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03 January 2020
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Story Xolisa Mnukwa
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Photo Supplied
The UFS Bloemfontein Campus, South Campus, and Qwaqwa Campus choirs are student-centred choirs functioning under the Student Affairs’ Arts, Culture and Dialogue office.
It has been a noteworthy year for the University of the Free State (UFS) Choir, establishing itself on the student/university choir scene. The choir, based on the Bloemfontein Campus, represented the UFS at the bi-annual KUESTA choir festival earlier this year, showcasing its musical talent. The choir shared a stage with other university choirs from around the country.
The UFS (Bloemfontein Campus) Choir is a 42-member ensemble of students; the other two choirs, based on the South and Qwaqwa campuses, consist of 40 and 62 members respectively. The choirs are administered and managed by the Division of Student Affairs’ Arts, Culture and Dialogue Office. In addition to Kovsie culture, the choirs strive to have a varied repertoire of inclusive music, with the UFS BFN Campus choir performing a diversity of songs in English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, and Sesotho.
The new South Campus choir was established in 2018 and is led by choir director, Bonisile Gcisa, who specialises in choral music. This leg of the choir will therefore perform many of his works, but will also include some of the Bloemfontein choir’s set lists, since most of the choir members will be auditioning in 2021 for the Bfn choir when they change campuses.
The Qwaqwa Campus choir will lean more towards a choral genre under the direction of Sipho Khumalo.
The UFS Bloemfontein Campus choir was officially re-established under the leadership of choir conductor Leona Geldenhuys in March 2018, and has performed at several events, including the Rector’s Concert, the annual KUESTA choir convention, and the Bloemfontein Choir invitational. The group has also held a number of public performances on the Thakaneng Bridge at the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.
“Part of the UFS Student Affairs’ objective is to create an inclusive and a socially just student lived experience, and that is the mandate the choirs will also adopt. We hope to create an experience that not only enhances our students’ singing abilities, but also contribute to a more inclusive university experience.” – Angelo Mockie – Director: UFS Student Affairs Arts, Culture and Dialogue office.
“Rest well, be safe, and return rejuvenated,” were his parting words to students for the festive season.
UFS students excel at FPI awards
2009-06-04
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Top students Annemarie Trinder-Smith and Renier de Bruyn
Photo: Supplied |
Two top achievers from the Centre for Financial Planning Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) were crowned nationally as top students by the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa (FPI) at a gala ceremony at Emperor’s Palace, Johannesburg, on Tuesday night.
Annemarie Trinder-Smith, a financial planner at Christo Saayman Financial Planners, was the best student in the Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning, while Renier de Bruyn, financial advisor at PSG Consult (George) was the best student in the Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning.
They were among 461 students of the Centre for Financial Planning Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) who earlier received their postgraduate diplomas at a ceremony that formed part of the annual FPI convention.
The Centre for Financial Planning Law, which was established in 2001, was the first and for five years the only academic centre in South Africa to present a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning. Today the UFS is still the only institution to present this course through distance learning. The UFS is currently the only institution that offers the Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning.
At the diploma ceremony hosted earlier by the UFS, the following students were named as top achievers in various modules of the Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning:
• Mylie Archibald (Financial Planning Environment, Corporate Financial Planning)
• Shaun Matthews (Personal Financial Planning)
• Nicolette van der Linde (Financial Planning Case Study). She also received an FPI prize as top student.
In the Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning, the following students were named as top achievers in various modules by the UFS. They also received FPI prizes in these modules:
• Megan Joan Anika (Fund Governance and Maintenance)
• Sarah Lynn James (Fund Design and Financing)
• Melanie Louw (Personal Risk Management)
• Renier de Bruyn (Estate Planning, Asset Types and Investment Planning)
• Jan Willem Wessels (Principles of Portfolio Planning and Management)
According to Adv Wessel Oosthuizen, Director of the Centre for Financial Planning at the UFS, large companies, banks, insurers and investment managers enroll their staff for these qualifications.
“The two diplomas form the basis for financial planners, brokers, lawyers and bankers to be recognized as certified financial planners - the CFP® status - as well as obtaining membership of the FPI.”
“A qualified financial planner, especially a CFP®, is one of the most sought-after titles in the financial planning sector worldwide. With about 3 700 CFP’s, South Africa has the fifth highest number of certified financial planners in the world,” Adv Oosthuizen said.
Adv. Oosthuizen is well-known nationally and internationally for his contribution to the advancement of financial planning law and financial planning education.
He was recently invited by the Financial Planning Standards Board to serve on an international committee that will evaluate the quality of education in financial planning. He was also the chairperson of a working group that developed guidelines for a standardised international curriculum for financial planners.
Media Release:
Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za
04 June 2009