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Ready to register? Let this be your guide

09 January 2020 | Story Valentino Ndaba

Are you a first-year or senior student in need of essential registration information? Look no further, below is your official guide to the process.

Bloemfontein Campus:
First-year students:
20 – 24 January 2020: On-campus registration

Senior students:
9 January – 7 February 2020: Online registration
27 – 31 January 2020: On-campus registration

On-campus registration:
Callie Human Centre, Bloemfontein Campus
Weekdays from 08:00 to 15:00

South Campus:
First-year and senior students:
13 January 2020: UAP: Education (excluding international students)
14 January 2020: UAP: Natural and Agricultural Sciences (excluding international students)
15 January 2020: Higher Certificate: The Humanities (excluding international students)
16 January 2020: Higher Certificates: Economic and Management Sciences and second-year extended EMS programme (excluding international students)
17 January 2020: All international students (all faculties)

On-campus registration:
Madiba Hall, South Campus, Bloemfontein
Weekdays from 08:30 to 15:30

Sub-regions:

Motheo: 20 January 2020
Motheo TVET College: Bloemfontein Campus
09:00-15:00

Bethlehem: 21 January 2020
Maluti TVET College: Bethlehem Campus
09:00-15:00

Welkom: 22 January 2020
Moruti House / Goldfields TVET Skills College: Welkom
09:00-14:00

Kwetlisong: 23 January 2020
Maluti TVET College: Phuthaditjhaba Campus
09:00-14:00

Oudtshoorn: 27 January 2020
South Cape TVET College: Oudtshoorn
09:00-14:00

Sasolburg: 28 January 2020
Flavius Mareka TVET College: Sasolburg
09:00-14:00

Qwaqwa Campus:
First-year students:
8 - 17 January 2020: On-campus registration

Senior students:
9 January 2020: Online registration
27 – 31 January 2020: On-campus registration

On-campus registration:
Main Entrance and Mandela Hall, Qwaqwa Campus
Weekdays from 08:00 to 15:00

Please bring the following when you come to register:
- Your identity document (ID)
- NSC (Grade 12 results, N4, N5, N6 certificates – if applicable; NCV L4 certificate – if applicable)
- Proof of payment/bursary/NSFAS (first payment has to be done FIVE DAYS PRIOR TO REGISTRATION)
- Financial agreement form (credit-facility form that was sent to you by the UFS)
- ID of the parent or third party that signed the financial form
- Black pen
If you are younger than 18 years on the day of registration, your parent/legal guardian has to approve and sign the registration form with you.

Please note that you need to make the following payment five (5) days prior to registration:

First payments for registration 2020 (please click on the link to view the document).

Registration enquiries:
If you have any queries, contact the Student Service Centre at +27 51 401 9666 or send an email quoting your student number to studentadmin@ufs.ac.za. Our friendly staff is ready to assist you.

Password enquiries:
If you have any password related queries, contact the ICT helpdesk on +27 51 401 2000 and select option two.

Information on academic advice before registration

More information on registration, and how to add/change modules

Important information for 2020 first-year students

News Archive

Fracking in the Karoo has advantages and disadvantages

2012-05-25

Dr Danie Vermeulen
Photo: Leatitia Pienaar
25 May 2012

Fracking for shale gas in the Karoo was laid bare during a public lecture by Dr Danie Vermeulen, Director of the Institute for Groundwater Studies (IGS). He shared facts, figures and research with his audience. No “yes” or “no” vote was cast. The audience was left to decide for itself.

The exploitation of shale gas in the pristine Karoo has probably been one of the most debated issues in South Africa since 2011.

Dr Vermeulen’s lecture, “The shale gas story in the Karoo: both sides of the coin”, was the first in a series presented by the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science under the theme “Sustainability”. Dr Vermeulen is a trained geo-hydrologist and geologist. He has been involved in fracking in South Africa since the debate started. He went on a study tour to the USA in 2011 to learn more about fracking and he visited the USA to further his investigation in May 2012.

Some of the information he shared, includes:

- It is estimated that South Africa has the fifth-largest shale-gas reserves in the world, following on China, the USA, Argentina and Mexico.
- Flow-back water is stored in sealed tanks and not in flow-back dams.
- Fracturing will not contaminate the water in an area, as the drilling of the wells will go far deeper than the groundwater aquifers. Every well has four steel casings – one within the other – with the gaps between them sealed with cement.
- More than a million hydraulic fracturing simulations took place in the USA without compromising fresh groundwater. The surface activities can cause problems because that is where man-made and managerial operations could cause pollution.
- Water use for shale-gas exploration is lower than for other kinds of energy, but the fact that the Karoo is an arid region makes the use of groundwater a sensitive issue. Dr Vermeulen highlighted this aspect as his major concern regarding shale-gas exploration.
- The cost to develop is a quarter of the cost for an oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
- Dolerite intrusions in the Karoo are an unresearched concern. Dolerite is unique to the South African situation. Dolerite intrusion temperatures exceed 900 °C.

He also addressed the shale-gas footprint, well decommissioning and site reclamation, radio activity in the shale and the low possibility of seismic events.

Dr Vermeulen said South Africa is a net importer of energy. About 90% of its power supply is coal-based. For continued economic growth, South Africa needs a stable energy supply. It is also forecast that energy demand in South Africa is growing faster than the average global demand.

Unknowns to be addressed in research and exploration are the gas reserves and gas needs of South Africa. Do we have enough water? What will be the visual and social impact? Who must do the exploration?

“Only exploration will give us these answers,” Dr Vermeulen said.

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