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15 June 2021 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Supplied
Dougie Heymans
Dougie Heymans was the Head of Rugby at the University of the Free State until his passing.

A Shimla great, a passionate rugby and family man, and a dream colleague are just some of the descriptions of how Dougie Heymans will be remembered.

Heymans, Assistant Director: KovsieSport and Head of Rugby, passed away on Monday due to the COVID-19 disease. He was 58.

He will leave a massive legacy in his capacity as rugby administrator, said DB Prinsloo, Director of KovsieSport. “Dougie was so precise in his work. He had a huge work ethic. Everything he did was textbook stuff. He is going to be missed immensely.”

According to Prinsloo, messages of condolence have been pouring in from far and wide. One of many was from former Protea cricket great, Allan Donald, nowadays the head coach of the Knights cricket team.
“It is indeed a shock to the entire sporting world. I knew Dougie very well, his involvement with varsity rugby, but also rugby in the Free State, made a huge impact on sports. This is a huge loss not only for the Cheetahs, but also Bloemfontein and the entire region. We sadly lost a legend,” he said.

Heymans played for the Shimlas between 1989 and 1994 and went on to represent the Free State in 154 matches until 2001.In 2009, he started working for the University of the Free State. He was the man in charge of Varsity Cup matches at Shimla Park.
“They say no one is irreplaceable, but it is going to be tough to follow in his massive footsteps. It is very hard not having him around anymore. He was a fantastic colleague,” Prinsloo said.

Former Shimla and Springbok, Toks van der Linde, who played with and against Heymans, said he had lost a great friend. “He was more than a friend, like a brother to us younger guys. RIP big brother, we are going to miss you.”

News Archive

Messages and mail – what people say about Kovsies
2014-10-02

 
Letters from Kovsie students, parents, the community and even visitors to our university from across the globe regularly pour into our mailboxes and onto our social media pages.

To give you a glimpse of what they say about our institution, here are a few examples:

•    If you continue with this innovative thinking then the UFS will soon become the Ivy League institution of South Africa. – Chris Abels, United Kingdom

•    My daughter loves Kovsies. She has really come out of her shell as a result of the wonderful environment created by Kovsie leaders. She is flourishing and has for the second year in a row achieved the distinction of being a top academic student. Once again, thank you for your kind assistance which clearly indicates to me that Kovsies treat their students like family and not merely a number. – Grant Combrink, Port Elizabeth

•    The state of the University of Free State inspired me to go back to school and do my law degree. The cleanliness and the mood of the institution was inspirational and not only to me but also to a few of my colleagues. – Joseph Peter Kgomo, a journalist with the public broadcaster

•    I arrived in Bloemfontein to begin a one year appointment as a Fulbright Scholar. I have remarked to friends and colleagues in America that we can learn a great deal about hospitality towards our foreign visitors by embodying the altruism demonstrated throughout your campus. Thank you for the opportunity to become a Kovsie. – Professor Brenda C Eppley, Professor at Area Community College in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

•    I would like to congratulate you on the job well done regarding transformation and integration thereof. Indeed, the UFS that I am in is not the UOVS that I was in. – Tefo Masoetsa

•    I attended the Oprah Winfrey graduation ceremony in 2009 and when Dr Desmond Tutu received his honorary Doctorate. On both occasions one felt something big and miraculous was happening and many in the audience were moved. You are doing something down there in the Free State that really deserves attention! – Joy Summers, Producer: Carte Blanche

•    There will be much more hurt before our country is healed, but it will be the Kovsie doctors, psychiatrists and teachers applying the plasters and it will be the Kovsie architects, quantity surveyors, jurists and farmers building and regulating a new country. – Marzanne Lombard, proud former member of Soetdoring and Welwitschia Residences

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