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16 January 2025 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Supplied
Jurie Blignaut
Jurie Blignaut, top achiever in the 2024 matric exams for quintile four schools in SA and finalist of the UFS 2024 Matriculant of the Year competition.

The University of the Free State (UFS) is proud to announce that the top achiever in the 2024 matric exams for quintile four schools in the country, Jurie Blignaut, will be studying towards an MBChB at the UFS from 2025.

Blignaut, a pupil of the Rustenburg High School, was one of the 14 finalists in the 2024 UFS Matriculant of the Year competition.

“Congratulations to Jurie on this wonderful achievement. We look forward to welcoming him and our cohort of 2025 first-year students to our campuses,” says Prof Anthea Rhoda, acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS. 

Boasting 11 distinctions and an average of 96,5%, Blignaut is not only an exceptional academic achiever but also participates in several cultural activities. He was the winner of the Kovsie Alumni Trust’s special award for personal cultural achievement in the final round of the competition. This head boy of his school is an excellent public speaker and musician. 

Blignaut’s highest achievement in public speaking was his national second place in last year’s ATKV public speaking competition in the section for Afrikaans home language. He plays the cello and has performed solo with the Pretoria Symphony Orchestra, was part of the school choir and band, and participated in the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival. 

“On behalf of the university management, I would also like to congratulate Dr Mantlhake Maboya, MEC for Education in the Free State, and her executive team on the Free State being the top-achieving province in South Africa,” says Prof Rhoda. 

Other finalists in the 2024 UFS Matriculant of the Year competition who excelled during the matric exams include Susan Bender from Voortrekker High School – top achiever in the Free State province – and Chris Goosen from Grey College Secondary School, who is also one of the top achievers in the Free State. 

News Archive

UFS badminton player in Bulgaria for training camp
2006-09-11

ROELOF DEDNAM (21), a B Acc student in his third year at the University of the Free State, left for Sofia, Bulgaria, to join the International Badminton Federation's (IBF) East-European training centre for three weeks.
 
Dednam was invited with Robert Abrahams (WP), the South African  junior champion, to attend the international training camp.  Sixteen international players from different countries take part in such a camp. The camp normally lasts two months, but they will return after three weeks in time for the national championships.

Since 2004, he and his brother Chris have been the national doubles champions, as well as the SA International champions for three years in succession.

He is a regular member of the national team, which he first made at the age of 18.  He is the holder of five under-15, five under-17, five under-19 and two senior national titles. He also won four gold and two silver medals at the All Africa Junior Championships in 2001 and 2003.

Dednam is generally regarded as the best doubles player in Africa, but is also rated third in South Africa as a singles player, while he again made his mark this year as a mixed doubles player.

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