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UFS celebrates student excellence at 2024 EDSA Prestige Awards ceremony

23 October 2024 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Kaleidoscope

EDSA Awards - 2024 — At the 2024 EDSA Prestige Awards (from left): Temba Hlasho, Executive Director of Student Affairs; Siphilangenkosi Dlamini, Student of the Year; and Prof Anthea Rhoda, acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal.

The 2024 Executive Director of Student Affairs (EDSA) Prestige Awards, hosted by the University of the Free State (UFS) on 12 October on South Campus, was a celebration of student excellence, leadership and holistic development. The third annual event recognised exceptional achievements across academia, sport, community engagement and innovative activities, aligning with the university’s broader Vision 130 strategy, which emphasises excellence, innovation and social impact.

Prof Anthea Rhoda, Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UFS, highlighted how the awards reflect the university’s commitment to nurturing well-rounded students who are capable of excelling on the global stage. She emphasised that categories like ‘Most Innovative Fundraising Activity,’ ‘Best Undergraduate’ and ‘Best Sportsman’ embody the values of Vision 130.

“The awards encourage students to strive for excellence in several areas of their student experience, similarly to how UFS aspires to achieve excellence in various spheres where it is a role player,” she said.

The decision to host the ceremony on South Campus marked a significant step towards inclusivity across all UFS campuses. Prof Rhoda noted that this choice reiterated UFS’s identity as “one university with three campuses”. She expressed optimism for the future of South Campus, calling it a hub for academic and student activities, and signalling its potential to host even larger events in the future.

Through its Division of Student Affairs, UFS plays a pivotal role in supporting students in both academic and extracurricular pursuits. According to Prof Rhoda, the university has formulated a strategic framework that emphasises student success, well-being and development. She highlighted that students are given ample opportunities to excel, whether through academic support systems or through initiatives like entrepreneurial programmes and sports infrastructure. This well-rounded support system equips UFS students with the tools to compete globally, both academically and in extracurricular endeavours.

Among the many students honoured was Mthi Mthimkhulu, a first-year who is studying towards a Bachelor of Arts degree specialising in Language Practice. The rising 400-metre sprint star participated at the South African Under-23 Championships in Pretoria earlier this year, finishing with a time of 46 seconds, as well as in the African Athletics Championships in Douala, Cameroon, logging a time of 46.50.

On the night of the EDSA Prestige Awards, Mthimkhulu walked away with three gongs: the Club Sports Star of the Year, Kovsie National Sports Representative of the Year, and Sportsman of the Year.

The big winner on the night was Siphilangenkosi Dlamini, who took home the Student of the Year award. Dlamini, a student and research assistant at the Centre for Teaching and Learning, is also the Provincial Chairperson of the BRICS Student Commission in the Free State. Along with being named Student of the Year, he also took home a cash prize of R1 500.

“Winning the Student of the Year award is an incredible honour, both personally and professionally,” Dlamini said. “It represents the culmination of years of dedication to leadership, academic excellence and social impact.”

His leadership extends beyond UFS, with initiatives focused on decolonising education and youth entrepreneurship. Dlamini also leads the Initiative for Creative African Narratives (iCAN) project, which empowers African youth to reclaim their narratives by writing in their own languages. This initiative, which now includes 10 South African languages, exemplifies his dedication to fostering innovation and cultural pride among African youth.

The 2024 EDSA Prestige Awards not only celebrated excellence but also reinforced UFS's dedication to creating a vibrant student life that enhances leadership, personal growth and community engagement, in line with Vision 130.

Click to view document Click here for the list of all the categories and the winners.

News Archive

#Women'sMonth: Save the children

2017-08-10

Dr Trudi O’Neill, Senior lecturer in the Department of
Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology.
Photo: Anja Aucamp

Dr Trudi O’Neill, Senior lecturer in the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, is conducting research on rotavirus vaccines.

Dr O’Neill was inspired to conduct research on this issue through her fascination with the virus. “The biology of rotaviruses, especially the genome structure and the virus’ interaction with the host, is fascinating.”

“In fact, it is estimated that, globally, ALL children will be infected with rotavirus before the age of five, irrespective of their socio-economic standing. However, infants and young children in poor countries are more vulnerable due to inadequate healthcare. The WHO estimates that approximately 215 000 deaths occur each year. This roughly equates to eight Airbus A380 planes, the largest commercial carrier with a capacity of approximately 500 seats, filled with only children under the age of five, crashing each week of every year.”

Alternative to expensive medicines
“Currently, there are two vaccines that have been licensed for global use. However, these vaccines are expensive and poor countries, where the need is the greatest, are struggling to introduce them sustainably. It is therefore appealing to study rotaviruses, as it is scientifically challenging, but could at the same time have an impact on child health,” Dr O’Neill said.

The main focus of Dr O’Neill’s research is to develop a more affordable vaccine that can promote child vaccination in countries/areas that cannot afford the current vaccines.

All about a different approach
When asked about the most profound finding of her research, Dr O’Neill responded: “It is not so much a finding, but rather the approach. My rotavirus research group is making use of yeast as vehicle to produce a sub-unit vaccine. These microbes are attractive, as they are relatively easy to manipulate and cheap to cultivate. Downstream production costs can therefore be reduced. The system we use was developed by my colleagues, Profs Koos Albertyn and Martie Smit, and allows for the potential use of any yeast. This enables us to screen a vast number of yeasts in order to identify the best yeast producer.”

Vaccination recently acquired a bad name in the media for its adverse side effects. As researcher, Dr O’Neill has this to say: “Vaccines save lives. By vaccinating your child, you don’t just protect your own child from a potentially deadly infection, but also other children in your community that might be too young to be vaccinated or have pre-existing health problems that prevents vaccination.”

A future without rotavirus vaccination?
Dr O’Neill believes a future without rotavirus vaccination will be a major step backwards, as the impact of rotavirus vaccines has been profound. “Studies in Mexico and Malawi actually show a reduction in deaths. A colleague in Mozambique has commented on the empty hospital beds that amazed both clinicians and scientists only one year after the introduction of the vaccine in that country. Although many parents, mostly in developed countries, don’t have to fear dehydrating diarrhoea and potential hospitalisation of their babies due to rotavirus infection anymore, such an infection could still be a death sentence in countries that have not been able to introduce the vaccine in their national vaccination programmes,” she said.

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