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24 July 2025 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Supplied
Mandela Day event at Heidedal Child and Youth Centre
Attending the Mandela Day event at Heidedal Child and Youth Centre, from left to right: Prof Joseph Pali, Associate Professor in the Department of Practical and Missional Theology; Bishop Billyboy Ramahlele, Director of Community Engagement; Jeannet Molopyane, Director of UFS Library and Information Services; Prof John Klaasen, Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religion; Caroline Nombula, Heidedal Child and Youth Care Centre; and Kegomodicwe Phuthi, Assistant Director for Marketing and Community Engagement at UFS Library and Information Services.

In a powerful display of its commitment to societal transformation, the University of the Free State (UFS) marked Nelson Mandela International Day on 18 July with a collaborative outreach initiative at the Heidedal Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC). 

Driven by the theme of empowerment through education and creativity, the Faculty of Theology and Religion, Library and Information Services (LIS), Community Engagement Office, School of Financial Planning Law, and UFS Makerspace partnered to officially launch a library at the centre – a milestone aimed at fostering a love of reading and academic development among the youth.

Jeanette Molopyane, Director of LIS, emphasised the lasting impact of the project. “The establishment of this library is about making a meaningful and enduring difference in the lives of these children. Through regular interaction with books and the reading club, we aim to inspire a love for reading that will enhance intellectual growth, build confidence, and open doors to a brighter future,” she said. 

Molopyane added that the initiative reflects UFS’s broader mission to empower communities and support the development of future leaders beyond the borders of its campuses. 

Prof John Klaasen, Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religion, underscored the importance of engaged scholarship in meaningful research. “This was not just a day of service but a demonstration of what is possible through collaboration. It reflects a theology and religion that serves beyond the classroom and affirms our collective role in shaping a better future for all,” he noted. “Mandela Day reminds us of our calling to reconciliation, compassion, and shared responsibility – values that must anchor our teaching, research, and outreach.”

The initiative left a profound impression on the Heidedal CYCC. Carolina Nombula, representing the Centre, shared the gratitude of the staff and children: “Mandela Day brought a deep sense of joy, belonging, and dignity. The library, especially, is life-changing – it provides a safe, inspiring space for learning, imagination, and personal growth. It reminds our children that they matter, their dreams are valid, and they are not forgotten.”

Through collaborative efforts such as this, the UFS continues to give tangible expression to its mandate as a caring institution – one that champions opportunity, nurtures potential, and works towards a more equitable and inclusive society. 

News Archive

One from UFS elected as Vice-President of ASAQS
2015-04-20

Stephen Ramabodu and Dr Marléne Campbell, Stephen’s promotor during his studies.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

The university is very proud of the election of Dr Stephan Ramabodu, from the Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management, as Vice-President and the chairman of the fees committee of the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS).

ASAQS aims to advance and promote the science and practice of quantity surveying, uphold the dignity of the quantity surveying profession, and promote the high standards of professional competence and integrity, among other things. Members of the ASAQS receive guidance and resources to succeed in quantity surveying, and to stay abreast of developments in the built environment today and in the future.

The ASAQS also provides an environment in which professionals may learn, grow, and work together to advance the techniques and science of quantity surveying. The ASAQS include quantity surveying professionals from every area of the construction industry, from private practice, government and quasi-government organisations to construction companies.

Stephan completed his quantity surveying (QS) degree as well as a master’s degree in Land and Property Management at the University of the Free State. In 2014, he completed his PhD, making him the first black South African PhD holder in the Department and one of the few QS PhD holders nationwide. 

In 2002, Stephen was appointed as a lecturer in the Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management under a programme called Grow Your Own Timber. He went to gain some commercial experience in Cape Town, where he worked for Davis Langdon. In 2008, he came back to the Free State, where he established Ramabodu & Associates Later that year, he returned to the university as a lecturer to complete all the remaining milestones of the Grow Your Own Timber programme.

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