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09 July 2021 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo UFS Photo Archive
Two athletes, both employees of the University of the Free State (UFS), are now giving back to the sport in administrative roles.

Kesa Molotsane and Louzanne Coetzee are making time in their work and training schedules to serve the sports in which they have represented their country – Molotsane in cross-country and Coetzee in the 1 500 m and 800 m T11 category for athletes with a disability.

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Louzanne Coetzee Photo: UFS Photo Archive 

Coetzee is again heading for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. She is a nominee for the International Paralympic Committee Athletes’ Council. Six representatives will be chosen at the Paralympics.

Coetzee was recently elected to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission. She is also an athlete representative of the South African Sports Association for Physically Disabled.

Molotsane was co-opted into the National Executive Committee of University Sport South Africa as an assessor. She is also the new vice-chairperson of the Athletics South Africa Athletes Commission.

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Kesa Molotsane. Photo: Supplied

“My biggest dream is to enable athletes to dream big, and for their dreams to be recognised. I would like to see them enjoy their sport,” said Molotsane.

“I think I probably missed a lot of opportunities in my career due to a lack of funding, so I don’t want to see anyone face the same situation.”

Molotsane was also recently named as one of two ambassadors for the SPAR Grand Prix Series. 

According to Coetzee, a former member of the Student Representative Council at the UFS, she believes that it is important for a current sportsperson to contribute and give input in their sport. 

“I enjoy leadership, it is perhaps a gift of mine. Serving the sport in that capacity is not something that is too much of an effort or takes too much of my time. I enjoy contributing and to see something move in a direction.”

News Archive

UFS academic discusses Dutch, Afrikaans and African languages
2006-05-22

During the colloquium presented in Belgium by the Province Antwerp were from the left Prof Pol Cuvelier (University of Antwerp), Prof Theo du Plessis (Director: Unit for Language Management at the UFS), Mr Ludo Helsen (Permanent Deputy: Province of Antwerp) and Mr Jean-Pierre Rondas (Flemish radio journalist).

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UFS academic discusses Dutch, Afrikaans and African languages at international conference

Prof Theo du Plessis, Director of the Unit for Language Management at the University of the Free State (UFS), was the main speaker at a colloquium titled “Routes:  Where to now? - Een traject van het Nederlands naar het Afrikaans en de Afrikatalen”, which was recently presented by the Province Antwerp in Belgium.

 The aim of the colloquium was to discuss the future cooperation in the field of language between the Province Antwerp and South Africa. 

 The Province Antwerp is already involved with projects in South Africa.  One of these projects is the Multilingual Information Development Programme (MIDP), a partnership project between the UFS and the Free State Province that is mainly funded by the Province Antwerp. 

 The project has been running since 1999 and was recently in the news with the presentation of a symposium on multilingualism and exclusion on the Main Campus of the UFS.  It is hoped that the Routes colloquium will indicate new stages on which can be added to the already successful cooperation in the area of language.

 Prof Du Plessis’s presentation titled “Nederlands, Afrikaans en die Afrikatale – kan samewerking slaag? Die geval MIDP in die Vrystaat”, investigated the successes that have been made with the MIDP.  He discussed two possible approaches to cooperation in the areas of language, that of a sentimentalistic  approach against an instrumentalistic approach. 

Cooperation in the first approach makes language the aim.  In the second approach language is used as a means to a greater aim.  According to Prof du Plessis the first approach is driven by a romantisised idea about the relation between the Flemish and Afrikaans speaking people, which may unfortunately polarise the position of Afrikaans in South Africa even further.

 He argues that, given the time that we are in, the second approach will deliver more constructive results as language can among others be used for to further  democracy in South Africa.   This can happen by cooperation in the institutionalising of multilingualism in our society.  The more languages are used in education, law and government administration, the more we can be assured a successful democracy.

 The Routes colloquium was facilitated by the well-known Flemish radio journalist, Jean-Pierre Rondas. About twenty South African and Flemish language specialists took part in the colloquium.  Dr Fritz Kok, outgoing chief executive officer of the ATKV took part in the opening ceremony and Dr Neville Alexander from the University of Cape Town and well-known activist for multilingualism in South Africa was also one of the main speakers.

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