Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

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

UFS doctors fight childhood cancer

2016-09-02

Description: Childhood cancer Tags: Childhood cancer

Prof David Stones and Dr Jan du Plessis of the
University of Free State’s paediatric oncology ward
are helping little lives, one patient at a time.
Photo: Nonsindiso Qwabe

Of 23 paediatric oncology specialists nationally, Prof David Stones and Dr Jan du Plessis of the University of Free State are the only ones in the province.

Committed to giving holistic care to their patients, the two doctors specialise in all types of childhood cancers, the most common being leukaemia, brain tumour, and nephroblastoma.

They describe the childhood malignancy as a lethal disease, unpredictability being its harshest trait. “With cancer, you can just never know. It precipitates and multiplies, and leads to the failure of other organs. You can just always hope, and keep trying,” said Du Plessis.

The paediatric oncology unit of the Universitas Academic Hospital, their unit, is the liveliest floor in the entire building. It is also the third busiest in South Africa, serving a demographic that spans the Free State and Northern Cape, as well as parts of North West, Eastern Cape and Lesotho.

Each year, the unit receives more than 100 new childhood cancer patients. In 2015, the unit had 113 newly diagnosed patients, an increase from 93 in 2014.

Lack of knowledge poses a serious challenge
According to the two experts, the lack of insight and awareness of the disease remain a big challenge to fighting it. “It is frustrating. Parents and family members don’t know anything about it. Nurses and doctors aren’t always clinically trained to pick up the early warning signs. By the time a diagnosis is made, life and death is on a 50% margin,” Stones said.

Poverty, a lack of resources, overcrowding and a range of health issues are other factors that have a profound effect on the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Making a contribution that will last
With a desire to see an improvement on life outcomes in the health sector, the team is focusing on educating the country’s doctors of tomorrow. Their unit is the only one in the country that actively involves medical students in an oncology unit, giving them practical experience and exposure to the individual cases each patient presents. They have also produced a substantial amount of research literature on childhood malignancies in South Africa as a developing country.

Driven by passion to see a better South Africa
The doctors are passionate about the work they do, and remain hopeful there will be a change in the incidence of childhood cancer not just in decreased levels of the disease, but also in the overall state of well-being of young South Africans.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept