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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

UFS pays tribute to Nadine Gordimer
2014-07-15

 
Nadine Gordimer
Photo: Jullian Edelstein
The staff and students of the University of the Free State (UFS) are greatly saddened by the news of Nadine Gordimer’s passing. We extend our deepest condolences and heart-felt sympathy to Ms Gordimer’s family, friends and loved ones.

Nadine Gordimer – renowned South African author, political activist and recipient of the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature – passed away on Sunday evening, 13 July 2014 at the age of 90.

The university community had the great privilege of Ms Gordimer delivering the Inaugural Reconciliation Lecture on our Bloemfontein Campus on 7 November 2012. Lauded as one of the literary world’s most powerful voices against apartheid, Ms Gordimer hailed the university for doing things differently from what has been done in the past.

In reference to the transformation underway at the university, Ms Gordimer observed in the Annual Reconciliation Lecture that “The University of the Free State has begun a national culture in so many ways.”

The legacy of Nadine Gordimer will forever remain in the memory of the UFS, its staff and students.


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