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14 October 2020 | Story Thulaganyo Molebalwa | Photo Supplied
Thulaganyo Molebalwa recently graduated and is looking forward to entering the workforce and learning from the best in the different industries.
My name is Thulaganyo Molebalwa. I recently graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Governance and Political Transformation from the University of the Free State (UFS), and I am currently job hunting. I am looking forward to entering the workspace and developing as an individual while learning from the best in the different industries that I will hopefully become exposed to. 

When I reflect on my varsity career, I cannot help but remember the beginning of the second semester of 2018. I thought that I had one more semester left at the UFS, but then later found out that I still had a full academic year ahead of me in 2019. Learning this news nearly broke me; I was told that I still had a few outstanding modules to complete, and that I did not have enough credits to graduate. 

This was the beginning of a downward slope that left me in a very dark place in my life. At the time, it felt like everything was working against me, and it didn’t help that all my peers were graduating and progressing while I felt stuck. I developed a very negative mindset and slept a lot in an attempt to cope with my stress; I avoided people/public spaces because I just wanted to be alone. 

I started confiding in my family and friends about how I felt, and how everything had taken a heavy toll on my mental health and well-being. 

Look, it was not easy, but having someone to talk to has made a big difference and helped me get back to my normal daily routine, doing things I enjoyed. I even started a YouTube channel.

As students, we are often faced with different challenges. The university environment can become quite stressful for most people, because we are forced into vulnerability through our academics, methods of studying, and our social lives. 

I think it is important to prioritise your mental health at university by using resources such as the UFS Department of Student Counselling and Development to learn and be more aware of issues around mental health. I believe this would help a lot of students to realise that they are not alone and that there is help available.

News Archive

UFS presents workshop on plea bargaining
2010-02-09

At the workshop were in front: Prof. Hennie Oosthuizen, Department of Criminal and Medical Law at the UFS; back: Judge Faan Hancke, Adv. Jo Hiemstra of the Office of the Director Public Prosecution in the Free State, Judge President Hendrick Musi and Judge of Appeal Fritz Brand.
Photo: Stephen Collett


The Centre for Judicial Excellence in the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently presented a workshop on plea bargaining. This is the fourth workshop in the series of workshops on effective court management and the expedition of trials that started in 2007.

According to Judge Faan Hancke, the Chair of the workshop and also Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Process Law at the UFS, selected members of the judicature such as Judge of Appeal Fritz Brand, Judge Albert Kruger – who is amongst others the author of an important book on the criminal process – and Judge President of the Free State High Court, Hendrick Musi, conducted presentations at this workshop.

Judge Hancke’s lecture focused on the basic principles of plea bargaining. “Abroad, the plea agreement is effectively applied to shorten court procedures. This gives them a 80 percent saving on court cases with regard to serious crime, where we in South Africa save less than five percent on court cases.

The workshop was attended by magistrates, attorneys, advocates, the UFS Law Clinic and members of the Legal Aid Council. According to Mr Lukas Brand, a magistrate from Botshabelo, this workshop is a must for each jurist. More members of the legal profession must attend these kinds of workshops because there are many people who lack the necessary knowledge on some of the stipulations in the criminal procedure.
 

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