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18 May 2023 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Sonia Small
North College announced as the overall winner of 2023 Eco-Vehicle Race
Kovsie ACT hosted the sixth Eco-Vehicle Race, with North College announced as the overall winner for 2023.

Kovsie ACT at the University of the Free State (UFS) successfully presented the sixth Kovsie Eco-Vehicle Race on the university's Bloemfontein Campus on Saturday 13 May 2023, despite rainy and overcast weather. Students attending the affair – cheering on their favourite teams – added to the excitement and electrifying atmosphere of the event, which was streamed live across South African borders.

First-place finishers

The five colleges made up of the different residences on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus (North College, South College, East College, West College, and Central College) competed in this year's event, along with teams from the South and Qwaqwa campuses (with the Qwaqwa Campus entering two teams) and a newcomer, the Central University of Technology, which also entered two teams.

According to Dr WP Wahl, Director: Student Life, who welcomed everyone and also announced the winners of the different events, the university would like to expand the race in 2024 to include more tertiary institutions.

Temba Hlasho, Executive Director: Student Affairs, presented the trophies to the winning students.

Of the ten teams that competed this year, North College – comprising Madelief, Tswelopele, Vergeet-My-Nie, Veritas, and Welwitschia residences – was named the overall winner of the Kovsie Eco-Vehicle Race for 2023. Central College (Akasia, Kagiso, Karee, Soetdoring, and Wag-’n-Bietjie) won the Spirit Cup, while Qwaqwa Campus won the Smart Lap, using the least energy in a timed lap in which the drivers took the main track for the first time.

Besides being announced as the overall winner of the race, North College also took home the trophy in the Endurance Race, which was extended this year to cover 1 000 m and not 500 m as with last year’s event. In this leg of the race, the teams had 45 minutes to complete as many laps as possible while using the least amount of energy.

In addition, North College tied with Central College for first place in the Pitstop challenge, a competition that evaluated teams based on various criteria such as the tidiness of the pitstop area, team spirit, and safety measures.

Captivating artist performances organised by the Arts and Culture Office at the UFS added an extra layer of excitement to the race event.

Preparing for the world of work

Karen Scheepers, Assistant Director in Kovsie Support Services, who heads the Kovsie ACT initiative, reported that 520 undergraduate students have entered the Kovsie Eco-Vehicle Skills Programme over the past three years.

The race represents the last phase of a nine-month co-curricular skills programme. By participating, students acquire valuable skills that prepare them for the challenges of the world of work.

The programme also helps students understand how their decisions and actions affect the environment. It equips them with the knowledge to address complex environmental issues, which will help to preserve it for the future.

News Archive

UFS hosts sign language workshop to educate parents
2017-05-22

Description: Sign language workshop to educate parents Tags: Sign language workshop to educate parents

Back row; from left; John Keitsemore from
Bartimea School for the Deaf; Philip Cook,
the headmaster at De la Bat School for the
Deaf in Worcester; Jeannie Cook, De la Bat School
for the Deaf; front, from left; Marisa Vermeulen, mother
of two deaf children and teacher at Bartimea
School for the Deaf in Thaba Nchu; Marianne Kühn,
audiologist, and Susan Lombaard, acting Head of the
Department of South African Sign Language.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

“Ninety percent of deaf children are born into hearing families. When parents first receive the news, they are shocked, angry and confused,” says Susan Lombaard, Acting head of the Department of South African Sign Language at the University of the Free State (UFS).

The department hosted a workshop, “Early intervention options for the child with a hearing loss”, on Friday 12 May 2017 on the Bloemfontein Campus. “It is the first time a sign language workshop of this kind was hosted by the Department of South African Sign Language at the UFS,” says Lombaard, who facilitated the workshop. They hope to make it an annual event.

Parents of deaf children do not always know how they will communicate with their children or where the child must attend school. The workshop aimed to provide parents with the necessary information on different communication options and also touched on school placement.

Support group for parents established
A support group for parents was also established, the first of its kind in the province. It will provide much-needed support, information and guidance for parents of deaf children.

Some of the speakers at the workshop included Anri Esterhuizen, an audiologist; Marianne Kühn from the Carel du Toit Centre, Marisa Vermeulen, who is a mother of two deaf children, and Phillip Cook, the headmaster at De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester, in the Western Cape. Jeannie Cook, also a presenter, provided information on sign language acquisition of the small deaf child, which is done through creative play.

Professionals have responsibility
South African Sign Language is a language in its own right and is not international. “Sign language is a visual language with its own grammar and syntax different from spoken language,” Lombaard said.

There has been much controversy surrounding teaching deaf children to speak and teaching them to sign. “We as professionals have the responsibility to provide information on all options. This is to help the parent make informed decisions about communication and school placement.”

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