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#UFSupdate (18 March 2020): UFS IMPLEMENTS MEASURES TO MINIMISE RISK OF COVID-19 TO STAFF
STATEMENT BY PROF FRANCIS PETERSEN, RECTOR AND VICE-CHANCELLOR
The executive management of the University of the Free State (UFS) welcomes the announcement of Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology on 17 March 2020 that all post-school training institutions will have an early recess, starting on 18 March 2020. The Minister’s directive that universities should minimise risk of COVID-19 to all its staff during this time is also welcomed.
The announcement of Dr Nzimande is in line with the university’s decision on 16 March 2020 to suspend the academic programme as from 17 March 2020 and to resume it again on 14 April 2020.
It is important for us all to know that this is not business as usual, and that different thinking is required. Responsible citizenship is one of the crucial elements the world has increasingly been experiencing for the past few weeks. This is why we must act out our responsibility towards one another by focusing on ways in which social distancing can be achieved – especially during this low-risk period that South Africa is still experiencing. This is one of the reasons that informed the university’s decision on 16 March 2020 week to suspend the academic programme and also for students to vacate the residences by 20 March 2020.
The health and well-being of our staff members are equally important. The university’s Employee Task Team that was established on 16 March 2020 analysed options for the continuation of university operations during the recess period. These options were submitted to the executive management, discussed with the Chairperson of the UFS Council and approved on 18 March 2020.
Staff members who have children at school and pre-school may work from home on 19 and 20 March 2020. For the period 23 March 2020 to 13 April 2020, the number of staff members present on all three campuses will be reduced to a minimum and staff members may be allowed to work from home where practically possible.
Arrangements have been made to accommodate those staff members who are performing services which cannot be done from home (such as cleaning, gardening, maintenance, sports, etc) in a flexible and reasonable way. Similar arrangements will be made with office-based support services staff, prioritising institutional needs and based on humane and personal circumstances. Academic staff have been requested to ensure that the online learning materials are finalised and made available for the online learning platform.
The decision for employees to work from home is based on the premise that all employees are deemed to be at work from 23 March 2020 to 13 April 2020. This requires staff members to be available and contactable by line managers at all times during the university’s normal working hours.
I am comfortable that these measures will alleviate the concerns from our staff regarding the spreading of COVID-19 and the risk to themselves without compromising university operations.
Prof F W Petersen
Rector and Vice-Chancellor
University of the Free State
Land a fertile field for historians
2017-12-25
Dr Admire Mseba, historian and researcher in the International Studies Group (ISG).
Photo: Charl Devenish
The use of land and the economics of Southern Africa at present is a contentious subject at almost every level of society. A historian and researcher who revels in happenings in these two areas, is Dr Admire Mseba, a postdoctoral research fellow in the International Studies Group (ISG) at the UFS.
Dr Mseba grew up in the Mberengwa region in southern Zimbabwe, known for cattle farming and mineral mining. While at the University of Zimbabwe, he became interested in economic history and archaeology, and completed his PhD at the University of Iowa in the USA. During his time there, Dr Mseba also became passionate about environmental history.
A historian's ability to think and engage critically on diverse subjects drew Dr Mseba to his field. Currently, he is busy with three research projects. Firstly, he is working on a book on social relations, about access to land in Zimbabwe. He is also examining regional and national efforts to control migratory pests during the 20th century, in particular, the red locust. In collaboration with a colleague at the ISG, Dr Mseba is also researching monetary systems in central Africa, covering the present-day countries of Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia.
Dr Mseba believes future research opportunities in the domains of economic and environmental history abound. For one, the land question has been very topical in Zimbabwe for more than a decade—as it is now in South Africa—and needs more scrutiny. Regarding agrarian pestilences, he indicates the recent phenomenon of armyworm invasion. “There are so many opportunities for historians to investigate. There are so many ways to think about these things and trying to put it in perspective.”