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UFS Drama Department triumph: ‘Ons wag vir Godot’ sweeps kykNET Fiësta Awards

18 March 2025 | Story Litha Banjatwa | Photo Supplied

Fiesta winners 2025 — Ons wag vir Godot shines at the 2025 kykNET Fiësta Awards, winning three major accolades and cementing UFS’s reputation for world-class theatre excellence.

Ons wag vir Godot, a groundbreaking stage production from the University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Drama and Theatre Arts, was one of the biggest winners at the 2025 kykNET Fiësta Awards, which celebrate the best of Afrikaans theatre.

The awards ceremony was held at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town on 27 February 2025.

Ons wag vir Godot, an Afrikaans translation of Irish writer Samuel Beckett’s celebrated 1953 play Waiting for Godot, won three of its four nominations: Best Director for Dion van Niekerk, Best Translation for Naomi Morgan, and Best Supporting Actor for Gerben Kamper. This haul positioned Ons wag vir Godot as the second biggest winner of the evening, and marked an unprecedented achievement for a Free State production at the Fiësta Awards.

This success builds upon the play’s earlier triumphs at the Free State Arts Festival, where it received accolades for Best Director, Best Translation, Best Supporting Actor (Peter Taljaard), and Best Ensemble.

Director Dion van Niekerk said what set Ons wag vir Godot apart was its unique origin: it is the first Afrikaans translation of Beckett's masterpiece directly from the French original. Securing the translation rights was no small feat, requiring a special appeal to the notoriously selective Samuel Beckett Estate.

“The production’s greatest challenge lay in making the play accessible to a South African audience,” Van Niekerk said. “We aimed to find a stage language with visual imagery that would situate the play within a recognisable South African context."

This was achieved through Naomi Morgan’s “immaculate translation work, which captured the existential concerns of the play with precisely the right Afrikaans vocabulary and turns of phrase”. The production team further grounded the play in South African reality through the creation of characters, setting, and costuming that evoked the stark beauty of the Karoo landscape.

The success of Ons wag vir Godot has profound implications for the UFS Department of Drama and Theatre Arts. It firmly establishes the department among the nation’s leading drama institutions, showcasing its ability to contribute high-quality, meaningful work to the South African artistic landscape. “This production highlights the importance of performing translated classics,” Van Niekerk said. “Works like Waiting for Godot are part of the canon of great international theatrical works. South Africa was banned from producing this play during apartheid, and it has been rarely seen since, predominantly in English.” This production, therefore, offers Afrikaans-speaking South Africans and others a unique opportunity to engage with Beckett’s timeless work.

The impact of this success extends to the department’s students. Sibabalwe Jokani, a student cast member, shared in the nominations for Best Ensemble at both the Free State Festival and Fiësta Awards. Jokani said the play’s success has inspired the student body and reaffirmed the department’s commitment to high standards and industry access.

When asked about the future of Afrikaans theatre, Van Niekerk said, “This production will hopefully inspire others to continue to reconsider the value that great theatrical works that have been created in other languages might have in a contemporary Afrikaans context.”

News Archive

R40 million construction contract with black empowerment group starts at UFS

2006-09-04

During the ceremonial kick-off of the biggest construction project in the history of the UFS were from the left: Ms Vuyiwe Mkhupha (Manager of Sikeyi Construction), Prof Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS) and Prof Steve Basson (Head of the UFS Department of Chemistry). Photo: (Gerhard Louw)

R40 million construction contract with black empowerment group starts at UFS

The biggest construction contract in the history of the University of the Free State (UFS) to the value of R40 million has started on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein. The contractors are Ströhfeldt Construction, in a joint venture with Sikeyi Construction, a black empowerment partner.

The contract comprises the extensive modernising, refurnishing and extension of the Chemistry Building. This is the highest amount the UFS has ever spent on the refurnishing of a building.

A number of initiatives have contributed to the fact that the UFS Department of Chemistry is one of the foremost chemistry departments in the country:

Expensive equipment and apparatus to the value of almost R20 million were acquired by the department the past year;
The basis of this is a strategic partnership with Sasol, the biggest research and development company in the country;
The purchase of the most advanced 600MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectro meter in Africa;
The purchase of a single crystal X-ray diffractometer; and
The purchase of a differential scanning calorie meter, used to test the effect of heat on chemicals. This apparatus comprises of the most advanced detectors in the world.

“Natural scientists need the necessary equipment, apparatus and laboratories to be able to exercise world-class science. Three years ago the UFS top management made a strategic decision to focus strongly on research and on our laboratories and lecture halls,“ said Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, during the launch of the Chemistry Building’s refurbishment.

“I regard this project as a symbol of our investment in science and the academy,“ said Prof Fourie.

Prof Fourie said that the UFS spent almost R100 million in the last 5 years to renovate the Main Campus. New buildings such as Thakaneng Bridge were built and other such as the Reitz Dining Hall was renovated and converted into the Centenary Complex. “These projects, together with the refurbishment of the Chemistry Building, also show how the UFS contributes to the development and growth of not only Bloemfontein, but also how we invest in the Free State,“ said Prof Fourie.

According to Ms Edma Pelzer, Director: Physical Planning and Special Projects at the UFS, the current building originally comprised of the Moerdyk Building built in 1949 and a newer wing built in 1966. This building became too small and obsolete and a new part is now being added to the eastern side.

According to Ms Pelzer a great deal of the project comprises the dramatic upgrading and modernising of laboratories, existing mechanical systems and the installation of new systems. “The nature of the work of staff and students demands sophisticated mechanical systems such as air conditioning, fume hoods, the provision of gas, etc and therefore these received specific attention. The research laboratories, lecture laboratories and office areas will also be separated for safety and greater efficiency,” said Ms Pelzer.

“Interesting design solutions for the complex needs of the department were found and I foresee that the building and its immediate environment will be an adornment to the Main Campus after its expected completion in 2008,” said Ms Pelzer.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
14 September 2006

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