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04 October 2021 | Story Nonsindiso Qwabe | Photo Supplied
Executive Director of Student Affairs, Mr Temba Hlasho, pays tribute to Sigcino Zimba, Thabani Manqele, and Wonder Dlamini.

The unexpected death of three University of the Free State students has been described as the loss of three young minds who represented the hope and aspiration of their families and communities.

These words reverberated throughout the sombre, yet celebratory combined service held in memory of the three University of the Free State students who passed away in two separate incidents in Phuthaditjhaba and on the Bloemfontein Campus in September.

The hybrid memorial service took place on Thursday 30 September, with all the speakers describing the loss of the young lives as a loss to humanity, as the world now being void of three bright young minds who wanted to change their own lives, as well as the lives of their families and communities.

Sigcino Zimba and Thabani Manqele lost their lives after a horrific shooting incident that took place at their off-campus residence in Phuthaditjhaba. Zimba died at the scene of the crime on Wednesday, 22 September 2021. Manqele passed away in hospital the following day.

On the Bloemfontein Campus, Wonder Dlamini, a resident of the Abraham Fischer residence, also passed away on 22 September. 

The memorial service – a celebration of life – remembered the young students as committed and determined young men who wanted to bring change to their lives and those of their families. Speaker after speaker described the passing of the students as a shock that has left the entire institution reeling.

Dr Molapo Qhobela, Vice-Rector: Institutional Change, Strategic Partnerships and Societal Impact, said the three showed great promise. “The academic transcripts of Zimba and Manqele bear testimony to their determination. The young men displayed commitment to their education, despite unorthodox conditions imposed by COVID-19. Wonder was on his way to becoming an engineer.”

Several speakers shared messages of support to the families of the deceased.

Mr Temba Hlasho, Executive Director: Student Affairs, said the lives of the three students were cut short in the prime of their lives. “The complexities of our unequal societies tell us that our students at university are here to take their families out of poverty. So, if a young man’s life is taken away from us, we are losing future leaders. As educators and student affairs practitioners, our responsibility and role are to protect students, and to make sure that students are studying in a conducive environment. But our country’s crime rate fails us.”

His sentiments were echoed by Prof Pearl Sithole, Vice-Principal: Academic and Research on the Qwaqwa Campus, who said South Africa was too silent about being the violence capital of the world. “As a campus, we did not expect to be losing two students at this time in the manner that we’ve lost them. Institutions are working so hard to educate students, and then members of the South African community take a gun and remove any shred of integrity that we were trying to build. It is unacceptable that someone could use a gun as doom.  Maybe we are too quiet about things happening in South Africa. You cannot be the capital of violence in the world and say nothing in reflection on that status.”

Dlamini was laid to rest in Mpumalanga, and Zimba and Manqele in KwaZulu-Natal.

News Archive

Breeding of unique game requires a balance between conservation and sustainable use
2014-05-20

 

Game bred for qualities such as unconventional hair colour or horn quality, may on the long term have unexpected consequences for biodiversity and game farming.

This is according to the inaugural lecture of Prof Paul Grobler from the Department of Genetics at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Prof Grobler feels that the consequences of selective breeding should be examined carefully, as there is currently much speculation on the subject without sound scientific information to back it.

“At the moment, colour variation invokes much interest among game farmers and breeders. Unusual colour variants are already available in different game species. These unusual animals usually fetch much higher prices at auctions compared to prices for the ‘normal’ individuals of the species.”

Examples of these unusual variants are springbuck being bred in white, black or copper colours, the black-backed or ‘saddleback’ impala, and the gold-coloured and royal wildebeest.

A black-backed impala was recently sold for R5,7 million.

“Based on genetic theory, good reason exists why these practices need to be monitored, but one should also take care not to make the assumption that selective breeding will inevitably lead to problems,” warns Prof Grobler.

Grobler says that negative characteristics in a species can sometimes unwittingly be expressed during the selection process for a unique colour. “It is seen, for example, in purebred dogs where the breeding of a new race sometimes brings underlying genetic deviations in the species to the front.” He also believes that some of these animals may not be able to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

“However, one should also look at the positive side: because of the good demand for game, including unusual variants, there is much more game in South Africa today than in many decades. Balance should be found between the aims of conservation and the sustainable utilisation of game.”

Research at the UFS’s Department of Genetics is now trying to establish the genetic effects of intensive game breeding and predict the impact on biodiversity.

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