10 March 2014 Issue 7 Year 76

Perdeby Tuks se amptelike studentekoerant / Official Tuks student newspaper / Kuranta ya baithuti ya semmušo ya Tuks

10March2014

Oscar Pistorius trial update

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year76issue07

Menlyn DriveIn closes down

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Dreams: the scientific view

AmaTuks stun Pirates

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RAMfest P6 & P7 Photos: Hendro van der Merwe and Brad Donald

Economic Freedom Fighters launch Tuks branch MOLEBOGENG MANGOALE The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Tuks branch was launched two weeks ago and has been registered as an official political society at UP. Last week during marketing week, the newly formed political society recruited 108 new members in two days at Hatfield campus. EFF Tuks recruited an overall 230 members.

Ditswhanelo Mokoena, EFF Tuks coordinator, said that the party feels that Tuks students are not properly represented.

Mokoena said that EFF Tuks’s goal is to make sure that the needs and struggles of poor and working class students are recognised. “We must try to fight inequality and injustice at this institution,” said Mokoena.

EFF Tuks held its first general meeting with students on 27 February. Issues that were raised at the meeting included the prevailing National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) crisis, the discontinuation of buses to Sunnyside and Arcadia and the lack of transport to Prinshof campus. EFF Tuks said that it is also concerned with issues such as high residence fees and residence food prices, as well as the quality of food in dining halls.

Nqobile Mhlongo, the convener of EFF Tuks, also mentioned that students have raised their concerns about different exam scopes being given to English and Afrikaans classes in the same modules, which she alleges usually benefits Afrikaans classes.

EFF’s banner. Photo: Hendro van der Merwe

EFF Tuks says that they advocate English as the only teaching language at the university.

EFF Tuks has called for free tertiary education and has expressed its discontent with issues currently surrounding NSFAS which resulted in a number of UP students being unable to register due to outstanding fees. Mokoena said that it was disappointing to see UP students not engaging in a

demonstration like other universities.

“The political societies that are currently in this institution did not do anything about this situation, which means they are indeed failing the working class students,” he said.

EFF Tuks told Perdeby that it is yet to release its manifesto and that it plans to participate in the SRC elections later this year.

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Editorial

10 March ’14

Perdeby

X marks the spot

www.perdeby.co.za perdeby@up.ac.za m.perdeby.co.za @perdebynews Tel: (012) 420 6600

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Carel Willemse

carel.willemse@up.ac.za @Ed_in_Chief

Editor Maxine Twaddle

perdeby@up.ac.za @MissMax6

News Molebogeng Mangoale

news@perdeby.co.za @DisneyMdee

Features Maggie Roodt Entertainment Michal-Maré Linden Sport Michael Reinders

features@perdeby.co.za @Maggiejroodt entertainment@perdeby.co.za @MicsLinden sport@perdeby.co.za @Mike_Bongani

Web Marko Svicevic

webeditor@perdeby.co.za @perdebynews @MarkoSvicevic1

Copy India Gonçalves

copy@perdeby.co.za @IndiaGoncalves

Layout Rebecca Paulsen

layout@perdeby.co.za @UtdRedAngel

Visuals Brad Donald

visuals@perdeby.co.za @Brad3rs

Teams Layout Thabang Letageng Thabang Matebane Copy Dylan Coleman Herman Hoogenboezem Keegan Schmidt

Advertising Sales Tel: 012 420 6600 Cell: 083 318 9738 carel.willemse@up.ac.za

Copyright Perdeby is printed by Paarlmedia. All rights reserved. Contributions are welcome. All due care will be taken with materials submitted, but Perdeby and printers cannot be held responsible for loss or damage. The editor reserves the right to edit, amend or alter in any way deemed nescessary. Perdeby cannot be responsible for unsolicited material. The opinions expressed in Perdeby are not necessarily those of the editors and printers of Perdeby.

Do you have something to say? Send a letter to perdeby.up.ac.za

It’s election season. A few political organisations around campus may have canvassed you last week. Some may have given

Letter to the editor An open letter to TuksRag

How is it possible that Pot `n Pons 2013 started 90 minutes late due to poor planning, while 2 500 students stood sulking in the sun?

How is it possible that you give a float height restriction to the residences, but fail to make sure the trees on the route pass the restriction?

How is it possible that for the previous 30 years Drastoel was held on the Friday of Rag Week, but this year somebody failed to organise the event on time? How is it possible that you inform the residences they should create eight teams, yet the final map accommodates only seven?

How is it possible that residences should pay R100 to compete in Drastoel, if UP funds you to organise events?

On the flip side: how is it possible that there are 10 000 Perdeby editions printed weekly, without incident? How is it possible that Tuks FM broadcasts 24/7, without incident? How

From the Editor you a couple of sweets in hopes to get you to sign up. I’m not going to lie: I feigned interest in some of them for a free fizzer.

Student political parties aren’t the only organisations trying to grab your attention.

Political parties contesting the national elections are running their election campaigns at full force. The run-up to the elections usually results in an information (read: propaganda) overload Unless you move into a cave for the next two months, you’re going to be overloaded with articles, broadcasts, cartoons, and conversations about politicians and their parties. Tempting as it may be to ignore this (Helen Zille’s in a twar again? Yawn), you have the responsibility to use all of these messages so that you can make an informed decision when you go vote on 7 May. This isn’t simply absorbing information as it comes. We need to dissect and analyse politics to get to the real message. You have to practise some cynicism and question everything that you’re presented with. Think critically and carefully.

Speaking at American Education Week in September 1938, Franklin D Roosevelt said, “Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.” Roosevelt was speaking about the importance of basic education, but I think we can expand his message to include the importance of educating ourselves when it

is it possible that Mopanie hosts Oesdag, accommodating 2 000 students, every year without incident? How is it possible that Olympus hosts their Around the World night, accommodating 1 500 students, without incident? The same can be said of Maroela Boksaand, Taaibos July etc.

When the Drastoel organiser was confronted with the team-issue he replied: “I only finalised the route this morning, I am sorry.”

Can you imagine what would happen if every above mentioned event was finalised “on the morning”?

I challenge you to publicly explain the cause of all the above hick-ups created by TuksRag. If you are unable to organise events, maybe the University of Pretoria should lighten your burden and give the responsibility to somebody more competent?

Jacques Burger

Letter to the editor While political parties like Daso conduct national protests against the Uganda anti-gay law, I am particularly disgruntled by the apathy shown by the societies established to deal with the sexual issues of our community. I’m also saddened to read about the personal struggles students go through because of their sexuality.

The question arising is: what are the LGBTrelated societies doing to address the social acceptance of sexual strands in our community?

The only reason why the “steps taken to combat homophobia are lagging in comparison to those taken towards tackling racism” is because society structures concerned with racism are more active than those concerned with sexuality. Where is the collective voice

for those who experience sexual challenges on campus? If there is a voice, where are the initiatives and programmes it is communicated with? What is being done to bring figures like Desmond Tutu to address students on campus?

If truly Student Affairs offices on campus are more in the know about racism than sexual issues, it is because a collective, active and robust voice is used for the former and an individual, inactive and sympathetic one for the latter.

Surely a more leading and proactive role can be played.

Thato Sihlali

comes to voting.

To become an educated voter in the next few weeks, you need to keep yourself updated with what’s going on in South Africa. Think about the implications of current affairs, and be aware of how global issues affect South Africa and the government you envisage for our country.

Basically, read everything there is to read, watch everything there is to watch, and listen to everything there is to hear.

This sounds like a lot of work. It is. Don’t be lazy, though. Our right to vote in a free and fair election didn’t come without cost. Only 20 years ago people were willing to die for the opportunity we are now presented with. Make sure that their struggle wasn’t in vain.

Many people worry that supporters of farleft and far-right politics pose a danger to our relatively young democracy. They don’t. At least these people have political views. We should be far more concerned about people who pay scant attention to politics. Hazen Pingree, who was the mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 1889-1897, warned that, “Voter apathy was, and will remain, the greatest threat to democracy.”

These words are nearly 120 years old, but they’re still true.

Don’t take your constitutional right to vote for granted. Use it carefully.

Max

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News

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10 March ’14

SRC promises greater inclusion of external campuses

campuses how they experience student life on their specific campuses and if they feel left out from the Main campus. Carla Dressler, a fourth- year physiotherapy student said that, “Prinshof is very nice, but I think we do feel excluded from the Main campus to an extent as life is very busy there.”

Gugulethu Masemola, a first-year education student on Groenkloof campus, is not bothered by learning away from the Main campus.

Masemola says that the main campus is crowded.

First-year BSc Physics student Maaz Harriskhan, also does not feel excluded. He

said that Mamelodi campus is “more intimate and hands on with lecturers and tutors. The environment is more relaxed and calm”.

Shona Goss-Ross a third-year human movement science and psychology student from Sport campus said that, “Life on LC is chilled, not so busy like main campus. You don’t need to fight through crowds of people and you never have to wait in lines to grab some food.” Goss-Ross feels a little excluded as Sport campus never has the activities or giveaways that Main campus does.

Agang Moagi, a second-year veterinary sciences student, told Perdeby that Onderstepoort campus (OP), situated approximately 20km from Hatfield, “is a very small community of hardworking students, very competitive and we have cliques”. She said that OP participates in sport and old traditions such as Serrie and Serenade, as well as read Perdeby. “Those are the main links to the main campus,” Moagi said. OP has its own newspaper, The Republic, which focuses on OP news.

Moagi said that she does not feel excluded, except for the fact that OP is away from malls and student life. “We are isolated, in the middle of nowhere, there is no campus transport linking us to the main campus, so it does get lonely here,” she says.

De Jager said that the SRC is working on implementing a bus system that could go to all of the external campuses, and are looking into a smaller Combi instead of a bus as an alternative, which would be more cost effective.

the Pistorius house. She was followed by Dr Burger’s husband Charl Johnson, who reiterated her claims of hearing fighting and screaming coming from the Pistorius house before hearing gunshots.

Day three The third day of the trail continued with Johnson on the stand. Advocate Roux questioned the similarities in the statements and testimony of Johnson and his wife and suggested the the sound of a woman screaming might have actually been Pistorius himself.

Advocate Nel then called Kevin Lerena as witness to the discharge of a firearm by Pistorius in Tashas restaurant. Lerena testified that Pistorius asked a friend to take the blame after he accidentally discharged a firearm inside the restaurant. Jason Loupis, owner of the franchise, was also called to testify followed by his wife Maria.

Day four Dr Johan Stipp, a neighbour of Pistorius, gave testimony on day four saying that he heard fighting and gunshots.

Arriving at the scene, Stipp saw Steenkamp lying on the floor with a frantic Pistorius trying to assist her. According to Stipp, Steenkamp had a devastating head wound and was nonresponsive. Pistorius appeared very emotional listening to Stipp’s testimony.

Day five Samantha Taylor, an ex-girlfriend of Pistorius, testified on Pistorius discharging a firearm through the sunroof of a car after being annoyed with police pulling them over for speeding.

Taylor stated that their relationship ended when Pistorius started an affair with Steenkamp.

She also referred to Pistorius’s fits of anger that were often directed at her and maintained that, when screaming, Pistorius did not sound like a woman, as advocate Roux had argued earlier.

Peter Baba, a security guard at the Silver Woods Country Estate, was the final person to take the stand on Friday. Pistorius told Baba over the phone that everything was fine.

Baba testified that he was shocked when he saw Pistorius carrying Steenkamp down the stairs.

The trial resumed on Monday.

Oscar Pistorius trial role players: week one Judge Thokozile Masipa, the judge appointed to oversee the Pistorius trial.

Advocate Gerrie Nel, the state prosecutor.

Advocate Barry Roux, the defence attorney.

Dr Michelle Burger, a lecturer at UP. Witness living in Silver Stream Estate neighbouring the Silver Woods Country Estate. Lives 177m from Pistorius house.

Estelle van der Merwe, a neighbour who lives three houses from Pistorius in Silver Woods Country Estate.

Charl Johnson, husband of Dr Michelle Burger.

Kevin Lerena, a professional boxer and friend of Pistorius.

Jason Loupis, owner of Tashas restaurant in Melrose Arch.

Maria Loupis, wife of Jason Loupis.

Dr Jason Stipp, a radiologist and neigbour of Pistorius. The first doctor on the scene.

Samantha Taylor, Pistorius’s ex-girlfriend.

Peter Baba, a security guard at Silver Woods Country Estate.

FUMI SOKO

The SRC aims to increase the interaction of students between Main and external campuses.

SRC representative for day students and external campus affairs, Marna de Jager, said that this comes after the SRC noticed that the other campuses are largely excluded from Main campus life and activities.

De Jager told Perdeby that the exclusion of external campuses has been noted and she aims to improve the situation. De Jager’s portfolio includes making provisions to address students’ concerns from the Mamelodi, Groenkloof, Prinshof, Onderstepoort and the Sport campuses, and also to include them in the activities of student life and governance. She said that SRC portfolio for external campus affairs is a fairly new portfolio which reflects that the university is working on a greater involvement of external campuses.

The key goals for the portfolio for 2014 are to work in cooperation with day houses and faculty houses in order to ensure that day students are included in student life. It is also aimed to increase the participation of external campuses in major events and projects which usually occur on the Hatfield campus. According to De Jager, this will be done through active events, such as flash mobs and Tukkie Pride Thursdays, a day on which students are encouraged to wear an item with the university logo. In addition the SRC intends to introduce campus tours as well as to invite guests to speak at different campuses.

Only one external SRC representative,

Sport campus is one of Tuks’s external campuses. Image: mg.co.za

Gabriel Nel, runs his office at Prinshof. All other SRC members are based on the Main campus.

Since its establishment in 1908, the university has grown to over 55 000 students.

As a result, external campuses were built to accommodate this expansion and focus on specific disciplines for example, Prinshof campus (medical department), Groenkloof campus (education), Onderstepoort campus (veterinary sciences), Mamelodi campus (extended BSc programmes) and LC de Villiers (sport).

Perdeby asked students from the various

Oscar Pistorius trial update

Oscar Pistorius in court. Image: abcnews.com

CAREL WILLEMSE The Oscar Pistorius murder trial commenced last week Monday in the North Gauteng High Court more than a year after the Olympic athlete shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Court proceedings got off to a slow start after a struggle to find an Afrikaans-English interpreter.

Pistorius pleaded not guilty to murder, two charges of contravening the Firearms Control Act, and the possession of ammunition without a licence.

Day one Day one saw Dr Michelle Burger, a UP lecturer living in a neighbouring estate to Pistorius, as the first witness for the prosecution led by advocate Gerrie Nel. Dr Burger testified to hearing fighting and the screams of a woman and a man along with four gun shots on the morning of 14 February 2013. Advocate Barry Roux, Pistorius’s defence attorney, led a

gruelling cross-examination questioning Dr Burger’s recollection of events. Advocate Roux maintained that the shots that were heard might have been from a cricket bat breaking down the bathroom door. Dr Burger maintained that she was certain of what she heard that night.

Day two Advocate Roux continued his cross-examination of Dr Burger until court proceedings were interrupted after eNCA broadcast a still image of Dr Burger while she was testifying.

Judge Thokozile Masipa warned the media that no images of witnesses were allowed to be broadcast or published in accordance with the judgement by Judge President Dunstan Mlambo.

Judge Mlambo gave permission for court proceedings to be televised after an application from eNCA, Multichoice and Eyewitness News with the provision that no witness’s face would be shown unless they agreed to it.

Estelle van der Merwe, a neighbour, only briefly took the stand as the state’s second witness. Van der Merwe testified to hearing what sounded like an argument coming from

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10 March ’14

UNASA Pretoria chapter celebrates Green Week

Environmental justice in our lifetime FAIRCHANCE NCUBE GREEN WEEK WINNING ARTICLE

UNASA members planted a tree in celebration of Green Week. Photo: Brad Donald

HUMPHREY MOKOENA In commemoration of Green Week the United Nations Association of South Africa –Pretoria Chapter, in collaboration with the University of Pretoria planned couple of events that took place for five days aimed at creating environmental awareness and environmental issues such as global warming amongst others.

On Friday the 28th of February UNA-SA (PTA) in collaboration with the university held a tree planting ceremony. Three trees were planted on the southern side of the Hatfield Administration building. In attendance were UNA-SA (PTA) members and the university’s Department of Facilities Management. The first tree was planted by the Director of Facilities Management Prof Susan Adendorff followed

by Sonja Yonehara Green Week Committee

Member and the last was planted by UNA-SA (PTA) Green Project Manager Stenette van den Berg.

In a statement the university said that Green Week aims to actively draw support and participation from UNA-SA Pretoria chapter and the university closer to issues of Green International Politics, environmental awareness as outlined by the Millennium Development Goals namely Goal 7&8 which seeks to ensure environmental sustainability and to develop a global partnership for development’ After the tree planting ceremony, UNASA headed to Sunnyside Primary School, where learners from grades one to three were given a fun talk on global warming. Learners were given the chance to engage with UNASA members.

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News

If anyone youthful wants to guarantee the beauty of sunshine and the glory of the rainbows of a summer rain for his grandchildren, let him guarantee glorious sunshine, freedom from pollution and summer rains for the forests of his generation.

The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) need be cognizant that to expect international environmental justice in our life time without an International Court of Environmental Justice is in fact a pie in the sky. There can be no guarantee of intergenerational equity on the ownership of natural resources without a legally binding environmental policy among nations, backed by an authoritative enforcement regime to adjudicate the protection of forests.

The reasons to make the United Nations environmental policies legally binding and to create an International Court of Environmental Justice are infinite. According to the World Bank, “in developing countries alone the net loss of forests area for 2000-2007 was 80,000 square kilometres per year”. Without strong supranational environmental court systems and effectively enforced policies, climate change and desertification will deny future generations both eco-services and the forest as we know it. The World Bank also estimates that “by 2100, the mean annual

temperature is projected to increase by 1 to 5°C, with the poorest countries expected to bear the marginal surplus of the burden.

Furthermore, the United Nations Water estimates that by 2025 180 million people in the world will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity”. This is no doubt a humanitarian threat for future generations which stems from our combined levels of current water consumption and pollution against the backdrop of international resource anarchy and the absence of legally binding policy and an international environmental court.

It is in the absence of an international court of environmental justice, intensification of the effects of climate change and dwindling levels of public awareness that the United Nations Association-Pretoria Chapter (UNAS-PTA), took up roles of volunteers, environmental activists and environmental educators during their Green Week so as to serve the only planet in the universe that can sustain life. Such movements are not only reflective of active citizenship but they are also crucial steps towards securing international environmental justice.

However organizations such as UNASAPTA can only do so little in the world. The whole world owes it to future generations to make UN environmental policies legally binding, create an International Court of Environmental justice, and to eliminate the condition of absolute poverty and destitution which is an enemy to the spirit of greenness that sustains our natural environments so that we ensure that the commons will benefit even the unborn.

Fun & Games

Sudoku

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10 March ’14

Pssst...

Pssst… hears that things at Olienhout aren’t too great lately.

Apparently the Olienhout seniors are unhappy about their firstyears stealing their parking spots.

And here Pssst… was thinking Olienhout were upset about some girls that raided their res. Pssst… suggests the first-years watch their back, the Olienhout seniors are clearly on a war path.

Maroela, however (a res that Pssst… normally associates with war), hasn’t been involved in any fights as of late. Pssst… reckons that foam parties and the Erika girls are taking up too much of Maroela’s time. Perhaps Maroela should watch out for Mopanie instead of tending to

Erika’s “needs” because Pssst… reckons Mopanie are still plotting revenge against Maroela over the destroyed mielie patch.

While Maroela and Erika entertained themselves with foam, Pssst… hears that their neighbours Katjiepiering had their own fun with a blow-up pool. However, Pssst… thinks that Katjiepiering spent more time trying to get the pool into their res than they did in the actual pool.

Kiaat never ceases to amaze Pssst….

Luckily Kiaat didn’t strip naked this past week, but Pssst… reckons that the boys need some practice for the next time they decide to serenade Nerina. It seems Kiaat’s socials are always used as a way for Kiaat to show off their lack of talent. Nevertheless, Pssst… finds their shortcomings extremely entertaining.

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6

10 Marc

RAMfest: mud, m

Man as Machine LIZL LOMBAARD You guys have a great energy on stage and a nice connection with the audience. Rob, you are very much in your face. It is quite amazing to watch.

Rob: I do that on purpose though. I try to perform the way I would like other people to perform.

When I watch a band, I want to see the musicians connect with me so I try to do that too.

Xavier: People assume that that’s your personalitythat you are like that off stage as well.

And it’s not like that.

People are afraid to approach you because you’re so up in their face.

Rob: Because during the show you’re aggressive, like come on make some noise. But off stage I’m just quiet, drinking a coke.

KJ: We like to make it a show. It has to be fun for us as well.

Obviously, we like doing it because we enjoy it. But we don’t want the people Photo: Hendro van der Merwe to be standing there bored.

Xavier: We’ve also made it better over the years.

You try out new ideas. Some of them work and some of them don’t. But we’ve been going for enough time now that we’ve actually worked through a bunch of them already.

Can you tell our readers a bit more about your new single “Force”?

JD: It’s about Star Wars [laughs]. We’re all big fans. Maybe not Xavier so much. He doesn’t talk

about it.

Xavier: It’s like religion, you keep that s**t to yourself.

Rob: Yeah, it is about Star Wars. But not just about random words from the Star Wars universe, it’s a story about somebody who is struggling to get through a problem and they need to just push. So it doesn’t just apply to Star Wars, it applies to life as well.

You have got to use the force, the force inside your mind. You have an immense amount of power and you can control it if you try. That’s what the song is about.

KJ: And it’s the drummer’s song. I wrote this one [laughs].

Is there a video coming out for the song?

KJ: Yes, there is.

We’re actually finalising things next week and we should be shooting in the next two weeks.

So hopefully within the next month we should have it ready.

Is there another new single coming out later too?

KJ: Well, we actually wrote two at the same time.

We wrote “Force” and then we wrote another one, which we played today, called “Light” and both songs we decided to theme. So this one, “Force”, is about Star Wars obviously and “Light” is about zombies. It’s zombies, it’s the survival, it’s what

happens to you when you become a zombie.

Rob: Because nobody ever looks at that, you know like what happens if your zombie fantasy ends and you are actually becoming a zombie. Cause everybody is like “I am gonna survive and I am gonna shoot people and live” but you might be the first guy.

What supernatural entity is next?

KJ: I don’t know. I am thinking about some other ideas.

Norden: We could also do one about Lego. That could be rad.

You played at the Hard Rock Café in Johannesburg recently. From a performance perspective, how did you find the venue?

KJ: It’s a great stage. Really, really good gear. I think it’s still a new venue. I heard that a band that was meant to play after us, on another night, like the ceiling collapsed or something and they actually had to cancel it. So I think in terms of louder bands maybe they could work on that. But I mean as a venue as a whole it’s a really cool vibe and what a cool thing to say you’ve played at the Hard Rock. I mean it’s an international franchise that’s renowned with these huge artists and stuff.

Rob: I think because the Hard Rock Café is still new in South Africa and with them bringing a stage in and you’ve got new managers. It’s not international people running it. It’s local guys that have been trained to run it. I think there will be teething problems.

Xavier: But it’s always good crowds. Like, it’s packed. People love the novelty of it and that’s what we love. We love people.

You manage yourselfj. What are the pros and cons of doing that?

KJ: Time is a big one [con], because obviously in this industry it’s hard to get to the point where you’re a band full-time, so obviously we all work.

We all have day jobs so finding time to keep up with all these different forms of multimedia like all your Facebook and YouTube and Twitter.

Norden: And then bookings and then PR as well.

KJ: So as far as cons go, time management is the hardest thing. Pros, we get to do what we like. We don’t have people saying this, this, this.

Rob: Again, which could be a downfall, cause then we can say you know, we’ll do it tomorrow.

KJ: Ultimately it’s a decision we made and we like it this way.

Xavier: If you are in the trade you’ve got to learn

the tricks of the trade and the only way to do it is to do it yourself, and we are. We are experiencing and learning new things every day and that’s how we’re gonna grow so one day if we do have a manager who’s a big shot, he won’t be able to screw us.

Rob: Know your enemy. [laughs] Where do you see yourselves going?

KJ: I think ultimately we want to do more of the festival scene. Obviously we like playing clubs but the big stage is where we love to be, and obviously being able to do the international circuit. Like we’d love to do Australia, which is a big goal for us, and Japan.

Rob: I think definitely Australia we are gonna push within the next two years.

KJ: And then obviously your British and European festivals. So yes, trying to get on to that. It’s gonna be a lot of work and if it ever comes right then that will be awesome.

Are you planning to release a new album?

KJ: We are. We’ve penciled in studio time for July.

I haven’t told the other guys this yet. So you are first to know and so are they. So July, hopefully we can lay down all the tracks in two, three weeks and then have it out by sort of October, November.

Rob: Again this is when managing yourself is a hard thing, because we’ve been procrastinating.

Our last album came out in 2011 and with gigging and because we only get to practise once a week with everything, it’s like okay we’ve got a show now next week so we’ve got to rehearse the set and then you run out of time to write. So now we’ve sort of set ourselves a deadline that we have to have an album out by the end of this year so you know we can give something back to everybody.

It’s been the same album now for three years. It’s time for something new.

Are you keeping the same sound?

Rob: Well. Obviously we’ve grown musically. I mean that’s just how it happens when you play together with the same dudes.

KJ: I do think this next album will be very different to the first though, in terms of sound. It will still be Man as Machine, but I think you’ll notice the growth.

Rob: Yeah it will be a more mature album. I think because the band has grown older, like we’ve grown more used to each other’s writing style and vibes. When we put a song together we are starting to figure out how to do it, how to get us out of the song.

really works so we’re working on writing awesome tunes and just getting our own vibe at the moment. We’ll be working hard the next few years.

Your website is very userfriendly. How important is it to you to have a strong online presence as a band in the current times?

That is very important. A lot of people actually argue that the way things are, your own website is not necessary because Facebook and Twitter is so huge but Facebook is getting so saturated with bands and spamming and free advertisements that people get so gatvol of it actually. So that’s why we aim to be very professional on the website and SoundCloud.

The footage for your video for your single

“Passionate battle” was lost for four years and then found again. What’s the story behind the video?

I have no idea actually. Our frontman was involved with the director, he knew the guy that shot it – they’re also friends of ours. So we sent the footage to be edited and then we checked up, the guy had sort of lost it and hadn’t worked on it for six months and then somehow it was backed up and we found it. So the guy that produced it actually edited it as well over the last year. But that’s what came out.

In a recent interview you said that many people have different ideas about your genre and so do you. What are your opinions about your genre of “alternative rock”?

Well, it’s obviously a very broad genre. We had this conversation with someone the other day as well and we said, “We’re indie rock, we’re not hard rock, we’re not Brit rock, we’re literally alternative rock in the narrowed down sense. Not really the overhanging sense. So I think that’s the state or genre to put ourselves into.

Will we be seeing you in Pretoria anytime soon?

We would love to actually. If we get the album done and we get good PR done and maybe playlisting, then definitely. We’d love to fly up and do a mini-tour weekend.

Black Market Riots MICHAL-MARE LINDEN You won the headlining slot for the Stellenbrau Carnival stage and you travelled all the way up to Gauteng to play RAMfest here. How has the experience been for you?

Pierre: It’s been awesome. Jo’burg is weird. [laughs] The weather is weird and unfortunately we got rained out on Thursday night so we played, I think, three and a half songs and then the sound guy called it. We had to stop completely so that sucked.

You’re in studio now recording you album Epochs. It’s a DIY album.

How’s the recording process going and when can we expect the release?

It’s going well, actually. We’ve tracked most of the sound. It’s been both good and bad because it’s on our Image: bryabopines.files.wordpress.com own time. We are definitely now going You’ve been on the local scene for quite a to put a lot of effort into it. We are planning to while and you’ve remained unsigned. Is that launch hopefully end of May. a conscious choice for you or is being signed You’ve been recording in the Romeo Hotel a goal for the future?

Studios in Cape Town. What has that That’s always the ideal. There’s always a lot experience been like? of admin and stuff with labels. It’s actually It’s very homey. It’s really our bassist’s place sort of a good thing because we’ve been only so we’re in their braai room so we just chill finding our sound now. We‘ve gone through a there and record. It’s lots of fun. lot of members and finally we’ve got a mix that

rch ‘14

moshing and music

7

Taxi Violence LIZL LOMBAARD How was your experience of tonight’s show?

George: I think we had a really good show. I had fun on stage. We had technical issues, but these things happen. You just have to deal with it.

Overall I think we still had a good energy, we got the crowd going. We had fun.

Former bassist Loedi van Reenen joined you tonight on-stage on electric guitar. How was the reunion?

Rian: It was awesome. We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. I hate this expression but it was a full circle that we’ve come really, after ten years.

Louis: We were actually cut short a little with time but tomorrow night [in Cape Town] we’ll complete it.

George: And the stage started a bit late because of the rain.

Rian: But we have had enough great experiences at RAMfest as well so it’s not like this how it is, it’s just tonight was a little bit disappointing from a technical point of view. But usually we have a f*****g blast here.

Tell us a bit more about the 5 FM mashlab track you did with Zakes Bantwini.

Loedi: Inside scoop from an outsider, it sounds amazing. Pre-production was happening at my house.

George: We sent it out today to get mixed.

Rian: So it’ll be out on Monday [10 March]. Jon Savage has a guy, he calls it his secret weapon, it’s a guy who does great sound mixing in the States. So I think we are getting it back on Sunday night [9 March] and I think Monday during the afternoon it’s getting released. I think it’s a very good blend of what the two sides represent. I think there’s a lot of Taxi in there but there is also a lot of sort of Afro kind of feel to it.

Loedi: Something for the Rainbow Nation.

It’s been ten years since you guys started Taxi Violence. Where are you now in your lives and what does the next decade hold for Taxi Violence?

Louis: I think for me personally we are writing the best music we’ve ever written. Only now we’re getting our stripes. We’ve got some big

album?

Louis: We are busy working on recording our new album. We start in April and hopefully release it in September - a happy tenth birthday.

Rian: We are gonna print a vinyl. That is the plan.

What can fans expect from the new album?

Rian: I think it’s a good mix of everything we’ve done over the ten years.

George: Everything from Untie Yourself to The Turn to Soul Shake.

Loedi: The way the band’s evolving from

my involvement in the beginning; one of my favourite songs are not one of the songs we wrote together, my favourite is one of their new songs. That means that these guys have gone from strength to strength to strength. So if you were a fan from the beginning of Taxi Violence, it’s only going to get better for you because the stuff the guys are writing now is the same but better.

How do you keep performance after performance fresh and energetic?

George: It comes naturally. It’s built in to our DNA by now. But we do always try to do something new to keep it fresh for yourself and the audience.

You have had a lot of international exposure.

Have you thought of establishing yourselves overseas permanently?

Louis: We have. But it’s all steps. One of the last steps will probably be establishment but next year we are probably going to start playing more regular international shows.

George: I think what happens is that a lot of bands just pack up their stuff and go and hope for the best. But there is a lot of networking that needs to be done before you can actually go and you need to build some kind of a following through the internet or whatever it is: PR and contacts, and go over and play a few shows.

Check it out, come back, speak to a few labels, booking agents until you got a sort of a following there and then once you see it’s possible then you say “Cool, now we can go”.

Rian: Because the bands that are over there, their skill levels are up here. Even bands that opened for us made us go “Wow” - their skill levels: professional level, gear, everything. Because they are tapped into a bigger market the competition is stiffer. When we went over there for the first time, we had a bit of a realisation that we need to up our game and we came back a better band.

album or EP in our backyard so we can sit until first time they’ve sold the venue out from those two in the morning to concerts. So it was make music. landmark experience It’s actually been for all of us. It was a so much fun. We’ve little bit surreal to see had huge help from all these people arrive companies like Music and to think that you Connection that have just are the band. We had sent us gear. It’s a work a guy propose to his in process at this point. girlfriend at the time I’d say we are like 80% on stage. So that’s through our first song and an awesome little once we have it mixed moment. And the we’ll decide if this is a Durban City Orchestra good or a bad idea. I think is amazing as well. you’ve gotta keep pushing They do it for the love the envelope, you’ve of music. gotta keep trying new In an interview with things. If it doesn’t work Mahala you said, “As it doesn’t work but at least much as we’d like to you tried. win over the public, You played the Old we’d love the respect Mutual Music at the of the industry as Lake in the Durban well.” That seems like Botanical Gardens on quite the balancing 14 February. How was act. Do you find it playing to a sold-out it difficult to keep audience, while being everyone happy and backed by a 50-piece how important is it orchestra? to you?

That was like one of I think we settled Photo: Hendro van der Merwe those little life landmarks. I a while ago that you remember being like 11 or will never ever please 12, I don’t know if it is a normal dream to have, everyone. I just chatted to a guy now about Biffy but I remember I always wanted to play with an Clyro and he was like “Ja no, I’m not really into orchestra to my music so that whole experience Biffy”, and they are huge. So even the best bands was a life-long dream come true. And it was the in the world aren’t going to please everyone so I

think we’ve settled that already.

There is such a fine line in being musically exotic and being user-friendly. I think, and maybe I am giving away a trade secret, that those parts of songs like choruses that people can connect with, keep those parts simple. I think that’s doable where you can find this medium of a bit more technical musicality and public acceptance. It’s such a fine line I don’t think that we’ve nailed it. We are still trying to work it out.

You don’t think that’s compromising?

No I don’t think it’s compromising, I think if you want to make it in the current industry you’ve got to do it. At the end of the day you are playing for people. You are making music because you love it but you are doing it for people. I think if you are too self-indulgent you’re doing it for the sake of a crowd. I don’t think it is selling out. In the South African industry you can’t afford to be this underground band. If you want to do it that’s awesome but then you have to keep your day job and you can only play a few gigs. If you want to make this your job you have got to play bigger venues and more venues. So there is a tension there. But I do think you can make music that is publically excepted and really good.

Taking into account your achievements as a band, do you think you have a set sound for Gangs of Ballet now or do you think that the Gangs of Ballet sound will still change a lot while you grow as musicians?

I think we are kind of in the process of reinventing ourselves now. I personally like the idea of progression. I think it is possible to progress without losing your essence or the DNA of who you are as a band. I think it’s good for bands to progress and develop.

Photo: Brad Donald

plans for next year. I think we are going to focus more on some international festivals than on local festivals. But we really want to make this year very special because it is very special.

Where are you in terms of planning your new

Gangs of Ballet LIZL LOMBAARD Are you excited to play RAMfest?

Brad: Yeah. It’s our first one. It’s traditionally a hardcore festival and they let us not as hard core guys come which is quite nice of them.

In many interviews you attribute a positive message to your music and you do a lot of charity work. Is there a link?

There’s a lot of crap stuff happening in the world.

And we don’t want to be a part of that mess. At some point we would love to part of a solution and I don’t think we would be the solution but there are a lot of people who are doing really good things and if we can blow wind into their sails, that makes a huge difference. I think we are all really positive guys and I think what our main thing is is that we really treasure people. I think people are the most valuable commodity we have here on earth. So I think what we’re about and what they’re about is the same.

Your debut album came out last year September. A few months on, how has the fans’ reaction to it been?

It’s been really good. We worked so hard at it so it’s always nice to get some positive feedback at the end of it. We’ve had one or two average reviews, but I think everybody gets those. But by and large it’s been very positive. When it came out it went to number one on iTunes within 12 hours so that was a very good sign. And we’ve had very good social media back of it.

Are you back in studio already?

We are actually doing something a little bit different. We are building a studio. So it’s in the beginning phases. We are actually in the test phase at the moment. We want to track the next kind of

8

Entertainment

10 March ’14

Closing credits roll to mark the end of an era

The Menlyn Drive-in, the last remaining in South Africa, closed at the end of February. Photo: Brad Donald

LIZL LOMBAARD On 28 February the last drive-in theatre in South Africa had its final screening, marking the end of an era for this type of entertainment for us. On the last night of February, Menlyn Park Shopping Centre’s rooftop was filled with parked cars and people who made their way up the driving ramps by foot.

Nostalgia settles in your heart as you watch families, students and of course young couples settle in to gather some final drivein memories.

The memories started way back when at “big momma’s house” The creative genius behind the drive-in theatre was American Richard Milton Hollingshead, Jr. from Camden, New Jersey.

The idea for the drive-in was born out of a desire to combine his love of cars and movies or, as one story goes, to come up with a solution for his apparently large mother who was uncomfortable in a regular movie theatre. Whatever the reason, he nailed a white sheet between two trees in his backyard and mounted a Kodak movie projector on the roof of his car. Later he worked out a perfect parking plan to ensure maximum visibility of the screen. On 16 May 1933 he was granted a patent and on 6 June 1933 he opened the world’s first drive-in.

ins that had a wall in the middle of the parking lot with separate entrances. After 1994 the walls were broken down and all South Africans could experience the drive-in on equal terms.

Unfortunately no South African will be able to enjoy the drive-in experience now. In recent years, drive-in numbers the world over have declined drastically. In South Africa the last old-school drive-in, still on a field, was the iconic Velskoen Drive-in. It was erected on top of an old mine dump. In 2012 it closed after it had been a Randburg landmark for more than 60 years.

The clincher for drive-ins, Birkenstock claims, is city and property development. “The ground became too valuable. Why struggle with a [drive-in] business if you can sell the property and make a bigger profit by investing the money?” he told Van der Merwe. As drive-ins became security complexes or massive shopping centres, the old Menlyn Drive-in was replaced by the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre. It made a comeback only when they built the rooftop drive-in in 2000. However, 14 years later, ít has also lost the battle.

in’s closing show. Strydom agrees, saying that, “The drive-in brings a little bit of the olden days back to this time. And everyone wants to experience a little bit of the old days.”

It is that exact tension between the nostalgia for the past and the technology of the future that forces management of businesses like the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre to make some tough decisions.

“All the theatres in the country have changed to digital, so they don’t make movies on reels any more, which makes it difficult for us to get available reels because they are pretty much discontinued,” said Wesley Scott, campaign manager for Menlyn Park Shopping Centre.

So why not switch to digital then? “For digital to project on that [drive-in] screen, you would need an enormous projector with a very strong projection bulb,” Scott said. If Menlyn were to get a digital projector, it would still need to be a lot closer to the screen to project a large enough image onto the enormous screen. “It’s a logistical nightmare,” he added.

Although Scott couldn’t give an exact number when asked about the price such an endeavour might cost Menlyn, he did say it would be very, very expensive. However, isn’t it worth the loyalty of die-hard Menlyn Drive-in patrons? “Obviously we take our consumers very seriously and what their needs and wants are so it would be beneficial for us to do that [switch over to digital], but as the structure [drive-in parking lot] stands at the moment, it’s just not possible,” he explained.

“It’s taken us the better part of six months to make the final decision, and it’s been a very long and emotional process for everyone involved,” Scott said. He added that Menlyn has been approached by a number of tenants who want to move into the drive-in’s space, so together with the Property and Risk, Centre Management and Marketing, they decided that it would be better to go that route.

What exactly is in-store for this space? “We can’t say at this stage [what is being planned] as final documents haven’t been confirmed and signed, but there are quite a few options on the cards at this stage,” said Scott. He assured that it will be a first for Pretoria in entertainment and recreation. The public can expect to be informed of their choice by the middle of the year.

“It should be up and running way before the end of the year,” Scott added.

Photo: Brad Donald

Photo: Brad Donald

Photo: Brad Donald

Drive-ins in South Africa During the Golden Age of the drive-in in South Africa, there used to be at least one drive-in in every major town and city.

In 1969, Frik Birkenstock started working as a cashier at the Vyfster Drive-in in Honeydew. He aimed to work his way up. Birkenstock describes how full the drive-in used to get on weekend nights in the 70s and 80s and how the first threat to South African drive-ins was the 1976 arrival of the first televisions in South Africa. The popular American soap opera Dallas came as a blow to the drive-in, Birkenstock told Volksblad newspaper in 2012. The screening of new movies usually took place on Monday evenings and attendance peaked on Saturday evenings. With Dallas being broadcast every Tuesday night, the new releases were rescheduled for Fridays and Tuesdays became “half-price Tuesdays”. Menlyn Drivein affectionately named these “Squeeze-in Tuesdays” and they were a hit among students who would cram into cars like sardines. “I was always on a mission to see how many people I can fit into the car,” says Carla Taute, an attendee of Menlyn’s final drive-in screening.

In the new South Africa, everyone could enjoy “Squeeze-in Tuesdays” or half-price specials. However, it wasn’t always that way. In the apartheid era, black people weren’t allowed to mix with other races at the drive-in. Birkenstock tells of some drive-

The end credits: Menlyn, what happened?

Rationally, modernisation is probably to blame for the death of the drive-in. Here in Pretoria, however, many blame Menlyn Park Shopping Centre. “Menlyn has lost all its entertainment.

It’s only movies left. But they should have the drive-in because it’s a nice thing to do for family,” says mother Lynn Rodgers.

“They stopped advertising the drive-in,” says her son, Chris Rodgers, who grew up with the drive-in and got his first job at the pizza parlour at the back of the rooftop parking. “It’s a definite loss for Pretoria,” agrees second-year Bcom Law student Brad Strydom. “I think they [Menlyn Park Shopping Centre] need to market it better so that more people know of the drive-in. People want this kind of entertainment,” he says.

Most patrons are still recovering from the shock after hearing the last drive-in in South Africa is being shut down. “It’s an awful feeling, it’s a very sad day for us today,” says Marinda du Preez, who spent the evening braaing with her family at the back of the rooftop parking. The drive-in on the rooftop has been a part of their family since its establishment. “We came very often. We never sat in a car. We always sat here at the back to braai and spend time together as a family,” she added.

Even in today’s technologically driven era, patrons can’t fathom why it is necessary for the drive-in to close up shop for good. “The drive-in was always busy when we came, I don’t understand why it isn’t viable any more. People hold on to traditions. Today there are CDs but people still buy old vinyl records,” said Diederick van Eeden, a father present at the drive-

Saying goodbye As patrons who have been coming to the drive-in for years said their last goodbyes on 28 February, they were joined by others who were experiencing it for the first and last time. “This is my first and obviously my last time coming and I regret not coming to the drive-in before. It is really cool and I love the open air,” said Jeandre van Zyl, a final-year LLB Law student at Tuks.

When Pretoria residents Raymond and Elna Gordan heard that the drive-in was closing, they decided to take their kids to experience it at least once. “It’s very sad [that it’s closing] so we thought to ourselves, we have to bring them quickly so that they can just get that feeling,” Raymond said. “We grew up with the drive-in. It would’ve have been nice if they could’ve kept just one open. Look around you. Everybody is enjoying it,” he added.

“It is exactly that TV and movie that you can freely download that was a blow to the drive-in. Maybe if they held events.

Like roller skating or dancing here and marketed it better they could’ve kept it open,” he said.

Families like the Gordans aren’t the only ones saying goodbye to the drive-in. Employees of the two cafes on the property are also saying goodbye to the drive-in and will be left without jobs.

One of the employees at The Rooftop Cafe, who wished to stay anonymous, told Perdeby that he wants to work because his girlfriend is pregnant and doesn’t have a job. “Our boss told us after the drive-in is closed we might be moved to another shop, but we don’t know when,” he said.

The closing of South Africa’s last drive in represents a loss not only in our personal lives but our cultural experience. Gone will be the days of stories about the nights spent in cars with crackling speakers and grainy pictures. While a rebirth may not be possible anytime soon, we still have the memories.

Features

9

10 March ’14

Dreams: the scientific view What can your dreams tell you about your everyday life?

THULANI MASHIANE Greek mythology has it that sleep is governed

by Morpheus, the god of dreams. In his arms people would enjoy their sleep while dreaming about events to come. In Egyptian mythology, dreams are seen as a journey to the underworld.

Even though the link between reality and dreams may seem like a vague supernatural mystery, modern day researchers aim to explain the bizarre world of dreams in the fields of neuroscience and psychology.

Dreams are thought to be the brain’s way of digesting recent or conscious daily events. Rubin Naiman, specialist in integrative sleep and dream medicine and clinical psychologist, reaffirmed this and told Huffington Post that, “At night, the brain metaphorically swallows, digests and sifts through information, and, just like the gut, eliminates.”

In an About.com article called “Stages of sleep: the four stages of sleep”, psychologist Kendra Cherry breaks down sleep into four distinct stages. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the last stage, is when most dreaming occurs. Cherry highlights that this is due to the increase in brain activity and that the muscles soothe to paralysis.

Although most people believe that dreams only come with sleep, psychiatry professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Boston, Ernest Hartmann explains in an article called “Why do we dream?” on ScientificAmerican.com that there is no complete understanding on the purpose of sleep and that our knowledge of REM sleep is limited.

While dreams may appear random, they are guided by the emotions of the dreamer, says Hartmann. The imagery in dreams is based on the emotional intensity of the person during the time of the dream. Because of this, patients who are experiencing stress or trauma are likely to dream of tragic events with emotional resemblance and vivid images.

When a person experiences lack of emotional clarity and is going through mixed sentiments, their dreams become more complex.

Your dreams can be analysed in order to reveal how they are affected by your everyday life. Many times a person will dream about a subject that has, either consciously or subconsciously, been on their mind a lot.

In an article on PsychCentral.com, “How to analyze your dreams (and why it’s important)”, psychotherapist Jeffrey Sumber says that dreams link the conscious mind to the subconscious mind. He believes that dreams are essential to our development, which is why a person should analyse their dreams. According to Sumber, this can be done through dream dictionaries and other aids.

Dreams can range from complex to disturbing. A recent study conducted at the University of Montreal and led by psychology researchers Geneviève Robert and Antonio Zadra found that there is difference between nightmares and bad dreams. Robert and Zadra define nightmares as dreams that wake you up in the middle of an event of horror or calamity and bad dreams are those you sleep through and remember in the morning. They say that, despite this difference, nightmares and bad dreams are expressions of same basic phenomenon that varies in emotional intensity.

Photo: Hendro van der Merwe and Brad Donald

The difference between self-expression and fashion JOANÉ OLIVIER Oscar Wilde once said, “You can never be overdressed or overeducated”. An interest in fashion and self-expression is common among students. While some students settle for t-shirts and shorts or jeans, others spend a few extra minutes getting ready in the morning to ensure that they make a statement when they enter the classroom.

Clothes and accessories have a way of telling a story to those who don’t know you. Because of this, people often fear being judged for what they wear. Although Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada is not going to examine your outfit every morning and purse her lips (a gesture that translates into “catastrophe”) there is no way of escaping the judgement of others.

The question is: what message do you want to send to the world?

Fashion is like a language. Each item of clothing or accessory can be translated into some kind of label: sleeveless shirts are directly translated to “jock”, leather doc martens and ripped jeans scream “rebel” and skinny jeans paired with cardigans are synonyms for “hipster”.

People interpret fashion in different ways.

For Coco Chanel, fashion was simplicity and elegance, but for Lady Gaga, fashion is a tool to shock, surprise and amaze. Different interpretations and ways of expressing fashion are some of the things that make the industry one of the biggest and most interesting in the world.

It is important not to confuse fashion with style. Fashion is directly linked to trends.

Photo: Eddie Mafa

Following a trend, such as crop-tops paired with high-waisted skirts or buttoned up denim shirts with brown leather satchels, is wearing what is currently in fashion. Style, however, lasts longer than one or two seasons. Style can be described as a distinctive appearance, but also as elegance

and sophistication.

A trend, on the other hand, is like a virus.

It starts as a form of self-expression and someone’s attempt at being different. Students and teenagers are usually the prime target for the virus, seeing as students often strive

to be different from the outside world and to be separated from what can be referred to as “cookie-cutter moulds”. When enough people start dressing a certain way in order to be different, the exact opposite happens and a new trend has formed.

Different trends can be seen on campus. The denim dungaree has recently made a comeback, print pants have given birth to rainbow tye-die, and after some time in the shadows, grunge has reappeared.

The trick is to take whatever you like and feel shows who you are and try to make it your own.

Wear what you want, even though it might not be fashionably acceptable and will probably give Fashion Police star Joan Rivers a heart attack. When you wear what you want regardless of what others may think, it shows a lot of courage and you need to be confident if you want to pull it off.

Lolla du Toit, a second-year BA student, who refuses to blend in, started making her own clothes in order express herself and to have unique pieces of clothing that nobody else has.

The majority of students, however, aren’t that talented with a sewing machine. There are ways of making a trend your own. One way is to combine trendy pieces with something you love like quirky broaches, red lipstick or a vintage hat. Another way of adding your own touch is to alter the item you bought.

Fashion shouldn’t be feared or forced onto anyone. Fashion is a choice and should be an expression of oneself. When it comes to trends, there will always be fashion critics who don’t agree with your outfit of choice. Fashion should not be about pleasing others.

10

10 March ’14

Features

Can you find beauty in a coffee jar?

This everyday drink may boost your beauty treatments in ways you would never have guessed

ORENEILE TSHETLO Coffee is a guilty pleasure for many people.

For some, it’s the first thing on their mind when they wake up. Along with its ability to perk you up, coffee can also add to your grooming regime, An article on by Sophie Brame on NaturallyCurly.com called “5 Ways to Use Coffee for Beauty”, points to the fact that coffee grounds can serve as a natural scrub when directly applied to the face. Although it is great on its own, olive oil and sugar may be added to the coffee grounds to create a stronger, more moisturising exfoliator. Due to its coarse texture, coffee polishes off dead skin, leaving it glowing radiantly. Not only is this a cheap alternative to body scrub, but according to 3FatChicks.com, “Coffee body [scrub] can be invigorating, helping you wake up on those difficult mornings.”

Scrubbing away dead skin is not the only service that a caffeine-rich solution can render to your skin. According to TheBeautyInsiders. com, although drinking coffee is not advisable for people who have cellulite, applying coffee grounds is thought to do wonders for your skin.

However, Dr Whitney Bowe, a New York dermatologist who specialises in skin rejuvenation, acne therapy and laser technology, says, “When applied directly to the skin, caffeine can quickly constrict blood vessels ... Although in a test tube caffeine appears to break down fats, I have yet to see an anti-cellulite cream with caffeine really make a visible difference for my patients.”

Dermatologic surgeon at Art of

Dermatology in New York, Dr Jessica Krant, agrees that although application of caffeine to the skin may reduce the appearance of cellulite, it is not a permanent solution. She says, “Caffeine causes dehydration, causing local fat cells to physically shrink … This may make cellulite appear smoother temporarily because the puffy tissue in between the tight fibrous connective tissue strands gets flatter, so everything looks better. But in reality the cells are still there and will eventually expand again.”

Even though the granules of our favourite brewed drink may not get rid of cellulite, they do possess anti-ageing properties. Dr Krant says that this power to help you age gracefully can be attributed to both the caffeine and anti-oxidants contained in coffee. She says that coffee also has a dehydrating effect which helps to combat puffy eyes, giving you a rested and youthful appearance.

Coffee may be particularly useful to men for maintaining a youthful appearance. As the title of an article published in Mail Online suggests, “Coffee could hold the cure for baldness”. Dr Tobias Fischer, a professor at the University of New Mexico, carried out a study in Germany at the University of Jena in which he found that massaging coffee into the scalp can prevent men from going bald by stimulating the growth of follicles in the scalp.

This is not the only positive effect that caffeine has on the hair. According to Kirsten Hudson, blogger of Organic Authority, if you’re looking for soft and shiny hair, coffee grounds and granules can act as a conditioner.

Hudson suggests that the coffee be rubbed into wet hair before rinsing thoroughly. She is

Photo: Charlotte Bastiaanse

adamant that this will “leave your locks glossy and smooth”. According to HowStuffWorks. com, coffee grounds and granules can also be used to darken the colour of your hair.

Coffee drinkers will be happy to learn that caffeine is mostly kind to their figure, especially with regards to appetite suppression

and calorie burning. Katherine Zeratsky, a dietician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester says, “Caffeine may reduce your desire to eat for a brief time.” She also says that, “Caffeine may stimulate thermogenesis – one way your body generates heat and energy from digesting food.”

Students who were punished as children

Are students dealing with spanking years after the sting wears off?

LEANNE CUMMING In the past, corporal punishment was practised by parents as well as teachers. We have all heard our parents’ stories of being lashed on the hand with a ruler if they did not listen in class.

Thankfully, teachers of our generation are not allowed to discipline students and have left the discipline up to the parents.

CNN World says that 31 nations have fully banned corporal punishment. Sweden was the first country to pass a no-hitting law in 1979 and was followed by countries such as Austria, Germany and Spain. According to an article called “Child discipline: whose right is it?” published on South African Christian news portal Gatewaynews.com, Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini says that, “If a husband beats his wife it’s a crime, but a parent hits a child who is helpless, it’s not illegal.”

According to the article, children have a right to be protected from corporal punishment.

According to an article posted on Unicef.org, “In spite of a strong legislative framework, corporal punishment remains widespread in South Africa, in both the schooling setting [where it is illegal] and in homes where it is hidden from public view and protection through civil and customary law.”

There are diverse views regarding punishing children. Some see it as a development tool while others see it as abuse.

Dr George W Holden, a psychologist and parenting expert at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, collected audio data analysis over a series of nights looking at normal home interactions of 35 families. In his research, he noted that some parents spanked their children once, but that one parent spanked their child 11 times in a row. Dr Holden observed that most children reacted to the spanks by crying and whimpering and stated that these lasted a few seconds with the longest reaction lasting 75 seconds.

Photo: Hendro van der Merwe and Brad Donald

Dr Holden says that hundreds of studies have been done on the effects of corporal punishment, and that the only single positive effect is that of immediate compliance.

However, Dr Holden states that there are many negative effects, one of them being aggression.

“Children who are spanked are more likely to be aggressive towards other children and adults as well. Besides aggression, children tend to be, over long term, more difficult, noncompliant and have behavior problems. In more severe cases, they can show mental health problems such as anxiety disorders or depression, so as they grow older they can show antisocial behavior, they are more at risk to be involved in intimate partner violence and they are at risk to become child abusers,” he says.

Students around campus were asked if they were punished as a child and if so, how they felt about being punished and if being punished affected them later on in life. Jason Jardine, a

second-year business management student said, “I used to get hidings when I was a kid and I think it was the right way to do it. You behaved much better as you knew you were going to get smacked and it would hurt if you misbehaved.

I would say that this affected me positively because I learned that if I did something wrong I knew I would be smacked and I associated those things with pain and I didn’t do them anymore.”

Kriszti Bottyan, a second-year BA English Studies student, also said that she was punished as a child. “Either it was a timeout or a spank.

I think that it has positively affected me to a degree, because I believe it teaches you respect not only for your parents but also for others.

It obviously wasn’t nice being punished at the time but I am grateful that my parents cared enough to lead me down the right path.

Punishment may also have a negative effect however, depending on a person’s personality,”

Bottyan said.

Raquel Pires, a second-year BA student said, “When I was younger I was given time-outs and then as I got older I used to get grounded or my phone got confiscated. When I was younger I was also rewarded for being well-mannered or getting good marks. I don’t think that being punished affected me negatively. My one teacher’s son used to steal from the shops so his dad used to put him in jail for the night.”

Heinrich Kamffer, a third-year mechanical engineering student said, “I got a hiding, as I believe it should be as a Christian family, thus I believe it influenced me in a positive way as it made me a better person. My parents just had to tell me to stop and I would listen.”

Lara Kraljevic, a second-year BA student, said, “My mom used to put pepper in my mouth when I swore. Well let me just say my brother swore and I got the pepper. I will never forgive my parents only because I got punished for my brothers actions and I think that I am psychologically scarred because I don’t like eating pepper. However, I think today’s kids are brats and need a good smack from time to time.”

Dr Marilyn Wedge, a family psychologist and author of Suffer the Children: The Case Against Labeling and Medicating an Effective Alternative, writes on PsychologyToday.com that just as nurturing shows a child love, so does discipline. “Calm and consistent discipline is as much an ingredient to happy children as discipline,” she said. She also added that boundaries that create rules and structure, no matter the age difference of a toddler or a teen, help a child feel safe.

There will always be those who believe that corporal punishment should be made illegal in South Africa and those who believe it is a fundamental development tool. It remains a versatile tool and depending on how it is enforced it may affect a person negatively or positively.

Sport

10 March ’14

11

Uefa Champions League Round Roundup GABRIELLA FERREIRA The first leg of the Uefa Champions League round of 16 took place 18-26 February and saw its fair share of interesting results and decisions.

On 18 February Manchester City suffered a 2-0 loss to Barcelona. The match saw a number of questionable decisions, including a penalty awarded to Barcelona and a red card to Manchester City player Martin Demichelis.

Although Barcelona dominated ball possession for most of the game, they were only able to take the lead after Lionel Messi scored a penalty. The second goal came in the last minute of the match after Manchester City had been reduced to ten men. Barcelona now carries a two goal advantage into their home leg.

Fellow English team Arsenal also lost at home. On 19 February current titleholders Bayern Munich defeated Arsenal 2-0 in London. Arsenal were given a chance to take an early lead after being awarded a penalty in the eighth minute but failed to do so after Manuel Neuer managed to make the save.

Arsenal were later reduced to ten men after goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny was given a red card in the 38th minute for a foul on Arjen Robben.

Bayern were awarded a penalty late in the

Negredo and Mascherano battling for the ball. Image: uefa.com

first half which they also failed to capitalise on. In the second half, Toni Kroos put Bayern in the lead after scoring in the 54th minute. This lead was later doubled after Thomas Müller scored in the 88th minute. Bayern also enter

their home leg with a two goal advantage.

On 25 February another English side suffered a 2-0 defeat as Manchester United went down to Olympiacos. Olympiacos took the lead late in the first half after Alejandro

Tuks lose first Varsity Cup game

Tuks lost 0-18 against NWU-Puk in last week’s Varsity Cup match. Tuks faces NMMU on Monday 10 March. Photos:

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Domínguez scored in the 38th minute. They increased their lead early in the second half after Joel Campbell was able to get away from the defenders and score Olympiacos’ second goal. This is the first time Olympiacos has beaten Manchester United. Manchester United go into their home leg 2-0 down.

On 26 February Real Madrid beat Schalke 04 in their first knockout match of the season.

Real Madrid won 6-1 despite their poor record in Germany. Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema all scored two goals each in a match which was dominated by Madrid.

Schalke were able to get a consolation goal after Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored in second half injury time. It is safe to assume that Real Madrid may have booked their spot in the quarter finals with Schalke facing an impossible deficit to overcome in the second leg.

Other results include Atletico Madrid gaining a 1-0 away win over AC Milan, Paris Saint Germain thrashing Bayer Leverkusen 4-0, Chelsea and Galatasaray drawing 1-1 and Zenit Saint Petersburg suffering a 2-4 home defeat to last season’s runner-up Borussia Dortmund.

This season’s quarter finalists will be determined when the Uefa Champions League returns for the remainder of the round of 16 on 11, 12 and 18-19 March.

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Graeme Smith: a career in review

Smith defends his left hand while batting against Australia. He had broken the hand earlier in the test, but chose to bat in at attempt to save South Africa’s innings. Image: smh.com.au

Smith holds the world record for captaining the most test matches. He was the first player to captain 100 tests. He scored a century in his 100th match for South Africa. Image: mg.co.za

Smith with the mace awarded to the number one test team in the world after drawing to England in 2012. Mark Boucher injured his eye in a warm-up and was forced to retire. Image: sport24.co.za

GABRIELLA FERREIRA

would be the best way to end it, because I have called this place home since I was 18.”

Despite showing a poor performance in his final match after going out for only three runs, there is no doubt that Smith is one of the greatest batsmen South Africa has ever had.

With records such as fastest to get to 1 000 runs, most centuries by a captain in test matches, highest number of victories as test captain, and highest scoring test partnership with Neil McKenzie, there is no questioning this.

Smith began his international career in 2002 and quickly made his presence in the South

In 2009, Smith gave one of his most inspiring performances in a test series against Australia when he came out to bat with a broken hand, displaying his dedication to the team. Despite his actions, Australia still won the match by 103 runs.

After South Africa’s poor performance in the 2011 Cricket World Cup, Smith resigned as ODI captain but continued to play for the national team, having played a great role in many of South Africa’s successes.

It is clear that Graeme Smith has contributed greatly to South African cricket and his presence in the squad will be missed.

On 4 March, South African test captain Graeme Smith shocked cricketing fans around the world by announcing his retirement from international cricket. Smith played 344 matches for South Africa across all forms of cricket and scored a total of 37 centuries throughout his career.

Regarding his retirement, Smith told media, “This has been the most difficult decision I have ever had to make in my life. It’s a decision that I have been considering since my ankle surgery in April last year. I have a young family to consider, and I felt that retiring at Newlands

African squad known after scoring 200 runs in his second test match. This was the first of a string of outstanding performances by the batsman, which included two consecutive double centuries in a test series against England.

This performance meant he was appointed the youngest ever captain of South Africa after Shaun Pollock resigned in 2003. Although never being able to lead South Africa to the much sought after Cricket World Cup title, Smith did lead the country to become both the number ranked One Day International (ODI) team in 2009 and the number one ranked test cricket team in 2012.

AmaTuks stun Orlando Pirates BRIAN KIAUTHA AmaTuks produced a resilient performance to beat Orlando Pirates 1-0 at the Mbombela stadium on Saturday. AmaTuks, who were fresh from a 4-2 triumphant performance against Golden Arrows, continued their winning ways, this time through Thabo Mosadi’s late winner.

Orlando Pirates kicked off the match as the favourites to bag the three points and this was made clear in the first 30 minutes of the game. Orlando Pirates dominated the possession and shots on goal with players such as Thabo Matlaba having clear shots on goal but AmaTuks had their goalkeeper Washington Arubi to thank for keeping them in the game.

AmaTuks applied pressure and increased their tenacity towards the end of the first half but their efforts were not enough to break Orlando Pirates’ defence. As the game headed for the break, Orlando Pirates forward Oupa Manyisa had arguably the best chance of the half to put his side in the lead but a deflection off AmaTuks defender Junior Sibande saw the ball go out for a corner kick. The first half ended deadlocked at 0-0.

Play resumed with Orlando Pirates still enjoying the majority of the possession and their solid defence continued to frustrate AmaTuks’ attempts to open the scoring.

Orlando Pirates did much of the attacking in the second half as evidenced through the good build-up of plays which set up Joseph Malongoane and Kermit Erasmus with good shots on goal but the AmaTuks defence did not wilt under the intense pressure. It was evident that AmaTuks had saved the best for last as

International sport news MAXINE TWADDLE Cycling: Hoffman, Stander win Argus Nolan Hoffman won the men’s race of the Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Tour on Sunday.

Hoffman, racing for Team Abantu, finished the 109km race in 2:39:31. Hoffman has finished on the podium of the race three times before, but this is the first time that he has won it.

Cherise Stander won the women’s race with a time of 2:51:00. She told media that she was pleased to regain her best form after a difficult period following the death of her husband, Burry Stander.

Football: Mourinho insists City still favourites Chelsea manager José Mourinho says that Manchester City are still the favourites to win the English Premier League, despite Chelsea opening up a seven-point lead over the weekend.

Speaking after Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspurs, Mourinho said that he would rather be in City’s position. “They have three matches in hand. If they win them all, they are top,” he said.

F1: Hamilton says Red Bull will be hard to beat

Siyabonga Ngubane heads the ball. Photo: kickoff.com

they maximised on one of the rare chances on goal when Mosadi controlled an overhead pass to make a cheeky chip shot over keeper Senzo Meyiwa.

The late goal resulted in increased pressure

by Orlando Pirates who were trying everything they could to get the equaliser but it was not to be as AmaTuks, who came close to increasing the goal tally through Thabo Mnyamane, won

the game. AmaTuks’ second win in as many games saw them move to tenth position on the PSL log with 26 points.

AmaTuks coach Steve Barker was proud of his players for the win in a game in which, he admitted, they did not enjoy most of the possession. He had hoped to tuck one goal away as the game progressed and indeed AmaTuks scored a late winner.

Lewis Hamilton expects that it will be difficult to beat Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull cars, despite Red Bull’s poor performance in pre-season testing.

Hamilton said, “I’m sure they have a pretty quick car. Once they get the engine sorted, or the systems they might be struggling with, they’ll be very hard to beat.”

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