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UFS hosts pioneering pre-election debate series

28 May 2024 | Story Lunga Luthuli and Precious Shamase | Photo Supplied

Student Elections Debates 2024 — Themba Hlasho, Executive Director: Student Affairs and Prof Prince Ngobeni, Qwaqwa Campus Principal were part of the debate series.

With South Africans going to the polls on 29 May 2024 for the seventh general elections since 1994, the University of the Free State (UFS) successfully hosted its first Institutional Elections Debate Series across its three campuses. The debates, organised by the Institutional Student Governance Office (ISGO), aimed to stimulate political engagement and intellectual discourse among students.

The debates took place on the three campuses and at different levels. The debates were very successful; students were enthusiastic and well prepared to field critical questions to panellists. The level of intellectual engagement was high and the facilitator, Ace Moloi – with his fine facilitation skills – helped to take the debates to higher levels.

Motlogelwa Moema, Head of the Student Governance Office, emphasised the alignment of the debates with the UFS’ commitment to societal progress and intellectual enquiry. "As an institution of higher learning, the UFS is committed to producing graduates who can function at various levels of society, contributing meaningfully to societal and intellectual enquiry. Platforms such as the debate series are important in stimulating political as well as electoral involvement while producing students who are leaders," Moema stated.

Student engagement in the electoral process was a key focus of the debates, with discussions highlighting the importance of translating campus political activity into national civic duty. Moema noted, "By bringing representatives from various political parties to all three campuses of the university, we ensured that students not only understood the importance of their votes, but also that they were able to align their values with those of the parties campaigning for their votes."

Informed voters: The debate allowed students to hear directly from the candidates about their platforms and stances on important issues. This can help students make informed decisions when they cast their votes.

Increased engagement: By hosting the debate, the Student Governance Office is encouraging student participation in the national elections. This led to a more vibrant and engaged student body.

Key themes of the debates included student funding, health care, governance, accountability, and economic policy. "The most topical theme across all three campuses was student funding. Additionally, students demonstrated great interest in the National Health Insurance, governance, and economic policies," Moema said, illustrating the depth and breadth of the discussions.

Reflecting on the role of universities in fostering political awareness, Moema acknowledged a generational disengagement from political activism. However, he stressed the importance of universities in cultivating a culture of debate and free thinking. "The recent debate series marked the beginning of the ISGO’s commitment to reviving dialogue across the university," he added.

Moema also highlighted the importance of universities in promoting critical enquiry and fact-checking, particularly during election periods. "Universities have a crucial role in creating platforms for fact-checking, critical enquiry, and clarification," he remarked.

Looking ahead, Moema hopes that the debate series will have a lasting impact on students’ democratic participation. "In the short term, the most ideal impact of the debate series should be a great turnout on election day. In the medium term, we hope to see the same energy during CSRC elections on all three campuses," he said.

The debate series was deemed a success, with significant improvements in turnout and the quality of engagement. "Our students showed a great level of tolerance for divergent views and respect for one another. The audience asked pertinent questions, showing remarkable understanding of societal dynamics, governance, social justice, and leadership values," Moema concluded.

The debates were moderated by Ace Moloi, a former student leader and award-winning journalist, whose experience and understanding of the university’s values greatly contributed to the event’s success.

The UFS is committed to developing well-rounded graduates who can think critically and contribute meaningfully to society. Looking ahead, the UFS hopes to see a high voter turnout on 29 May and continued student involvement in future elections. The debates' focus on critical thinking and informed participation aligns with Vision 130's objective of developing well-rounded graduates who can contribute meaningfully to society.

News Archive

UFS awards honorary doctorates during its centenary week

2004-10-07

The University of the Free State (UFS) will award 12 honorary doctorates on Thursday 14 October 2004 to a diverse group of outstanding South Africans and international experts.

This will be the last in a group of 18 honorary doctorates that the UFS will be awarding in its centenary year.

The awards comprise of a number of well-known language experts and writers, experts in higher education, first-time awards in community service and development studies, as well as music.

“This reflects quality and also diversity, a spectrum of convictions as well as the recognition of persons who played a major role in changing society in the last couple of decades, “ says Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS.

The awards can be grouped in the following categories:

Language and literature:

Mr Karel Schoeman (D Litt (hc)) – well-known Afrikaans author and former student of the UFS. Some of the awards he has received include the Hertzog prize for prose (1970, 1986 and 1995), the CNA prize (1972 and 1994), the Old Mutual prize (1985 and 1991), the SABC prize for best television drama in 1990, the M Net book prize in 1997 and the State President award (former President Nelson Mandela: Order for Excellent Service – silver) in 1999. It is an honor for the UFS to have this gifted and creative person among its former students. This conferment is a fitting recognition of his status as leading South African writer.

Ms Antjie Krog (D Litt (hc)) – well-known South African poet and former student of the UFS. Her popularity as poet is evident in her piercing honesty and unequalled power of expression. Some of the awards she has received include the Eugéne Marais prize in 1973, the Rapport prize in 1987, the Hertzog prize in 1990 and the RAU prize in 2000. Her writing has been translated into seven languages. She has also received numerous honors for her involvement in and journalistic documentation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) proceedings. It is therefore an exceptional privilege for her alma mater to honor her with an honorary doctorate.

Prof Jaap Steyn (D Litt (et phil) (hc)) – recently, Prof Steyn again distinguished himself as biographer whose thorough research is apparent in the published biographies of illustrious writers such as NP van Wyk Louw and MER. The numerous awards, among which the Stals prize from the South African Academy of Science and Art for the Van Wyk publication, are a matter of record. He conducted the research for this great prize-winning work as honorary professor at the UFS.

Prof Jakes Gerwel (D Phil (hc)) – Chancellor of the University of Rhodes and Director of Naspers, Old Mutual, Gold Fields and Brimstone. His doctoral thesis was published in The Netherlands under the title Literatuur en apartheid. Konsepsies van “gekleurdes” in die Afrikaanse roman tot 1948 (1983). He received an honorary doctorate from Clark College ( Atlanta), the City University of New York and Missouri in the USA, the University of the Western Cape, the University of Cape Town, the University of Natal, Rhodes University, the University of Stellenbosch and the University of the Witwatersrand. He is also outstanding professor in the Humanities at the University of the Western Cape, honorary professor in the Humanities at the University of Pretoria, and was the chairman of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).

Development Studies:

Dr Frederick van Zyl Slabbert (D Phil (hc)) – for his academic achievements, his endeavors for bringing about a peaceful transition in South Africa and his demonstration of the social investment role of the corporate sector. Dr Van Zyl Slabbert has received honorary degrees from the University of Natal and the Simon Fraser University in Canada. He has published seven books and various academic articles.

Community Service:

Prof Robert G Bringle (D Phil (hc)) – from the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in the USA. He is currently Chancellor’s Professor of Psychology and Philanthropic Studies at the IUPUI and also Director of the IUPUI’s Centre for Service Learning. He is honored for his exceptional contribution to several of the UFS’s community service projects as well as his role in the advancement of a multi- and inter-disciplinary approach to academic development and the integration of service learning within the faculties of the UFS. He has also made a valuable contribution to the conceptual framework of the UFS’s unique community service policy and more recently to the advancement of a research culture regarding community service.

Higher education:

Dr Khotso Mokhele (D Phil (hc)), President of the National Research Foundation (NRF) is honored for his contribution to the South African higher education sector. He has also made a substantial contribution to the development of the research capacity of universities and technikons in South Africa. Dr Mokhele was born in Bloemfontein and matriculated at the Moroka High School in Thaba Nchu.

Prof Saleem Badat (D Phil (hc)), the Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Higher Education (CHE). Prof Badat has devoted himself to transforming and building South African higher education, and has constantly challenged the higher education sector to retain the moral basis of higher education and tackle its challenges with intellectual honesty, ingenuity, creativity and courage. He is honored for his intellectual leadership in the development of a equitable, just and quality higher education system in South Africa.

Law:

Prof HA (Boelie) Wessels (D Legum (hc)) – for his contribution to the fields of Roman Law, Legal History at the UFS. He is currently a part-time lecturer at the UFS’s Faculty of Law.

Medicine:

Prof CJC Nel (D Phil (hc) Posthumous) – for the way in which he strived for the advancement of excellent medical education in the country. Prof Nel also did pioneering work in the field of transformation in higher education. Under his guidance the School of Medicine at the UFS became one of the first medical schools to adopt a parallel-medium system of instruction.

Music:

Prof Leo Quayle (D Mus (hc)) – for the significant contributions he has made to the development of music – not only in Bloemfontein, but also on national level and abroad. His initiative, enthusiasm and dedication contributed to the eventual founding of the Free State Musicon, as well as the first symphony orchestra and the first string quartet in Bloemfontein. Prof Quayle is a former head of the Department of Music at the UFS.

Prof Jack de Wet (D Mus (hc)) – well-known for his exceptional contribution to violin tuition in South Africa. As pedagogue of international stature, he still moulds violinists who compete at national and international level. At an advanced stage of his career, he still actively conveys his knowledge, experience and distinctive insight in his field of speciality to yet another new generation of young violin teachers. Today the symphony orchestras in Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth also stand on the foundations laid by him.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
7 October 2004

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