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16 April 2021 | Story Dr Cindé Greyling
The University of the Free State (UFS) is looking forward to awarding three honorary doctorates during our April 2021 Virtual Graduation ceremonies. This event will span four days from 19 to 22 April 2021 across our three campuses. 

Be inspired

The UFS will be awarding a Doctor of Letters to Dr Dolf van Niekerk, a Doctor of Philosophy to Dr Sipho Pityana, and a Doctor of Laws to Justice Zak Yacoob.

Honorary degrees are awarded to individuals to recognise their exceptional contributions to society, or lifetime achievement in their field. As always, the recipients inspire us with their resilience, commitment, and desire to make a difference. 


Dr Dolf  Van Niekerk


Dr Dolf van Niekerk has a rich past that has seen him grace the radio waves, bookshelves, and academic ranks. His work includes 27 books in the fields of philosophy, poetry, fiction, drama, and memoirs, for which he has received numerous awards. These include the Eugene Marais Prize, the MER Prize, and the Scheepers Award for Youth Literature. He was an emeritus professor at the University of Pretoria until his retirement in 1994.

 






Dr Sipho Pityana


Acclaimed business leader, Dr Sipho Pityana, has a passion for education that has seen him serve as Registrar of Fort Hare, Chairperson of NSFAS (National Student Financial Aid Scheme), and Chairperson of the University of Cape Town Council. He made his mark in several local and international institutions, including AngloGold Ashanti Limited, while also being the first Director-General of the Department of Labour in the Mandela government, among others. Dr Pityana continues to invest his time in Izingwe Capital and Izingwe Holdings, while chairing and/or serving on several boards and councils. 






Justice Zak Yacoob

 

As judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa from 1998 to 2013, Justice Zak Yacoob became nationally and internationally known for his contribution to the socio-economic rights jurisprudence of South Africa. Blinded at the age of 16 months after contracting meningitis, he matriculated at the Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind, completed an LLB at the University of Durban-Westville, and practised as an advocate for 25 years. Justice Yacoob advised in several committees and adjudicated in national and international tribunals. He also taught at law schools locally and abroad

 



News Archive

DiMTEC hosts second conference on disaster risk reduction
2009-06-02

 
Dr Anthony Turton, the Director: TouchStone Resources (Pty) Ltd. delivered the opening address at this year’s two-day annual international conference on disaster risk reduction that was presented by the Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC) at the University of the Free State (UFS).

In his presentation: Sitting on the horns of a dilemma: South Africa and its strategic water supply, he said: “We have simply reached the limit of the water resources in South Africa. On the one hand, we deal with the quantity dilemma in terms of strategic water storage. South Africa and Zimbabwe counts under the top 20 countries in the world in terms of dams built. We can only build about ten more dams.”

“On the other hand, we must deal with quantity. Previous solutions are not future solutions. When water is recycled, hormones such as oestrogen do not disappear. We must become creative and do something else,” he said.

“Science can make a difference. The UFS is well placed in terms of its groundwater research. Universities must invest in the necessary technology because the testing of toxins is essential. We must work in ways to prevent toxins from re-entering the water cycle,” he said.

A number of international speakers such as Dr Fabrice Renaud, Associate Director at the United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) in Bonn, Germany, Dr Eugene Poolman, Chief Forecaster: Disaster Risk Reduction, South African Weather Service, and Prof. Rob Bragg from the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the UFS, attended the conference, as well as attendees from 11 different countries.

At the conference were, from the left: Mr Andries Jordaan, Director: DiMTEC at the UFS; Dr Ing Jörn Birkmann, Head of Section: Vulnerability Assessment at the United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS); Dr Anthony Turton, Director: TouchStone Resources (Pty) Ltd.; and Dr Fabrice Renaud, Associate Director: UNU-EHS.
Photo: Supplied

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