Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
09 December 2022 | Story Samkelo Fetile
Constance Motsitsi
Proud PhD holder, Constance Motsitsi, a Public Administration and Management Lecturer in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Free State.
A passion for research and academia ignited Constance Motsitsi’s pursuit of scholarship and knowledge. Four degrees later, Motsitsi, a Public Administration and Management Lecturer in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), will add the title of ‘doctor’ to her long list of achievements. The 30-year-old lecturer will receive her PhD in Public Administration during the December 2022 graduation ceremony hosted on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus. 

Hailing from Sebokeng in Gauteng, Motsitsi says she has always had a deep interest in understanding the functioning of the public sector. “Coming from a township that experiences poor service delivery, I was curious about the functioning of government institutions and their role in public management and administration. Thus, I enrolled for a BA Public Administration and Management degree at North-West University, where I also obtained my honours and master’s degrees in the same study field,” she says.

Her research has focused on public financial management reforms and service delivery in the Northern Cape Department of Health. “Each year the government spends millions of rands on implementing public financial management reforms, with the core objective of enhancing service delivery. Yet, despite the implementation of these reforms, service delivery in this department remains poor.” She set out to investigate the causes of the disconnect between the public financial management reforms and service delivery by the department. 

“My study found that South Africa has some of the best public financial management reforms in the world. Thus, the problem is rather with the government officials entrusted with the execution of these reforms. It is evident that the Northern Cape Department of Health is in dire need of efficient, financially disciplined, and determined leaders who will prioritise the importance of value-for-money service delivery. Without such leaders, the failure of these reforms is imminent.” 

The future Dr Motsitsi says she was inspired by her supervisor, who saw great potential in her. “My supervisor made me realise that I have what it takes to make a difference in my research area. That further ignited my passion for research and academia.” 

As a single mother of a nine-year-old daughter, she set herself the goal of finishing her PhD in two and a half years. During her academic journey, she also discovered a new passion. “My love for lecturing, imparting knowledge, and stimulating innovative ideas in my students – our future leaders – gives me great joy and a sense of purpose.” 

Motsitsi says she aspires to become an internationally acclaimed professor in her research area and an expert in her field of study over the next 10 years. “I am aware that this will require a rethinking of my work/life balance, as I believe that more effort, dedication, and resilience are generally associated with that level of success.” She says being able to balance one’s life is very important. “God remains central above all things and being in touch with my spirituality helps me to remain focused and also to remember the most important things and people in my life. Taking time out for self-care is also very important. Go for ice cream, read a non-academic book, watch a romantic movie, and make time for family.” 

Motsitsi says that despite everything she has achieved, she still considers herself “a work in progress” with a lot more ahead of her. “There is still much more learning, unlearning, and self-discovery awaiting me. I believe what is needed is resilience, and although the academic journey gets lonely, challenging, and very frustrating at times, one needs to keep pushing and believing that what lies ahead is far greater than the storms one experiences along the way.” 

News Archive

Access to the Bloemfontein Campus
2015-04-02

Access Control Made Easy

The first phase of access control at the University of the Free State (UFS) was implemented in August 2014. The aim of this initiative is to tighten security measures on the Bloemfontein Campus.
 
Since November 2014, access control has been implemented at all five gates on the Bloemfontein Campus. These are:

  • The Main gate in Nelson Mandela Drive (Gate 1)
  • The gate in DF Malherbe Drive (Gate 5)
  • The gate in Wynand Mouton Drive (Gate 3) 
  • The gate in Furstenburg Street (Gate 4)
  • The gate in Badenhorst Street (Gate 2)

Here is some useful information about the access control system:

1. Remember your access card when you enter the campus

Dual-function cards (with distance reader compatibility) will make your movement through the gates more convenient. The university’s access system works automatically with remote or swipe action. Please make sure that you drive close to the reader or, better still, get the dual-frequency card to manage the distance between your vehicle and the remote card reader.

As of 23 March 2015, the extra security staff, who have been assisting at the gates since the implementation of access control on the Bloemfontein Campus, are no longer manning the card readers at the gates. Therefore, persons without cards will be able to enter the campus only at the one gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. They will be referred to the Visitors Centre, where a day visitor’s card will be issued to them. You will need to produce a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

Security will continue their normal duties at the guardhouses for the various gates on the campus.

2. Where do I get an access card?

You can apply at the university’s Visitors Centre front desk by producing your positive identification (ID book/passport/driver’s licence) and proof of payment for your access card.

You will then be directed to the Thakaneng Bridge where you will be able to collect your access card.

  • Go to the Cashier on the Thakaneng Bridge and pay your R65 for the dual-frequency card
  • Take your receipt, together with your existing card (if you have one), to the Card Division on the Thakaneng Bridge (next to Mellins Optometrists)
  • A new photo will be taken of you at the Card Office for your new card. Your new card will then be issued immediately.

Currently, there is a sufficient stock of the dual-frequency cards available at the Card Division on the Thakaneng Bridge.
 
Alternatively, you can apply online for your access card: http://apps.ufs.ac.za/cardapplication/application.aspx

Make sure you have the following documents ready to attach when completing the online form:

  • Copy of positive identification: ID/Driver's Licence/Passport
  • Signed declaration (http://supportservices.ufs.ac.za/dl/Userfiles/Documents/00007/4668_eng.pdf) by your service provider/employer (if you are a service provider) or a letter of confirmation from your spouse/partner/relative/coach/relevant UFS staff member or student in cases where you have to visit, pick-up or drop off your spouse/partner/relative frequently on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.

Cost: R65 for a long-term card and free of charge for short-term visits and conference delegates. Pay at the Cashier on the Thakaneng Bridge or at Absa Bank, Account Number: 1 570 8500 71, Ref: 1 413 07670 0198.

3. Cutoff Date: 7 April 2015

After 7 April 2015, no pedestrian or motorist will be able to enter the campus without a valid access card. Persons without access cards will have to enter the campus at the gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. You will then be referred to the Visitors Centre where you will have to apply for a day visitor’s card. It is important to note that no one will be able to enter the campus at the Visitors Centre without a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

4. Dual-frequency card simplifies access to the campus

It is important to have your card ready on entering the campus.

This card will simplify access to the campus considerably, as the card reader will read the card when it is held in a vertical position at the driver’s side window in the direction of the distance reader. Please do not place the card on the dashboard. There is an antenna wire in the card. If the card is placed on the dashboard, you are not exposing the card surface to the reader, and that might influence the antenna’s response to the reader.

Remember, the distance between the reader and the boom is only a few metres.  If you approach the reader at a ’high’ speed, you are not allowing the system to identify your card, match it to the entry in the database, check if you are ‘legal’, and then send a signal to open the boom. 

All five gates are equipped with distance readers. Within the next three weeks, two extra distance readers will also be installed at the Main Gate in Nelson Mandela Drive.
 
Please note that the dual-frequency card is needed only when you enter the campus with a vehicle and you want to activate the distance reader. All the older cards will continue to work at the tag readers. 

5. Use alternative gates

At times, some of the gates carry more traffic than others, especially with the peak morning and afternoon traffic. Gates with less traffic include:

  • The gate in Badenhorst Street
  • The gate in DF Malherbe Drive
  • The gate in Nelson Mandela Drive

You are welcome to make use of one of these alternative gates.

6. Pedestrians

No pedestrian will be able to enter the Bloemfontein Campus without a valid access card. If you have left your card at home or have lost it, you should enter the campus at the gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. You will be referred to the Visitors Centre where you can apply for a day visitor’s card. You will still need to produce a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

7. More information

Email: visitorscentre@ufs.ac.za
Visitors Centre front desk: Tel: +27 51 401 7766 (Mondays-Fridays 07:45-16:30)
Card Division: Tel: +27 51 401 2799 (Mondays-Fridays 07:45-16:30)
Protection Services duty room: +27 51 401 2634 (24 hours)

 

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