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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

Judge Ian van der Merwe unanimously re-elected as Chairperson of the UFS Council for a third term
2015-09-23


Judge Ian van der Merwe

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) unanimously re-elected Judge Ian van der Merwe as its Chairperson for another three years at its meeting on Friday 11 September 2015, which took place on the Bloemfontein Campus.

Judge Van der Merwe serves as Judge of the Free State High Court. He is an alumnus of the UFS and has been a member of the Council since 9 March 2007.

In accepting his re-election, Judge Van der Merwe said that he was honoured and grateful for the support. “I will do my best not to disappoint the Council and will do what is in the best interest of the UFS,” he said.

“The UFS is privileged to have in the person of Judge Van der Merwe a man of great public standing and a wealth of experience in the governance of universities, to continue to lead the Academic and Human Projects of the institution at such a critical moment in the history of South Africa”, said Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS.

Judge van der Merwe was elected as Chairperson of the UFS Council during a meeting on 20 November 2009 and was unanimously re-elected for a second term on 16 November 2012. His third term will commence on 1 January 2016.


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