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From UFS to fame: UFS alumnus joins Binnelanders Season 15

05 June 2025 | Story Onthatile Tikoe | Photo Supplied

Logan James — Logan W. James, UFS alumnus and breakout star of Binnelanders Season 15, proudly waves the Kovsie flag as he steps into his first national television role.

University of the Free State (UFS) alumnus Logan W James made his national television debut in Season 15 of kykNET’s long-running medical drama, Binnelanders. Streaming on Showmax from 4 June 2025, the latest season introduces Logan in a role that delivers high drama, high energy, and a fresh wave of talent rooted in the Free State.

From campus to camera

Born and bred in Bloemfontein, Logan’s rise from student theatre to the small screen is a story stitched together by grit, passion, and a deep love for performance. A former learner of Grey College and a proud Kovsie, Logan honed his craft at the University of the Free State, where he quickly became known for his magnetic stage presence and commitment to his roles.

From standout performances in Everyman, How to Wuzz, and Run for Your Wife to unforgettable moments during UFS’s annual Africa Day showcases, Logan carved out a name for himself as a rising star on campus – one performance at a time.

A dream years in the making

Now based in Johannesburg, Logan is stepping into a new kind of spotlight. He plays Le Roux Snyman - a thrill-seeking, motocross-riding character with a bold facade and hidden depths.

“Le Roux is full of energy and contradictions,” Logan says. “He lives for extreme sports and adrenaline, but there’s a much softer, more vulnerable side he doesn’t often show. What excites me is exploring both boldness and fragility in the same breath - it’s something I’ve never quite done before.”

Though this may be Logan’s TV debut, stepping onto the Binnelanders set felt strangely familiar.

“I used to watch Binnelanders at my grandmother’s house,” he recalls. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d one day be part of the cast. It feels like a full-circle moment - a dream realised. The journey here wasn’t straightforward, but seeing it come to life like this is an incredible blessing.”

The foundation of theatre

Logan credits his Bloemfontein theatre roots as the foundation of his acting journey. “Theatre taught me discipline, presence, and heart,” he says. “On stage, there are no second takes. You have to show up, fully and honestly, every time. That kind of intensity trains you not as a performer, but as a professional.

These lessons continue to shape how he approaches his work today. “Kindness and professionalism – those are the two things I carry into every production,” he adds.

Big city, bigger lessons

The move from Bloem’s close-knit creative community to the bustling entertainment industry in Johannesburg came with new challenges – and new lessons.

“In Joburg, you quickly realise just how much talent is out there,” Logan says. “It forced me to embrace what makes me unique, rather than compare myself to others. Real passion – not the pursuit of fame – is what carries you through the tough times. If you’re chasing the art, not the spotlight, you’ll find purpose, even when things get hard.”

A voice for regional talent

Logan’s journey is not just a personal triumph – it’s also a win for regional talent. As a Free State-born actor breaking into the national scene, he is part of a growing wave of creatives proving that national recognition is possible from anywhere.

“To go from student theatre to national TV is a leap that’s both terrifying and thrilling,” Logan reflects. “But it's proof that consistent hard work, staying true to your craft, and trusting the process can open doors you once only dreamed of.”

Ready for the spotlight

With his first episode having aired on 4 June, audiences were treated to a performance that was rich with energy and layered with emotion.

“There’s a lot of growth ahead - for Le Roux and for me,” Logan shares. “I’m looking forward to every moment of it. I can’t wait for South Africa to meet him.”

News Archive

Historians must place African history on world stage – Dr Zeleza

2017-05-30

From the left: Panellists Rev Henry Jackson,
Prof Irikidzayi Manase and Arno Van Niekerk at a book
launch and panel discussion on Africa Day hosted by the
UFS Sasol Library.
Photo: Mamosa Makaya

“African historians must take seriously the challenge of placing African history in world history, and in the history of our species, Homo sapiens.”

With these words, Dr Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, Vice Chancellor of the United States International University-Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, stressed the continent’s challenge.

According to him the contest should continue to recover and reconstruct Africa’s long history. Liberating African knowledges can be done by: “Provincialising Europe that has monopolised universality, universalising Africa beyond its Eurocentric provincialisation, and engaging histories of other continents on their own terms.”

University celebrates Africa Month in various ways
Dr Zeleza delivered the ninth Africa Day Memorial Lecture, titled The Decolonisation of African Knowledges, at the University of the Free State (UFS). The lecture, hosted by the Centre for Africa Studies (CAS), took place on 24 May 2017 in the Equitas Auditorium on the Bloemfontein Campus and was one of the ways in which the UFS celebrated Africa Month.

Scholars should immerse themselves in these thoughts
Dr Zeleza focused on two issues, which he said were interconnected. They were the unfinished project of decolonising African knowledges and the continent's positioning in global knowledge production.

He said Africa’s scholars and students should “immerse themselves in the rich traditions of African social thought going back millennia”. According to him the continent’s research profile still remains weak in global terms.

“It is imperative that the various key stakeholders in African higher education from governments to the general public to parents, and to students, faculty, staff, and administrators in the academic institutions themselves, raise the value proposition of African higher education for 21st century African societies, economies, and polities.”

“Colonialism is associated with injustice
and inequality, but what happens when
our liberators become our oppressors?”

Library celebrates with panel discussion and book launch
The UFS Sasol Library celebrated Africa Day by presenting a book launch and panel discussion on 25 May 2017, on the pertinent and current political theme of land redistribution with a comparative basis of land invasions in Zimbabwe.

Prof Irikidzayi Manase discussed his book White Narratives: The Depiction of Post-2000 Land Invasions in Zimbabwe, accompanied by Rev Henry Jackson who wrote Another Farm in Africa. A perspective of the economic implications of land redistribution in South Africa was discussed by panellist Arno Van Niekerk: Senior Lecturer of Economics at the UFS Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.

Inequality still an African problem
The content of the books are a stark reminder of the burning issues of inequality and loss of identity of those who lost their farms in Zimbabwe, a collection of memoirs by white farmers and their families. Rev Jackson gave a religious perspective on reconciliation, forgiveness and the question of land ownership, saying that healing of injustice begins with forgiveness of past transgressions.

Van Niekerk highlighted that while land issues were important, “social cohesion is affected by the economic decisions that will be made”. In closing, Prof Manase called for serious consideration of what the future may hold. “Colonialism is associated with injustice and inequality, but what happens when our liberators become our oppressors?”

The panel discussion was attended by staff and students of the university, and was lit up by robust discussions on possible historical and future solutions to the question of land, decolonisation and political power struggles in Southern Africa and lessons to be learned from Zimbabwe.

UFS celebrates Africa Month (24 May 2017)

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