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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

A year of various highlights for UFS
2016-12-19

Some other highlights:

Description: Prof Maryke Labuschagne, Bloemfontein Highlights Tags: Prof Maryke Labuschagne, Bloemfontein Highlights
The UFS was awarded five SARChI
(South African Research Chairs Initiative)
research chairs, the main goal of which is
to promote research excellence.
Read the full story


Description: Alumni Awards, Bloemfontein highlights Tags: Alumni Awards, Bloemfontein highlights

The UFS Chancellor’s Distinguished
Alumni Awards ceremony was held on
5 November 2016 on the
Bloemfontein Campus.
Read the full story


Description: Candice Thikeson, Bloemfontein Highlights Tags: Candice Thikeson, Bloemfontein Highlights

UFS student Candice Thikeson
completed a hat-trick of accolades when
she was named recipient of the Abe Bailey
Travel Bursary.

Read the full story

 

Description: Reitumetse Maloa, Bloemfontein Highlights Tags: Reitumetse Maloa, Bloemfontein Highlights

Reitumetse Maloa, a young researcher
at the UFS, is searching for a solution to
South Africa’s energy and electricity
problems from a rather unlikely
source: cow dung.

Read the full story


It was a year of various highlights for the University of the Free State (UFS) which has again illustrated the institution’s versatility by excelling on various fronts, from sports to research.

Some of these included Wayde van Niekerk winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; research on the locomotion of the giraffe, and the awarding of honorary doctorates to people such as veteran journalist Max du Preez.

Van Niekerk breaks 400m world record

After his feat in Rio on 14 August 2016, Van Niekerk was described as “the next star” by former US sprinter Michael Johnson, whose 17-year-old 400m world record he broke in a time of 43,03. Johnson described the way in which the Kovsie outperformed the 400m field as “a massacre”.

Wayde van Niekerk was described as “the next star" by Michael Johnson, whose 17-year-old 400m world record he broke in a time of 43.03.


Max du Preez and Trevor Manuel honoured


Du Preez (Humanities) said he was excited about the young minds he had interacted with at the Winter Graduation ceremony of the UFS. The leading journalist and political analyst was one of four recipients of honorary doctorates from the university on June 30 2016. The others were Prof Joel Samoff (Humanities), former finance minister Trevor Manuel, and Dr Reuel Jethro Khoza (both Economic and Management Sciences.

Research of great value for conservation


Dr Francois Deacon, Department of Animal, Wildlife, and Grassland Sciences at the UFS, and Dr Chris Basu, a veterinarian at the Royal Veterinary College in the UK, conducted research on the manner in which giraffes locomote from one place to another.

Very little research has been done on the manner in which these animals move. The research will assist in understanding aspects such as the giraffe’s anatomy and function, as well as the energy it utilises in locomoting. Such information could help researchers understand where giraffes fit into the ecosystem and the data would be of great value for large-scale conservation efforts.

 

 

 

Read more on these highlights:

 

Wayde van Niekerk:

15 August 2016: Wayde the next big star, says Michael Johnson
20 September 2016: I don’t see myself as a star, says Wayde
27 October 2016: Wayde, Karla shine again at KovsieSport gala night
24 November 2016: Wayde keeps winning off the track

Honorary doctorates:

29 June 2016: UFS will award four honorary doctorates during Winter Graduation ceremonies
2 July 2016: Trevor Manuel and Max du Preez among the recipients of honorary doctorates at UFS graduation

Giraffe research:

9 March 2016: Giraffe research broadcast on National Geographic channel
23 August 2016: Research on locomotion of giraffes valuable for conservation of this species
18 November 2016: Studies to reveal correlation between terrain, energy use, and giraffe locomotion

 

 

 

 

 

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