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UFS Green Campus Initiative secures 4th consecutive Best Exhibition Award

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

Resource Manual on Trafficking in Persons for Judicial Officers sees the light

2012-03-27

Judge Connie Mocumi, President of the South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges (SAC-IAWJ), during the launch of the Resource Manual on Trafficking in Persons for Judicial Officers.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs
27 March 2012

On Human Rights Day the Department of Criminal and Medical Law in the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) hosted the launch of the Resource Manual on Trafficking in Persons for Judicial Officers compiled by the South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges (SAC-IAWJ).

The manual, which will be used by members of the South African judiciary, will equip officials in adjudicating the multifaceted crime of human trafficking.

“Presiding officers must be sensitised about the complexity of the crime. Human trafficking has many faces and presents itself in different ways. A person may for example be trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labour, the removal of body parts, as well as forced marriages. Expert knowledge is needed to handle these cases effectively in court,” said Dr Kruger, also responsible for the human trafficking initiative in the Unit for Children's Rights at the UFS.

Prior to the launch, a total number of 300 judicial officers, including six judges from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) received training on human trafficking. After receiving this training, the officers were sensitised to scrutinise domestic violence cases as well as inter-country adoption cases in order to identify possible human trafficking activities.

As keynote speaker at the launch, Dr Beatri Kruger from the Department of Criminal and Medical Law at the UFS, said that human traffickers were running operations like a well-oiled machine. They have abundant and sophisticated resources and often bribe corrupt officials to further their criminal activities. In South Africa, people combating human trafficking struggle with a lack of resources as well as comprehensive legislation. Most cases are prosecuted under the Children’s Act and the Sexual Offences Amendment Act of 2007. Unfortunately, this legislation still leaves a gap in the prosecuting of perpetrators. Only trafficking cases where where children are trafficked can be prosecuted under the Children’s Act. In terms of the Sexual Offences Amendment Act perpetrators can be prosecuted for trafficking persons for sexual exploitation only, and not for labour of other forms of trafficking. Therefore the comprehensive Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill 2010 needs to be finalised to cover all forms of trafficking.

There are more slaves today than at any time in the history of humankind. “To combat this serious problem, we need to follow a holistic approach,” said Dr Kruger. This includes prevention (raising awareness), effective prosecution and suitable punishment, the protection of victims, and partnering with all relevant stakeholders, including people in the communities. Community members are often whistle blowers of this crime.

The President of the SAC-IAWJ, Judge Connie Mocumi, handed copies of the manual, a three-year project, to judicial officers present at the launch. The manual covers, among others, the definition of trafficking in persons, trafficking in persons in South Africa and the Southern African region, a legislative framework, victims’ rights and criminal proceedings.

“It is critical that judicial officers appreciate the phenomenon of trafficking in persons in its broader socio-economic context. Therein lays the ability to deal competently with the often-nuanced manifestation of this scourge. The incapacity to recognise these nuances can deny victims access to justice. In that regard, the manual, amongst others, is to become an important empowering adjudication tool for judicial officers,” said Judge Mocumi.

More copies will be printed and be ready for distribution by the beginning of May this year.

Judge Belinda van Heerden, who also attended the launch, said: “There is progress on the judicial and legislative front to bring wrongdoers to book. This manual will go a long way in giving judicial officers insight into the problem.”

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