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14 March 2022 | Story Lacea Loader
Qwaqwa Campus

The entrance gate to the Qwaqwa Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) was blocked by a group of students this morning. The group stoned private security guards, entered the campus, vandalised and looted property, and assaulted staff and students on campus.

Two students were arrested by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and more have been identified; the necessary disciplinary action will be taken, and immediate suspensions will be instituted. Similarly, the SAPS will institute criminal charges against those who have been identified.

The university management has ordered an urgent investigation into today's incident and condemns the destructive behaviour of the group. This behaviour is not viewed as protest action, but as criminal acts.

Any violence and criminal acts against staff and students and the disruption of academic activities are condemned in the strongest terms.

The academic programme on the Qwaqwa Campus continues, mostly online for this week, and students will be informed by their faculties about the revised schedule, as well as arrangements regarding tests and assessments scheduled on the campus for this week.

The campus remains open; the university's Protection Services is on high alert and is monitoring the situation on campus closely.


Issued by:
Lacea Loader
Director: Communication and Marketing
University of the Free State
23 February 2022

News Archive

UFS academic appointed to prestigious academy (ASSAf)
2014-10-07

Another academic of the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof Jeanet Conradie, professor in Chemistry, was invited as newly elected member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).Science and research, by which new concepts are discovered, is her great passion.

Her PhD degree in Chemistry, together with also a strong background in Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, influenced Prof Conradie’s choice of research interest and expertise to develop gradually in the direction of computational chemistry, which is a beautiful combination of chemistry and physics.

Computational chemistry uses quantum physical principles and mathematical methods to solve chemistry problems via high-performance computerised calculations. Results obtained can be used to predict and understand the behaviour of atoms and molecules in the real world. Chemical reactions and phenomena that are impossible or too dangerous to study experimentally, can also be studied by computational chemistry. Her research team also does experimental laboratory work to combine and compare with the computational analysis. Based on these results, new materials with specific properties are developed.

The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) aspires to be the apex organisation for science and scholarship in South Africa, recognised and connected both nationally and internationally. Through its membership which represents the collective voice of the most active scholars in all fields of scholarly enquiry, ASSAf aims to generate evidence-based solutions to national problems.

Prof Corli Witthuhn: Vice-Rector: Research at the UFS said: “The UFS is very proud of Prof Conradie, who is also the first female professor in the Department of Chemistry.  Jeanet is a highly productive researcher publishing in high-impact journals.  She has extensive international networks and collaborations, increasing the impact of her work even more.  We are currently awaiting the outcome of her application for NRF rating and believe that she will receive an excellent rating.”


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