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
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

Researchers international leaders in satellite tracking in the wildlife environment
2015-05-29

 

Ground-breaking research has attracted international media attention to Francois Deacon, lecturer and researcher in the Department Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences at the UFS, and Prof Nico Smit, from the same department. They are the first researchers in the world to equip giraffes with GPS collars, and to conduct research on this initiative. Recently, they have been joined by Hennie Butler from the Department of Zoology as well as Free State Nature Conservation to further this research.

“Satellite tracking is proving to be extremely valuable in the wildlife environment. The unit is based on a mobile global two-way communication platform, utilising two-way data satellite communication, complete with GPS systems.

“It allows us to track animals day and night, while we monitor their movements remotely from the computer. These systems make possible the efficient control and monitoring of wildlife in all weather conditions and in near-to-real time. We can even communicate with the animals, calling up their positions or changing the tracking schedules.

“The satellite collar allows us to use the extremely accurate data to conduct research with the best technology available. The volume of data received allows us to publish the data in scientific journals and research-related articles.  

“Scientific institutions and the public sector have both shown great interest in satellite tracking, which opens up new ground for scientific research for this university. Data management can be done, using Africa Wildlife Tracking (AWT) equipment where we can access our data personally, store it, and make visual presentations. The AWT system and software architecture provide the researcher with asset tracking, GPS location reports, geo-fencing, highly-detailed custom mapping, history reports and playback, polling on demand, history plotting on maps, and a range of reporting types and functions,” Francois said.

Data can be analysed to determine home range, dispersal, or habitat preference for any specific species.

Francois has been involved in multiple research projects over the last 12 years on wildlife species and domesticated animals, including the collaring of species such as Black-backed Jackal, Caracal, African Wild Dog, Hyena, Lion, Cheetah, Cattle, Kudu, Giraffe, and Black Rhino: “Giraffe definitely being the most challenging of all,” he said.

In 2010, he started working on his PhD, entitled The spatial ecology, habitat preferences and diet selection of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) in the Kalahari region of South Africa.

 

Since then, his work has resulted not only in more research work (supervising four Masters students) but also in a number of national and international projects. These include work in the:

  • Kalahari region (e.g. Khamab Nature Reserve and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park)
  • Kuruman region (Collared 18 cattle to identify spatial patterns in relation to the qualities of vegetation and soil-types available. This project took place in collaboration with Born University in Germany)
  • Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate and Kolomella Iron Ore – ecological monitoring
  • A number of Free State nature reserves (e.g. Distribution of herbivores (kudu and giraffe) and predators (camera traps)

Francois is also involved with species breeding programmes and management (giraffe, buffalo, sable, roan, and rhino) in Korrannaberg, Rustenburg, Hertzogville, Douglas, and Bethlehem as well as animal and ecological monitoring in Kolomella and Beesthoek iron ore.

Besides the collaring of giraffes, Francois and his colleagues are involved in national projects, where they collect milk from lactating giraffes and DNA material, blood samples, and ecto/endo parasites from giraffes in Southern Africa.

With international projects, Francois is working to collect DNA material for the classification of the nine sub-species of giraffe in Africa. He is also involved in projects focusing on the spatial ecology and adaptation of giraffe in Uganda (Murchison Falls), and to save the last 30 giraffe in the DRC- Garamba National Park.

This project has attracted a good deal of international interest. In June 2014, a US film crew (freelancing for Discovery Channel) filmed a documentary on Francois’ research (trailer of documentary). Early in 2015, a second crew, filming for National Geographic, also visited Francois to document his work.

 

More information about Francois’ work is available at the GCF website. 

Read Francois Deacon's PhD abstract

Direct enquiries to news@ufs.ac.za.

 

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