Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Engaged scholarship goes to the movie screens

17 August 2021 | Story Dikgapane Makhetha | Photo Supplied

Engaged scholarship_movies copy — Bishop Billyboy Ramahlele (Director: Community Engagement), Napo Masheane (lead actress), and Troy Myeni (Director)

A short fiction film that was shot in Botshabelo and on the Bloemfontein Campus of the UFS, has once again shown the endless possibilities of engaged scholarship in the creative arts.

For this film project, engaged scholarship meant working with graduates / current students from the UFS on projects with a relevant and impactful theme for the broader community. The project was aimed at giving current or past students the opportunity to gain experience or share experience and to transfer skills in the area of filmmaking.

The short fiction film, Leshano (The Lie), was directed by Mpendulo ‘Troy’ Myeni, a graduate of the UFS Film Programme, who also won an award at the Pan African Film Festival in the US for another of his short films. Troy was also one of the three co-producers, along with Anton Fisher (a former employee of the UFS), who wrote the script, and Moeketsi Mphunye, a young filmmaker from Botshabelo.

Another notable UFS graduate who was central to the production, is Mbuyiselo Nqodi. He graduated with a BA in Drama and Theatre Arts and has since gone on to make a huge contribution to the performing arts in the Free State and South Africa. Mbuyiselo was the first assistant director of Leshano (The Lie) and had the unenviable job of keeping everything moving on set. Other members of the production registered at the UFS, but never completed their studies.

Bishop Billyboy Ramahlele, Director of Community Engagement at the UFS, said he was proud that the UFS could be part of this filmmaking project by making offices available as locations for the film and through the participation of distinguished graduates in key positions of the production.

“The UFS has much to offer young people as students, but also as graduates who seek to advance in their chosen careers. Through community engagement, these young people, whether students or graduates, can be inspired by working with professionals in various fields and gaining hands-on experience. They can then plough back into the community and the UFS.”

“This is the virtuous cycle of community engagement at a university. Students gain knowledge, then they gain inspiration and experience, and plough back into the UFS and broader community, instilling hope for future generations,” Bishop Ramahlele said.

He added that the UFS would be mentioned in the credits of the film and in publicity and marketing of the film, profiling its reputation as a centre of creative excellence.

Leshano (The Lie) was filmed in Sesotho, with English subtitles, and deals with the important issue of corruption. The lead role is played by the acclaimed Napo Masheane who grew up in Qwaqwa, supported by well-known Free State actors Maria de Koker, Seipati Mpotoane, Ntsiki Ndzume, Vincent Tsoametsi, Pesa Pheko, and Shayne Nketsi.

Several young, aspiring filmmakers from across the Free State were recruited for the project. It was their first time on the set of a film production, whether as make-up artists, behind the scenes photographers, unit production managers, wardrobe assistants, or location scouts.

With a strong line-up of women in the lead roles, the film will be released later in August during Women’s Month.

News Archive

Shortage of quantity surveyors discussed at UFS

2006-03-24

During the recent visit of the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS) to the University of the Free State (UFS) were from the left Mr Egon Wortmann (Director: ASAQS), Prof Basie Verster (representative of the Free State on the ASAQS and head of the Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management at the UFS), Mr Greyling Venter (Chairperson: Free State branch of the ASAQS), Prof DG Brümmer(Vice-President: ASAQS) and Mr Patrick Waterson (President: ASAQS).
Photo supplied

Shortage of quantity surveyors discussed at UFS

“The South African building industry is experiencing an unprecedented high level of economic growth and prosperity. This is causing a definite shortage of registered quantity surveyors,” said Mr Egon Wortmann, Director of the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors(ASAQS) during the association’s recent visit to the Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management at the University of the Free State (UFS).

“This shortage is especially noticeable in local and national governments where unqualified and inexperienced staff, consultants and/or facilitators are now appointed,” said Mr Wortmann.

In doing so, the authorities that have adopted this approach are according to Mr Wortmann actually acting illegally and are not in compliance with the legal and statutory requirements of South Africa. “These unprofessional practices are unproductive, it leads to frustration and is strongly condemned by the ASAQS,” he said.

“The service delivery of these unqualified and unregistered service providers is often sub standard and does not comply to the legal requirements of the profession. It may also result in the tarnishing of the image and high professional standards set by the quantity surveying profession,” said Mr Wortmann.

“Universities offering programmes in quantity-surveying and construction management are also negatively affected by the high levels of activity in the building environment. Suitable lecturing staff are leaving the academic institutions as they are attracted to better opportunities being offered in the building industry. The ability of the tertiary institutions to attract young academics, to train them and to keep them in the longer term, is therefore almost impossible”, said Prof Basie Verster, head of the Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management at the UFS and representative of the Free State on the ASAQS.

According to Prof Verster the UFS supplies more than its quota of qualified quantity surveyors to the South African building industry. “Although more than 460 students are registered in construction related programmes at the UFS, we are as the ASAQS’s concerned about the shortage of students that can enter the construction industry. In our case, we are experiencing a shortage in black female students,” he said.

“Of the 460 postgraduate students, 38% are black of which 20% are female students. Graduates do also not necessarily stay in the country. As the UFS’s programmes are accredited overseas, a lot of our students leave the country for working opportunities elsewhere,” said Prof Verster.

Mr Patrick Waterson, President of the ASAQS, appealed to quantity surveyors to, when they are approached, consider academic careers or to make themselves available to lecture on a part time basis. “I also appeal to quantity-surveying practices, construction companies and developers to consider taking part in training activities,” he said.

The ASAQS has over the years developed a proud tradition within the quantity-surveying profession. Consequently membership of this organisation is a sought after goal for many members within the building environment. International agreements with various countries are also in place whereby it is mutually agreed that local as well as overseas qualifications are mutually acceptable on a reciprocal basis.

A more recent addition to the list of agreements is the reciprocity agreement entered into with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors which makes it possible for South African based quantity surveyors to practice in over 120 countries worldwide.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
23 March 2006

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept