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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

Memorial lecture to put spotlight on traditional leadership
2014-09-04

 


An age-old portrait of Morena Paulus Mopeli Mokhachane.

The UFS’s Qwaqwa Campus will be hosting the inaugural Morena Paulus Mopeli Mokhachane Memorial Lecture on Saturday 6 September 2014 at 10:00 in the Rolihlahla Mandela Hall.

The theme for the lecture is 'Embracing Traditional Leadership in South Africa' and will be delivered by Dr Nyefolo Malete from the Department of African Languages.

As part of the lecture, UFS students have already entered the essay- and poetry-writing competitions where the theme is explored from different writing angles. The lecture will be preceded by a schools public speaking contest centred on the theme.

The event will be hosted in partnership with the Mopeli Royal Family and the Free State House of Traditional Leaders.


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