Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
21 August 2023 | Story André Damons | Photo André Damons
Minister Noxolo Kiviet
Minister Noxolo Kiviet, minister of Public Service and Administration, addresses the students and guests during the ceremony.

Noxolo Kiviet, Minister of Public Service and Administration, says well-trained, capable and ethical public servants and senior management can go a long way in stemming the tide of corruption, maladministration and malfeasance.

Kiviet addressed the certificate ceremony of Executive Development Programme (EDP) participants on 16 August. This is a certificate programme offered by the University of the Free State (UFS) in partnership with the National School of Government (NSG). A total of 25 participants received their certificates. 

Time well-spent to change the society for the better

She said the programme is one that can address the need to build uniform skills and competence across the entire public service as envisioned in the national framework towards the professionalisation of the public sector. 

In congratulating the participants, Kiviet said they set the tone for many others for self-discovery, transformations and for great achievements. “The time was well-spent in ensuring that you will change the society for the better. Remember it’s a constitutional injunction, which we all in the public service strive for. 

“The time you spent and the knowledge that has been instilled in all of you, will remain forever in your memories. It is now time to pursue your dreams and make a positive impact on society through the skills and knowledge you have gained. You have displayed the necessary commitment to learn, to acquire and produce knowledge and develop expertise,” she said.  

Flagship leadership and development interventions

Kiviet told the graduates they had the honour to study at a special and distinctive university – an institute that deservingly commands an invaluable academic reputation, nationally and internationally. 

“We further take pride that this university is committed to the pursuit of equity and excellence as a cosmopolitan institution with many students from other countries. It is one of the leading research institutions on the continent.”

Kiviet said the programme is one of the flagship leadership and development interventions by the NSG. Its aim is to enhance the capacity of public service leaders in a dynamic, democratic and developmental state. South Africa can realise these goals by drawing on the energies of its people, growing an inclusive economy, building capabilities, enhancing the state’s capacity and promoting leadership and partnership throughout society. 

With programmes such as this in place, the minister continued, the public service can build the capacity through research, analysing and applying research results, while preparing these managers for challenges. To achieve this, the government must implement key interventions, including professional, meritocratic and ethical public administration, improved leadership, good governance and accountability. 

“You are amongst the talented people in the country. It is you who lead, reimagine and reshape the future of the country through fostering just and humane ways of conducting the affairs of the country to ensure human development and social justice at the heart of our conduct and actions. We look upon you to exercise with humility, leadership whenever you are given an opportunity.”

Kiviet said she expects the graduates to proceed and enroll for post-graduate qualifications so that they can advance their knowledge, sharpen their abilities to serve people with care and due diligence. To the leadership of the university, she said, they want to see more public servants return to the UFS and other universities for programmes in advanced project management, contract management, performance management, financial management and conflict resolution. 

“Design more bespoke programmes that address the specific skills deficit, not just generic programmes designed to credentialise people. It must be knowledge, know-how to do it, know-how to manage people, know-how to manage money without being tempted. Know-how must be at the core of what we do.”

Enhancing knowledge and skills

Prof Philippe Burger, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, said the graduates have shown their commitment and dedication to enhancing their knowledge and skills in the service of the people of South Africa. The UFS and the NSG have a fruitful partnership that aims to provide quality education and training for public servants in different fields and disciplines.  

“Through its Vision 130, the university is a leading institution for higher learning in South Africa that creates opportunities for growth through its focused research, its engaged impact, engaged scholarship, and the character of caring, inclusion and diversity. 

“So dear students, by enhancing your capabilities as public servants, you have also contributed to the vision of building a capable state as outlined in the National Development Plan. A capable state is one that has the capacity to formulate and implement policies that serve the national interest and address the root causes of poverty, inequality and unemployment,” said Prof Burger. 

According to him, this also stands key to the mandate of the NSG and in pursuing that, the NSG will always have a partner in the UFS. The short-learning programme is one of the many initiatives on which the UFS and the NSG have partnered to address the needs and challenges of the public sector, a sector where we need to live the ubuntu principle: ‘I am, because you are’. 

Prof Burger said the programme is designed to equip students with the relevant knowledge, skills and competencies that will enable them to perform their duties more efficiently and effectively and advance their career prospects in a way that says ‘I am because you are’. 

“The programme also fosters a culture of ethical and professional conduct as well as citizen-centred service delivery. We are proud of your achievements, and we welcome and hope that you apply what you have learned in your respective workplaces.” 

Programme to sharpen practice

Busani Ngcaweni, Principal of the NSG, told the graduates regardless of what they might have achieved, they understood that to sharpen practice, they have to take the bold step to come into a programme like this. “You understand that the world of serving the public is changing and that you can no longer serve the public the same way we did years ago.”

News Archive

#Women’sMonth: Men should help change narrative on violence against women – Prof Solomon
2017-08-23

 Description: Issues affecting women Tags: Prof Hussein Solomon, Department of Political Studies, violence against women, Gender and Sexual Equity Office, Women’s Month, Embrace a Sister, Boko Haram 

The panellists at a discussion on Issues
Affecting Women
at the UFS Sasol library were
Zane Thela, Head of the Gender and Sexual
Equity Office Programme, Pumla Mgobhozi, founding
member of Embrace a Sister, and
Prof Prof Hussein Solomon, Senior Professor in the
Department of Political Studies.
From the left, are: Thela, Mgobhozi, Prof Solomon,
and Betsy Eister, Director: Library and
Information Services.
Photo: Jóhann Thormählen

The fight to eradicate violence against women is one which men should be involved in. According to Prof Hussein Solomon, Senior Professor in the Department of Political Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS), men have to help change the narrative of physical abuse and sexual violence which they perpetrate against women and children.
“Let them (men who might be offended by the #men are trash) reject violent masculinities, and in the process let them redefine what being a man is about. Let fathers teach their sons that no means no.”

Panel discussion on Issues Affecting Women
Prof Solomon was part of a panel discussion on Issues Affecting Women, organised by the UFS library, in collaboration with the Gender and Sexual Equity Office and Embrace a Sister, as part of Women’s Month in the UFS Sasol library on 3 August 2017.
The other panellists were Zane Thela, Head of the Gender and Sexual Equity Office Programme at the UFS, and Pumla Mgobhozi, founding member of Embrace a Sister. Prof Solomon’s book Understanding Boko Haram, focusing on the kidnapping of 200 young women in Nigeria was also launched.

Don’t accept things as they are
Prof Solomon says that responses by the SA government have no credibility and a lot more could be done. “What is clear is that outrage alone will not end this violence.”
Even at SA universities there are many examples of how women are mistreated. “We need to ask: What more can we do as a university to assist these (female) students.”

According to Thela, it is sad that these issues are only talked about seasonally (like during Women’s Month).
Thela says people should raise their children differently in order to change the narrative. “Then men won’t think they have to prove themselves to women.”
And we shouldn’t accept things as they are: “The most dangerous statement in society is to say: ‘It has always been done this way."

Role of women in their fate
Mgobhozi emphasised that women have a hand in the way they are being seen and treated in society. She therefore asked: “What is the role of women in making sure that we dismantle patriarchy”.
According to her women, especially black women, should dismantle the status quo. She added that cultures and parents often influence the way women are seen.
“Women should fight these social problems together,” Mgobhozi says.

 

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