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2020 UFS Thought-Leader Series: The South African Economy

09 September 2020 | Story Lacea Loader

The South African Economy: 'Post-COVID-19, Post-Crisis'

As a public higher-education institution in South Africa with a responsibility to contribute to public discourse, the University of the Free State (UFS) will be presenting the 3rd UFS Thought-Leader Series as part of the Vrystaat Literature Festival’s online initiative, VrySpraak-digitaal and in collaboration with Vrye Weekblad.

This year, higher-education institutions globally are situated within a challenging context of COVID-19. Aware of, and grounded in the reality that the world will not return to the normality of pre-COVID-19, our responsibility as scholars still remains to contribute to public discourse and offer innovative solutions that will impact the lives of people nationally and globally to help them understand and adapt to a new world order.

Against this background and context, this year’s debates focus on Post-COVID-19, Post-Crisis with Health and Modelling, the Economy, Politics and Predictions for 2021 as the sub-themes. Placed within a COVID-19 context, and in lieu of the Free State Arts Festival, the series will be presented virtually, in the form of one webinar per month, from August 2020 to November 2020.

Second webinar presented on 23 September 2020

The South African economy was already in the doldrums before the COVID-19 crisis. Recent data from the NIDS-CRAM study suggests that as many as 3 million people might have lost their jobs as a result of the lockdown. In addition, the government's debt burden has deteriorated. What are the prospects for the South African economy post-COVID-19, post-Crisis?

Date: 23 September 2020

Topic: The South African Economy: Post-COVID-19, Post-Crisis

Time: 11:00-12:30

RSVP: Alicia Pienaar, pienaaran1@ufs.ac.za by 18 September 2020

Facilitator:

Dr Max du Preez

Editor: Vrye Weekblad
Biography

Introduction and welcome:

Prof Francis Petersen

Rector and Vice-Chancellor, UFS

Panellists:

Dr Trevor Manuel

Chairperson: Old Mutual Limited
Biography

Ms Ann Bernstein
Executive Director, Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE)

Mr Mondli Makhanya

Editor-in-Chief of City Press
Biography

News Archive

Centre for Africa Studies launches its ANC Centenary Seminar Series

2010-12-10

Prof. Chris Landsberg, Dr Pule Matjoa, Prof. Kwandiwe Kondlo and Herbert Maserumule, the main speakers during the launch of the ANC Centenary Seminar Series.
Photo: Christiaan van der Merwe

The Centre for Africa Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently launched its series of seminars commemorating the centenary celebrations of the African National Congress (ANC). The launch of the series took place on 30 November 2010, with the seminar series running from February 2011 until February 2012, the year of the centenary celebrations of the ANC.

Along with UFS staff members and students, various special guests also attended the launch of the seminar series, including former Premier Ms Winkie Direko, representatives of the office of the current Premier and the Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, Prof. Jonathan Jansen. Prof. Jansen praised the Centre for Africa Studies for its vision in establishing the seminar series and added that he would be a regular attendee when the seminars kicked off in 2011.

The seminar series is the brainchild of Prof. Kwandiwe Kondlo, Head of the Centre for Africa Studies at the UFS. Prof. Kondlo explained that the aims of the seminars were to delve into the legacy of the ANC from a firm historical perspective, as well as to develop a firmer understanding of the dynamics of contemporary South Africa. He stressed the scholarly and academic nature of the seminars, hoping for robust and critical debate amongst future audiences about the topics at hand. Publications in journals and books at the end of the series will be the secondary objective of the Centre.

The three guest lecturers for the launch were Dr Pule Matjoa, Prof. Chris Landsberg and Herbert Maserumule. Dr Matjoa, an ANC veteran, elucidated the history of the party from an insider’s perspective while Prof. Landsberg spoke about the past and present foreign policy of the ANC. Mr Maserumule examined the ruling party’s economic thinking, with special focus on the distinctions between a democratic and developmental state.

The question-and-answer session after the lecture produced lively debate, which set a premise for the rest of the series. The first seminar in the series will take place on 4 February 2011.

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