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20 June 2024 | Story Jacky Tshokwe | Photo Suplied
Dr Mutshidzi Mulondo
Dr Mutshidzi Mulondo’s achievements not only highlight her personal dedication and growth, but further reflect the University of the Free State’s unwavering commitment to Vision 130’s goals of academic excellence, leadership, and global engagement.

The University of the Free State (UFS) takes immense pride in the remarkable achievements of Dr Mutshidzi Mulondo, an academic in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Her international recognition and appointments not only exemplify her dedication to academic excellence and leadership but also reflect the UFS’ commitment to nurturing researchers who are globally competitive and internationally well connected, aligning perfectly with Vision 130.

Dr Mulondo was recently appointed to the International Council of Advisers as council member in the Golden Key International Honour Society. Golden Key, the world's largest collegiate honour society, selects the top 15% of high academic achievers in a college or university. In this role, Dr Mulondo will represent South Africa and oversee more than 20 (all) academic institutional chapters in South Africa. Her passion for academic excellence and leadership development is evident, as she strives to nurture these qualities among students, further ensuring that they remain socially engaged, in the spirit of ubuntu. “Education is one of the keys to eradicating poverty. While academic excellence can set graduates apart, we must continue to encourage and celebrate this excellence among our students and youth – not just this Youth Month but every other month. I am honoured to amplify an organisation such as Golden Key that shares these values,” says Dr Mulondo.

This commitment to academic and leadership excellence is a cornerstone of the UFS’ mission. The strategic objectives aim to enhance research capabilities and promote leadership, creating an environment where students and staff can thrive and make significant contributions to society.

Dr Mulondo’s recent accomplishments extend beyond her council and advisory role. She was awarded an impact-oriented grant for emerging researchers under the University Partnership Initiative, allowing her to strengthen her collaborative research partnership with the Appalachian State University (AppState). As a Public Health visiting scholar at AppState’s Beaver College of Health Sciences, she worked with academic host Dr Tandrea Carter, and collaborators Prof Martie Thompson and Prof Adam Hege. Her visit in the last term of 2023 culminated in a presentation of preliminary findings at the Global Symposium, USA. This public health partnership highlights the continuing collaboration initiated during her time as a Mandela Washington Fellow in 2022. This partnership underscores the UFS’ commitment to global engagement and fostering partnerships that enhance educational and research agenda.

Her global impact is further recognised, as she was selected globally as one of 10 Reimagining Healthcare Scholars by Novartis in 2023. Representing South Africa, she joined young global scholars at the One Young World Summit in the United Kingdom. The summit gathered delegates from 192 countries to address pressing global issues such as mental health, climate change, and food security. “As emerging scholars, it is essential to stay engaged locally and globally if we must remain innovative,” says Dr Mulondo, who is now a One Young World Ambassador. Her participation underscores the UFS’ dedication to nurturing staff members who address global challenges and aligns with the vision of fostering academic excellence and social responsibility.

“It is no surprise that Dr Mulondo has been appointed and selected for these various global roles and accolades, as she has continued to display the UFS Vision 130’s values of academic and leadership excellence on a global stage, further evidenced by her selection to the university’s Emerging Scholar Accelerator Programme (ESAP),” says Prof Joyce Tsoka-Gwegweni, Vice-Dean: Research and Head of Public Health. This advanced residential programme identifies the most promising academics who have obtained a doctoral degree within the last five years. Dr Mulondo’s dedication to academic excellence and leadership is commendable.

Reflecting on her journey as an emerging researcher in the newly established Division of Public Health, Dr Mulondo expressed gratitude for the supportive environment at the UFS. “I am grateful for the enabling environment that the UFS provides to emerging researchers and academics through programmes such as ESAP. I look forward to continued growth and I continue to be fuelled by my favourite passages of Scripture. ‘Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith and in purity.’ For the people who know their God will truly be strong and will carry out great exploits.” (1 Timothy 4:12; Daniel 11:32).

News Archive

Significant support for Student Safety March in Bloemfontein
2017-07-28

 Description: Student Safety March Prof Petersen Tags: Student Safety March Prof Petersen 

SK Luwaca, UFS SRC President; Thapelo Ngozo,
CUT SRC President, and Prof Francis Petersen,
UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, during the handover of the
memorandum at the Bram Fischer Building.
Photo: Johan Roux

The University of the Free State (UFS) and the Central University of Technology (CUT) united in a Student Safety Awareness March, which took place on Thursday 27 July 2017 from the UFS Bloemfontein Campus to the Bram Fischer Building.

The peaceful march had a turnout of approximately 1 500 students and staff from both institutions, led by the Student Representative Councils (SRC) from UFS and CUT. The purpose of the march was to hand over a memorandum to the Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Lebeoana Tsumane, who acknowledged it on behalf of Mr Sam Mashinini, MEC for Police, Roads, and Transport in the Free State. The memorandum includes students’ demands regarding safety around student residential areas and general student safety in the city.

Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, who – together with other members of the senior leadership group – was part of the march, says he is very impressed with the outcome of the march and the participation rate of both staff and students, as well as the joint efforts between the UFS and CUT to arrange the march.

Prof Petersen says, “There are public spaces where our students feel unsafe, and we would like the city and the province to seriously look into that and work with us to try and see if we could make those spaces safe.

A week filled with safety activities
The march was part of the Safety Week taking place from 24 to 28 July 2017, during which the UFS SRC, together with other stakeholders, took part in several activities on and off the Bloemfontein Campus. These included door-to-door visits to student homes and residences on and around campus, awareness campaigns at all the gates of the campus, and a Safety Dialogue held on 26 July 2017 at the Equitas Auditorium on campus.

The aim of the Safety Week was to focus on informing, educating, and encouraging students as well as the Mangaung community at large, to work together in creating a safe environment for students. The week started with the roll-out of an awareness campaign titled Reach Out, which was set to bring students and the community of Mangaung together to help decrease the number of violent crimes faced by students off campus. The communication plan included safety messages, using outdoor billboards, posters on lampposts around the residential student areas, local community radio stations, campus media, and the university’s social media platforms.

 Description: Student Safety March  Tags: Student Safety March  

UFS and CUT students and staff, occupying the streets of
Bloemfontein during the Safety March.
Photo: Johan Roux

Accreditation of off-campus accommodation service providers
Over and above the Safety Week and safety awareness march, the university has initiated a number of other projects as part of its student safety strategy. This includes a process to accredit off-campus accommodation service providers in Bloemfontein who provide accommodation to students. The decision to accredit these service providers comes from a concern by the university management about the safety of students and the conditions under which some of our students live in off-campus accommodation. The accreditation process entails a list of primary requirements, drafted with the cognisance of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality and the SRC, in terms of off-campus accommodation to which private providers must adhere in order to be accredited by the university. The requirements are in line with the Policy on the Minimum Norms and Standards for Student Housing at Public Universities (Government Gazette 39238, dated 29 September 2015).

Transport to and from campus
Another project to be initiated on 31 July 2017 is a transport pilot project with Interstate Bus Lines to assist students with transport and access to the Bloemfontein Campus. The route includes various stops in the areas surrounding the campus, as well as a hop-on/hop-off route within the campus.


Released by:

Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Telephone: +27 51 401 2584 | +27 83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27 51 444 6393


 

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