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12 January 2023 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Supplied
Siphilangenkosi Dlamini
Siphilangenkosi Dlamini, University of the Free State student participating at the 2022 Africa YouLead Summit, was elected chairperson of the African Youth Business Council.
Siphilangenkosi Dlamini, a final-year undergraduate student in Political Governance and Transformation, is flying the University of the Free State flag high, leading initiatives on the continent that promote youth-led entrepreneurship and enterprise innovation, job creation, housing, and feeding for Africa’s youth population.

Participating in the annual Africa YouLead Summit in Arusha, Tanzania, where he was also appointed the Interim Chairperson of the African Youth Business Council with effect from 1 February 2023, Dlamini said: “The event was an opportunity to contribute with solutions to issues affecting young people across the continent, including political unrest and food security. We are urging leadership across the continent to not just make young people stakeholders but to contribute to the solutions and sustainable development.”

Dlamini is also serving as the Executive Chairperson of the United Nations in South Africa, a position he has held since January 2022.

The summit, organised by YouLead and held in December 2022, brought together young leaders from across Africa to discuss issues of importance to the continent and to share ideas and experiences. YouLead is a non-profit organisation empowering young people to become leaders in their communities and to drive positive change under the flagship of the African Union, East African Community, and the Southern African Development Community. 

Leading a South African delegation, Dlamini represented the UFS, with the theme for the 2022 summit being ‘Digital access and the future of work’, where he participated in a panel discussing regional security and peacekeeping.

During discussions, Dlamini said: “As the youth of Africa, we strive to move away from policy rhetoric to actual groundwork so as to domesticate the agenda of peace and security by operationalising structures at the grassroots, local efforts, and collaboration at the African Union level. One thing is sure, we are going to be radical about this agenda."

Dlamini said: “I was fortunate to also participate in the Under 40 Business Forum, with young people leading talks about empowerment and entrepreneurship.”

An entrepreneur himself, Dlamini is author of the book Magic and Other Authentic Experiences and Chief Executive Officer of Lihawu Logistics. 


Dlamini believes the summit was a valuable opportunity “to learn and to be inspired to take action and make a difference in their communities and beyond”.

News Archive

UFS first to mechanise agricultural technique
2006-05-09

    

Small farmers from Thaba `Nchu were the biggest group attending the farmers day at the UFS Paradys experimental farm.  From the left are Mr David Motlhale (a small farmer from Thaba 'Nchu), Prof Leon van Rensburg (lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and project leader), Mr Nhlonipho Nhlabatsi (Agricultural Research Council, Glen), Ms Meisie Mthethwa (small farmer from Bloemspruit).  In front is Mr Patrick Molatodi (chairperson of the Tswelopele Small Farmer Association).
 

 

Some of the participants of the farmers day at the UFS Paradys experimental farm were from the left Prof Leon van Rensburg (lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and project leader, Mr Patrick Molatodi (chairperson of the Tswelopele Small Farmers Association) and Prof Herman van Schalkwyk (Dean: UFS Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences).

UFS first tertiary institution in world to mechanise agricultural technique
The University of the Free State (UFS) is the first tertiary institution in the world to mechanise the in-field rain water harvesting technique on a commercial scale.

The technique was recently demonstrated to about 100 small farmers at the UFS Paradys experimental farm outside Bloemfontein. 

“With this technique rain water is channeled to the plant and in this way food security is increased.  The advantage of the technique for commercial farmers lies in the reduced cultivation of land.  Small farmers will benefit from this because they can now move out into the fields and away from farming in their back yards,” says Prof Leon van Rensburg, lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and project leader.    

Rain water harvesting is an antique concept that was used by communities before the birth of Christ.  In South Africa the technique is mainly used in the plots of small farmers where they make surface structures by hand. 

"The technique is also used for the first time by the UFS on commercial scale by means of the cultivation of a summer crop on 100 ha at the Paradys experimental farm,” says Prof Leon van Rensburg,

Of the farmers who attended the farmers day most represented about 42 rural communities in the vicinity of Thaba ‘Nchu.  A group of seven from KwaZulu-Natal also attended the proceedings.  These small farmers can for example apply this technique successfully on the 250-300 ha communal land that is available in the Thaba ‘Nchu area. 

The project is funded by the UFS and the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the farmers’ day was funded by the Water Research Commission.   

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
9 May 2006

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