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03 January 2023
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Story Lacea Loader
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Photo Evert Kleynhans
Dr Dolf van Niekerk.
The University of the Free State (UFS) would like to express its condolences to the family and friends of South African author, Dr Dolf van Niekerk, on his passing.
Dr Van Niekerk, the recipient of an
honorary doctorate from the UFS, passed away on 31 December 2022. The UFS awarded a Doctor of Letters to Dr Dolf van Niekerk during its April 2021 graduation ceremony.
Dr Van Niekerk was a celebrated author who also achieved fame as a dramatist and radio presenter. An alumnus of the UFS, he received a BA degree from the university cum laude in 1949. He also played a role in academia and was an emeritus professor at the University of Pretoria until his retirement in 1994. His work includes 27 books in philosophy, poetry, fiction, drama, and memoirs, for which he has received numerous awards. These include the
Eugene Marais Prize, the MER Prize, and the Scheepers Award for Youth Literature.
“Dr van Niekerk is a Kovsie alumnus with a deep connection to the Free State. He played a significant role in the country’s literary history, and it was an honour for the university to award him with an honorary degree. A wordsmith of note, Dr van Niekerk’s contributions to South African literature, radio, and stage will live on," says
Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor.
University of the Free State Choir mesmerises its audience
2011-10-31
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| Photo: Johan Roux |
The University of the Free State Choir enchanted its audience during a special performance on the Bloemfontein Campus recently. The choir, under the direction of Corné van Pletzen, performed works by, among others, Giacomo Puccini, Allen Pote and Ola Gjeilo. Songs in Sesotho, Setswana and Xhosa, arranged and conducted by Bonisile Gcisa, ensured that the evening had a well-rounded ending.
"The choir is a proud asset and valued component of what this treasured place of higher learning holds dear – the highest standards for human and academic endeavour. It projects in its membership and its repertoire those powerful messages of inclusion and embrace, of hope and healing, in our troubled land and it represents the highest standards of music in our country and beyond," said Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, after the performance. Prof. Jansen thanked Mr Van Pletzen and his team for their outstanding leadership as well as the students in the choir for understanding how important the choir is to Kovsies and its broader messages of excellence and embrace.
The Sentraal Secondary School choir performed a song with the University Choir which was composed by Mr Van Pletzen.