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31 January 2020 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Gallo Images
Three Kovsies in Springbok coaching team
Rassie Erasmus (left), director of rugby at the South African Rugby Union, congratulates Jacques Nienaber on being the new Springbok head coach, the position Erasmus previously filled. Both are former students of the University of the Free State.

The appointment of Jacques Nienaber as the new Springbok head coach means that a former Kovsie will once again coach the Springbok team. Nienaber takes over from Rassie Erasmus, another Kovsie alumnus.

It was also announced that Daan Human, like Erasmus a former Shimla player who went on to play for the Springboks, will be the scrum consultant. Erasmus will continue in the role of director of rugby and will be part of the Springbok coaching team, which means that half of the six coaches in the team can call themselves Kovsies. 

Nienaber joined Erasmus in the Springbok coaching team in February 2018 as defensive coach. At the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the Springboks conceded the fewest tries (four) of all the teams. Erasmus will be responsible for the strategy and results, with Nienaber taking operational control. 

It will be the first time Nienaber steps into a head-coach role. He started as physiotherapist with the Shimlas U20 team, before going into strength and conditioning and later becoming a defence coach.“This is a massive honour and responsibility, but I think I have a good understanding of what it entails, especially in this new structure. It’s a big step-up for me. I would not have accepted if I didn’t believe I could be successful,” said the 47-year-old Nienaber.

“I’ve been worked with Rassie in a coaching capacity for nearly two decades now and we have a very good idea of how each of us thinks.” The two first worked together in the Shimlas U20 team, where Erasmus was the captain and Nienaber the physio.

Besides Nienaber, two other former Shimlas are currently in a head-coach role – Neil Powell at the Springbok Sevens team and Franco Smith is coaching the Italian national team.


News Archive

SRC elections: A first for UFS main campus
2005-08-14

Students on the main campus of the of the University of the Free State (UFS) will this week for the first time vote for the Student Representative Council (SRC) using two voting systems: proportional representation (PR) and first-past-the-post. 

According to the Vice-Rector, Student Affairs, Dr Ezekiel Moraka, this year’s elections are a milestone for the UFS as it will be the first time that the main campus SRC will be elected according to the amended SRC constitution, which was approved by the UFS Council in June 2005.

“It is also a major breakthrough for student governance and transformation of the UFS main campus and constitutes a legitimate basis for the democratic participation of all students at the UFS main campus in the governance of the university,” said Dr Moraka.

The amended constitution of the main campus SRC determines that nine of the 18 SRC members must be elected by means of proportional representation and nine on the basis of an individual, first-past-the-post election.
 
According to Dr Moraka, the introduction of the proportional representation system follows earlier calls by some student formations, notably Sasco and the ANC Youth League, for such a system to be introduced at the UFS main campus in Bloemfontein.

The new main campus SRC constitution is the result of consensus reached during a lengthy negotiation process involving diverse student formations such as Sasco, the ANC Youth League, the Young Communist League, the ACDP, HEREXVII, KovsieAlliance, as well as the democratically elected SRC members of the main campus.

“Independent persons such as Mr Jack Klaas and Mr Kobus van Loggerenberg, a former SRC President, facilitated the negotiation process,” said Dr Moraka.

Students on the main campus in Bloemfontein will vote for a new SRC on Monday 15 August 2005.

SRC elections will also take place on the other two campuses of the UFS, which have their own SRC structures.

Students on the UFS-Vista campus in Bloemfontein will vote for a new SRC on Monday 15 August 2005 and Tuesday 16 August 2005.

At the Qwaqwa campus of the UFS, students will vote for a new SRC on Friday 26 August 2005.

The election processes on all three campuses will be closely monitored by independent electoral bodies. 

After the three campuses have elected their respective SRCs a central SRC will be constituted.  The central SRC will have 12 members made up of delegates of the three campus SRCs, including the presidents of these three SRCs. The main campus will have five representatives, the Qwaqwa campus will have four representatives and the Vista campus will have three representatives.

Main campus voting schedule:
Monday 15 August 2005 from 07:00-21:00.  Ten voting stations will be set up across the campus.  The results will be announced on Tuesday 16 August 2005.

Vista campus voting schedule:
Monday 15 August 2005 and Tuesday 16 August 2005 from 09:00-18:00 in the administration building.  The results will be announced on Wednesday 17 August 2005.
 
Qwaqwa campus voting schedule:
Friday 26 August 2005 from 09:00-18:00 in the Senate Hall.  If there is no objection to the final results, it will be announced on the same day.


Media release

Issued by:  Lacea Loader
   Media Representative
   Tel:  (051) 401-2584
   Cell:  083 645 2454
   E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za

14 August 2005
 

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