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UFS team shines at Southern African public administration conference

26 April 2024 | Story Athembele Yangaphi | Photo Supplied

Dr Tafadzwa Maramura and Christopher Strydom at 2024 ASSADPAM Ceremony at the University of Pretoria's Future Africa Campus.

A trio of 2024 University of the Free State (UFS) honours-degree graduates recently represented the UFS at the 2024 Association of Southern African Schools and Departments of Public Administration and Management (ASSADPAM) Conference.

Nameera Bade, Christopher Strydom, and Thato Tshabalala’s presentation was based on their 2023 honours research titled ‘Exploring the Influence of Loadshedding on Water Governance: A Case of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality’, which earned them each a distinction on their honours degree completion.

The 2024 ASSADPAM Conference was held at the University of Pretoria's Future Africa Campus and brought together academics and practitioners in the field of public administration and management.

The three graduates are currently continuing their studies by taking on master’s degrees in administration – Bade and Strydom at the UFS and Tshabalala at the University of South Africa.

“Presenting our study at the ASSADPAM Conference was an absolute honour,” Strydom said. “However, I did experience some imposter syndrome, because usually it is only PhD candidates and tenured academics that present their work at the conference, [not a] first-year master’s student presenting out of his honours mini-dissertation. But I quickly got over my imposter syndrome by reframing the situation.”

The trio’s conference presentation was preceded by their recognition for Best Presentation at the UFS second Library and Information Services Honours and Undergraduate Seminar (LISHURS) Symposium on 5 April 2024.

“Being awarded the best presentation at the second LISHURS confirmed how impactful our research is, how it resonates with people. And it was also satisfying to get credit for the hard work we have put in,” said Strydom, who also received two awards at the 2024 Faculty of Economic Management Sciences (EMS) Prize Function: Best Honours Student in the Department of Public Administration and Management, and Best Honours Student in the EMS Faculty – prizes sponsored by the Kovsie Alumni Trust.

Dr Tafadzwa Maramura, Senior Lecturer in the UFS’s Department of Public Administration and Management, co-presented the research with the students at the conference. “Working with Nameera, Chris, and Thato has been a great experience. All of them are talented and unique individuals,” Dr Maramura said.

Impactful research in public governance

He highlighted the significance of the students' research, stating, “[Their paper] has certainly had a profound impact on the EMS Faculty.”

Dr Maramura further emphasised the department's commitment to addressing real-world challenges through rigorous academic inquiry, praising the students for engaging in relevant and timely research initiatives.

The collaboration between the three students and Dr Maramura extends beyond conference presentations: they are set to write an article based on their honours research for publication in a journal, which will further establish their names within the water-energy sphere and contribute to ongoing discussions in public governance.

News Archive

UFS hosts sign language workshop to educate parents

2017-05-22

Back row; from left; John Keitsemore from
Bartimea School for the Deaf; Philip Cook,
the headmaster at De la Bat School for the
Deaf in Worcester; Jeannie Cook, De la Bat School
for the Deaf; front, from left; Marisa Vermeulen, mother
of two deaf children and teacher at Bartimea
School for the Deaf in Thaba Nchu; Marianne Kühn,
audiologist, and Susan Lombaard, acting Head of the
Department of South African Sign Language.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

“Ninety percent of deaf children are born into hearing families. When parents first receive the news, they are shocked, angry and confused,” says Susan Lombaard, Acting head of the Department of South African Sign Language at the University of the Free State (UFS).

The department hosted a workshop, “Early intervention options for the child with a hearing loss”, on Friday 12 May 2017 on the Bloemfontein Campus. “It is the first time a sign language workshop of this kind was hosted by the Department of South African Sign Language at the UFS,” says Lombaard, who facilitated the workshop. They hope to make it an annual event.

Parents of deaf children do not always know how they will communicate with their children or where the child must attend school. The workshop aimed to provide parents with the necessary information on different communication options and also touched on school placement.

Support group for parents established
A support group for parents was also established, the first of its kind in the province. It will provide much-needed support, information and guidance for parents of deaf children.

Some of the speakers at the workshop included Anri Esterhuizen, an audiologist; Marianne Kühn from the Carel du Toit Centre, Marisa Vermeulen, who is a mother of two deaf children, and Phillip Cook, the headmaster at De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester, in the Western Cape. Jeannie Cook, also a presenter, provided information on sign language acquisition of the small deaf child, which is done through creative play.

Professionals have responsibility
South African Sign Language is a language in its own right and is not international. “Sign language is a visual language with its own grammar and syntax different from spoken language,” Lombaard said.

There has been much controversy surrounding teaching deaf children to speak and teaching them to sign. “We as professionals have the responsibility to provide information on all options. This is to help the parent make informed decisions about communication and school placement.”

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