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

UFS Law students take on the world

2007-03-25

Back, from left: Prof. Elizabeth Snyman-Van Deventer (Associate Professor at the Department of Mercantile Law, UFS), Lucien Companie, Dee Leboela, Sunette Visser and Mr Jaco Deacon (Lecturer at the Department of Mercantile Law, UFS). Front, from left: Mr Van Aswegen (Naudes Attorneys), Prof Rita-Marie Jansen (Associate Professor at the Department of Private Law, UFS), J.C. Smith and Vicky Olivier.

Photo: Stephen Collett

A team of eight students from the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) will compete in an international arbitration competition in Vienna, Austria, from 30 March to 5 April 2007.

The Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot is an annual competition organised by the Institute of International Commercial Law at the Pace University School of Law in New York, USA. The goal of the competition is to foster the study of international commercial law and to train students in methods of alternative dispute resolution.

Students will be judged on two crucial phases: the preparation of memoranda for the claimant and respondent, and the presentation of oral arguments before an arbitral tribunal. “The Moot teaches the basic framework of international arbitration and the application of the uniform sales law to all participating students during the preparation of the memoranda and the oral arguments,” says one of the team members, Dee Leboela, who also took part in last year’s competition.

“This competition definitely prepares students for the legal practice in all facets, whether as advocate, legislator or other areas,” added Deman Smit, one of the team members who also took part last year.

This competition brings together students from a range of legal systems and cultures from all over the world to learn from the process and from each other. “This encourages the development of social competence, and lifelong skills that are needed in our profession, of which social relations play an important role,” says Leboela.

In its maiden participation last year the UFS did not disappoint, with the highest score of 49 out of 50 and the lowest being 38 out of 50. This year the UFS will compete with 178 universities from 51 countries. “With the right strategy, which involves selecting the students on academic merit and excellent advocacy skills, I believe we would make it to the top 32,” says Leboela with confidence.

The UFS team is Leboela, Smit, Lucien Companie, Vicky Olivier, Sunette Visser, Qaqamba Vellem, Hanno Bekker and Lucy Nthotso.

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