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30 November 2023 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Nomasonto Skosana
Dr Maréve Biljohn

In a proactive move to address the escalating issue of substance abuse in Mangaung, the Public Service Commission (PSC) partnered with the University of the Free State (UFS) to host a roundtable discussion. The event, held on 23 November 2023 at the Centenary Complex on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus, brought together key stakeholders, including Gadija Brown (MEC for Finance in the Free State), Dr Henk Boshoff (Commissioner of the PSC in the Free State), and Dr Maréve Biljohn (Head of Department for Public Administration and Management in the EMS Faculty at the UFS). Also present were representatives from Mangaung communities and various government bodies.  

Addressing the root cause

The primary objective of the roundtable was to collaboratively devise effective solutions to combat the growing challenge of substance abuse in Mangaung. Sisa Mlisana, Provincial Director of the PSC, highlighted the link between high crime rates and drug abuse, emphasising the need for a strategic approach to address these issues.  The initiative stemmed from a citizen’s forum hosted by the PSC in 2022, aiming to establish a connection between community members and government, particularly emphasising the correlation between substance abuse and crime.

Dr Boshoff elaborated on the purpose of the roundtable, emphasising the gathering of inputs from all the participants. The engagement session facilitated a dialogue between community members and a panel of officials, including representatives from the Free State Provincial Government, South African Police Service, Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, Department of Social Development, Department of Education, Department of Health, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) in the Free State. This forum allowed community members from various organisations to express their concerns and experiences regarding living in areas affected by substance abuse, with the panel providing insights and responses. 

Challenges and solutions

Community members voiced concerns about the presence of drugs in their communities not officially recognised as illegal in South Africa, leading to challenges in legal proceedings against dealers and consumers with those perpetrators being acquitted. However, the discussion also yielded potential solutions, with some community members expressing a willingness to actively participate in street-level interventions.  

Notably, recovered drug addicts present at the roundtable shared their success stories and commitment to being part of the solution. Gadija Brown commended their efforts and celebrated their triumph over substance abuse. 

Resolutions and commitments

As the discussion progressed, a comprehensive plan of action was formulated, encompassing grievances and solutions from both parties. Dr Boshoff described the plan as a binding roadmap with tangible and practical resolutions. The PSC pledged to monitor and ensure the implementation of commitments made during the roundtable discussions. 
Gadija Brown: MEC for Finance in the Free State.
Gadija Brown: MEC for Finance in the Free State.
Dr C Van Wyk: Programme Director; Department of Social Work at the UFS.
Dr C Van Wyk: Programme Director; Department of Social Work at the UFS.
The audience is provided an opportunity to engage with the panel.
The audience is provided an opportunity to engage with the panel.
The government officials which formed part of the panel engagement session.
The government officials which formed part of the panel engagement session.
From left to right: Sisa Mlisana: Provincial Director of the PSC and Dr Henk Boshoff: Commissioner of the PSC in the Free State.
From left to right: Sisa Mlisana: Provincial Director of the PSC and Dr Henk Boshoff: Commissioner of the PSC in the Free State.

News Archive

UFS in forefront with ASGI-SA initiative
2006-05-10

At the conceptualisation colloquium and stakeholder dialogue were from the left Dr Aldo Stroebel (senior researcher at the UFS Research Development Directorate), Dr Edith Vries (acting Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Development Trust) and Prof Frans Swanepoel (Director: UFS Research Development Directorate).

UFS in forefront with ASGI-SA initiative

Two staff members of the University of the Free State (UFS) have been appointed as members of the advisory board of the national programme for the creation of small enterprises and jobs in the second economy.  This programme forms part of government’s Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (ASGI-SA).

Prof Frans Swanepoel, Director of the UFS Research Development Directorate and Dr Aldo Stroebel, senior researcher at the UFS Research Development Directorate, are working with a team of experts from the UFS on a draft implementation strategy for the national programme.  Both Prof Swanepoel and Dr Stroebel are also associated to the UFS Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.
 
“The strategy is being developed in collaboration with institutions like the Independent Development Trust, the Department of Agriculture, the National Development Agency and the Department of Trade and Industry,” says Prof  Swanepoel.  

The other team members of the UFS are Prof Basie Wessels, Director of the  Mangaung-University Community Partnership Programme (MUCPP) and Mr  Benedict Mokoena, project manager at the MUCPP.

Dr Stroebel was also member of the organising committee of a conceptualisation colloquium and stakeholder dialogue that was recently presented in Johannesburg.  The conference was attended by more than 400 delegates from government departments, higher-education institutions and civil society, including Dr Kobus Laubscher, member of the UFS Council.

The conference was facilitated by Ms Vuyo Mahlati, previously from the WK Kellogg Foundation’s Africa programme and opened by Ms Thoko Didiza, Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs.   

“The colloquium formed the basis of an induction workshop during which a group of 150 individuals (50 teams of three) from all nine provinces, identified to initiate the implementation of the national programme, was trained and orientated towards an induction manual in collaboration with Hand-in-Hand, an Indian counterpart,” says Prof Swanepoel.

Dr Stroebel and Mr Benedict Mokoena formed part of the team to conceptualise and finalise this training manual.  The induction training includes a case study of a successful community self-help partnership model, namely the MUCPP at the UFS. Prof Wessels and Mr Mokoena are both playing a leading role in the further development of subsequent training initiatives throughout South Africa, in partnership with the relevant provincial departments.

“The involvement of the UFS in the programme is a compliment to us.  It reflects the value government sees in the use of academics and experts in the management of the ASGI-SA initiative.  It is also an indication of one of the aims of the UFS to play a role in South Africa and Africa and in the transformation and change that is taking place in our country,” says Prof Swanepoel.  

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
10 May 2006

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