The University of the Free State (UFS) is pleased to announce the upcoming UFS Thought Leader panel discussion titled “A Culture of Acceptance – South Africa’s Greatest Threat?” as part of the 2023 Thought Leader Series.
In collaboration with the Vrystaat Arts Festival’s Literature Festival, this event will bring together esteemed thought leaders to shed light on the social, political, economic, and business landscape of South Africa and its implications for our future.
The panel discussion will be facilitated by Prof. Francis Petersen, vice-chancellor and principal of the UFS. The panelists are Prof. Bonang Mohale, president of Business Unity South Africa (Busa); Prof. Piet Croucamp, senior lecturer in Political Studies and International Relations at the North-West University (NWU); Dr Sipho Pityana, founder and chairman of Izingwe Capital Ltd.; and Dr Lindie Koorts, research fellow at the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the UFS.
The panel discussion will be presented on 13 July, from 10:00 to 12:00 in the Albert Wessels Auditorium on the Bloemfontein campus of the UFS.
RSVP at events.ufs.ac.za/e/ThoughtLeaderPanel by 10 July.
For further information, contact Alicia Pienaar at pienaaran1@ufs.ac.za.
Discussion summary
The general state of decay we experience in our various structures of governance on nearly all levels is preventing the economic growth that our country so desperately needs to move forward.
Our current national financial status is clearly the result of not only poor government performance, but also a totally deficient policy environment. Part of the threats currently facing our country is civil society’s attitude of accepting rampant corruption, crime, and economic degradation as if it is something inevitable and unavoidable.
The question is: Has our current situation created a society that has simply accepted its fate? Or has it created a society that has become more innovative and creative, actively navigating current challenges, and finding new solutions to societal issues independent of government?
