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03 January 2023
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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.
Higher Education South Africa (HESA) met at the UFS
2006-05-25
Higher Education South Africa (HESA) met today at the University of the Free State (UFS) for its quarterly meeting. Twenty two vice-chancellors from universities across South Africa met in the Main Building of the UFS. The meeting, which normally takes place in Johannesburg, was moved to Bloemfontein to give the vice-chancellors the opportunities to attend the first Moshoeshoe Memorial Lecture that will be presented on the UFS campus tonight.
At the meeting were from the left: Dr Theuns Eloff (Vice-Chancellor North-West University and Deputy Chairperson of HESA), Dr Rolf Stumpf (Vice-Chancellor of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Prof Njabulo Ndebele (Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town), Prof Barney Pityana (Vice-Chancellor of UNISA and Chairperson of HESA) and Prof Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS).
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs