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08 April 2021
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Story Thabo Kessah
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Photo UFS Photo Archive
Dr KPD Maphalla with former UFS Chancellor, Dr Franklin Sonn, during the graduations in April 2007.
The University of the Free State is sad to learn of the passing of alumnus and award-winning Sesotho literary giant, Dr KPD Maphalla.
The literary works of Dr Khotso Pieter David Maphalla, like many other African writers and artists, were influenced and characterised by his own era of powerful forms of oppression and exclusion from dominant literary discourses. In his own right and through his writings of poetry, novels, short stories, and kodiamalla (dirge), he articulated a deliberate political and social protest and pushed for a place for African languages in literature at the height of apartheid.
“He entered the professional scene with his ground-breaking novel, Kabelwamanong, in 1982 at the age of 27. His career actually started in 1971 while he was still at school. Since his first novel, he has produced at least two books annually, covering the genres of poetry, novels, dramas, and short stories. As a dramatist, Dr Maphalla has written a number of excellent and educative radio dramas for the then Radio Sesotho (now Lesedi FM),” said his long-time friend and Head: African Languages at the University of the Free State, Dr Nyefolo Malete.
“It was for this writing prowess that he received recognition from the UFS when he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Literature by the Department of African Languages during a momentous ceremony on the Qwaqwa Campus in 2007,” added Dr Malete.
Dr Malete also revealed that, despite losing the use of his right hand after suffering a stroke following a car accident in the late 1990s, Dr Maphalla continued writing using his left hand. “He was adamant that, what he referred to as his ‘supposed disability’, would not deter his passion for writing.”
Dr Maphalla’s work has also produced numerous scholarly studies by the likes of Profs Moleleki Moleleki (protest poetry), Thapelo Selepe (lament and protest poetry), and Dr Seema Seema (process of cross-cultural communication). He was a committed Qwaqwa community member, who was also instrumental in the founding of Qwaqwa Community Radio (2000) and Metjodi Writers (2006), among others. He has written more than 70 books, many of which have been prescribed texts in schools.
Some of the awards he has won include:
South African Centre for Digital Language Resource (SADiLar) Sesotho Lexicographic Unit (Sesiu sa Sesotho) Lifetime Award for outstanding literary works and for promoting Sesotho literature (2019).
The Literature Festival and the University of the Free State Award for enormous contribution to Sesotho literature by a South African writer (2019).
Lifetime Achiever Award in Literature awarded by the Department of Arts and Culture (2005).
M-Net Book Prize for Sesotho poetry (2005). The first and thus far the only Sesotho author to have received this honour.
M-Net Book Prize for best novel (1996).
De Jager-HAUM Literary Award for his volume of short stories, Mohlomong Hosane (1993).
Thomas Mofolo Trophy for Best Novel, Best Poetry, and the Overall Award (1992).
Thomas Mofolo Trophy for Best Poetry (1991).
Dr JJ Moiloa Floating Trophy for Best Sesotho Poetry Book of the Year, Kgapa tsa ka (1985).
More than 500 to graduate this summer
2015-11-30
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A total of 544 graduates will walk across the stage to collect their hard-earned qualifications at this year’s Summer Graduation on the Bloemfontein Campus.
A total of 106 Master’s Degrees and 39 Doctorates will be conferred by all seven faculties of the University of the Free State (UFS). About 231 pre-graduates are expected from the Faculty of Health Sciences. The School of Open Learning will proudly award 122 Diplomas and 46 Certificates.
Prof Busisiwe Rosemary Bhengu, Chairperson of the South African Nursing Council, will be the guest speaker for the day.
About the guest speaker
Prof Bhengu holds a PhD in Nursing, and is an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). From 2008, Bhengu has headed the UKZN School of Nursing. She has supervised and co-supervised several PhD and Master’s students.
In addition to teaching Critical Care Nursing at both local and international levels, Bhengu was responsible for the development of the Nurse Specialist syllabus at the university. Her contributions to the field reach as far as the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Tanzania, Eritrea, Rwanda, and Seychelles, where she pioneered course development and implementation for critical care nursing in the curriculum for Nurse Anaesthetics in Rwanda.
Other leadership positions held by Prof Bhengu include directing the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre in the UKZN School of Nursing between 2008 and 2011; representing the Afro-Region at the Executive Committee of the Global Network; chairing the Professional Conduct Committee; and the Laws, Practice and Standards Committee. She has published many papers internationally.
A musical prelude
The Sonnedou residence Kleinser group will deliver a few musical items for the graduates, friends, and family.
Details of event
Date: Thursday 10 December 2015
Time: 08:00am and 14:30pm
Place: Callie Human Centre, Bloemfontein Campus