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11 October 2021 | Story Temba Hlasho | Photo Sonia Small (Kaleidoscope Studios)
Temba Hlasho.
The past weeks have been sorrowful for the university community, with the untimely passing of our three students, Wonder Dlamini, Sigcino Zimba, and Thobani Manqele – may their souls rest in eternal peace and rise in glory.  I hope you took advantage of the short October recess to rest from rigorous cognitive activities, and spend some time with family, friends, and loved ones.  

The SRC elections are a critical activity for the university, and an essential programme on the calendar of the Department of Student Affairs.  To ensure that you exercise your democratic right as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the ISRC Constitution, make time to vote for the SRC candidate of your choice from 12 to 15 October 2021.  

The Department of Student Affairs has numerous activities lined up for you during October. Find the time and participate to balance your academic activities with our online co-curricular and extra-curricular activities:

CUADS WEEK 2021 Programme (1-6 November 2021)

CUADS Week is a collaborative event between the Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS), the SRC: Universal Access and Social Justice, the Universal Access Council, and other Student Affairs stakeholders.

The initiative seeks to highlight issues related to the success of students with disabilities; strengthen collaboration between various stakeholders to ensure the prioritisation of universal access; and active citizenship in the promotion of an inclusive university culture.

In 2021, CUADS celebrates its 20th anniversary. Over the years, the centre has gained valuable lessons in the pursuit of a diverse and empowering institutional culture at the University of the Free State (UFS), thereby supporting students in the successful completion of their studies.

Event: Career Empowerment Workshop
Date: 1 November 2021
Time: 16:00-18:00
Venue: Online
Lead: Katlego Sekele (SRC: Universal Access and Social Justice)

With this event, the organisers seek to create a platform for engagement on the development and successful transition of students with disabilities to the workplace by exposing them to the various opportunities and services at their disposal.

Event: Leadership Development Workshop
Date: 3 November 2021
Time: 16:00-18:00
Lead: Gernus Terblanche

Co-curricular programmes form an integral part of developing balanced and well-rounded graduates who are empowered to critically engage and contribute to the social landscape of their communities and beyond. Through this event, representatives of the various offices related to student life will present information to students.

Event: Sexual Health and Mental Health Workshop
Date: 5 November 2021
Time: 16:00-18:00
Lead: Mosa Moerane

Aware of the gaps that exist in sexual and reproductive health campaigns – which are not inclusive of and/or targeted at persons with disabilities – this session seeks to highlight the services available to students as they relate to these, as well as to encourage the universal access approach in ensuring that all information and infrastructure are accessible to all students.

Event: CUADS 20 Years Commemoration Wheelchair Rugby Friendly Match
Date: 6 November 2021
Lead: Gernus Terblanche and Tladi Tau

The above event will be the final event in the series. The match seeks to highlight collegiality and celebration among all CUADS stakeholders, as well as to promote CUADS services to a wide audience.

Kovsie ACT Food Environment Community Gardens continues to fight against food insecurity. 

Currently, hundreds of students receive food parcels (sponsored by Tiger Brands, R720 000 per annum) from the UFS Food Bank that contain non-perishable food items. 

The Community Garden Project provides additional support by supplying fresh produce. A total of 162,5 kg of fresh produce was harvested in September alone. The vegetable crops included spinach, carrots, beetroot, and beans. 

We are looking forward to October when we will harvest even more produce. 
Two new vegetable tunnels are being erected on the UFS experimental farm.

Students can focus on their studies without worrying about their next meal, thus increasing their chances of excelling academically and ultimately obtaining their degrees. Basic food production is a transferrable skill that each of these students can take back to their communities.

News Archive

Researchers international leaders in satellite tracking in the wildlife environment
2015-05-29

 

Ground-breaking research has attracted international media attention to Francois Deacon, lecturer and researcher in the Department Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences at the UFS, and Prof Nico Smit, from the same department. They are the first researchers in the world to equip giraffes with GPS collars, and to conduct research on this initiative. Recently, they have been joined by Hennie Butler from the Department of Zoology as well as Free State Nature Conservation to further this research.

“Satellite tracking is proving to be extremely valuable in the wildlife environment. The unit is based on a mobile global two-way communication platform, utilising two-way data satellite communication, complete with GPS systems.

“It allows us to track animals day and night, while we monitor their movements remotely from the computer. These systems make possible the efficient control and monitoring of wildlife in all weather conditions and in near-to-real time. We can even communicate with the animals, calling up their positions or changing the tracking schedules.

“The satellite collar allows us to use the extremely accurate data to conduct research with the best technology available. The volume of data received allows us to publish the data in scientific journals and research-related articles.  

“Scientific institutions and the public sector have both shown great interest in satellite tracking, which opens up new ground for scientific research for this university. Data management can be done, using Africa Wildlife Tracking (AWT) equipment where we can access our data personally, store it, and make visual presentations. The AWT system and software architecture provide the researcher with asset tracking, GPS location reports, geo-fencing, highly-detailed custom mapping, history reports and playback, polling on demand, history plotting on maps, and a range of reporting types and functions,” Francois said.

Data can be analysed to determine home range, dispersal, or habitat preference for any specific species.

Francois has been involved in multiple research projects over the last 12 years on wildlife species and domesticated animals, including the collaring of species such as Black-backed Jackal, Caracal, African Wild Dog, Hyena, Lion, Cheetah, Cattle, Kudu, Giraffe, and Black Rhino: “Giraffe definitely being the most challenging of all,” he said.

In 2010, he started working on his PhD, entitled The spatial ecology, habitat preferences and diet selection of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) in the Kalahari region of South Africa.

 

Since then, his work has resulted not only in more research work (supervising four Masters students) but also in a number of national and international projects. These include work in the:

  • Kalahari region (e.g. Khamab Nature Reserve and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park)
  • Kuruman region (Collared 18 cattle to identify spatial patterns in relation to the qualities of vegetation and soil-types available. This project took place in collaboration with Born University in Germany)
  • Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate and Kolomella Iron Ore – ecological monitoring
  • A number of Free State nature reserves (e.g. Distribution of herbivores (kudu and giraffe) and predators (camera traps)

Francois is also involved with species breeding programmes and management (giraffe, buffalo, sable, roan, and rhino) in Korrannaberg, Rustenburg, Hertzogville, Douglas, and Bethlehem as well as animal and ecological monitoring in Kolomella and Beesthoek iron ore.

Besides the collaring of giraffes, Francois and his colleagues are involved in national projects, where they collect milk from lactating giraffes and DNA material, blood samples, and ecto/endo parasites from giraffes in Southern Africa.

With international projects, Francois is working to collect DNA material for the classification of the nine sub-species of giraffe in Africa. He is also involved in projects focusing on the spatial ecology and adaptation of giraffe in Uganda (Murchison Falls), and to save the last 30 giraffe in the DRC- Garamba National Park.

This project has attracted a good deal of international interest. In June 2014, a US film crew (freelancing for Discovery Channel) filmed a documentary on Francois’ research (trailer of documentary). Early in 2015, a second crew, filming for National Geographic, also visited Francois to document his work.

 

More information about Francois’ work is available at the GCF website. 

Read Francois Deacon's PhD abstract

Direct enquiries to news@ufs.ac.za.

 

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