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Excellence celebrated as student achievements shine at EDSA Prestige Awards

29 October 2025 | Story Tshepo Tsotetsi | Photo Kaleidoscope Studios

The Division of Student Affairs at the University of the Free State (UFS) brought together students, staff, and senior management on Friday 24 October 2025 for the fourth edition of the Executive Director: Student Affairs (EDSA) Prestige Awards – an evening dedicated to recognising students whose leadership, creativity, and commitment are shaping a more inclusive university.

Held at the Bloemfontein Campus, the ceremony honoured outstanding students across all three campuses who have excelled through academic performance, community engagement, and innovation. From sport and residence life to student governance, counselling, health and wellness, social support, and the Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support, each award reflected the depth of student impact within the university community.

A night that belonged to students

Dr Temba Hlasho, Executive Director of Student Affairs, said the awards serve as a reminder of the values that underpin the UFS journey toward Vision 130. “By recognising and rewarding excellence,” he said, “we reinforce the culture of achievement and innovation that drives our students.”

He congratulated the winners for their perseverance, describing them as “dreamers who never give up” – borrowing the words of Nelson Mandela – and encouraged them to remain ambassadors of the university’s spirit of excellence.

Guest speaker Prof Noluxolo Gcaza, Associate Professor from Nelson Mandela University, reflected on the meaning of excellence in her keynote address. “Excellence is a way of being,” she said. “It’s not about recognition at the end – it’s the fruit of your quiet perseverance. Whether your name is called or not, your contribution adds to the living story of this university.”

The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the EDSA Student of the Year, celebrating students who embody global citizenship, academic distinction, leadership, and community engagement.

Jane Mpholo-Mehlape, an Honours in Drama and Theatre Arts student specialising in Theatre for Young Audiences and Directing, earned the top honour. A multi-award-winning theatre-maker, filmmaker, and social entrepreneur, she uses the performing arts to confront social issues, create employment, and mentor young people.

“It feels surreal,” she said after receiving her award. “For years I’ve poured everything into my work, so this recognition affirms that what I’m doing matters… that we are seen.”

Coming from the performing arts, she added, the recognition carries special weight. “People often see performance as just entertainment,” she said. “But art can give people voices and opportunities. This award recognises leadership, transformation, and community – and those are everything that I am.”

Joining her were Thabang Mahlangu, a Human Resource Management student and member of the Shimlas rugby team, who received the first runner-up honours for his contributions to sport, leadership, and community engagement, and Mbalenhle Thungo, a Bachelor of Administration student from the Qwaqwa Campus, who was named second runner-up. Thungo is an entrepreneurial student leader serving as the Deputy Chairperson of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences Student Council.

Together, the winners represent the diverse ways in which UFS students continue to demonstrate excellence: not as a goal, but as a way of being that reflects the heart of the institution.

News Archive

Getting out of the dark

2015-06-10

ESKOM is making daily announcements on the status of the power grid.

Anton Calitz, Electrical Engineer at University Estates, is in continuous contact with Eskom and Centlec in an effort to stay abreast of load shedding.

According to Anton, Eskom has recently - the week of 20 April - been focusing on the evening peak, and has announced STAGE 1 load shedding from 17:00-22:00; thus, the Bloemfontein Campus should be able to continue business as usual during the day, except for Thursdays from 18:00 and, possibly, Fridays from 17:00.

Where can I get more information about load shedding stages?

Apart from Eskom’s webpage, staff can also visit GRID WATCH. Click on "Search", then under "Schedules". Look for "Mangaung Local Municipality", and select "GROUP 4". Save this location. “This can even be loaded onto your mobile device.”

“The time slots can be seen for a couple of days in advance, to allow us to plan around the possibility of load shedding in our daily lives,” said Anton.

Please note: ESKOM can change the STAGE level at any time. Therefore, keep an eye on GRID WATCH and News24.

View the typical seven-day planner for the Bloemfontein Campus (Group 4), which indicates the STAGE 2 and 3 possibilities. Take note that, on some days, the STAGE 2 and 3 time slots are the same.

More load shedding tips: Your IT needs

The UFS Data Centre (Computer Room) is fully serviced by a generator facility, and can function without external power supply for a few days.

The generator servicing the UFS data centre does NOT provide power to the outlying facilities. This implies that all digital equipment at gates, booms, and access points will be shut down until the power is restored to these facilities. “We are now, in collaboration with Nico Janse van Rensburg, in a process to install UPS facilities at these points, which will ensure two to three hours of power supply at these points, even during load shedding,” said Dr Vic Coetzee, Senior Director: ICT Services.

No Wi-Fi will be available, as it is dependent on the power supply to the buildings where it is installed.

All servers are contained in the data centre, and will be kept running by our generators.

How to manage load shedding and your IT needs:

1. Get into the habit of saving your work regularly on computer so that you don’t lose your work/files during load shedding.
2. Back up important data. Keep to a schedule of regular back-up. Make sure your computer back-ups are safe and recoverable.
3. Keep all electronic devices charged and ready to run on battery power. Keep your cellphone charged: some old-style Telkom landlines will still operate during power outages, but others won't.
4. Remember, when power supply is restored, it sometimes happens that a power surge is sent through the network, which will damage your computer. Fortunately, laptop computers will not suffer this fate as their power is provided through an external power pack. Often, this power pack will be damaged, but not the laptop itself.
5. It makes good sense to reboot your computer daily, not only in terms of power shedding, but also in terms of updating the drivers, software, etc.
6. Switch off all computers and other electrical equipment at the wall plug overnight and on weekends.
7. Should your IT equipment not switch on after a power outage, log a call with the ICT Services. You can also call them at x2000.

More information, guidelines and contact numbers

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