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Join the Student Affairs Vaccination Drive from 25 to 27 October 2021

21 October 2021 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa

The University of the Free State (UFS) is currently developing a COVID-19 Regulations and Required Vaccination Policy that all students will have to adhere to in 2022. This policy is being developed to ensure a safe environment for all staff and students upon their return in 2022.

The university is taking these measures to minimise the risk of exposing staff and students to infection and to enable a safe return to all three UFS campuses next year. However, the university will implement the policy in such a way that it will adequately accommodate individuals who are choosing not to get vaccinated for legitimate reasons.

In order to encourage our students to make the responsible choice by keeping themselves and others safe, the UFS Division of Student Affairs (DSA) is launching a COVID-19 Vaccination Drive that will take place from Monday, 25 October to Wednesday, 27 October 2021.

The programme is as follows:

Covid Vaccination Drive Programme

Monday, 25 October 2021

When: 11:00-14:00

Where: outside Gate 5, UFS Bloemfontein Campus

What: Live performances by students, KovsieFM, KovsieTV, Vox Pops, free UFS branded T-shirts, and giveaways

Wednesday, 27 October 2021

When: 11:00-14:00

Where: Thakaneng Bridge

What: Live performances by local artists and students, KovsieFM, KovsieTV, Vox Pops, free UFS branded T-shirts, and giveaways

COVID-19 Vaccination panel discussion

The Vaccination Drive will conclude on Wednesday, 27 October 2021 with an online panel discussion titled: COVID Vaccination. Informed Youth. Informed Decisions.

The discussion will start at 16:00 on MS Teams, and students are welcome to join us and ask for advice or clarification about the vaccine from our panel members. The link will be provided soon.

Facilitator:

Dr Musa Mthombeni, Local TV personality

Panel members include:

Tshepo Moloi, Alumni and Economist representation business sector

Dr Musawenkosi Donia Saurombe, Youngest female PhD holder, lecturer and UFS Alumni

Jerry Thoka, ISRC President

Vusumzi Gqalane, SRC Policy and Transformation on the UFS Vaccination Policy

Asive Dlanjwa, South African Union of Students (SAUS) spokesperson

Victor Sekekete, Free State Cheetahs Rugby Player

Shaxe Khumalo, Entertainment Industry

For more information on the vaccination drive, contact Rethabile Motseki, motsekir@ufs.ac.za or Michelle Nothling at NothlingM@ufs.ac.za

News Archive

DiMTEC hosts second conference on disaster risk reduction

2009-06-02

Dr Anthony Turton, the Director: TouchStone Resources (Pty) Ltd. delivered the opening address at this year’s two-day annual international conference on disaster risk reduction that was presented by the Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC) at the University of the Free State (UFS).

In his presentation: Sitting on the horns of a dilemma: South Africa and its strategic water supply, he said: “We have simply reached the limit of the water resources in South Africa. On the one hand, we deal with the quantity dilemma in terms of strategic water storage. South Africa and Zimbabwe counts under the top 20 countries in the world in terms of dams built. We can only build about ten more dams.”

“On the other hand, we must deal with quantity. Previous solutions are not future solutions. When water is recycled, hormones such as oestrogen do not disappear. We must become creative and do something else,” he said.

“Science can make a difference. The UFS is well placed in terms of its groundwater research. Universities must invest in the necessary technology because the testing of toxins is essential. We must work in ways to prevent toxins from re-entering the water cycle,” he said.

A number of international speakers such as Dr Fabrice Renaud, Associate Director at the United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) in Bonn, Germany, Dr Eugene Poolman, Chief Forecaster: Disaster Risk Reduction, South African Weather Service, and Prof. Rob Bragg from the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the UFS, attended the conference, as well as attendees from 11 different countries.

At the conference were, from the left: Mr Andries Jordaan, Director: DiMTEC at the UFS; Dr Ing Jörn Birkmann, Head of Section: Vulnerability Assessment at the United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS); Dr Anthony Turton, Director: TouchStone Resources (Pty) Ltd.; and Dr Fabrice Renaud, Associate Director: UNU-EHS.
Photo: Supplied

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