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03 March 2021
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Story Giselle Baillie
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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.
Department undergoes peer review
2006-10-19
The Language Practice division of the Department of Afro-asiatic Studies, Sign Language and Language Practice at the University of the Free State (UFS) conducted a peer review. This is the first peer review based on the new procedures for quality assurance that were implemented in the Faculty of Humanities. The peer review ended with a report from external assessors and the compilation of corrective plans. One of the aims of the assessment is to determine the department’s national profile en to determine its international acceptability.

Here are, from the left: Prof Jackie Naudé (Departmental Chairperson: Afro-asiatic Studies, Sign Language and Language Practice), Dr Peet Venter (Senior lecturer in charge of quality control in the office of the Dean: Faculty of the Humanities), Dr Maeve Olohan (Lecturer in Translation, University of Manchester in the United Kingdom), Dr Anne-Marie Beukes (Chairperson of the South African Institute for Translators and lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and Literature Science at the University of Johannesburg) and Prof Gerhardt de Klerk (Dean: Faculty of the Humanities).