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23 April 2021 | Story Dikgapane Makhetha | Photo Supplied
Engaged citizenship towards enabling and training
UFS Department of Community Engagement presents three-day workshop to empower local and individual entrepreneurs in Qwaqwa.
Since the first democratic elections in 1994, South Africa has been commemorating its freedom during the month of April. This year, the theme of ‘Mobilising Society Towards Consolidating Democracy and Freedom’, encourages institutions and citizens to collaborate in creating a better life for all. Development and training are significant means of building strong and prosperous communities. Engaged Scholarship (ES) is responsible for aiding the identification of interventions in relation to the University of the Free State’s (UFS) institutional values and culture. As the integral element of ES, engaged citizenship (EC) creates an enabling approach through engagement and citizenship programmes.

To this end, a three-day (7-9 April 2021) Community Development Empowerment Training workshop was held for local and individual entrepreneurs in Qwaqwa. This was aimed at supporting endeavours to mobilise self-employment, with anticipated economic freedom. A collaboration between the UFS CE, the Qwaqwa Campus Department of Community Development, the Agape Foundation for Community Development, and Klein-Boy Trading Enterprise has identified with the Freedom Month call to encourage joint initiatives to build a strong and empowered nation.  
The first round of the three-day workshop entailed motivational and support seminars, skills empowerment sessions on writing a business plan, and training in upholstery and furniture making. On completion of the second round, about fifty attendants will be awarded certificates of attendance.
Engaged citizenship towards enabling and training
Engaged citizenship towards enabling and training
Engaged citizenship towards enabling and training
Engaged citizenship towards enabling and training

News Archive

Valuable advice for businesses in difficult times
2013-04-15

 

Prof Helena van Zyl, Director of the Business School, and Dr Reuel Khoza.
Photo: Stephen Collett
15 April 2013


Dr Reuel Khoza, Chairman of the Nedbank Group, shared the group’s valuable rules for managing a bank in difficult times in an MBA lecture on the Bloemfontein Campus. Dr Khoza is a visiting professor at the UFS Business School.

He focused in the lecture on the group’s business and leadership model and highlighted some do’s and don’ts:

  • Do not surprise your stakeholders on the downside – communicate transparently, particularly when there is bad news.
  • Retrenching staff to contain costs should be a last resort – the damage to corporate culture from retrenchments is immense. Follow and support your customers – get as close to them as possible because business changes slowly, but customer behaviour can change in an instant.
  • Integrated central capital and funding management.
  • Entrench well-established reporting, KPIs and measurement systems.
  • Ensure strong independent risk management.
  • Manage your cost base – anticipate downturns and re-base your costs to avoid crisis-cost management.
  • Take advantage of opportunities – an economic downturn creates a situation where valuations fall and assets are sold off, which can be a great opportunity for acquisitions.
  • Keep innovating – innovation does not have to be a costly exercise, as the right culture can promote and encourage experimentation and collaboration.
  • Whatever you do – avoid a price war, as expedient pricing decisions may hurt the business in the longer term.

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