11 February 2019 Issue 2 Year 81

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PDBY

11 February 2019

Year 81 | Issue 2

Tel: 012 362 7180

Print, Digital, and Broadcast Youth Media

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P5 RAG 2019 New UP Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kupe

Nuturing the Mother Tongue

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599 Francis Baard St.

P3 1nSync Roundup

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(Schoeman)

ARCADIA

Photo: Arend Kahlau

2 | Editorial

11 February 2019

Happy Valentine’s day

elcome back to the senior students. I’m sure your first week back was filled with much slow walking, annoying interactions in the line for Piazza foods, and a lot of explaining how to get somewhere on campus. I have practically memorised the directions to the EBIT faculty advisors’ offices, so if you need to find the offices, first years, feel free to come ask me. This week is also the week of Valentine’s day, a day that many, including me, have come to hate. Doesn’t it just seem like a slap in the face for

those that are not fortunate enough to have a special someone to share it with? Prancing around with your special love all up in my face. And even if you do have someone, the pressures to make the day special for your significant other can be unbearable for some. I mean Valentines day is just a moneymaking large-scale ad campaign to try and get you to part with your money. It’s less of a celebration of love and more of a celebration of capitalism (I read that on an academic website, so it’s fact now). Don’t buy into it sheeple! That being said though, if you’re in need of a Valentine my email can be found in the bar at the bottom of the page. Must love cats. Find me on Tinder for a more detailed, more cringy bio or Instagram (@shaun.sproule) for some outdated selfies. We have a shortened edition this week, but it is jam packed with some really good

content. Pssst… is back this week, but excuse Pssst… if Pssst… seems annoyed because Pssst… has a new roommate under the floor boards of the office. Campus Cousin has been complaining for weeks, so be sure to check out what’s grinding the gears of your guide to campus life this week. After a successful 1nSync (page 6) I was pleased to see RAG making moves to get back after the cancelation of the RAG floats a couple of years ago. Well done to Stuku and RAG, I suspect we will be seeing some great events this year, so reach out on their social media so that you don’t miss anything. Also, don’t forget to follow our social media. How else will you know the news on your campus? Go wild! Shaun Sproule

Pssst... Week one of university is tough. Whether it’s your first time here or your ninth, Pssst… knows it doesn’t get any easier. Don’t be too blue, though, mostly because you’re harshing Pssst…’s mellow. Pssst… loves being back on campus because, as always, Pssst… loves the T, sis. From O-Week to 1nSync, Pssst… happens to know that plenty of T has been spilt already. As ever, Pssst… hears that the UP reses are not starting the year off on the right foot. Speaking of extremities, Pssst… hears (pun not intended) that College has been pulling some Mike Tyson moves in social settings lately. What’s next on the agenda, College? A face tattoo or a drinking problem? Oh, wait… On the topic of social settings, Pssst… happens to know that the thirsty firsties from House Mags have been giving their leaders some trouble with their visits to Springboks. Pssst… will be nice and keep your new hangout a secret. For now. At least House Mags managed to stay

afloat (pun intended this time) on the 1nSync stage – more than the other participants, anyway. Staying on the water theme, Pssst… couldn’t help but notice that Zinnia failed to impact the audience with their environmentally friendly theme. One like = one prayer. Pssst… thinks that Ikageng needs to some research on a movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score before trying to incorporate it into their 1nSync theme, while Dregeana should remember that working in the food service industry isn’t just a novelty for some people, it’s a reality. But hey, Pssst… supposes ignorance is bliss. Pssst… can say the same for the bus drivers from Tirisano, but they need something to be proud of, and if second place at 1nSync this one time is it, then well – you do you, Tirisano. Can anyone tell Pssst… when The Tower will realise that it’s 2019 and that making objectification your 1nSync theme can’t be a thing anymore? Pssst… can make a joke about falling here, but Pssst… thinks that The Tower has probably embarrassed themselves enough all

on their own. Pssst… still isn’t sure what Luminous was aiming for with their theme. Whatever it was, watching audience members wipe drool from the corners of their mouths towards the end of their performance was enough of an indicator as to how it was received. Spoiler: not well. On a different note, Pssst… has some breaking news: Madelief seems to have a new RAG partner. Pssst… had to make the assumption that Madelief has somehow teamed up for RAG with PDBY since that’s what they’ve been using for their papier-mâché projects. Pssst… also wonders whether the gents from Tuks Ekhaya are still not allowed to smoke in their first year uniforms? Probably not, since Pssst… has been seeing them puffing away all over campus. Smoking is gross- but then, again, so are Tuks Ekhaya boys. Among all the chaos, Pssst… hopes this semester will bring much more greasy gossip, titillating tea and juicy gesticulation.

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TUKS studente woonstel te huur: Feb’19 Die woonstel is in Lunnon Crest gebou, Hillcrest, Pretoria en het 2 slaapkamers met sekuriteitsbeheer. Dit is loopafstand vanaf Tuks kampus, restaurante, kitskos, winkelsentrum en Gautrein. Beide kamers bied ‘n uitsig met skuifdeure wat op ‘n balkon uitloop. Stort met wasbak, oopplan sitkamer/kombuis met granietblad en kaste. Ten volle gemeubileer. 1x Gereserveerde motor-parkering asook fietsloods in kelder. Voorafbetaalde-elektrisiteit vir eie rekening. Huur is R 9 100 p.m. en huurder kan self 2de slaapkamer onderverhuur. Deposito en maandelikse huur is vooruit betaalbaar. Onmiddelik beskikbaar. Malcolm 082 448 6942 Malcolmlotriet1@gmail.com

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RAG of Hope day

News | 3

11 February 2019

Language policy evokes fresh reactions Henri Uys

Photos: Arend Kahlau

Caitlyn Walsh

n 9 February 2019, the RAG of Hope day took place at the LC de Villiers braai area. The event began at 7:00 in the morning and ran through the day untill 17:00 in the evening with many activities taking place, such as live performances, the CANSA relay run for life, box cart races, sporting events and UP’s got talent. The event is hosted annually for residence RAG partnerships to set up stall to promote and raise funds for various charities. At each stall, partnerships come together to create products made from recyclable goods to sell and raise money for their charities, many products were very innovative and successful. PDBY spoke to Kopano Bookholane, House Mags RAG HC of the Maglieflong partnership, about what their partnership sold at their stall, “We made key chains out of beer bottle tops and tassel earrings from wool and from old leather, we also made scrunchies to sell, and pencil holders from Coke bottle bottoms.” A number of products were bought from the different stalls and many customers were seen walking around

with weird and wonderful creations in their hands. PDBY also spoke to Kamva Ntutuku, Mopane’s RAG HC of Mopadyn’s partnership, about his experience of RAG of hope day, “Now that it is here, I’m actually very excited, everything is coming together quite well, the vibe is amazing and the people have come through in their numbers.” The box cart races ran from 8:00 untill 12:00 with each partnership racing their cart on the track three times, their total score being the average time of all three races. Each box cart was creative and unique being handmade from each residence partnership. The sport took place at 12:00 and offered ultimate Frisbee, football and games of volleyball to the students. The students competed fiercely as the winner would receive points which count to the ultimate winner of RAG of Hope day. PDBY chatted to Tshepang Tsunke, RAG HC from Madelief from the Maglieflong partnership who “really couldn’t wait for the sport to begin [to participate],” her favourite being volleyball. The day ended off on a musical note

SASOL HATFIELD 570 Jan Shoba St, Hatfield, Pretoria

h PECIAL S H S A full was a n o CAR W t n u 0% disco 14:00) 2 e v i e c s re om Student Wednesdays fr (

Hotdog and Coke (400ml) @ R25.00

with UP’s got talent and many other live performances that took place on stage. Each entertaining and a crowd pleaser in their own way, most of which promoted the struggle of cancer in theme with the CANSA relay run for life taking place simultaneously. The top five winners were then announced at the end of the day, fifth was Zinnia and College, fourth Mopadyn (House Nala and Mopane), third was Virula (Vividus Ladies and Marula Legae), second Thunderquins (Nerina and Dregeana) and in first place, the Asterion (Asterhof and House Ukuthula) students won. PDBY spoke to Tiaan Peens, head of TuksRag about the ways RAG helps the university and its possible continuance for the years to come, “RAG helps the university to give back to the students with our inreach initiatives such as the mental health support as well as outreach projects. I would like it if more students get involved in both inreach and outreach programs throughout the university. I really hope that RAG will grow in the following years to such a point that companies want to get involved and provide funding to support our students in need.”

n 2016, UP decided to amend its language policy by phasing out Afrikaans as a medium of instruction at the institution. English will now be the primary language used at UP. Rikus Delport, UP spokesperson, explained that decision was made due to the fact that the number of Afrikaans students had been decreasing over the past few years. According to Delport, the number of students registering with Afrikaans as their home language has decreased by 50% between 1992 and 2015. The new policy takes effect this year. Students who registered before 2019 in Afrikaans will continue to receive classes, assignments, tests and tutorials in Afrikaans. Delport said, “It’s aimed at facilitating social cohesion on the campus. We will continue to encourage multilingualism to foster unity and provide equal opportunities for students of all South African languages. We encourage the practice of assisting students in their home language where possible.”Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni, tweeted “I publicly, and in my personal capacity, disagree, with the phasing out of Afrikaans as one of the mediums of teaching at the University of Pretoria. As a country, you are shooting yourselves down. You will regret it in 30 years time.” These comments were welcomed by the Afrikaanse Taalraad (ATR). Programme director of the ATR, Ria Olivier, said, “In truth, the use of the colonial language English as the primary instruction and communication language, speaks to the negation of the value of native languages and an unwillingness to take into account the multi-lingual character of the South African community.” Executive director of the ATR, Dr Conrad Steenkamp, said that the development of native languages is important to achieve social cohesion, justice and a sense of belonging. Dr Steenkamp added, “Multi-languages and the development of native languages is a pre-requisite for the complete development of the country’s population, a true democracy and inclusive economic growth.”In a statement. AfriForum said, “AfriForum finds it worrisome that the university, notwithstanding many international research projects and expert opinions, still does not understand that unilingual education, in fact, undermines social cohesion and increases the potential for conflict and student non-performance. The statement continues, “If students on campus, in lecture rooms and even in student accommodation only use one language – namely the colonial language English – it amounts to unilingualism, not multilingualism, because there is no room for more languages in the formal university environment.”

4 | News

11 February 2019

Prof. Kupe takes charge as new UP Vice Chancellor HENRI UYS

n 14 January, Professor Tawana Kupe officially took office as UP’s new ViceChancellor and Principal. Prof. Kupe took over from former VC, Prof. Cheryl de la Rey, who resigned last year after accepting the position of VC at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Prof. Kupe holds a BA Honours and Master’s degree in English from the University of Zimbabwe. He also holds a DPhil in Media Studies which he obtained from the University of Oslo in Norway. At the University of the Witwatersrand, Prof. Kupe served as the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities. He also served as the head of the then Wits School of Literature and Language Studies and was the founding Head of the Media Studies Department. Prof. Kupe served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Advancement, Human Resources and Transformation at Wits and held a rotating Vice-Principal post at the institution for one year. At the University of Zimbabwe, Prof. Kupe served as the Chairperson of the Department of English, Media and Communication Studies. Prof. Kupe left the institution in 1988 and joined Rhodes University where he was the

Head of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies for a short time. According to a media release, Prof. Kupe said, “The changes taking place in the higher education sector present great opportunities for UP to continue to innovate as we find new ways to make education more accessible to young people thirsty for education. UP is the largest contact university in South Africa, is one of the top producers of PhDs in the country, and is regarded as a national and international leader in research, with over 30 of our researchers counted among the top 1% of scientists globally. Our research makes a decisive difference to South Africa and Africa’s futures, and I am confident that, with the support of UP’s dedicated staff and impressive student body, we will continue to grow that impact.” Prof. Kupe continued: “During Prof. De la Rey’s tenure, great strides were made in positioning UP as an institution that is a welcoming home to some of the greatest minds from Cape Town to Pretoria to Addis Ababa and beyond. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues as we continue to create a diverse and inclusive UP community, producing welleducated, well-trained graduates who make a contribution to economic and social development and help create the society envisaged in our constitution.”

Prof Tawana Kupe opening the 2019 Academic year in the Aula Photo: Carel Willemse

Prof. Kupe opens 2019 academic year CAREL WILLEMSE

n Friday 8 February the Aula was nearly filled to capacity as staff members of the university attended the official opening of the 2019 academic year by UP’s new ViceChancellor and Principal, Prof Tawana Kupe. Prof Kupe started the proceedings with a moment of silence for Mlungisi Madonsela, a Durban University of Technology (DUT) student who was killed during clashes with security at that institution earlier last week. Prof Kupe assured that the university would work closely with the SRC in light of the protest action taking place on other university campuses across the country. Comparing UP to other universities, Prof Kupe said that UP was one of the best he has ever seen, thanking staff for their contributions to the success of the institution as well as its students. “We produce the highest number of research outputs locally, as recorded by the Department of Higher Education and Training. We are one of the biggest contributors of qualified professionals and research students in the country”, said Prof

Kupe. On Sunday, 10 February, the university celebrated its 111th birthday. Prof Kupe spoke of the two constants at UP: excellence and change. “As UP continues to evolve, things will continue to change, and it will always be with excellemce as its goal.” According to Prof Kupe, around 9800 firstyear students were successfully registered for 2019, the largest number of first-years in South Africa. He reiterated the importance of making sure that these first-years are successful. Prof Kupe also listed the importance of student and staff health and wellness on campus and said the university was busy with plans to address student hunger and to streamline the health and wellness offering at UP. “One of the key priorities under the new food model will be to address student hunger. Creative new solutions for selfsustainability are being explored in consultation with prospective donors”, said Prof Kupe. Prof Kupe ended the address reminding staff that a “challenge is always an opportunity” and encouraged everyone to embrace change over the next 111 years.

BURSARY OPPORTUNITIES IN 2019 Exxaro has established itself as one of SA’s largest and foremost black-empowered resources companies. We produce coal with interests in titanium ore, titanium oxide, iron ore and zinc. We strive for excellence in all we do. Our functions, processes and people are all geared towards powering a positive and sustainable future for South African society and beyond.

Exxaro is inviting students to apply for the following bursary opportunities in 2019: • Mechanical Engineering – students currently in their 2nd or 3rd year of study towards BEng Mechanical • Industrial Engineering - students currently in their 3rd year of study towards BEng Industrial • Mine Engineering – students currently in their 3rd or final year of study towards BEng Mining • Metallurgical Engineering – students currently in their 3rd and final year of study towards BEng Metallurgy

Students who are interested please forward the following documents to e-mail address bursarapplications1@exxaro.com on/or before Friday, 22 February 2019: • • • •

CV ID Copy Full statement of results from university Proof of registration for 2019

Note: Paper selection will commence 1 March 2019 and screening interviews will follow at the university during March/April for long listed candidates. You will receive an e-mail in this regard. If you don’t receive any correspondence, consider your application as unsuccessful. Note: Bursaries will be awarded in accordance with the company’s employment equity policy.

Features | 5

11 February 2019

Nurturing the mother tongue

Inge Beukes

he century-old form of communication, interaction and self-expression takes centre stage on 21 February, which observes International Mother Language Day. This day was first announced by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 17 November 1999 with the aim of promoting peace, linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. Today, the day is commemorated on 21 February to recognise the 1952 Bengali Language Movement in Bangladesh. Further, 2019 has officially been launched as the year of indigenous languages in South Africa. This was announced by the Pan South African Language Board (PANSALB) on 1 February. PANSALB was established according to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa to promote and create conditions for the development and use of official languages such as Khoi and San languages, including sign language. The language board also seeks to promote and ensure respect for all languages commonly used by communities in South Africa, including German, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Portuguese and Tami. The event was launched at the world heritage site, Didima Rock Art Centre in KwaZuluNatal, to highlight the dangers that the Khoi and San languages are facing. According to the United Nations (UN), at least 43% of the estimated 6000 languages spoken worldwide

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are endangered. Further, it has been approximated that every two weeks a different language (including dialects) disappears completely, erasing its entire cultural and intellectual heritage. International Mother Language Day is laden with significance for fellow South Africans as the country houses 11 official languages, making it one of the most multilingual and diverse countries in the world. According to data taken during the 2011 census, isiZulu is the most widely spoken language in the country with 11.6 million speakers. This is followed by isiXhosa with 8.15 million speakers, and Afrikaans, with 6.85 million speakers. English falls in fourth place followed by Sepedi and Setswana. South Coast Herald highlights that fewer than two percent of South Africans speak a first language other than an official one and uniquely, most South Africans can speak more than one official language. Nurturing the mother tongue is strongly linked to overall human development beginning at birth and spanning to adolescent development. According to Moomin Language school, Professor Jim Cummins from the University of Toronto has written about the importance of mother tongue with specific reference to its vital role in child development. He says that the “stronger the children’s mother tongue, the easier it is for them to learn new languages.” The mother tongue has also been linked to emotional and

Learning in your mother tongue is easier

psychological factors. “Feelings, which are important for the child’s development, are also passed on through the mother tongue,” says Prof. Cummins. PDBY spoke to Professor Michael Le Cordeur, former chair of the Western Cape Language Committee and current Head of Curriculum Studies Department at the University of Stellenbosch, about the importance of the mother tongue in furthering education. “It is important for learning because it has been proven that learning in your mother tongue is easier, more effective and it comes with much more comprehension,” says Prof. Le Cordeur. The 1996 South African Constitution holds a number of provisions that deal specifically with the protection of languages and of rights relating to language. The most important of these is section 6 which recognises 11 languages as official languages. South Africa has also taken considerable steps within international law to protect the rights of linguistic minorities when it signed the 1992 UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. According to Article 4, this involves a declaration to create appropriate measures for persons belonging to minorities to have adequate opportunities to learn their mother tongue. It also ensures that the state takes measures in the field of education through encouraging the knowledge of the history, traditions, language and culture of those minority groups. Yet the protection of the mother tongue remains a challenge in South Africa.

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Prof. Le Cordeur highlights that “Mother tongue is currently only possible through Afrikaans and English because previous governments have neglected the development of our 9 African languages to such an extent that mother tongue education through those languages does not exist beyond the foundation phase. Given the financial crisis that SA finds itself in is to my mind almost impossible to achieve mother tongue education for all learners in South Africa.” Prof. Le Cordeur acknowledges the positive role the state has played in trying its best to provide mother tongue education, yet he draws attention to the undeniable fact that there are no learning materials available in the intermediate phase, the FET phase and on tertiary level in the African languages to accommodate all our languages. Reflecting on debates regarding the language policies at Universities, Prof. Le Cordeur offers a different perspective. “Universities can only do so much but given the fact that no learners in South Africa matriculate with one of the African mother tongues, universities cannot teach in the African languages.” He goes further to highlight the role universities should play via their Department of Arts and Culture. Through this, he says that the “protection of African languages thus becomes a function of the Department of Arts and Culture. Universities have little option but to teach in English and in some instances in Afrikaans where it is possible.”

Universities can only do so much

6 | Entertainment

1nSync 2019 roundup

11 February 2019

Carina Kloppers

n Saturday, 2 February, the annual 1nsync concert took place at both the Aula and Amphitheatre on Hatfield campus. House Mags and Mopane were crowned the winners of this sing and dance competition for the residences’ first years. PDBY watched from the Amphitheatre and is happy to recap the night for those of you who missed the concert because you were soaking up the last bit of holiday before classes started the next Monday. The night had a slow start with the ladies from Zinnia. Their islander theme about the dangers of plastic in the oceans failed to really the impact the audience. The girls had a lot of heart, but the simple moves were overshadowed by later performances. College once again chose humour over form. Dressed in their infamous black togas, they taught us about the “Kollege” we used to know. Their skits and dances were slightly downplayed from previous years, but they nevertheless had the audience in stiches. The young men from Blossoms Delight delivered an absolutely stellar performance. Their theme “The first men on the moon” incorporated the sweetest love story. But they did not only rely on ‘Awws!’ from the audience. All their moves were precise and they pulled of some of the most ambitious lifts of the night. They placed fifth for the men. Then there was Dregeana as “Nando’s employees”. Even though had a soft start and seemed unsure at times, they built up to a very energetic end. Last year’s ladies’ runnerup, Nerina, delivered a loud and powerful performance, but they did not place this year. Their theme was “Your everyday princess”. Curelitzia reigned in a second place with their “Heist” theme. Each girl embodied power and poise throughout the performance. They kept their energy going until the very last second and won over the crowd. House Khutso impressed with their thematic “Cirque de Khutso”. They had the numbers to fill the stage from corner to corner and included smart song choices, making their big sound their greatest asset. The ladies from Ikageng then delivered a cute, but underwhelming performance. Their “Emoji” theme was unfortunately too broad to really affect the audience. Madelief’s “Dahlias on an

Photos: Tshepang Rihlampfu

adventure” lacked the structure to place at this year’s 1nsync. They still managed to be more consistent than many other female residences. The baewatch inspired performance from The Tower completely fell felt. Their dialogue was needlessly long and a majority of their jokes just failed to be funny. The men did, however, carry a good rhythm and delivered strong movements. The “Class clowns” from House Ukhutula put in a solid effort. Because of their smaller size they had an upwards battle to deliver a performance with the same vigour as some of the bigger men’s residences. Yet, it was very clear that every single boy gave it their all on that stage. Sadly, Hayani’s performance suffered due to their band consisting of only a drummer. She was a really good drummer though, and kept the rhythm steady. Their theme was “Time travel.” Azalea’s “Come fly with me” themed performance was in need of some polishing. The girls also lacked the necessary oomph and momentum. After a short break it was House Mags turn on the stage. Their theme “Synchronised swimmers” was a marvellous choice; these girls are serious about swimming. The creative use of props elevated their theme even more and each move was executed with finesse. It is no surprise that they took home the trophy for the female residences. Tuks Ekhaya was next with their fun and light-hearted take on “How I Met Your Mother”. These boys did not take themselves to seriously, but their daring lifts still captivated the audience. They placed fourth for the men. Erica, who won last year, placed fourth for the ladies’ residences with their “Barbie Bear Grylls” theme. They would have benefitted from less dialogue, but all in all, it was a worthy performance with a big ending. Tuks Bophalong packed in a lot of personality for their small size. Their theme was “AMA2000s take over” and the took home the first prize

for the mixed residences. House Nala aimed to embrace the recent name changes and went with a “Lion King” theme. They had a good start, but strayed too much from their theme. There was potential, but their performance was choppy and lacked consistency. Tau impressed with their “Road trip to the pride lands”. Their play on the name change proved to be more effective. Marula Legae played right into the struggles of a student’s soul with their “Full tank” theme. They had the best band of the evening and delivered a well-rehearsed performance. The placed third for the men’s residences. Luminous hoped to win over the audience with their mix of the nineties with Romeo and Juliet. They showed everyone a good time, but their performance dragged on towards the end. Tirisano lit up the stage with “A day in the life of a bus driver” and some in second for the men. They brought back stomping and executed it with absolute perfection. Their rendition of “Baby Shark” was a hit with the crowd. Mopane once again walked away as the both the men’s winner and the overall winner. And it is no secret as to why: their performance as “The Taylor Swift ex-boyfriend club” was a smash. They started with a bang and kept it going. And what’s more, is that it was also very funny. Vividus Ladies had a big performance as “Girls in detention”. They had a lot of energy and their moves were well polished. They placed fifth for the ladies. Asterhof elevated their plain theme of magicians with some UP based humour and came third for the ladies’ residences. Despite the recent name changes and the drama surrounding last year’s Step It UP, the residences proved that res spirit is still burning brightly. The competition, facilitated by STUKU, ran smoothly and both the audience and participants seemed very content with the event.

1nSync starts 2019 with a bang Sam Mukwamu

oming to university as a first year can be quite daunting, and the information overload that is orientation week doesn’t always offer the best opportunity to get comfortable with the idea of student life. That’s where 1nSync comes in. The annual showcase of residence and day house affiliated first years serves as an introduction to student life for first years, and this year’s offering was one of the biggest and best ones yet, even compared to the previous Ienkmelodienk. The event took place in the Amphitheatre and the Aula, with tickets quickly selling out. Due to the large demand, the organisers, Stuku, released a further 500 tickets and even sold eleven on the day. Speaking on the success of the event, Stuku chairperson, Varushka Moodley, said “For the first event of the year, and it having to be our event it was very successful to say the least. It was a good kickstart for our events coming up this year, as well as an introduction to student life at this university. With the support from the first year parents as well as the first years, it

was a genuine success from our side and the support that we had received.” What made this year’s 1nSync significantly bigger was the attendance, as well as the participation, with almost 300 first year students taking part in the showcase. Speaking about the attendance Moodley said, “In the amphitheatre we had about 2 500 people, and from five until eleven [o’clock] it was 2 500 people. In the Aula we had 1 000 seats and that was also sold out.” She went on to say, “it was truly great, having the amphitheatre so full, it just creates a different vibe. It’s so nice seeing how the parents enjoyed it, because you sometimes don’t think the parents would understand, but they fell into that vibe and enjoyed it as much as we did.” Growth was a major factor across the board for this year’s event. According to the Juan-Pierre Van der Walt, the co-ordinator for Day Houses and SRC Sub-committees, 1nSync 2019 saw “some of the best transformation we’ve had in years”, with representation increasing by 7%. Van der Walt also spoke of the growth in the mixed group competition, saying “We’ve seen significant growth

in our mixed competition, where previous years we normally had men and ladies. The last two years we’ve had mixed groups, and this year both our mixed groups have increased by almost double. So, hopefully within the next few years we’ll have even more mixed groups, and obviously bigger mixed groups.” In his overall assessment of the event Van der Walt said, “It was a very interesting event, because Prof Kupe did our welcoming, so that was his first real student life event, which made us obviously very excited. Everything went well, and fairly without any issue. We had no medical emergencies. We had no student getting hurt in the dancing, or falling off stage, or anything like that. So, all in all for us a very positive event. Stuku managed to make a profit on the event, which allows us to do the rest of the events for the year, without necessarily charging students for things like Nothing But Vernac […] So, to keep those events free, this event makes it significantly easier, if and when we make a profit. Stuku definitely set a high bar with 1nSync 2019, and Moodley hopes that they can keep that energy going and can build on it for the rest of the year.

Entertainment | 7

11 February 2019

Books, Movies or Both?

Cassidy Bessa

arie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, came out a few years ago and inspired many people to go through their drawers and reorganise their homes and their lives. Her successive

Image: Screenafrica.com

The Girl From St. Agnes Carina Kloppers

hen Showmax first arrived on the scene, there was a lot of doubt about whether they would be able to compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime. But after striking a deal with DSTV and hosting a wide variety of local content, Showmax has successfully branded itself as a worthy streaming site for South Africans. And they are definitely capitalising on this momentum. After the success of their first original series, Tali’s Wedding Diary, in 2017, Showmax is back with a brand-new original series. This time they collaborated with South Africa’s award-winning Quizzical Pictures for The Girl from St Agnes, a dark murder mystery series released on 31 January. The Girl from St Agnes had an ambitious marketing strategy. They flooded social media. There were posters and trailers everywhere. And this made it hard not be sceptic

book, Spark Joy, showed an extended illustrated guide to her method of tidying up. At the very start of this year, Marie Kondo also came out with a Netflix Original show called, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. In this show, Kondo shows exactly how to use her practical KonMari” method of cleaning up as well as focusing on the idea of only keeping something that sparks joy for you. She does this by going to people’s houses and teaching them in different situations how to tidy up their lives. There are often many books such as Kondo’s that become

about whether it would be able to live up to the hype. But it did. The Girl from St Agnes is good; very good, actually. There is a lot to unpack about the show. The beautiful shots, the complex characters, the not-so-underlining social commentary and of course the murder mystery. The only problem is that they tried too hard to be good at everything, that they lost some vital naturalistic elements. There is so much to notice and take in, that as a viewer you can feel overwhelmed at times. This, of course, does not make The Girl from St Agnes bad, it actually gives you an appreciation for the dedication poured into every single frame. The story itself is not that original. It is structured in very similar ways to Netflix’s Thirteen Reasons Why and ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder. It also feels very reminiscent to Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars. But what The Girl from St Agnes really excels at, is the nuanced characters. And then they also hit it out of the park with the casting, especially with Jane de Wet as Lexi Summerfield and Nina Milner as Kate Ballard. It is easy to watch them and feel with them. They are not good people, but instead they are very flawed and very real humans. The show keeps you on your toes, and this is not because of a well-thought-out storyline, but rather because of the well-thought-out characters. Yes, the immaculate character growth for nearly every female towards the end of the series does feel a tad bit forced, but it is portrayed with such sincerity that it is an easy sin to forgive. Furthermore, The Girl from St Agnes tried to address a multitude of social issues, both locally and internationally relevant. These conversations are always important, but the show could have been a bit subtler in their dealings with these topics. The shots and editing are absolutely masterful. There is a beautiful slow suspension that builds through the series and by the end of it you are gripping your seat. So, with all this said there is no doubt that The Girl from St Agnes is a worthy watch.

Campus Cousin

Do you even lift?

or most of you, I’m sure this past week has been turbulent. Between finding lecture venues, understanding new jargon and wondering if you should have that growth checked out, one’s first week at university can be a trial. That being said, it’s high time that we (meaning I) address a problem that bothers most students (me). No matter what you study, if you’ve had class on Hatfield campus, chances are you’ve found yourself in the Humanities Building (either on purpose or by accident). Friends, let’s set something straight – the HSB lifts are a hallowed space: a place to fix your hair, your make-up, your wedgie. It is not your free ride from the third floor to the fourth, or – worse yet – vice versa. Think about it: if you ride the lift to advance one floor, you’re robbing students with disabilities and maintenance staff of a resource they actually need. I know you need to flourish and that you don’t want sweat patches on your new alcohol-related graphic t-shirt, but do you have to be that person? Climbing the stairs is healthier anyway. To be honest, the same applies to most buildings on UP’s

campuses with lifts. Flex your leg muscles. Talk to the folks on the stairs about your work-out routine. Everyone will love you. Besides, your friendly campus cousin happens to know some members of the lecturing staff and, well, next time you just miss a distinction on an assignment, just consider that maybe you were being judged. Speaking of lifts (but not of lifting), as much as your significant other says they love it when you play your avant-garde house-grunge fusion tracks (that you may or may not upload to Soundcloud), the people in the lift do not. Especially not when the tinny sound is emanating from your earphones (yes, everyone can hear that, even the friendly dude on the bus who pretended to be reading Animal Farm but was really being subjected to your “Smells Like Teen Spirit” remix). Love, peace, and chicken grease Campus Cousin

increasingly popular with “non-readers” as they are easy to read and appeal to a wide demographic. A couple of books like these are notably; Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F by Mark Manson. These popular books are often invested in by studios to make movies or series. This allows the magic of their book to reach an even wider audience as not everyone would enjoy the printed format. The book You by Caroline Kepnes was also recently changed into a series and as most books, only really caused a stir when turned into a film format. Marie Kondo can teach all her tricks through her show and a second season will allow her to relay all that both of her books contain without the need for anyone, except diehard fans, to read her books. Most people are glued to their televisions or their computer, watching series and movies, because people seem to prefer the colourful, loud and actionpacked video rather than the quiet and less immediate form of entertainment that books provide. In the society we live in, people come home after a long day’s work and would rather sit in front of the TV to relax instead of having to think while reading a book. Books are also easy to adapt into films since the story has already been fleshed out and may already have a following due to the author’s fan base. The best way to truly enjoy a movie adapted from a book, I find, is to read the book first. A few books that you should read before the movies come out this year are Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, The Nightingale by Kristine Hannah, and The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon.

Image: iTunes

Nostalgia Tresor Cassidy Bessa

RESOR just released his third studio album and it has fans falling in love with the South African pop star all over again. We’ve only had to wait two years for TRESOR’s new album, Nostalgia. His previous album, The Beautiful Madness, was released in 2017 and was much loved by many people, turning TRESOR into a household name. This new album has 13 tracks and shows his through music. The album has a dominant 80s disco vibe mixed with an African sound. This album was highly anticipated, and the amazing instrumentals show that a lot of time was spent in the studio to create this beautiful and unique album. The African sounds in this album brings the listener into a sense of nostalgia as it is easy to resonate with and reminds one of this beautiful country and continent. The sound is not only nostalgic but he has brought some modernity to the traditional beats. This album is full of collaborations from big African names such as, The Soil, Beatenberg, AKA, Mafikizolo, Lokua Kanza, Kwesta and Sauti Sol. These collaborations take the forefront of this album as only five out of the 13 songs feature TRESOR alone, compared to his prior album which only contained four collaborations. TRESOR seems to rely quite heavily on his collaborations in this album and let the featured artists shine brighter than he does. TRESOR however, proves that he is talented enough to work on his own, such as on “I Don’t Wanna Live Without You”. Other stand out songs in this album are, “Aphrodite” with Beatenberg and “Electric Night” featuring AKA. Although this album may seem as if TRESOR is hiding behind some of his big-name collaborations, the album is inherently his and the album shows his evolved sound and how far he has come in his music. This truly is his musical journey and is nostalgic to TRESOR.

Sport Changes made for the 2019 Varsity Cup tournament

Henri Uys

his year’s installment of the Varsity Cup will see some changes to how matches are played, and how teams are compiled. This year’s tournament began on 4 February. The organizers of the tournament introduced a new quota requirement. According to the organizers, all participating universities “must embrace the diversity challenge and do their utmost to create opportunities to advance players of colour.” eight players of colour must be present in a team’s match-day squad of 23 players. Of those eight, five players must feature in the starting line-up of 15 players. Furthermore, players of colour who are not South African citizens cannot be used to fulfill the quota requirement. These requirements will also apply to the Varsity Shield, U20 Young Guns and Res competitions. “Power play”, which enabled a team to remove two

backline players from the opposing team for three minutes during play, has been dropped from this year’s competition. Changes haves also been made to the scoring used during the tournament. In last year’s tournament, a nine-point try was awarded to a team if the move that initiated the try came from the scoring team’s own 22 meter area. This year, the ninepoint try system has been dropped. However, the seven-point try, awarded to the scoring team if the try originated from a move in their own half, has been retained and will only apply to the Varsity Cup. Another change that has been made, involves red cards. Should a player be given a red card, that player will leave the field for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, another player may return to the field. However, the player that was red-carded may not return to the field. UP won their first match of the season on 4 February against CUT, beating them 23-6. In the other matches, NWU beat UJ 23-8, IKEYS beat UWC 32-24 and Maties beat Wits 33-17.

TuksTennis working hard in 2019 Mariesa Potgieter

uksTennis coach, Blaise Izungu, is preparing his athletes for 2019 through training in physical as well as mental ability and strength. The TuksTennis team are working hard to achieve their goals and aim to have a successful 2019. The focus in the start of the year is to prepare for the first tournaments. Izungu says the first upcoming competition is the club championships. This is an internal competition that takes place in March. Izungu says that, “In April [they will] be going to Sun City to play against other universities.” The next big league they are also preparing for is the “Gauteng North League [in] May”. To prepare for these upcoming tournaments, they are following a weekly practice plan which entails, “Practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 17:30 to 19:30”. In these sessions they, “try to do a bit of everything including fitness”. Izungu says that sometimes, “We can have an extra session so that we can focus on other aspects like techniques” and this is usually done in smaller groups to focus on players individually. An important part of their training is when they have, “Fitness testing”. This is when, “[They] want to have an idea of the athletes [fitness] levels, because, “[They] want to make sure that they are ready mentally, emotionally and physically.” These fitness tests help the coaches to understand

what the athletes need to work on. When asked if the focus is more on physical strength or mental strength, Izungu replies that, “Tennis is a very complex sport where all aspects play their part.” He comments that, “In tennis, you make a decision on every shot”. It is important to know, “Why am I hitting [the ball] there and why must I move forwards or backwards. It’s a bunch of decisions throughout the match and physically you have to be up to it.” They have to be able to deal with, “The pressure of the match” and therefore physical and mental strength is important. Chanelle Oosthuizen, who studies BCom with a triple major, stays motivated to focus on her studies and her sport because, “[She] loves tennis” and for her, “The practices are a way just to relax”. For Oosthuizen, “Tennis is one of [her] priorities so [she] [makes] time for it”. Oosthuizen’s sport goals for 2019 is to, “try and make top three and to make the first team”. When asked why tennis is a sport that many should consider, Oosthuizen replies that, “You can play it until you are 80. It is actually a workout all over, so it’s intense, but it’s also a social sport. Sometimes they think it’s [...] you alone, but in doubles you can play together and at the practices everybody knows what you are going through.” Oosthuizen comments that, “It improves your mentality, your self-confidence and your fitness”.

Photo: Twitter — @Sunsport

Dlangalala new AmaTuks coach Oupa Baloyi

maTuks have confirmed the appointment of Zipho Dlangalala as their new head coach with immediate effect. Dlangalala started his tenure at AmaTuks on a positive note, leading AmaTuks back to winning ways when he snatched an impressive victory against former Bafana Bafana mentor Shakes Mashaba's Witbank Spurs at Tuks Stadium. The victory saw AmaTuks climbing up to the tenth spot on the NFD log. Dlangalala looks set to turn things around at AmaTuks. "There are still 11 games, in other words, 36 points to play for. I see us being involved in a race. The question is how we are going to go about it. It would be foolish to sprint off hoping for the best. Just 'walking' at a leisurely pace expecting results is also not an option. I told the players to think about it.", Dlangalala said. "The game of football demands brains. So it is important that players should constantly be thinking about solutions for problems they might possibly face on the field. No coach has all the answers", he added. An experienced coach, he has previously worked for Mamelodi Sundowns and Chippa United respectively. He was at the helm of the second tier side Royal Eagles. Dlangalala has also played a role in bettering the skills of under-23 players at Orlando Pirates.

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