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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

ANC Centenary Dialogue reflects on past leadership

2011-10-12

Making their mark at the ANC Centenary Dialogue were, from left to right: Prof. Kwandiwe Kondlo, Senior Professor: Centre for Africa Studies (UFS); Dr Adekeye Adebajo, Director: Centre for Conflict Resolution (Cape Town); and Prof. E C Ejiogu, Senior Researcher: Centre for Africa Studies (UFS).

The Centre for Africa Studies at our university recently hosted its ANC Centenary Dialogue at the Bloemfontein Campus. Keynote speaker, Dr Adekeye Adebajo, delivered a paper titled Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, and the ANC’s Footprint in Africa. The lecture focused on two of South Africa’s democratically-elected presidents.

Mr Nelson Mandela was South Africa’s first democratically-elected president. This Nobel Peace Laureate played a prophetic leadership role in Africa in 1993. He was inspired by Mr Mahatma Gandhi’s tactics of ‘passive resistance’, which played a role in the ANC’s Defiance Campaign.

Mr Mandela’s visit to other African countries gave him insights into continental diplomacy and the tactics of other liberation movements. “The ANC used Madiba to embody the face of the struggle. He emerged from prison without any bitterness towards his enemies. He tirelessly promoted national reconciliation,” said Dr Adebajo.

Unlike other post-independence ‘Founding Fathers’, Mr Mandela bowed out gracefully at the end of his first presidential term in 1999, setting a standard for future African leaders aspiring to greatness. “Mr Mandela’s lasting legacies are his efforts at promoting national and international peacemaking,” elaborated Dr Adebajo.

Mr Thabo Mbeki challenged Africans to discover a sense of their own self-confidence after centuries of slavery and colonialism. Under his foreign policy, South Africa established solid credentials to become Africa’s leading power. He sought multilateral solutions to resolve regional conflicts. Mr Mbeki also sent peacekeepers abroad and increased South Africa’s credibility as a major geostrategic player in Africa.

Many question whether Mr Mbeki’s heirs, President Jacob Zuma and beyond, will maintain the same level of commitment to the continent that he demonstrated. Mr Mbeki has bequeathed this foreign policy legacy to his successors. “These very different ANC leaders have left a heavy African footprint on the sands of time,” concluded Dr Adebajo.

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