Oppikoppi survival guide
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Interview with AmaTuks coach
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Perdeby Tuks se amptelike studentekoerant / Official Tuks student newspaper / Kuranta ya baithuti ya semmušo ya Tuks
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Lecturer found dead in alleged suicide MAGGIE ROODT A UP lecturer died after jumping off of the 21st floor of the Humanities Building (HB) on UP’s Hatfield Campus last Wednesday. 44-year-old Danny Nortjé-Rossouw was an accounting lecturer at the university. He also studied at UP, obtaining a degree in financial management. SAPS warrant officer Dave Miller told Perdeby that the police are approaching Nortjé-Rossouw’s death as a suicide. This can only be confirmed after the postmortem and when the investigation has been completed. According to a representative from the South African Fire Services, Nortjé-Rossouw’s body was found on the roof of the sixth floor. Miller said that he does not know how the body was first discovered or whether video footage from cameras placed around the HB can provide any information, as he has not yet seen it. Nortjé-Rossouw’s death has raised safety concerns. The plastic mesh covering the HB’s windows can easily be cut. As the Department of Security Services was not available for comment, it is unclear whether the department will introduce additional security measures to restrict accessibility to the higher floors of the HB. Nortjé-Rossouw’s students were shocked by the news of his death. Jeanine van der Merwe, a final-year BCom Human Resources student, told Perdeby that, “He was amazing and everybody liked him. We saw him just before the holiday and then discussed how he looked sick.” Shannon Petzer, a student and friend of Nortjé-Rossouw, said that, “Danny was ‘different’, but in a good way. He would sing and joke in class and the students enjoyed his classes because he enjoyed teaching us.” Petzer added, “It really hurts knowing I lost someone who meant so much to me, but I’m happier that I actually had the opportunity of knowing him.” Prof. JE Myburgh, head of the accounting
A UP lecturer was found dead after falling from the 21st floor of the HB in an alleged suicide. Photo: Anele Mkung
department, and Nortjé-Rossouw’s colleagues were instructed not to speak to the media. Natasha Streicher, Nortjé-Rossouw’s cousin, said that his death was unexpected as he did not suffer from depression. Streicher said that he enjoyed being a lecturer at UP. The family has had to deal with the tragedy of suicide before, as Nortjé-Rossouw’s parents, brother and aunt all committed suicide. Nortjé-Rossouw is survived by his partner Charl Nortjé-Rossouw, who declined to comment. With additional reporting by Brad Donald.
UP has offered trauma counselling to all affected staff and students. Student Support can be reached on their 24-hour crisis service number 0800 006 428 or 012 420 2310.
Danny Nortjé-Rossouw was an accounting lecturer at the university. Image: up.ac.za
Investigators on the roof of the sixth floor of the HB. Photo: Brad Donald
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Web Marko Svicevic
From the Editor
When I was small (okay, young), I had a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Barbies. I had Barbie plates, cups, shoes, sheets, brushes, bags – basically, if it had a picture of Barbie on it, I needed it. Don’t judge me, but at one point (one of the high points of my childhood) I had a grand total of 33 Barbies. My parents even let me dedicate a whole room to house them in, until they had my sister and decided that human babies trump plastic dolls (one of the low points of my childhood). You’ve probably seen the studies and articles explaining that, in reality, a woman could never have Barbie’s proportions. Quite a few people have slammed Mattel, the company that owns the Barbie brand, for creating and maintaining an unattainable ideal of what a woman should look like. Many campaigns have been started to discourage parents from buying their daughters Barbies. If she plays with her, they say, she’s going to want to look like her. Here’s the thing: women are told all the time what they should look like. Any woman will tell you that when she opens a magazine, turns on the TV or logs onto Instagram she’s presented with a perception of the ideal woman, and she’s reminded that she doesn’t look like that. There seems to be this idea that you have to look like
Editorial
Editor Maxine Twaddle
04 August 2014
Let’s hear it for the girls
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Editor-in-Chief Carel Willemse
Editorial
webeditor@perdeby.co.za @perdebynews
Heidi Klum and Gisele Bündchen’s love child to be considered beautiful. It’s unfair and frustrating, I know. But we can’t lay the blame at men’s feet. Let’s face it: they’re under exactly the same pressure. As humans, we’ve become obsessed with appearances and banish as ugly anything that doesn’t live up to preconceived, totally arbitrary ideas of perfection. So, instead of banning Barbies, let’s build self-confidence. And let’s become confident in ourselves without belittling others. (During a marathon Pinterest session the other day, I came across a pin that said, “True confidence isn’t walking into a room and thinking you’re better than everyone else. It’s walking into a room and not comparing yourself to anyone in the first place.) There’s always going to be someone to compare yourself to. Stop focusing on them and start focusing on you. On a side note, if you’re going to OppiKoppi, please survive. If you see us there, buy us a drink or three. If you’re not going to OppiKoppi, I feel sorry for you. Max
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SRC election announcement
As a public higher education institution, UP values openness, transparency and public participation. One of the routes to giving life to these values is the creation of platforms for our staff and students to voice their needs and interests. The annual Student Representative Elections facilitate such a platform for the registered students. It is therefore important that ALL registered students have the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote for the leadership of their choice. To continue the legacy left by our late Tata Nelson Mandela and many others who fought hard to make sure we have the right to choose our own leadership, students are encouraged to exercise their democratic right and vote for the people who should represent them on UP structures As staff, our role is to ensure the creation of an environment conducive to this, which does not in any way inhibit the students’ ability to exercise this right. This year’s elections will be held on 3 September from 08h00 until 20h00 across all campuses. Nominations open from the 29 July until 11 August. The Department of Student Affairs urges staff to be tolerant during this period and encourage their students to go and exercise their democratic right. By doing so, we will be taking the first step in crafting the future of our institution, particularly in student life and governance. Remember, participation builds the community! Choose your SRC now! Advertisement provided by the Department of Student Affairs
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04 August 2014
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Should residences be separated? BOIPELO BOIKHUTSO Last week Perdeby published an article reporting TuksRes’s proposal to create separate residences exclusively for first-year students and residences exclusively for senior students. Perdeby asked a few residence students for their opinions on the matter.
“The proposal is fine if it will make more space for first years as long as no one is excluded.” – Precious Mphago, second-year BA Psychology student from Lilium
“Ridiculous. As a first-year, seniors are very helpful. It is also going to kill the experience that comes with the res traditions. The university should have done a survey to find out how students feel about the proposal.” – Brittany Edwards, first-year BEd student from Inca.
“I chose Tuks because of the student life, which is rooted in res traditions. Since they are now taking the culture away, I wouldn’t advise anyone to come to Tuks.” – Michelle Pienaar, former Katjiepiering resident
“I am not against change, [but] since they hadn’t told us before the proposal, they should explain further. This is the little left of res traditions but they might as well do go ahead with the proposal since they [are] taking away everything.” – Prince Tsotetsi, third-year construction and management student from Boekenhout
“First years need guidance. HKs and seniors know more about varsity life and one can learn a lot from them. First years are going to feel lost because the Orientation Week will probably not be the same again and that’s how we make friends. The university should rather build more residences to increase the number of first years in residences.” – Odireleng Seabi, first-year political sciences student and Asterhof resident
“First years won’t get the opportunity to know the res traditions. If we are separated, we will not have mentors and proper guidance. We literally have to adapt to everything by ourselves, which is a big step.” – Mfundo Nyathi, first-year actuarial science student from Olienhout
“I think it is wrong because first-years come with the same childish mentality from high school and they need guidance from seniors who know varsity life.” – Thembelihle Nkosi, first-year BEd student from Lilium
“A bombshell has been dropped on us. It is unfair on both first years and seniors. In Jasmyn, a lot of things will be affected, like the Jasmyn spirit, protocols etc. First years will not get that positive Jasmyn spirit that everyone should experience. Jasmyn is turning 50 next year and a lot of plans will be affected.” – Lynda Patimile, first-year BCom Law student and Jasmyn resident
“It is unfair because it does not apply to all residences. Traditions like Ienk are what makes [res] fun so they cannot make such changes.” – Anke Paul, first-year speech therapy student from Asterhof
“I do not agree with the proposal. First years need someone to look up to who can be like a ‘big-sis’ to them. First years might end up losing hope without guidance.” – Joni Rice, first-year BA Human Movement Sciences student and Jasmyn resident
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AfriForum Youth protest “death of residences”
04 August 2014
INTERVARSITY NEWS STAFF REPORTER Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT)
AfriForum Youth staged a funeral procession in protest of proposed changes to residences. Photo: Maxine Twaddle
DYLAN FLOWERDAY On Monday 28 July AfriForum Youth placed a coffin with the message “RIP koshuise / residences” at the entrance to the Roosmaryn Building. The coffin contained a petition with 1 600 student signatures along with a memorandum of students’ demands regarding the proposed changes to residences. Last week, Perdeby reported on proposed changes to residences, which include dividing certain residences into first-year only and senior only residences. “AfriForum Youth and students decided to object to the
planned changes by illustrating the death of residences symbolically,” said AfriForum Youth spokesperson Eduan Dupper in a media statement. Rochelle Oosthuyse, the chairperson of AfriForum Youth at UP, said that, “separating first years and senior students would not be beneficial for either parties. First-year students need guidance from senior students, especially when they just start university.” A recent online poll posted by TuksRes showed that 94% of participants opposed Tuks’s decision to designate certain residences to first-years and others to seniors.
As Perdeby reported last week, the poll was open to the general public and not just UP students, so the results cannot be read as representing UP’s true figures. “The university needs to start taking student’s opinion into serious recognition before they make decisions,” said Oosthuyse. This comes after many students, including the SRC and the residences’ house committee members, found out about the proposed separation of residences on social media. They claim that they were not consulted before the university took the decision to accept the proposal.
Tuks students scammed by so-called prophets STAFF REPORTER Students have fallen victim to a new scam which involves criminals posing as prophets robbing students. According to the Department of Security Service’s Ronan Watson, students are approached by the so-called prophets who say that they have received divine instruction to pray for them. The “prophets” then demand that the victim purchase water to aid the spiritual process, leaving their belongings behind while they go to the shop. According to the Department of Security Services, most of the incidents occur on Festival Street and on the corner of Prospect and Grosvenor Streets.
Lesedi Lamola, a BSocial Work student, told Perdeby that she fell victim to the scam while walking down Arcadia Street. Lamola said that she was approached by a man asking her for directions. The man told her that he was a prophet and was looking for a woman for whom he had performed “prophetic duties”. While the two were talking, a third man joined them. The first man told Lamola that he had foreseen that she would have been hit by a car if he had not met her. He also said that her phone was possessed and that her money needed to be cleansed. He asked her to hand over her phone and her laptop and to withdraw all the money from her account, which she did. Lamola was then told by the two men to
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run as fast as she could to a bus stop two streets away, where she was told to pray. “I did that and as I opened my eyes, they were gone,” she said. Security Services told Perdeby of another con which involves criminals approaching students and telling them that they work for cosmetics company Avon. They offer the students money to help them with “stock take” but ask that they hand over their cell phone, laptop, tablet and wallet while they are working with the products. A second criminal then joins the pair and agrees to hand over his belongings. When the victim hands the items over, the criminals disappear. Report cases to security and the SAPS.
TuksRes honour top academic achievers KEEGAN FRANCES TuksRes honoured the top academic achievers in the university’s residences and day houses at an awards ceremony on Tuesday 29 July. Prof. Irma Eloff, dean of the Faculty of Education, gave a speech at the ceremony. Prof. Eloff spoke of the broader academic situation at UP while explaining that the academic achievers who were present at the event find themselves competing with a group of very talented students. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Cheryl de la Rey also attended the event and said, “It is one of the highlights of the TuksRes calendar because we are celebrating the most important principle that the university subscribes to … academic excellence.” Prof. De la Rey also said that she truly felt that, “Tonight we have seen excellence from all of our residences.” The prize for the top academic achiever was awarded to Larochelle Dreyer, a first-year BCom Accounting Sciences student from Klaradyn. Dreyer attributes her academic success to her lecturers.
The Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) in Durban suspended all lectures on 28 July due to student protests. Protests began when students who could not register for the second semester because they owed MUT money demanded to be registered. MUT marketing and communications director Len Mzimela told eNCA that the institution had come to an agreement with students who were in debt of more than R10 000 that they could still register if they negotiated a way of paying back that debt with the university. The protesting students were those who would not negotiate. Lectures, which were cancelled to ensure the safety of non-protesting students, were scheduled to resume on Tuesday. Rhodes University (RU) The bodies of two Rhodes University students were found in Settlers Dam, just outside Grahamstown. Rizwan Bhayat and Mohammed Amin Mussa were fishing on the dam with Mohammad Gaffour on the dam on Saturday 26 July when their boat capsized. Gaffour managed to swim to shore, where he alerted authorities. Bhayat and Mussa’s bodies were found on Sunday 27 July. Autopsies confirmed that they had drowned. The pair, both Zambian nationals, were studying commerce and pharmacy. Walter Sisulu University A 21-year-old Walter Sisulu University student died in an apparent suicide after jumping from the fourth floor of a university residence on Saturday 26 July. The student, who was in his second year of study in the education faculty, died on impact. According to Lt Colonel Mzukisi Fatyela, an inquest has been opened.
University of Cape Town (UCT) The University of Cape is set to open a gender-neutral bathroom. According to Varsity, LGBTI students at the university requested the bathroom last year, saying that they do not wish to be defined by their gender when using the bathroom. The UCT SRC’s transformation coordinator Jessica Breakey told Varsity that the gender-neutral bathroom was implemented because it was “time to start being creative in the way we view transformation on campus”. The SRC is working on building more gender-neutral bathrooms on campus.
Stellenbosch University (SU) Stellenbosch University (SU) management is taking legal action against the students running the website Sh*t Maties Say, Die Matie reported. SU has apparently requested that the page be taken down and is claiming R5 000 plus VAT. The student running the page, who has only identified himself as “Chris”, told the newspaper that he is not planning on taking down the site.
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Oppikoppi: arrive, bush dive, survive LISA KAHIMBAARA Rarely party and don’t camp? Fortunately for those of you making your way to the farm and the infamous dust for the first time this year, Perdeby is an Oppikoppi veteran. Here are some of our top tips for a happy festival experience: 1. Pack as lightly as possible. You’ll probably be travelling in groups and you don’t want to be playing Tetris with your luggage. 2. Take absolutely essential gadgets or items with you, such as a cellphone car charger (you’ll need it to get hold of friends over the weekend), a spare set of car keys (pack it with your luggage, just in case you misplace your everyday set), a bottle opener or two, a water bottle for your alcohol in the entertainment area, and a torch for when nature calls during the middle of the night. 3. Learn how to set up your tent before you get to the festival. Oppi must not be the first time you see your tent up in the flesh. You’re going to be excited to start partying so be able to set your tent up as quickly as possible. 4. Use a navigation device or your smartphone to direct you to the farm. Let that smooth computer voice deliver you to the dust. Nobody needs to toil over maps in 2014, unless you’re an eagle scout. Print a map of the farm as well as the lineups and stick it on your car windows (once you’re there). See our map on page six. 5. Pace yourself. The festival spans three days. Don’t be that person (read “fader”) who partied too hard on the Thursday and needed a day off. 6. Bring and use sunblock liberally and religiously. 7. Don’t take enough food to feed the entire festival. The food stands at Oppi produce the stuff of Masterchef. Other than
Hugh Masekela. Photo: Brett Rubin
Photos: Brad Donald
snacks there’s no need to sweat over a stove. Do carry lots of water and drinks to keep you hydrated. No, we didn’t mean tequila. 8. If you’re not really into parading around covered with last night’s dust, sweat and alcohol, you’re going to want to take a shower. The showers are cold. On the bright side they’re highly effective for shaking off hangovers. Flip-flops are imperative at this point. If you really can’t face cold water, wet wipes will be your best friend.
9. Prepare yourself for Oppi’s extreme weather. We mean Hades hot during the day and Arctic temperatures at night. By all means, bring your inner plastic-flower-crown-wearing child out in full force but pack jerseys, vests, long johns, jackets, scarves and gloves. It’s all fun and games until you’re shivering in your tent unable to fall asleep. 10. For the love of health and wellness, do not accept substances from strangers.
Urban Creep. Image: last.fm
Three acts you just can’t afford to miss at Oppikoppi Odyssey
MICHAL-MARÉ LINDEN This year’s Oppikoppi lineup showcases 147 different bands. With so much to choose from, missing some performances is an unfortunate necessity. However, there are a number of local acts that would be shameful to miss. One is small, one is old and one consists of industry giants, but all have very specific and good reasons to be included on your festival programme. Flint, meet Spark These Tuks students have talent and for the second time this
duo will be performing for the dusty masses. Adelle and Josh intertwine their vocal and guitar skills to create beautiful and peaceful melodies. Even if folk music isn’t your thing, it’s cool to support fellow students. Hugh Masekela and Ollie Viljoen Remember last year when Mango Groove’s Oppikoppi performance had us all feeling patriotic? Hugh Masekela, brass virtuoso and jazz musician, and Ollie Viljoen, known as boeremusiek koning, are iconic local musicians that have joined forces to present a unique performance. This is the
first time that Oppikoppi has seen two such accomplished instrumentalists collaborate in this way. Urban Creep Formed in 1994, this rock band performed at the first Oppikoppi. Twenty years later they have made their return to the festival to provide the prawns with a double shot of nostalgia. If you’re too young to remember Urban Creep, you may want to dig through your parents’ CD collection to find their two critically acclaimed albums Sea Level and Tightroper.
R5000.00 REWARD African Grey Parrot Above reward for the return, or information leading to the return to the owner, of the African Grey parrot that went missing on 27 May at about 11h00, vicinity of Ninth Street East and Atterbury Road, Menlo Park. Reported by a motorist to have been caught about the same time on the median of Atterbury Road by two young men in a motor car.
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04 August 2014
Magrietjie and Sonop push their way to Kaskar victory ELMARIE KRUGER The 21st annual Kaskarfees took place at NG Universiteitsoord on Friday 25 July. It was an evening of sweat, smiles and sore legs as resdwellers showed up in large numbers to either take part in the event or to offer support from the sidelines. Residences had to complete time trials to determine the order in which they would compete during the race. Magrietjie and Boekenhout achieved the fastest times during the time trials in the ladies’ and men’s categories respectively and set off first. The ladies’ residences faced tough competition with Magrietjie managing to stay in the lead. Magrietjie finished first in the race, while Klaradyn and Madelief placed second and third respectively. As for participation among the ladies’ residences, Klaradyn earned first place with 38% followed by Asterhof in second place and Erika in third. Klaradyn also won the day in terms of bonus points with a score of 505. In the same category Asterhof came second and Curlitzia third. The men’s residences had their fair share of kaskar troubles with flat tyres, minor accidents and penalties keeping many of the teams from performing optimally. Boekenhout had a strong lead for most of the race, but Mopanie did manage to slip by them at a crucial point in the race. At the end of the men’s race, Sonop placed first, Olienhout second and Mopanie third. Sonop came first in the participation section with 73%. They also earned 861 bonus points – the most out of the men’s residences. Second place for participation went to Olienhout and third place to Mopanie. Second place in terms of bonus points was claimed by Olienhout while third place went to Maroela.
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Oppikoppi ticket winners Perdeby was inundated with entries for our Oppikoppi ticket photo competition. Choosing the winners was exceptionally hard but we eventually found our favourites. We also made the decision not to award a ticket in the “Perdeby staff” catergory as we felt that the entries in the “most interesting place on campus” category were so strong and quite daring.
Photo winners clockwise from top left: Anke Kuhn and Anzille Shulze with their lecturer Prof. Pietersen; James Viljoen, Harald Hanke and Kyle Oberholzer; and Craig Sloane.
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The greatest women in South Africa MAGGIE ROODT The saying goes, “Behind every successful man is a great woman.” Whether they are actresses, activists, politicians, engineers, teachers or stay-at-home moms, women are standing on their own as great figures. August is dedicated to celebrating women who enrich South Africa, like the ones listed below. Thuli Madonsela Thuli Madonsela has been South Africa’s public protector since 2009. She has fought to protect the constitution and to act in the interest of all South Africans. According to an article titled “South Africa’s 30 Wonder Women” on WBSJournal.co.za, Madonsela sacrificed a scholarship at Harvard in order to help draft the country’s constitution in 1996. She supports and promotes human rights and has placed herself in the line of fire in order to protect these rights, such as when she was threatened with arrest after performing an investigation on maladministration within the South African Police Service. Natalie du Toit Natalie du Toit won five gold medals in the 2004 Paralympic Games and was also the first amputee to qualify for the final of an able-bodied event when she qualified for the 800m freestyle swim at the Commonwealth Games. Her left leg was amputated following a scooter accident in February 2001. She was only 17 years old at the time. Despite the accident, her focus remained on achieving swimming success. Voted 48th in the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004 by the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Du Toit has since received numerous awards and medals for her achievements. Caster Semenya Another South African sporting heroine and proud Tukkie, Caster Semenya is a middle-distance runner. She won a gold medal at the 2009 Athletic World Championships, a silver at the 2011 World Championships and another silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Besides being a fantastic athlete, Semenya is also an ambassador of South African poise, regarding how she reacted with dignity to questions raised about her gender. Jane Alexander Creator of the well-known artwork The Butcher Boys, Jane
Image: Brad Donald
Alexander is a South African artist whose works show the influence of living in a constantly evolving country. Her work has been featured in Jean Clair’s show Identita e Alterita (Identity and Alterity) in the Palazzo Grassi at the 1995 Venice Biennale. Gill Marcus With eight male predecessors, Gill Marcus made strides in the corporate world when she became the first woman to hold the title of governor of the South African Reserve Bank in July 2009. In addition to this, she was elected a member of parliament in 1994 and later also held the professorship of leadership and gender studies at the Gordon Institute of Business Science. Katy Katopodis Starting off as a reporter for Talk Radio 702 in 1997, Katy Katopodis worked her way up to become group-editor-in-chief at Primedia Broadcasting and news editor of 702 Eyewitness News.
Her bestselling book I’m Missing News deals with the pressures a working mother may find when trying to balance a career and family life, especially when her career entails delivering the most important news to the world. Sibongile Sambo Featured in Forbes’ list of “The 20 Young Power Women in Africa 2013”, Sambo is the CEO and founder of SRS Aviation, the first black female-owned aviation company in South Africa. Some of Sambo’s accolades include being a winner of the Black Women in Business Awards in London 2006 and being named a Leader of Tomorrow by Fortune magazine in 2007. These women are just a few of the many successful, independent and determined women of whom South Africa can proudly boast. However, there need not be a medal or award involved in order to realise the greatness of South African women.
When did doing something “like a girl” become an insult? LIESE-MARIE HEYNS A recent viral Always advertisement campaign video #LikeAGirl asks men and women of various ages to run, fight and throw “like a girl”. They usually portray stereotypical interpretations of women running with their arms and legs flailing, complaining about their hair, cat-scratching instead of punching, and throwing a ball with limp arms. When young girls were asked to do the same, they were enthusiastic and energetic. There was no flailing, complaining or limping. Instead, they threw the ball as hard as possible and threw fervent punches. At what age, then, does doing something “like a girl” become a bad thing? Based on information gathered by Engineering.net, at an early age girls are smarter than boys and have a higher IQ. Girls even score better on tests if they don’t have to disclose their sex. As soon as they are asked to disclose their sex, their scores decrease drastically. They lose self-confidence as they get older and their selfesteem drops by almost 20% from Grades 6 to 10. The pattern continues in university where fewer women than men plan on studying maths- or science-related degrees and less than one in five women work in a related field after graduating. According to data gathered from the All Media and Products Survey in 2012, 77% of South African men believe women should have the same opportunities as men. However, the unemployment rate of women is 6% higher than that of men. Women also earn 35% less than their counterparts, according to a report by the World Economic Forum in 2013. “This means women effectively earn in a full year what men earn in eight months,” said Sandra Burmeister, CEO of Amrop Landelahni, in an interview with News24. Only 3.6% of South Africa’s CEOs are women, even though they account for 52% of the population. Grant Thornton said in the 2014 International Business Report that just over a quarter of senior management positions are filled by women. According to Burmeister, it would take nearly 50 years to close the pay gap between men and women. Fredri Jordaan, a final-year accounting student, says she is optimistic about her career although she doesn’t see herself in a top-level management position one day. “I would rather be middle-level and spend more time with my kids,” she said. She is not alone, as three out of five women say they prefer a balanced work and home life, according to a study by Accenture. Luckily, it’s not all bad news. South Africa is ranked 17th on the Global Gender Gap Index, six places ahead of the United States, also beating the UK, Canada and Australia. South Africa is also ranked eighth in political empowerment, with South African women holding 42% of the seats in parliament – more
Infographic: Rebecca Paulsen
than double the world average. Despite this, high levels of domestic violence and women abuse still prevail in South Africa and around the world. In South Africa, a woman is killed every eight hours by a partner. Rape incidences are also extremely high. According to research conducted by the Medical Research Council, six cases of rape are reported to the police every hour. More shocking is the fact that only one in 25 women in Gauteng report rape, which translates to 1.3 million rape cases each year. Gender-based violence results in the death of one in three women worldwide. In India, more than half of women think it is justifiable for a man to beat a woman. Women in Saudi Arabia are forbidden to drive. A women named Manal al-Sharif was imprisoned for a week in 2011 for driving. Her son was beat up
at school because of this, and told that he and his mom should be put to death. In Russia, 57 750 women are sold into sex trafficking each year. As women in South Africa, we have suffered great losses, yet we still have to work harder than men and still have to fight gender stereotypes. Women across the world are still struggling to be seen as equals. “Why can’t run like a girl also mean win the race?” asks a girl at the end of the Always advertisement. Keep that in mind the next time you feel inferior because of your gender. National Women’s Day is celebrated on 9 August. Go out and do something #LikeAGirl. Watch the Always #LikeAGirl advertisement on www. perdeby.co.za.
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UP-Tuks 1 confident for Carlton Cup Karin Prinsloo’s
Pote Human. Image: beeld.com
KAYA NOCANDA UP-Tuks 1 coach Pote Human is optimistic about his side’s prospects of defending their BBRU Carlton Cup title. The team has been buoyed by their recent success in the University Sports of South Africa (USSA) Rugby Championship and their form coming into the final, which is set to be staged at Loftus Versfeld. Human spoke to Perdeby. Coming into the Top 4 phase of the Carlton Cup, have your achievements in the USSA competition had a significant effect on the team’s morale and their belief that they can defend
their title? Claiming the much sought after USSA championship title for only the second time in the 20-year history of the tournament was a huge morale and confidence booster. We succeeded because every player and management team member lived the dream that we were meant to be the 2014 champions. I am very proud of them all. Has the withdrawal of the Eastern Eagles from your first fixture in the Top 4 phase negatively affected your planning and the team’s preparations? We would have loved to play, but missing out on one match does not put the season’s preparation in jeopardy. The other two teams participated in the first round of fixtures and UP-Tuks 1 did not. Do you think this gives them an advantage over you, especially in terms of match fitness? Not at all. We are without any doubt the fittest and best conditioned team in the Carlton League. Earlier in the competition the side lost to Pretoria Police at home and now you are set to play them again in the final. How well has the team progressed since then and do you now know what to expect from them in your next game? It will be war on 9 August and we have most definitely learned from the mistakes that led to our downfall in the first round. The team was dominant in the round-robin phase of the competition. Does this have any bearing on your chances of success in the Top 4 phase? We were not as dominant as we would have liked to be since we lost to Police in the first round. The withdrawal of the Eastern Eagles resulted in us making the final. We will play Police on 9 August at Loftus Versfeld B. The remaining two second round matches will be used for fine-tuning. Are you using this competition in any way to prepare for next year’s Varsity Cup competition? No. The focus is squarely on defending the Carlton Cup title. The 2015 Varsity Cup pre-season preparation only starts in November and the squad will mostly comprise players outside the Carlton Cup group of 2014.
Interview with AmaTuks coach
Steve Barker. Image: amatuks.co.za
ABONGILE SKOSANA AmaTuks open the 2014/2015 Absa Premiership campaign on 9 August against newly-promoted Polokwane City. Perdeby spoke to AmaTuks head coach Steven Barker about their upcoming season. AmaTuks did not finish in the top eight of the Absa Premiership last season. How are you planning to up your game this season? Compared to what many people think, I don’t think it was a poor season and often the log position doesn’t determine the performance that we put on last season, but yeah, it was a tough season for us, having lost a number of key players. I do think that the team played well last season and there were a lot of games
that we never really lost [but] we were unfortunate not to have got more out of those games. This season we are far more settled in terms of the squad and the pre-season preparations. We’ve got the majority of the squad from day one as compared to last season. So, I think that would be a big bonus for us this year and a lot of our young players were the youngest players in the league last season ... and I think that extra year [of] experience will help us this coming season. Are your new players ready to go? We are happy with all our new players, they’re important and they have integrated themselves well with the rest of the squad and they are showing their value already at the training sessions and during some of the friendly matches we’ve played. We are excited about our new signings and the positive impact they will have for us. What does this season look like for you? It’s a tough league. It is challenging just being in the league but I think we had a bit of consolidation the last two seasons. We’ve kept [the] majority of our squad, we’ve got the year extra experience and we are starting more solid from day one. We are hoping for a very good season and [are] definitely looking forward to making an impact once again as we did in our first season. Yeah, we are good to go. Are there any challenges you are facing as a team? No, we don’t really have any challenges. One of our challenges is obviously to keep our players fresh and injury-free. We’ve got a couple of key players and we always have to make sure that we [keep] the squad from injuries, so if we have the majority of our squad on most occasions then we won’t have any problems, so that is basically the challenge that we have. We also lost Buhle Mkhwanazi, who was a big player for us last season, so we are challenged but we believe we have signed players that can come in and do the job that we had done last season. Which players should we look out for this season? As a squad we have all rounds of abilities, looking for players such as Geoffrey Massa, he had a big impact for us in terms of goal scoring. Washington Arubi, I think, is one of the best goalkeepers in the league. There’s a lot of exciting youngsters in and around the team that one can look out for.
Commonwealth debut
Karin Prinsloo. Image: amazon.aws.com
BRIAN KIAUTHA South African swimming is associated with the likes of Cameron van der Burgh, Roland Schoeman and Chad le Clos, but one name that has been grabbing headlines prior to the commencement of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland is Karin Prinsloo. Arguably the queen of South African swimming, the 24-year-old Limpopo native was selected for the Commonwealth Games after a run of good international performances since her international debut in 2011. Prinsloo represented South Africa at the All-Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique in 2011, where she won gold in the 4x100m women’s freestyle relay and silver in the women’s 100m backstroke. Her next big event was the London Olympics in 2012 where her best performance was a semi-final finish in the 200m backstroke. The Tuks swimmer had her best performance on an international level at the Aquatic Super Series in Perth, Australia earlier this year and most recently in the Mare Nostrum Series in Barcelona and Monaco. In those events she won a total of five medals. She struck gold in the 200m freestyle, silver in the 400m freestyle and bronze in both the 200m freestyle and the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay. Coming into the 20th edition of the Commonwealth Games, Prinsloo qualified for the women’s 100m, 200m, and 400m freestyle, and the 200m backstroke. In the 200m freestyle Prinsloo finished sixth overall in the semis to qualify for the finals where she went on to finish eighth in a time of 1:58:95. This was an improvement from the London Olympics where she failed to reach the semis after finishing 20th in the heats. Prinsloo also took part in the 100m freestyle but could not replicate her performance in the 200m race as she did not start in the event. The swimmer, coached by Igor Omeltchenko who is also part of the team SA contingent at the Commonwealth Games, participated in her final event, the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay. In the relay, Prinsloo helped South Africa finish second in their semi-final and secure a spot in the final. In the final South Africa did not finish among the podium spots but broke the national record by three seconds. Prinsloo is certainly one of the female athletes to look out for as she now sets her sight on the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Karin Prinsloo. Image: gettyimages.com
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