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Thought Leader Series - Navigating a new era of democracy in South Africa

15 June 2024 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath

The University of the Free State (UFS) is pleased to announce the upcoming UFS Thought-Leader panel discussion titled “Navigating a new era of democracy in South Africa”. This event is a key part of the 2024 Thought-Leader Series and is presented in collaboration with the Free State Literature Festival. As a prominent public South African higher-education institution, UFS acknowledges its responsibility to contribute to meaningful public discourse. This panel will bring together esteemed thought leaders to discuss the social, political, economic, and business landscape of South Africa, exploring its implications for our future. The discussion will be facilitated by Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UFS.

Event details:

Date: Thursday 4 July 2024

Time: 10:00-12:00

Venue: ATKV Albert Wessels Auditorium, Bloemfontein Campus

Click here to RSVP by 3 July 2024

For further information, please contact Alicia Pienaar at pienaaran1@ufs.ac.za.

Panel discussion presented on 4 July 2024

The 2024 South African elections saw the African National Congress (ANC) fall short of a majority, leading to significant questions about the country’s direction. The way forward is not clear-cut. What is evident is that the people have spoken. The upcoming panel will address the critical need for effective leadership and stable governance to serve the people’s interests. Key topics include political and ideological tolerance necessary for building trust and advancing democracy.

Panel facilitator:

Prof Francis Petersen: Vice-Chancellor and Principal, UFS

Panelists:

Ebrahim Fakir: Consultant Election Analyst, Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA)

Prof Erwin Schwella: Director, Centre for Good Governance in Africa School of Social Innovation, Hugenote Kollege

Sanet Solomon: Lecturer, Department of Political Sciences, College of Human Science, University of South Africa

Gert Coetzee: Former Editor, Volksblad

Speakers’ biographies:

Ebrahim Fakir

Ebrahim Fakir has over 25 years of experience in the political and governance sectors, spanning NGOs, academia, media, government, and business. Currently, he serves as a Consultant Election Analyst at the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA). Fakir has a rich background in governance, having headed EISA’s Governance Institutions and Processes Program from 2009 to 2016. He has contributed extensively to academic and policy journals and is a frequent commentator in the media. His previous roles include Senior Researcher at the Centre for Policy Studies and Analyst at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa. He has also served in the first democratic Parliament of the Republic of South Africa in the Legislation and Oversight Division. He serves on the Board of Directors of Afesis, a development NGO based in Buffalo City, East London, and is a member of the Advisory Council of the Council for the Advancement of South Africa’s Constitution (CASAC).

Prof Erwin Schwella

Prof Erwin Schwella is a distinguished academic, consultant, and leader in governance and public administration. He holds five degrees from Stellenbosch University, including a PhD on the Role of the Media in Public Accountability in South Africa. Schwella has held numerous prestigious positions, including Emeritus Dean of the School of Social Innovation at Hugenote Kollege and Affiliated Full Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Management at the University of the Free State. He has served as a visiting scholar at world-renowned universities such as Harvard and Leiden and has consulted for various governments worldwide. He is currently a Fellow of the International Leadership Association and an Emeritus Full Professor with Ius Promovendi at Tilburg Law School. With over 90 publications, Schwella is a leading expert in governance and public leadership.

Sanet Solomon

Sanet Solomon, a highly accomplished scholar in Political Sciences, is a lecturer at the University of South Africa and a PhD candidate at the University of the Free State. She has earned numerous academic accolades, including membership in the International Golden Key Honour Society. An internationally published author, her research focuses on Africa and the Middle East, with recent publications including a Springer Nature book chapter on the climate-security nexus in Mali. Solomon is also an active member of several academic organisations, contributing to her field through teaching, research, and service.

Gert Coetzee

Gert Coetzee, former editor of Volksblad, embarked on his career in journalism in 1986 at Volksblad. He has served in various roles including Bloemfontein (several terms), Kimberley, (Northern Cape editorial bureau chief, 1996 to 1998), London (Media24 correspondent, 2001), and in parliament in Cape Town (political correspondent, 2004 to 2008). In 2008, he was Media24’s Rykie van Reenen Fellow at Stellenbosch University’s School of Journalism. From July 2014 to June 2015, he acted as Volksblad editor and subsequently retired at the end of 2022. He still contributes columns and articles to Netwerk24 and the remaining Afrikaans newspapers. Coetzee’s career has spanned many roles including general news reporter, in-depth reporter, political writer, op-ed writer, columnist, feature writer, news manager, ombudsman, and manager of change. He has covered state visits of former presidents FW de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki, reported on the regime change in the 1990s, and various elections from 1994 to 2020. He holds BA, BA Honours (English), and MA cum laude (Creative Writing) degrees, as well as an HED from the University of the Free State. He is the recipient of several journalism awards.

News Archive

Agriculture must adapt to change

2008-11-28

At the launch of "50 years of agriculture" at the UFS were, from the left: Mr Corwyn Botha: Chairman: Agri Business Chamber and Managing Director: Cape Agri Group, Mr Motsepe Matlala, President of NAFU, Mr Hans van der Merwe, Executive Head: Agri SA, Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk: Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS, and Mr Sugar Ramakarane, Head: Department of Agriculture, Free State Province.
Photo: Lacea Loader

“The biggest factor driving agriculture today is change. Our major challenge is to adapt to this changing environment.” This was stated by Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) during the recent celebration of the faculty’s “50 years in agriculture”.

Prof. Van Schalkwyk stated that the most important changes include power relationships in supply chains, consumer demand, new products and technology in agriculture, government action and developments in neighbouring states. “At the moment there is very little cooperation between small-scale farmers, small-scale farmers and commercial farmers and farmers and processors. There are also low levels of processing, low levels of value adding and a lack of creative thinking in agriculture," he said.

“This must change – we need comprehensive agricultural support and new business ideas in agriculture. We need better infrastructure, value chain financing and improved institutional support,” he said.

Speaking about agriculture and institutional co-operation in the Free State, Mr Sugar Ramakarane, Chief Director of the Free State Department of Agriculture, said that the UFS plays a vital role in bringing together organised agriculture in the province. “The responsibility of transforming our economy cannot be done by government alone. We need partners like the UFS to assist us with bringing together the two most important stakeholders of the agricultural sector, namely the National Farmers’ Union (NAFU) and Free State Agriculture. You can assist us with harnessing co-operation and providing practical solutions," he said

Mr Ramakarane said that his department is aware of the university’s good work with emerging farmers. “But, I want to encourage the university to help us with skills transfer and the development of the emerging farmers. You can play a vital role in developing a mentorship programme. Yours remains a central and critical role of being torch bearers in guiding the transformation agenda of our country," he said.

In his contribution on the challenges of small scale farmers in South Africa and the role of the university, Mr Motsepe Matlala, President of NAFU, said that unity in organised agriculture and working together with other stakeholders has become even more crucial with regard to the global challenges now faced by the country. “The university should take the lead in guiding all farmers on how to respond to, among others, the global financial turmoil and politics, developments in trade negotiations, food prices, input costs and the availability of energy," he said.

“If the UFS, and more specifically the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, is to continue to play a leading role in academia as well as in the production of research that matters to the growth and development of this country, it must adopt an approach that seeks to harness the capacity of everyone in an inclusive manner. The strides already made in this regard must be applauded,” Mr Matlala said.

Speaking on the future challenges in agriculture and the role of universities, Mr Hans van der Merwe, Executive Head of Agri SA said that South Africa has not spent money on agricultural development in a long time. “We must increase our product capacity in the agricultural sector. Universities must focus on cultivating enough expertise and the skills necessary to manage the resources and capacity needed," he said. In his view, South Africa must also focus on technological advancement in agriculture as this has also been neglected in the past. He urged universities to provide best-practice education and to look at international trends in agricultural training. “That is why we should not only focus our attention on South Africa, but on southern Africa,” Mr van der Merwe said.

In conclusion to the day’s programme, Mr Corwyn Botha, Chairperson of the Agricultural Business Chamber, Managing Director of the Cape Agri Group and former Kovsie stated that: “If you want to be an example of leadership, people around you must do better because you are there. A university should evaluate itself in this context. You cannot create solutions to problems with the same attitude in which the problems were created."

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
28 November 2008

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