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18 July 2025 | Story Precious Shamase
UFS Green Campus Initiative Team
The UFS Green Campus Initiative team after being announced winners for the fourth consecutive year.

The University of the Free State (UFS) is celebrating an outstanding achievement at the 12th Annual Green Campuses Conference (GCC) 2025, where its dynamic Green Campus Initiative (GCI) team from the Qwaqwa Campus clinched the coveted Best Exhibition Award. This marks an unprecedented fourth consecutive year that the UFS has secured this prestigious accolade, highlighting its unwavering commitment to sustainability and innovation within the higher education landscape.

Hosted by Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, the conference was presented by the Association of College and University Housing Officers - International (ACUHO-I) under the profoundly relevant theme, Ubuntu and Environment: African Indigenous Knowledge in Sustainability. Endorsed by the Department of Higher Education and Training, the GCC serves as a pivotal platform for institutions of higher learning across South Africa to exchange vital knowledge, share best practices, and explore groundbreaking innovations in environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation.

The UFS GCI team's exhibition captivated judges and attendees alike with its exceptional creativity, innovative spirit, and profound dedication to envisioning a greener future. "The creativity, innovation, and commitment to sustainability shone through every detail of the display," remarked residential head Itumeleng Lebusho, "a true reflection of what it means to envision a greener future".

The five students who represented the institution were Amukelani Ngobeni, Minenhle Mnguni, Sinenhlanhla Mathabela, Charmaine Nokubonga Nkosi, and Thandolwethu Nyathikazi.

A cornerstone of the student-driven conference, the GCC featured three main categories: project presentations, a runway showcase, and the highly anticipated exhibition. UFS students excelled across the board, demonstrating their ingenuity in tackling real-world campus challenges with sustainable solutions.

A particularly notable project was the student-designed mobile trolley. Addressing a common predicament faced by students transporting groceries from the main gate to their residences due to campus restrictions on taxis for security reasons, the team engineered an innovative solution. This solar-powered mobile trolley, equipped with batteries and a motor, began as a prototype in 2024 and has since evolved into a testament to student-led problem-solving. While the current iteration requires a Code 8 driver's licence to operate, its potential to revolutionise campus mobility is clear.

The conference's annual theme encourages participants to devise sustainable solutions to problems faced on campus, a challenge that the UFS GCI team has embraced with remarkable success.

The UFS' consistent triumph at the GCC is a testament to the dedication and sacrifice of its students, whose forward-thinking ideas continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in campus greening. "The students worked in a way that we never imagined," expressed Desiree Motsele, Residence Head within Housing and Residence Affairs. "The ideas that they come up with are truly inspiring."

By actively participating in this significant event, the UFS is not only strengthening its commitment to creating a green campus but also fostering a healthy learning and living environment. This continued dedication prioritises sustainability, advances energy efficiency, champions resource conservation, and promotes environmental stewardship, solidifying the UFS' position as a leader in sustainable practices within South African higher education.

The Director: Student Affairs, Zoleka Dotwana, said she would like to congratulate the students on yet another gold they won at the GCI 2025. “The effort, the hard work, the commitment you have shown, has once again raised our UFS flag high. I hope the experience and the graduate attributes you have learnt in preparing your project will go a long way in providing you with great opportunities when you leave our shores. It has been an awesome journey over the four years, one that we hold dear and that will remain in the history books of our campus. Thank you for flying our flag high - Only a Kovsie knows the feeling!' said an ecstatic Dotwana.

News Archive

Miss Deaf SA inspires UFS teachers with her life story
2009-11-26

Pictured from the left, are: K. Botshelo, Vickey Fourie (Miss Deaf SA) and A. Morake.

Vicki Fourie, Miss Deaf SA 2009 and Miss Deaf HESC, recently visited the University of the Free State to motivate aspiring Foundation Phase teachers by sharing her life story with them.

When Vicki was two years old, her parents found out that she couldn’t speak. Two possible explanations were that she had had an ear infection or speech problems. They took her to a specialist and after a brain scan they found out that Vicki had 97% hearing loss in both ears.

Hearing aids were required and Vicki’s father, Pastor Gerhard Fourie from the Christian Revival Church (CRC) enrolled her in a kindergarten school for deaf children, Carel Du Toit in Cape Town.

However, even though Carel Du Toit’s slogan is ‘Where Deaf Children Learn to Speak’, it was because of her mother’s efforts that Vicki is able to communicate effectively with hearing people today.

Bonita Fourie would sit with her child every single day and teach her how to pronounce words phonetically and how to read lips. It is because of that that Vicki is not dependent on sign language at all.

When she was seven years old, her parents enrolled her in an English A.C.E. school. Even though Vicki’s home language is Afrikaans, her parents decided to go against the norm by placing her in an English school (most deaf/hard of hearing people cannot learn a second language). Today Vicki is fluent in both languages.

“I used to think that my hearing aids are just a normal thing you put on, like using glasses for reading,” she said. “I still think that way. People always come up to me and say, ‘It’s amazing how easily you adapt to hearing people. You have no stumbling blocks or holdbacks.’

“To me it’s interesting because my reaction is always this: ‘God gave me this situation, and I have made the best of it. I’ve overcome it, and therefore I can go forward in life’. We were born not to survive, but to thrive. I detest the attitude of, ‘I’m a victim, so the world owes me something’. The world owes nobody anything! We can be victorious over our own circumstances. It is possible. My name’s meaning is testifies to this: “Vicki” comes from the word “Victory”. I was meant to be victorious, and not a victim.”

Vicki, who is now 20, has achieved so much in life. She did ballet, hip-hop, modern dancing, drama (she even went to America for her dramatic monologue and poetry recitation), and she has published over 70 magazine articles, nationally and internationally. Her dreams are to write books one day, become a TV presenter, and motivate and inspire people all over South Africa through public speaking.

When one hears this story, one cannot help but be surprised by her success. It makes you realize that anything is possible when you see the potential in a child, and then do everything in your power to develop it and draw it out. When you believe in the child that you are educating, that child will sense it and blossom like a flower.

“Courage isn’t a gift, it is a decision,” Vicki said. “There will always be things that try to hold you back. The key to working with any child is to be patient, patient, and patient! Teachers play a huge role in equipping children for the future. It is a big responsibility, but it can be done.”
 

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