Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
20 March 2025 | Story Andre Damons | Photo Andre Damons
Dr Willem Daffue
Dr Willem Daffue, veterinarian, adventurer, explorer, and conservationist, delivered the first plenary keynote address on the first day of the Southern African Mountain Conference (SAMC2025).

Africa’s mountains are being destroyed – not by global warming, but by small-scale farming caused by overpopulation on the continent.

This is according to Dr Willem Daffue, veterinarian, adventurer, explorer, and conservationist who delivered the first plenary keynote address on the first day of the Southern African Mountain Conference (SAMC2025). The conference, which follows a highly successful first conference in 2022, is currently taking place at the Champagne Sports Resort. It ends on 20 March 2025.

Comparing photos that he took 40 years ago in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo with more recent photos, Dr Daffue painted a dire picture of the future of Africa’s mountains and the unique animals found there.

Overpopulation

Dr Daffue works for the Himalayan Wildlife Project, tracks bears in the Karakoram Mountains, documents and photographs endangered species on a global level – such as the Javan rhino and Sumatran rhino. He is also involved in the Giraffe Project of the University of the Free State (UFS).

“Global warming has not yet affected Africa’s mountains. The rainfall in these areas actually increased. So has the population. Humans are destroying the mountains. The small-scale farmers have caused the most destruction. The reason for this is overpopulation.”

“Overpopulation is forcing people to invade national parks where they start farming for survival. These people are poor, uneducated, and is dependent on aid. All the animals in these areas are critically endangered.”

In his presentation, Dr Daffue talked about the Erta Ale, an active basaltic shield volcano in the Afar region of northeastern Ethiopia, the Simien Mountains in northern Ethiopia, as well as the Bale Mountains in the highlands of Ethiopia – with unique animals exclusive to the areas, including the wild ass, baboons, beisa oryx, Soemmerring's gazelle, Walia ibex, the golden jackal, and the Simien wolf.

Endangered animals

“Almost all the animals found in Ethiopia are endangered. It is the total destruction of nature. Only 4% of all mammals are still wild animals. 96% off all mammals on earth are humans and domesticated animals, and 70% of all birds on earth are chickens.”

“So, we are going to lose it. We are already past a point where we could save some of the animals and nature; it is an emergency but if we wake up now, we might still have a few things to save,” said Dr Daffue.

The answer is to curb the population growth, to educate the people, and to lift them out of poverty. Which is extremely difficult to do.

According to Dr Daffue, a conference such as the SAMC is extremely important, as it brings together different role players, including academics, researchers, communities, and policy makers. It helps in making plans, sharing knowledge, and getting policies out to people, the decision makers.

The conference

The Southern African Mountain Conference – conceptualised by the UFS Afromontane Research Unit (ARU), the African Mountain Research Foundation (AMRF), and Global Mountain Safeguard Research (GLOMOS) as a joint initiative between Eurac Research and the UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security – is unique, as it seeks to integrate the science, policy, and practitioner sectors for sustainable interventions in Southern African mountains.

Southern African mountains comprise those situated south of the Congo Rainforest and Lake Rukwa and include the mountainous islands of the western Indian Ocean. Thus, SAMC2025 is targeting Angola, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (southern mountains), Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, La Réunion, South Africa, southern Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The SAMC series is implemented by The Peaks Foundation (a non-profit company). SAMC2025 is held under the patronage of UNESCO.

News Archive

Wayde one of the Adidas faces for Rio 2016
2015-11-20

Wayde van Niekerk has not only been nominated for two awards at the SA Sports Awards. He will also be one of the Adidas world ambassadors for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Photo: Johan Roux

Wayde van Niekerk’s face may already adorn billboards at Pellies Park on the Bloemfontein Campus and other places around the University of the Free State, but it will now also be used for marketing campaigns worldwide.

The Kovsie athlete will be one of the Adidas world ambassadors for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Adidas is sponsoring him.

According to a modest Van Niekerk, he has been with the clothing sponsor since 2010, and it is a great honour to be an ambassador for the Olympics in Rio

Other awards

After a dream year, being an Adidas ambassador is the latest honour to come his way.

He was also nominated for two awards in the SA Sports Awards, which will be held in the Sand du Plessis Theatre in Bloemfontein on Sunday 22 November 2015. He was nominated as Sportsman of the Year and in the People’s Choice category.

On 21 October 2015, Van Niekerk was named KovsieSport’s Sportsman of the Year for a third consecutive year.

He was recently also honoured at the Free State Schools Athletics Association’s Gold Medal event.

A world superstar

Van Niekerk says it’s good to be part of the legacy Adidas is building as a company.

“It is exciting for me, knowing that I am selected among such great athletes (being an Adidas ambassador), and not just South African athletes, but world athletes,” he says.

“It is the likes of the top Adidas athletes that are going to represent the company and be ambassadors for the company.”

“It is something I am looking forward to – being on posters and seeing my face on billboards and advertisements.”

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