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19 April 2021 | Story NONSINDISO QWABE | Photo Supplied
LLB graduate Tshepang Mahlatsi
 
‘Be loyal to your calling and the universe will locate you.’ This slogan is the mantra that University of the Free State LLM student, Tshepang Mahlatsi, lives by. It is also this slogan that carried him through a tumultuous journey during the pursuit of his LLB degree, which he received during the Bloemfontein Campus graduation ceremony on 19 April. 

Mahlatsi began his LLB degree in 2014, but he had to take a break from his academics in 2016 after being clinically diagnosed with depression. He obtained his qualification in 2020. Mahlatsi said 2016 was a year that started on a high note for him as a third-year Law student and newly elected prime for Tswelopele residence, but quickly took a downward dive when he found himself overwhelmed by leadership demands – coupled with the simultaneous loss of loved ones and constant academic pressure. It ultimately led to a breakdown, forcing him to put his studies on hold. "I am graduating with my LLB after life-changing events in my undergraduate years – from student politics, depression, and PTSD, to starting a mental-health organisation and using both CUADS and Kovsie Counselling support services to come back to ‘normalcy’.”

He said the year-long break from his studies left him feeling discouraged as he watched his peers and classmates progress and graduate. "It was the most difficult thing to do to remind myself that I wasn't stupid." 

"This journey exposed a lot about myself; it exposed that with determination and resilience, you can achieve what you set out to achieve. I had to persevere not because I wanted to, but because my family has never seen a graduate. I was doing this for them; to give them something they've never had,” he said. 

UFS support services can save lives 

Mahlatsi would like more students to make use of the UFS support services and not crumble under mental-health problems. "I hope to inspire students to use their support services and not be ashamed – services such as CUADS and Student Counselling and Development. I hope to inspire student leaders and students to realise that you can be a well-rounded student and still have challenges, but eventually, success awaits us all."

News Archive

Japanese researcher engages students on border issues
2017-03-02

Description:Japanese researcher Tags: Japanese researcher longdesc=

From the left: Dr WP Wahl, Tungamirai Kufandirori,
Sayaka Kono, Eddie de Wet and Emme-Lancia Faro
at the first academic conversation of 2017, hosted
by the Student Communities Office.
Photo: Eddie de Wet

How can we ensure humanity across borders – even if they don’t truly restrict us?

This was one of the discussions at the first academic conversation of 2017, hosted by the Student Communities Office, a division of Student Affairs. The discussions included the issue of Lesotho’s incorporation into South Africa, focusing on how ethnicity has mattered in ongoing arguments.

Basotho ethnicity

Students and staff were invited to engage with Sayaka Kono, a research fellow at the Department of Historical Studies at National University of Lesothoa, and guest speaker, on 14 February 2017 in the Equitas Senate Hall on the Bloemfontein Campus. The topic was Reconsidering Border Issues in Africa: Ethnicity, apartheid and the political independence of Lesotho.

Kono completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in International and Cultural Studies at Tsuda College in Japan. Her research interests lie in the area of ethnicity and she is currently completing her PhD on Basotho ethnicity and the former Bantustan system in South Africa.

Legacies of colonialism

A series of academic conversations was started in 2016 and aims to get top academic achievers and leaders to rub shoulders with renowned international scholars and leaders. This investment hopes to create a sense of responsibility to stretch boundaries and get the engagement culture flowing at the UFS.

According to Kono, borders of African countries are one of the living legacies of colonialism. They have reshaped the local society in various ways such as causing ‘ethnic’ or natural resource conflicts. The aim of her research is to reconsider these border issues in Africa through the perspective of ethnicity in the eyes of Basotho who have been divided by the border with South Africa for more than 100 years.

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