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03 January 2023 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Evert Kleynhans
Dr Dolf van Niekerk
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.

News Archive

Kovsie student off to global leadership camp in Thailand
2013-06-01

Ifa Tshishonge
24 June 2013

Student leaders from around the world, representing countries such as the United States, Germany, Japan, India, Pakistan and Vietnam, will take part in a global leadership camp at Mahasarakhan University (MSU) in Thailand from 24 June to 4 July 2013. Among them will be a Kovsie student, the only representative from the African continent.

Ifa Tshishonge, a third-year LLB student, is heading to MSU where he will engage with other young leaders in matters such as community service projects, public speaking and eco-tourism. The camp will give students an opportunity to develop their leadership skills. About 80 students will participate, 20 of them representatives from MSU. The rest are delegates from partner universities from around the world.

Tshishonge is excited to interact with fellow young leaders. “As the only African representative, I am looking forward to being part of a group which will continue to create economic and societal progress in a responsible and sustainable manner on a global scale,” he says.

This Kovsie has steadily been gravitating toward leadership roles. He has served in the SRC as a member of the First Generation Student, as well as a member of Constitutional Affairs subcommittees.Tshishonge is currently the chairperson of the Reformed Church Bloemfontein Student Fellowship (RCBSF) Association on the Bloemfontein Campus.

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