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16 July 2020 | Story Valentino Ndaba
Add these emergency safety contacts to your speed dial.
Staying safe during the coronavirus pandemic extends to ensuring that students at the University of the Free State (UFS) are safe from crime. Crime in South Africa remains an unfortunate reality which continues to affect students, staff and the institution in general. 

“Crime requires constant vigilance from the community and this can only be achieved through initiatives that are aimed at informing the community on what to do and what not to do. To this end the BSafe Safety First flyer is geared at informing specifically the student community on safety measures that must be taken,” said Cobus van Jaarsveld, Assistant Director: Threat Detection, Investigations and Liaison at Protection Services.

The Safety First flyer is a guide for students to be crime-conscious whether at their accommodation, on the street, or in their vehicles. It also offers tips on how to act responsibly as far as alcohol and drugs are concerned.

Engaging students on their safety 

UFS Protection Services recently engaged with off-campus residence students in Bloemfontein in order to provide tips on how to stay safe in their neighbourhoods. During the engagement, the new Safety First pamphlets were distributed, and students were encouraged to join the Student Crime-Stop Brandwag WhatsApp group.

As from 15 June 2020, Nissi Armed Response was deployed from 18:00 to 06:00. This initiative has already led to them responding to several suspicious persons and vehicles, as well as some minor incidents and disturbances. Two arrests were made on different occasions as a result of the deployment. In the first incident, a suspect was arrested on 27 June 2020 after a burglary in Brandwag, and the second relates to a suspect who was arrested on 10 July 2020 after threatening students at Universitas.

These successes were the result of student and community participation in providing information, coupled with excellent response from private security companies, including Nissi Armed Response, VR Security, and BloemSec.

News Archive

Maryka Holtzhausen, Wayde van Niekerk and Driaan Bruwer win Kovsie Sports Star Awards
2014-10-29



Maryka Holtzhausen and Wayde van Niekerk
Photo: Hannes Naude
Our university honoured our top athletic achievers at the annual Kovsie Sports Star Awards that took place on 23 October 2014.

Maryka Holtzhausen and Wayde van Niekerk were named Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year respectively.

Holtzhausen captained the Protea netball team that participated in a host of test series and championships. These included:
•    a test series against Trinidad & Tobago and England in October last year,
•    the Fast Five World Series in Auckland, New Zealand during November 2013, as well as
•    the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this year.

Van Niekerk, in turn, set a new SA record in the 400 m of 44.38 at the Diamond League meeting in New York, USA during June 2014. As a member of the Protea team who participated in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this year, he won the silver medal in the 400 m sprint. In August 2014, Van Niekerk clinched the silver medal in the 400 m at the CAA Senior African Athletics Championship in Morocco. He also formed part of the CAA African Athletics team who competed in the intercontinental cup meeting during September 2014. The team won gold in the 4x400 m relay at this event.

The Junior Sportsperson for 2014 is Driaan Bruwer. He was a member of the SA U/19 cricket team that won the Junior World Cup this year.

Our university’s sports stars were honoured in the following five categories:

•    Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year. Everyone that represented South Africa at a senior level was eligible for the title. The winners each received a trophy and each sportsman and sportswomen in this category were honoured with a medal.
•    Junior Sportsperson of the Year. The winner received a trophy.
•    Sports stars that represented South Africa at senior and junior level. The achievers received certificates.
•    Sports stars that represented the UFS in the national student teams. These sports stars also received certificates.
•    Certificates were also awarded to the KovsieSport Club sports stars.

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