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25 May 2023 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo Supplied
Refiloe Nketsa, Karla Pretorius, Lefébre Rademan, and Khanyisa Chawane
The four Kovsies who are going to the World Cup have previously played together in the same Protea squad. From the left are: Refiloe Nketsa, Karla Pretorius, Lefébre Rademan, and Khanyisa Chawane.

The four Kovsies who are going to the World Cup are incredibly hard workers, very committed, have lots of big match temperament, and are great examples for the current University of the Free State (UFS) crop.

This is how Burta de Kock, UFS netball head coach, describes the quartet included in the squad of 15 players to represent the Proteas.

De Kock, who has worked at KovsieSport for more than 20 years, says their selection is an enormous privilege and they make the UFS incredibly proud.

Karla Pretorius, Khanyisa Chawane, Lefébre Rademan (former UFS students), and Refiloe Nketsa (current student) will represent South Africa at the first World Cup on African soil from 28 July 2023 to 6 August 2023 in Cape Town. Pretorius is also the Protea vice-captain.

Pretorius will attend her fourth World Cup and Chawane her second. Rademan and Nketsa will be playing in their first when they step onto the court.

Creating legends

“It was an honour to have coached all four and to still coach some of them,” says De Kock.

“It makes us incredibly excited that an experienced Karla and an inexperienced Refiloe are in the same Protea team. It shows players that there is a future if you work hard.”

Jerry Laka, Director of KovsieSport, says KovsieSport and the UFS community are extremely excited and proud about their inclusion, which is in line with the university’s values that shape and inform its culture.

They are a true reflection of the KovsieSport vision of creating legends through legacy by pursuing the delivery of excellent quality student athletes whose performances will impact the region, continent, and globe in line with the university’s Vision 130. – Jerry Laka

The UFS pursues excellence in every aspect of university life, including sport.

“They are a true reflection of the KovsieSport vision of creating legends through legacy by pursuing the delivery of excellent quality student athletes whose performances will impact the region, continent, and globe in line with the university’s Vision 130.

“We will be supporting them throughout the World Cup campaign. ‘Only a Kovsie knows the feeling’.”

UFS making dreams come true

Rademan, who has 35 Protea caps, was out of action for about nine months with a knee injury and has worked extremely hard to be in the World Cup contention.

She says her selection is a dream come true: “I am so grateful for God’s grace and that everything worked out according to His plan.”

The former Kovsie captain is thankful for KovsieNetball and De Kock’s impact on her career.

Rademan says De Kock has supported her since her injury in August 2023, and believes she was sent on her path to achieve her goals.

“KovsieNetball is where I grew as a person and player. I learned a lot and have the best memories!”

Nketsa has ten caps and has become the 20th UFS player to represent her country in 2021.

‘It shook her’ and she “felt very honoured” when she heard she was in the squad.

She says the support from the UFS was crucial in realising her dreams.

According to her, the university assists her academically to make sure she is up to date, and the ‘supportive structure’ helps her juggle netball and academics.

“And the support I receive from ‘tannie Burta’ is honestly out of this world and is so strong that you believe in the power she sees in us as players.”

News Archive

Game farming a lens to analyse challenges facing democratic SA – Dr Kamuti
2017-05-30

 Description: Dr Kamuti Tags: Dr Kamuti

Dr Tariro Kamuti, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre
for Africa Studies at the University of the Free State.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

One of the challenges facing South Africa’s developing game farming policy is the fractured state in the governance of the private game farming sector, says Dr Tariro Kamuti.

Dr Kamuti, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Africa Studies (CAS) at the University of the Free State (UFS), was presenting a seminar on Wednesday 17 May 2017 under the topic, Private Wildlife Governance in a Context of Radical Uncertainty: Challenges of South Africa’s Developing Game Farming Policy, which takes material from his PhD. He received his PhD from both the Vrije University in Amsterdam and the UFS in 2016.

His presentation explored how the private game industry positions itself in accordance with existing agricultural and environmental regulations. It also investigated the state’s response to the challenge of competing needs over land and wildlife resources which is posed by the gaming sector. “The transformation of the institutional processes mediating governance of the private game farming sector has been a long and enduring arrangement emerging organically over time,” Dr Kamuti said.

Game farming links wildlife and agricultural sectors
“I decided on this topic to highlight that game farming links the wildlife sector (associated with conservation and tourism) and the agricultural sector. Both make use of land whose resources need to be sustainably utilised to meet a broad spectrum of needs for the diverse South African population.

“The continuous skewed ownership of land post-1994 justifies questioning of the role of the state in confronting challenges of social justice and transformation within the economy.”

“Game farming can thus be viewed as a lens through which to study the broad challenges facing a democratic South Africa, and to interrogate the regulatory and policy framework in the agricultural and wildlife sectors at their interface,” Dr Kamuti said.

Challenges facing game farming policies
The state alone does not apply itself to the regulation of private gaming as a sector. “There is no clear direction on the position of private game farming at the interface of environmental and agricultural regulations, hence game farmers take advantage of loopholes in these institutional arrangements to forge ahead,” Dr Kamuti said.

He further went on to say that the state lacked a coherent plan for the South African countryside, “as shown by the outstanding land restitution and labour tenant claims on privately owned land earmarked for wildlife production”.

The South African government was confronted with a context in which the status quo of the prosperity of the middle classes under neoliberal policies was pitted against the urgent need to improve the material well-being of the majority poor.  Unless such issues were addressed, this necessarily undermined democracy as a participatory social force, Dr Kamuti said.

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