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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

RSG Crossword Tournament helps to celebrate language
2016-07-27

Description: RSG Crossword Tournament Tags: RSG Crossword Tournament

Dr Annette de Wet (left), Assistant Director
of the Unit for Language Development in
the Centre for Teaching and Learning at
the UFS, Albe Grobbelaar from XWord,
Prof Angelique van Niekerk, Head of the
Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German
and French, and Prof Lucius Botes, Dean of the
Faculty of the Humanities, during the launch
of the RSG Crossword Tournament.
Photo: Jóhann Thormählen

Sometimes it is difficult for language departments to be topical and to show their relevance for the people out there. However, with the RSG Crossword Tournament, this became possible and Afrikaans could be celebrated in a positive manner. This is what Prof Angelique van Niekerk, Head of the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French at the University of the Free State (UFS), had to say about this initiative.

Interest during the Vrystaat Arts Festival exceeded all expectations. Altogether, 46 participants from across the country participated on 15 and 16 July 2016. Ilse van Hemert from Pretoria was crowned as the first South African crossword champion.

New dimension to language milieu

Prof Van Niekerk said people are familiar with crossword puzzles from the media, and it was the first time that a tournament like this was presented to the public in South Africa. “This tournament brings something like linguistics and linguistic sensitivity to the fore,” she said. “It is another dimension of the language milieu.” This is exactly why her department would like to see it grow in future.

Wordplay serves as inspiration

The idea for the tournament is based loosely on the film, Wordplay (2006), which is set in New York, and the annual New York Times Crossword Tournament. The South African Tournament was presented in conjunction with the crossword group, XWord, Prof Van Niekerk’s department, and the radio station RSG as brand sponsor.

Crossword puzzles and blockbusters crosswords completed

“This tournament brings something like
linguistics and linguistic sensitivity to
the fore.”


Albe Grobbelaar from XWord said the winners were determined on a points basis. “Competitors had to complete two crossword puzzles and one blockbuster crossword. The difference between the two is that a blockbuster’s clues are within the blocks or grid, but with the crossword, you have white and black blocks with the clues separate on the outside.”

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