Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
01 July 2021 | Story Dikgapane Makhetha | Photo Supplied

This year, the young people of South Africa celebrated 45 years of the annual commemoration of Youth Day. The University of the Free State (UFS) Community Engagement (CE) office on the Qwaqwa Campus has engaged a number of stakeholders in the call to use football as a means of bringing people together, transforming lives, and enthusing communities. Through partnerships, community organisations have great potential to create opportunities for breaking down barriers and inspiring social cohesion, initiating enablement through the development of social projects, and promoting education and health awareness. 

On 16 June this year, local community organisations collaborated in the hosting of a soccer event for the youth of Qwaqwa at the FIFA Football for Hope Stadium in Tsheseng. The Agape Foundation for Community Development, Love Life, Right to Care, Youth in Action, Qwaqwa FIFA Project, and the Tsheseng Athletics Club were all stakeholders who diligently joined forces to ensure the successful launch of the tournament. Community development practitioners, who are trainees in the UFS Qwaqwa Department of Community Development, were garbed in departmental branded gear and have cautiously facilitated adherence to COVID-19 protocols.  About 250 people, including football fans and participants, attended and enjoyed the entertaining games. Through the partnered recreational project, the Qwaqwa Campus CE office responded to the 2021 Youth Day theme: ‘Growing Youth Employment for an inclusive and transformed society’, by enhancing opportunities for networking among stakeholders. Football is popularly known for promoting transformational social projects in diverse communities across the globe.

News Archive

UFS mourns the passing away of Prof. Leo Barnard
2009-04-02

It is with sadness that the management of the University of the Free State (UFS) heard about the death of Prof. Leo Barnard. He passed away yesterday afternoon in the George Medi-Clinic as a result of cancer.

Prof. Barnard was associated with the UFS for many years and was Head of the university’s Department of History from 1997–2008. He was appointed as research associate at the department after his retirement last year.

“Prof. Barnard was one of the few military historicists in South Africa. He was amongst others a member of the South African Historical Society and also served on several professional organisations such as The South African Academy for Science and Arts,” said Prof. André Wessels, Head of the Department of History at the UFS.

He served on the editorial committee of the Journal for Contemporary History, an accredited academic journal published by the Department of History at the UFS. He was editor of this journal for ten years. “Prof. Barnard played an important role in the development of the journal, especially in the publishing of special editions. When he passed away, he was working on the latest edition of the journal, which deals with the so-called border war,” said Prof. Wessels.

Prof. Barnard was especially well-known for his mentorship to Master’s and Doctoral students. “At the time of his death he was still providing guidance to students,” said Prof. Wessels.

Prof. Barnard did a lot of research and writing for the UFS’s centenary publication, From Grey to Gold – The first 100 years of the University of the Free State.

“We also sympathise with Mrs Renaldine Barnard and the couple’s four daughters, Eda, Arina, Leona and Elfrieda, their two sons in law and one grandchild. Prof. Barnard has left a gap in the hearts of the people who knew and worked with him at the UFS,” said Prof. Wessels.

The memorial service will be held on Friday, 3 April 2009 in the community hall of Vleesbaai in the Western Cape.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel:051 401 2584
Cell:083 645 2454
E-mail:loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
1 April 2009
Prof. Leo Barnard

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