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14 December 2020 | Story André Damons
Dr WA Lombard
Dr WA Lombard from the Department of Agricultural Economics in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences was a winner of the Joseph F Donnermeyer New Scholar Award from the International Society for the Study of Rural Crime.
A researcher and lecturer from the University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Agricultural Economics has received an international award for his research on the economic impact of stock theft in South Africa.

Dr WA Lombard from this department in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences was announced as the winner of the Joseph F Donnermeyer New Scholar Award from the International Society for the Study of Rural Crime (ISSRC) earlier this month (December 2020).

Award for an early-career researcher

Dr Lombard received the award for the research he conducted for the article: ‘Economic impact and factors affecting sheep and goat theft in South Africa’, published in Acta Criminologica: African Journal of Criminology & Victimology. The award is bestowed on an early-career researcher for a publication pertaining to rural criminology during the past 12 months. An early-career researcher is someone who has received a PhD within the past seven years and is showing stable research development.

“Winning this award is a very big honour for me. You always wonder if others view the research you are doing as important. It makes it even more special knowing that researchers from around the world could have won this award. I didn’t think I stood a chance,” said Dr Lombard.

According to him, this was the first award he had entered for after being encouraged by Mr Willie Clark from UNISA’s School for Criminal Justice and chairperson of the Stock Theft Prevention Forum.

Rural-crime research receiving attention

“It is great to know that research conducted by the UFS is considered valuable and of good quality by researchers around the world. It is also good to know that rural-crime research is receiving attention. Many feel this field of research is being neglected,” added Dr Lombard.

The award is named after ISSRC president, Joe Donnermeyer, and acknowledges his many years of work, his pioneering role in rural criminology as a sub-discipline, and his strong and ongoing support and mentorship for emerging academics.

• The other winner is Dr Kate Farhall of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and Melbourne Technical College in Australia.

News Archive

Human Rights Desk takes up anti-xenophobia initiative
2015-05-06

In light of the recent violent attacks on foreigners in South Africa, the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Human Rights Desk hosted a symposium on the issue of xenophobia on Wednesday 29 April 2015 on the Bloemfontein Campus. In collaboration with volunteers from the Institute of Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ), students had the opportunity to discuss the underlying issues of the problem.

Joe Besigye, Numpumelelo Ngcobo, Phiwe Mathe, and Dr Christian Williams lead the symposium. The panel aimed at providing guidance, answers, and explanations to the different narratives offered in the wake of the conflict. The underlying reasons for the conflict were investigated, which included socio-economic factors as well as the afrocentric tone of the events. Possible aggravating factors – such as the misplacement of blame and a South African culture of entitlement – also came under scrutiny. In addition, the discussion looked at the need to take into account the perspectives of non-South Africans on African conflicts.

After the symposium, Kovsie students gathered at the Thakaneng Bridge where Vice-Chancellor and Rector, Prof Jonathan Jansen, addressed the group. Carrying posters with ‘No to Xenophobia’ messages, the students then marched across the campus to show their support for anti-xenophobia.

The IRSJ – which the Human Rights Desk forms part of – has spearheaded the No-to-Racism/Yes-to-Equality Campaign launched in March 2015 across all three campuses. Under the guidance of the IRSJ, the Kovsie community has regularly been publicly showing their solidarity against all forms of discrimination.

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