Latest News Archive

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

BCom Finance student defends UFS Economist of the Year title

06 November 2025 | Story Tshepo Tsotetsi | Photo Stephen Collett

University of the Free State (UFS) BCom Finance student Reatile Seekoei has again claimed the top prize in the UFS’s second annual Economist of the Year competition.

The event, hosted on 31 October 2025 by the Department of Economics and Finance in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS), brought together UFS students, academics, and parents at the Bloemfontein Campus to celebrate emerging talent in the field. The group was joined by sponsors from Sanlam and Santam.

The competition has quickly become a highlight on the academic calendar, offering students an opportunity to bridge classroom theory with real-world practice. It challenges them to apply their understanding of economic trends, policy analysis, and data interpretation to forecast future developments, helping them grow from students into confident, career-ready economists. The event also recognised the top-performing students in the department – from first-year level to master’s – in celebration of academic excellence.

Turning theory into practice

According to Prof Johan Coetzee, Head of the Department of Economics and Finance, the competition aims to give students a platform to apply what they learn in class to real-world scenarios. “The purpose of it is to expose students to macroeconomic indicators and to apply their forecasting skills,” he explained. “It forces students to read up on the news, to know what’s happening in the world around them, and to articulate their understanding clearly. In a world increasingly driven by AI, we need humans – we need economists – to set the narrative. This prepares them for the world of work.”

Prof Coetzee added that the judging focuses on both technical and communication skills, with 40% of the score based on forecasting accuracy and 60% on presentation and articulation. “Economists must not only understand the numbers, but also communicate what those numbers mean,” he said.

From conceptual thinker to confident economist

For Seekoei, winning the competition again was both a challenge and a statement of growth.

“I came into this competition for the second time with one goal: to defend my title,” he said. “To win again is thrilling because I had to deliver more than I did last year. It pushed me to grow from a more conceptualised economist into a mature one who can apply indicators and present economically well.”

His presentation impressed the judges with its structured approach. Seekoei built a framework that combined a baseline analysis of South Africa’s economy with an interpretation of leading indicators, inflation trends and monetary-policy direction. He credited his success to the guidance of his lecturers and his belief in self-discipline. “The key to my success is believing in myself,” he said. “It was me against myself. I had to deliver better than what I did last year, and that confidence made all the difference.”

The competition also saw outstanding performances from other finalists, including BCom student Malek Suhail as the first runner-up and BCom Law student Lunghile Rivombo as the second runner-up, both of whom impressed the judges and their peers with their analytical skill and innovative approach – a testament to the faculty’s interdisciplinary strength.

Prof Coetzee expressed gratitude to Sanlam and Santam for sponsoring the competition and helping to make the initiative possible. Their support, he noted, plays a vital role in nurturing future economists who are both analytically strong and socially aware.

As the department looks ahead to next year’s competition, Seekoei’s back-to-back wins set a new benchmark – one that will no doubt inspire his peers to challenge themselves, think critically, and forecast with both precision and passion.

News Archive

Full week of graduation ceremonies at UFS in April

2015-04-10

Autumn always sees the UFS’s first graduation ceremony of the year on the Bloemfontein Campus.

From 14 – 17 April 2015, graduates will once again be rewarded for their hard work while top speakers will address them in the Callie Human Centre. There will be a ceremony at 09:00 and at 14:30 each day on all four days of the graduation.

The programme for the 2015 April Graduation is as follows:

Tuesday 14 April 2015:

Professor Himla Soodyall will be the speaker at both ceremonies on this day. Prof Soodyall is a Medical Scientist for the South African Institute for Medical Research. She is also a Principal Medical Scientist for the National Health Laboratory Service, and a Director for the Human Genome Diversity and Disease Research Unit at the University of Witwatersrand.

During the first ceremony of the day at 09:00, all diplomas/certificates and B degrees in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences will be awarded. Only Honours degrees in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences will be awarded at the 14:30 ceremony.

Wednesday 15 April 2015:

Wednesday will see Ndumiso Hadebe take the stage to address graduates at both ceremonies.

At the age of 23, Hadebe is the Founder and Managing Director of Master Frontiers Consulting, a firm that capacitates leaders and managers to achieve business goals through their people. He worked previously as a Researcher at Shanduka Black Umbrellas, a flagship enterprise and supplier development programme of the Shanduka Foundation.

He has been received numerous awards for excellence in leadership, such as the Sedibeng District Municipal Mayor’s Award for Service and Leadership. He is a Brand South Africa Ambassador and Read Educational Trust Ambassador.

All diplomas/certificates, B and Honours degrees in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, except B Com degrees, will be awarded during the morning ceremony at 09:00. Later, at the 14:30 ceremony, only B Com degrees in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences will be awarded.

Thursday 16 April 2015:

Multiple award winning South African TV presenter, Leanne Manas, will be the speaker at both Thursday ceremonies.

Manas has graced our screens for over a decade. Not many broadcasters can boast having had live TV experience, 5 days a week for 12 years. She is currently the anchor of SABC 2’s flagship breakfast programme, Morning Live. Leanne is a qualified Speech and Drama teacher. having studied at London Trinity College. She also has an Honours degree in English.
Diplomas/certificates up to and including Honours degrees in the Faculty of the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Communication Sciences will be awarded during the ceremony at 09:00. The 14:30 ceremony will have diplomas/certificates up to and including Honours degrees in the Faculty of the Humanities’ other qualifications except for Social Sciences and Communication Sciences.

Friday 17 April 2015:

Dr Maria Phalime will be the speaker at both ceremonies on Friday.

Phalime is a medical doctor and award-winning author. She practiced for a brief period as a general practitioner in South Africa and the United Kingdom, before leaving medical practice to pursue non-clinical interests. She has worked in trade and investment promotion, and has undertaken research and consulting in the areas of economic development and business facilitation.

Diplomas/certificates up to and including Honours degrees in the Faculty of Education (CE, NPDE and ACE excluded) will be awarded during the ceremony at 09:00. Diplomas/certificates up to and including Honours degrees in the Faculties of Health Sciences, Law, and Theology will be awarded at the 14:30 ceremony.

Click here for the simple layout of the 2015 April Graduation programme:
http://www.ufs.ac.za/adhoc-pages/2014-graduation-ceremony/graduation-ceremony

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