Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
15 November 2021 | Story Elna Van Pletzen

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) is seeking to co-opt a suitable candidate to serve for a period of four (4) years on the Finance Committee of Council. To this end, nominations for suitably qualified and experienced candidates are invited.

The Finance Committee of Council exercises oversight over the financial and investment portfolio of the UFS.

Candidates must be suitably qualified with requisite knowledge and experience of financial matters (including investments and acquisitions that are material to the UFS’s business). An appropriate qualification in the financial field is required, as is registration with the relevant professional bodies. 

Nominations must be submitted on the prescribed Nomination form, together with detailed curricula vitae, to the Registrar of the UFS at registrar@ufs.ac.za before 16:30 on 12 January 2022.

The Nominations Committee of Council will consider all the nominations and make a recommendation to the Council, which will decide whether to co-opt any of the candidates. 

The Finance Committee meets at least four times per year, or more frequently as may be necessary. 

The Council may decide not to co-opt any of the candidates.  

For enquiries, you may contact Mr NN Ntsababa at registrar@ufs.ac.za or telephone number +27 51 401 3796.

News Archive

Quadriplegic doctor obtains degree against all odds
2016-11-25

Description: Dr Swartbooi CUADS Tags: Dr Swartbooi CUADS

Dr Swartbooi faces each day with vigour and
resilience. Dr Swartbooi analyses images on
a screen in the Clinical Imaging Laboratory
at Universitas Academic Hospital.

Photo: Oteng Mpete

Life’s defining moments are when perseverance is rewarded. It is not easy to swim against the tide. However, for Dr Ambrotius Swartbooi from the University of the Free State’s Department of Clinical Imaging Sciences, it became his moment of glory. In 2006, Dr Swartbooi suffered a spinal injury from a near-fatal car accident which left him paralysed and a quadriplegic.

The strength to carry on

“You have one of two choices:
to lie down and give up,
or to pick yourself up”
—Dr Swartbooi

Dr Swartbooi spent close to six months, recovering from his injuries. “You have one of two choices: to lie down and give up or to pick yourself up,” said Dr Swartbooi. He would inspire other patients with similar injuries to reintegrate into society despite their new-found circumstances.

Fortunately, not all was doom and gloom; in 2007 Dr Swartbooi got married, and his wife has supported and inspired him to continue pursuing his dreams. Dr Swartbooi completed his undergraduate medical degree at the UFS, and in 2014 decided it was time to complete his studies and pursued an MMed specialising in Diagnostic Radiology.

To treat or not treat: that is the question

After all his trials and tribulations, Dr Swartbooi will be receiving his MMed Diagnostic Radiology degree at the UFS Summer Graduation ceremony in December 2016. His research focuses on intracranial aneurysm size interventions. He discovered that there were discrepancies between international standards for intervention and African standards for intervention.

The research inspects what should be treated and how it should be treated. He found there was a gap in African literature into the size of aneurysms.

Champion of survival: Where to from here?

“That’s a good question,” said Dr Swartbooi. “Slowly from here. I still need to work on getting my full accreditation from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).” He plans to continue fuelling his passion for teaching. “There is no place better to teach than at an academic hospital.”

Dr Swartbooi commended the efforts of the Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS), which assisted him in writing all his exams. “I want to be able to make a fulfilling and lasting impact on people but also to give the best medical service that I can,” concluded Dr Swartbooi.

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept