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02 September 2021 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath and Dr Elias Malete

According to Austin (1998:34), language is a tool used by human beings to communicate with each other. All languages have communicative value, meaning, and allow people to share thoughts, feelings, ideas, and exchange knowledge and opinions. No language is better or worse than the other, as all languages are equal in terms of their value and function. On the other hand, language dominance is a social process in which different languages are assigned different levels of importance, such that one language and its speakers carry higher social, economic, and political status than others. Subsequent to this practice, certain speakers struggle for recognition, while others enjoy a broader audience. Addressing language dominance, one needs to remember that language is not naturally hierarchical and that one must respect linguistic diversity and human rights at both individual and collective level. The concept of listening to one another then becomes a challenge, hence the theme: ‘Hearing you hearing me’ is so important in the 21st century.

How then can we as people resist or disrupt language dominance:
• Name and trace the history of language dominance
• The effects of inequity in daily language usage – not hearing each other
• The awareness and significance of multilingualism – learning other languages
• What universities can do and should do on a practical level to promote multilingualism

These are some of the aspects we look forward to discussing in the forthcoming webinar. 

Date: Friday, 17 September 2021
Topic: Hearing you, hearing me
Time: 12:30-14:00

Facilitator:

Dr Elias Malete
Senior Lecturer, African Languages, UFS

Panellists:

Prof Angelique van Niekerk
Associate Professor and Head of Department
Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French
University of the Free State

Prof Nhlanhla Maake
Professor and Language Practitioner of Sesotho

Prof Nobuhle Hlongwa
Dean and Head of the School of Arts
College of Humanities 
University of KwaZulu-Natal


Bios of speakers:

 

Prof Angelique van Niekerk


Prof Angelique van Niekerk copy
Prof Angelique van Niekerk is Associate Professor at the University of the Free State and the HOD in the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French. Her research focus is on applied linguistics within the field of semantics and pragmatics and on the linguistic nature of advertising communication. She has published many accredited publications within linguistics and communication sciences, in which she integrates her interest in both fields. She has a passion for teaching and (blended learning) course design within language acquisition. This has resulted in different registered SLPs within the department, focusing on Afrikaans as foreign language and Dutch as foreign language.

Prof Nhlanhla Maake

Prof Maake copy

Prof Nhlanhla Maake is currently the Managing Director of the biggest merchandising company in South Africa, a position he has held since 2018. He has just completed a translation of SM Mofokeng’s Pelong ya Ka into English. The book is to be published in London, New York, and Calcutta in 2021 under the Elsewhere Texts series, edited by Gayatri Spivak and Hosam Aboul-Ela. 

He has held several academic positions nationally and globally and has served on several language task teams under the auspices of the Department of Arts and Culture; as a member of the Parish Pastoral Council at Our Lady of Mt Carmel in Thokoza; as a member and chairperson of the Catholic Bible College; as member and acting Chairperson of the English National Language Body of PANSALB; as Council member of the English Academy of Southern Africa; as Council member of the Afrikaanse Taalmuseum en -monument (2015 to 2017); and as Council member of the Wits Council on Education.

Prof Maake was an NRF (National Research Foundation) rated scholar (2006-11) and has held fellowships at Aarhus University (1983), on the Southern African Research Program (Yale University, 1989), Ernest Oppenheimer fellowship (UCT, 1992), and the Distinguished Scholars Programme (Wits, 1993). He was admitted to the Golden Key International Honour Society in 2005. He has presented papers and keynote addresses at more than 80 international and local conferences, is widely published, and has won several literary awards and recognitions. 


Prof Nobuhle Hlongwa


Prof Hlongwa  copy

Prof Nobuhle Hlongwa is the Dean and Head of the School of Arts in the College of Humanities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is the former Dean of Teaching and Learning in the College of Humanities and was the acting Dean and Head of the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics for six months in 2016. Rated by the National Research Foundation (NRF) as a C2-rated social scientist for five years, Prof Hlongwa has more than 30 publications, including research articles, books, book chapters, and conference proceedings. She is currently a member of the Academic Advisory Board of African Languages on the Bloemfontein Campus, and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Congress of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS). She is a representative of the University of KwaZulu-Natal in the Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL), which forms part of the devolved governance structure of Universities South Africa (USAf). 

She was a member of the Ministerial Advisory Panel on the development of African Languages in Higher Education. She completed her first post-doctoral supervision in June 2018.  She is a member of the advisory board of the South African Journal of African Languages (SAJAL). She is assistant editor of the Alternation Journal. She is a reviewer for the National Research Foundation (NRF), as well as for a number of academic journals. 




News Archive

A new dawn for student governance
2011-09-02

 

Our SRC presidents: Richard Chemaly (Bloemfontein Campus) and Bongani Ncgaca (Qwaqwa Campus)
Photo: Hannes Pieterse

Photo Gallery
 

The successful and peaceful completion of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Student Representative (SRC) elections 2011 herals a new dawn for student governance with the announcement of the results today (1 September 2011).

The SRC elections at the Qwaqwa Campus were completed on 25 August 2011, while the elections at our Bloemfontein Campus took place on 29 and 30 August 2011.

“A new dawn heralds a new day when Richard Chemaly, the son of Lebanese immigrants becomes President of an SRC, as elected by students from all racial backgrounds and from across the student body at large. A new day has arrived when candidates could have won voter support across racial lines; a new day is here when all SRC members are now recognised leaders on the basis of academic accountability,” the Dean of Student Affairs, Mr Rudi Buys, says.

A new dawn has arrived; firstly, insofar as student elections for the choice of student leaders at the UFS now proceed according to a non-racial and a non-party political basis.

Not only did the SRC elections at both the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses achieve its required quorum, with 31% (4 729 votes) and 50% (2 112 votes) voter turnout, respectively, but the SRC elected by students at the Bloemfontein Campus is 55% black and 45% white, and 60% female and 40% male. The numbers of votes gained by successful candidates also indicate that voters from all racial backgrounds have voted for their candidates of choice.

Secondly, a new dawn has arrived insofar as student governance occupied by only some student groups claiming to speak on behalf of all students has made way for direct voting for candidates by the broad student body and the threefold increase of student governance structures on campus.

Not only did all students at our Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses (a total of 15 173 and 4 257, respectively) have the opportunity to participate in voting directly, but nine additional Student Councils were established at our Bloemfontein Campus that each holds an ex officio seat on the SRC and allows for student governance in all the major student sectors of the student body, such as for postgraduate students, international students and all categories of student associations.

The various councils now established include the Student Academic Affairs Council, the Student Associations Council, the Postgraduate Student Council, the International Student Council, the Student Media Council, the Residences Student Council, the Commuter Student Council and the Rag Community Service Fundraising and Service Councils. In addition, all faculties also introduced student representative structures at departmental and faculty level in 2011 to ensure student participation in faculty management and governance.

The SRC members at the Bloemfontein Campus are:

Elective portfolios:
President: Mr Richard Chemaly
Vice-President: Mr Lefata David Maklein
Secretary: Ms Matshepo Ramokgadi
Treasurer: Mr Werner Pretorius
Arts & Culture: Ms Alta Grobelaar
Accessibility & Student Support: Mr William Clayton
First-generation Students: Ms Petre du Plessis
Media, Marketing & Liaison: Ms Biejanka Calitz
Sport: Mr Bonolo Thebe
Student Development & Environmental Affairs: Ms Busisiwe Madikizela
Transformation: Ms Qaqamba Mhlauli

Ex officio portfolios:
Dialogue & Ex officio: Associations Student Council: Mr Anesu Ruswa
Academic Affairs & Ex officio: Academic Affairs Student Council: Mr Jean Vermaas
Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Campus Residences Student Council: Ms Mpho Mokaleng
City student Affairs & Ex officio: Commuter Student Council: Ms Annemieke Plekker
Postgraduate Affairs & Ex officio: Postgraduate Student Council: Ms Glancina Mokone
International Affairs & Ex officio: International Student Council: Mr Pitso Ramokoatsi
Student Media Affairs & Ex officio: Student Media Council: Ms Nicole Heyns
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Fundraising Council: Ms Iselma Parker
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Community Service Council: Ms Motheo Pooe

In the Qwaqwa elections, SASCO achieved 36,84% of the vote, with SADESMO, PASMA and NASMO each achieving 29,73% and 18,56% and 12,74%, respectively .

Mr Bongani Ncgaca was elected as the President of the SRC at our Qwaqwa Campus, while the names of the SRC members at the campus will be announced on 7 September 2011.

The Central SRC will be established on 8 September 2011 by a joint sitting of the two SRCs.

The successful completion of the SRC elections at the Bloemfontein Campus follows a yearlong review process of student governance by a Broad Student Transformation Forum (BSTF) that consists of 59 delegations from student organisations and residences. The BSTF adopted independent candidacy for elective portfolios and additional student councils to provide ex officio seats on the SRC as the template for student governance, following the consideration of a series of benchmarking reports on student governance nationally and internationally.

The UFS Council adopted the new SRC Constitution, as drafted and submitted by the BSTF, on 3 June 2011. 
 

Media Release
1 September 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za
 

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