Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
21 July 2021 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Charl Devenish
Even after her premiership, Helen Zille has remained a powerful force within the South African political landscape. Here she is pictured during a workshop hosted by the Department of Political Science and Governance in February 2020.
We have all heard or seen the expression #StayWoke. It is a term with its origins in the United States, implying an awareness of social issues such as racial injustice and other societal issues. It is often seen as a left-wing political movement – and now a new book, #StayWoke, Go Broke: Why South Africa won’t survive America’s culture wars (and what you can do about it), by Helen Zille, Chairperson of the DA Federal Council, aims to explore how wokeness can be bad for South Africa. 

Zille will be talking to Prof Hussein Solomon in the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the University of the Free State.   

You can join this interesting discussion on: 

Date: 29 July 2021

Time: 10:00-11:00

 

About the author:
Helen Zille is a South African journalist, activist, and politician who served as the national leader (2007-2015) of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the official opposition party in South Africa. She was also Premier of the Western Cape from 2009 until 2019. Zille’s autobiography, Not without a Fight, was published in 2016. 

 

 

 

News Archive

UFS mourns passing away of pioneer
2005-09-30

Prof Dudley Vermaak (76), founder and former director of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Research Institute for Education Planning (RIEP), passed away on Friday 23 September 2005 in George as a result of a stroke.  

Prof Vermaak was associated with the UFS for about 23 years.  A Centenary Medal was awarded to him in October 2004 by the UFS for his pioneering work in transformation through his initiatives, during the apartheid era, to empower education officials, teachers and postgraduate students from disadvantaged communities in South Africa. 

He did pioneering work in the eighties with the training of black teachers, especially senior officials and managers in black education, and with the research and training on the improvement of education in the black community.  

“Prof Vermaak was a visionary person who understood the changing South African context in the eighties and started at an early stage with work to improve black schools and the training of black leaders in the education sector.  He was a true pioneer at the UFS.  We are thankful that we could honour him for this with a Centenary Medal last year,” said Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS.

RIEP originally started off as the Research Unit for Education Planning in 1974 under the guidance of Prof Vermaak.  During the apartheid years the institute was intensely involved with research about education in the former homelands.  It was also the only organisation that could provide complete education statistics, which was necessary for planning, about the former homelands. 

RIEP was also involved with service delivery to the so-called independent and self-governing states regarding training in management and planning and support.  Several education officials from these areas undertook their M Ed and D Ed studies with the help of RIEP.  Some post-1994 education and political leaders include e.g. Lionel Mtshali, premier of KwaZulu-Natal in 1999-2004. 

Prof Vermaak was cremated in George.  A memorial service will be held at 10:00 on Saturday 1 October 2005 at the Berg-en-Dal Dutch Reformed Church in Dan Pienaar.  Prof Vermaak is survived by his wife, Marietjie, four children and grandchildren.  He lived in Kiepersol Retirement Village in Bloemfontein for the past six years. 

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

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

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