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UFS celebrates the joy of connection on International Friendship Day

04 August 2025 | Story Office for International Affairs | Photo Supplied

On July 30, the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) came alive with vibrant energy, laughter, and heartfelt moments as students and staff gathered to celebrate the United Nations International Friendship Day. The event served as a joyful reminder of the importance of human connection, kindness, and our shared humanity.

What began as a global observance was transformed into a lively campus celebration - a day to embrace and honour the friendships that enrich our lives. It was a colourful testament to the idea that beyond our titles, cultures, and backgrounds, we are all connected through our need for one another.

Hosted by the Umoja Buddy Programme (UBP) in collaboration with the UFS South Africa-Sweden University Forum (SASUF) student structure, the celebration embraced the theme of “friendship through jellybeans” – a creative symbol of diversity, empathy, and connection. Jellybeans, each unique in colour and flavour, were used as metaphors for how our differences enrich our relationships and communities.

As Prof Hester C. Klopper, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, reflected in her installation speech: “The irreplaceable heart of the UFS is our people. In an age of artificial intelligence and rapid change, fostering human connection is more vital than ever. Every initiative we undertake must serve the holistic development of our students, not only in technical skills, but in nurturing a sense of belonging, care, and community.”

One of the day’s highlights was the heartfelt reflections from the students who participated in the event.

Lesego Moeleso, a second-year student in BA Governance and Political Transformation and a SASUF member, shared:

“Celebrating International Friendship Day helped me to grow as a person. It made me more comfortable interacting with fellow students on campus and brought joy to those who needed it. Seeing someone smile after our interaction – knowing I helped make their day better – was a great feeling.

More events like this are needed. Many students are going through a lot and need a moment to reset and clear their minds. These initiatives allow us to connect with others and show them they’re not alone – we’re here for each other.

Friendships are important to me because they help me grow. They give me people to fall back on, to relax with when I’m down, without the fear of being judged.”

Orapeleng Lenkoane, a second-year Bachelor of Laws student, echoed these sentiments:

“Friendship means having someone you can trust, lean on, and confide in – someone who’s always there. Trust is the foundation of any lasting friendship.

I loved the idea that students had to share a pack of jellybeans rather than receiving individual ones. It encouraged interaction and created opportunities to reconnect and appreciate our friendships. These moments matter, especially since we rarely take time to celebrate the people who walk beside us.”

A sweet initiative with a deeper purpose

The student’s words reflected the deeper impact of the initiative: small gestures that promote student well-being, resilience, and success - all of which align with Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and 4(Quality Education).

The celebration also showcased the university’s commitment to internationalisation through the work of the Office of International Affairs (OIA), which continues to champion intercultural exchange and foster global friendships across borders.

As part of the celebration, students received jellybean packets adorned with uplifting messages, including:

“A true friend is like a jellybean – colourful in spirit, and always there when you need a little sweetness.”
“Life is better with friends ... and a bag of jellybeans to laugh over.”
“Some friends are like red jellybeans – everyone’s favourite, always sweet, and hard to let go.”
“Your support for internationalisation is a reminder that universities can be places of peace, empathy, and friendship. Happy International Friendship Day from the OIA to the visionary Rectorate of the UFS!”

Through this joyful event, the UBP and SASUF student forum reminded the university community that friendship is not only worth celebrating – it is essential for building an inclusive and compassionate campus where everyone belongs.

News Archive

Protection of Information bill- opinions from our experts

2011-11-28

Prof. Hussein Solomon
Senior Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of the Free State.

In recent years, given their failure to effectively govern, the ANC has become increasingly defensive. These defensive traits have become particularly acute in light of the various corruption scandals that members of the ruling party involve themselves in.

Given the fact that for now they are assured of an electoral majority (largely on account of their anti-apartheid credentials), coupled with the fact that they have managed to make parliament a rubber stamp of the executive as opposed to holding the executive accountable, it is the media which has increasingly held the ruling party to account by exposing such corruption and incompetence in government.

The passing of the information bill, therefore, is not merely an attack on the media, but an attack on the pivotal issue of accountability. Without accountability, there can be no democracy.

By defining national interest broadly, by refusing to accept a public interest clause in the bill, the ANC increasingly shows its disdain to South Africa's constitution and its citizens.

More importantly, as former Minister of Intelligence and ANC stalwart Ronnie Kasrils pointedly makes clear, the ANC is also betraying its own noble struggle against the odious apartheid regime. It was the media which played a key role in exposing apartheid's excesses, it is the same media which is coming under attack by the heirs of PW Botha's State Security Council - Minister of State Security Siyabong Cwele and his security apparatchiks whose mindsets reflect more Stalin's Gulag's than the values of the Freedom Charter.

The passing of this bill is also taking place at a time when journalists have had their phones attacked, where the judiciary has been deliberately undermined and parliament silenced.

Democrats beware!

Prof. Johann de Wet

Chairperson: Department of Communication Science

The ANC’s insistence on passing the Protection of State Information Bill in its current form and enforcing it by law, means that the essence of our democratic state and the quality of life of every citizen is at stake.

Yes, our freedom as academics, researchers, mass media practitioners and citizens comes into play. Freedom implies the right to choose and is, along with equality, an underlying principle which helps make democracy happen. While the South African state needs to protect (classify) information which could threaten its security and/or survival, the omission of a public interest clause in the Bill at this stage effectively denies a citizen the right to freedom of information.

Freedom of information, along with press freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of association and religious freedom, are essential to democracy. These freedoms are granted because they conform to basic liberal ideas associated with (Western) democracy and which resonate with South Africa’s liberal constitution, such as (1) belief in the supreme value of the individual (and thus not of the state); (2) belief that the individual has natural rights (rights which belong to all human beings by nature – such as the right to life and to control government)) which exist independently of government, and which ought to be protected by and against government; and (3) recognition of the supreme value of the individual.

One wonders how many cases of South African government corruption and mismanagement would have been uncovered by investigative journalists over the past number of years if this Bill in its current form was on the statute books. This Bill represents a backward step from the promise of democracy of having an informed public. The former National Party government had similar laws in place and one does not want to go there again. The infamous Information Scandal in South Africa of some thirty years ago, or Muldergate as it has come to be known, reminds one of what governments can do when it works clandestinely.

What South Africans need, is more information on what government structures are doing and how they are doing it with taxpayers’ money, not less information. While information in itself does not equal communication or dialogue, it is an indispensable part thereof, and the need for dialogue based on verifiable information is urgent for meeting vexed challenges facing South African communities. Academics in all fields of specialisation are constantly in need of untainted information to pursue answers and/or offer solutions to where South Africa should be moving in all spheres of life.

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