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03 March 2021
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Story Giselle Baillie
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Photo Supplied
_web.jpg?sfvrsn=987e6620_1 "NJ van Merwe Read More (1)_web")
Residence members who led the project, included:
Bohlokwa Rantja, the Residence Prime, and Transformation Committee members Nsuku Mutemela, Ofentse Motlakeng, Phindile Tjale, Madinku Mabala, Mmapopi Motshoso, Karabo Shuping, and Tagane Sekete.
The University of the Free State (UFS) Council approved and adopted Lehakwe House as the new name for the
NJ van der Merwe residence on the Bloemfontein Campus. The approval on 26 November 2020 followed a lengthy process of deliberation, consultation, and public engagement that has taken place since November 2019 and is aligned with the UFS Policy on Naming and Renaming. The name-change process was initiated by the Prime and Transformation Committee of the residence, guided by the
Unit for Institutional Change and Social Justice and supported by a multi-stakeholder committee representative of the residence, the Housing and Residence Affairs Office, the Department of Student Affairs, the Student Representative Council, and alumni.
Lehakwe – a precious gem
Following a lengthy evaluation process of the names submitted through a public voting and recommendation platform in July 2020, ‘Lehakwe’ – a Sesotho word referring to a ‘precious gem’ – emerged as the front runner. As many current and past members of the residence attest, this womxn’s residence has come to occupy a significant space within the hearts and minds of UFS students and the UFS community, given that its spirit has always been closely aligned with the constitutional values of dignity, equality, and freedom and with the human values of ubuntu. In this vein, the new name of ‘Lehakwe’ presents a consolidation of constitutional and university values into the day-to-day thinking, learning, living, and legacy spaces of students, as well as everyone who interacts and engages with the UFS.
Geologist delivers paper at international conference
2008-08-31
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An Associate Professor in the Department of Geology at the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof. Marian Tredoux (pictured), delivered a paper at a recent four-day conference at the Sunwa River Lodge, near Parys in the Free State. Prof Tredoux’s paper was about the global mass extinction which happened 65 million years ago (in which the dinosaurs were eliminated) and which is ascribed to the Chicxulub impact in Mexico. The conference focused on large meteorite impacts throughout the solar system and included discussion on the large ones that happened on Earth, such as at Vredefort (Free State), Morokweng (Northern Cape), Sudbury (Canada) and Chicxulub. It was organised by the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, USA, and attended by about 100 delegates from around the world, of which only five were from South African universities. The South African Mint produced a limited issue gold coin to commemorate the conference and the Vredefort World Heritage Site.
Photo: Mangaliso Radebe
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