Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
01 August 2022 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Maryke Venter
UFS No student Hungry concert
Attending the first Winter Warmer Indoor Concert, hosted by the Faculty of Health Sciences, were, from the left: Prof Hanneke Brits, Dorah Klaas from UFS Institutional Advancement, Dr Nicholas Pearce, and Mantwa Makhakhe, Senior Financial Planner and Director at Sanlam.

“Don’t worry about a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right
Singin’: “Don’t worry about a thing
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right!”

An extract from the lyrics of Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, performed by Dr Nicholas Pearce, Head of the Department of Surgery at the University of the Free State (UFS), and Prof Hanneke Brits, Associate Professor in the UFS Department of Family Medicine, singing along with the staff and students from the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences and the audience. This performance was one of the highlights during the first Winter Warmer Picnic Concert presented by the Faculty of Health Sciences. 

The faculty, besides displaying the talent of its medical students, the Free State Youth Wind Ensemble, the UFS Choir, and nationally renowned Lucy Sehloho, aimed to create a fun evening for staff, students, and the Bloemfontein community in order to raise awareness for hungry students. 

About students for students

It is a function about students for students, remarked Prof Prakash Naidoo, Vice-Rector: Operations, who opened the event. According to him, millions of people worldwide go hungry every day. “At the UFS, there are also many students who are not able to afford basic food stuffs. Often, essentials are not covered by student bursaries, leaving students hungry and struggling to perform at the academic level expected,” he said. 

To enter the Callie Human Centre on the Bloemfontein Campus where the concert was hosted, members of the audience could donate non-perishable food, sanitary items, or blankets. The 800 food parcels collected at the event will be distributed by the No Student Hungry programme

Besides students, staff members and their families who attended the concert and donated towards the NSH, the Life Rosepark Hospital and Sanlam also made financial contributions towards the programme. 

Community coming together for a good cause

The idea to host the concert and to see lecturers in the faculty perform, stemmed from the CANSA shavathon held earlier this year when more than R10 000 was raised for people suffering from cancer and other related illnesses. Dr Pearce indicated that, should students reach the R10 000 mark, he and Prof Brits would perform Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds. The original idea of one performance evolved into a two-hour concert, seeing members of the Bloemfontein community coming together for a good cause. 

“Due to your contribution, many students will not go hungry,” said Dr Pearce, thanking everyone who attended the concert and donated to the NSH programme.

• Should you also like to make a difference in someone’s life and make a cash donation to the No Student Hungry programme, please scan the QR code and follow the instructions. Your contribution can go a long way in making a difference in someone’s life. 

News Archive

Shimlas now the log leaders - Undefeated Kovsies beat Maties 21-16
2015-03-04

Photo: Johan Roux

Being the only unbeaten team in the 2015 Varsity Cup rugby tournament, it comes as no surprise that our Shimlas are on top of the log.

Shimlas beat the Stellenbosch University Maties side 21-16 at Shimla Park in Bloemfontein on Monday night, 2 March 2015. As yet, Maties have no wins, while the Shimlas have no losses. Shimlas now top the 2015 Varsity Cup log, with Tuks – the only side to have managed not to lose against Shimlas – trailing by one point in the second position.

Niel Marais, Shimlas flyhalf, touched down and converted his try to give the home side an early start. Maties fired back shortly after, scoring their first try of the night, and leaving the teams tied into the first strategy break at 8-8.

Shimlas took the lead back just after the break when skipper, AJ Coertzen, scored a try in the corner, and Marais again succeeded in the touchline conversion, putting them in a 16-8 lead. Yet again, it was not long after this that Maties leveled the score to 16-16 before the half-time break.

The second half was a bit quieter on the scoreboard. The only point scoring action was Shimlas replacement, Daniel Maartens, who crossed the try line to give his side the necessary five-point lead.

The Shimlas point scorers:
Tries: Marais, Coertzen, Maartens
Cons: Marais 2

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept