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04 February 2020 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Charl Devenish
Kovsie Eco vehicle parade
A highlight for first-year and senior students is the ACT eco-vehicle building and parade through the streets of Bloemfontein.

Sunny skies, cheerful faces, and an overall great atmosphere surfed the University of the Free State (UFS) Bloemfontein Campus on Saturday, 1 February 2020 for the final series of events in the Kovsie ACT 2020 line-up.

The eco-vehicle parade kick-started the activities for the day and saw various student teams displaying their personalised pit-stop ‘sculptures’ along the streets of Bloemfontein.  UFS residence teams Sonverlief (Houses Sonnedou, Veritas, Madelief); Soetmarmentum (Houses Soetdoring, Marjolein, Armentum); and Beykasium (Houses Beyers Naudé, Akasia, Imperium) came in first, second, and third respectively, obtaining the highest scores out of nine teams for their pit-stop sculpture constructions. 
 
Following the parade, there were a number of fun but competitive eco-vehicle races between the teams. This included the Drag Race, Obstacle Course Race, Formula E Race, Endurance Race, and the Slalom Course Race that took place on the Mokete Square. 

In the evening, students were serenaded by artists such as Early B and Spoegwolf. They danced to performances from the latest Amapiano music sensation, Kabza de Small, and legendary deep-house music duo, Black Motion, at the Rag Farm. 

Assistant Director of UFS Student Life and Director of the Kovsie ACT office, Karen Scheepers, earlier urged students to get more involved in student-life programmes such as Kovsie ACT, in order to equip themselves with a variety of skills and a fulfilling university experience.

A number of senior and first-year students who were part of the action on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus this past Saturday, can attest to Scheepers’ advice.
“I’ve been looking forward to starting university for the longest time, and I am glad that I ended up at the UFS. I don’t feel alone, I feel like I can actually do this,” said first-year Psychology student, Thulisa Shezi.

“University isn’t as bad as everyone thinks it is, it’s just a matter of staying motivated, doing your work, and surrounding yourself with the right people in the process.” – Fourth-year Business Management student, Earl van der Westhuisen.

News Archive

Chancellor’s Medal awarded to Tokkie Pretorius for outstanding service to the community
2014-12-12

Tokkie (JL) Pretorius – a qualified attorney who obtained his BProc, LLB and LLM at the University of the Free State (UFS) – was the recipient of the prestigious Chancellor’s Medal on 11 December 2014 during our Summer Graduation Ceremony. This latest honour builds on a path of achievements, being a previous recipient of both a Dean’s Medal as well as the Juta Prize for the best law student at the UFS.

The Chancellor’s Medal is awarded to an individual for outstanding service or achievement at local, national or international level, or for service to the community or the UFS. The academic component of a candidate’s contribution or achievement may be taken into account, but will not be decisive.

Pretorius was General Manager: Legal Services at the Free State Development Corporation (FDC) from 1996 – 2009 and Company Secretary from 2004 – 2009. Since 2009, he has been the CEO of the Anglo-Boer Museum in Bloemfontein.

“It is a great honour for me to receive the Chancellor’s Medal,” said Pretorius – who was nominated for the Bloemfonteiner of the Year competition in 2011.

“The medal is awarded to me at a very relevant time for the museum as well. The museum is at a time where nation-building, diversity and transformation are priority. Therefore, the Chancellor’s Medal award is an indication of the close co-operation between the museum and the UFS, both of whom are focused on the promotion of nation building, diversity and transformation,” Pretorius said.

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