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AFMA announces Kovsie as most outstanding student in Animal Nutrition

05 November 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Andries van der Merwe was presented the Koos van der Merwe AFMA Student of the Year Award as the most outstanding final-year student in Animal Nutrition in 2021/2022.

Since childhood, a love of animals, nature, and agriculture has been instilled in Andries van der Merwe. He used to accompany his father, the local veterinarian in Postmasburg, helping where he could. “I can still vividly remember the first C-section I helped him with when I was about 12,” he says.

A few years later, Andries decided to enrol for his studies at the University of the Free State (UFS) in order to get his grades up to study veterinary medicine one day. “But when I reached my third year and started with the subject Animal Nutrition, I saw that I could make a bigger difference and contribution to the agricultural sector through nutrition. The moment I realised this, my mind was made up to study towards becoming an animal nutritionist,” he says.

Viable alternative to the excessive use of antibiotics

His master’s thesis on the use of tannins as a feed additive to increase the production efficiency of ruminants (sheep, cattle, and goats) is also looking for a viable alternative to the excessive use of antibiotics to treat certain non-specific ailments such as diarrhoea and skin diseases.

With his work having the potential to one day make a difference in the agricultural sector, as well as some encouragement from his supervisor, Dr Ockert Einkamerer, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Animal Science, Andries entered and won AFMA’s Student of the Year competition.

During a virtual symposium on 18 October 2021, the Animal Feed Manufacturers Association (AFMA) presented Andries with the Koos van der Merwe AFMA Student of the Year Award as the most outstanding final-year student in Animal Nutrition in 2021/2022.

“I have no idea what could have impressed the judges”, says Andries, who competed with students from universities across South Africa.

Making a contribution to animal feeding in South Africa

“I am the second student from the UFS to win this award. Gert Daniel Jacobus Scholtz received the award in 1998 – my birth year,” says Andries.

“It is an enormous honour for me to receive this highly prestigious award. I believe that the exposure I receive due to this reward will help me to secure a position where I can make a valuable contribution to the industry much quicker,” he adds.

De Wet Boshoff, Executive Director of AFMA, commended Andries: “I wish to congratulate you on behalf of the Animal Feed Manufacturers Association (AFMA) on winning the award. I believe it will encourage you to – through further studies and your career in the future – make a contribution to animal feeding in the Republic of South Africa.”

The award consists of a certificate and a cash amount of R20 000 sponsored by AFMA.

Andries is planning on completing his master’s degree. “I am considering a PhD and a Master’s of Business Administration. The latter is to ensure that I will be a vital part of any company in the industry,” he says.

“What is meant to happen will happen … you just need to have faith,” he believes.

News Archive

UFS releases draft charter to accelerate transformation

2007-02-02

The University of the Free State (UFS) today released a draft Institutional Charter which is intended to enhance and accelerate the ongoing transformation of the institution towards a non-racial, non-sexist future.

Speaking at the official opening of the university today, the Rector and Vice-chancellor, Prof Frederick Fourie, said the draft Institutional Charter, was an important milestone in the transformation debate for the university and the country.

“The draft charter acknowledges that black people, women and people with disabilities have been marginalised from job and developmental opportunities, within the higher education sector and at this university,” Prof Fourie said.

The charter commits the university to meeting the challenges of a transforming higher education institution in a developing society, in particular the challenges of nation-building, reconciliation, redress, non-racialism and non-sexism – and ultimately normalisation – within a high-quality academic institution.

The principles of the draft charter firmly signal the university’s commitment to diversity – attaining and maintaining substantive and sufficient diversity (including multiculturalism and multilingualism) – in its quest for quality and excellence.
Prof Fourie said the draft charter seeks to build consensus among staff and students at the UFS about the ultimate goals of transformation at a higher education institution.

The charter proposes several basic values and principles that should guide the transformation process and at the same time serve as a basis for a future, normalised university - a promised land to transform towards.

The discussion document says academic quality is intrinsically linked to transformation and it commits the university to strengthening the core competencies of research, teaching and learning as well as community service so as to ensure a robust university for future generations.

“Indeed the thousands of matriculants, black and white, who apply to study at the UFS want to study at a good university, and a good university wants to attract the best black and white students and the best black and white staff, male and female,“ Prof Fourie said.

He said the draft charter also seeks to safeguard academic freedom and institutional autonomy as the foundation of critical inquiry and scholarship.

Regarding the critical issue of creating a new institutional culture, the draft charter commits the UFS to creating a sense of belonging for all members of the university – black and white, male and female, of whatever language, religious, cultural or economic background, as well as people with disabilities.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@mail.uovs.ac.za
02 February 2007

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