Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

UFS celebrates nearly 8 000 graduates and honours national icons

17 April 2025 | Story Tshepo Tsotetsi

Congratulations to our UFS leaders of the future!

The University of the Free State (UFS) has officially wrapped up its April 2025 graduation season, closing a powerful two-week chapter marked by pride, perseverance, and purpose. Across both its Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa campuses, 7 994 graduates walked the stage, each one carrying with them a story, a struggle, and a celebration.

From Mandela Hall on the Qwaqwa Campus (4–5 April) to the Callie Human Centre on the Bloemfontein Campus (8–12 April), the energy was unmistakable. Applause thundered, gowns flowed, names were called with pride, and ululations filled the air. Some graduates clutched their hard-earned certificates with trembling hands. Others waved to proud families seated in the crowd. But in every moment, one thing was clear: this was not just a ceremony; it was a milestone.

This year, the UFS proudly conferred three honorary doctorates to individuals whose lives and work embody leadership, service, and scholarship:

Judge Raymond Zondo, former Chief Justice of South Africa, for his lifelong dedication to justice and transformation in the legal system;
Ms Joyce Siwani, social worker and activist, for her powerful legacy in children’s rights and community development; and
Prof Toyin Falola, world-renowned historian and scholar, for his outstanding contribution to African knowledge systems and the humanities.

Alongside these honours, 18 Dean’s Medals were awarded to the highest achievers in each faculty. At the very top stood Jocelyn Smith, who received the Senate Medal – the university’s most prestigious academic award. Smith achieved the highest weighted average across all faculties and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Data Science from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

But it was not just a celebration of titles. It was a celebration of people. Seventeen members of the Student Representative Council (SRC) also received their qualifications, proving that leadership and academic excellence go hand in hand. And, stepping out from behind lecture-hall podiums and office desks, several academic and support staff members crossed the stage, upgrading their qualifications and proving that learning never stops.

As the UFS journeys toward its future vision – Vision 130 – to be an institution of excellence, care, and impact by 2034, graduations like these serve as a reminder of the human heartbeat behind every strategy, goal, and milestone.

Now, as autumn leaves settle across the Free State, the UFS Class of 2024 walks into their future with heads high, hearts full, and stories that will continue to inspire.

Congratulations, Kovsies!

Watch as each of the honorary doctorate recipients reflects on what the recognition means to them:

WATCH: Dr Joyce Siwani

WATCH: Dr Raymond Zondo

WATCH: Prof Toyin Falola

“Today, I am receiving an honorary doctorate at a university that I never thought I would step into.”

On 9 April 2025, Joyce Siwani was honoured by the University of the Free State with an honorary doctorate in the Faculty of The Humanities, recognising her remarkable journey and contributions in the field of social work.

Watch her share in her own powerful words what this recognition means to her.

Former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo reflects on receiving his honorary doctorate from the University of the Free State Faculty of Law, highlighting the power of education and the urgent need for ethical leadership in Africa.

“Education is the only thing that can really make a meaningful difference to people who are poor, to those who want to change the conditions of living of their communities.”

Watch as Prof Toyin Falola reflects on what it means to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of the Free State Faculty of Law – awarded for his remarkable contributions to African knowledge systems, global scholarship, and decolonial thought.

News Archive

UFS experimental farm to be redesigned as a training facility

2004-10-25

Back fltr:
Dr Léan van der Westhuizen, Manager: UFS Sydenham Experimental Farm; Prof Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS and Councilor Thami Stander, Chairperson: Mangaung Municipal Portfolio for Agriculture and Rural Development

Front fltr:
Mr Hanz Nketu, Chairperson: Free State Legislative Committee on Agriculture and Mr Peter Frewen from the Free State Legislature

The Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences of the University of the Free State will soon sign a tri-partite cooperation agreement with the National African Farmers Union (NAFU) and the Mangaung Local Municipality with the aim of providing training and mentorship to small-scale and emerging farmers, including those recently settled under the on-going land redistribution programme.

The agreement is part of the Faculty’s strategic plan to support the on-going reform process in the country, of which Black Economic Empowerment in Agriculture (Agri-BEE) is an important part. The Free State Provincial Department of Agriculture is also actively supporting this initiative.

Under the plan, the Faculty is redesigning its experimental farm, located about 12 kilometers south of Bloemfontein, as a training facility to build up skills in among others broiler and egg production, dairy farming, animal husbandry, piggery, sheep and goat production. The idea is to introduce a comprehensive package that empowers the small and emerging farmers and the local communities adjoining the farms through simultaneous investments in research, extension, and practical agricultural training.

Learnerships are also being drawn up to provide productive skills in order to contribute to addressing the national skills gap and enhancing opportunities for both self and wage employment.

The residents of the adjoining informal settlement known as Mangaung Phase II where unemployment is currently at extremely high levels are primary targets of this component of the project. The Faculty intends for this project to service the farming communities of the Free State Province and gradually spread to other Provinces in the country.

Having recognised this training programme as a potential instrument for achieving “a united and prosperous agricultural sector”, the Free State Legislature has shown considerable interest in the programme.

Following a preparatory visit to the farms by the Agriculture Committee of the Free State Legislature a request was made to the Faculty to host a larger visit by the Legislative Committees of the Free State, North West and Eastern Cape Provincial Legislatures on Monday 25 October 2004 and present details of the training programme.

The President of NAFU in the Free State Province, Mr Nox Nonkonyana, the Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Prof Herman van Schalkwyk, the Chair of the Mangaung Municipal Portfolio for Agriculture and Rural Development, Councilor Thami Stander, and the Chairperson of the Free State Legislative Committee on Agriculture, Mr M Nketu, will address the Legislators during the occasion.

Prof Herman van Schalkwyk

Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

University of the Free State, Bloemfontein

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

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

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