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24 October 2023 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo Kaleidoscope Studios
Free State Sport Stars 2023
The University of the Free State (UFS) crowned its top athletes at the Free State Sport Stars dinner. Robert Summers and Refiloe Nketsa were named KovsieSport Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year. Here, from left, are Temba Hlasho, Executive Director: Student Affairs at the UFS, Summers, Janine de Kock, KovsieSport netball sports officer, on behalf of Nketsa and Teboho Setena, Editor: Express.

In a spectacular celebration of sporting excellence, Refiloe Nketsa, and Robert Summers were bestowed with the highest honours as University of the Free State’s (UFS) Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year respectively. This prestigious event took place on 12 October 2023 in Bloemfontein, where the KovsieSport awards were presented. 

Recognition of remarkable achievements

Nketsa, a Protea netball player, voiced her elation at achieving this pinnacle of her career. She had earlier been a School Sport Star nominee at the Free State Sport Stars in 2019, presented by Central24 and the UFS. Her meteoric rise to senior level has been nothing short of remarkable. Reflecting on her journey, she stated, “Looking at the pool of nominees and all that they’ve achieved, I almost thought I didn’t stand a chance. All I have isn’t because of my doing. Its God ordained.”  

Summers, a South African badminton luminary and the UFS Sportsman of the Year for a second consecutive year expressed his gratitude and humility at receiving this prestigious accolade. He highlighted the challenges he faced, including a debilitating injury, making this achievement even more meaningful. Summers added, “It’s incredible having your name on a trophy with the likes of Wayde van Niekerk, CJ van der Linde, and Heinrich Brüssow. Those are big names, and to be on the same trophy is something I will cherish for a long time.” 

The Shimla, Michael Annies was named UFS Junior Sportsman of the Year and the triple jumper Johani van Tonder, UFS Junior Sportswoman of the Year.

The highest honour at the Free State Sport Stars went to the former Kovsie Karla Pretorius, crowned Sport Star of the Year.

The Protea netball vice-captain, Pretorius, also received the Sportswoman of the Year and the Protea cricketer Gerald Coetzee the Sportsman of the Year, of the province.

Encouragement and inspiration for the future

Nketsa says it is a big honour being the top UFS sportswoman. She represented the Proteas in the past year and was an official World Cup reserve and vice-captain of the South African side that won a first-ever silver medal at the Fast5 World Series. Nketsa emphasised the motivation this award instils in her, compelling her to intensify her efforts in improving her work ethic and skills. 

Likewise, Summers despite his challenges, finds this award to be a silver lining, inspiring him to persevere during rough times. The badminton star won three All Africa Champs medals; in singles (bronze), men’s doubles (gold) and in the South African mixed team (bronze). He also competed at the World University Games in Chengdu and played in his first World Champs in Copenhagen (men’s doubles). “If I look back at the past year, it was probably my toughest year yet,” he remarked.

Perseverance in the face of challenges 

Desiree Ellis, head coach of Banyana Banyana and guest speaker at the event, stressed the importance of celebrating athletes and their excellence. “This inspires and motivates others,” she said. “It is also encouraging to see that it is not just elite athletes at the Free State Sport Stars who get rewarded but also the school kids.” She encouraged athletes to persevere despite obstacles, imparting a powerful message: “Results are not always going to go your way but keep going. Keep going and make sure you keep putting your best foot forward.” 

Jerry Laka, Director of KovsieSport, expressed pride in the recognition of UFS athletes, highlighting the unique blend of student-athlete awards and school awards in this event, which serves as a beacon of inspiration for aspiring young athletes. 

The KovsieSport awards stand as a testament to the dedication and perseverance of Nketsa and Summers. Their achievements not only inspire the fraternity but also underscore the spirit of resilience and excellence within the UFS community. As these outstanding athletes continue to break barriers and achieve greater heights, they epitomise the spirit of sporting prowess and determination. Congratulations to both Nketsa and Summers on their well-deserved recognition and to all award recipients in the various categories.

Free State Sport Stars 2023

KovsieSport crowned its leading junior sports stars. The triple jump athlete Johani van Tonder was named Junior Sportswoman of the Year and the Junior Springbok Michael Annies as Junior Sportsman of the Year. Here, from the left are, Van Tonder, Jerry Laka, Director of KovsieSport, Jeannine van Zyl, General Manager of Central24, and Annies. 

News Archive

IRSJ marks five years of championing social justice
2016-08-12

Description: IRSJ 5 year Tags: IRSJ 5 year

Members of the Advisory Board of the IRSJ,
Prof Michalinos Zembylas (Open University
of Cyprus), Prof Shirley Anne Tate (Leeds
University, England), and Prof Relebohile
Moletsane (University of KwaZulu-Natal),
listen to a speaker on the programme.
 Photo: Lihlumelo Toyana

The Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ) marked its fifth anniversary with a function on 27 July 2016 in the Reitz Hall of the Centenary Complex on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS). Earlier that day, the Advisory Board of the IRSJ, chaired by Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, hosted their annual meeting.

A new book was also launched, co-authored by JC van der Merwe, Deputy-Director at the IRSJ and Dionne van Reenen, researcher and PhD candidate at the IRSJ. It is entitled Transformation and Legitimation in Post-apartheid Universities: Reading Discourses from ‘Reitz’. The function featured not only reflections on the IRSJ, but a four-member panel discussion of the book and higher education in 2016.

The IRSJ came into being officially at the UFS in January 2011. Prof André Keet, Director of the IRSJ, said: “With a flexibility and trust not easily found in the higher education sector, the university management gave us the latitude and support to fashion an outfit that responds to social life within and outside the borders of the university, locally and globally.”

The IRSJ has not hesitated to be bold and
courageous in reforming ... traditional policies."

 

Prof Jansen went on to mention three things he finds appealing about the IRSJ: “Thanks to Prof Keet and his team’s vision and understanding of how important it is for students to have a space in which they can learn how to be, learn how to think, and learn how to contribute, the IRSJ has become a place where students can learn about things that they might not learn in the classroom. Second, it created, for the first time, a space where members of the LGBTIQ community could gather in one place. And third, it speaks to the intellectual life of the university, as evidenced by the research and publications produced over the past few years.”

Prof Jansen added: “The IRSJ will only be successful to the extent that we have safe spaces, courageous spaces, in which not only black students talk to themselves, but where black and white students talk together about their difficulties. If you’re entangled, you can’t get out of [that] unless you speak to the other person.”

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Prof Michalinos Zembylas of the Open University of Cyprus and member of the Advisory Board, said of the IRSJ: “The works produced by the institute in this short time have been valuable to this community and beyond, because they recognise the complexities of education, ... while pushing the boundaries of how to translate theoretical discussions into practical, everyday conditions. ... For example, the IRSJ has not hesitated to be bold and courageous in reforming some traditional policies in this university—remnants of an ambivalent past that reproduced inequality and disadvantage.

In reflecting on how the IRSJ came into being during her opening remarks, Dr Lis Lange, Vice-Rector: Academic at the UFS, said that it has always been “dedicated to transformation.” She added that it “gathered the energy and creativity of some of our most promising student leaders.” She concluded: “For me, the greatest success of the Institute, besides publications and local and international networks, is the fact that something that started in the margins is being asked today to come closer to the centre, to play a larger role in the structural transformation of the university.”

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