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10 July 2020 | Story Thabo Kessah | Photo Charl Devenish
The handover was done by Thomas September, ABSA Head Regional Coverage: Relationship Banking. With him are a student, Emily Ndlovu, Ntokozo Nkabinde (Institutional Advancement) and Tshenolo Thibeletsa (ICT).

“I am still in disbelief. Before I had this laptop, I was borrowing my cousin's laptop to do my academic tasks.”

These are the words of final-year Biochemistry and Food Science student, Xoliswa Khumalo, one of 200 students who recently became recipients of a generous donation of laptops from ABSA. In its endeavour to make a contribution towards saving the 2020 academic year, ABSA identified deserving students.

Xoliswa continued: “This laptop will help me type my assignments, since all of them need to be typed. I will also be able to view my slides and watch videos of my lectures. Now I do not have to wait for my cousin to watch movies. I am free to use mine for as long as I want.”

Another recipient is Itumeleng Katjedi, a second-year Economics student. “Thank you very much for the contribution to making my education journey much easier and simpler. I will be sure to strive to get the best grades,” she said.

“The University of the Free State (UFS) wishes to express its sincere appreciation to ABSA for investing in the future of those students who have little or no financial means to complete their studies remotely.  Much has changed and many lives are directly and indirectly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, in a letter to ABSA’s Dr Reaan Immelman, Head: Education Delivery Citizenship.  

“These are challenging times, not only for our country, but also for higher education institutions, as we work towards ensuring that the academic year is completed without any of our students being left behind.  The UFS is deeply thankful for the 200 laptops, which will make an immeasurable contribution to alleviating inequalities between the different student cohorts.  For these students, this gesture will not only advance their academic success; it will position them for the future world of work. ABSA will always be remembered as the co-creator of their future,” he adds in the letter.

Students from across the length and breadth of South Africa continue to receive their laptops via courier services, and those near the campuses are able to collect them while observing the COVID-19 regulations.

News Archive

Researcher transforms despair into diamonds
2016-01-18

PhD candidate, Lerato Machetela and some members of the group Diamonds in the Rough having some fun between rehearsals.

Awash in hopelessness, substance abuse, violence, and sexual promiscuity. This is the lived reality of the youth in Jagersfontein. But now Lerato Machetela is using her research to change it.

As a PhD candidate in Trauma, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS), Machetela assembled a group of 14 young men – ranging between the ages of 9 and 18 – who call themselves Jagersfontein’s Diamonds in the Rough. Combining elements from psychology, education, and entertainment, Machetela has established a platform that grounds these young ones adrift in circumstances. By means of song and dance, these young ones have become grounded through creativity.

While discussing what it means to be free in the new South Africa, Machetela asked the group to come up with a song similar to the struggle song, ‘Nelson Mandela usi litheli ixolo’.

Jagersfontein’s Diamonds in the Rough Researcher, Lerato Machetela, combines psychology, education, and entertainment to ground local youths through creativity.

The result: He’s a teenager, but he drinks Hansa.

“This then developed into a dance routine depicting what the youth is doing with their freedom,” Machetela says. With each beat of their boots and rhythmic clap of their hands, the group illustrates the ways in which the youth has constructed – and come to understand – their daily realities. “The routine includes the expression of alcohol and drug abuse, and ends of with the importance of education.”

Through the creative expressions of Diamonds in the Rough, Machetela is able not only to explore the reality of the youth in Jagersfontein, but also to investigate intergenerational trauma. “I am looking at whether there is a relationship between these young people’s current circumstances and the experiences of their parents’ generation during the apartheid years. That is, what sort of meanings do they construct as young, black South Africans growing up in the new South Africa?”

What started off as a research project is now rippling beyond academic spheres, though. The Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation has taken note of this initiative. As a result, the group has already performed at the Bloem Show, International Museums Day, and Heritage Day celebrations, as well as at the Mangaung African Cultural Festival (MACUFE).  

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