Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
31 March 2021
|
Story Xolisa Mnukwa
![]()
The University of the Free State (UFS) Bloemfontein Campus conducted its first digital Campus Student Representative Council (CSCR) elections for the 2020/2021 SRC term. Elections for the 12 ex officio portfolios were conducted from 1 to 4 December 2020, while the elections for the 7 elective portfolios were conducted from 23 to 26 March 2021.
Of the 22 941
eligible voters for the elective portfolios, 8 044 cast their votes, which accounts for 35% of the voter’s roll. The 2021 voter turnout is an increase of 9,53% compared to the 2019 elections that were conducted manually. The CSRC incumbents mentioned below were officially inaugurated on 29 March 2021 and an official handover of the outgoing to the incoming incumbents was facilitated by the Student Governance Office.
The results below depict the final outcome of the CSRC elective portfolios. Elections were concluded at 21:00 on 26 March 2021. Watch video for the official inauguration.
| Position | Candidate | Votes |
| PRESIDENT | Jerry Thoka | 5 747 (74,6%) |
| Kamohelo Seleke | 1 960 (25.4%) |
| DEPUTY PRESIDENT | Loretta Mosito | 5 563 (72,4%) |
| Esona Yapi | 2 116 (27,6%) |
| SECRETARY | Ayanda Dlova | 5 988 (78,3%) |
| Simphiwe Zonke | 1 660 (21,7%) |
| TREASURER | Orefile Sefika | 5 425 (70,7%) |
| Thandiwe Kula | 2 246 (29,3%) |
| POLICY AND TRANSFORMATION | Vusumzi Gqalane | 4 988 (63,8%) |
| Thabo Duma | 1 649 (21,1%) |
| Nompumelelo Khoza | 1 178 (15,1%) |
| STUDENT DEVELOPMENT AND FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS | Tshiamo Sebolai | 4 681 (60,4%) |
| Fhumulani Sididzha | 1 707 (22,0%) |
| Ofentse Ntsane | 1 365 (17,6%) |
| COMMUTER STUDENTS | Dimpho Mokhoantle | 4 469 (58,1%) |
| Marumo Rakwata | 1 643 (21,4%) |
| Lusanda Feleza | 1 582 (20,6%) |
The results below depict the outcome of the ex officio elections that took place from 1 to 4 December 2020:
| Position | Candidate |
|---|
| ASSOCIATIONS STUDENT COUNCIL | Michael Mnguni |
| STUDENT ORGANISATIONS COUNCIL | Tebogo Sako |
| ACADEMIC STUDENT COUNCIL | Katlego Booysen |
| DAY RESIDENCE COUNCIL | Sibongiseni Mncela |
| CAMPUS RESIDENCE COUNCIL | Mpho Maubane |
| POSTGRADUATE STUDENT COUNCIL | Nico Janse van Rensburg |
| INTERNATIONAL STUDENT COUNCIL | Rufaro Chakanyuka |
| STUDENT MEDIA AND DIALOGUE COUNCIL | Wandile Manqele |
| UNIVERSAL ACCESS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE COUNCIL | Katlego Sekele |
| CIVIC AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY COUNCIL | Gert Terblanche |
| ARTS AND CULTURE COUNCIL | Katleho Khaola |
| SPORTS COUNCIL | Bongumusa Khumalo |
New schools, restructuring part of streamlined Faculty of Health Sciences
2017-10-12
From the left, front are: Dr Jocelyn Naicker,
Prof Gert van Zyl, Prof Magda Mulder;
back from left: Prof Chris Viljoen,
Marlene Viljoen, Deputy Director: Faculty of Health Sciences;
Prof Nathaniel Mofolo; and Prof Santie van Vuuren.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin
Numerous developments, such as the creation of two new schools and one newly restructured School of Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), will catapult this renowned faculty to even greater heights.
Five-school structure to increase access
A five-school structure was proposed at the annual Faculty Management retreat in July 2016. The previous three-school model included the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health Professions.
The current School of Medicine has been restructured and will henceforth be known as the School of Clinical Medicine. The Schools of Pathology and Biomedical Sciences have been added to the faculty. “So, three new schools were in fact created within the faculty,” said Prof Gert van Zyl, Dean of the faculty.
“There was also a request from the National Health Laboratory Services to group academics that is rendering services in pathology into a new School of Pathology.” This is what motivated the faculty management to create two new schools.
Esteemed academics appointed
With the creation of the new schools, there were also new appointments within the Faculty of Health Sciences. Dr Jocelyn Naicker has been appointed as the new part-time Head of the School of Pathology, Prof Chris Viljoen was appointed as the part-time Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences, and Prof Nathaniel Mofolo as the new Head of the School of Clinical Medicine. Prof Santie van Vuuren remains Head of the School of Allied Health Professions, and Prof Magda Mulder as the head of the School of Nursing.
Research outputs to remain as usual
The addition of the new schools will not impact research output. “In the past, research was done across departmental boundaries between all the departments in the faculty,” Prof Van Zyl said. The advantages of adding two additional schools are that the workload will be distributed among the five schools. The heads of schools will work within their respective disciplines and related areas, and will eliminate the duplication of administrative functions.