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19 October 2022 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo iFlair Photography
Kovsie Sport stars
The Kovsie Khanyisa Chawane was one of the big winners at the Free State Sport Stars. The Protea netball player was named Sportswoman of the Year and the Springbok rugby player Frans Steyn was the Sportsman and Sport Star of the Year. Here from left are Steyn and Chawane.

A big honour and motivation to work even harder. This is how Robert Summers summed up his emotions after being crowned University of the Free State (UFS) Sportsman of the Year.

The young South African badminton player walked away with the title – the first winner in three years, since KovsieSport did not name top achievers in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Protea hockey player Shindré-Lee Simmons was the KovsieSport Sportswoman of the Year, and the long jumper Joané Gerber the Junior Sport Star of the Year.

They were crowned at the Free State Sport Stars dinner, presented by Central24 and the UFS on 13 October 2022 in Bloemfontein.

Fellow UFS sport star, Khanyisa Chawane, also won a big award. The Protea netball star was the province’s Sportswoman of the Year, while the Springbok Frans Steyn was the Sportsman and Sport Star of the Year.

University appreciation

Summers, who reached the round of 16 (mixed doubles) and round of 32 (men’s singles and doubles) at the Commonwealth Games and won two bronze (men’s doubles and team) medals at the All Africa Championships, is grateful.

“It is a big honour to be part of an elite group – like Wayde van Niekerk, Heinrich Brüssow, Johan Cronjé and others – who have won it before me,” he says.

“I am really thankful to the university, as you are rewarded for you hard work. It is a good thing because it motivates an athlete to work even harder.”

Simmons won the Africa Cup of Nations as part of the South African team, and also played in the FIH Hockey World Cup and Commonwealth Games.

“It is overwhelming and super exciting. To walk away with such a prestige award is amazing. I am honoured and proud to be a Kovsie hockey player and to carry on the brand.”

Grateful and excited

Gerber took part in the World Athletics U20 Championships and achieved a personal best (6,42 m) at the Confederation of University and Colleges Sports Associations (CUCSA) Games.

The UFS first-year student loves life at the KovsieSport Jumping Academy.

“My season started great but then took a dip and I didn’t think it would work out this way.

“It is amazing to think what I could achieve with a new coach, new environment, and new people I train with. Here I am and I won Junior Sport Star of the Year.”

Chawane represented the Proteas at the Commonwealth Games, won the Africa Cup with the side, and played in the Netball Quad Series.

“I didn’t expect the award. There are lots of great athletes in the Free State.

“I feel really honoured and grateful.”

News Archive

UFS medical students reach out to the community
2011-04-16

 

The smiles on the children at Beyang Bana Pele Creche in Mangaung were blindingly bright, after their new classrooms and playground were unveiled on Friday 15 April. The creche was renovated by a group of third-year medical students from the UFS.
Photo: Earl Coetzee

A group of third-year medical students from the University of the Free State was responsible for many smiling little faces when they unveiled a entirely renovated crèche to its little students on Friday, 15 April.

Reinhardt Erasmus, Fathima Vawda, Veneshree Govender, Antoi Roets, Riaan Calitz, Motlalepula Mabizela, Tertius Potgieter and Chanel van der Westhuizen were the students responsible for the massive renovation work that went into the Beyang Bana Pele Creché in Mangaung.

The students tackled the project as part of a community service project and ensured that the 30 children who attend the crèche can look forward to coming to a safe healthy environment every day.

According to Riaan Calitz, they started the project at the beginning of the year by doing a needs analysis and talking to the children’s parents and teachers. They also involved the aid of an architect and quantity surveyor to calculate the needs of the crèche.

Next, they had to search for sponsors for their work, and struck it lucky when the Windmill Casino agreed to donate R100 000 to their project. They also managed to raise a further R5 000 as well as approximately R50 000 in goods and services donated by various other companies.

This money was enough to improve the safety at the crèche, install safe gas equipment in the kitchen, improve the insulation to ensure a warm winter, install new playground equipment and host several health and safety workshops.

“It took a lot of late nights and early mornings,” Calitz said. “Some of us also had to return from our holiday early, but it was worth it.”

He says the gratitude from the school’s children and teachers, as well as community members, who would stop and thank them for their help while they were busy working, makes it all worthwhile.

The students plan to stay involved with the crèche and say the renovation plan was drafted in such a way that when they move along, another group can simply pick up from their work with ease.

Mrs Sarah Mothoana, the crèche matron, thanked the students as well as everyone who assisted them in “creating a wonderful, safe and healthy environment for the children.”
 

 

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