Prof Carlien Pohl-Albertyn (left) and Prof Serges Kamga By: Neo Ntsele Two academics from the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof Serges Kamga and Prof Carlien Pohl-Albertyn, have been elected to the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), acknowledging their significant contributions to research and scholarship. Dr Mutshidzi Mulondo was also selected for the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS), recognised for his work in public mental health. Prof Kamga,

Onkarabetse Leew By: Staff Reporter Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae has urged the Glen community to remain calm and let the legal process unfold, following the discovery of the body of five-year-old Onkarabetse Leew in the bush by police today. She emphasised that, despite the community's pain, taking the law into one's own hands cannot be justified. Onkarabetse disappeared on November 8, 2025, just four days after the funeral of his cousin Katleho Leeuw, who also passed away

Missing boy Onkarabetse Leeuw By: Staff Reporter Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae has made an impassioned plea to the public to assist the police with information in finding Onkarabetse Leeuw of Glen. The 5-year-old went missing on 8 November 2025, exactly four days after his cousin Katleho Joy Leeuw was laid to rest. Katleho too had been missing for days before her body was discovered by a passerby on 25 October 2025. Her uncle has been arrested and charged with murder. Onkar

Councillor Thabiso Nai engaging the community of Zastron, Matlakeng. By: Neo Ntsele The councillor for Ward 7 in Mohokare Local Municipality, Thabiso Nai, held a sectoral meeting with Ward 7 residents in Khotsong on Tuesday (yesterday), providing feedback on project developments. The rollout engagement started last week, on Thursday, the 6th, and will continue until next Tuesday. Residents were updated about the issuing of residential sites at the new development location, wh

By: Staff Reporter Members of the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team in Bloemfontein, assisted by the prison Emergency Support Team, conducted a search-and-seizure operation inside the cells at Zonderwater Correctional Centre in Cullinan, Gauteng. The operation is a result of a complaint involving a WhatsApp extortion scheme in which a Hawks police official was impersonated. In April 2025, an Advocate from the NPA reported to the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigati

Matlakeng Community Hall By: Neo Ntsele The residents of Zastron, Matlakeng, are calling for the restoration of the community hall, which has been left in shambles and is becoming a crime hotspot. The community hall has also raised concerns among parents when it comes to the safety of their children who use the hall as their playing ground. To those residing close, the recent state of the community hall brings nothing but terror. It is noted that criminals hide inside the bui

Finishing School (Supplied) By: Staff Reporter The Free State Department of Education is reorganising its post-matric intervention approach from the Finishing Schools Model to the Second Chance Matric Support Programme (SCMSP) to ensure greater access, flexibility, and sustainability in helping learners complete the NSC qualification and consequently improving their subject performance. From 2026, the Department will transition from the current full-time Finishing Schools Mod

Crime Scene Logo By: Neo Ntsele Bethlehem Serious Corruption Investigation detectives are looking for victims of a housing scam. This comes after a Bethlehem-based brokerage, Blue Key Properties, is alleged to have lured potential home buyers through an advertisement in a local newspaper. Petrus Wilhemus Viljoen, 57, and Kamolase Sammy Mofokeng, 47, were arrested on a warrant on 30 August 2025. They have already appeared in the Bethlehem Magistrate's Court for fraud, where t

Prof Ylva Rodny-Gumede   By: Neo Ntsele The University of the Free State (UFS) announced the appointment of Prof Ylva Rodny-Gumede as Executive Director: Advancement, effective 1 November 2025. Prof Rodny-Gumede will provide strategic leadership for the university’s Institutional Advancement, Communication and Marketing, and Student Recruitment portfolios. Prof Rodny-Gumede joins the UFS from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), where she served as Senior Director, Division o

Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae By: Staff Reporter The Free State Provincial Council on AIDS (PCA), chaired by Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae and co-chaired by Simphiwe Mokoena, convened its ordinary meeting at OR Tambo House in Bloemfontein on Wednesday 29, bringing together key stakeholders to strengthen the province’s response to HIV/AIDS, TB, and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI). The PCA serves as the provincial arm of the South African National AIDS Counci

Sandile Ndlovu, Assistant Researcher in the UFS Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures.    Opinion article by Sandile Ndlovu, Assistant Researcher in the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures at the University of the Free State.      When I bought my laptop in my first year of university, it was fast, reliable, and felt like an investment that would last. But when I reached the third and final year of my undergraduate studies, it was a completely different story

Crime Scene Logo By: Neo Ntsele Manini Manco-Mahlaku, 49, a former employee of the Department of Health, appeared before the Sasolburg Magistrate's Court today (Fri) for alleged forgery and uttering of a matric certificate. The accused had reacted to a job advertisement published in April 2011 and was subsequently appointed. Manco-Mahlaku served as a basic ambulance assistant from July 2011. In 2022, information was received that she had allegedly falsified another person's s

Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae By: Staff Reporter Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae emphasized the non-negotiable imperative of aligning the provincial budget with the material conditions of residents. When the budget does not speak to plans, failure is Inevitable The remarks were made at the Free State Provincial Government Planning and Budget Lekgotla 2025, held at Imvelo Safari Lodge (Bloemfontein) on Wednesday, 22. Premier Letsoha-Mathae, stressed the i

Martiale Zebaze Kana, Head of the Science Unit at the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa; Runè van der Merwe, UFS PhD student and 2025 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science awardee; and Serge Sacre, CEO of L’Oréal South Africa, at the 2025 awards ceremony.    By: Neo Ntsele Runè van der Merwe , a final-year PhD student in the  Department of Zoology and Entomology  at the University of the Free State (UFS), has been selected as one of eight recipients of the prestigious

Crime Scene Logo By: Neo Ntsele Motlatsi Nelson Khalane, 31, made his first court appearance before the Phuthaditjhaba Magistrate Court on Tuesday, 14, where he was granted R5 000 bail after being charged with fraud. Khalane's court appearance follows his arrest by the Bethlehem-based Hawks' Serious Commercial Crime Investigation on 13 (Mon) October. It is alleged that Khalane, through his company, applied to the University of the Free State (UFS), Qwa-Qwa Campus, to be cons

UFS Logo By: Neo Ntsele The University of the Free State (UFS) suspended all on-campus academic activities on 14 October 2025, following student protest actions that had taken place on its three campuses over the past week. The Qwaqwa Campus is closed with immediate effect, and students have been requested to vacate the campus within the next 24 hours. This decision follows incidents on the evening of 13 October 2025, during which a group of students caused extensive damage t

Motsaathebe Serekoane    Opinion article by Motsaathebe Serekoane, Department of Anthropology, University of the Free State.     Last...

Photo: Crime Scene Logo By: Staff Reporter A 49-year-old father was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sasolburg regional court on...

Photo: Prof Frans Prinsloo, Head of the UFS School of Accountancy, with some of the proud 2024 BAccHons and PGDip (Chartered Accountancy)...

Budget Vote Breakfast Engagement By: Neo Ntsele Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae emphasized that the inclusion and participation of women...