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12 June 2023 | Story Samkelo Fetile
UFS Thought-Leader Series
2023 UFS Thought-Leader Series: A culture of acceptance – is this South Africa’s greatest threat?

 


 

2023 UFS Thought-Leader Series

PRESENTS

a panel discussion titled

A culture of acceptance – is this South Africa’s greatest threat?


Watch the livestream (live on 13 July 2023)


 

The University of the Free State is pleased to announce the upcoming UFS Thought-Leader panel discussion titled “A Culture of Acceptance – South Africa’s Greatest Threat?” as part of the 2023 Thought-Leader Series. A public South African higher-education institution, The University of the Free State (UFS) recognises its responsibility to contribute to the public discourse. In collaboration with the Free State Literature Festival, this event will bring together esteemed thought leaders to shed light on the social, political, economic, and business landscape of South Africa and its implications for our future. The panel discussion will be facilitated by Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS.

Panel discussion presented on 13 July 2023

The general state of decay we are currently experiencing in our various structures of governance on nearly all levels is preventing the economic growth that our country so desperately needs to move forward. Our current national financial status is clearly the result of not only poor government performance, but also a totally deficient policy environment. Part of the threats currently facing our country is civil society’s attitude of accepting rampant corruption, crime, and economic degradation as if it is something inevitable and unavoidable. The question is: has our current situation created a society that has simply accepted its fate? Or has it created a society that has become more innovative and creative, actively navigating current challenges, and finding new solutions to societal issues independent of government?  These are some of the aspects we look forward to discussing with the esteemed panel.

 

Date:Thursday 13 July 2023
Time:10:00-12:00
Venue:Albert Wessels Auditorium, Bloemfontein Campus
RSVP:https://events.ufs.ac.za/e/ThoughtLeaderPanel  by 10 July 2023

 

Refreshments will be served.

For further information, contact Alicia Pienaar at pienaaran1@ufs.ac.za.

Some of the topics discussed by leading experts in 2022 included, among others, Crime in South Africa – who is to blame; Are our glasses half full or half empty; What needs to be done to power up South Africa?; and A look into the future of South Africa. This year’s webinar series commenced in April, when we discussed Threats to South Africa’s stability and security challenges.

 

Facilitator:

Prof Francis PetersenVice-Chancellor and Principal, UFS
   
Panellists:Prof Bonang Mohale

President: Business Unity South Africa

   
 Prof Piet Croucamp

Senior Lecturer, Political Studies and International Relations: North-West University

   
 Dr Sipho Pityana

Founder and Chairman: Izingwe Capital (Pty) Limited

   
 Dr Lindie Koorts

Research Fellow: International Studies Group, UFS

 

Bios of speakers:

 


Prof Bonang Mohale

Bonang Mohale is the President of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), Chancellor of the University of the Free State, Professor of Practice in the Johannesburg Business School (JBS) College of Business and Economics and Chairman of The Bidvest Group Limited, SBV Services and ArcelorMittal! He is a member of the Community of Chairpersons (CoC) of the World Economic Forum.

Mohale, a highly respected South African businessman, has held several leadership positions; namely, CEO of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), Vice President and Chairman of Shell South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Executive Vice President of SAA and MD of Otis (Pty) Ltd, among others. A vocal, agent courageous change, Mohale is known for his patriotism and active role in advancing the interests of South Africa. Mohale has a distinguished career and track record of leading and building successful companies and making significant advances in the transformation of these companies.

An avid writer, Mohale is the author of the bestselling books, “Lift As You Rise“ and “Behold The Turtle” which contain and reveals the issues he is passionate about. Mohale has been included in the Reputation Poll International’s (RPI) 2023 list of the ‘100 Most Reputable Africans’. The selection criteria are Integrity, Reputation, Transparency, Visibility, and Impact.

 


Prof Piet Croucamp

Professor Piet Croucamp teaches politics at the North-West University. His research interest is the social origins of violence. He has published extensively in both national and international scholarly journals.

 


Dr Sipho Pityana

Dr Sipho Mila Pityana is a business leader with extensive experience, having served in both executive and non-executive capacities on several local and international boards of blue-chip companies. He is the founder and Chairman of his private investment firm Izingwe. He is currently Chairman of the JSE-listed Redefine Properties, and non-executive Director of the Absa Bank Group. He is the former Chairman of AngloGold Ashanti Limited, and Munich Re of Africa. He also served as a lead independent Director of the Absa Group and an executive director of Nedcor Investment Bank, among others.  He was the founding delegate of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC), and he was one of the founding members of the governing body of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration. He served on the governing body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). His passion for education has seen him serve as Registrar of the University of Fort Hare, Chairperson of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), and former Chairperson of the Council of the University of Cape Town.

 


Dr Lindie Koorts

Dr. Lindie Koorts is a historian, biographer and author. She is a Research Associate at the University of the Free State's International Studies Group and a regular media commentator, who often writes on the links between current affairs and history.


 

Livestream

 

WATCH: 2023 UFS Thought-Leader Series (Live on 13 July 2023)

News Archive

International organised crime expert speaks at our university
2011-07-25

 

Prof. Johann Henning, Dean of our Faculty of Law and Prof. Barry Rider.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

Prof. Barry Rider, respected amongst others for the vital role he is playing in the struggle to combat money laundering and organised and economic crime delivered a lecture, Stewardship in Islamic Financial Law, at our university as part of the Faculty of Law’s Prestige Series of seminars.

He has taught mainly at Cambridge and London Universities and has delivered a valuable contribution as an academic in various fields of law. He has read papers and taught at more than 300 universities and conferences in more than 63 countries. He has also authored more than 35 legal handbooks and has made a substantial contribution to several more specialist publications. He is editor of, amongst others, The Company Lawyer, the International and Comparative Corporate Law Journal and the Journal of Financial Crime. His main areas of research are in financial law and the control of economic crime.
 
Prof. Rider has a relationship of more than twenty years with our university. In this time, he received the Doctor Legum (honoris causa) for his involvement with the drafting of money laundering and insider trading legislation. The university has also appointed him as Professor Honorarius in the Faculty of Law (only the second in its more than hundred-year history) for his vast and pivotal role in international law reform as an academic law reformer.
 
As part of his appointment as Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Law, Prof. Rider often delivers lectures in the faculty. During his recent visit, Prof. Rider’s lecture on Islamic Financial Law shed light on the importance of this topic in today’s economy, as money generated from Islamic businesses make up $750 billion to $trillion of the world’s economy. After 9/11, the West wanted to understand more about Islamic Financial Law.
 
The Islamic Financial Law system is determined by the Koran. For instance, Muslim business people cannot allow any payment of interest, as it is forbidden by the Koran.
 
Prof. Rider’s lecture on this very relevant topic was very insightful. As consultant to the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) he spoke with authority on the topic. He is the only British academic lawyer assisting this body.
 
Prof. Rider currently serves in an advisory capacity at the international law firm Bryan Cave LLP. Apart from the IFSB, he is also consultant to the Asian Development Bank.

 

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