Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
12 February 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Charl Devenish
Dr Alice Ncube says that since coming to South Africa and working with vulnerable communities in the disaster (risk) management field, she has gained extensive knowledge and perspectives on the real-life situations of humanity.

While working in human resources and industrial-relations management portfolios, Dr Alice Ncube saw a window of opportunity to get into research, focusing on the challenges that was threatening the human capital management sectors and the general operations of governments and the private sector. 

Today, Dr Ncube is teaching students and doing research in the Disaster Management Training and Education Centre (DiMTEC) at the University of the Free State (UFS), where she is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Director.

On 11 February – International Day of Women and Girls in Science – the UFS is celebrating Dr Ncube, who chose to be a scientist due to her desire to make a difference. 

Being a migrant facing several challenges in her host country motivated her to do her PhD on international migration, specifically on women from developing countries to other developing countries such as South Africa.

Her research also covers related topics, including social vulnerability and resilience, international forced migration, gender issues, climate change and adaptation, and sustainable livelihoods of disadvantaged communities.

Demystifying perceptions

“Many persons who do not reside in the country believe that South Africa is a land of opportunities – socially, politically, and economically – due to its position on the African continent. This all-round positive picture of the country painted to the outside world is the main reason for the huge inflow of migrants into the country,” believes Dr Ncube. 

She envisaged that her study would assist in demystifying the perception that migrants are those who come to a host country to take local jobs and put pressure on local resources.

“I felt that gender migration in this space is under-researched, particularly migration of women. Migration is not gender neutral, but gender biased, as evidenced by the 1960s and early 1970s, where terms such as ‘migrants and their families’ were coded to refer to male migrants and their wives and children. Although women were nearly invisible, there is evidence of them migrating as independent agencies and also taking along their families, including husbands,” she explains.

Exploring the coping and adaptation strategies that women employ in the host country, she found that although faced with many challenges, the migrant women cope and adapt well.

Her research as well as her work of more than 10 years with the vulnerable communities, including migrants, has established that the resilience of vulnerable communities is bigger than the intervention strategies that governments and other stakeholders envisage.

People are hungry for knowledge that will better their lives. – Dr Alice Ncube

Impacting lives

“Since coming to South Africa and working with vulnerable communities in the disaster (risk) management field, I have gained extensive knowledge and perspectives on the real-life situations of humanity, let alone in our continent and region,” she says.

She has worked with government departments at local, district, provincial, and national levels in an effort to change the conditions faced by poor, marginalised, and disadvantaged communities. Dr Ncube was also involved in community capacity-building activities through short courses and short learning programmes. 

She considers the training she has presented as one of the biggest achievements of her life. “People are hungry for knowledge that will better their lives.” 

“This has been so fulfilling to me as I have made an impact on the lives of the people,” says Dr Ncube.

News Archive

Protest actions planned for 12-14 March 2008
2008-03-13

Three protest actions will take place on the Main Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein this week.

Although the interim court interdict granted to the UFS on 6 March 2008 is still in force, permission for the three protests was granted by the Mangaung Local Municipality and the court, in the presence of the university lawyer. Strict conditions have been set for these protest actions.

The UFS management respects the right to peaceful protest and also shares the sentiment of the protesters regarding the reprehensible Reitz video. However, strict conditions have been set for these protest actions as students are writing tests and the normal academic activities should not be disrupted.

Already the first picket protest took place today, Wednesday, 12 March 2008, by about 300 Satawu and Nehawu members. This was not a march and no memorandum was handed over.

On Thursday, 13 March 2008, Nehawu will again picket in front of the Main Building from 13:00 to 14:00. This event must be peaceful. This too is not a march and no memorandum will be handed over.

On Friday, 14 March 2008, a march of Cosatu and Nehawu will take place, starting in the city centre. The march will enter through the Nelson Mandela Drive gate and will enter the campus grounds.

However, it will be limited to the incoming lane of Chancellors Avenue from the Main Gate to the crossing with Alumni Avenue (in front of the Odeion building). Speeches will be made and a memorandum will be handed over.

It is expected that the march will reach the campus at approximately 10:00 and from then the Nelson Mandela Gate to the UFS will be closed for all traffic. The march must end by 14:00. The marchers will return to the city centre and may cause a traffic problem in Nelson Mandela Drive.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) and the UFS’s Protection Services Division will monitor all these actions. Staff, students and visitors to the campus are kindly requested to use alternative gates to the Nelson Mandela entrance on Friday. Academic activities will continue as normal this week.

Media Release
Issued by: Anton Fisher
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 3422
Cell: 072 207 8334
E-mail: fishera.stg@ufs.ac.za  
12 March 2008


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