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Steadily increasing PhDs among UFS academics

26 April 2023 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Charl Devenish

Faculty of Law doctoral recipients produce impactful research and increase the number of UFS academic staff with PhDs. From the left; Dr Martie Bloem; Dr Kudzai Mpofu, and Dr Anthea-Lee September-Van Huffel.

Our vision is that by 2034, the proportion of academic staff with PhDs will increase to 75%. With each graduation ceremony, the University of the Free State (UFS) is moving closer to making this a reality. Our aspirations of becoming a research-led institution that prides itself on academic excellence, quality, and impact, are outlined in Vision 130, which is the strategic intent to reposition the UFS for its 130th anniversary.

This year’s April graduation saw a general total of 94 PhDs being conferred, which is a significant growth compared to the 84 conferred during last year’s April graduation ceremonies.

On 20 April 2023, three of the ten candidates conferred the new title of ‘Dr’ by the Faculty of Law, were UFS academic staff. Dr Kudzai Mpofu (Research Assistant in the Department of Mercantile Law), Dr Anthea-Lee September-Van Huffel (Private Law lecturer), and Dr Martie Bloem (Private Law lecturer) were just a few of many UFS academics to receive their doctoral degrees this autumn.

Saving small businesses through quality research

Dr Mpofu's study contributes to the development of business rescue legislation aimed at restructuring small businesses in financial distress. He used a comparative research methodology to evaluate the business rescue models of small enterprises in Kenya, the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa.

In his thesis, titled: A business rescue model for unincorporated business entities in South Africa, he proposed a business rescue model that provides eligibility criteria, a procedural framework consisting of a step-by-step rescue process, and an institutional framework addressing the roles/duties of the debtor, business rescue practitioner, and the judiciary in ensuring that unincorporated business entities are rehabilitated.

Part of the Vision 130 plan is to enhance research capacity and capabilities by placing a greater emphasis on the balance between research, teaching, and learning for impact. Dr Mpofu is driven by the desire to make an impact.

“I am motivated to use my expertise and research to make a positive impact on society. I look forward to applying my research findings to real-world problems, engaging with policy makers, industry professionals, and community organisations, and making meaningful contributions to society through my academic work,” he said.

Interrogating government’s regulation of South Africa’s natural resources

Dr September-Van Huffel’s research study, titled: A critical investigation of state custodianship and its implications for the South African property regime, evaluates the potential for change in the interaction between the government as public trustee or custodian and private property holders as far as land reform is concerned.

Her thesis investigates a state custodianship approach to rural agricultural land, particularly within the context of land reform initiatives and increased regulatory control over natural resources such as water, minerals, and land for public interest; and the efficacy of the construct of state custodianship should it be applied to land as a natural resource. Her research considers the socio-political basis for the legal construct of state custodianship, and whether this novel construct has proven capable of delivering transformative outcomes such as equitable redistribution.

Advocating for diversity to transform the legal system

With her thesis, titled: The requirement of ‘fit and proper’ for the legal profession: a South African perspective, Dr Bloem challenges the entry criteria for practising law.

“With this thesis, I challenge the current understanding and application of the ‘fit and proper’ requirement for admission to legal practice, finding that it is superficial and one-dimensional. I argue for the re-imagining of the requirement to allow for diversity and for the critical thinking needed to enable transformation of the legal profession.”

Dr Bloem adds, “The study draws a direct link between objectives such as public interest, access to justice, and social justice. I also propose that being ‘fit and proper’ should be a continuous responsibility of all legal professionals and informed by constitutional values, not mere compliance with fixed rules of conduct. With this thesis, I intend to contribute to the transformation of the legal profession as well as legal education.”

News Archive

A new dawn for student governance

2011-09-02

Our SRC presidents: Richard Chemaly (Bloemfontein Campus) and Bongani Ncgaca (Qwaqwa Campus)
Photo: Hannes Pieterse

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The successful and peaceful completion of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Student Representative (SRC) elections 2011 herals a new dawn for student governance with the announcement of the results today (1 September 2011).

The SRC elections at the Qwaqwa Campus were completed on 25 August 2011, while the elections at our Bloemfontein Campus took place on 29 and 30 August 2011.

“A new dawn heralds a new day when Richard Chemaly, the son of Lebanese immigrants becomes President of an SRC, as elected by students from all racial backgrounds and from across the student body at large. A new day has arrived when candidates could have won voter support across racial lines; a new day is here when all SRC members are now recognised leaders on the basis of academic accountability,” the Dean of Student Affairs, Mr Rudi Buys, says.

A new dawn has arrived; firstly, insofar as student elections for the choice of student leaders at the UFS now proceed according to a non-racial and a non-party political basis.

Not only did the SRC elections at both the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses achieve its required quorum, with 31% (4 729 votes) and 50% (2 112 votes) voter turnout, respectively, but the SRC elected by students at the Bloemfontein Campus is 55% black and 45% white, and 60% female and 40% male. The numbers of votes gained by successful candidates also indicate that voters from all racial backgrounds have voted for their candidates of choice.

Secondly, a new dawn has arrived insofar as student governance occupied by only some student groups claiming to speak on behalf of all students has made way for direct voting for candidates by the broad student body and the threefold increase of student governance structures on campus.

Not only did all students at our Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses (a total of 15 173 and 4 257, respectively) have the opportunity to participate in voting directly, but nine additional Student Councils were established at our Bloemfontein Campus that each holds an ex officio seat on the SRC and allows for student governance in all the major student sectors of the student body, such as for postgraduate students, international students and all categories of student associations.

The various councils now established include the Student Academic Affairs Council, the Student Associations Council, the Postgraduate Student Council, the International Student Council, the Student Media Council, the Residences Student Council, the Commuter Student Council and the Rag Community Service Fundraising and Service Councils. In addition, all faculties also introduced student representative structures at departmental and faculty level in 2011 to ensure student participation in faculty management and governance.

The SRC members at the Bloemfontein Campus are:

Elective portfolios:
President: Mr Richard Chemaly
Vice-President: Mr Lefata David Maklein
Secretary: Ms Matshepo Ramokgadi
Treasurer: Mr Werner Pretorius
Arts & Culture: Ms Alta Grobelaar
Accessibility & Student Support: Mr William Clayton
First-generation Students: Ms Petre du Plessis
Media, Marketing & Liaison: Ms Biejanka Calitz
Sport: Mr Bonolo Thebe
Student Development & Environmental Affairs: Ms Busisiwe Madikizela
Transformation: Ms Qaqamba Mhlauli

Ex officio portfolios:
Dialogue & Ex officio: Associations Student Council: Mr Anesu Ruswa
Academic Affairs & Ex officio: Academic Affairs Student Council: Mr Jean Vermaas
Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Campus Residences Student Council: Ms Mpho Mokaleng
City student Affairs & Ex officio: Commuter Student Council: Ms Annemieke Plekker
Postgraduate Affairs & Ex officio: Postgraduate Student Council: Ms Glancina Mokone
International Affairs & Ex officio: International Student Council: Mr Pitso Ramokoatsi
Student Media Affairs & Ex officio: Student Media Council: Ms Nicole Heyns
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Fundraising Council: Ms Iselma Parker
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Community Service Council: Ms Motheo Pooe

In the Qwaqwa elections, SASCO achieved 36,84% of the vote, with SADESMO, PASMA and NASMO each achieving 29,73% and 18,56% and 12,74%, respectively .

Mr Bongani Ncgaca was elected as the President of the SRC at our Qwaqwa Campus, while the names of the SRC members at the campus will be announced on 7 September 2011.

The Central SRC will be established on 8 September 2011 by a joint sitting of the two SRCs.

The successful completion of the SRC elections at the Bloemfontein Campus follows a yearlong review process of student governance by a Broad Student Transformation Forum (BSTF) that consists of 59 delegations from student organisations and residences. The BSTF adopted independent candidacy for elective portfolios and additional student councils to provide ex officio seats on the SRC as the template for student governance, following the consideration of a series of benchmarking reports on student governance nationally and internationally.

The UFS Council adopted the new SRC Constitution, as drafted and submitted by the BSTF, on 3 June 2011.

Media Release
1 September 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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