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KovsieCricket honoured at Mangaung Cricket Association AGM: ‘Accolades are the result of unwavering dedication’

05 June 2025 | Story Vuyelwa Mbebe and Aimee Barlow | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State’s (UFS) KovsieCricket club was honoured with two of the most significant awards at the recent Mangaung Cricket Association Annual General Meeting (MCA AGM).

First, KovsieCricket was crowned MCA Premier League Champions, marking a remarkable twelfth consecutive title in the region’s top league. Later, the club was named the Best Run Cricket Club in the Free State, a recognition that goes beyond match victories.

The MCA AGM, which reflects on the regional cricketing year, this year included key updates from MCA Chairperson Donavin George, a review of the season’s performance, and the election of the executive committee for the new term. The AGM also celebrates excellence, dedication, and growth within the sport during the preceding year.

Rocky le Roux, Head of Cricket at the UFS, reflected on the evening’s achievements by attributing them to the unified effort of everyone involved in the club. “These accolades are the result of unwavering dedication from our players, coaches, management, and support staff,” he said. “Our student-athletes lay the foundation with their performances, but none of this would be possible without the people working tirelessly behind the scenes. Teamwork, long-term planning, and a shared vision have allowed us to achieve this consistency.”

The Best Run Cricket Club award serves as a powerful validation of the systems and values in place at KovsieCricket, Le Roux said, adding that awards of these types are not only a source of pride but are instrumental in attracting top talent from around the country. “They show young cricketers that KovsieCricket is a place where they can grow, compete, and thrive – not just on the field, but as professionals and leaders.”

With regional dominance firmly established, KovsieCricket’s sights are now set on national excellence. Le Roux believes that becoming the best cricket club in South Africa is a realistic goal, but one that will require strategic growth in several key areas. He emphasised the need for permanent, experienced coaches to guide development, an even stronger recruitment network, facilities that meet national standards, and a culture of belonging that inspires players to invest fully in the club. He also stressed that consistent exposure to higher levels of competition and a focus on mental resilience will be critical in the journey ahead.

As KovsieCricket celebrates these milestones, Le Roux extended heartfelt gratitude to those who make the journey possible. He acknowledged Jerry Laka, Director of KovsieSport at the UFS, the KovsieSport team for their unwavering support, the players and coaches for their commitment to excellence, and Francis Marais, Supervisor of the sports grounds and grounds staff, for consistently preparing top-quality pitches. He also thanked the Mangaung Cricket Association for their continued efforts in running competitive leagues and providing the resources that help the game thrive in the Free State.

With another successful season behind it, KovsieCricket looks to the future with confidence and ambition. Trophies alone do not define the legacy they are building – rather, their culture of excellence, community, and purpose sets the standard for university cricket in South Africa and beyond.

News Archive

But do you forgive yourself, Eugene de Kock? asks Candice Mama

2015-03-16

From the left are: Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, Candice Mama and Prof André Keet, Director of the UFS Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice.
Photo: O'Ryan Heideman

Candice Mama: Audio

Candice Mama and her family met with her father’s assassin. Eugene de Kock. Prime Evil. Commander of the apartheid government’s covert Vlakplaas police unit. And what followed from this meeting was one of our country’s most poignant gestures of reconciliation. One by one, each family member expressed their forgiveness of De Kock, and soon afterwards, he was granted parole.

Candice recently visited the Bloemfontein Campus to talk about ‘An Unexpected Encounter with Eugene de Kock: A Journey of Transformation’. The event was a collaborative effort between the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice and Trauma, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation Studies.

“What makes it possible to cross the boundary from loss and pain to bond with the person who hurt you?” Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, asked Candice. “I had to educate myself about the when, where, and how, to get a context for Eugene de Kock,” she answered. With the encouragement of her mother, Candice became an avid reader from an early age. She devoured information, so that she could build a picture of this man within a specific historical and political context. What also contributed to this moment of reconciliation for her was De Kock humbling himself and taking full responsibility for his actions.

This meeting was not without inner conflict for Candice, though. “Why am I crying for hím?” she asked herself as she listened to him speak. “Why am I laughing?” she chastised herself as De Kock preened shyly for a group photograph with the family. “Is there something wrong with me to connect with him?” She questioned her values and beliefs. But instead of a monster, Candice saw the true essence of a repentant human being.

But how do you know he didn’t fake it, many people asked. Because it was “one of the most sincere and honest encounters I’ve experienced,” she said. During their meeting, Candice saw a man “crushed by the world”. Everything he believed as a young man, he realised, was a lie.

“Do you forgive yourself?” Candice asked the one question De Kock feared most. And in that moment, he was humanised for her. “When you’ve done the things I’ve done,” De Kock replied, “how do you forgive yourself?”
It remains an open question. But this act of forgiveness gives an entire country hope.

For more information or enquiries contact news@ufs.ac.za.

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