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17 August 2020 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Pierce van Heerden
Burneline Kaars says the annual Women’s Breakfast event will honour all the remarkable women who are working from home while managing added family responsibilities.

Women of the UFS, and now also elsewhere in South Africa, can look forward to yet another Women’s Breakfast event to commemorate National Women’s Day. The event will be coordinated by the Division of Organisational Development and Employee Wellness. 

Burneline Kaars, Head of the division, says this year’s event will look a bit different from past events, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtual event will be interactive and engaging, with a balance of serious topics and light-hearted humour. 

The theme of the event is ‘From surviving to thriving’. Kaars says they will be honouring all the remarkable women for their ability to thrive despite ongoing difficulties. 

And with guest speaker duo, Shaleen Surtie-Richards and Hannes van Wyk – who will charm and dazzle attendees – this is definitely an event not to be missed.

“We will also relate experiences of strength and resilience that every woman can draw upon, as well as provide additional entertainment with musical productions performed by local Bloemfontein artists,” adds Kaars.

Not only UFS women, but women across South Africa are invited to join the Division of Organisational Development and Employee Wellness for this year’s UFS Women’s Breakfast on:

Date: 20 August 2020
Time: 09:00-11:00

The event is free of charge, but the audience will have the opportunity to pledge any amount towards the fight against gender-based violence.

Any interested parties can register via this link. The Organisational Development and Employee Wellness team is looking forward to seeing you online


Inspiration integral part of Kaars’ life …

Kaars, who is married with two children, says her family are her biggest fans. “They are my strength in pursuing my goals and dreams and they inspire me to be bold.” Meditation, ambition, and music also serves as inspiration for Kaars, a dynamic woman who leads the Division of Organisational Development and Employee Wellness with a smile in her eyes. “My quiet time in the early mornings brings me to a place of being totally present and of dependence. It is during this time that I can just slow down and get new perspective on things.”

Kaars adds that ambition also keeps her going, even during bad days. For her, it means being eager to accomplish something, striving to reach her goals, and being determined to achieve what she set out to do and to do it enthusiastically.

But she believes the perspectives of others such as her family, close friends, and team members are important. “Their different perspectives, amount of energy, and their support of my ideas inspire me immensely,” she says.

On a creative level, Kaars says: “Music speaks to me in unique ways, and the ability to express yourself is very inspiring. The creativity it takes to make music amazes me in a wonderful way. I’ve been listening and enjoying music for as long as I can remember.”

 

News Archive

UFS appoints Dr Khotso Mokhele as Chancellor
2010-06-04

Dr Khotso Mokhele as Chancellor, University of the Free State
  Dr Khotso Mokhele
The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) appointed Dr Khotso Mokhele as Chancellor during its quarterly meeting held on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein today.

“It is an honour for the Council to appoint someone of this stature as Chancellor of the UFS. With his solid academic background and high profile in the business world, Dr Mokhele is a great asset to the UFS,” said Judge Ian van der Merwe, Chairperson of the UFS Council.

Dr Mokhele is a graduate of the University of Fort Hare and did his postgraduate studies at the University of California in the USA. He is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University in the USA. Dr Mokhele has eight honorary doctorate degrees from South African tertiary institutions – among others the UFS – as well as an honorary doctorate degree from Rutgers University in the USA. He holds post doctoral fellowships from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine, both in the USA.

Dr Mokhele was founder president and chief executive officer of the National Research Foundation (NRF), as well as founder president of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).

He holds non-executive positions on the boards of several national companies, among others as the Chairman of Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd, non-executive chairman of Adcock Ingram Holdings Ltd and non-executive director of both African Oxygen Ltd and Tiger Brands Ltd.

He is currently Chairperson of the selection committee of the Rhodes Scholarships for Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland, member of the Committee on Developing and Transition Economy Countries of the International Social Sciences Council (ISSC) and member of the Review Committee assessing VW Foundation research funding in Sub-Saharan Africa and the former Soviet Central Asian/Caucasus Republics.

Dr Mokhele received the Lifetime Achievement Technology Top 100 award in 2009 for his vision and major contribution in securing the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), constructed outside Sutherland in the Northern Cape.

Dr Mokhele’s succeeds Dr Franklin Sonn, who retired as Chancellor of the UFS at the end of 2009.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (actg)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za  
4 June 2010

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