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12 September 2023 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Charl Devenish
Faculty of Law signing of Memoranda of Understanding
The respective representatives from the NCC, NCR and the UFS celebrate the launch of their new partnership. From left, Thezi Mabuza, Acting Commissioner of the NCC; Nomsa Motshegare, CEO of the National Credit Regulator; and Prof Francis Petersen; Vice- Chancellor and Principal of the UFS.

The Department of Mercantile Law at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Faculty of Law, in collaboration with the National Consumer Commission (NCC) and the National Credit Regulator (NCR), launched a partnership through the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). The MOUs were signed at a function held on 7 September 2023 in the Equitas Senate Hall at the UFS’s Bloemfontein Campus. 

In attendance at the signing was the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS, Prof Francis Petersen; the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof Serges Kamga; the CEO of the National Credit Regulator, Nomsa Motshegare; Acting Commissioner of the National Consumer Commission, Thezi Mabuza; and Timothy Radikeledi from the Provincial Consumer Protection Office, amongst others. 

“This gathering signifies the dawn of something new for the future of this institution and for consumerism. We hope that this partnership will contribute towards improved consumer protection through research which is going to influence consumer protection while addressing consumer concerns in the province and within the South African Development Community,’’ said Mabuza.

What the partnership entails

“The MOUs focus more on consumer protection in the surrounding communities of the university, the Free State province and ultimately in the country,’’ said Ntando Ncamane, a lecturer in the Faculty of Law.

Through the signing of these MOUs, the partners commit to accomplishing several objectives which will be beneficial to UFS students and beyond. For instance, this agreement allows the Faculty of Law to infuse consumer protection principles in the curriculum through developing and delivering various academic modules. The Consumer Protection and Credit Law module is one such example. The module was initially offered as a core module to second-year students, however, through this partnership it will also be included as an elective in the LLB programme as well as at a master’s degree level.

“We envisage an opportunity where real cases of the consumer commission and credit regulator will be shared with students to analyse and critique, and even develop novel approaches that address some of the consumer issues,” said Motshegare.

In addition, there is a research element infused in this agreement. According to Ncamane, the partners will work hand-in-hand to create a research-based approach that is responsive and effective in addressing consumer concerns in the Free State province.

There will also be a series of consumer protection programmes implemented in the Free State.

A partnership which upholds the values of Vision 130

The UFS is currently embarking on an ambitious plan to become a research-led and globally impactful institution by 2034. As such, Prof Kamga indicates that, “the strategic partnership between the UFS, NCC and NCR are really important to the University, they are an important step in the achievement of the UFS’s Vision 130”.

In addition, as the MOUs will make provisions for more research, Prof Kamga says “the MOUs will create opportunities to increase our research capacity and capability in the area of consumer production.’’

The significance and impact of the MOUs

Motshegare said this partnership comes at a time when concerted efforts are needed to promote and strengthen consumer protection measures in the country. Therefore, this partnership will ensure that the UFS shapes graduates who will ultimately contribute towards consumer protection across the country. 

However, she said, most importantly, this joint venture will “produce graduates who will become the consumer protection activists and champions this country so greatly needs."

Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS.
Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS.
Prof Serges Kamga, Dean of the Faculty of Law.
Prof Serges Kamga, Dean of the Faculty of Law.
Ntando Ncamane, lecturer in the Department of Mercantile Law.
Ntando Ncamane, lecturer in the Department of Mercantile Law.
Nomsa Motshegare, CEO of the National Credit Regulator.
Nomsa Motshegare, CEO of the National Credit Regulator.
Thezi Buthelezi, Acting Commissioner of the National Consumer Commission.
Thezi Buthelezi, Acting Commissioner of the National Consumer Commission.

News Archive

Postgraduate School opens at UFS
2011-05-19

 
Prof. Maresi Nerad, from Washington university in Seattle, USA
Photo: Stephen Collett

We are celebrating the launch of our new Postgraduate School (PGS) on our Main Campus in Bloemfontein from 16 - 20 May 2011.

In line with national priorities for research-based postgraduate education and the focus of the UFS Academic Turnaround Strategy, the aims of the Postgraduate School are to:

  • improve the quality of postgraduate student research;
  • produce graduates who are global citizens, research literate and able to reflect ethically on the purpose, process and product of research;
  • improve throughput rates of postgraduate students; and
  • make the experience of being a postgraduate at the UFS one which is stimulating, enjoyable and which contributes to the development of the person beyond the limits of her or his discipline(s).

“We hope that the school will be a pleasant place to pursue research scholarship, discuss ideas and relax, and we look forward to welcoming postgraduates and other scholars to the school,” Prof. Neil Roos, Director of the UFS Postgraduate School said.

This significant event in the academic transformation of the university goes hand in hand with the inaugural lecture of Prof. Maresi Nerad. Prof. Nerad’s impressive CV reads amongst others that she has a M.A. (Political Science) at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany and a Ph.D. (Higher Education) at the University of California, Berkeley. She is also the founding director of the national Center for Innovation and Research Graduate Education (CIRGE).

As Professor Extraordinary in the UFS’s Postgraduate School, she is bringing more to the table than a world of wisdom and her passion for the postgraduate education. “I can contribute lessons learned from four distinct professional experiences, including 17 years of administrative and scholarly leadership in undertaking the conceptual and practical transformational work of organisational change at two US postgraduate schools, where I worked amongst others to improve the quality of mentoring, shorten the time to doctoral degree, and improve doctoral completion rates.”

She also brings to the UFS her experience as founding and current director of the first research center for studies on graduate education in the world. “It is our mission to discover how best to prepare Ph.D. students to be effective leaders in research and society,” she said.

Prof. Nerad says that she is committed to support and consult with the UFS Postgraduate School. She would particularly encourage the use of research to understand postgraduate education in all its dimensions at the UFS better and to use the evidence-based findings as a base for policy-making and resource allocation.

In reflecting on her vision for the UFS Postgraduate School, Prof. Nerad says that five years from now she hopes to see the UFS having strengthened its position as a major driving force in the national South African postgraduate-education community for internationalising postgraduate education. She is also confident that the UFS will supply increased numbers of skilled postgraduates who are “intellectual entrepreneurs and risk takers with a social consciousness, who have sustainability of the systems of the planet as a core value”.

“Five years from now the PSG will have taken the lead in preparing graduate students who are world citizens,” Prof. Nerad concluded.

 

Presentation on PhD students reveals more than meets the eye

British professor presents a discussion at UFS

Journey from student to scholar

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Female academics talk about joys and lessons

Research plus the internet equals the cyber scholar
 


 

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