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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

UFS contribution awarded

2004-07-28

From left are Mr Jaco Potgieter, vise-chairperson of the ATKV Bloemfontein branch, Mr Kobus van der Linde and Prof. Frederick Fourie.

The UFS presented a special centenary breakfast with the focus on a variety of campus art. Mr Kobus van der Linde, chairman of the ATKV Bloemfontein branch handed a plaque to the Rector, Prof. Frederick Fourie. The plaque is awarded to the UFS for its contribution as tertiary institution over the past 100 years.

To the breakfast were added discussions on campus architecture, song items, music and comical resitations by respectively Mr Kobus du Preez, Lecturer at the Department of Architecture at the UFS, Mr Thabo Hlongwane, a singer, Music Incorporated, Anneri Wessels and Alta Kriel, both Kovsie alumni and involved in drama part-time.

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