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08 February 2022 | Story Nonkululeko Nxumalo | Photo Supplied
UFS alumna and Principal Economist at the Bank of Namibia, Grace Hamauka
The University of the Free State (UFS) continues to deliver top graduates who excel nationally and internationally in their chosen fields. 

Grace Hamauka, an alumna from the UFS, currently serves as a member of the Namibian Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Task Force.
Appointed in July 2021 by President Hage Geingob of Namibia, Hamauka is one of eight members of the task force selected to assist the Namibian government in preparing the country for the 4IR over a period of twelve months.
“I feel highly honoured being recognised by the president. I could not believe it,” she responded when asked how she felt about this achievement.

Serving on the panel with Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, and Dr Martyn Davies, Managing Director: Emerging Markets of Deloitte South Africa, she deems this a remarkable opportunity and appreciates the diversity in the team.

Hamauka is also a principal economist at the Bank of Namibia and had much to say about the 4IR. "We need to harness the benefits offered by these technologies, because there is so much to gain from them," she said.

4IR Explained

The 4IR is recognised by an ever-changing world that is constantly developing. It is a combination of advances in various technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), wireless technology, robotics, and the internet of things (IoT), among others. “I head the work stream on Policy, Regulations and Governance. We need to ensure that the legal environment is conducive to 4IR and that laws become accommodative for technologies. For example, courts in South Africa have become virtual, and in Namibia we don’t have that infrastructure. So, the president wanted a team to assess and ascertain if the country is ready for 4IR and if it’s not ready, what is it that we still need to do to be ready,” she explained.

With an undergraduate qualification in Economics, Hamauka completed a Bachelor of Commerce Honours (BComHons) and a Master of Commerce (MCom) in Financial Economics and Investment Management at the UFS. “I’ve always wanted to be an economist and when I completed my undergrad, I wanted a combination of finance and economics for my postgraduate studies, that’s why I chose the UFS. It had a mixture of the two, something other universities in South Africa didn’t offer,” she highlighted.

Studying at the UFS

When asked how her experience at the UFS contributed to her success, she proudly emphasised that the university had taught her that there is nothing she could not do. Hamauka further outlined: "Lecturers at the university taught me the importance of preparation and believing in myself. Two lecturers who stood out were Prof Philippe Burger and Dr Jesse de Beer. Prof Burger expects excellence and is willing to help you achieve that excellence. If you're willing, he'll meet you halfway. He works with you and helps you get it right. Dr De Beer encouraged me by saying that I can do it. I learnt to apply myself, to do massive research, to work on my case studies, and to ask for help when I needed it. I gained confidence at the university, something I didn't have before I started there,” she outlined.

What stood out most about being at the UFS?

"For me, it was the culture of hard work, dedication, and commitment the university had. If you don't have that mindset, you won’t make it. A combination of all that really paid off,” Hamauka said.
“I wanted to give up because the work was so complex, but then I realised that I just needed to put in more effort. All you need is a mind shift, consultation, and being open to tutors. If I can do it, anybody can!”

News Archive

Alcinda Honwana: Youth Protests Main Mechanism against Regime
2015-05-25

Prof Alcinda Honwana

"Enough is Enough!": Youth Protests and Political Change in Africa (speech) 

The Centre for Africa Studies at the UFS hosted an interdisciplinary project on the Bloemfontein Campus from 20-22 May 2015.

The project, entitled Contemporary Modes of Othering: Its Perpetuation and Resistance, looked at different perspectives, representations, and art forms of otherness, how it is perceived, and how it is resisted.

The annual Africa Day Memorial Lecture was held on Thursday evening 21 May 2015 at the CR Swart Auditorium. Guest speaker Prof Alcinda Honwana addressed the subject of ‘Youth Protests and Political Change in Africa’.

“Youth now seem able to display what they don’t want, rather than what they do want,” Honwana said in her opening remarks. “Thus, we see the young driven to the streets to protest against regimes.”
 
Honwana shed some light on recent examples of youth protests in Africa that have enjoyed global attention. Looking at the protests in Tunisia (2010), Egypt (2011), Senegal (2012), and Burkina Faso (2014), it is clear that these events in northern and western Africa have inspired others globally. Yet, Honwana stated that, despite these protests, no social economic change has been seen, and has left dissatisfaction with new governments as well.

“Once regimes fall… young activists find themselves more divided, it seems…

“Which leaves the question: Will street protests remain young people’s main mechanism to avert those in power?”

Background on Prof Alcinda Honwana:

Alcinda Honwana is currently Visiting Professor of Anthropology and International Development at the Open University (UK). She was chair in International Development at the Open University, and taught Anthropology at the University Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo, the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and the New School for Social Research in New York. She was programme director at the Social Science Research Council in New York, and worked for the United Nations Office for Children and Armed Conflict. Honwana has written extensively on the links between political conflict and culture, and on the impact of violent conflict on children and youth, conducting research in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Colombia, and Sri Lanka. Her latest work has been on youth and social change in Africa, focusing on Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia.

Honwana’s latest books include:

• Youth and Revolution in Tunisia (2013); 
• Time of Youth: Work, Social Change, and Politics in Africa (2012);
• Child Soldiers in Africa (2006);
• Makers and Breakers: Children and Youth in Postcolonial Africa (2005, co-edited).

Honwana was awarded the prestigious Prince Claus Chair for Development and Equity in the Netherlands in 2007.

 

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