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#YouthMonth: Celebrating youth empowerment (Akani Baloyi)

26 June 2023 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State (UFS) is celebrating Youth Month by showcasing the positive influence of the institution on career development. As part of this initiative, we are sharing the stories of UFS alumni who are now working at the university.

Akani Baloyi, Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) Intern in the Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC), shares her UFS journey:

Q: Year of graduation from the UFS:

A: 2016, 2018, and 2023.

Q: Qualification obtained from the UFS:

A: My first qualification was a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Human Societal Dynamics, my second qualification was a Postgraduate Diploma in Disaster Management, and my third qualification was a Master of Disaster Management.

Q: Date of joining the UFS as a staff member:

A: I have had the opportunity of holding multiple positions at the UFS during my postgraduate studies. The first role I took on was in 2019 when I was a Contact Session Assistant in DiMTEC.

Q: Initial job title and current job title:

A: During my master’s studies, I had the opportunity to take on some roles that helped prepare me for the professional world. I worked as a Contact Session Assistant in DiMTEC during the postgraduate diploma and master’s contact sessions, as an Assistant Officer in Student Academic Services, and as a Research Assistant in the Centre for Environmental Management. I am currently employed as a PYEI Intern at UFS-DiMTEC.

Q: How did the UFS prepare you for the professional world?

A: The roles that I took on during my postgraduate studies at the UFS have contributed so much to my personal and professional development. In the role of Contact Session Assistant, I acquired a diverse set of skills, such as strong communication, interacting with the students, understanding their needs, and conveying information clearly. I also learned to listen actively so that I comprehend the students’ concerns, questions, and feedback in order to respond appropriately. I also developed empathy and emotional intelligence, as it is important to understand and respond to the students’ emotions and needs, to ensure that they feel supported and heard. Another important skill that I developed is organisational and time management skills, which are important for managing and handling administrative tasks, and problem-solving skills that have enabled me to address challenges that arose during the sessions.

In my role as an Assistant Officer, I developed strong communication and interpersonal skills through interactions with students and colleagues, and my customer service skills were cultivated by providing support and information to students. I also learned to pay attention to detail and confidentiality, as these skills are important when handling student records.

in the role of Research Assistant, I worked with a diverse group of people on the Summer School Project, a collaboration between the UFS, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and the Technical University of Dresden (Germany). I had the opportunity to be part of a great team of individuals who successfully organised and hosted an online Summer School in 2022 with the theme ‘Monitoring Surface Water Quality: General Framework, Tools and Implementing Disaster Management Aspects in Urban Areas’.

Being a student at the UFS has equipped me with specialised knowledge, critical thinking abilities, and problem-solving skills. By managing multiple responsibilities, I have learned valuable skills such as time management and organisational skills. It also provided me with networking opportunities, which have allowed me the opportunity to build connections with professionals in my field. Being a student at the UFS has facilitated my personal development, as I am now confident in myself and can easily adapt to the everyday challenges of the professional world.

Q: What are your thoughts on transitioning from a UFS alumnus to a staff member?

A: Transitioning from student to staff has been a journey filled with so many feelings. Initially, it was both exciting and scary, as I was uncertain about my new responsibilities and capabilities. However, the familiarity and comfort of the UFS brought ease to this transition. I appreciate the opportunity to continue learning and growing.

News Archive

Professor launches his book, opposition parties attend

2011-03-22

Prof. Hussein Solomon
Photo: Stephen Collett

“We are good in opposing people, but we’re less good in opposing ideas.” This was how Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the University of the Free State (UFS) introduced the book launch of Against all Odds: Opposition Politics in Southern Africa.

The event was hosted in collaboration with the publisher under the title: Are opposition parties in South Africa in a crisis? This formed part of a series of dialogue sessions, organised by the Centre for Africa Studies, in the run up to the local elections.

Amongst those interested who attended the evening in the Senate Hall of the CR Swart Building on the Main Campus were various politicians, students, staff en a panel consisting of academics and the respective provincial representatives of the ANC and DA.

Dr Mcebisi Ndletyana from the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), acted as arbiter.

Proff. Hussein Solomon, author of Against all Odds: Opposition Politics in Southern Africa, also lecturer at the UFS, as well as Dirk Kotzé, Head of the Department of Political Science at Unisa, delivered enriching lectures on the stance and positioning of opposition parties.

Prof. Hussein, who spoke first, circumscribed the context of the political climate in the country, based on his book. “The problem that political science encounters is that everybody becomes experts on the internet, while they have no experience of what is happening in South Africa.” He said that when political parties in the country are under discussion, voters often allow myths and/or stereotyping to influence their concept of it. ‘’If there are no opposition parties, there is no democracy and people are deprived of their vote.”

Prof. Kotzé stated in his speech that it was not only opposition parties who had to make the government watch its step, but also the status that the country acquired, amongst others, from its connections, i.e. collaborative agreements such as BRICSA and the country’s inclusion in the G20. He left the audience with a question about how they were going to become involved in politics, and with his rhetoric question referred to options like social networks and movements.

Mr Sibongile Besani, the ANC'S secretary in the Free State, said the DA grew due to it’s swallowing of other parties; something he claims is taking the country backwards. He also described the use of personalities by opposition parties as means of association a weakness. He added that voters will continue voting for the ANC because they can associate themselves with the party’s vision.

In contrast, Mr Roy Jankielsohn, provincial leader of the DA, said voters and parties unite under their core vision for the country as like in the case of the ANC during the liberation struggles.

During the question-and-answer session, which followed after Mr Jankielson’s speech, Prof. Kwandiwe Kondlo, upon completion and summary of the discussions, stated firmly that the opposition parties are in a crisis. “The start of the solution is to recognise the problem. That is why our democracy finds itself in the state in which it is; because the opposition does not fulfil the role that they are supposed to fulfil.“ Prof. Kondlo is the head of the Centre of Africa Studies at the UFS.

He concluded by stating that the economic basis in the country was not transformed. “We cannot say that people determine their futures if they posses nothing. Opposition parties must start to communicate at this level in order to table something new. Our democracy must become more inclusive at political and material level.”

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