Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
06 August 2021 | Story Dr Cindé Greyling | Photo André Damons
Nombulelo Shange - Making a positive impact with writing

Nombulelo Shange is a lecturer in Sociology in the University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Sociology and one of our top opinion article writers – regularly quoted by the media. She is also currently a PhD candidate in Anthropology, studying a Cape Town community called the ‘mountain doctors’. 

What is the best thing about your job?

I love my students and have missed them so much during this precarious time. 

What is the best and worst decision you have ever made?

Although I loved teaching English in South Korea, I was young and became extremely homesick, so I ended up coming back prematurely – leaving me unemployed for three years. Later, I was accepted by the University of St Andrews in Scotland for my PhD, but in the end, I sadly had to turn that opportunity down because of finances. I regret not pushing harder in both cases. But the thing with mistakes and bad decisions is that they come together to shape your current experiences. I might not be where I am today had I not made those mistakes. The best decision I ever made was leaving the NGO space and returning to academia in 2018; academia is my calling. I love teaching, writing, and theorising.

What does the word woman mean to you?

I think to be a woman means many different things. But at its core, it should mean inclusion and individual and collective acceptance and expression of our differences. 

Which woman inspires you, and why?

There are so many, and they all inspire me in different ways. My mothers, Prof Pearl Sithole, Prof Puleng LenkaBula, Beyonce, Patricia Hill Collins, Sisonke Msimang, Makoma Lekalakala, Nonhle Mbuthuma, and Tarana Burke. My friends, my little niece, and all the black women, living and gone – who gave up their lives so that, one day, a girl like me can enjoy certain liberties. 

What advice would you give to the 15-year-old you?

Make mistakes, it’s okay, it won’t be the end of the world. You will learn from them, but just focus on being a kid. Stop hiding in the library behind books; you learn more from life by exploring and living it, not only reading about it. Being an introvert is OK, but don’t let it make you fear people. Being an uncool becomes the new cool later, so you’ll be fine, you’ll be great!

What makes you a woman of quality, impact, and care?

My impact has been in my written work, both within academia and the mainstream media. I research, write, and theorise on a variety of topics, mainly decoloniality, indigenous knowledge, and feminism. I see my place as an emerging scholar and leader in this space not just at the UFS, but also nationally, and eventually internationally.

 

I cannot live without … a fully stocked kitchen; love cooking and baking … hate cleaning up afterwards.
My secret weapon is … kindness; I’ve had so many uncertain or tense situations go well, just because I treated people with kindness before even knowing they would be the ones I need/get help from.
I always have … my cellphone; it makes going through life so much easier, especially as a woman. It is more than just a phone, it is my panic button when I am feeling unsafe, my navigator when I am lost and scared, my bank – and most importantly – my way to connect with loved ones.
I will never … knowingly allow certain privileges I enjoy, being used against others who are more socially disenfranchised than I am.
I hope … to see my family and pet bunny Dash soon, I miss them very much.


News Archive

UFS council approves guidelines for reconfiguration of Vista Campus
2005-03-15

Human resource development (teaching and training) will be the primary aim of services to be rendered at the reconfigured Vista campus of the University of the Free State (UFS).

This in-principle decision forms part of a set of guidelines for the strategic reconfiguration of the Vista campus in Bloemfontein that was recently approved by the UFS Council.  The Vista campus was incorporated into the UFS in January 2004.

“One of the most important aspects that resulted from these guidelines is that we have come to a point where I can say that the future of staff at Vista is not dependant on the strategic reconfiguration of the campus.  Vista staff members will stay staff of the UFS and are being integrated into the functions of the main campus,” said Prof Magda Fourie, Vice-Rector:  Academic Planning at the UFS.

“According to the guidelines, the reconfiguration of the Vista campus must occur within the ambit of the UFS as a single institution with three campuses,” said Prof Fourie.

The UFS is currently offering two activities on the Vista campus – the regional Centre for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and the Sesotho Language Research and Development Centre. 

According to Prof Fourie no duplication of services or programmes being rendered on the main campus in Bloemfontein will take place.  In the guidelines suggestions are made that the Vista campus could be used for activities that are currently offered on the main campus (eg short learning programmes), new UFS activities (mainly of a developmental and entrepreneurial nature), cooperative partnership ventures with other role-players and the renting of facilities for education and training purposes. 

“However, no definite decisions have been made about these possible activities – the necessary consultation process with relevant stakeholders and role-players must first take place.  A consultative forum for this will be established early in the second term of this year,” said Prof Fourie.

 “We are excited about the possibilities that have arised from the guidelines as it fits in with our vision to utilise new resources for education and training and to contribute to higher education in the Free State.  This will also contribute to the development of human resources as a propelling force in the Central Region,” said Prof Fourie.
 

MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:  (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
15 March 2005

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