Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Dr Madiope participating in annual Adelaide Tambo lecture at TUT

10 September 2020 | Story Eugene Seegers | Photo Sonia du Toit (Kaleidoscope Studio)

Dr Marinkie Madiope in official UFS gown — Dr Maria Madiope

Everywhere you look, our colleagues at the UFS are stepping up and stepping into the new digital space. With the move to virtual events, staff members at the university are able to participate in discussions and webinars across the continent at various other institutions of higher learning.

One such virtual event recently took place for Women’s Month. The Tshwane University of Technology hosted the Annual Adelaide Tambo Memorial Lecture on 27 August. The theme was Is the face of the boardroom in global organisations changing women representation in influential positions?

Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women, focused in her presentation on themes regarding girls’ education and women’s health, both of which have been threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the respondent, Dr Maria Madiope, Principal of the UFS South Campus, dealt with the patriarchal domination and violence that modern women and girls endure, as well as the way “their sexuality and aptitude is disrespected and how they are subjugated and side-lined in the political, corporate, social, and cultural arena.” She said that it is incumbent on the modern generation of women to reignite the flame that fuelled the struggle for feminine recognition and equality. “We are beholden not only to the legacy of those that came before us, but also to the eager eyes that look up to us,” she concluded.

Dr Madiope also announced her support for Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka’s Generation Equality campaign against gender-based violence, and she echoed the sentiments of the rallying hashtag #JustChair, which breaks down discrimination based on the use of gendered terms such as ‘chairman’ for the leader of a meeting or corporation.

Dr Adelaide Tambo’s life was characterised by a love of knowledge, as she believed that people need as much power to be able to handle challenges facing the country, the continent, and the planet. She strove for the emancipation of women in general, focusing on the importance of education and how it can improve a woman’s life, and encouraged a strong culture of learning.

The event was livestreamed on Facebook and Zoom; go to https://www.facebook.com/805899996152814/videos/1036964343420927 to watch the full presentation.

News Archive

Louzanne to represent South Africa at World Championship

2015-10-26

Louzanne making a leap for the finish line with guide runner Rouxné Vermaak

Within the space of seven days, Louzanne Coetzee will take part in both the 1500m and 800m events at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics World Championships, being held in Doha, Qatar, from 21-31 October 2015.

The BA Corporate and Marketing Communication Honours student at the University of the Free State (UFS) was selected to represent South Africa (SA) by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC). Team SA consists of 23 top athletes, who will be competing in different codes against 89 other countries.

The middle- and long-distance T11/F11 class athlete has won countless medals since her debut in professional athletics in 2012. After only five months, she reached the qualifying standard for international participation, with an impressive 2 minutes 53.8 seconds in the 800m at the 2013 Nedbank National Championships for the Physically Disabled, held in Pretoria.

Louzanne has since achieved another international milestone by making the SA team, following her inaugural IPC meeting, hosted by France two years ago.

“It’s a big honour for me to represent South Africa, and I count myself very fortunate to represent the country at the World Champs,” said the former Accessibility and Student Support Student Representative Council (SRC) member.

The IPC World Championships precede the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, which are known as “the biggest sporting event on the planet”. Qatar is Louzanne’s Rio, and she intends to outdo her personal best in order to qualify. “I want to get my ranking high enough so that I can go to Rio in 2016,” said the gold medallist.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept