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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

Strengthening ties with Belgium ally
2013-10-31

 

From the left are: Prof Dr Johan Meeusen signing the agreement with Prof Nicky Morgan, Vice-Rector: Operations.
Photo: Hannes Pieterse
31 October 2013

The UFS signed a formal agreement with the University of Antwerp, strengthening the two institutions’ existing collaboration. Prof Dr Johan Meeusen, Vice-Rector and Professor of European Law and Private International Law at the University of Antwerp, visited the Bloemfontein Campus to sign the agreement. This arrangement will ensure that the two institutions work in close conjunction on research and additional projects.

Dineo Gaofhiwe-Ingram, Assistant Director: Internationalisation, says the new relationship between the two universities will have a strong research focus. "It’s evident and known that we want to become a research-intensive university.” She emphasises that the relationship with Antwerp as well as partnerships with a variety of other institutions are crucial. These will ensure that young emerging scholars, like those taking part in the Vice-Chancellor's Prestige Scholars Programme, are exposed internationally during their development. “We hope that some of the scholars in the new cohort of the PSP will be able to find scientists to host them at Antwerp," Gaofhiwe-Ingram adds.

In addition, she explains that this formal agreement will augment pre-existing collaborations with the Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment, as well as the Centre for Health Systems Research and Development. It will also open up cooperation between other faculties and disciplines. “Through Eurosa/Erasmus Mundus Project, which awards scholarships to South African students and staff to study in Europe, the 2014 project will now also award scholarships to European students and staff to come and study in South Africa,” Gaofhiwe-Ingram announced.

The University of Antwerp is one of the European associates that participates in the Leadership for Change Programme and hosted a group of first-year Kovsie students during 2011. In 2012, representatives from the University of Antwerp attended the Leadership Summit presented on the Bloemfontein Campus. Another group of first-year students from the UFS took part in this year’s programme.

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