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NJ van der Merwe residence renamed Lehakwe House

03 March 2021 | Story Giselle Baillie | Photo Supplied

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.

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UFS students part of winning team in international competition

2006-06-12

The South African team, consisting of students from the Universities of the Free State (UFS), Stellenbosch and Pretoria won a student competition during a conference of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IAMA) that was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Six student teams from across the world took part in the competition. The teams had to develop a business strategy for an Italian company that is threatened by the dreaded bird flu epidemic. Two heats were held and the South African team walked away with the laurels.

The South African team that won the competition were, from the left: Prof André Jooste (Departmental Chairperson: Department of Agricultural Economics at the UFS), Prof Kobus Laubscher (team advisor and lecturer at the UFS Department of Agricultural Economics), Bonani Nyhodo (student at the University of Stellenbosch), Dr Dirk Esterhuizen (Manager: Agricultural Information of the Agricultural Chamber of Business and student at the University of Pretoria), Prof Herman van Schalkwyk (Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS), Olubukola Oyewumi (UFS student), Hilton Madevu (student at the University of Pretoria) and Lindie Botha (UFS student).

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