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23 January 2020 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa
Gateway
Ensure a vibrant Kovsie student life for yourself by actively participating in the exciting series of official Gateway activities and events.

Enrich your first University of the Free State (UFS) experiences with the annual Gateway first-year’s college. Form long-lasting friendships and memories with your fellow freshmen and gear up for a vibrant academic career at the UFS.

Gateway comprises an exciting series of student-life and learning experiences that are intended to introduce and acquaint students with their respective Kovsie campuses and overall UFS campus life. 

The 2020 Gateway programme inducts first-year students into academic faculty life in order to help them adjust and settle into the university environment. It also aims to instil effective skills in them to thrive academically, and to develop into well-rounded, globally competitive graduates.

Want to experience Gateway? Here’s how

The Gateway Orientation programme on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus is conducted according to student colleges. First-year students who do not belong to an on-campus or day residence on the Bfn Campus, are assigned to a college in Exam Room 3 during their registration. This enables them to follow and be part of the series of events according to the colleges they are assigned to.

Get to know your UFS campus

UFS Campus Tours no longer form part of the Gateway Programme; however, Gateway mentors assigned to specific colleges are available for students to get in touch with, in order to arrange tours of the Bloemfontein Campus. Day-residence students and students residing on campus are paired with P3 mentors, who have been placed in their respective residences to facilitate campus tours for them. 

KovsiesACTUP Performing Arts Competition

The UFS Arts, Culture and Dialogue office has partnered with the Kovsie ACT office for the 2020 Gateway programme, introducing the KovsiesACTUP Performing Arts Competition for all prospective and current students of the UFS. It is geared towards engaging students and enhancing the general social atmosphere on the Bloemfontein Campus during registration.

The competition comprises various categories, including dancing, singing, poetry, DJing, musical bands, and rap. The winner from each category will walk away with R1 500 in cash. The competition finale will be held at the RAG farm on 27 January 2020 at 14:00.
 
For more information on how to get involved with the Arts, Culture and Dialogue Office, students can visit the Callie Human Centre on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus. The office has set up a performance stage, where fellow Kovsies associated with the office are entertaining prospective students and parents who are waiting to register. 

For enquiries about Gateway on each campus, see the details below:

Bloemfontein Campus:  +27 51 401 9876 or email gateway@ufs.ac.za
Qwaqwa Campus: Dulcie Malimabe, +27 58 718 5041; malimabeDP@ufs.ac.za 
South Campus: Tshego Setilo, +27 51 505 1362; SetiloT@ufs.ac.za

Visit the UFS Gateway page for more information on the 2020 programme and how you can get involved.

News Archive

Heritage translates into fashion
2016-09-13

Description: Centre for Africa Studies Tags: Centre for Africa Studies

Vuyo Mbutho, winner of the best dressed
traditional wear, and Palesa Mokubung,
acclaimed fashion designer.
Photo: Siobhan Canavan

There is no such thing as overnight success. You need to earn your way to the top through hard work, which is exactly what critically acclaimed fashion designer Palesa Mokubung did.

During the 2016 Heritage Day lecture hosted by the Centre for Africa Studies, entrepreneur, award winner and fashion visionary Mokubung told how she had begun her career with the label Stoned Cherrie. Kroonstad-born Mokubung then formed her own label in 2004 called Mantsho, which is Sesotho for “brutally black”.

A true Mantsho garment can be identified by three elements that describe Mokubung’s knowledge of her craft, namely its confident and effortless silhouette, structure and quirkiness. “I was taught to express myself from a very young age and my job is to give people life through my clothes,” she says.

Under the management and creative leadership of Mokubung, Mantsho has gone on to travel to places such as Greece, India, New York, Jamaica, Nigeria, Botswana, and Senegal showcasing its designs.

Mokubung says she does not look far for inspiration because she lives in such exciting times. “Sometimes the fabrics talk to you and you should listen to them.”

This confident, straight talker with her high standards says that all aspiring fashion designers need to earn their way to the top. “You get over it by getting over it, and by working through it.”

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