Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
04 August 2025 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo André Damons
Prof Sethulego Matebesi
Prof Sethulego Matebesi, Chairperson of the University of the Free State Elections Logistics Committee for 2025 and Head of the Department of Sociology.

The 2025/2026 Campus Student Representative Council (CSRC) and Faculty Student Council (FSC) elections are officially underway at the University of the Free State (UFS), with nominations, which took place from 28 July to 1 August. The Elections Logistics Committee (ELC), chaired by Prof Sethulego Matebesi – also Head of the Department of Sociology – has implemented a robust framework to ensure that the process is transparent, fair, and inclusive.

Since the introduction of online voting in 2021, the UFS has been refining the system to increase accessibility, efficiency, and transparency. “Online voting has become a key part of our electoral process, offering students a convenient, secure, and transparent way to participate,” said Prof Matebesi. This year, the ELC also launched extended voter education campaigns, outlined clear procedural guidelines, and improved real-time monitoring mechanisms to build student trust and engagement.

Voting in the 2025/2026 CSRC and FSC elections will take place from 20 to 22 August 2025. Students are encouraged to use the online platform to cast their votes during this period.

At the heart of the elections is the principle of a ‘free and fair’ process. “At the UFS, this means creating an environment where all candidates have equal access to resources and platforms, and students can vote without fear or intimidation,” Prof Matebesi explained. The ELC is committed to ensuring that every student voice is heard – especially those of first-year students and others not affiliated with political structures.

Past challenges, such as low voter turnout, misinformation, and disruptive conduct during manifesto presentations, have informed this year’s strategy. “To address these issues, we have enhanced engagement through social media, webinars, and SMS reminders. I am impressed with how students and their leadership have embraced the feedback mechanisms we have introduced,” said Prof Matebesi.

Candidates and campaign teams are expected to uphold a strict code of conduct aligned with the Constitution of the Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC). Enforcement measures range from warnings to disqualification in cases of misconduct. “Instilling respect and good conduct have a lasting impact. It is essential that candidates appreciate the responsibility that comes with contesting in these elections,” he added.

Now that the nomination phase has closed, Prof Matebesi encourages students to actively participate in the next phases. “Vote, engage with candidates, and promote respectful dialogue. Your participation strengthens student democracy and shapes the future of our governance structures. Together, we can create an election process that reflects integrity, diversity, and shared purpose.”

News Archive

Intervarsity postponed to 2013
2012-03-08

The annual Intervarsity between the Universities of the Free State and North-West (NWU), which traditionally takes place in the third term, has been postponed to 2013.

The Intervarsity between the UFS and NWU is an illustrious event that has already reached the special milestone of celebrating a 70-year Intervarsity tradition. The UFS/NWU Intervarsity is also known as one of the most reckoned events on the local and national sports and student calendars, and it is widely supported.
 
Representatives from both universities could for a variety of reasons not decide on a date which suited both universities.
 
The respective Intervarsity committees and senior managers of both universities have also taken the interests of the respective university communities and alumni of the institutions into account and have decided to postpone the 70th-year celebration of Intervarsity by a year in order to be able to celebrate the milestone properly.
 
The UFS would have received the NWU in Bloemfontein this year and will therefore host the 70-year celebrations of the event next year as well.
 
Mr Rudi Buys, Dean: Student Affairs at the UFS has expressed his gratitude for the fact that both universities are committed to a special celebration of the Intervarsity tradition in 2013.
 
“The celebration of the 70th Intervarsity between the two institutions will be an important milestone to commemorate decades of friendship, collaboration and healthy competition. Therefore we welcome this opportunity to plan a bigger and better programme for 2013,” he said.
 
The UFS-NWU 70-YEAR Intervarsity firstly aims to establish the programme as a proud example for both universities, where students and staff can pit their strengths against one another in a healthy manner.
 
The aim is to extend Intervarsity to various sections of the respective university communities to enable more students to participate. For instance, more sports codes will be added to the traditional competition on the rugby, soccer, netball and hockey fields, whilst various events focusing on arts and culture, i.e. choral singing and debating competitions, as well as dialogue between student leaders, will take place as part of the programme. All campuses of the two universities will participate in the programmes.
 
Students are even investigating the possibility of electronic competitions such as on-line games as part of the Intervarsity
 
During the Intervarsity last year, several new possibilities were already tested to ensure that the 70th anniversary would be a huge success.
 
The Central Intervarsity Committee of the UFS has decided to replace the Intervarsity 2012 programme with an INTRA-varsity programme between its respective campuses. For this occasion, various sports, arts and culture, and leadership events between the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses are planned, and the Central University of Technology might be invited as well to participate as guests in some programmes.

Media Release
8 March 2012
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za


 

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