The Centre for Development Support (CDS), within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) was the proud recipient of the gold award in the category of Research and Development for the Free State Premier’s Excellence Awards for 2007 recently held in Bloemfontein. CDS received the award for among others the updating of the economic database of the Mangaung Local Municipality, for conducting an investor perception survey in the same municipality and for supporting the alignment of the Free State Growth and Development Strategy (FSPGDS) within the national spatial development perspectives. The CDS team is front, from the left: Mr Willem Ellis (Executive Officer of the International Institute for Development Ethics at the UFS), Prof. Lucius Botes (Director of the CDS), Ms Dorie Olivier (Course Co-ordinator: Development Studies Programme); middle: Dr Zacheus Matebesi (Research Associate), Prof. Lochner Marais (Researcher); back: Ms Deidré van Rooyen (Researcher), Mr Molefi Lenka (Researcher), Ms Anita Venter (Researcher), Ms Kholisa Sigenu (Researcher), and Ms Julia Kambule (Student Assistant).

Photo: Supplied