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UFS’s Prof Johan Coetzee honoured with prestigious Fiat Lux Award

20 October 2025 | Story Tshepo Tsotetsi | Photo Supplied

John Bridger Prof Johan Coetzee Roland Rudd Fiat Lux — From left: John Bridger, Old Boys Association Central Committee Board member; Prof Johan Coetzee; and Roland Rudd, Headmaster of Saint Andrews School; at the St Andrews Speech Day awards ceremony on 16 October.

Prof Johan Coetzee, Head of the Department of Economics and Finance at the University of the Free State (UFS), has been named the recipient of the Fiat Lux Award – the highest honour bestowed by St Andrew’s School in Bloemfontein.

The award, presented at the annual St Andrews Speech Day awards ceremony on Thursday 16 October, recognises Old Andreans (alumni of the school) who have made exceptional contributions to society through professional excellence and personal integrity.

A journey of values, excellence, and lifelong connection

Previous recipients of the Fiat Lux Award include notable figures such as former Nedcor CEO Richard Laubscher, palaeoanthropologist, Apartheid activist, and three-time Nobel Prize nominee Prof Phillip Tobias, former President of the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa Roger Crawford, and Carte Blanche Executive Producer George Mazarakis.

Prof Coetzee, who matriculated from St Andrew’s in 1995, describes the recognition as deeply humbling. “It is difficult to put into words what this means to me. As an Old Boy of St Andrew’s, it puts the seal of approval on the career path I chose – one that started in the corridors of that school 38 years ago,” he says.

He recalls that his school years shaped both his outlook and his work ethic. “The school taught me the importance of teamwork and resilience. It made me realise early on that life is not all rosy, and that one must maintain a balanced perspective – that is what sets St Andrew’s apart.”

For Prof Coetzee, this honour is not only a personal milestone but also a reflection of the close ties between the UFS and local schools of excellence. “It is extremely important for the UFS to maintain strong links with schools like St Andrew’s, which acts as a feeder for future students and athletes. It’s a win-win situation for both institutions,” he says.

He hopes that his recognition will inspire current learners at St Andrew’s to pursue their goals with perseverance. “I hope that this award awakens the drive in the current crop of pupils at Saints to realise that anything is possible – that your background or the setbacks you face do not define you. Also, and perhaps more importantly, that hard work and persistence does pay off.”

Prof Coetzee’s achievement reflects the UFS’ value of Excellence, exemplifying the university’s commitment to nurturing leaders who embody integrity, dedication, and a lifelong pursuit of learning.

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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