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08 August 2023
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Story EDZANI NEPHALELA
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Photo EDZANI NEPHALELA
Mbulelo Aven Jafta, Xhariep Municipality Corporate Services Director, and Dr Engela van Staden, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic at the UFS, sign a memorandum of understanding to enrich various communities in the Xhariep Municipality areas through leadership training.
The University of the Free State (UFS) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Xhariep Municipality that is aimed at positively impacting communities through strategic partnerships. The organisations plan for their collaboration to make a significant difference by training 35 of their employees via the UFS Business School – 15 will undertake the Foundation Skills Short Learning Programme, and 20 the Bachelor’s degree in Management Leadership.
This joint effort will equip these employees with essential skills and knowledge and empower them to carry out their responsibilities efficiently and effectively. Rooted in the UFS’s Vision 130, this initiative fosters positive change within the community by enhancing social justice and innovation.
Dr Engela van Staden, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic at the UFS, emphasised the university's dedication to human resource development and empowering individuals. “We were very excited when we got this engagement with you, and I hope it will be fruitful for you, because that’s the intention. We are also reaching out to other municipalities because we are doing it for our country, and the sooner we do it, the better the services you will deliver to people.”
Xhariep Municipality expressed gratitude for the collaboration, recognising its significance in empowering its employees. Mbulelo Aven Jafta, Corporate Services Director at the municipality, thanked the university for accepting the partnership. “As a municipality, we are interested in capacitating our employees to perform their duties optimally. It is through these partnerships that we reach our intended targets. This is the first two projects, and many more will be coming as our partnership progresses, and we intend to use this opportunity to the best of our abilities.”
Jafta said that such partnerships encourage a more interconnected and interdependent world. “As organisations work towards common goals, they create a ripple effect that can lead to a brighter and more promising future and play a vital role in shaping a positive and sustainable future.”
UFS to celebrate Darwin Year
2008-11-10
The University of the Free State (UFS) will next year be celebrating Darwin Year with a comprehensive programme in which many of its departments will take part. The programme is spearheaded by the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, in cooperation with the National Museum.
“Next year it will be 200 years since the birth of Charles Darwin and 150 years after the publication of the first edition of his famous book ‘On the Origin of Species’”, says Prof. Jo van As, chairperson of the organising committee and head of the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the UFS.
“The programme aims to portray the influence of Darwin’s theory of evolution on various fields in the natural and agricultural sciences. It will start in February 2009 and end a year later in February 2010. We see this as a good opportunity to promote science in its broadest context,” says Prof. Van As.
According to Prof. Van As a scientific lecture programme on evolution and its impact on various fields will be presented on the Main Campus of the UFS in Bloemfontein on a monthly basis throughout next year. These will include topics such as the mechanisms of evolution: heredity and natural selection, extinction, the start of agriculture, human demography, human impact and the resistance to HIV/Aids antibiotics. The theme of the lecture programme is “The Story of Life”.
A stage play to commemorate the life of Darwin and celebrate his contribution to the understanding of life will also be performed during the Volksblad-kunstefees.
The National Museum will host different events and exhibits. “They will participate in the programme presented at the UFS, present temporary exhibitions to coincide with the programme on campus and also present their own events,” says Prof. Van As.
More information about the programme can be obtained from Ms Isabel Human at 051 401 2427 or humanci.rd@ufs.ac.za.
Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
10 November 2008