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25 January 2023 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Supplied
Prof Vasu Reddy
Prof Vasu Reddy, newly appointed Vice-Rector: Research and Internationalisation.

Prof Vasu Reddy has been appointed as Vice-Rector: Research and Internationalisation of the University of the Free State (UFS). His appointment for a five-year term was approved by the university’s Council during its quarterly meeting on 25 November 2022.

Prof Reddy completed a BA, BAHons, and an HDE at the University of Natal (Durban), a master’s at Wits University, and a PhD in Gender Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He began his career in languages, comparative literature, and gender studies as a lecturer at the same institution in 1993, before moving through the ranks as senior lecturer, associate professor, honorary professor, and research fellow. He was also Executive Director of the Human and Social Development Research Programme at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) before joining the University of Pretoria as Professor of Sociology and Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities in 2015.

“Prof Reddy has valuable experience in the South African higher education sector, and his extensive networks – nationally, on the continent, and globally – will contribute greatly to the university’s intent for the coming years to be a research-led university that contributes to development and social justice through the production of globally competitive graduates and knowledge. His portfolio will play a critical role in supporting the institution’s Vision 130, which is a formulation of our aspirations and intentions to reposition the UFS leading up to 2034, when the university will celebrate 130 years of existence,” says Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor.

Prof Reddy is a member of the Academy of Sciences of South Africa (ASSAf) and a B1 NRF-rated scientist. His research areas are African sexualities, genders, and inequalities, which exposes the persistent silences around sexualities (also aligned to HIV/AIDS). His research focuses on the importance of sexual cultures to interpret and understand sexual diversity in promoting people’s rights, well-being, and dignity with local and international research partners. He has supported an extensive number of postgraduate students and contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications as both author and editor. He also boasts an extensive list of local and international conferences and is a respected workshop and short course facilitator.

Between 2007 and 2022, he was involved in obtaining substantive research funds, which contributed to numerous projects, including topics such as gender-based violence, affirmative action, poverty, food security, sexuality, education, public intellectuals, and equality – to name a few.

Prof Reddy is a regular guest for local and international media, providing expert opinions and insight in his field of interest. He was part of a Ford-funded international project on sexualities and pedagogies and had several successful linkages with institutions in the USA and the UK. He has also been involved in successful partnerships with civil society organisations and some multilateral agencies that have resulted in successful research collaborations with scholars and activists in South Africa, other parts of Africa, India, Europe, the UK, Latin America, and North America.

“Prof Reddy’s experience in these positions and his demonstrated success with research collaborations across different sectors place him in good standing to lead research and internationalisation at the UFS, “says Prof Petersen.

Prof Reddy will assume duty on 1 May 2023.

News Archive

SA must appoint competent judges
2009-05-08

 
At the inaugural lecture are, from the left: Prof. Teuns Verschoor, Acting Rector of the UFS, Judge Farlam and Prof. Johan Henning, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the UFS.

Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Ian Farlam has called on the South African government to appoint and continue to appoint competent, fair and experienced judicial officers to sit in the country’s courts.

He also emphasised the need to have an efficient and highly respected appellate division, which rightly enjoys the confidence of all.

Judge Farlam was speaking at the University of the Free State (UFS) where he delivered his inaugural lecture as Extraordinary Professor in Roman Law, Legal History and Comparative Law in the Faculty of Law.

He said there were important lessons that emanated from the study of legal history in the Free State, particularly including the lesson that there were courageous jurists who spoke up for what they believed to be right, and a legislature who listened and did the right thing when required.

“This is part of our South African heritage which is largely forgotten – even by those whose predecessors were directly responsible for it. It is something which they and the rest of us can remember with pride,” Judge Farlam said.

Addressing the topic, Cox and Constitutionalism: Aspects of Free State Legal History, Judge Farlam used the murder trial of Charles Cox, who was accused of killing his wife and both daughters, to illustrate several key points of legal history.

Cox was eventually found guilty and executed, however, the trial caused a deep rift between the Afrikaans and English speaking communities in the Free State.

Judge Farlam also emphasised that the Free State Constitution embodied the principle of constitutionalism, with the result that the Free State was a state where the Constitution and not the legislature was sovereign. He said it was unfortunate that this valuable principle was eliminated in the Free State after the Boer War and said that it took 94 years before it was reinstated.

Judge Farlam added, “Who knows what suffering and tragedy might not have been avoided if, instead of the Westminster system, which was patently unsuited to South African conditions, we had gone into Union in 1910 with what one can describe as the better Trekker tradition, the tradition of constitutionalism that the wise burghers of the Free State chose in 1854 to take over into their Constitution from what we would call today the constitutional best practice of their time?”

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
8 May 2009
             

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