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Mpho Twala – the girl with the land

12 August 2022 | Story NONSINDISO QWABE | Photo NONSINDISO QWABE

The Bachelor of Community Development qualification offered on the Qwaqwa Campus develops young professionals who are able to work collaboratively with the community to come up with initiatives that build resilience and sustainability. Before obtaining their qualifications, students are required to identify community needs and to come up with viable ways to eradicate these.

It was during this period that Mpho Twala, a recent CommDev graduate, identified a once-thriving community vegetable garden that had been abandoned and subsequently stripped over the years. Further research led her to realise that the soil was still very fertile, and with a bit of work, could once again be revived to become an income-generating business. She received her qualification during the April graduations on the Qwaqwa Campus, but she did not stop there.

Bringing change to the community through vegetable farming

Twala, with no agricultural background, approached the locals for permission to revive the 1-ha garden into a community-owned vegetable garden. “The land has been uncultivated for more than a decade, and after conducting a needs analysis, I didn’t want to leave it like that, because I saw that if I worked with young people, this would help with the high unemployment rate among the youth in this area,” Twala said.

She says she was driven by bringing about change in her community, which she believes was inspired by her studies.

“I’ve always wanted to do something in my community, and CommDev taught me to see opportunities instead of challenges.”

The vegetable garden currently has 17 employees, 10 of whom are under the age of 35. They are currently harvesting cabbages, various forms of spinach, and white onion – all organic – for home consumption and community purchasing. They also occasionally sell to hawkers around Qwaqwa.

Twala dreams of expanding the garden, adding more crops, and ultimately reaching commercial level. “We are currently classified under subsistence farming – farming for home consumption and selling the surplus so that the project can remain operational. But with the right funding and support, we can grow bigger and better.”

News Archive

UFS forms International Advisory Council

2010-11-09

The University of the Free State (UFS) has established an International Advisory Council (IAC) to advise the leadership of the university on its future positioning strategies, especially in relation to its international ambitions as a place of scholarship and service among the leading universities in the world.

The Council, constituted by Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, consists of nine high-profile international experts with proven expertise, leadership, influence and experience.

“Since the appointment of Prof. Jansen, the leadership of the university has been revising and aligning several functions as part of a thrust to position the institution to meet 21st century national, regional and international challenges,” says Prof. Aldo Stroebel, Director of International Affairs at the UFS.

The appointment of the IAC is one of the strategies to advise and guide the UFS during the next phase of development and growth.

The university is fortunate to have attracted council members from various spheres of influence who can provide strategic guidance and bring cutting-edge expertise to bear on the policies, strategies and actions plans of the UFS. Among them are Prof. Brenda Gourley, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Natal (now UKZN); Mr Gert Grobler, SA Ambassador to Japan; and Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ncquka, Former Deputy-President of South Africa, and Executive Chairperson of the Umlambo Foundation.

The first meeting of the Council will take place from 10-13 November 2010. During this meeting the Council will advise the university leadership on the positioning of the UFS in a global knowledge economy; research excellence; excellence in the scholarship of teaching and learning; student engagement and transformation; and other strategic programmes of focus, including engaged scholarship.

The other Council members are:

- Prof. Joel Samoff: Professor of African Studies, Stanford University, USA (Chairperson)
- Prof Luc D’Haese: Chairperson: University International Committee and Advisor to the Rector, University of Antwerp, Belgium
- Prof. Masafumi Nagao: United Nations University and International Christian University, Japan
- Dr Uri Ofir: International Entrepreneur and Business Development Specialist, Scientech Inc., Switzerland
- Prof. Alice Pell: Vice-Provost International Affairs, Cornell University, USA
- Prof. Akilagpa Sawyerr: Former Secretary-General, Association of African Universities (AAU), Ghana

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (actg)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za
8 November 2010

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