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06 February 2023 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Sonia Small
Burta De Kock - Head Coach of UFS Netball
Burta de Kock has been re-elected to serve on the new World Netball Coaching Advisory Panel.
Burta de Kock, the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Netball Head Coach since 2002, has been elected to serve on the new World Netball Coaching Advisory Panel. 

De Kock, whose coaching career spans the past three decades, has coached the Kovsie Netball team, the national South African Proteas, as well as the South Africa Under 23s in the past twenty years. 

Under her leadership, Kovsie Netball is the university team that has won the most gold medals and produced 18 brilliant South African Protea players, with Refiloe Nketsa as the latest Kovsie Protea player. Moreover, the university has also won several Varsity Netball competitions, as well as other titles like USSA and Varsity Netball.

Currently, she is still coaching the Kovsie Netball team and the Free State A team in the SA Spar Championships.

Fifth year serving on the panel

De Kock describes her reappointment to the World Netball Coaching Advisory Panel as a great honour. This will be the fifth year that she will serve on the panel. 

According to a statement by World Netball, the panel will advise the World Netball CEO, Clare Briegal, and the board. The structure, consisting of nine members – with Dr Anita Navin as Chair, will be working with the board to support the development and implementation of agreed priorities in the World Netball Strategic Plan, particularly focusing on driving the development of quality coaches and coaching worldwide.

As a South African serving on this international platform, De Kock believes she brings a way of thinking from the African side of netball. 

As a result of the direct contact with international teams and coaches that this platform brings, she looks forward to making use of this opportunity to learn from them, to share information, and to develop successful players and coaches at universities, both locally and internationally.

Learn from one another 

She also believes that her exposure to international teams and coaches can provide valuable guidelines to Kovsie Netball – with their unique style – on where they need to adapt to enhance their performance and win games against international teams such as Australia, New Zealand, and England. 

In addition, she is also excited about connecting the university with international institutions and clubs. “This is how we grow. We can learn from each other and serve Africa,” she says. 

News Archive

Fracking in the Karoo has advantages and disadvantages
2012-05-25

 

Dr Danie Vermeulen
Photo: Leatitia Pienaar
25 May 2012

Fracking for shale gas in the Karoo was laid bare during a public lecture by Dr Danie Vermeulen, Director of the Institute for Groundwater Studies (IGS). He shared facts, figures and research with his audience. No “yes” or “no” vote was cast. The audience was left to decide for itself.

The exploitation of shale gas in the pristine Karoo has probably been one of the most debated issues in South Africa since 2011.
 
Dr Vermeulen’s lecture, “The shale gas story in the Karoo: both sides of the coin”, was the first in a series presented by the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science under the theme “Sustainability”. Dr Vermeulen is a trained geo-hydrologist and geologist. He has been involved in fracking in South Africa since the debate started. He went on a study tour to the USA in 2011 to learn more about fracking and he visited the USA to further his investigation in May 2012.
 
Some of the information he shared, includes:

- It is estimated that South Africa has the fifth-largest shale-gas reserves in the world, following on China, the USA, Argentina and Mexico.
- Flow-back water is stored in sealed tanks and not in flow-back dams.
- Fracturing will not contaminate the water in an area, as the drilling of the wells will go far deeper than the groundwater aquifers. Every well has four steel casings – one within the other – with the gaps between them sealed with cement.
- More than a million hydraulic fracturing simulations took place in the USA without compromising fresh groundwater. The surface activities can cause problems because that is where man-made and managerial operations could cause pollution.
- Water use for shale-gas exploration is lower than for other kinds of energy, but the fact that the Karoo is an arid region makes the use of groundwater a sensitive issue. Dr Vermeulen highlighted this aspect as his major concern regarding shale-gas exploration.
- The cost to develop is a quarter of the cost for an oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
- Dolerite intrusions in the Karoo are an unresearched concern. Dolerite is unique to the South African situation. Dolerite intrusion temperatures exceed 900 °C.

He also addressed the shale-gas footprint, well decommissioning and site reclamation, radio activity in the shale and the low possibility of seismic events.
 
Dr Vermeulen said South Africa is a net importer of energy. About 90% of its power supply is coal-based. For continued economic growth, South Africa needs a stable energy supply. It is also forecast that energy demand in South Africa is growing faster than the average global demand.
 
Unknowns to be addressed in research and exploration are the gas reserves and gas needs of South Africa. Do we have enough water? What will be the visual and social impact? Who must do the exploration?
 
“Only exploration will give us these answers,” Dr Vermeulen said.

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