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13 October 2023 | Story NONSINDISO QWABE | Photo PHOTO IAN VAN STRAATEN
Dr TK Mopeli lecture Group photo
Members of the Mopeli Royal Household with University of Free State Management.

The life and legacy of Dr TK Mopeli were remembered and celebrated during the TK Mopeli Memorial Lecture held on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus on 28 September.

As the campus celebrated 20 years as one of the delivery sites of the UFS, the memorial lecture was a fitting tribute to one of the leading champions who played a pivotal role in the founding of the Qwaqwa Campus. Dr Mopeli (1954-2014) is the former Chief Minister of the South African Bantustan of Qwaqwa. The Qwaqwa Campus was established in 1982 as a satellite of the historically black University of the North (UNIN), now the University of Limpopo. In 2003, the UFS underwent integration, which saw the Qwaqwa Campus merging with the Bloemfontein Campus to form a single, comprehensive university.

He also played an integral role in building more than 600 schools in Qwaqwa and Botshabelo in the Free State.

Delivering the keynote address, Dr Elias Malete, Senior Lecturer and Academic Head of the Department of African Languages in the Faculty of The Humanities at the University of the Free State, said Dr Mopeli contributed immensely to the education of black people.

“According to the work of other scholars such as Mbeki, the purpose of education is to create consciousness by revealing the truth through facts, to enable an appreciation of beauty, and to give people the capacity to create what is good for themselves, the world, and humanity. Dr TK Mopeli was a leader who invested in his people,” he said.

Members of the Mopeli Royal Household formed part of the lecture, as Dr Malete described Dr Mopeli as a humble leader, passionate about the advancement of his people and the preservation of the Basotho nation.

“Effective leadership must have the capacity to transform individuals, communities, and societies. When Dr TK Mopeli took over as a leader, black people were landless. Their physical spaces had been reduced to bantustans, and businesses in Qwaqwa were owned by white people. His leadership oversaw the development of the agriculture sector, industries, and tourism. Things began to get better.”

Dr Malete thanked the UFS for commemorating Dr Mopeli’s history as part of the celebrations. “He wasn’t a boastful man, but we need to sing his praises. Let us pay homage to this legend and unsung hero of the Basotho nation whose tireless efforts and monumental contributions will remain valuable to his people.”

News Archive

We must rise again, says Dr Luescher
2016-05-04

Description: 2016 05 04 Dr Luescher sml Tags: 2016 05 04 Dr Luescher
Dr Thierry Luescher, Assistant Director of University of the Free State Directorate for Institutional Research and Academic Planning, was one of the guest speakers at the first TEDxUFS event of the year on the Bloemfontein Campus. Here he is explaining where the #movements started, and how to change the way we think. Photo: Marli du Plessis.

The student protests, known as the #MustFall movements, started on 9 March 2015, when students protested in a well-rehearsed manner at the Cecil John Rhodesstatue at the University of Cape Town. After this protest, students all over South Africa started their own movements from #OpenStellies to #SwartsMustFall, the latter happening on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in March 2016. But, as Dr Thierry Luescher, Assistant Director of UFS Directorate for Institutional Research and Academic Planning, says: “We shall soon run out of #MustFalls. Maybe it is time that we rise again.”

The first TEDxUFS was held on Friday 15 April 2016 at the New Education Building on the Bloemfontein Campus of the UFS. Dr Luescher shone light on the way we look at hashtag movements. At the conference, he was one of the guest speakers who shared their perspectives on the theme of #ImpossibleIsNothing. The others were Ndumiso Hadebe, and Fezile Sonkwane.

Changing angles

No matter what the issue, whether it is on a campus or not, the same reaction can be expected by all: they burn things to get attention. In retrospect, this is our political culture. This is what we have been told to do if we need answers. There is a much faster and cheaper way to attract people’s attention: the hashtag movements, says Dr Luescher.

Stop the fire

He argues that we should stop burning down buildings and vandalising properties. What we need is people with intellect to use their words. We, as students, have to take back our voice. We need to stop this self-pitying, and take a stand.

Students have the power to change lives. We would be able to reach as many as 1.4 million people with our tweets or instagram accounts. According to Dr Luescher, the time for violence has come to an end.

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