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25 October 2022 | Story Kekeletso Takang and Samkelo Fetile | Photo Supplied
Talking about gender diversity in institutions of higher learning during the UFS Pride lecture were, from the left: Bokang Fako, Tshifhiwa Ramabulana, Advocate Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane, and Siyanda Magayana.
South Africa is notably one of the most progressive countries on the African continent when it comes to advancing sexual rights. However, despite the constitutional provisions in place, gender identity remains a source of discrimination for many. 

The Free State Centre for Human Rights at the University of the Free State (UFS), in collaboration with the UFS Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Office and intersectional feminist student body The Collective, held a Pride Month Lecture on 17 October 2022 at the Albert Wessels Auditorium on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus to commemorate the very first Pride parade in Africa, which occurred on 13 October 1990. The Collective is a student organisation founded in 2019, the purpose of which is to foster a community for marginalised students. 

The lecture was facilitated by Bokang Fako, Founder and Chairperson of The Collective and Student Assistant at the Free State Centre for Human Rights, and included guest speaker Advocate Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane (they/them) of the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) at the University of the Witwatersrand and panellists Tshifhiwa Ramabulana (he/him) and Siyanda Magayana (she/her). Ramabulana is a queer writer pursuing an LLB degree at the UFS, and Magayana is a Senior Officer at the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Office on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus. 

Where it all began

The first Pride parade in South Africa took place on 13 October 1990 and was led by Simon Nkoli, an anti-apartheid activist who was also one of the country’s most prominent LGBTQIA+ activists. The march was organised by the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand (GLOW), an organisation that raised awareness and established a community of support for black queer people during the apartheid era. October has since been recognised as South African Pride Month and has been celebrated every year. 

“Pride is not a party, it is essentially us protesting that the world doesn’t want us to exist in our fullness,” Advocate Mokgoroane said. They reiterated this by highlighting the need for the development of a sense of co-conspiratorship. Mokgoroane referred to Mathoko’s House, a place of refuge and a haven for many. “Mathoko, based in KwaThema, Ekurhuleni, offered counselling and emotional support to those who took shelter at the house, this is the co-conspiratorship needed in this climate. In the digital and social media era we find ourselves in, where are the likes of Mathoko? Are we only relying on hashtags?” 

Gender diversity in institutions of higher learning 

“For many gender-diverse people, the concept of binary gender – having to choose to express yourself as male or female – is constraining,” Magayana said. She further explained that for gender-diverse people, their identity is about presenting something more outwardly authentic to the world, whether they believe themselves to be differently gendered, or have no gender at all. 

Magayana said some cultures do not recognise gender diversity beyond masculine and feminine. “In residences you find that certain students from different cultures would refuse to associate themselves with LGBTQIA+ students because, according to their culture, it is unacceptable.” She added that this is an issue that must be dealt with, because it is unacceptable that residences are fixated on a binary culture. “The programs at residences are not accommodative – what if I do not identify as male or female? Where do I go?” 

A safer time

Ramabulana explained that there have been many incidents of tangible and intangible discrimination, including hate crimes where gay, lesbian, or transgender people are at huge risk of violence and death. However, he added, LGBTQIA+ people are a lot safer today than in the past. “Although there are myopic, monolithic views of who we are, we are indeed living in a safer time. So, with that said, I will not go deep into my experiences of violence, but I want to encapsulate what the activism and efforts were aimed at, and that is queer joy.” He explained that queer joy is the queer community being able to be free and peacefully celebrate their existence and expanded on how safe he feels in public spaces, and how the law now caters for the different diversity of identities that have always been present among human beings. 

Ramabulana said the UFS is seen as one of the most representative universities in South Africa. “The UFS has made great strides in inclusion, from unisex residences to encouraging conversations around pertinent issues surrounding gender equality,” he said.

News Archive

The launch of a unique conservation project
2011-06-06

 

Our Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences launched a very special pilot project at Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate in Bloemfontein on Friday 03 June 2011, which aims to eventually aid in the conservation and study of one of Africa’s most graceful animals.

The project aims to provide the scientific basis needed for making future decisions in the best interests of the giraffe in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Northern Cape and involves collaring and monitoring the behaviour and movement of these animals via GPS.

Based on the public interest in the giraffe and the increased impact of the growing giraffe population on the vegetation in the area, SANParks has been considering the translocation of a number of Kgalagadi giraffe. Due to limited information regarding their adaptation success and potential impact on their new environment, thorough planning and subsequent monitoring of the species is required.

Mr Francois Deacon from our university decided to undertake a PhD study to address the existing challenges. This will be the first study of its kind, undertaken on giraffe.

He says he decided on this project because of his love for animals and conservation. “There are nine sub-species of giraffe and seven of these are already endangered. I want to involve people and make them aware of the plight of the animals and the need for conservation,” he said.

The project kicked off on Friday morning, with a group of students and curious nature-lovers tracking a herd of giraffe at Woodland Hills. The challenge laid in identifying one of the animals which could easily be collared with a GPS device, tranquilising it, and applying the device, without harming the animal.

After a young bull was identified, it was up to Dr Floris Coetzee, a veterinarian, to get close enough to the animal to tranquilise it, and to the group of students to catch it and hold it down. All this was done perfectly and the animal was fitted with its new collars. The collars were designed and made by Mr Martin Haupt, who gained extensive experience in the design of similar collars for other research studies.

Mr Deacon will spend the following two weeks personally monitoring the animal constantly, to ensure that the collars do not cause any discomfort or injury and to determine whether it should be removed or adapted.

It has taken Mr Deacon over a year to plan the collaring process and the associated study. He says the main challenges in the project are financial, since it will cost approximately R500 000 to run over five years.

Thus far he has been supported by Mr Pieter Malan of Woodland Hills, Mr Cas Kempff of Cas Kempff Consulting Engineers and Prof. Frans Swanepoel of the UFS’ Directorate of Research Development, all of whom have been benefactors of the project.
Information gathered from the pilot project will provide the data to assess how to best fit the collar onto the giraffe to ensure that the animal is comfortable and that the collar will last in the wild.  Scientific data will be generated and processed for use by the Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate management.

Should the pilot project be successful, between four and eight giraffe in the Kgalagadi will be tracked using the satellite GPS collars. The GPS collars will enable the constant recording of the location of individual giraffe for up to 2 years. This will allow control and monitoring of the animals in real-time.

The main benefits of the project include, amongst others, improved decision-making, informing tourism development, education and community involvement, improved sustainability and improved cross-border collaboration between South Africa and Botswana.

Anyone who wishes to get involved with the project or get more information, should contact Me. Sonja Buhrmann at sbuhrmann@vodamail.co.za or 0827735768.
 

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