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22 July 2020 | Story Nonsindiso Qwabe | Photo Supplied
Tau Tladi.

In times of great difficulty, a tale of hope goes a long way in encouraging one to persevere. Tau Tladi, a second-year LLB extended-programme student who was diagnosed with ataxia – a degenerative disease of the nervous system – at a young age, has conquered many adversities. He is living his life to the fullest, pursuing his dream of becoming a lawyer one day. Because of a brain injury during birth, Tladi struggles to speak, write, or walk. On campus, he makes use of a scribe and reader to write his tests and exams. 

Learning from others key to success

“Living with ataxia means I have improper speech, I struggle to walk properly, my hands can’t grab things properly, and I can’t even write with them.   Seeing other people living with disabilities and still pursuing their dreams has inspired me a lot; it made me realise that I too have the ability to achieve my dreams,” he said. 
While this disability presented him with many hindrances in life, it has never held him back. “Growing up was challenging because I was not able to develop like other children. As I got older, I could not experience some of the things that other kids could do, such as playing and running around,” he said.

Triumph in the face of adversity
 
Despite all the challenges, Tau completed his matric in 2016 and was even named as one of the top 100 achievers in the Free State. He describes his admission to the LLB programme as a dream come true. “I have always wanted to study an LLB degree. It is the best feeling ever to be at university and studying something that I always wanted to do. I would love to become an attorney.”

Tladi hopes to finish his degree in 2021. He is also an avid sportsman, having participated in the Free State paracycling team and winning first place at the national competition. 

“Living with disability has never been easy for me, so I have learned to be grateful and use every opportunity that I come across and work very hard to fulfil my dreams.”

Hanlie Grobler, Senior Officer in the Faculty of Law, described Tladi as a remarkable young man who always wears a smile on his face. “If you are feeling a bit blue today, cheated by COVID-19, that life is unfair to you – remember this young man who is an excellent example of determination, and do what you have to do, to the best of your ability, and be thankful for what you have.”

News Archive

Research conducted on economic impact of recent international soccer and rugby matches for Bloemfontein
2004-09-09

The Centre for Development Support at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently conducted a survey on the economic impact of the international soccer and rugby games that were played in Bloemfontein earlier this year.

The research focused on the soccer match between Bafana Bafana and the Cape Verdic Isle and the rugby match between the Springboks and Ireland .

“The survey was done as a result of a research agenda about local economic development in Bloemfontein ,” said Dr Lochner Marais, researcher at the centre.

“We conducted the research by doing 402 interviews with soccer supporters and 376 interviews with rugby supporters from outside Bloemfontein ,” said Dr Marais.

The centre distributed questionnaires, collecting the following information on the soccer and rugby supporters: their age, gender and origin, the number of nights spend in Bloemfontein , their household expenditure in Bloemfontein and their rating on the quality of service.

“It is estimated that 10 800 soccer supporters and 27 000 rugby supporters came from outside Bloemfontein . Of the rugby supporters 14,4% were female and 85,6% were men. For the soccer international the percentage was 33% females and 67% males,” said Dr Marais.

The highest number of people who came to watch the soccer game in Bloemfontein (35,8%) was from the Northern Free State . The rugby supporters mainly came from Gauteng (21,8%) and the Northern Free State (18%).

When visiting Bloemfontein soccer supporters spend R912 per household, whilst rugby supporters reached deeper in their pockets and spent R1 807 per household.

“The survey indicated that the two international matches resulted in approximately R58 million been spent in Bloemfontein . Rugby supporters were accountable for the largest part (R48 787 205) spent. The largest chunk of the money spent was on accommodation (R14 593 279). On average soccer and rugby supporters from outside Bloemfontein spent 1,4 and 1,9 nights in Bloemfontein ,” said Dr Marais.

Rugby and soccer supporters were also asked to rate the quality of service received from amongst others hotels, guest houses, restaurants, and transport and entertainment facilities. Soccer supporters rated their satisfaction with services higher as rugby supporters. The rugby supporters gave the services at hotels a 3,9 rating, whilst soccer supporters awarded 4,6 rating out of a possible five.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
9 September 2004
 

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