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12 January 2024
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Story Nonsindiswe Qwabe
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Photo Sonia Small
Since joining the UFS in 2008, Dr Grey Magaiza has worked extensively on approaches that can foster the socio-economic transformation of societies.
“The future should be one where communities can decide on their development agenda and futures. That’s the most important for me.” Dr Grey Magaiza, Deputy Director of the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (CGAS) and Head of the Community Development programme on the Qwaqwa Campus, is passionate about capacitating communities to be agents of change and advancement. His vision for the future emphasises the empowerment of communities to take charge of their development by actively participating in decision making and the implementation of development projects that can improve their lives.
Since joining the UFS in 2008, Dr Magaiza has worked extensively on approaches that can foster the socio-economic transformation of societies. Over the years, he has crafted his research speciality into one that he is most proud of – being an interdisciplinary scientist immersed in the development of communities.
“I’m in a fortunate position of researching what I like. I say ‘fortunate’, because I’ve taken the time to understand what I’m passionate about, which is the overall field of rural livelihoods and livelihood futures – in short, community development. My research starts from an engaged university, understanding the elements that a university must use to enhance transformation and relevance to its immediate community in terms of development.”
One of the ways he has done this is by looking at social entrepreneurship as a development approach for young people in a rural setting. Through workshops with non-profit and civic organisations in Qwaqwa, Dr Magaiza has been helping these organisations to map out their needs and actively meet them through the involvement and support of external role players.
“We understand that communities are part of the national development agenda, but even that national agenda respects community knowledge and intentions and allows communities to shape their identity. A critical enabler of this is community organising. You bring back the capacity in communities to have dialogues on issues affecting them as spaces for engagement, knowledge exchange, and for people to just talk about their way forward.”
By enabling communities to define their development agenda, they can address their specific needs, challenges, and aspirations, he said. “When I look at livelihood futures, it’s quite an exciting aspect of my work – it’s like looking into a fortune tellers’ globe, because you’re not deciding for communities what they should do, but the communities themselves take those decisions.”
Shimlas in front line for Baby Boks
2013-05-07
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Jacques du Toit and Luan de Bruin 07 May 2013 |
Our university is very proud of its two Shimla rugby players included in this year’s Junior Springbok team for the International Rugby Board’s (IRB) World Championships in France.
Luan de Bruin (hooker) and Jacques du Toit (prop) will help defend the World Championships, which they won in the Cape last year, from 5 June 2013. The Baby Boks took the prestigious Under-20 title from the New Zealand Baby Blacks in 2012.
Luan matriculated at the Afrikaans Boys’ High School in Pretoria and represented the Blue Bulls at the Craven Week in 2010 and 2011. Jacques, a Grey College alumnus, in 2011 played for the Free State at the Craven Week.
The two Kovsies are also the only players from the Free State in the Baby Boks’ World Championship squad.
They are currently at a training camp in the Cape in preparation for the World Cup tournament.