Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
04 April 2025 | Story Precious Shamase | Photo Supplied
Robson Nkosi
Robson Nkosi in his academic regalia at the graduation for his honours degree.

Robson Siphosihle Nkosi's journey is a compelling narrative of resilience, determination, and academic achievement – a story that resonates deeply within the University of the Free State (UFS) community. Born in Mpumalanga and raised under challenging circumstances, Nkosi's path to academic success is a testament to his unwavering spirit.

 

Unwavering determination

His early life was marked by significant loss, having been raised initially by his grandmother, and subsequently by his mother, who tragically passed away just before his final year of high school at Bee Maseko Secondary School, a quintile 1 school in Sheepmoor, Mpumalanga. Facing financial hardship, he relied on the support of friends to complete his matriculation.

Despite these adversities, Nkosi's determination shone through. With the invaluable assistance of his high school teacher, Mokoena Libakiso – whom he now considers his mother – he applied to the UFS to pursue a teaching degree. Although initially accepted, funding delays resulted in his offer being withdrawn. Securing funding later, he enrolled in a BSocSci degree, majoring in Communication Science and Sociology, demonstrating his adaptability and commitment to higher education.

Nkosi’s initial aspiration to switch to a Bachelor of Education degree was redirected by the NSFAS N+1 rule. However, he refocused his goals, setting his sights on a PhD and a career in higher education lecturing. This strategic vision fuelled his academic pursuits.


Leadership. Excellence. PhD.

His leadership skills were honed during his final undergraduate year, serving as the Qwaqwa Campus SRC Deputy President and ISRC Treasurer General. His academic excellence was consistently recognised through academic merit bursaries and the UFS Partial Tuition Fee Bursary, which supported his honours studies. Living in Botshabelo and commuting to Bloemfontein, Nkosi demonstrated his dedication.

During his honours year, he not only excelled as a student, but also as a tutor and Career Ambassador. His academic prowess led to an invitation from his honours lecturer, Yzelle Du Plessis, to facilitate Communication Science classes. He completed his honours degree cum laude, specialising in Leadership Communication.

Nkosi's academic journey continued with a master’s in communication science, funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF). Simultaneously, he gained practical teaching experience as a junior lecturer. He recently completed his master's degree and is now pursuing a PhD in Communication Science, while continuing to teach final-year and honours students on the Bloemfontein Campus.


A life dedicated to education and leadership

His short-term goal is to secure a permanent lecturing position, while his long-term ambition is to become a professor of Communication Science and potentially assume a leadership role in higher education, the public sector, or civil society.

Robson Nkosi's story is a powerful example of resilience, academic excellence, and the transformative impact of education. His dedication and gratitude to those who supported him underscore the importance of community and mentorship. He stands as an inspiration to the UFS community, demonstrating that with determination and perseverance, even the most challenging circumstances can be overcome.

News Archive

Well-established root system important for sustainable production in semi-arid grasslands
2015-02-24

Plot layout where production and root studies were done
Photo: Supplied

The importance of a well-established root system for sustainable production in the semi-arid grasslands cannot be over-emphasised.

A study of Prof Hennie Snyman from the Department of Animal and Wildlife and Grassland Sciences at the University of the Free State is of the few studies in which soil-water instead of rainfall has been used to estimate above- and below-ground production of semi-arid grasslands. “In the past, plant ecological studies have concentrated largely on above-ground parts of the grassland ecosystem with less emphasis on root growth. This study is, therefore, one of the few done on root dynamics in drier areas,” said Prof Snyman.

The longevity of grass seeds in the soil seed bank is another aspect that is being investigated at present. This information could provide guidelines in grassland restoration.

“Understanding changes in the hydrological characteristics of grassland ecosystems with degradation is essential when making grassland management decisions in arid and semi-arid areas to ensure sustainable animal production. The impact of grassland degradation on productivity, root production, root/shoot ratios, and water-use efficiency has been quantified for the semi-arid grasslands over the last 35 years. Because of the great impact of sustainable management guidelines on land users, this study will be continuing for many years,” said Prof Snyman.

Water-use efficiency (WUE) is defined as the quantity of above- and/or below-ground plant produced over a given period of time per unit of water evapotranspired. Sampling is done from grassland artificially maintained in three different grassland conditions: good, moderate, and poor.

As much as 86, 89 and 94% of the roots for grasslands in good, moderate and poor conditions respectively occur at a depth of less than 300 mm. Root mass is strongly seasonal with the most active growth taking place during March and April. Root mass appears to be greater than above-ground production for these semi-arid areas, with an increase in roots in relation to above-ground production with grassland degradation. The mean monthly root/shoot ratios for grasslands in good, moderate, and poor conditions are 1.16, 1.11, and 1.37 respectively. Grassland degradation lowered above- and below-ground plant production significantly as well as water-use efficiency. The mean WUE (root production included) was 4.79, 3.54 and 2.47 kg ha -1 mm -1 for grasslands in good, moderate, and poor conditions respectively.

These water-use efficiency observations are among the few that also include root production in their calculations.

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept