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Qwaqwa Campus top student’s degree a nod to Assistant Dean father

22 April 2021 | Story NONSINDISO QWABE | Photo Thabo Kessah

Dux Student 2020_web use — Faith Mudzingiri.

Sharing her father’s love for the field of commerce, Faith Mudzingiri, daughter of Dr Calvin Mudzingiri, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, is one of the more than 1 500 students who received their qualifications during the University of the Free State Qwaqwa Campus virtual graduation ceremony. Faith obtained her BCom General Management degree during the virtual ceremony on 21 April.

In 2020, Mudzingiri topped the academic charts as the best student across all faculties on the campus.

Following in the footsteps of her father

An accounting enthusiast from an early age, Faith said her father has been her biggest motivation. Having a parent in such a critical position can come with immense pressure to perform, but she said “watching him inspired me a lot. For me to be here, is because I’ve learned from him that hard work pays off”.

Mudzingiri said while she was grateful for the accomplishment of being the Dux student for 2020, her academics did not get off to a good start in 2017 when she began her first year.

“As an international student coming from Zimbabwe, I struggled a lot in my first year. I had difficulty finding my feet in the new environment. Things got better in my second year, but in my third year I reminded myself why I was here and why I started this degree. I knew I wanted to graduate in record time, and so had to put in the work.”

Still set on achieving her accounting dream, Mudzingiri is now pursuing a BCom Accounting degree on the Bloemfontein Campus. “I would love to become a tax accountant and start my own accounting firm one day.”

News Archive

UFS’s Unit for Children’s Rights instrumental in helping human trafficked victim

2010-03-29

Adv. Beatri Kruger.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

“Wheeling and dealing is part of our daily life. But what if the ‘product’ bought or sold is not a spanner or a cell phone, but a living human being? Disturbing news came to the fore... apart from other places in the country, and for that matter all over the world, it was discovered that people are treated like commodities here in Bloemfontein as well,” said Adv. Beatri Kruger from the Unit for Children’s Rights at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Adv. Kruger was instrumental in completing and availing the first comprehensive Research Report on Human Trafficking in South Africa to the public on 23 March 2010. As a member of the Reference Group advising on interim research reports on human trafficking, she contributed to the report. The report proves to be an extremely valuable tool for, among others, government departments and non-governmental organisations that use it as a guideline in planning interventions to combat human trafficking.

The Unit for Children’s Rights is also one of the founding members of the Free State Human Trafficking Forum (FHF). To react on and fight the disturbing reality of human trafficking more efficiently, a number of concerned role players such as Child Welfare and other non-governmental organisations, police officials, prosecutors, social workers, health practitioners, private businesses, churches and community organisations joined forces and formed the FHF. The Unit for Children’s Rights hosts monthly meetings at the UFS to facilitate the coordination of this multi-disciplinary counter-trafficking team.

Adv. Kruger is very excited about some of the successes of the FHF; such as the story of Soma (not her real name). This Indian woman was recruited in India by an Indian couple who are staying in South Africa, by promising her a good job in South Africa. However, instead of finding the promised job, Soma was extensively exploited for labour purposes. With the help of a “good Samaritan” she managed to escape from the perpetrators and fled to the police. Soma was removed to ensure her safety and accommodated in a safe place in Bloemfontein. Counselling and other services were rendered to her by an organisation which is also a member of the FHF. One of the challenges facing Soma and the service providers was that Soma speaks a foreign dialect and for weeks a trusted interpreter could not be found.

This obstacle rendered communication with her to the bare minimum. The perpetrators were arrested but unfortunately the new comprehensive counter-trafficking law is not in force yet. Therefore the perpetrators could only be convicted of some offences in the Immigration Act. However, due to good police investigation followed by shrewd consultations, the perpetrators agreed to pay for the victim’s return flight to India as well as for the flight ticket of the investigating officer to escort her to safety. The Unit for Children’s Rights did networking with Ms Maria Nikolovska of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), who agreed to assist in the safe reintegration of Soma in India. Soma is now on her way back home.

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