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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

All activities on UFS Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses postponed until Monday 26 October 2015
2015-10-22

All academic and administrative activities on the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses of the University of the Free State (UFS) have been postponed until Monday 26 October 2015.

UFS students joined the national protests against the increases in class and study fees at universities across the country on Tuesday 20 October 2015.

All campuses of the UFS were closed down on Wednesday 21 October 2015 and a court interdict was granted the same day against conduct by anyone who intends to damage the property of the university or who interferes with the rights of others.

Additional security measures have been implemented at all residences on the Bloemfontein Campus today, and no acts of violence or intimidation have been reported in residences. The situation on the Bloemfontein Campus grounds is monitored carefully to ensure calmness.

Messages doing the round on social media today that management agreed to a 0% increase in fees in 2016 are not true. The university management are continuously communicating with the Student Representative Council (SRC), while working incessantly to restore peace and stability on the Bloemfontein Campus.

“Although the university management supports the right of students to protest, it has a responsibility towards the university community to ensure the safety of property and people, as well as the rights of other students who do not feel inclined to participate in this movement. The university management calls on non-protesting students to remain calm and to refrain from getting into any confrontation with protesting students. This is a trying time for universities across the country, and the main concern of the UFS management is to maintain stability on the campuses,” says Prof Nicky Morgan, Acting Rector of the UFS.

 “We are committed to working together as institution in finding viable solutions to the plight of poor students at our university. The university management is also committed to participate in national initiatives to revise the manner in which universities are funded,” says Prof Morgan.

Information about the predicates and upcoming exam will be shared with students on the various communication platforms of the university on Friday 23 October 2015. Students who had to write tests or exams, but could not do so due to the protest action, will not be prejudiced.

 
Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
news@ufs.ac.za
+27(0)51 401 3422
+27(0)83 645 2454


Facebook message from UFS SRC (26 October 2015)

UFS welcomes Pres Jacob Zuma’s statement about 0% increase in tuition fees for 2016 (23 October 2015)

UFS postpones examinations to Monday 2 November 2015 (23 October 2015)

Letter to students from Prof Jonathan Jansen about student protest actions at the UFS (22 October 2015)

UFS obtains court interdict against protesting students - classes will resume on 22 October 2015 (21 October 2015)

UFS management closes down all three campuses on 21 October 2015 (20 October 2015)

UFS responds to concerns around high costs of higher education (Letter from Prof Jonathan Jansen -19 October 2015)


 

 

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