Latest News Archive

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

Human Rights Month at the UFS: Championing equality and inclusivity

06 March 2025 | Story Tshepo Tsotetsi | Photo Supplied

Human Rights Month 2025 — UFS: Promoting human rights and empowering equality every day.

As we celebrate Human Rights Month, the University of the Free State (UFS) remains committed to fostering a campus culture where human rights are actively upheld and respected. This ongoing dedication aligns with Vision 130, a guiding principle that drives the UFS’s efforts in creating an inclusive, equitable environment for students, faculty, and staff.

Fostering a human rights-centred education through Vision 130

At the heart of the UFS’s mission is Vision 130, a strategic framework aimed at positioning the university as a leader in inclusivity, social justice, and academic excellence. It ensures that the university’s commitment to human rights and equality is reflected not only in academic programmes but also in everyday student and staff interactions.

For students like Nomathemba Mhlafu, a final-year Bachelor of Arts student majoring in Psychology, these principles resonate deeply. “Honestly, it’s about having the right to education and access to resources,” Mhlafu says. “The fact that I can come here, study, and actually get my degree? That’s everything.”

Human rights: A shared responsibility

The promotion of human rights at the UFS is not only an institutional effort but one that includes students, faculty, and staff. Martie Miranda, Head of the UFS’s Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS), emphasises that promoting inclusivity for persons with disabilities requires a unified effort. She underscores that staff must provide accessible communication, including principles such as using clear, simple language in written and verbal communication and ensuring that alternative formats for documents, such as braille, large print, or digital versions, are available.

Miranda stresses the importance of respect and awareness. “Students need to treat students with disabilities with respect and dignity, being mindful of ableism and microaggressions,” she says. This everyday care practice ensures that all students, regardless of ability, can thrive.

Similarly, Oratile Lentsela, CSRC for Universal Access, advocates for a campus that embraces all students, regardless of background or ability. “We must continue to raise awareness and remove barriers to learning,” she says. “This includes creating more accessible spaces and improving support services.”

The role of students in shaping a human rights-conscious campus

Students are at the core of shaping a campus that is both human rights-conscious and inclusive. Dr Annelie De Man, Division Coordinator of the Advocacy Division at the Free State Centre for Human Rights, says, “Students have an indispensable role to play in ensuring that they are not only aware of the rights that they possess as human beings, but also the means available to them in situations where their rights are not respected, protected, and/or fulfilled.”

According to Dr De Man, students can contribute by:

• Creating or joining student associations that advocate for human rights.

• Educating peers on human rights and redress mechanisms through workshops and discussions.

• Demonstrating inclusivity and respect by fostering a welcoming environment for students from diverse backgrounds.

• Engaging in social justice discussions and contributing to solutions for addressing injustices.

• Providing peer support and guiding affected students to appropriate reporting channels when human rights violations occur.

Furthermore, the Human Rights Ambassadors programme, an initiative led by the Advocacy Division, empowers students to take the lead in promoting human rights within their residences. Ambassadors organise events such as poetry performances, debates, and awareness campaigns to inspire a culture of human rights on campus.

Public engagement as a step forward in human rights advocacy

As part of its ongoing efforts, the Free State Centre for Human Rights continues to host a variety of events to promote human rights awareness. Dr De Man highlights the importance of events like public lectures, seminars, and workshops in raising critical discussions about human rights. One such event is the centre’s first annual public lecture on 19 March 2025, which will feature Prof JL (Loot) Pretorius presenting on ‘Courts, Human Rights, and Democracy’.

“The collaboration between the different divisions of the centre allows us to engage the wider university community on issues of great importance,” Dr De Man notes. The upcoming lecture will provide a platform for the UFS community to reflect on the intersection of law, human rights, and democracy in South Africa.

A rights-conscious campus for all

A commitment to human rights is integral to both the UFS’s daily operations and long-term vision. Through initiatives like the Human Rights Ambassadors, the work of CUADS, and student leadership, the UFS continues to build a campus environment that prioritises equality, inclusivity, and social justice.

Mhlafu says this commitment extends beyond academics for her. “I had an injury once and went to Kovsie Clinic for help. It’s a service that’s always available to students, every day,” she explains. “That was a moment where I really saw how important the right to healthcare is. You don’t think about it until you need it, and when you do, it makes a huge difference.”

In line with Vision 130, the UFS remains steadfast in its dedication to providing every student with the resources, education, and support they need to succeed. With human rights at the forefront of every effort, the UFS is creating a campus where all individuals are empowered to thrive, ensuring that respect, dignity, and equality are not just ideals but a lived reality.

News Archive

A new dawn for student governance

2011-09-02

Our SRC presidents: Richard Chemaly (Bloemfontein Campus) and Bongani Ncgaca (Qwaqwa Campus)
Photo: Hannes Pieterse

Photo Gallery

The successful and peaceful completion of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Student Representative (SRC) elections 2011 herals a new dawn for student governance with the announcement of the results today (1 September 2011).

The SRC elections at the Qwaqwa Campus were completed on 25 August 2011, while the elections at our Bloemfontein Campus took place on 29 and 30 August 2011.

“A new dawn heralds a new day when Richard Chemaly, the son of Lebanese immigrants becomes President of an SRC, as elected by students from all racial backgrounds and from across the student body at large. A new day has arrived when candidates could have won voter support across racial lines; a new day is here when all SRC members are now recognised leaders on the basis of academic accountability,” the Dean of Student Affairs, Mr Rudi Buys, says.

A new dawn has arrived; firstly, insofar as student elections for the choice of student leaders at the UFS now proceed according to a non-racial and a non-party political basis.

Not only did the SRC elections at both the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses achieve its required quorum, with 31% (4 729 votes) and 50% (2 112 votes) voter turnout, respectively, but the SRC elected by students at the Bloemfontein Campus is 55% black and 45% white, and 60% female and 40% male. The numbers of votes gained by successful candidates also indicate that voters from all racial backgrounds have voted for their candidates of choice.

Secondly, a new dawn has arrived insofar as student governance occupied by only some student groups claiming to speak on behalf of all students has made way for direct voting for candidates by the broad student body and the threefold increase of student governance structures on campus.

Not only did all students at our Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses (a total of 15 173 and 4 257, respectively) have the opportunity to participate in voting directly, but nine additional Student Councils were established at our Bloemfontein Campus that each holds an ex officio seat on the SRC and allows for student governance in all the major student sectors of the student body, such as for postgraduate students, international students and all categories of student associations.

The various councils now established include the Student Academic Affairs Council, the Student Associations Council, the Postgraduate Student Council, the International Student Council, the Student Media Council, the Residences Student Council, the Commuter Student Council and the Rag Community Service Fundraising and Service Councils. In addition, all faculties also introduced student representative structures at departmental and faculty level in 2011 to ensure student participation in faculty management and governance.

The SRC members at the Bloemfontein Campus are:

Elective portfolios:
President: Mr Richard Chemaly
Vice-President: Mr Lefata David Maklein
Secretary: Ms Matshepo Ramokgadi
Treasurer: Mr Werner Pretorius
Arts & Culture: Ms Alta Grobelaar
Accessibility & Student Support: Mr William Clayton
First-generation Students: Ms Petre du Plessis
Media, Marketing & Liaison: Ms Biejanka Calitz
Sport: Mr Bonolo Thebe
Student Development & Environmental Affairs: Ms Busisiwe Madikizela
Transformation: Ms Qaqamba Mhlauli

Ex officio portfolios:
Dialogue & Ex officio: Associations Student Council: Mr Anesu Ruswa
Academic Affairs & Ex officio: Academic Affairs Student Council: Mr Jean Vermaas
Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Campus Residences Student Council: Ms Mpho Mokaleng
City student Affairs & Ex officio: Commuter Student Council: Ms Annemieke Plekker
Postgraduate Affairs & Ex officio: Postgraduate Student Council: Ms Glancina Mokone
International Affairs & Ex officio: International Student Council: Mr Pitso Ramokoatsi
Student Media Affairs & Ex officio: Student Media Council: Ms Nicole Heyns
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Fundraising Council: Ms Iselma Parker
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Community Service Council: Ms Motheo Pooe

In the Qwaqwa elections, SASCO achieved 36,84% of the vote, with SADESMO, PASMA and NASMO each achieving 29,73% and 18,56% and 12,74%, respectively .

Mr Bongani Ncgaca was elected as the President of the SRC at our Qwaqwa Campus, while the names of the SRC members at the campus will be announced on 7 September 2011.

The Central SRC will be established on 8 September 2011 by a joint sitting of the two SRCs.

The successful completion of the SRC elections at the Bloemfontein Campus follows a yearlong review process of student governance by a Broad Student Transformation Forum (BSTF) that consists of 59 delegations from student organisations and residences. The BSTF adopted independent candidacy for elective portfolios and additional student councils to provide ex officio seats on the SRC as the template for student governance, following the consideration of a series of benchmarking reports on student governance nationally and internationally.

The UFS Council adopted the new SRC Constitution, as drafted and submitted by the BSTF, on 3 June 2011.

Media Release
1 September 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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