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16 October 2024 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Supplied
Sanlam and Santam
Top 10 finalists of the Sanlam and Santam Economist of the Year competition with Dr Genius Murwirapachena (right) and Prof Johan Coetzee (left).

The Department of Economics and Finance, within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at the University of the Free State (UFS), in collaboration with Sanlam and Santam, will host the inaugural ‘Sanlam & Santam Economist of the Year’ competition gala event on 18 October 2024. The event, to be held on the UFS Bloemfontein campus, marks the exciting conclusion of this prestigious competition.

About the competition

Prof Johan Coetzee, Chairperson of the Department of Economics and Finance at UFS, explained that the competition, launched in July 2024, is an initiative of the department, sponsored by Sanlam and Santam. ‘’The competition aims to equip our graduates with the essential skills required for the modern workplace, including presentation, communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills,” said Prof Coetzee. He also highlighted plans to extend the competition to schools, saying, “We are looking forward to broadening the platform to include school-level participants.”

In addition, Prof Coetzee noted that the competition is designed to train students to become highly skilled economists capable of navigating the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

The competition sees students - ranging from first-year undergraduates to those pursuing master's qualifications within the department - competing against each other by making predictions on key macroeconomic indicators. A schedule of these indicators is provided, and students must predict their values on an online platform before the official release of each indicator. Points are awarded based on the accuracy of their predictions, with the top 10 competitors progressing to the final stage.  

Gala event highlights

Representatives from Sanlam and Santam, the Department of Economics and Finance, the top 10 finalists, and the department’s top academic performers from each year group will attend the gala event. “Besides recognising the competition winners, we will also honour our top academic achievers. As a department, we acknowledge the importance of recognition, and we are proud to be the academic home of these outstanding students,” Prof Coetzee added.

The top 10 finalists will each deliver a six-minute presentation to a panel of four economists from the department, after which the top three finalists will be announced. These finalists will then answer an additional question, and the final judging will determine the winner of the ‘Sanlam and Santam Economist of the Year’ title. The winner will also receive the largest cash prize.  

In addition to the awards, Sivuyile Nzimeni, a data analyst within the EMS faculty and the developer of the competition platform, will address the audience.  Nzimene will discuss the development of the platform and plans for its expansion.

News Archive

UFS presents colloquium on the law of delict
2008-03-06

 

The Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently presented a unique debate on the law of delict on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein. The colloquium was attended by six current and two retired judges of the Supreme Court of Appeal, including Justice Craig Howie, President of the Supreme Court of Appeal, as well as two judges from the Free State provincial division. Twelve of the most prominent academics and authors on the law of delict from across the country, members of the Free State Bar, as well as staff from the faculty were present. Arguments centred on the element wrongfulness and how it should be determined as well as how it differs from fault and more specifically negligence. Unfortunately no unanimity about how judgments of the Supreme Court of Appeal on how this issue should be interpreted could be reached. Attendees however agreed that this was a useful debate that served to highlight the importance of this issue and they expressed their appreciation for the opportunity. As far as could be ascertained, this was the first time that a debate regarding the law of delict took place on this level. At the colloquium were, from the left: Prof. Johann Neethling (speaker at the colloquium and author on the law of delict, Unisa), Prof. Rita-Marié Jansen (Department of Private Law at the UFS and organiser of the colloquium), Prof. Johan Potgieter (author on the law delict, Unisa), Appeal Judge Craig Howie (President of the Supreme Court of Appeal), and Judge Mojalefa Rampai (Free State Provincial Division of the Supreme Court).
Photo: Supplied

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