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Planting the roots of disaster resilience: Honouring Nelson Mandela Day through nature-based solutions

22 July 2025 | Story Nontobeko Nxumalo | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State’s (UFS) Centre for Disaster Management Training and Education Centre (DiMTEC) commemorated Nelson Mandela International Day on 18 July by planting trees that help embed nature-based solutions at the heart of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

“It’s a simple act, yet deeply symbolic – a commitment to sustainability, climate resilience, and future generations,” said Dr Tlou Raphela-Masuku, a Senior Lecturer at DiMTEC. “Nature-based solutions, such as planting indigenous trees, are not just theoretical strategies; they are practical tools to reduce disaster risk, restore ecosystems, and build community resilience.”

One of the trees planted, the indigenous, resilient Wild Olive (Olea europaea subsp. africana), known locally as Mohlware, embodies the drive to place nature-based solutions at the forefront of disaster risk reduction. “This tree is drought-tolerant and well-adapted to Bloemfontein’s semi-arid climate,” Dr Raphela-Masuku explained. “It stabilises soil, prevents erosion, supports biodiversity, and cools urban spaces. Its thick canopy shelters birds and small mammals, while its deep roots nourish and protect the earth. In a warming world, every Wild Olive planted is a small act of resistance against climate change.”

Collaborative programme

Dr Raphela-Masuku said the tree-planting programme, a collaboration with UFS Protection Services and University Estates, ties directly into the principles the centre teaches in its Master's of Disaster Management module Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (ECO-DRR).

“From the viewpoint of the African Union’s Science and Technology Advisory Group, it is befitting that as part of the work dedicated to disaster risk reduction initiatives in the African continent, this day is a reminder that we promote community service, resilience and social justice in the ‘Africa we want’. Furthermore, Mandela Day activities align with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR)’s priorities of understanding risks and strengthening disaster governance at all levels,” remarked Prof Alice Ncube, an Associate Professor at DiMTEC.

She added that, “In a city like Bloemfontein, which is not exempt from drought accelerating frequently and temperatures rising yearly, choosing to plant climate-resilient, indigenous species isn’t merely wise, it’s necessary. Trees like the Wild Olive don’t just provide shade and beauty; they help cool urban environments, support biodiversity, and protect our university community from floods and storms. They represent a forward-thinking investment in a sustainable, climate-adapted future. Mandela Day reminds us that service should be continuous, not confined to a single day. A tree planted today will outlive us, offering shade, shelter, and hope to those who come after. As Mandela himself said, ‘The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.’”

Commitment to change

Mandela Day also fits in with the UFS’ Vision 130 strategic intent. It is a day that reminds us that everyone has the power to make a difference. In the spirit of Madiba’s legacy, we can commit to fostering social justice, human dignity, and sustainable development through academic excellence and meaningful community engagement. In the face of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation, each seed we plant becomes an act of defiance as well as an act of hope.

Prof Samuel Adelabu, Vice-Dean: Postgraduate and Research in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, applauded the team’s efforts. “We are planting trees that represent sustainability, things that can stay for long. I believe we are all practising sustainability in this initiative we are doing today to show that the university, as well as the faculties, are in line with sustainability.”

News Archive

Dr Khotso Mokhele joins ranks of distinguished Chancellors

2010-11-21

Attending the inauguration ceremony are, from the left: Mr Pule Makgoe, MEC for Education in the Free State and member of the UFS Council; Judge Ian van der Merwe, Chairperson of the UFS Council; Dr Khotso Mokhele, newly inaugurated Chancellor of the UFS; and Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS.
Photo: Dries Myburgh

Dr Khotso Mokhele joined the ranks of distinguished Chancellors of the University of the Free State (UFS) with his inauguration as the new Chancellor of the institution at a ceremony on Friday, 19 November 2010.

The lustrous ceremony took place on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein and was attended by hundreds of guests from all over South Africa.

Dr Mokhele said in his speech: “I am excited to have been invited by the UFS to join its community at the time when it is attempting to reinvent itself into an institution that will be counted amongst those that will shape the local, regional, national will, and by so doing, contribute to the shaping of an African will.”

Dr Mokhele follows in the footsteps of Dr Franklin Sonn, former Ambassador of South Africa in the United States of America and receiver of many awards, acknowledgements, and honorary doctorates, who retired earlier this year. Dr Sonn was preceded by Ms Winkie Direko, former premier of the Free State.

His acceptance of the role of Chancellor is a great honour for the UFS.

According to Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, it is a proud moment to welcome someone from the Province as the Chancellor of this university. With his strong academic values and deep sense of human compassion, Dr Mokhele is one of but a few uncompromising leaders. He is also an inspiring, determined pioneer and a role model to all our students.

Few have done as much to guide the development of science in South Africa since democracy in 1994 as Dr Mokhele. His vision and actions as a senior science manager have been guided by his deep conviction that for a truly democratic society to emerge in South Africa all people must be empowered to be its architects and must have unhindered access to those careers upon which our economy is built.

Dr Khotso Mokhele was born and raised in Bloemfontein. After matriculating from the Moroka High School he went on to study at Fort Hare, where he graduated with a B.Sc. in Agriculture, winning the Massey-Ferguson award for the best student in that field. As a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright-Hays Scholarship, he entered the University of California in Davis where he took a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. degree, both in Microbiology. He was awarded post-doctoral fellowships at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, and at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Dr Mokhele returned to South Africa in 1987, set on becoming a top-class academic and researcher. He held lecturing posts at the Universities of Fort Hare (1987-1989) and Cape Town (1990-1992). In 1992 he joined the Foundation for Research Development (FRD) as one of its Vice-Presidents. He succeeded to its presidency in 1996 and then from 1999 to 2006 became the first President of the National Research Foundation (NRF). He successfully merged the FRD and the Centre for Science Development of the Human Sciences Research Council. Under his visionary leadership the NRF has come to play a pivotal role in the development agenda of the country. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the South African Academy of Sciences serving as its founder president (1996-1998).

Dr Khotso Mokhele's contribution to science in South Africa has received wide recognition locally and abroad. He has received nine honorary doctorates. He was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour by the President of France in recognition of his personal efforts in strengthening scientific ties between France and South Africa, and was appointed a director of the Salzburg Seminar, an institution focused on global change, and subsequently a member of its Council of Senior Fellows.

He also serves on the boards of major companies such as Implats, Adcock Ingram and Afrox.

Complete speech (Pdf)

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (actg)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za19 November 2010

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