level research course into the life and legacy of Moshoeshoe.

The university management has also taken a decision to erect a statue of Moshoeshoe on the campus.

Fourie said the project was launched after the UFS delegation, led by him, met Letsie III.

"He wanted us to ensure the legacy of Moshoeshoe is honoured and treated with the respect he deserves."

His legacy "must live on -- not only for the Basotho, but for all South Africans, black and white, and for the entire African continent", he said.

"Living out such a legacy is indeed a fitting contribution to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) and to the maturing democracy that is being built here in South Africa," said Fourie.

He emphasised Moshoeshoe was and remains a model of African leadership.

Fourie said Moshoeshoe's diplomacy and commitment to peace put him on a par with former president Nelson Mandela as a statesman.

It is Fourie's dream that, through this project, the UFS will be able to give real meaning to words such as reconciliation, respect for the diversity of languages and cultures and the unity that is needed to build a democratic nation.

The Lesotho Students Association secretary, Sofonea Shale, said for an institution like the UFS to honour Moshoeshoe demonstrates that he was a great leader. "For Basotho students, the project is very significant as it clearly defines who we are and what we stand for.

"We believe the research into the legacy of our great king Moshoeshoe will open doors for more research into the life of Basotho in general.

"Africa as a whole can learn from his leadership style," he said.


 

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