Latest News Archive

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

UFS welcomes GeoCongress 2025 delegates

02 June 2025 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Dr Martin Clark, chair of the local organising committee, is looking forward to welcoming delegates to the GeoCongress.

In just more than three weeks, the University of the Free State (UFS) will open its doors to delegates attending GeoCongress 2025, hosted in collaboration with the Geological Society of South Africa. From 23 to 27 June 2025, academics, industry professionals, and students will come together on the Bloemfontein Campus to share knowledge, discuss new research, and connect with peers in the geosciences.

This biennial event will feature a dynamic programme of workshops, keynote addresses, and presentations covering a broad range of topics in the field.

Message from the event organisers and UFS leadership

“It is a unique honour to be able to host the national GeoCongress, being responsible for bringing together our partners in industry and academia to share our evolving understanding of the rocks, minerals, and advances in the geosciences and associated disciplines. My view of the GeoCongress stems from my appreciation and understanding of one of South Africa’s most highly regarded geologists, Dr Hans Merensky. Dr Merensky is credited with finding platinum in the Bushveld, diamonds in Namaqualand, and phosphorus and vermiculite in Phalaborwa. However, less remember was Dr Merensky’s ability to coordinate comprehensive investigations of rocks, and his tenacity in exploring across the South African landscape. For this, I believe our theme Embracing Change through Collaboration is apt, since it's through interactions between various sectors that we are best able to handle the challenges of tomorrow,” comments Dr Martin Clark, Senior Lecturer in the UFS Department of Geology and principal investigator of the Merensky Group for Airborne Geological Image Classification (MAGIC) at the Department of Geology.

“The 2025 GeoCongress symbolises the principles of sustainable research and innovation that we advocate for in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and underscores our dedication to the development of interdisciplinary collaboration. Research collaboration through our Green and Complex Research Hubs is consistent with the congress theme of ‘Embracing Change Through Collaboration’. By integrating geoscience research with broader sustainability and technological advancements, we guarantee that our scientific discoveries make a significant contribution to both environmental stewardship and industry," said Prof Paul Oberholster, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

Outstanding line-up of attendees

GeoCongress 2025 is set to bring together some of the most influential minds in geoscience, creating a space where leading academics, industry experts, and emerging researchers can exchange ideas and insights. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with key figures shaping the field, including Prof Glen Nwaila, Director of the Wits Mining Institute and a leading authority in economic geology and geometallurgy at the University of the Witwatersrand; Prof John Carranza, a highly regarded researcher at the UFS; and Sifiso Siwela, Chairperson of the SAMCODES Standards Committee and past president of the Geological Society of South Africa.

Adding to the wealth of expertise, Dr Geoffrey Howarth, Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Town and Head of the Electron Microprobe Facility, will bring his knowledge in mineral studies, while Prof Susan Webb, Associate Professor of Geophysics at the University of the Witwatersrand and acting co-director of the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Integrated Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis (CIMERA), will share her insights into geophysical research. Dr Hayley Cawthra, specialist scientist at the Council for Geoscience, will contribute her expertise in coastal geology, and Prof Steve McCourt, President of the Geological Society of South Africa and Professor Emeritus at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, will bring his experience in structural geology. The line-up also includes Prof Wolfgang Maier from Cardiff University, whose research on magmatic ore deposits continues to influence the field.

To make the most of your GeoCongress 2025 experience, be sure to take full advantage of the networking opportunities – from informal meet-and-greets to engaging panel discussions. Don't miss the chance to attend hands-on workshops and exciting field excursions. These excursions offer a deeper look into the country’s rich geological history, with opportunities to visit Florisbad, Kimberley, the Beatrix operations in the Goldfields, or the Drakensberg. For more tips on navigating the congress and must-see highlights, visit the GeoCongress 2025 website at https://geocongress2025.org.za/ or contact us at secretariat@geocongress2025.org.za.

GeoCongress 2025 is set to be a landmark event on the geosciences calendar. With the UFS as your host, prepare for an experience that combines academic excellence, innovation, and a collaborative spirit. Welcome to GeoCongress 2025!

News Archive

Kovsies celebrate ‘model of humanity’

2013-07-19

Zelda la Grange
Photo: Sonia Small
19 July 2013

Video clip (YouTube)

Photo gallery
UFS Mandela Day Pledge (pdf)
Zelda la Grange speech (pdf)

The University of the Free State (UFS) joined people around the globe in celebration of the fourth annual Nelson Mandela Day. Long-time Madiba confidant, Zelda la Grange, delivered the main address, inspiring the crowd with anecdotes gleaned from her intimate knowledge of the former president.

La Grange felt that the UFS as an institution can contribute greatly towards the upliftment of South African society.

“Your university has become what we hope for in South Africa – a transformed society whose purpose serves the greater good of humanity. Embrace and nurture what you have here under the leadership of Prof Jansen and his team. And influence society consciously, every day, in the same way as Madiba did for every day of the 67 years of his activism, and beyond.”

As UFS Vice-Chancellor and Rector, Prof Jonathan Jansen, aptly put it, the Kovsie celebrations aim to give thanks to Madiba as a ‘model of humanity’ and for what he has done for all South Africans.

Prof Jansen stressed that the importance of Mandela Day cannot be overstated.

"I think it is incredibly important because the real legacy of Nelson Mandela is that of a man who gave everything he had for the struggle to gain our freedom, our democracy and that we can get along as just human beings and not as a skin colour, a religion or as strangers," he said.

Events began with a clean-up operation by UFS volunteers, Zelda la Grange and the Bikers for Mandela Day, the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality and other sponsors. The team cleaned areas in Heidedal and Manguang before returning to the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.

Kicking off the campus section of the programme, UFS staff and students formed a ‘human chain’ on the Red Square as part of a wider initiative which was the brainchild of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu – who was the main attraction of the 2012 Mandela Day activities at Kovsies.

The assembled ‘chain’ recited the UFS Mandela Day pledge, whilst snaking around the Red Square and the gardens surrounding the Main Building, before offering interfaith prayers to Madiba in honour of the 67 minutes of selflessness epitomised by Nelson Mandela Day.

To conclude the first part of the celebrations, the No Student Hungry campaign’s patrons, Mrs Grace Jansen and Dr Carin Buys, released symbolic doves and joined the chain in the singing of the national anthem.

Rudi Buys, Dean of Student Affairs, said that the symbolic chain showed the UFS community’s aim to “join together as a country and show our commitment to our people” on the special day.

Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality Executive Mayor, Thabo Manyoni, together with Prof Jansen, welcomed UFS staff and students to the main festivities which centred around a coin-laying ceremony in front of the Main Building. All proceeds of the coin laying are to be contributed towards the NSH. More than R83 000 was raised through the coin-laying ceremony and donations, more than double the amount of 2012.

The jubilant crowd was edged on by OFM presenter, Johrné van Huyssteen, who offered to preside as master of ceremonies free of charge as part of his 67 minutes.

Manyoni stressed that Mandela Day is a celebration and should be regarded as a joyous occasion. He said that Madiba’s ability to take action and inspire change, is the foremost aspect of his legacy, one all South Africans should strive to emulate.

“We should all be the champions in the areas where we are. There can never be another Madiba, but we should all aim to be smaller, better Madibas,” he said.

Zelda la Grange emphasised the life-changing influence Madiba has had on her own life, as well as South Africa in general.

“Mandela Day is a call to action for individuals, for people everywhere, to take responsibility for changing the world into a better place, one small step at a time, just as Mr Mandela did. It is a day of service,” she said.

According to her, certain key characteristics are responsible for Madiba’s vast reverence throughout the world, principles everyone should try to emulate. She mentioned his principles, simplicity, honesty, integrity, discipline and respect for other people even when opinions differ, as the foremost of these qualities.

La Grange also stressed that the goodwill shown on Mandela Day should not be limited to one day in a year, but that we should all strive to live each day according to these principles.

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