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The closing date for the submission of nominations for five members of the Convocation to the Excom of the Convocation was 18 May 2020 at 16:30. A total of six nominations were received and scrutinised, after which two nominations were declared invalid due to substantial non-conformance with the requirements laid down. The remaining four candidates are thus elected to the Excom and will serve for a period not exceeding five years.
We wish to congratulate the following four officials (in alphabetical order) with their election to the Excom of the Convocation:
1. Dr Pieter Bettings
2. Ms Ntombi Nhlapo
3. Mr Ntakuseni Razwiedani
4. Ms Nokuthula Sithole
A meeting of the Excom of the Convocation will be scheduled to discuss the one remaining vacancy in the Excom.
We wish to express our sincere gratitude to all those who participated in this process as well for their interest in, and commitment to the University and its affairs.
Received from: The Registrar and the President of the Convocation
Kovsie bounces back from heart surgery and raises the bar
2017-07-10
Charissa Worthmann, a gymnast and postgraduate Biokinetics
student at the UFS, overcame heart surgery earlier this year
and excelled at her sport. Photo: Supplied
“Life is too short to abandon what sets you on fire. Find your passion, work hard at it and be great. You will never look back and wish otherwise.” These are the words that postgraduate student Charissa Worthmann lives by, and which have encouraged her to pursue her dream of being a gymnast.
Humble beginnings
After undergoing heart surgery earlier this year, Charissa bounced back stronger than ever. She went on to win five regional gold medals at the Free State Gymnastics Championships in February 2017 and was also crowned Free State Victrix Ludorum. In October 2016 she won a gold medal for her apparatus routine at the South African GymnasticsChampionships.
Charissa, who is currently doing her honours in Biokinetics at the University of the Free State (UFS), said coming from a small town was not always an advantage. “I come from a small town in KwaZulu-Natal where there are not many opportunities. Therefore there was no gymnastics. I found my natural talent, but never had the opportunity to develop it before coming to the UFS.”
Inspired by lecturer
Charissa’s inspiration is Prof Liesl van As, Associate Professor from the Department of Zoology and Entomology. She is also completing her undergraduate Zoology modules to later complete her postgraduate studies in Zoology. “As a student, our lecturers don’t often realise it, but they shape us to aim higher in life.”
According to Charissa, Prof van As is a woman of pure brilliance who has aspects that every woman should aspire to: Beauty, intelligence and a drive to succeed. “I owe a vast majority of my success to her, because even though she may not realise it, her motivational attitude and success in life drove me to succeed in areas of my life.”