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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

SRC Arts and Culture speaks up
2015-03-17

"Stagedoor was an absolute success," says fourth-year medical student, Stefan van der Westhuizen and SRC member for arts and culture.  

 

"I've always been a diverse person and exposed myself to many things."

 

Raised in Vanderbijlpark near Johannesburg, Stefan has always had a passion for arts and culture.

 

"It's a platform where students express so much. Stagedoor is where you can see students express their commentary on what is happening on campus and feel like it’s almost a safe zone."

 

Stefan’s year on the SRC brought about a new format to rotations. Residences paired with each other, while the new 'outdoor' interactions made it possible for residence and off-campus students to interact with rotations.

 

"I was most proud of the rotations that took place even at the Agricultural Building. There was some great interaction," he said.

 

Stefan said the idea was to fix things.

 

“Not much had changed with Stagedoor when I got into office, even ticket sales were decreasing. I wanted to get students amped about it again."

 

A different element of Stagedoor 'outdoor' was to try to get spontaneity, and to try to get away from residences doing the same plays, but get them out of their comfort spot.

 

“When we heard the results, we lit up with excitement because we didn't have the usual winners,” Stefan said.

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