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Statement: Promotion of UFS official languages

18 June 2025 | Story Lacea Loader

The University of the Free State (UFS) is committed to multilingualism to promote access, inclusivity, academic success, and a sense of belonging through its five working languages.

The University of the Free State (UFS) is committed to the promotion of multilingualism for equitable access to knowledge and academic success for all its students, scholarship of research, inclusivity and social cohesion, and for a strong sense of belonging through the use of five working languages, i.e. Sesotho, South African Sign Language, isiZulu, Afrikaans, and English in various contexts of its operation.

According to the UFS Language Policy (2023), English is the language of instruction at the university, except in language-specific disciplines, modules, and programmes (such as Afrikaans, Arabic, Dutch, German, French, IsiZulu, Sesotho, and South African Sign Language) at undergraduate and postgraduate level on all three UFS campuses. Lectures, study materials, examinations, and related materials are in English, except in disciplines where languages other than English are explicitly taught as subjects of study or used for teaching and assessment purposes.

Contrary to what has recently been reported in the media, Afrikaans is and will remain a language of the UFS and the promotion of Afrikaans is equally important as that of Sesotho, South African Sign Language, isiZulu, and English.

In recent years, priority has been given to the development and intellectualisation of Sesotho and South African Sign Language. However, the promotion of Afrikaans and IsiZulu as UFS languages remains important to ensure that speakers enjoy the right to receive academic support in the languages they best understand and prefer.

Through its Academy for Multilingualism, various projects and initiatives are underway in support of the university’s approach to multilingualism and to guarantee that all UFS languages are promoted and treated with equal importance. This includes, for instance, the provision of Afrikaans terminology lists for various disciplines to match the Sesotho terminology lists developed by the UFS, and isiZulu terminology lists (adapted from the University of KwaZulu-Natal through a Memorandum of Understanding). The UFS is, for instance, already championing the development of terminology for Psychology in South African Sign Language.

VERKLARING: BEVORDERING VAN AMPTELIKE TALE AAN DIE UV

Die Universiteit van die Vrystaat (UV) is verbind tot die bevordering van veeltaligheid vir billike toegang tot kennis en akademiese sukses vir al sy studente, vakkundigheid van navorsing, inklusiwiteit en sosiale kohesie, en vir ’n sterk gevoel van samehorigheid deur die gebruik van vyf werkstale, dit wil sê Suid-Sotho, Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal, Zoeloe, Afrikaans en Engels in verskillende kontekste van sy werksaamhede.

Volgens die UV-Taalbeleid (2023) is Engels die onderrigtaal aan die universiteit, behalwe in taalspesifieke dissiplines, modules en programme (soos Afrikaans, Arabies, Nederlands, Duits, Frans, Zoeloe, Suid-Sotho en Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal) op voor- en nagraadse vlak op al drie UV-kampusse. Lesings, studiemateriaal, eksamens en verwante materiaal is in Engels, behalwe in dissiplines waar ander tale as Engels uitdruklik as studievakke onderrig word of vir onderrig- en assesseringsdoeleindes gebruik word.

Anders as wat onlangs in die media berig is, is en sal Afrikaans ’n taal van die UV bly en is die bevordering van Afrikaans ewe belangrik as dié van Suid-Sotho, Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal, Zoeloe en Engels.

In onlangse jare is prioriteit gegee aan die ontwikkeling en intellektualisering van Suid-Sotho en Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal. Die bevordering van Afrikaans en Zoeloe as UV-tale bly egter belangrik om te verseker dat sprekers die reg geniet om akademiese ondersteuning te ontvang in die tale wat hulle die beste verstaan en verkies.

Deur middel van sy Akademie vir Meertaligheid is verskeie projekte en inisiatiewe aan die gang ter ondersteuning van die universiteit se benadering tot veeltaligheid en om te verseker dat alle UV-tale bevorder word en met gelyke belangrikheid hanteer word. Dit sluit byvoorbeeld in die verskaffing van Afrikaanse terminologielyste vir verskeie dissiplines om te pas by die Suid-Sotho-terminologielyste wat deur die UV ontwikkel is, asook die Zoeloe-terminologielyste (aangepas vanaf die Universiteit van KwaZulu-Natal deur middel van ’n Memorandum van Verstandhouding). Die UV beywer hom byvoorbeeld reeds vir die ontwikkeling van Sielkunde-terminologie in Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal.

SETATEMENTE: PHAHAMISO YA DIPUO TSA SEMMUSO TSA YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA

Yunivesithi ya Freistata, e ikemiseditse ho phahamisa botemengata mabapi le ho fumana tsebo ka mokgwa o lekanang ekasita le ho bona katleho ya baithuti bohle ditabeng tsa thuto, boithutong ba diphuputso, kananelo ya batho bohle le ditabeng tsa phedisano, ho kgothaletsa maikutlo a kutlwano ka tshebediso ya dipuo tse hlano tse sebediswang maemong a fapaneng mona yunivesithing, e leng Sesotho, Puo ya Matsoho ya Afrika Borwa, isiZulu, Afrikaans, le English.

Ho ya ka Leano la Puo la Yunivesithi ya Freistata (2023), English ke puo ya thuto mona yunivesithing, ka ntle le moo thuto e leng ya puo eitseng, moo mojolu e leng wa puo eitseng, le moo lenaneho la thuto e leng la puo eitseng (jwalo ka puo ya Afrikaans, Arabic, Dutch, German, French, isiZulu, Sesotho le Puo ya Matsoho ya Afrika Borwa), haholo boemong ba dithuto tse tlase le boemong ba dithuto tse hodimo, dikhemphaseng tse tharo tsa Yunivesithi ya Freistata. Dithuto, dingodilweng tsa thuto, dihlahlobo le tse ding, di ngotswe ka puo ya English, ka ntle le dithuto tsa dipuo tseo e seng tsa English, tsona di rutwa le hlahlojwa ka dipuo tsa tsona.

Ho fapana le se tlalehilweng masedinyaneng, puo ya Afrikaans ke puo mme e tla dula e le teng Yunivesithing ya Freistata, phahamiso ya Afrikaans e bohlokwa jwalo ka dipuo tse kang puo ya Sesotho, Puo ya Matsoho ya Afrika Borwa, puo ya isiZulu le puo ya English.

Dilemong tsa moraorao tjena, puo ya Sesotho le puo ya Matsoho ya Afrika Borwa, di behelletswe ka sehloohong mabapi le ho ntshetswa pele ekasitana le ho ntlafatswa hore di sebediswe boithutong ba diphuputso le mahlale. Le ha ho le jwalo, phahamiso ya puo ya Afrikaans le puo ya isiZulu jwalo ka dipuo tsa Yunivesithi ya Freistata, e tla dula e le ntho ya bohlokwa ho etsa bonnete ba hore beng ba dipuo tsena, ba na le tokelo ya ho fumana tshehetso ya thuto ka dipuo tseo ba di utlwisisang le ho di rata.

Ka tshebediso ya Akhademi ya Botemengata, diprojeke le meralo ya ntshetsopele di motjheng ho tshehetsa mokgwa wa Botemengata yunivesithing ekasitana le ho nnetefatsa hore dipuo tsohle di a phahamiswa mme di tshwarwa ka tsela e lekanang. Mohlala, taba ena e kenya diprojeke tse kang ntshetsopele ya mareho a puo ya Afrikaans bakeng sa dithuto tse fapaneng ho latela tshwano e teng marehong a puo ya Sesotho a entsweng ke Yunivesithi ena ya Freistata, hape le ho latela tshwano e teng marehong a puo ya isiZulu (a nkilweng Yunivesithing ya KwaZulu -Natala ho ya ka Memorandamo ya Kutlwuno). Yunivesithi ya Freistata, ha re etsa mohlala, e se e ntse e tswela pele ho etsa mareho a thuto ya Saekholoji ka puong ya Matsoho ya Afrika Borwa.

ISITATIMENDE-MBIKO: UKUQHAKANJISWA KWEZILIMI EZIGUNYAZIWE ZE-UFS

INyuvesi yase-Free State (UFS) izibophezele ekuqhakambiseni ubuliminingi ngenhloso yokunikezela ngolwazi ngendlela elinganayo nokuphumelelisa abafundi bayo bonke, ukuphumelelisa ezocwaningo, ukuqhakambisa umoya wozwano nokuhlanganyela, kanye nomuzwa onamandla wokuthi umuntu-nomuntu azizwe eyilunga eliqavile ngokusebenzisa izilimi ezigunyaziwe okuyisiSuthu, Ulimi lweZandla lwaseNingizimu Afrikha, isiZulu, isiBhunu, kanye nesiNgisi eminxeni yayo ehlukahlukene yezinhlelo zayo.

NgokweNqubomgomo yoLimi ye-UFS eyethulwa ngowezi-2023, isiNgisi yilona limi lezinhlelo zonke zenyuvesi, ngaphandle kwemikhakha, kwezifundo kanye nezinhlelo ezivele ezisebenza ngezinye izilimi (njengesiBhunu, isi-Arabhu, isiDashi, isiJalimane, isiFrentshi, isiZulu, isiSuthu kanye noLimi lweZandla lwaseNingizimu Afrikha) emabangeni aphansi (undergraduate) naphezulu (postgraduate) kuwo wonke amakhempasi ayo. Izethulo, izinsiza-kufunda/-kufundisa, izivinyo zokuphothula izifundo kanye nolunye ulwazi oluhlobene nakho kungolimi lwesiNgisi, ngaphandle kwemikhakha lapho khona kusebenza ngqo olunye ulimi njengesifundo noma njengolimi lokufundisa nokwenza imisebenzi yezifundo.

Ekubhekeni okuphambene okusanda kubhalwa izintatheli, isiBhunu siwulimi futhi sisazoqhubeka sibe ulimi lwe-UFS, kanti futhi ukuqhakanjiswa kwaso kubaluleke ngendlela efanayo nalokho kwesiSuthu, Ulimi lweZandla lwaseNingizimu Afrikha, isiZulu kanye nesiNgisi.

Eminyakeni edlule injolozela ibihlonywe kakhulu ekuthuthukiseni nasekuvanyisweni kwesiSuthu kanye noLimi lweZandla lwaseNingizimu Afrikha. Noma kunjalo, ukuqhakanjiswa kwesiBhunu nesiZulu njengezilimi ze-UFS kusabalulekile ngesizathu sokuqinisekisa ukuthi abanikazi bazo lezi zilimi bayalithakasela ilungelo lokuthola ukusizakala ngokwemfundo ephakeme ngezilimi abazizwa kangcono futhi abazincamelayo.

Ngokusebenzisa ihhovisi lesikhungo sobuliminingi sayo i-Academy for Multilingualism, izinhlelo ezahlukahlukene nemizamo ehlabahlosile sekuvele kusemgangathweni ngenhloso yokwelekelela umhlahlandlela wenyuvesi wobuliminingi kanye nokuqinisekisa ukuthi zonke izilimi ze-UFS ziyaqhakanjiswa futhi ziphathwa ngokubaluleka okulinganayo. Isibonelo, lokhu kubandakanya ukunikezelwa kohlu lwamatemu esiBhunu oluchuma imikhakha enhlobonhlobo ngenhloso yokuhambisana nohlu lwamatemu esiSuthu aqanjwe i-UFS, kanye nohlu lwamatemu esiZulu (athathwe eNyuvesi yaKwaZulu Natali ngendlela yesivumelwano esisayinwe izinhlaka zombili). Isibonelo, i-UFS isivele isiqalile iphethe uhlelo lokuthuthukiswa kohlu lwamatemu ezifundo eziphathelene nomqondo, phecelezi iPsychology isebenzisa Ulimi lweZandla lwaseNingizimu Afrikha.

Issued by:

Lacea Loader

Senior Director: Communication and Marketing

University of the Free State

loaderl@ufs.ac.za

News Archive

During 2011: Achievements at the UFS

2011-12-01

Sarah Shannon

Dr Alex Amtaika, Department of Political Science

During a conference at Khon Kaen University in Thailand, Dr Alexius Amtaika from our Department of Political Science was elected as Executive Director and Convener of the International Committee of Scholars of Local Government. This honour was bestowed upon Dr Alexius during the first International Conference on Local Government at Khon Kaen University.

Sarah Shannon

We all have heard stories about inspirational people, who defy the odds, fight circumstance every day and never give up. Sarah Shannon has cerebral palsy but has never stopped dreaming and achieving them.

Sarah is also a competitive swimmer, and is currently ranked seventh in the world in her class of disabilities.

She is currently completing her postgraduate certificate in Education, Foundation Phrase, through Unisa. She is also studying Sociology at our university.

DW Bester and Sannah Mokone, Rhodes Scholars

Of the four open Rhodes Scholarships available to students from all universities in Southern Africa, two of our students won these prestigious scholarships. DW Bester, B.Sc. Hons. Actuarial Science student, and Sannah Mokone, BPub-cum laude student, joined Oxford University in the United Kingdom in September 2011 to further their studies.

The Rhodes Scholarships, arguably one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world, were founded in 1903 in the will of Cecil John Rhodes and cover the full costs of study at Oxford University.

While academic excellence is a pre-condition for consideration for the Rhodes Scholarship, these scholarships are unique in that Rhodes Scholars are outstanding young students who excel academically, but very importantly, demonstrate leadership, are committed to making a difference in the world, and have the energy to fulfill their ambitions.

Dr Derik Coetzee, Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences

When you suddenly receive a call during a World Cup year and requested to come and assist in leading the Springboks, then you have to know, you have something to offer. This is what happened to Dr Derik Coetzee from our Department of Exercise and Sports Sciences. This year he once again became involved in the Springbok rugby team, after he had been die Bokke’s conditioning trainer from 2004 to 2007.

His primary task as conditioning head was to help in seeing to it that the Springboks reached their best level of play – psychologically, physically an emotionally. Amongst others, his duties included the optimisation of the players’ muscle and explosive power, speed, anaerobic ability and technical skills.

Jefferson J Dirks-Korkee en Mart Kotzé

Jefferson J Dirks-Korkee, from Willowmore in the Eastern Cape, and Mart Kotzé from Bloemfontein, recently made history by being the first students from our Department of Drama and Theatre Arts featuring in an Afrikaans South African film Skoonheid, the first ever to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

The movie won the Queer Palm Award at the 2011 Cannes International Film Festival, where Robert de Niro was the chairperson of the panel of judges.

Prof. Muriel Meiring, Department of Haematology and Cell Biology

Prof. Muriel Meiring, Specialist Scientist in our Department of Haematology and Cell Biology, is responsible for establishing the Specialised Haemostasis Laboratory at our university and the Universitas Hospital’s National Health Laboratory Service. She established this centre as a reference centre for Von Willebrand disease, a genetic bleeding disorder, in South Africa. This laboratory is internationally recognised for their research and as a reference laboratory.

Prof. Meiring develops and tests antithrombotic (anti-clotting) agents and her long list of publications, research awards and congress presentations has earned her a nomination for the Department of Science and Technology’s Distinguished Woman Scientist Award. She was one of two scientists of the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) to receive the award – Prof. Meiring being the only woman from our university.

Medical facilities from all over the country make use of her and her team’s expertise when testing for blood disorders and she hopes to expand the centre even further.

Melinda Jonker

Melinda Jonker, one of our third-year financial economic students, won the overall national competition of the prestigious Traders Trophy competition at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

The competition, sponsored by Nedbank Capital and Oxyor in Amsterdam, requires participants to trade actual JSE-listed shares against one another on a simulated platform. The winner is determined not only by the highest profit, but also by the technique used throughout the trading session.

Christopher Diab, also a student from our Department of Economics, won the regional UFS competition.

ASSAf members

Seven of our academic colleagues have been elected as members of the Academy for Science of South Africa (ASSAf). They are Proff. Hendrik Swart, Physics; André Roodt, Chemistry; Zakkie Pretorius, Plant Sciences; Max Finkelstein, Mathematics; James du Preez, Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology; Maryke Labuschagne, Plant Breeding; and Neil Roos from our Postgraduate School.

Due main objective of the Academy is to promote and apply scientific thought in the service of the society, in order to determine the quality and scope of the role that the Academy can plays in the country’s life and progress, and eventually apply it

Other colleagues who are currently members of ASSAf include Proff. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector; Johan Henning, Dean: Faculty of Law; and Frans Swanepoel, Senior Director: Research Development.

Samantha Renda-Dollman

Samantha Renda-Dollman, a BSc (Zoology) student on our Qwaqwa Campus, has obtained 19 distinctions out of the 22 modules she has written since 2009.

Her hard work earned Samantha the prestigious Dux Student award of our 2011 Annual Student Affairs Excellence Awards, held at our Qwaqwa Campus. This makes her the best overall academic performer of the entire student body on this campus.

Jaco Griessel

Jaco Griessel, an Honours student at our Odeion School for Music, received a prestigious Mandela Rhodes bursary for 2012 to study towards his Master’s degree next year.

Jaco, who is currently busy with his BMus Honours degree, is a performer par excellence, with many achievements to his name. In 2010, he received the Fanie Beetge Prize for the best undergraduate student in Systematic Music Studies. A year before, he received the same prize as best undergraduate student in Historic Music Studies. He shall continue his Master’s degree with Music Composition as field of specialisation at our university in 2012.

Prof. Helena van Zyl, UFS School of Management

Prof. Helena van Zyl, Director of the UFS Business School, was elected as President of the South African Association of Business Schools (SABSA). Since the beginning of 2010 she has been acting as president. Prof. Van Zyl is the first woman to occupy this position and also the first woman who is currently heading a business school in South Africa. She will serve SABSA as the president for the next two years.

Prof. Zakkie Pretorius, Department of Plant Sciences

Research by Prof. Zakkie Pretorius from our Department of Plant Sciences, has become part of Phase II of a mayor global project to combat deadly strains of a wheat pathogen that poses a threat to global food security.

Prof. Pretorius focuses on the identification of resistance in wheat to the stem rust disease and will assist breeders and geneticists in the accurate phenotyping of international breeding lines and mapping populations. In addition, Prof. Pretorius will support scientists from Africa with critical skills development through training programmes.

The Ug99 strain was discovered in Kenya in 1998, but are now also threatening major wheat-growing areas of Southern and Eastern Africa, the Central Asian Republics, the Caucasus, the Indian subcontinent, South America, Australia and North America.

Prof. Danie Strauss, research fellow in the Faculty of Humanities

Prof. Danie Strauss, a research fellow in our Faculty of the Humanities, won the Dooyeweerd Prize from the Board of the Association for Reformational Philosophies in Amsterdam. Prof. Strauss, former Dean of our Faculty of the Humanities and head of our Department of Philosophy, won the prize for his book Philosophy: Discipline of the Disciplines. The prize is awarded for work in the field of systematic philosophy.

Nida Jooste and Ryan Lamb, Abe Bailey Travel Bursary holders

Nida Jooste and Ryan Lamb are two of the proud recipients of Abe Bailey Travel Bursaries. Both students are academic achievers, but also excel in other fields. This is what set them apart from the rest of the applicants for the bursaries.

Ryan (23), a Medical Physics Honours student at our Faculty of Health Sciences, received the Senate’s Medal for the best Bachelor’s Degree student at the UFS. He was one of 100 students at the Brightest Young Minds Summit this year and was one of the 2008 delegates to the World Youth Forum, hosted by the International Association for Poetry and Solidarity in Italy.

Nida (21) is a very familiar face on our Bloemfontein Campus, as she served as the Deputy Chairperson of our Interim Student Council in 2011.

Loerie Award for Tarran Jacobs, Elizabeth Forson and Mafohlela Mahlatsi

The creativity of a group of students from our university was rewarded with a bronze Loerie Award after they won an internal competition. Tarran Jacobs, Elizabeth Forson and Mafohlela Mahlatsi, all third-year Marketing Communication students, won the award for an advertisement they designed for Cansa.

Each year, the third-year Marketing Communication students of our Department of Communication Science have the opportunity to flex their creative muscles in the Copy-writing class. The challenge is to design two advertisements for any charity organisation by applying the knowledge they gained from the subject in a practical way. The top three groups are then entered for the Loerie and Pendoring awards – two of the most prestigious awards in the South African advertising industry.

The top three groups designed advertisements for Cansa, the South African Blood Service and Crime Line.

Hendrik Kruger and Anke Malan walk away with awards at Pfizer UKZN Young Health Scientists Research Symposium

Two students in our Faculty of Health Sciences won awards at a Pfizer UKZN Young Health Scientists Research Symposium.

Hendrik Kruger, a medical student, represented his group, which won the clinical category with the paper “Injury patterns of occupants surviving motor vehicle accidents in the Free State”. This presentation was based on a study which is the first of its kind in South Africa.

The group with Anke Malan from our Department of Nutrition and Dietetics as presenter received the prize in the community-based category with the presentation ’Knowledge, practices and perceptions of undergraduate students at the UFS regarding the risk factors of osteoporoses’. Anke’s team was also nominated as the overall winner of the symposium. Presentations were delivered in three categories, namely clinical, community-based and laboratory research.

Prof. Louis Scott, Department of Plant Sciences

Prof. Louis Scott from our Department of Plant Sciences was formally rewarded the Fellowship of Royal Society of South Africa (RSSA).

Prof. Scott is an internationally recognised Palinologist at our university and a B-rated scientist.

Fellows of the RSSA are considered to be part of a very elite group of South African scientists who have achieved international acknowledgment.

Prof. Aldo Stroebel, International Academic Programmes in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor

Prof. Aldo Stroebel has been elected as a Founding Member of the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS).

He is Associate Professor in our Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Rural Development and Extension, as well as the Director of International Academic Programmes in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor.

The Young Academy has as its objectives to represent young scientists in advising the government on science and technology policy and human resource development. In addition, they will prepare the SAYAS to join the Global Young Academy (GYA) to engage with high-level international bodies, including the World Economic Forum.

Prof. Lodewyk Kock, Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology

Prof. Lodewyk Kock was a sought-after keynote speaker at various conferences and seminars around the globe on our nanotechnology breakthrough research.

He delivered keynote lectures at international conferences of repute in the USA, China and Greece. In the USA he delivered a the keynote address at the Conference & Exhibition on Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs (Pharma-2011), held in Baltimore, and was a keynote speaker at the 2nd World Congress on Biotechnology in Philadelphia. He was also invited to present various lectures abroad.

He posted two video lectures in e-conference format on his research on the web page of the journal Translational Biomedicine. He was also invited by the International Society of Translational Medicine (ISTM) to head their “Molecular Imaging” Division.

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