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Innovative wool creations shine at Karoo Winter Wool Festival

25 June 2024 | Story Martinette Brits | Photo Carine van Zyl

OVK Innovation Competition Gala Event 2024 — The prize winners at the gala evening of the OVK Innovation Competition on 13 June 2024. From the left, in front: Emily Segame, Sophia Mekhoe, Sarah Lenong, Maserame Sebonyane, Ntabiseng Ndabeni. At the back: Elizabeth Mnwana, Carlize van Zyl (winner of the competition), Carien Vorster, Jana Vermaas, Doretha Jacobs, and Nelly Olayi.

The University of the Free State (UFS) Wool Wise Community Project was recognised for its innovative use of wool, receiving accolades at the OVK Innovation Competition held in conjunction with the Karoo Winter Wool Festival in Middelburg from 13–16 June 2024.According to Carien Vorster, project manager from the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, participants were tasked with crafting practical items from wool. Their creativity shone through in their design of a lampshade, earning them second place. Doretha Jacobs, a lecturer in the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, focused on making felt from Dorper fibre, noting that while Dorper sheep are primarily bred for meat, they sought to repurpose fibres that would otherwise be discarded.

The team achieved third place with their cushion, featuring a front made entirely of merino wool felt and a back crafted from upholstery fabric. “Each cushion contains a 100% duck feather inner, and their uniqueness lies in the hand-dyed wool and hand-placed designs on each felt piece,” explains Vorster.

Other notable entries from different teams included a duvet inner, shoe insoles, and oven gloves. The top prize went to a hand-felted coat.

Community project empowers local women in wool craft

The UFS Wool Wise Community Project originated as a spin-off from the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building (Ruforum) project, initiated in 2019 by the UFS Department for Sustainable Food Systems and Development.

According to Vorster, the Ruforum project encompasses various components such as research, farmer support, and community development, with a particular emphasis on community upliftment programmes. "Since 2019, we have conducted numerous wool workshops and training sessions where local women have participated to learn about wool processing," she explains.

"From these events, we identified women who are now integral to our programme. Their skills range from sewing, felt making, and hand embroidery, to knitting."

The project features eight women who create diverse products from scratch: Elizabeth Mnwana, Emily Segame, Georgina Collins, Maserame Sebonyane, Nelly Olayi, Sarah Lenong, Sophia Mekhoe, and Ntabiseng Ndabeni.

She emphasises that the project also manufactures conference bags for various events and stands as one of UFS's most successful community initiatives. "Ultimately, this project has the potential to become self-sustaining, with proceeds supporting the salaries of the eight women," Vorster concludes.

Competition boosts visibility and market reach

Participating in initiatives like the OVK Innovation Competition motivates them to stay current and benchmark their efforts against other businesses or individuals involved in felt product creation.

"Winning a competition can also significantly uplift team morale," remarks Vorster.

"Securing second and third place in this competition translates to increased visibility and marketing opportunities for us. This is crucial as we aim to expand our market reach and establish a sustainable income stream for the project," she concludes.

A worker packs the carded wool in layers preparing for the felting process.

The cushion (in front), secured the team third place at the OVK Innovation Competition.

The lampshade secured the team second place at the OVK Innovation Competition.

News Archive

UFS outperforms SA higher education in EU-Saturn programme

2016-12-14

Partnering between the UFS and other institutions
makes it possible for staff and students to study abroad.
Pictured from left front, are: Mareve Biljohn (EU-Saturn
at University of Groningen), Memory Mphaphuli (INSPIRE
at University of Ghent) and Wanda Verster (EU-Saturn at
Uppsala University). Back: Moliehi Mpeli (Erasmus Mundus
at University of Leuven).
Photo: Stephen Collett

The University of the Free State (UFS) strives to invest in its staff and students and a proven example can be seen in the latest cycle of the Erasmus Mundus EU-SATURN programme.

The UFS outperformed the higher education sector over the past five years as it had more exchange scholarships than most South African universities. A total of 16 (18%) out of the 89 local scholarships allocated until 2016 were from UFS. Stellenbosch University, with 14 scholarships, was second.

University one of main roleplayers
Chevon Jacobs, Senior Officer said: “Internationalisation at the UFS is a great achievement as the university allocated all available scholarships to eligible staff and students. She said the strong partnership history between the university and some European institutions, due to a similarity between the language and culture of especially Dutch-speaking countries, is one of the reasons for the success.

“We are very proud of our participation. We have invested for these predominantly young members to spend time abroad in furthering their qualifications,” she said.

The EU-Saturn project has been jointly co-ordinated for the past five years by the University of Groningen, Netherlands, and the UFS.

One of few projects funded by Erasmus Mundus
The Erasmus Mundus is an international partnership aimed at enhancing the quality of European higher education and the promotion of dialogue and understanding between people and cultures through co-operation with other countries. The EUROSA, EU-Saturn, Aesop and INSPIRE to name a few, are all programmes funded by the European Union through the Erasmus Mundus. These projects offer fully funded part-time or full-time postgraduate scholarships for study in Europe.

Some of the universities UFS students have studied at are the University of Groningen, the University of Newcastle, England, and the University of Ghent, Belgium.

Successful UFS grantees awarded scholarships over the past five years:
•   Maria Campbell (2014 – PhD) – University of Newcastle
•   Sethulego Matebesi (2014 – PhD) – Uppsala University
•   Lindie Koorts (2016 – PhD) – University of Groningen
•   Reginald Makgoba (2013/2014 – Master’s) – University of Newcastle
•   Sanet Steyn (2013/2014 – Master’s) – University of Groningen
•   Johnathan Adams (2015/2016 – Master’s) - Göttingen University
•   Eben Coetzee (2013/2014 - PhD) – University of Groningen
•   André Janse van Rensburg (2013/2014 – PhD) – University of Ghent
•   Martin Rossouw (2013-2015 – PhD) – University of Groningen
•   Jan Schlebusch (2013-2016 – PhD) – University of Groningen
•   Carel Cloete (2014-2016 – PhD) – University of Groningen
•   Nadine Lake (2014-2016 – PhD) – Uppsala University
•   Elbie Lombard (2014-2016 – PhD) – University of Ghent
•   Luyanda Noto (2014/2015 – PhD) – University of Ghent
•   Mareve Biljohn (2015/2016 – PhD) – University of Groningen
•   Wanda Verster (2015/2016 – PhD) – Uppsala University

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