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To The River and beyond

19 December 2022 | Story Gerda-Marié van Rooyen | Photo Supplied

Olebogeng TIhong loves stages and cameras. She is currently studying law.

An ex-CyberSta presenter has recently made her soap debut in The River.

Olebogeng Tlhong, a fourth-year LLB student at the UFS, recently portrayed the part of a celebrity, something she says works perfectly with her personality. However, acting is only one of her many gifts and interests.

She also owns an enterprise. “I established my online store in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and registered my company in October 2021.” This company, a segment of Greys World, consists of an events company, bikini line, cosmetics and accessory stores and a clothing aspect.

Passionate about the entertainment space

This born Johannesburger describes herself as a “vibrant, hard-working, resilient and multifaceted woman who loves life and all that it has to offer”. Confidence is something she has in ample supply. “I have always been a confident individual. I have participated in public-speaking competitions from a young age. I am passionate about the entertainment space.” She loves people too. "I draw inspiration from different people for different reasons and aspects of my life. This includes from the women in my family to service workers’ stories, celebrity figures and the teachings of Christ.” 

Visualisation is something this entertainer strongly believes in. “The kind of life that I envision for myself, inspires me. I want to own my time and live on my terms. Having a vision board and holding myself accountable has played a large role in ensuring that I execute everything that I said I would. I believe in being proactive and solution based.”

Crossing boundaries and achieving dreams

Olebogeng dreams of leaving a legacy echoing her courage to cross boundaries and achieve her dreams. “I want people to draw inspiration from me and know that they can achieve anything – regardless of obstacles or one’s past. One can build an empire from nothing,” says this wanna-be world traveller.

While it is uncertain where Olebogeng’s river will take her, one thing is certain, she’ll always seize the day. “I want to remain teachable to grow. The aim is to never get comfortable and to keep striving for more.”

Olebogeng appeared on The River, episode 240, that aired beginning/mid-October.

This guest appearing actress has always been confident. “I used to participate in public speaking competitions from a young age and I love the entertainment space.”

“Enjoy university, meet new people and grab every opportunity that aligns with your purpose, have fun and most importantly, ensure that your academics are always in order,” Olebogeng advises the first-year students of 2023.

News Archive

Community engagement must be a core function of universities

2009-05-21

Members of the NatCEMF Steering Committee are, from the left: Mr Jerome Slamat, Senior Director: Community Interaction, Stellenbosch University, Ms Beatrix Bouwman, Manager: Community Engagement, North-West University, Rev Kiepie Jaftha, Chief Director: Community Service, UFS and chairperson of the committee, Prof. Allan Femi Lana, Director: Institute for Rural Development and Community Engagement, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Prof. Seth Pollack, Fulbright Scholar, University of Western Cape (guest speaker at the meeting), Prof. Denver Hendricks, Director: Community Engagement, University of Pretoria, and Prof. Priscilla Daniels, Chairperson: Human Ecology and Research and CHESP Research Coordinator, University of the Western Cape.
Photo: Lacea Loader

It is important that all tertiary institutions in South Africa should work together and commit themselves to advance the cause of community engagement in the country.

This was one of the main outcomes of the second meeting held by the National Community Engagement Manager’s Forum (NatCEMF) at the South Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein recently. The meeting was attended by 34 representatives of 16 higher education institutions in the country.

“I am astounded at the interest in this matter. The representatives are committed to make community engagement a core function of their institutions and we all agreed that we should get more involved in expanding this across all institutions. A need for a formal structure for us all to work together and have a more collective voice was also identified,” said Rev Kiepie Jaftha, Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS and Chairperson of the NatCEMF Steering Committee.

“There is a growing need to expand and develop our engagement with communities – to share our experiences and best practices and to learn from each other. There are universities that are doing excellent work in this field and, by having a formal structure, we can do a lot more towards advancing community engagement,” said Rev Jaftha.

The meeting identified matters such as the coordination of higher education institutions’ involvement in community engagement, the facilitation of research about community engagement, promoting service learning as transformation, the establishment of a community engagement resource centre and the organisation of a national community engagement conference as some of its aims. A national steering committee was also elected.

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