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17 August 2022 | Story Samkelo Fetile | Photo Charl Devenish
Gadija Brown MEC for Finance in the Free State
Gadija Brown, Free State MEC for Finance.

Students in the Department of Business Management within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) had the opportunity to attend guest lectures by Gadija Brown, MEC for Finance, and Makalo Mohale, MEC for Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) in the Free State government. The guest lectures, which took place on 1 August 2022, were also attended by the Black Management Forum (BMF) Free State Chapter Chair, Mosebetsi Dladla. 

Insights from the guest lecturers

“A priority for the government was SMEs involved in agriculture, tourism, and agricultural industrialisation or manufacturing, as these were the main contributors to the Free State’s economy,” said Brown in her keynote address as she profiled the small business sector of the Free State. 
Makalo Mohale discussed the importance of establishing an enabling environment for the creation of SMEs in the province. “University students, such as the UFS students, can be active participants in the economy by creating businesses that are feasible and viable in order to reduce the unemployment rate of the country, as well as provide employment for themselves,” he said.

Prof Brownhilder Neneh, Head of the Department of Business Management, extended her gratitude to the Free State government representatives for honouring the invitation. She advocated for more interactions and partnerships between the university and provincial government to create a synergy of collaborations between government and academia.

Makalo Mohale MEC Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs
Makalo Mohale. Photo: Supplied. 


From sit-down exam to practical engagement

The Department of Business Management offers Small Business Management as an undergraduate programme at NQF Level 7 (16 credits) during the third year of study. The module's goal is to give students the knowledge and abilities they need to become capable and self-assured business professionals or leaders.
Dr Ekaete Benedict, Coordinator of the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management modules, outlined that the group project is what students are assessed on, instead of a sit-down examination. 

“One of the first things I did to change the curricula of the module was to apply for it to become a continuous assessment module,” she said.  “That is, do away with the sit down and write exam component at the end of the semester, and rather test the students on practical engagement with real-life business scenarios and people throughout the duration of the semester,” she continued. 

“This is in line with best practices at the world's top universities,” Dr Benedict concluded.

News Archive

Soetdoring/Kagiso pair-up wins 2015 Stagedoor
2015-03-03

With a new format and residences mixing it up, the 2015 Stagedoor proved to be a success yet again, leaving Soetdoring and Kagiso with the spoils of victory.

Stagedoor (the annual first-year residence stage and serenade competition) saw a change of format this year where residences were combined to perform in a few number of outdoor venues for rotations.

Prior to this, Residence CoRC Cultures expressed much concern regarding the co-operation that might (or might not) be achieved with working with other residences. These were all early stage fears. However, as their preparations progressed there seemed to be a glint of light at the end of many groups’ tunnels.

Seven diverse and combined groups made it through to final, namely;

• Vishuis and Tswelopele,
• Karee and Armentum,
• Sonnedou and NJ van der Merwe,
• Soetdoring and Kagiso,
• Roosmaryn and Vergeert-My-Nie,
• Villa Bravado and Madelief, and
• and Veritas and Marjolein.

The finals proved that the efforts and sleepless nights of RC Cultures, first-years, composers, and other behind-the-scenes contributors can really make any situation work.

As always, the crowd was blown away by the musical and vocal talent of first-years, as some compositions gave the audience goose bumps, leaving them asking for more. All in all, the evening created a frenzy, causing residences to interact whereas they would have never done so before.

According to the Student Affairs’ Arts and Culture office, the aim behind the new format was to break the barriers between residences. Arts and Culture were also pleased as to with how the RCs worked around accommodating their partners and ensuring maximum co-operation, despite some challenges.

As the night neared its closeclosing, residences were chanting their names and showing their pride in their first years’ performances.

2015 Stagedoor final results:

1. Soetdoring and Kagiso
2. Roosmaryn and Vergeet-My-Nie
3. Vishuis and Tswelopele

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