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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 History lecturer becomes Visiting Fellow at Harvard
2015-05-25

Dr Chitja Twala
Photo: Eugene Seegers

Prestige Scholar and lecturer of African/South African History at the UFS, Dr Chitja Twala, was recently accepted as a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).

A Visiting Fellow status is available to individuals holding a doctoral degree to pursue independent research at Harvard. The Fellowship is for non-degree purposes but aims at the enhancement and further intellectual development of those involved. It focuses on enrichment and development programmes.

Twala was appointed in the Department of History at the UFS in the beginning of 2003. His research field is Liberation History, with specific reference to the liberation movements on the SADC region. He has published extensively on this field and presented papers in local and international conferences.

“I applied (to Harvard GSAS) in April 2014 for the Fellowship through the South Africa Harvard Fellowship Programme,” says Twala.

“After being successful in the interviews conducted by the GSAS panel in July 2014, I had to apply for admission in the Department of African and African American Studies at Harvard, and got accepted for the Fall Semester of 2015.”

At Harvard, Twala will be mentored by Prof Emmanuel Akyeampong (African History Expert).

“Firstly, my main assignment will be to grasp a much deeper theoretical knowledge/framework in historical studies and a broader repertoire of methodologies in the field of African History. Secondly, if time permits, I will be presenting seminars and attending some in a very challenging, stimulating, and intellectually demanding environment where my ideas can be tested and expanded. Thirdly, I will be exposed to new trends as far as African historiography is concerned. Lastly, I will informally engage and exchange some ideas with some experts in the field of African History.”

The programme was recommended to Twala by the Vice-Chancellor and Rector, Prof Jonathan Jansen and Prof Ian Phimister, Centre for Africa Studies Senior Professor at UFS.

“As per the priorities of the Prestige Scholarship Programme, the Fellowship will assist in inculcating in me the intellectual breadth and depth required to pose critical questions and generate ground-breaking knowledge for History as a discipline. It is important for the UFS to establish and sustain international networks with other leading universities and scholars around the world.

“I applied for this Fellowship in order to advance further and broaden the scope in the three areas of scholarship in higher education: discovery, teaching, and public engagement,” says Twala.

Twala will be leaving for Harvard by mid-August and will return by the end of December 2015.

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