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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.”
Judge Ian van der Merwe unanimously re-elected as Chairperson of the UFS Council for a third term
2015-09-23
Judge Ian van der Merwe |
The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) unanimously re-elected Judge Ian van der Merwe as its Chairperson for another three years at its meeting on Friday 11 September 2015, which took place on the Bloemfontein Campus.
Judge Van der Merwe serves as Judge of the Free State High Court. He is an alumnus of the UFS and has been a member of the Council since 9 March 2007.
In accepting his re-election, Judge Van der Merwe said that he was honoured and grateful for the support. “I will do my best not to disappoint the Council and will do what is in the best interest of the UFS,” he said.
“The UFS is privileged to have in the person of Judge Van der Merwe a man of great public standing and a wealth of experience in the governance of universities, to continue to lead the Academic and Human Projects of the institution at such a critical moment in the history of South Africa”, said Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS.
Judge van der Merwe was elected as Chairperson of the UFS Council during a meeting on 20 November 2009 and was unanimously re-elected for a second term on 16 November 2012. His third term will commence on 1 January 2016.