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From Chief Director in Northern Cape Government to Doctor Mangalane du Toit

24 February 2021 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo supplied

maggy du toit_web read more — Mangalane Maggy du Toit, Chief Director in the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, received her doctorate at the February virtual graduation ceremony.

Years of hard work and commitment have certainly paid off for Mangalane Maggy du Toit, who received her Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration and Management during the UFS virtual graduation ceremony on 24 February 2021. A Chief Director in the Northern Cape Restitution Branch of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Du Toit started her public-service career as a social worker in the rural areas of Limpopo. Over the years, she has acquired extensive experience in implementing and managing government development projects, particularly in rural settings. She is currently responsible for the restoration of land rights to those who were dispossessed due to the Natives Land Act of 1913.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but deep down I knew I had to go through with this. Funny enough, quitting never even crossed my mind,” said Du Toit on receiving her external examiner reports. She is preparing for four international journal publications.

Promoted by Prof Liezel Lues, Du Toit’s thesis, titled The administration of social grants for adult persons with disabilities in the Northern Cape, assesses efficiency in the administration of social grants for adult people with disabilities, using the 2011 Social Grants Disability Management Model. The study explains why, despite gatekeeping, applicants with the same medical condition keep returning and are allowed through the system, only to be rejected again. The significance of the study lies in its attempt to improve efficiency in the administration of these social grants in the national sphere. The recommendations will help develop clear, integrated policy guidelines on disability grant administration and will be captured in the regulations of the Social Assistance Act, 2004 (Act 13 of 2004 as amended).

News Archive

Curtains fall on Darwin lecture series

2010-02-03

The University of the Free State (UFS), in collaboration with the Central University of Technology and the National Museum in Bloemfontein, will host the final lecture of the Charles Darwin lecture series entitled "The story of life and survival" as part of the 200-years celebration of Charles Darwin’s birthday on Thursday, 11 February 2010.

The lecture titled Trends in evolution and their bearing on the future of humankind will be presented by Prof. Bruce Rubidge and Prof. Terence McCarthy from the University of the Witwatersrand and co-authors of the book The Story of Earth and Life.

Last year, when the year-long lecture series started, several lectures were presented by academics from various departments at the UFS.
Prof. Marian Tredoux and Mr Johan Loock from the Department of Geology presented lectures on The origin of our solar system and The geological evolution of our planet: the first billion years, respectively.

"Transitions and extinctions" was the topic of another lecture presented by Dr Jennifer Botha-Brink, a paleontologist at the National Museum and affiliated to the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the UFS. She discussed the causes of mass extinctions and their effects on the world's organisms.

The Department of Genetics also made their contribution to this lecture series in the form of two lectures on the genetic foundation of evolution presented by the Head of the Department, Prof. Johan Spies and Prof. Paul Grobler, an Associate Professor in the Department.

Next followed lectures on the evolution of the information and communication technology that were presented by the Departments of Communication Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Computer Science and Informatics, which focused on communication in a manufacturing environment, the knowledge explosion and the broadband universe.

This final lecture of the series will be presented in the CR Swart Auditorium on the UFS Main Campus at 18:00. Limited seats are available and bookings can be made by contacting Ms Isabel Human at humanci@ufs.ac.za or 051 401 2427 before or on Monday, 8 February 2010.

Media Release:
Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za
2 February 2010

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