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UFS sympathises with the passing of Dr Dolf van Niekerk

03 January 2023 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Evert Kleynhans

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.

News Archive

Renowned writer for Africa Day

2012-05-08

Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Photo: Daniel Anderson-UComm
8 May 2012

Profile of Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (pdf format)

To commemorate Africa Day on 25 May 2012, we will be hosting one of the continent’s most renowned writers, Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o.

Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o will deliver an Africa Day Lecture titled, “The Blackness of Black: Africa in the World Today”.

Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, who was born in Kenya, is currently a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine. He is the recipient of eight Honorary Doctorates and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Famous works of Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o include A grain of wheat, Weep not child, The river between, Secret lives and Petals of blood.

Africa Day marks the founding of the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) in 1963. Although the OAU underwent a name change in July 2002 to become the African Union (AU), 25 May still commemorated to symbolise Africa’s independence from foreign political control and affirms Africa’s quest for durable peace and unity.

Date: 25 May 2012
Venue: Odeion
Time: 18:00

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