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Africa Dialogue Series discussion at UFS offers insights into SA’s 2024 elections

18 March 2024 | Story VALENTINO NDABA | Photo SUPPLIED

RIGHT TO VOTE 2024 — Expert speakers dissecting South Africa's political landscape at the University of the Free State’s recent panel discussion on the 2024 elections.

The University of the Free State's (UFS) Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (CGAS), in collaboration with the South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR), recently organised an Africa Dialogue Series panel discussion titled ‘Elections 2024: South Africa’s Changing Political Landscape’. The event, held on 6 March 2024, brought together distinguished speakers and experts to dissect the evolving dynamics of South Africa's political landscape as the nation gears up for the 2024 elections.

The panel featured prominent figures including former Tony Leon, Makone Maja, Michael Atkins, and Terence Corrigan, who provided valuable insights into various aspects of the upcoming elections. Prof Heidi Hudson, Professor at the CGAS, expertly moderated the session, ensuring a robust exchange of ideas and perspectives.

Importance of informed dialogue

Prof Hussein Solomon, Senior Professor at CGAS and planner of the dialogue session, reflected on the success of the event in achieving its objectives. He emphasised the importance of informed dialogue in navigating the complex issues surrounding the 2024 elections. "The idea is to inform people of the issues at stake, but also to focus on key issue areas from an academic perspective," Prof Solomon said.

He expressed concerns about voter registration and the need for heightened awareness among youth, underscoring the significance of addressing societal challenges to ensure peaceful elections.

Unprecedented uncertainty in election outcome

Leon, former leader of the Democratic Alliance and a seasoned political analyst, opened the discussion by highlighting the unprecedented uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the 2024 elections. Contrary to previous elections where the victory of the African National Congress (ANC) was almost a given, Leon pointed out that the current political landscape presents a different scenario.

"In all the previous elections we were able to predict an ANC win. This time round it is not that simple," he said. "The ANC will not clear 50 and that’s going to be a big game-changer."

Leon underscored the fragmentation within the ANC itself, noting the emergence of multiple versions of the party with no clear ideological distinctions. He also raised concerns about voter turnout and the implications of a potential government controlled by parties representing a mere fraction of the voting population.

Declining youth political participation

Maja, Campaign Manager at the IRR, shed light on the decline in political participation by youth in South Africa. Drawing from statistical data, she emphasised the need to address the disillusionment among young voters, particularly regarding corruption and unemployment.

"I've been particularly curious about youth for their behaviour," she said. "A lot of the youth... did not align with political parties in South Africa, much more likely in the youth than in the older age categories."

Maja highlighted socioeconomic factors that are contributing to youth disengagement from the political process, and stressed the importance of political engagement in shaping democratic outcomes.

Upholding electoral integrity

Atkins, a seasoned political analyst and independent observer in South African elections, focused on the imperative of upholding electoral integrity. He criticised the flaws in the Electoral Amendment Bill and highlighted concerns about the accuracy of election results.

"We have seen a complete disrespect or even disdain for meaningful electoral reform through these last three years," he said. "Spurious claims of rigging must be objectively and speedily met and countered."

He called for increased transparency and accountability within the electoral process to ensure the legitimacy of election outcomes.

Political dynamics and future scenarios

Corrigan, a Project Manager at the IRR, delved into the changing political dynamics of South Africa and contemplated potential future scenarios. He questioned the sustainability of the dominant party paradigm and examined the possibility of coalition politics in the aftermath of the elections. Corrigan highlighted the emergence of new political players and the implications of coalition politics for stability and governance in South Africa.

The Africa Dialogue Series panel discussion provided a platform for robust debate and critical analysis of South Africa's political landscape, offering valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the 2024 elections and beyond.

News Archive

UFS School of Nursing opens new frontiers at 40

2009-11-16

The opening of the virtual facility of the School of Nursing at the University of the Free State (UFS) and a gala dinner to celebrate the School’s 40th year of existence took place on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein this week. At the opening were, among others, from the left: Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS; Dr Oluseyi Oyedele and Ms Viona Munjeri, both from The Atlantic Philanthropies; and Prof. Anita van der Merwe, Head of the School of Nursing at the UFS.
Photo: Leatitia Pienaar

All eyes in the nursing profession in South Africa were turned to the University of the Free State (UFS) when the School of Nursing opened a state-of-the-art virtual health training and learning facility and celebrated its 40th year of existence with a gala dinner on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein this week.

The lustrous events were attended by dignitaries from all spheres of the health-care fraternity in South Africa.

The new virtual facility, The Space, is made possible by a grant of R16 million from The Atlantic Philanthropies and R1 million from the UFS. The Atlantic Philanthropies organisation is an international philanthropic organisation that is going to inject R70 million into nursing in South African over the next four years. The initiative will enhance nursing education and step up the quality of health-care delivery in South Africa. Four major grants were made to universities in South Africa, of which the UFS is one.

With the facility at the UFS School of Nursing, nursing education is propelled into the future. Prof. Anita van der Merwe, Head of the School of Nursing, says, “The virtual learning facility is a very new way of thinking and teaching. At the moment, theory and practice are separated, as theory is often taught in the mornings, followed by practical settings later in the day. Learner nurses then also go to clinical facilities for their practicals where the quality of care is declining and human resources are a problem.

“We believe that with new technologies such as e-learning and high-tech computer-mediated equipment we can use the ‘virtual world’ to bridge the theory-practice gap in the same location.”

Prof. Van der Merwe says the project is essentially about transformation: taking a stand against stagnation in nursing education and practice and daring to be different.

In the new virtual facility nurses will have the best of three worlds – the expertise of the facilitator/educator, simulation technology, and a vast selection of on-line and off-line software, exposing them to blogs, broadcasting and enhancing computer literacy. This will attract both the new “millennial” generation, which tends to be technologically competent, as well as the older learner because of the unthreatening learning environment.

The core space will accommodate 40 to 60 students and is designed to encourage informal, collaborative learning and practice simultaneously. It will have a demarcated area for “patients” (such as advanced adult and baby patient simulators) and a “clinic space” allowing for role play.

At the gala dinner, Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS commended nurses in South Africa for their caring role, but also expressed his concern that South African has lost its deep sense of care. South Africa is at a critical point and the country can be changed if a deep sense of care can be embedded again.

About forty nursing educators from all over South Africa attended an exploratory workshop in the facility today and the last meeting of the Forum of University Deans in South Africa (FUNDISA) also coincided with the festivities at the School of Nursing.

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
13 November 2009

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