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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.
UFS signs memorandum of understanding with the University of Ghent
2007-10-02
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A video conference during which a memorandum of understanding was signed between the University of the Free State (UFS) and the University of Ghent in Belgium was recently held on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein. The signing of the agreement formed part of a week long programme, Accenta, of which Bloemfontein and the Free State were guests of honour. Academics from the UFS delivered papers during one of the forums that formed part of the Accenta programme in Ghent. Not all the papers were delivered in Ghent. Papers on bridging the digital divide were presented during the video conference by academics from Bloemfontein and Ghent and broadcast on the internet. At the video conference broadcast from the UFS Main Campus were, from the left: Prof. Janse Tolmie (Departmental Chairperson of the UFS Department of Computer Science and Informatics), Prof. Hendri Kroukamp (Programme Director of Public Management at the UFS) , Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk (Dean of the UFS Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences) and Prof. Pieter Blignaut (Professor at the UFS Department of Computer Science and Informatics and co-ordinator of the video conference).
Photo: Lacea Loader
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