Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
03 March 2021 | Story Giselle Baillie | Photo Supplied
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. 

News Archive

Leadership for Change Programme
2011-09-16

 

Photo: Anja Aucamp

Our university said an official farewell to the first-year’s group who is part of the F1-Leadership for Change Programme on Friday, 16 September 2011.

This function was held at the Centenary Hall on our Main Campus and served as a formal farewell of and a final contact session for the group.

These first-year students from the UFS will be leaving for the USA and Europe from 22 September 2011. This follows the resounding success of the UFS Student Leadership Development Programme in 2010, when students visited various universities in the USA. The UFS will again send a group of students to the USA and also extend this programme by sending students to various universities in Europe and Asia.

The bigger group, about 90 selected students, will firstly be heading to the USA and Europe in September of this year. A second group of more or less 60 students will be going to Europe and Asia in January 2012.

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