UFS Womxn’s Forum members recently came together to support the KovsieAct’s donation drive for the Jagersfontein Community. The handover took place took place at the KovsieAct office of the University of the Free State Bloemfontein on Thursday 13 October 2022. The Jagersfontein community recently experienced a series of natural disasters when two dams collapsed less than weeks apart in the month of September, flooding the community and engulfing people’s homes with sludge. The collapse, caused by a combination of harmful mining practices, poor government regulation and municipal negligence, caused many to lose their homes and livelihood.
KovsieAct has been running a collection drive on all three University of the Free State Campuses: the South Campus, Qwaqwa Campus and Bloemfontein Campus. UFS WF wanted to support this donation drive, because it is more than just a structure that organises around university work and projects; it is a structure that cares deeply for the community and the variety of social justice issues that oppress people of colour and womxn inside and outside of the UFS WF structure. The forum understands that to emancipate and empower those within their structure, they must empower the communities they come from first. especially when they are faced with challenges like ecological injustice, poverty, crime and violence; issues that disproportionally affect women and people of colour in South Africa and across the world.
Members of the forum came together, pulling together what little resources they have, as well as their time and passion, to run their own mini-donation drive. They were able to collect various homeware items, including pots, plates, cutlery and many other things. An ongoing knitting project that forms part of the forum, but that has participants who are both members and not members of the UFS WF, donated beautifully crafted artistic baby blankets and beanies for all ages. This project is led by UFS WF executive committee member, Nelia Oosthuysen, from the Office of International Affairs. Oosthuysen runs this project alongside the UFS’s remarkable and talented women, including Lourette Wilson, Yolanda Liebenberg, Zaynab Mobara and many others. Oosthuysen adds:
I run this project alongside the UFS Women’s Forum, as well as a few external remarkable and talented group of dedicated women who want to make a difference in the world! Our contribution is inspired by Mother Theresa’s work and her famous quote that says: “Charity isn't about pity; it is about love … Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
Image above: Nelia Oosthuysen from the Office of the International Affairs and UFS WF Ex-Officio.
Image above: Geraldine Meyer and Oosthuysen show off some of the blankets
The donations were received by KovsieAct staff and Engineering Science student, Lutho Gwarubana, who works closely with the office and shared his deep concern for Jagersfontein both as a person who cares deeply about positive community upliftment and as an Engineering Science student. He believes professions such as his study area have an ethical, professional and social responsibility to ensure that their work takes place even in the most marginalised communities in order to improve lives, while also preventing similar disasters in the future. Gwarubana adds”
I think that the collaboration between KovsieACT and the UFS WF will have a good impact on the lives of individuals in the Jagersfontein community. As a young engineering student and member of KovsieACT, I hope to gain information that can help prevent such tragedies and be a beneficial impact in our community.
Gwarubana’s desire to be in service of others is nurtured and guided by Teddy Sibiya, Senior Assistant Officer at Kovsie Support Services. Sibiya is leading the KovsieAct donation drive and was also there to accept the UFS WF donation. Sibiya added:
It is indeed a privilege to have organizations of this calibre at our university, with people who are prepared to give towards the active, civic, teaching mission and unselfish upliftment of our community. The UFS Womxn’s Forum, a foundation known for empowering communities in various ways, has once again proven its diligence in caring for the community when it donated towards the Jagersfontein relief. The collaboration of different organisations really allows the University he Free State to care for neighbouring communities.