Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Months
January February March April July May June August September October November December
Previous Archive
07 March 2023 | Story André Damons | Photo Reuben Maeko
Dr William Mhundwa
Prof Thabiso Mofokeng, Head of Department: Internal Medicine, and Dr Busiswa Bisiwe, Head of the Unit: Nephrology and Dr William Mhundwa’s (right) supervisor, congratulates him on his great achievement.
Dr William Mhundwa, Senior Registrar in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of the Free State (UFS), has become the first candidate from the institution to be awarded the prestigious Suzman Medal as the top student in the 2022 examinations of the Fellowship of the College of Physicians (FCP).  

Candidates from all medical schools in the country as well as other African countries wrote this examination in January and July 2022. Dr Mhundwa came out on top and was awarded the medal by the Senate of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA), which oversees the examinations.  

“I congratulate Dr Mhundwa on his outstanding performance,” commented Prof Nicholas Pearce, Head of the School: Clinical Medicine at the UFS. According to him, this is a prestigious award, and given that it is the first time that a candidate from this university has been awarded this medal, it is extra special for us as a department, faculty, and institution. 

Dr Mhundwa was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, to subsistence farmers and is the eldest of four boys. He immigrated to South Africa nearly ten years ago and started studying medicine as a way to fulfil his parents’ dreams. He eventually found his calling in internal medicine, specifically nephrology (kidney disease), and would like to obtain further qualifications in this field at the university. 

 “My achievements are the result of dedication to teaching internal medicine consultants. I am indebted to the Free State Department of Health for the opportunity to train and work under them. I hope to see great academic achievements within this province,” says Dr Mhundwa. 

He will graduate in April 2023 with a Master of Medicine, cum laude. His thesis was about The Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease Among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in Central South Africa. 

Dr Mhundwa believes “that kidney disease is a scourge in modern society.  Early diagnosis is necessary to prevent patients from requiring kidney transplants and dialysis and to improve the quality of life of my patients”.

Prof Thabiso Mofokeng, Head of Department: Internal Medicine, said, “This achievement represents the UFS’ high academic standards on national front. We hope this is the first of many.”

News Archive

Ensuring justice does not get lost in translation
2014-02-06


Court interpreters who have successfully completed a legal interpreting learnership.
Photo: Stephen Collett

The University of the Free State (UFS) is a taking a leading role in changing the face and character of the South African court system, infusing it with qualified professionals.

The university’s Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment partnered with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development as well as the Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority (SASSETA). This union lead to 63 court interpreters successfully completing a legal interpreting learnership.

These newly-qualified interpreters will from now on render specialised interpreting services in courts across our country.

Addressing the audience at the diploma ceremony held on the Bloemfontein Campus, Dr Derek Swemmer, Registrar of the UFS, said translators have an important role to play. ”Translation is a gift to those who do not understand the language that a person is speaking,” he said.

In her speech, Nonkululeko Sindane, Director-General in the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, said the qualification will improve the professional status of court interpreting. She added that the learnership is based on a broader government policy on skills development. She mentioned that eight of those who received qualifications have been permanently employed by the department.

Praising the university for its role, Abbey Witbooi, Chairperson of the SASSETA board, said the diploma will allow qualified learners to contribute to social and economic transformation. This will ensure the protection of human rights in the court setting. In addition, it also provides equal access to a fair trial in terms of effective communication. “The fact that this is a first in the republic, speaks volumes for the extent of the commitment of collective leadership to realise the transformation agenda,” he said.


 

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept