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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

“To forgive is not an obligation. It’s a choice.” – Prof Minow during Reconciliation Lecture

2014-03-05

“To forgive is not an obligation. It’s a choice.” – Prof Minow during the Third Annual Reconciliation Lecture entitled Forgiveness, Law and Justice.
Photo: Johan Roux

No one could have anticipated the atmosphere in which Prof Martha Minow would visit the Bloemfontein Campus. And no one could have predicted how apt the timing of her message would be. As this formidable Dean of Harvard University’s Law School stepped behind the podium, a latent tension edged through the crowded audience.

“The issue of getting along after conflict is urgent.”

With these few words, Prof Minow exposed the essence of not only her lecture, but also the central concern of the entire university community.

As an expert on issues surrounding racial justice, Prof Minow has worked across the globe in post-conflict societies. How can we prevent atrocities from happening? she asked. Her answer was an honest, “I don’t know.” What she is certain of, on the other hand, is that the usual practice of either silence or retribution does not work. “I think that silence produces rage – understandably – and retribution produces the cycle of violence. Rather than ignoring what happens, rather than retribution, it would be good to reach for something more.” This is where reconciliation comes in.

Prof Minow put forward the idea that forgiveness should accompany reconciliation efforts. She defined forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to forego rightful grounds of resentment towards those who have committed a wrong. “To forgive then, in this definition, is not an obligation. It’s a choice. And it’s held by the one who was harmed,” she explained.

Letting go of resentment cannot be forced – not even by the law. What the law can do, though, is either to encourage or discourage forgiveness. Prof Minow showed how the law can construct adversarial processes that render forgiveness less likely, when indeed its intention was the opposite. “Or, law can give people chances to meet together in spaces where they may apologise and they may forgive,” she continued. This point introduced some surprising revelations about our Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

Indeed, studies do report ambivalence, disappointment and mixed views about the TRC. Whatever our views are on its success, Prof Minow reported that people across the world wonder how South African did it. “It may not work entirely inside the country; outside the country it’s had a huge effect. It’s a touchstone for transitional justice.”

The TRC “seems to have coincided with, and maybe contributed to, the relatively peaceful political transition to democracy that is, frankly, an absolute miracle.” What came as a surprise to many is this: the fact that the TRC has affected transitional justice efforts in forty jurisdictions, including Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Cambodia and Liberia. It has even inspired the creation of a TRC in Greensborough, North Carolina, in the United States.

There are no blueprints for solving conflict, though. “But the possibility of something other than criminal trials, something other than war, something other than silence – that’s why the TRC, I think, has been such an exemplar to the world,” she commended.

Court decision cannot rebuild a society, though. Only individuals can forgive. Only individuals can start with purposeful, daily decisions to forgive and forge a common future. Forgiveness is rather like kindness, she suggested. It’s a resource without limits. It’s not scarce like water or money. It’s within our reach. But if it’s forced, it’s not forgiveness.

“It is good,” Prof Minow warned, “to be cautious about the use of law to deliberately shape or manipulate the feelings of any individual. But it is no less important to admit that law does affect human beings, not just in its results, but in its process.” And then we must take responsibility for how we use that law.

“A government can judge, but only people can forgive.” As Prof Minow’s words lingered, the air suddenly seemed a bit more buoyant.

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