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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

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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