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UFS Department of Geology co-host of GeoCongress 2025

25 March 2025 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

The Department of Geology at the UFS is co-hosting this year’s GeoCongress 2025 with the Geological Society of South Africa. Pictured is Dr Martin Clark, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geology and convener of the congress.

The Department of Geology in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) and the Geological Society of South Africa will co-host GeoCongress 2025, set to take place from 23 to 27 June 2025 on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus. This prestigious biennial academic event, themed: Embracing change through collaboration, will bring together leading academics, students, and industry experts from across South Africa to explore the latest advancements in geosciences.

The congress reflects the university's commitment to academic excellence, quality, and impact – core tenets of its UFS Vision 130. As a research-led, student-centred, and regionally engaged university, the UFS continues to transform itself to stay relevant within the dynamic and ever-changing international higher education sphere.

Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation, says “The university is proud to co-host this major gathering of established and emerging earth scientists from a variety of disciplines, who will present relevant, timely research topics to a wider audience. The theme underscores the centrality of geosciences to our aspirations as a university for the country and continent, directing us towards a collective sustainable future. We are excited by the ideas to be featured at this conference. More importantly, we are inspired by the prospect of further promoting real interaction and innovation between academia, industry, and society for impactful change.”

A platform for scientific excellence

It is fitting for the UFS to co-host this event, as geologists in the Department of Geology as well as in the province have made significant contributions across multiple fields, including economic geology, palaeontology, and geomorphology.

In the Department of Geology, for instance, researchers are exploring a wide range of topics, including magmatic processes in the platinum-group-bearing Bushveld Igneous Complex, AI-driven prospectivity modelling of global deposits, meteorite impact-related processes in the Vredefort impact structure, and geological and structural studies in the Namaqualand region.

In the Free State, known for its rich mineral resources, including gold, diamonds, and coal, geologists have played a big role in exploring and developing these resources, particularly in the Free State Goldfields, one of South Africa’s leading gold-producing areas. The province also boasts significant coal deposits, important for power generation. In palaeontology, geologists have helped uncover valuable fossil sites, including the Florisbad hominid site, offering insights into the history of life on earth. Additionally, their research in geomorphology, especially around the Florisbad area, has shed light on unique landscapes and depositional environments, including lunette dunes.

In agriculture, geologists have worked closely with farmers to ensure sustainable land use, providing important information on soil composition and erosion prevention. They have also played a key role in the study of groundwater resources, helping to identify and assess borehole sites for irrigation and domestic water supply, which is key to farming in the region. The Institute for Groundwater Studies (IGS) at the UFS is the only institute in South Africa dedicated to geohydrology. Founded in 1974 by Prof FDI Hodgson, the IGS is the oldest institute at the university and has produced more than 1 000 postgraduate students. The institute conducts research on a wide variety of water-related topics. Of special interest is its contribution to the mining and industrial sectors in terms of water management, minimisation of pollution, as well as understanding the nature and behaviour of South Africa's aquifers. The IGS provides a complete service to these industries through field investigations, the development of specialised field equipment, an accredited laboratory, and computer models for aquifer management.

Building on these contributions in the field, GeoCongress 2025 marks an important event on South Africa’s geoscience calendar, showcasing the latest scientific advancements, innovative research, and practical applications shaping the industry. With engaging academic sessions, dynamic workshops, and practical field excursions, the conference offers attendees the opportunity to participate in meaningful discussions, attend insightful presentations, and take part in excursions that bring theory to life.

Opportunities for networking and growth

GeoCongress 2025 is more than just an academic gathering – it is an opportunity for professional growth and networking. Participants will meet peers, mentors, and industry leaders, establishing connections that can lead to new research projects and collaborations.

There is plenty to look forward to at this year's conference. Here are the key dates and event highlights for GeoCongress 2025.

• Call for abstracts: Closes on 31 March 2025

• Early bird registration: Closes on 31 March 2025

• Final registration deadline: Closes on 22 June 2025

Event highlights:

• 23 and 24 June 2025: Pre-conference workshops and field trips

• 25 to 27 June 2025: Conference programme featuring keynote speakers, academic sessions, and networking opportunities

Registration fees:

• Standard registration: R3 500 (from 1 February 2025)

• Students and retirees: Flat rate of R500 (proof of registration required for students)

Additional costs:

• Workshops and one-day excursions: Visit the GeoCongress website for information on the costs

• Conference/gala dinner: R500

For more information, please contact us at secretariat@geocongress2025.org.za.

News Archive

Johann Naudé talks at first Beyers Naudé lecture for 2012

2012-08-02

At the event were, from the left: Ms Bontle Senne, Managing Director for the PUKU Children’s Literature Foundation, Mr Sipho Hlongwane, writer and columnist for the Daily Maverick, Prof. Nicky Morgan, Vice-Rector: Operations at the UFS, Mr Themba Mola, Chief Operations Officer at Kagiso Trust, Mr Johann Naudé, son of Dr Beyers Naudé, and Dr Choice Makhetha, Vice-Rector: External Relations.
Photo: Stephen Collett
2 August 2012

The University of the Free State (UFS) together withKagiso Trust, presented the first Beyers Naudé lecture for 2012 on its South Campus in Bloemfontein last week. Speakers like Dr Wilmot James, Member of Parliament, Mr Johann Naudé, son of Dr Beyers Naudé, Mr Sipho Hlongwane, writer and columnist for the Daily Maverick and Ms Bontle Senne, Managing Director for the PUKU Children’s Literature Foundation, all gave a lecture around this year’s theme: Collaborative partnerships for social cohesion: Building a nation with ethics.

Dr Beyers Naudé played a major role in the formation of Kagiso Trust. His contribution to the trust and the fight against oppression in South Africa, as well as his challenging of the establishment from which he came, makes him one of South Africa’s courageous heroes. Kagiso Trust thus saw it fit to celebrate the life of this clerical activist through a Memorial Lecture The Beyers Naudé Memorial Lecture is an effort by the Trust to engage South Africans into a dialogue about issues affecting our nation.

Mr Johann Naudé talked about the lessons they as children learnt from their parents as well as his father’s decision to respond to the needs of the people in South Africa. Even before the Sharpeville Massacre, Dr Naudé began a self-transformation that led to his rejection of apartheid. “Apartheid had no theological or scriptural grounds and my father decided to resign from the church. After that, he started to talk openly against apartheid and he also paid the price for that. For seven years he was under house arrest and we as his children also felt the effect of his decision. At the University of Pretoria in a residence where I stayed as a student I was called in and told that I would be treated as an outcast. Loans and jobs were also closed for us as children and as a result, we all started our own businesses,” Mr Naudé said.

“Furthermore, our parents taught us to believe in ourselves. He also said we have rights and we can only demand those rights if we take the responsibility that goes with it. My father also taught us to honour and to respect our fellow men, elderly people and the culture of people different from us. We were also taught to apologise for the wrongs to our fellow men and to acknowledge earnestly that we were wrong.”

Dr Wilmot James said that there were two things consistent in the life of Dr Beyers Naudé, namely justice and fairness. “There are many Nelson Mandelas and Beyers Naudés out there. It is the responsibility of political parties and institutions to motivate such leadership. We must ask ourselves: Are my actions and decisions ethical and will they have fair consequences?” Dr James said.

Mr Hlongwane focused his presentation on the ethics part of the theme. He said: “We in South Africa fall very short of ethics. We can start by respecting each other and taking care of one another. The Constitution will not mean a thing if we fail to respect and trust one another. We will have no cohesive society if we continue to treat those different from us like dirt. It is also our ethical duty to build up the disadvantaged.

In her discussion, Ms Senne emphasised the role of the youth in South Africa. “Our youth is failing our state because our state is failing our youth. Their role is to bring cohesion and acts of courageousness to the table. For them to contribute in a practical and sustainable manner, they need to start making the changes they want to see in society. They are young people and they can make it work because they do have access to the necessary means (social networks) to get things done. They must get involved,” she said.

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