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15 September 2021 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo Charl Devenish
The University of the Free State (UFS) netball team was honoured by UFS management at a special celebration. The side won a fourth Varsity Netball title and the UFS has now been champion in 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2021.

Set goals for yourself, commit to it, and give everything to achieve them.

According to Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS), this is what the UFS netball team did and why it is an example for the Kovsie community.

He celebrated the team’s achievement of winning Varsity Netball for a record fourth time and extending the run of the UFS as the most successful team in the tournament.

The Kovsies convincingly beat Maties 55-39 in the final to be crowned champions. It was the biggest victory margin in a final, and they did it after losing to Maties (46-54) in the first round.

Prof Petersen and his management group honoured Burta de Kock, the UFS Head Coach, and her team during a special celebration on 13 September 2021.

Working as an outfit

He said the side’s determination is a lesson to others.

“Once you have decided that these are my objectives and you commit yourself to achieving them, that is all you focus on.”

“It will always be possible if you put everything in and you showed it. Thank you for doing this.”

He praised the team for building the UFS brand. 

“You really work as an outfit. What I saw of the players was a right attitude when they play the game.”

Everything made easy

Sikholiwe (Sne) Mdletshe, the UFS captain, thanked her team’s management, the UFS, and its lecturers.

“We really want to thank the university for putting so much into us. It gives us a lot of resources.

“Some tests had to be written while we were in the bubble and our lecturers made that easy for us.”

She said the players never take the effort for granted. “The UFS makes everything easy to go out there and play netball – the sport we have been playing since we were little kids.”

DB Prinsloo, Director of KovsieSport, is immensely proud of the team.

“We even lost one of our best players in the first match, Chanel Vrey, due to injury. We have to take off our hats to the Kovsie netball team.”


News Archive

Universities and communities should forge links, Prof. Khotseng
2010-03-04

At the seminar, from the left: Dr Sethulego Matebesi (Head: Department of Sociology), Prof. Khotseng and Prof. Naas Bredenkamp (Department of Sociology).
Photo: Lize du Plessis


The Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently held a departmental seminar where the former Vice-Rector of the UFS, Prof. Benito Khotseng, was the guest speaker.

He focused on the importance of the engagement between universities and the community. According to him South Africa has one of the most troubled societies in the world.

He said factors that led to people living in stress are, amongst others, unemployment, broken families, slum housing, child abuse, school dropouts, HIV/Aids, illiteracy and crime.

“People in the communities complain about what they don’t have when they should look at what they can do with what they do have,” Prof. Khotseng said.

He said the UFS was filled with people with the necessary expertise who should go to the communities to help where they could. “Universities and communities should start new, collaborating relationships,” he said.

“When we assist communities we should not see them as a bag of needs,” he said. “Each time someone uses his capabilities, the community grows stronger.”

He further said the UFS could certainly play a meaningful role in regional engagement and development.
- Lize du Plessis

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