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22 September 2021 | Story Michelle Nöthling | Photo Supplied
Annemarie Le Roux.

“I love working with children.” This is one of the first things Annemarie le Roux mentions when asked to describe herself. This love for children propelled Annemarie into the field of education and she graduated in 2006 with a BEd in Foundation Phase at the UFS. Annemarie immediately immersed herself in the Deaf community, enriching the lives of children at the Thiboloha School for the Deaf in Qwaqwa and the De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester. 

The academic world enticed Annemarie back to the University of the Free State (UFS) and she was appointed as a junior lecturer in the Department of South African Sign Language (SASL) and Deaf Studies in 2013. Going from strength to strength, Annemarie completed her master’s degree in SASL in 2019, and published an article earlier this year that she co-wrote with Marga Stander. In this article, they found that SASL “has become an increasingly popular language that hearing university students want to learn as a second language” and subsequently explored different teaching methods used for this emerging group of interested students. 

Although now firmly established in academia, Annemarie is still committed to the practical application of SASL. “I am closely involved in student and community engagement through the SIGNALS Sign Language student association that helps empower the Deaf community and South African Sign Language.” She also interprets for the Deaf community whenever she gets an opportunity, as well as for Deaf students in class and meetings.

On the importance of Sign Language and the recognition of the Deaf community in South Africa, Annemarie believes it will open greater opportunities for development. “More people will be able to learn SASL, and it might even become a subject in school for hearing children.”

News Archive

Small-town girl dreams big
2017-02-16

Description:Andiswa Methu   Tags: Andiswa Methu   longdesc=

Andiswa Methu, a first-year
BCom Accounting student at
Kovsies and one of the
top-achieving matriculants
in the country.
Photo: Siobhan Canavan

Andiswa Methu will miss her mother, but will work hard to send her first salary to the woman who raised her to stand proud as one of the top-achieving matriculants in the country.

Excited to make new friends at UFS

The 17-year-old Andiswa, from Petrusburg in the Free State where she attended Ipetleng Secondary School, is a first-year student at the University of the Free State in 2017. She is studying BCom Accounting and will become part of the Welwitschia female residence on the Bloemfontein Campus.

Although she was not too keen on moving away from home, Andiswa is excited about making new friends and loves meeting new people. “I’m going to miss my mother so much and I know that this will be a different environment for me, but I’m excited for the journey that lies ahead.”

Working hard to make her mother proud

The first-year, who loves working with numbers, says she will work hard to make her mother, Nozibonelo Methu, proud. “I am going to study accounting,” she says. “My first salary will definitely go to my mother.”

 

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