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31 August 2021 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Varsity Sports
The UFS celebrates its 55-39 win over Stellenbosch University in the final of the Varsity Netball tournament. This is their fourth crown in eight years.
After losing to Stellenbosch University in the opening round of Varsity Netball, the University of the Free State (UFS) kept the trust and smashed the same opponents eight days later to lift the trophy.

The UFS netball team claimed their fourth crown – two more than any other team in the eight years of the competition – when they won the final by 55-39 in Stellenbosch on Monday night (30 August 2021).

This is the biggest victory margin in a final. The UFS team has now won all four finals in which they participated.
According to coach Burta de Kock, she did not say much to the players after their first-round loss by eight goals. It was their only defeat in nine matches.

“I left them alone and I knew they would fix what had to be fixed. We kept the trust the whole time.”

“The players promised one another before the final that they would bring their best to the court. We are blessed to have such wonderful players taking the lead and guiding and mentoring the youngsters,” De Kock said.

Captain Sikholiwe Mdletshe also mentioned the first encounter as the turning point. “We got the team together and decided to fight as an army. We never looked back.”

Khanyisa Chawane, who was the Player of the Match in both the final and semi-final, said, “We told ourselves we are going to a final and we are going to win it, and that is the mindset we came here with and what took us through.”

Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, congratulated the champions. “Under the leadership of coach Burta de Kock and captain Sikholiwe Mdletshe, the team worked exceptionally hard to reach the top, and their commitment and courage paid off.” 

“Thank you also to the rest of the coaching staff. The final was spectacular, and we are proud of what they have achieved. I salute our champions on behalf of the entire university community,” Prof Petersen said.

News Archive

Q and A with Prof Hussein Solomon on ‘Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Africa’
2015-05-29

 

Political Science lecturer, Prof Hussein Solomon, has launched his latest book, Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Africa: fighting insurgency from Al Shabaab, Ansar Dine and Boko Haram, on Wednesday 26 May 2015 at the UFS.

In his book, Solomon talks about the growing terrorist threat in Africa, with the likes of Al Shabaab, Ansar Dine, and Boko Haram exploiting Africa's vulnerabilities to expand their operations. Explaining both the limitations of current counter-terrorist strategies and possible future improvements, this timely study can be appreciated by scholars and practitioners alike.

Q: If you speak of Al Shabaab, Ansar Dine, and Boko Haram expanding operations, do you see possibilities for their expansion even into South Africa, or is expansion mainly focused on northern African countries?
 
A: All three movements are operating out of their respective countries. Al Shabaab has attacked Kenya and Uganda and tried to attack the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. So yes, there is a danger that they are here and, more importantly, newer groups like ISIS are recruiting in SA already.
 
Q: If the traditional military response is ineffective, what would be a better approach then?
 
A: What is important is that the force of arms needs to complement the force of ideas. What is being waged is an ideological battle, and, just as the West defeated Communism ideologically in the Cold War, we need to defeat radical Islamism ideologically. In addition, the military response needs to complement the governance and development responses.
 
Q: External players like the US have insufficient knowledge of the context, what would be the knowledge about context necessary for anyone concerned about the terror problem in Africa?
 
A: Allow me to give you some examples. The US trains African militaries to fight terrorist groups, but, when they return to their countries, they stage a coup and topple the civilian government. The US does not seem to understand that arming a predatory military and training them makes them more predatory and brutal, which results in civilians being recruited by terrorists, as happened in Mali. Similarly, the US sent arms to the Somali government, and members of that government sold those arms to Al Shabaab terrorists, the very people they were supposed to fight. So the Americans do not understand the criminalisation of the African state, which undermines good governance and promotes terrorism.

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