14 April 2014 Issue 10 Year 76

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

14April2014

Oscar trial update

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Born free and now free to vote in 2014

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year76issue10

Asking Alexandria to perform in SA

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Red Bull Campus Cricket

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2014 elections: make your mark

Image: Brad Donald

MAGGIE ROODT Elections will be held on 7 May and some are referring to them as the most contested elections since the start of democracy in South Africa.

Since 1994 the ANC has largely dominated the polls, however, with the current build up to the elections, the possibility of yet another landslide ANC victory could be under question.

There has been an increase in service delivery protests, corruption, new parties, and even old allies of the ANC, like Julius Malema, who have shunned away from the party. Will factors such as e-tolls, the Nkandla scandal and even the fact that Nigeria has officially surpassed South Africa as the biggest African economy, influence where you make your mark?

Dr JCM Venter, lecturer at the School of Social and Government Studies at the NorthWest University, said in his article titled “The 2014 election: the need to participate and the major parties” that, “The democratic principle of contestation allows everyone the opportunity to now vote for or against their principles (and that of any other party) and this will make a difference especially as we stand in the era where the dominance of the ANC and therefore the one-party system in South Africa is beginning to falter.”

Making an informed decision when it comes to casting your vote may seem intimidating given the limited experience most students have when it comes to elections. Independent political analyst Nicholas Borain told Perdeby that the best way to establish which party you will be voting for is to, “Read the manifestos, listen to the speeches, examine the character and history of those who lead the party and ask yourself if you have specific interests that are better represented by one party more than any other.” He goes on to add that you should also consider national interests that are broader than your own personal interests when you make this decision.

Perdeby looked at the election manifestos of six major parties contesting the election.

Agang SA Agang, led by anti-apartheid activist Dr Mamphela Ramphele, is a young party that was formed in February 2013. The name means “build” in Sesotho and according to AgangSA. org.za, Agang stands for a “clean government to restore the promise of freedom to all South Africans: equality, dignity and hope for all”.

According to Borain, Agang presents itself as “a clear and articulate opponent to government corruption”.

ANC The ANC, founded in January 1912, is the oldest party participating in the elections.

They have been the ruling party on a national level since 1994 and are currently being led by President Jacob Zuma. Their mission is to move South Africa forward as well as fight crime and corruption.

Cope The Congress of the People, currently led by Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota, is a party that was formed in December 2008 by former ANC members. Their main objective is to “take political power at the polls and deliver better government to South Africa”.

DA Lead by Helen Zille, the DA has been the official opposition to the ANC on a national level since the 1999 election (known then as the Democratic Party). The DA was founded in June 2000, and according to their website, they aim for an “open opportunity society in which every person is free, secure and equal, where everyone has the opportunity to improve the quality of his life and pursue her dreams, and in which every language and culture has equal respect and recognition”.

EFF Founded in August 2013 by expelled ANC Youth League President Julius Malema, the EFF party seems to have divided ANC supporters. Borain said that, “The EFF is getting surprising traction and is fighting a vigorous and interesting campaign.” They aim to focus on revolutionary cultural values and to create conditions that ensure total political and economic emancipation.

VF+ Lead by Pieter Mulder, the Freedom Front Plus (Vryheidsfront Plus) was founded in March 1994. Their mission is to realise the rights of the Afrikaans community.

With the final list of political party candidates only being released on 22 April, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has more than 300 parties on their potential candidate list. It is because of this reason that you have to familiarise yourself with the major parties and their manifestos.

The importance of voting cannot be stressed enough. Though some people may experience feelings of apathy towards politics or elections, casting your vote contributes to the future of South Africa and gives you the opportunity to make your voice heard. By excluding yourself from voting you are rejecting your right to have a say in how South Africa is governed.

Affirmative action Agang SA To amend discrimination and unfairness in the workplace and to enable white citizens to share their skills, expertise and wealth to build South Africa.

ANC To strengthen the existing affirmative action laws for a faster transformation of the workplace and to strive for equal representation in the workplace according to population demographics.

Cope To strengthen the application of affirmative action laws to include women, youth, and previously disadvantaged people from rural areas.

DA To find a balance between affirmative action and equal opportunities for all, to improve BEE so that it rewards companies that invest in their workers and to create jobs.

EFF To reinforce affirmative action laws to ensure that all previously disadvantaged citizens benefit and to prioritise the employment of people with disabilities, black people and women of all races.

VF+ To scrap affirmative action to ensure that employment is based on merit and not race.

Education Agang SA To improve training for teachers and to introduce a minimum pass rate of 50% for all subjects and all grades.

ANC To make two years of pre-school education compulsory, to eradicate adult illiteracy and to open two new universities.

Cope To establish a national literacy campaign and to increase the minimum pass rate.

DA To educate more than 15 000 teachers per year and to ensure that every school has basic resources and services as well as to align education outcomes with workplace needs and to expand NSFAS assistance.

EFF To offer free quality education funded by an education tax on corporations and to develop and expand tertiary institutions.

VF+ To provide mother-tongue education.

Employment Agang SA To emphasise skills training at school level, to establish skills development programmes and also fund on-the-job training.

ANC To promote local procurement and to create six million job opportunities through job placement and internship schemes.

Cope To support national development plans and to ensure that small and medium enterprises receive more support from government as well as to supply affordable loans to new enterprises.

DA To attract investment in labour-intensive industries and to create seven million job opportunities through an expanded public works programme.

EFF To secure industry development and to implement minimum wage.

VF+ To actively restrict and prohibit strikes and to favour a wage subsidy.

Read about crime and corruption policies online.

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Editorial

14 April ’14

Perdeby

Freedom was born that day

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

Freedom Day isn’t only a celebration of South Africa’s first democratic elections. It’s a celebration that South Africa actually got to the point of being able to hold a democratic election and of the triumph of the human spirit over crimes against humanity.

While I was thinking about what Freedom Day represents, my mind wondered to a play I watched at Johannesburg’s Market Theature during the recess, A Human Being Died that Night by Nicholas Wright (Wright’s play is based on the book A Human Being Died that Night: Forgiving Apartheid’s Chief Killer by psychologist Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela.) The play narrates a series of interviews conducted

by Gobodo-Madikizela with Eugene de Kock, nicknamed “Prime Evil” for his role as commanding officer of the South African police’s counter-insurgency unit that kidnapped, tortured and murdered anti-apartheid activists.

Gobodo-Madikizela, who served on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), interviewed De Kock (who was serving two life sentences and a 212-year sentence for crimes against humanity) after he volunteered to appear before the TRC. It was a fascinating play and I could write a year’s worth of editorials on it. Even though the plot is set in 1997, the play questions assumptions that repress our freedom in 2014.

The first, and most obvious, of these is De Kock’s surprise that Gobodo-Madikizela,

a black woman, is a psychologist. Was it impossible for a black person to rise above circumstances characterised, amongst many other injustices, by the appalling quality of education offered by the state? Was it impossible for a woman to earn not only an undergraduate qualification, but also a postgraduate qualification? Some people today are going to answer “Yes” to those questions.

Too often, our chances of success are judged on our backgrounds: our race, what language we speak, where we come from, what school we went to, whether we did a GDE or an IEB matric, and our gender (my favourite topic).

The next assumption links to gender.

De Kock is shocked to learn that GobodoMadikizela, who was 42 years old in 1997, isn’t married. Doesn’t a woman – or a man – have the freedom to be single after a certain age?

Even worse, it seems, Gobodo-Madikizela actually divorced her husband. Can divorce only happen to women? Can’t women initiate divorce if they no longer wish to be married?

I’ve been mulling over this play for two weeks (this, I think, is the mark of a good work of art). It reminded me of the value of my freedom as a South African and of the terrible suffering that brought it about. On another important public holiday coming up on 7 May, let’s vote to continue to expand freedom.

Max

Campus cartoon Cartoon: Khaya Mazule

Layout Rebecca Paulsen

I can’t wait for Freedom Day on 27 April, not only because it kicks off a week’s mini-break but because it’s my favourite public holiday in terms of the significance that it represents.

From the Editor

layout@perdeby.co.za @UtdRedAngel

Visuals Brad Donald

visuals@perdeby.co.za @Brad3rs

Teams Layout Stacey Cabeleira Lusanda Fusthane Thabang Letageng Leandri Marx Copy Dylan Coleman Herman Hoogenboezem Moratuwa Masoabie Rorisang Moloi Shannon Nauschutz Keegan Schmidt Natalie Thompson John Wessels

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Web Thabang Letageng Richan Schwellnus

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Letter policy All letters are published in accordance with our letter policy.

The policy can be read online.

Retraction of information In the article “Minority couples on campus: no out of the ordinary love” in our 3 March edition, we incorrectly stated that Mashooda Sedibeng lives in TuksVillage. She lives in TuksDorp. We apologise for the error.

We have programmes for the beginner, intermediate and advanced level learners.

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Letter to the editor Open letter to AfriForum

We have been at Tuks for three years, but not one day have we heard AfriForum address key issues that are affecting students, issues that include, res accommodation, financial aid or the racism that students face daily, yet they are quick to go to high courts and insult top management about cultures in the university, lack of parking for students, and issues that only cater for majority of white Afrikaans students, yet they claim to fight for students in general.

As black students, parking, res tradition and culture are the last things on our mind. How can we stress such issues when we have no financial support, nor a roof over our head, why

012 803 2860

is that? If AfriForum can afford to go to the high court over minor issues, why can’t they use the same resources to address issues that include basic needs, or the provision of services to the students.

Does AfriForum represent the white majority or the students in general, because when we recall we once tried to join the party but their response was “Go to Sasco” did they dismiss us because of the colour of our skin or, since we claim to live in a democratic country that is 20 years old, why is that?

Students had to drop out due to the lack of funds and majority being black, please note this is not about black or white, but it sure is about providing services to the students, just like the SRC claims.

We are not against the issues that they are raising,

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MY-AEC .co.za

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT CENTRE

but what we don’t understand is the fact that they are raising issues that can be debated after students have registered, yes we need parking for our cars, and traditions, but please don’t use traditions as an excuse because this is the same excuse that was used pre-1994.

Can AfriForum please use its financial power to force our government to pump more money into NSFAS, and also the university to avail more spaces, because Sasco cannot win the battle alone. In conclusion, we would like to pose a challenge to all parties, to please address issues for all different class structures and race groups, and not only a selective group.

Mandla Ntimane and Ntate Dhladhla

News

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14 April ’14

UCT player accused of punching woman Students intimidated MAXINE TWADDLE

Irini Agathagelou with the injuries she sustained. Image: citizen.co.za

A University of Cape Town (UCT) Varsity Cup rugby player has been accused of hitting a female North-West University student after UCT’s Varsity Cup final win in Potchefstroom last Monday.

Irini Agathagelou posted on Carte Blanche’s Facebook wall that she had been assaulted by the player when she tried to intervene in a fight between the UCT and the NWU players at a Wimpy after the match. She hit the player with an unidentifiable object on the head before he punched her. Agathagelou said that, “[he] gave me a right hook on my face, he tried to hit me again but someone stopped him”. She listed her injuries as concussion, facial lacerations, and back and neck injuries. Agathagelou was taken to hospital, where she was kept overnight.

A video of the incident was supplied to The Citizen. The video shows a group of men in a brawl and the accused player can be identified as Kyle Kriel. The video was removed from social media on Friday after the person who supplied it made it unavailable.

UCT’s Ikeys Rugby Club released a statement on Thursday saying that they “take the allegations seriously and will fully cooperate with an investigation. While the processes are under way the player accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence, but if the accusation is proven we will take appropriate action.”

On Friday morning, Max Price, vice-chancellor and principal of UCT, said that Kriel would face disciplinary action. This will take the form of a disciplinary tribunal which will hear both sides of the story. Price said, “To the extent that there is another side is that some sort of team of security people were spraying pepper spray to try to break up the fight and the perpetrator may not have been able to see properly.” Kriel could be banned from representing UCT in rugby if he is found guilty.

While Kriel has largely been condemned on social media, several people have expressed support for him, saying that Agathagelou should not have become involved in the brawl.

by informal car guards MARIËTTE VAN SCHALKWYK Intimidation by informal car guards continues to be an issue in and around Hatfield.

Colin Fouché, director of the Department of Security Services at UP, and Danie Basson, chief operating officer of Hatfield City Improvement District, said that the Department of Security Services does not have jurisdiction outside of campus but that they have implemented operational processes in order to manage the informal car guards situation in the Hatfield area. Measures put into place to ensure the safety of UP students include the use of CCTV cameras to monitor the Hatfield area and the appointment of security officers to assist students.

Marize Brittz, a second-year audiology student, told Perdeby that a car guard refused to let her drive off because she did not tip him.“I was scared and panicked that he might damage my car,” she said. A BSc Biological Sciences student, who prefers to remain anonymous, told Perdeby, “As I was reversing out, one of those informal [car] guards stood in front of my car, put his hands on my bonnet and would not move. I indicated that I wanted to leave and he used a two-rand coin to scratch the side of my bumper because I didn’t pay him.”

Yashu Tanna, a BSc Computer Science student, suggested that the university employ these car guards in order to regulate their actions. Nadine van der Westhuizen, a fourth-year political science student, agrees and says that car guards should receive training and a daily fee sponsored by the university so that students are not pestered when they do not pay them.

Rowan Watson, the Department of Security Services investigations manager, said that although the department understands students’ complaints, it is important that victimised students press charges with the police.

Oscar Pistorius trial update MAXINE TWADDLE It was a dramatic and highly emotional week at the North Gauteng High Court as the defence started with its case in the third week of Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial.

Day 17 The trial resumed last Monday after a week’s break. Barry Roux presented the outline of the defence’s case and indicated that it would include the testimonies of 14 to 17 witnesses.

The first witness to be called to the stand was pathologist Jan Botha. Roux used Botha’s testimony to cast doubt on the testimony of Dr Gert Saayman, who testified for the prosecution earlier in the trial. Roux focused on the information Dr Saayman provided about Reeva Steenkamp’s last meal, which Botha testified Steenkamp could have eaten long before Dr Saayman estimated.

Botha also contested evidence given by Chris Mangena. Botha said that Steenkamp was shot first on her hip, then on her arm, then on her hand, and then on her head. He said that Steenkamp did not fall into a sitting position because she would have been positioned too high for the later shots and there would have been blood splatters on the wall.

During his cross-examination, Gerrie Nel suggested that Botha’s evidence was not as reliable as Dr Saayman’s, because Botha was not present at the post-mortem (while Dr. Saayman was) and because the defence’s other pathologist, Reggie Perumal, submitted findings that were consistent with Dr Saayman’s testimony rather than with Botha’s. Nel showed photographs that showed blood splatters behind the magazine rack. He then showed Botha a photograph of a wound on Steenkamp’s back, which Botha said was caused by the magazine rack and which the state said was caused by a bullet ricochet.

He observed that the marks of the wound matched the ribbing of Steenkamp’s shirt. Botha conceded that he did not take this into account.

When asked by Nel to match the sequence of bullets to holes in the bathroom door, Botha conceded that he could not because he is not a ballistics expert. He also conceded that Steenkamp may have screamed after being shot and that she may have emptied her bladder fifteen minutes before her death.

Pistorius then took the stand and began by apologising to Steenkamp’s family. Roux questioned Pistorius about his life and his disability.

Day 18 The day began with Roux leading Pistorius through WhatsApp messages exchanged between Pistorius and Steenkamp in an attempt to build up an image of a loving, supporting relationship Pistorius testified that his relationship with Steenkamp became serious after January 2013. He explained arguments on

WhatsApp that the state had previously pointed out.

Pistorius denied the testimonies of Darren Fresco and Samantha Taylor and said that he did not fire a shot through the sunroof of Fresco’s car.

When speaking about the incident where a gun was discharged at Tasha’s, Pistorius did not confirm that Fresco told him whether the gun was loaded or not. Both Fresco and Taylor testified that Pistorius knew the gun was loaded when he took it. Denying this, Pistorius said that he was angry that Fresco had given him a loaded gun. He also contradicted Fresco and Taylor’s testimony that he asked Fresco to take the blame.

Pistorius testified that the evening of 13 February was relaxed and that he and Steenkamp were on friendly terms at the time.

He was due to have dinner with friends in Johannesburg and Steenkamp was going to watch a movie with her friend, but the couple decided to spend the evening at Pistorius’s house. When Pistorius arrived home, Steenkamp was cooking dinner. He testified that he had found a Valentine’s Day gift with his name on and that Steenkamp asked him to open it the following morning.

He said that he had saved the gift to open on Steenkamp’s birthday, which he said was 8 August. Her cousin, however, told journalists in court that this date is incorrect and Steenkamp’s birthdate is actually 19 August.

Pistorius testified that he opened the doors leading to the balcony because it was a humid evening. He locked the bedroom door and placed the cricket bat by the door. He testified that his gun was under the bed when he went to sleep.

When he woke up in the early hours of 14 February, Pistorius testified, he had a brief discussion with Steenkamp, who was also awake. This detail was not included in Pistorius’s bail affidavit. He got up and locked the closing doors and then heard what he says he thought was the sound of the bathroom window being closed.

Pistorius testified that he then grabbed the gun. He said that he heard the toilet door slam, which was also not included in the bail affidavit. He said that he entered the bathroom area quietly and fired four shots at the toilet door when he heard what he thought was someone coming out of it. He then shouted at Steenkamp to call the police before going back to the bed.

When he did not find Steenkamp there, Pistorius said he went to the bathroom because he realised it may have been her inside.

When he found the door locked, he said he grabbed the cricket bat and smashed the door, and then “sat over Reeva and cried”.

Roux requested for the day to be adjourned due to Pistorius’s emotional state.

Day 19 Pistorius continued his testimony led by Roux. He testified that he phoned the estate manager and security. He then went downstairs to open the door before returning to retrieve Steenkamp’s body. He and Cheryl Stander attempted to save Steenkamp.

Pistorius testified that a person who he understand to be Johann Stipp arrived. He said Stipp did not appear to know what he was doing.

In conclusion to Roux’s questioning, Pistorius said he “did not intended to kill Reeva nor anyone else”.

In his cross-examination, Nel began with character evidence, which is permissable in South African law because the defence introduced the evidence.

Nel asked for a video found by SkyNews of Pistorius and his friends at shooting range to be shown. The video showed Pistorius and rugby player Francois Hougaard shooting into watermelons, which Pistorius can be heard saying are softer than a brain.

Nel then showed a close-up picture of Steenkamp’s head wound and told Pistorius to take responsibility. A weeping Pistorius told Nel that he had taken responsibility.

Day 20 Nel began day 19 by asking Pistorius why he did not apologise to the Steenkamp family in private. Pistorius answered that he had tried to make contact with the Steenkamps, but that he was told they were not ready to see him.

Nel referred to Taylor’s evidence, which Pistorius refuted as lies. Nel paid particular attention to Taylor’s testimony that Pistorius often shouted at her. Nel asked Pistorius why he did not tell Roux that Taylor’s evidence was allegedly false and Pistorius said that he could not remember if he had asked Roux to challenge her evidence.

Returning to the Tasha’s incident, Nel asked Pistorius who discharged the gun. Pistorius said that the gun discharged itself and repeated that he had taken responsibility for the incident.

Nel said that none of the other three witnesses who testified about the incident confirmed this.

Nel also returned to the incident with Fresco and Taylor.

Pistorius said that he could not remember much about the day in question but confirmed that he had taken his gun on a boat ride and that the gun was loaded. Nel asked him why he would take his gun to such an event, and Pistorius replied that he carried it with him everywhere.

Pistorius again denied shooting the gun through the sunroof on the way home and suggested that Fresco and Taylor had fabricated their evidence.

Nel returned to the evening of Steenkamp’s death. He showed Pistorius photographs of the scene which disprove Pistorius’s testimony: the duvet is on the floor, so Pistorius would have seen Steenkamp in bed, the fan is standing in front of the door, so it would have been difficult for Pistorius to run to the balcony and scream for help, and the curtains are not fully closed, so there would have been light in the bedroom.

Pistorius said that police tampered with the scene.

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14 April ’14

News

Confusion with Funza Lushaka bursaries RODNEY XABA Groenkloof campus students belonging to the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme were left confused when they were forced to change electives and phases due to a sudden change in bursary requirements. Many students have been forced to take additional modules and have to catch up on work that has already been covered in these modules.

Numerous students, most of who were studying FET phase education degrees, were forced to switch to lower phases due to the change of priority areas in the FET phase.

The bursary only sought to produce mathematics, natural sciences, economics, accounting, geography and mathematical literacy teachers in the FET phase. Bhekiwe Masondo, a second-year BEd student, said she was notified that modules such as African languages and history were no longer seen as a priority in this phase and was advised to change immediately.

There were no cases where students in the lower phases were told to change their majors.

Masondo added that as she was about to sign

her bursary contract she was turned away and told to change her programme so as to comply with the amendment, or face losing the bursary completely.

Some students changed their programmes as they were too afraid to lose their bursary.

However, students such as Reginald Hlatshwayo, a second-year BEd student, refused to change his programme. He said that, “I will not become a first year again just because they chose to change things to suit themselves without considering our feelings and how it will affect us. They can keep their money.” Hlatshwayo said he was furious about the change in the bursary requirements and said that he does not understand how students were not notified ahead of time. He added that, “If these changes came from the Funza officials and that they were not happy with the modules we had picked in our first year, why send us contracts to sign?”

Leandre Lucas, a third-year education student, said, “The big question we all want answered is how did Funza allow us in our first year to sign a contract for modules which they announced to be a priority but suddenly in our second year

Frustration over who to vote for as elections approach

The Nkandla homestead. Image: mg.co.za

TEBOGO TSHWANE As the election date draws nearer, some students have voiced their concerns and frustration over not knowing whom to vote for.

John Attfield, a first-year BA Drama student said, “The only problem I have is that I don’t know whom to vote for. All the parties have their different views but no party’s views are better than the other. They are all just throwing mud at each other, there is no party standing out saying ‘I am doing this because it’s good for the country,’ they do things because another party is not doing it … there’s no security in voting.”

Third-year BA Drama student Naledi Chirwa said, “Sometimes I feel like making a spoilt vote. However, then other times I feel that I can’t because it is my voice at the end of the day. I don’t know what my vote will be on the day.

On 19 March Public Protector Thuli Madonsela released her final Nkandla report.

Millicent Mbethe, chairperson of the ANC Youth League Tuks branch, said that from the door to door campaigns that they have been doing, people have voiced their concerns and demanded accountability from the ANC over the Nkandla report. “What people want to hear is you criticising it. If you as leadership [aren’t] criticising the corruption, they [the voters] start backing away,” said Mbethe. “Our priority is to criticise Nkandla and tell them that we have to trust leadership to deal with the problem,” Mbethe added.

AfriForum chairperson Rochelle Oosthuyse said that the president’s involvement in another scandal has dented the ANC’s reputation, “I think the fact that ANC President Jacob Zuma has benefitted has affected the ANC’s public image negatively, in a sense that the president is once again involved in a corruption scandal.

However, I do not think that this will have a major impact on their campaign as thus far the ANC is still very strong and has shown its full support towards President Zuma at this stage,” said Oosthuyse.

Oosthuyse urged students to take the fact that they are a new generation of thinkers into consideration and that first-time voters should show the nation they are born frees.

Students and political parties agree that students need to become politically conscious and become acquainted with the different parties campaigns. “The most important fact that students must take into consideration should be the policies of the political parties.

These political policies will be the most important factors which most likely make or break an economy. Further, the past track record of a political party in relation to effective governance and progress should be analysed to examine if the political [party] has the leadership and policies to take this country forward,” said Ryan Botha, chairperson of Sasco.

Botha added that students should not waste their vote but should vote for a party which has a proven track record and speaks to their primary concerns.

we are told of changes which we were never informed of.” There is also lot of confusion surrounding why some subjects are indicated as Funza Lushaka electives on the website, such as English and African languages, but UP does not recognise them as such.

Funza Lushaka offices and Client Service Centre manager Esther Schilling said that there is a panel of provincial officers from the Department of Basic Education and a UP selection team who get together every November to discuss the statistics of where the shortage of teachers is and in which field the gap must be filled. She added that the panel works mainly with the Gauteng provincial education department and they look at the subject areas which are in demand in the Gauteng province.

In other words, UP looks for students who are studying education who can be placed anywhere in the Gauteng and does not focus on the needs of other provinces. This is also the reason why modules, such as English, are not seen as priority as there are deemed to be enough English teachers in Gauteng.

The University of KwaZulu Natal, however,

prioritises English as a module due to the province’s need for English teachers. Schilling said that she notified learners of this matter and that no one was forced to do anything. Schilling said that the measures taken were to the benefit of the students.

Natasha McPherson, a second-year BEd student, said that the problem lies in a lack of communication between UP officials and the students. She said, “None of us knew about selection teams and changes until the last minute. Although the selection team had only found out late last year about the changes, there should have been measurements taken where during the compulsory programmes, discussions occurred early in the year [so] that the Funza team also be given a spot to update students on the latest developments.”

Paticia Cindi, a second-year BEd student, said, “The people in charge of Funza need to be more hands-on and inform students of things occurring in the bursary scheme.”

Schilling promised to make arrangements to get all the students together and for all their complaints to be heard.

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14 April ’14

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Features

14 April ’14

Hot for teacher

Is there a connection between a good-looking teacher and good grades? impressions are very important and that that is how you set the first foot for that relationship.

Whether it is fair or unfair is another debate, but that’s human nature.”

According to the report “In school, good looks help and good looks hurt (but they mostly help)” by sociologists Rachel Gordon and Robert Crosnoe on ContemporaryFamilies. org, such assumptions of intelligence are not limited to educators alone. Gordon and Crosnoe highlight findings that prom kings and queens will be regarded as more intelligent on the basis

NAISARGI PATEL It is a natural instinct for humans to associate physical appearance with certain qualities.

Good looks and physical appeal is usually equated with intelligence. Professors, lecturers and tutors are judged on their looks when the question of teaching ability is raised.

Sometimes it seems that the more attractive the lecturer or tutor is, the fuller the classes get and the earlier the students seem to settle down.

According to Typepad.com, when students were shown photographs of their various professors who each had a different degree of appeal, they were convinced that the attractive professors would enable them to learn better than those who were not as appealing.

According to this study, students believe they will understand the work better, despite its difficulty, if the lecturer is good-looking.

A second-year BCom Accounting Sciences student, who prefers to stay anonymous, says, “If a lecturer is good-looking then one is more likely to pay attention. At least for a while.” Trainee chartered accountant Oliver Nouwens from UP’s Department of Financial Management believes that the ability to teach is not limited to good looks alone. Nouwens says, “I definitely think it [looks] has an impact, but I think it’s a bit broader than that as well. It [students’ performance] certainly is attributable to the way [lecturers] look but also how they come across. If they are very confident and they are just very interesting and eccentric then [students] also get caught up into it. Maybe the person gets the confidence from the way they look and how they present themselves.”

In an article published in Journal of Psychiatry, Psychology and Mental Health

“If a lecturer is good-looking then one is more likely to pay attention. At least for a while.”

Illustration: Monrique Henning

titled “The relationship between physical attractiveness of professors and students’ ratings of professor quality”, Jennifer BondsRaacke and John D Raacke say that, “Because a professor is perceived as “hot”, the students are more likely to pay more attention to the professor during class increasing their understanding of the material, achieving clarity, and seek help from those professors they perceive as attractive thereby increasing their perceptions of helpfulness.” This conclusion was drawn from research conducted on RateMyProfessors.com.

Do people feel the same in South Africa?

Nouwens says that, “People are inherently in that respect [making assumptions about others based on looks] the same. I don’t think it’s different from country to country. If anything, students are more expressive nowadays. Maybe that correlation would be even higher now.”

When asked whether it is fair that students make certain assumptions about a professor’s teaching ability based on their looks, Nouwens says, “Everyone does that. Your first impression is formed within the first 15 seconds when meeting somebody. Obviously you can’t say much in 15 seconds, so it’s actually just a fact. In the professional world they say first

that they are attractive and approachable.

Gordon and Crosnoe believe that good looks in high school are not limited to high school itself, but that there is a far-reaching effect. The boost in self-esteem gained in high school will be carried forward into college and possibly for a lifetime, improving one’s ability to come forth as confident which is “an extraordinary tool to use in adult life”.

The connection between attractiveness and perceived intelligence levels is getting stronger as time passes. Those of us with a less-gifted gene pool have the option to invest in better cosmetics, but doesn’t intelligence and wisdom count more?

Newspapers under fire

Is there still room for print media in the future?

LIESE-MARIE HEYNS

Illustration: Johann van Tonder

South Africans are moving away from traditional news sources and are accessing news from a variety of online media, and UP students are following suit. In a campus survey conducted by Perdeby, 51% of students said that they access news from digital platforms, while only 16% still read newspapers.

Globally, there has been a drastic decline in newspaper readership. In the UK, circulation fell 25% from 2007 to 2009, second only to the USA who, according to and article in The Guardian, saw a decline in readership of 30%. Things aren’t looking better for print media in the future according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The report states that circulation is expected to decrease at a steady 0.2% per year from 2013 to 2017, while advertising revenue has been declining much more rapidly at 4.2% per year. In South Africa, the Audit Bureau of Circulation reports a similar trend. Total newspaper circulation fell by almost 3.7% from 2012 to late 2013 and although this seemed to turn at the end of 2013, newspaper advertising revenue still fell by 4.5%.

Advertising revenue is the main source of income for South African news agencies.

Newspapers in South Africa are also competing against television and radio which have a listenership of 34 million, whereas newspapers only have 17.5 million readers based on the South African Audience Research Foundation’s All Media and Products Study figures for June 2013.

People want to access their news fast, and with South Africans becoming more tech-savvy,

the masses are moving toward consuming online news content. A WorldWideWorx study found that by September 2013, 9.4 million South Africans were on Facebook and 5.5 million were on Twitter, showing a growth rate of 129% in 12 months. YouTube saw 4.7 million monthly active users.

These figures do not bode well for print news in the future, but exciting new avenues for a modern era of fast and effective news gathering and distribution is upon us. According to an article titled “How SA’s newspapers can save themselves” by Gill Moodie on PoliticsWeb. co.za, newspapers have the opportunity to save themselves by telling the stories no one else does.

Although people are moving away from printed news, they still prefer brand name news suppliers because they are deemed more reliable and better researched, and this notion was echoed in a UP campus survey. An average of 36% of students prefer to read news on news publication websites rather than on any other digital platform. The high cover price of the Mail & Guardian (R35 in South Africa), gives them freedom to pursue news stories other publications would be weary of as they are less likely to be dictated to by sponsors as to what stories to cover and how to cover them. The public proved that it is this type of hard-hitting, investigative journalism they look for when Mail & Guardian saw a growth of 5% in circulation despite the general decline in the field. Students don’t see newspapers disappearing from the media landscape anytime soon, even though they aren’t necessarily reading them.

Features

7

14 April ’14

Born free and now free to vote in 2014

JOANÉ OLIVIER AND ORENEILE TSHETLO

This year people born around the end of apartheid will be able to vote for the first time.

The amount of young people actively involved in politics indicates that the youth vote will have a great impact and make a large contribution to the upcoming elections, SRC Deputy President Taymoon Altamash told Perdeby. Rochelle Oosthuyse, chairperson of AfriForum Youth, feels that because the born free generation is more integrated and informed than previous generations, voters may make their decisions based on the way they want the country to develop rather than “historical facts and influences”. Prof. Bernard Bekink, professor of public law at UP and attorney of the High Court of South Africa, believes that although the born free generation will influence the upcoming elections, the extent of this will “depend on their commitment to make an effort, as they should, to go out and vote on election day”.

SRC member in charge of transformation and student success Nthabiseng Nooe says that, “Every political party appeals to a certain group of interest, and this is the essence of politics.” She adds that targeting different social groups in order to gain votes is how political parties generally operate. Taking this into account, Kabelo Mahlobogwane, who does the organising and marketing for EFF Tuks, warns that young people can easily be emotionally blackmailed and be blinded into making decisions for the wrong reasons. Nooe mentions ideologies, loyalty, manifestos and service track records as some of the things that people take into account when they vote.

Oosthuyse says that another important factor is a person’s socio-economic background, which includes religious upbringing, culture, race and families.

Prof. Bekink says that, “The younger generation seems to want results rather than promises and are thus evaluating political parties more on performance than on promises.

This again could have a ‘game-changing’

and direction-shifting impact on the way in which voters in our land exercise their hard fought right to franchise.” Prof. Koos Malan, professor of public law at UP, feels that many young people are as capable of making informed decisions when voting as people from older generations. Prof. Bekink agrees with this and says that the younger generation is better informed about politics because of the rise of social media and can therefore make informed and objective decisions when voting.

Some students are, however, not confident that they are ready to vote. Hlengiwe Buthelezi, a third-year LLB student, says that she will vote but has not made her mind up whom she will vote for yet. On the other hand, Thotoane Sello, a third-year BA Social Work student, says that she is ready to vote and will be making “the decision based on what [she wants] for current and future South Africa and not a decision based on a 20-year-old past”.

According to Nooe, “All adults, especially those that form the lower age range of the work force, vote to contribute to their vision of a better South Africa.”

Reaobaka Taje, a third-year BCom student, believes that although our country has changed a lot, more needs to be done and for this reason she will be voting in the upcoming elections.

Because a large group of the population still holds on to anger and memories created by the apartheid era, Roelanie Botha, a secondyear LLB student, thinks that votes from the born free generation will not make as great an impact during the upcoming elections, but that as the amount of post-apartheid generations increase, the effect will be greater.

Giving young people who were born after the apartheid era the opportunity to vote has positive aspects. Altamash says that these include “a sense of belonging to the republic” being fostered, a deeper understanding of their contribution to society, and being afforded the right to criticise the problems in South Africa.

Nooe says that some of the negative aspects to young people voting are that a lot of South Africa’s youth are ignorant to the past and current political situations and do not

Photo: Kirsty Mackay

understand the extent of the struggle during apartheid.

Mariana Pietersen, a sociology lecturer at Tuks, advises students to be rational when deciding which party to vote for.

Mahlobogwane agrees and adds that students need to do research and look at each party’s history to see whether they delivered on the

promises they made while campaigning.

The born free generation’s influence during the 2014 elections can be seen as a catapult, setting in motion change to a unified nation that will have a lasting effect. Although the impact might not be that great, it may have a ripple effect and not just be another drop in the ocean.

Facts and fiction of extension courses: are they all they’re made out to be?

Illustration: Johann van Tonder

CRAIG HORRMANN Extension courses are viewed differently by different people and just as they have their pros, they also have their cons. Is it worth prolonging your studies, keeping in mind the ever-rising costs of further education, to get the degree you want?

What is an extended programme? There are three main kinds of extended programmes available at UP. There is the ENGAGE Program in the engineering faculty, the

extended programmes at Mamelodi and the extended programmes held on Main campus.

The Mamelodi campus and the Main campus extended programmes work similarly. They work on the basis of stretching the usual first semester over three semesters, thus adding an extra year to the programme. The ENGAGE Program in the engineering faculty is unique in the sense that the first two years of engineering are stretched over three years.

Dr Quenton Kritzinger, director of the four year programmes at Mamelodi and senior lecturer of plant sciences, told Perdeby that

students have a greater opportunity and more time to engage with the content of the modules, which gives them a greater chance of succeeding. Dr Kritzinger also said that extended programmes are becoming more and more popular and that they open up opportunities to students who do not yet meet the university admission requirements.

Students who did not perform well academically at high school level are given another chance to prove themselves if they are willing to work hard. Dr Erika Müller, acting manager for the ENGAGE Program and professional orientation lecturer, told Perdeby that the ENGAGE Program is coordinated in such a way that it runs parallel to that of the four-year engineering programme, and that additional modules are also added to the programme to assist in conceptual understanding. Even with this careful structure set out, some students at UP are under the impression that extended programmes might be seen as a grade 13, which is not the case.

Ida Jeannette Meyer, psychometrist, psychologist and faculty student advisor on Mamelodi campus, believes that an extended programme, “Gives a student the opportunity to use the support network we have to develop academically and to mature to a point of knowing what they want to do with the rest of their lives.” She believes that even though students are given a lot of support, there will always be a stigma towards something that is not of the norm.

Cindy Mahlangu, a second-year student currently in an extended biological sciences course, believes that, “Students like me in

extended programmes feel that we [are] treated like a charity case, like we need special attention.” At the same time, she feels that without the support and module structure set out on Mamelodi, she would never have succeeded on Main campus where she is situated now. Jerome de Sousa, a fifth-year BCom student, feels that there was a negative stigma towards the extended programmes, but that this has diminished to a situation where other people do not care where you are studying, or how long you are taking to do it.

Dr Kritzinger is of the opinion that the costs and resources involved in participating in, being a part of and running extended programmes are justified by the success rate experienced in student achievement. He adds that the dropout rate is a lot less compared to that on Main campus, and “At the end of the day, they all get the same degree.”

Andile Siphosethu Mabuyakhulu, a student who has completed his BSc in actuarial and financial maths and who started in the extended programme, said, “I had to persevere and work hard in order to be accepted for the mainstream degree I wanted to do the year following my time in the extended programme, and because success loves preparation, extension courses are designed to prepare students academically for the time that lies ahead. As a result, when one starts building their career, they are prepared to grow every time an opportunity for growth presents itself.”

One has to remember that success comes after hard work. Extension courses are not a failure, they are simply another option available to students.

8

Fun & Games

14 April ’14

Perdeby web poll

Things not to do at your graduation

Will you vote in the upcoming election?

A) Yes, and I know whom I will vote for.

B) Yes, but I don’t know whom I will vote for.

C) I have registered, but I may not vote.

D) I definitely won’t vote.

Vote online at www.perdeby.co.za

LUSANDA FUTSHANE The bad news: you’ve been sticking it out in lecture halls and a crappy commune for three to four years, dieting on chicken livers and Ritalin and picking up a smoking habit that will haunt you well into your thirties. The good news: it was all worth it because you’re about to graduate. Congratulations.

You may not look or act like an adult yet, but you’re about to be handed a piece of paper that proves you are one. So to help you fake it till you make it, this week Perdeby is bringing you the top ten things not to do at your graduation.

1

Don’t make a speech Seriously. The vice-chancellor will tackle you off the stage. This is not your 21st and even though people are happy for you, they do not want to hear your anecdotes about inventing genius mnemonic devices and beating the odds. Grab your degree, pose for the picture and skedaddle.

Don’t trip Unless you’re Zooey Deschanel and the fate of the frothy romcom you’re in depends on your lack of coordination, watch your step.

Don’t exceed your selfie limit To be clear, when you can see a classmate rolling his or her eyes in the background of one of your selfies, you’ve definitely exceeded the limit.

Don’t invite any loud relatives Your aunt who will ululate while you’re on stage and your uncle who will whistle and roar “lekker bokkie!” can wait to celebrate with you until your graduation dinner at a restaurant where the dean of the faculty can’t

2 3 4

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shoot disapproving looks at your uncouth family.

Don’t fall asleep Not every commencement speech will be as stirring and as quotable as the one JK Rowling gave at Harvard, but that old man speaking really slowly up there is trying to impart the last bit of valuable wisdom you’ll ever get from this university. At least pretend to pay attention.

Don’t be late Showing up late to a morning lecture is understandable. Showing up a late to graduation could indicate that you shouldn’t be there at all.

Don’t gossip about your classmates as their names get called Yes, you haven’t seen them in months and some of them have really bad haircuts and really loud relatives (see number four), we get it. Just turn all that gossip into thinly veiled subtweets instead so the world (wide web) can laugh with you.

Don’t dress inappropriately That graduation gown may cover a lot but it can’t do anything about your lucky sneakers that you had to wear or those perilously high heels that always get you the wrong kind of compliments. Channel your rolemodel. (Please have a role-model.)

Don’t pose for your pictures the same way you pose at a music festival Your children are going to see those pictures one day. Have fun explaining that gang sign to them that you were throwing on stage.

Don’t ever forget this day Drink it all in. You’ll never graduate for the first time ever again.

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Entertainment

9

14 April ’14

I Am Malala

Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb Image: washingtonpost.com

YANGA TYIKWE

Asking Alexandria are heading to South Africa in May. Image provided.

Asking Alexandria to perform in SA MICHAL-MARÉ LINDEN To metalcore fans around the world, Asking Alexandria is anything but an unfamiliar name. With three albums and multiple international tours already completed, this five-piece band from York, England, will perform two much anticipated concerts in South Africa in early May. Ahead of their trip, Perdeby chatted with Ben Bruce, lead guitarist and original founding member of Asking Alexandria, about their latest news and possible space travel.

Asking Alexandria recently finished their Break Down the Walls Tour of USA with bands such as We Came As Romans and August Burns Red and are now touring Asia.

“We’ve been to Japan once before and it was really very good. This time is only going to be bigger and better, and in the Philippines we’re headlining a metal festival with Bullet for my Valentine and I think there’s 25 000 tickets already sold so they’ve a pretty good rock/metal scene over there,” says Bruce about fans in Asia.

Although he is very eager to visit South Africa, Bruce isn’t entirely sure what to expect. “My parents holiday in South Africa a lot and they say it’s beautiful and I’ve been wanting to go for years now, so when I found out we were going I was like [makes cheering noise],” says Bruce excitedly, adding that he’d love to visit Table Mountain.

This winter will see Asking Alexandria release an extended version of their most recent album From Death to Destiny. Bruce says that they are trying to get the album remixed and remastered

by Joey Sturgiss, who did all of their previous records. “It’s

going to have two bonus tracks on it that were only released to Europe originally and then we’re recording four brand new songs to release on it as well,” Bruce said. In addition to this, the extended version will feature bonus content such as live video recordings and interviews.

The original From Death to Destiny album was unique in itself as parts of it were recorded in Asking Alexandria’s tour bus.

When asked if they had any new experimental recording dreams, Bruce joked, “It might be kind of cool to go record in space, if that’s possible. We could be the first band that records out in space.”

From recording firsts to first records, Bruce has just started his own record label, KBB Records, and signed his first band, Scare Don’t Fear. “I’m not really bothered what genre of music they play. If I like it then I want to work with it. There are so many bands I’ve met along the way that really deserve a shot at this and never really get the chance,” says Bruce who was once in their shoes.

After their tour to South Africa, Asking Alexandria will headline the main stage of the month-long Mayhem Festival in America alongside Korn, Avenged Sevenfold and recent South Africa visitors Trivium. “We’re really excited. It’s just crazy, we managed to work our way up the ranks so quickly, being such a young band. We’re really looking forward to it,” said Bruce.

Win tickets to see Asking Alexandria live in Jo’burg.

Visit www.perdeby.co.za

A highly insightful and emotional biography, this book allows the reader into the life and past of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl who captured the world’s heart in 2012 and has held it since.

The reader learns about Yousufzai’s upbringing, and about her father Ziauddin Yousafzai, a poet, education activist and owner of a chain of public schools offering education for both girls and boys. It was at her father’s school that Malala learnt to read and write, as well as other skills which her illiterate mother had no access to while growing up.

The book also reveals that in these years Malala was an anonymous blogger for the BBC and wrote about being an 11-year-old schoolgirl under Taliba rule in a heavily militant Swat area of Pakistan, a debater of politics with her two brothers, and an avid reader of intellectually challenging books such as Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History in Time.

The reader is then told the story of a young girl whose family is temporarily displaced because of the immense violence in their community, but upon returning to their home, raises her voice against the injustice of her country’s male-biased education system. The courage of this young girl leads to extreme anger among Taliban leaders, who unanimously agree to murder her.

“Which one of you is Malala?” shouts a Talib to all the children on the bus ride to school on 9 October 2012, “Speak up, otherwise I will shoot you all”. Out of fear, one child points to identify her. Three shots are fired. The shooter has taken the life of the 14-year-old education advocate, or so he thinks.

Out of this terrifying ordeal, the valiant Yousafzai, who has survived head, spine and shoulder injuries, becomes a global icon and beacon of hope. The book also traces her experiences of having lunches with the likes of President Barack Obama, being nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize and speaking in the United Nations, and yet she says, “I don’t want to be thought of as the ‘the girl who was shot by the Taliban’ but ‘the girl who fought for education,” as “this is a cause to which I want to devote my life”.

As South Africa approaches the 20th anniversary of its freedom, it is often baffling to comprehend that such gross violations of human rights exist, yet in this very country of supposed freedom, girls, their mothers and their grandmothers are uneducated.

I Am Malala is written with honesty and passion proving Yousafzai to be the inspiration a country and the entire world needs to tackle the inequalities for girls and women in their pursuit of freedom and their right to education.

This compelling and socially relevant book is a must-read for every student. It takes the reader to extreme highs and lows while providing a picture of the plights experienced by women worldwide and questioning gender inequality.

The great Easter egg hunt: hidden treasures in our everyday media ELMARIE KRUGER They are everywhere. Hidden in our favourite movies, albums, TV shows and games. Tiny, concealed details that only those with the keenest of eyes and ears (or with lots of time on their hands) will notice: the media’s so-called Easter Eggs.

The term “Easter Egg” as a way of referring to hidden images and sounds in the media has many stories of origin.

One of the more popular tales is that it was coined during the filming of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1975. The story goes that the cast decided to have an Easter egg hunt on set, but some of these were so well hidden that nobody could find them, resulting in several of these Easter eggs being included in frames of the film. Easter Eggs are not limited to movies. Here are a few examples of Easter Eggs to look or listen out for in films, albums, games and TV series: A Starbucks coffee cup can be seen in every scene of Fight Club.

This is rather ironic considering that the message of both the book and the film is largely anti-consumerist. This just goes to show how easily people are influenced by subliminal advertising.

Pink Floyd congratulated their fans on finding a hidden

message on their The Wall album.

The Wall (1979) is arguably one of Pink Floyd’s most wellknown albums. It is most famous for the track “Another brick in the wall (part II)”. The track “Empty spaces” contains a backwards message (also called backmasking), that simply commends listeners for finding the message. The message, played forwards, features guitarist and vocalist Roger Waters saying “Hello, hunters. Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the Funny Farm, Chalfont,” after which he is interrupted by record producer James Guthrie letting him know that Carolyne (Waters’s then wife) is on the phone.

The same phrase is repeated in almost every early episode of Spongebob Squarepants.

Whenever a disaster occurs in the Spongebob Squarepants cartoon, a voice can be heard yelling “My leg!” In later episodes, however, this Easter Egg was removed.

Google litters the internet with entertaining Easter Eggs.

This last Easter Egg relates less to gaming and more to the internet. Google is famous for leaving all sorts of Easter Eggs for users to discover. For example, when you type “Google Pacman” into the search bar, it gives you a playable version of the game as a result.

Illustration: Simon-Kai Garvie

10

14 April ’14

Entertainment

Artistic freedom: what are the limitations?

LIZL LOMBAARD AND TIISETSO TSOSANE With Freedom Day just around the corner, it is important to ask how much freedom of expression South African artists and entertainers are allowed today 20 years after South Africa’s first democratic election.

Everybody remembers the great uproar in 2012 over The Spear painting, in which artist Brett Murray depicted President Jacob Zuma’s exposed genitals. This satirical piece was intended to be a comment on the state of the country and spark discussion among the people of South Africa. However, it generated a lot of criticism from ANC supporters and the ruling party itself, who saw the painting as a personal attack on the president and labelled it demeaning, racist and a violation of his dignity. Civil rights groups, however, argued that there was a place for freedom of expression in the new South Africa.

Robyn Sassen, a freelance art critic based in Johannesburg, says artists still have freedom of expression. “There was a major public outcry and a march around that work and that exhibition, which effectively got the Goodman Gallery into headline news but Brett Murray was not actually persecuted or jailed or directly censored. The situation took on its own momentum as a public thing” she says of The Spear incident.

But just how far can South African artists use their freedom of expression without infringing on the rights of others? Sassen says that artists can take their right to freedom of expression pretty far.

“From a constitutional point of view, there are issues like hate speech, but when it comes to the interpretation of visual art, there are loop holes in the name of opinion and so on. I do believe that as a Western country, we are not that bruised by an inability to exert freedom of expression. Yet,” says Sassen.

Our constitution deals with freedom of expression in section 16 of the Bill of Rights. It states that, “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes: freedom of the press and other media; freedom to receive or impart information or ideas; freedom of artistic creativity; and academic freedom and freedom of scientific research.” It continues to state in subsection two that the right to freedom of expression “does not extend to propaganda for war; incitement of imminent violence; or advocacy of hatred that is based on race, ethnicity, gender or religion, and that constitutes incitement to cause harm.”

Photo: Eddie Mafa

What constitutes hatred based on race, gender, ethnicity or religion is debatable as much by the spectator of the art as by the artist themselves. However, once a work is published or put on display, the artist has no control over how the work is interpreted.

Artists and entertainers play a big role in helping people in society cope with certain socio-political issues they may disagree with. They can help inspire action among the public that can help to generate change that will mend social injustices.

Theatre designer, Sasha Ehlers agrees and adds that art also allows you to push boundaries. Ehlers says, “You can say things that on a lot of other arenas you can’t say. My feeling is that the more sort of a backlashing that you get, the more controversy around something, the more you’ve actually made your point. If no one is sort of responding or talking about what you are doing, then have you really made an impact?”

A sure sign of the power of artistic expression as a key role player in social change are the artists who fought for freedom during the apartheid regime. Looking back at South Africa’s history before its first non-racial democratic elections, music and theatre played a huge role in expressing the oppression. Famous musicians like Brenda Fassie, Hugh Masikela and Miriam Makeba used music not just to entertain people but also to serve as a voice for the oppressed. The same can be said about theatre.

Sarafina is a famous play that carried an important message of revolution through artistic expression.

If South Africa is to be a truly free and democratic society, today’s artists cannot always paint a pretty picture of a positive rainbow nation. Last year Ayanda Mabulu’s Marikana painting, Yakhalinkomo - Black Man’s Cry, depicted the president stepping on a miner’s head. It was removed from last year’s Joburg Art Fair for a short period by the organisers of the Art Fair for fear that it would be offensive to the fair’s government sponsors.

After protests from artists it was put back on display. “It reflects a naiveté on the part of the organisers who felt they could make decisions of this nature, and it reflects an offensive sense of entitlement on the part of private sponsors to muscle their way into an arena where their opinion is neither warranted nor necessary,” Sassen says.

Art is a wonderful means of communcation, however, the fact that our freedom of expression may be threatened by select individuals, questions the current state of our democracy.

Sport

11

14 April ’14

Roundup of the Uefa Champions Former UP-Tuks 1 player League quarter-finals chases NFL dream

Adrián López fires a shot. Image: uefa.com

Frank Lampard on the offensive. Image: uefa.com

SIMPHIWE NHLABATHI

needed to win by two goals in order to move on to the semi-finals. Mourinho’s men dug deep and succeeded, winning 2-0. Goals were scored by Andre Schurrle in the first half and Demba Ba late in the second half.

Despite Dortmund’s 2-0 victory at Signal Iduna Park against Real Madrid, Madrid still qualified due to their aggregate score. Angel di Maria missed an early chance for Madrid to take the lead after his penalty was saved after Lukasz Piszczek handled in the box. Marco Reus went on to score the two goals in the 24th and the 37th minute.

At the Allianz Arena, Patrice Evra gave Manchester United fans hope of a possible qualification after his shot from outside the box found the top-right corner of the net in the 57th minute. Bayern Munich levelled a minute later with Mario Mandzukic’s header. The nightmare in Munich continued for Manchester United as a further two goals were scored by Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben. The match ended 3-1.

In what was the upset of the round, Barcelona bowed out after a brave performance by Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon. The only goal of the game was scored by Koke in the fifth minute for Atletico.

The draw for the semi-finals was on 11 April.

Chelsea will travel to Atletico Madrid, while Real Madrid will host Bayern Munich. The first leg will be on 22 and 23 April, and the second leg will be on 29 and 30 April.

Final scores on aggregate: Chelsea* 3- 3 Paris Saint Germain Real Madrid 3-2 Borussia Dortmund Manchester United 2-4 Bayern Munich Barcelona 1-2 Atletico Madrid *Teams that qualified on the away goal rule

The first leg of the Uefa Champions League quarter final took place on 1 and 2 April with the second leg played on 8 and 9 April.

In the first leg, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid played to a one-all draw at Camp Nou, with Gerard Piqué coming off the pitch in the 12th minute due to an injury. He was replaced by 23-year-old Marc Bartra. The first goal of the game only came in the 56th minute from Diego.

Barcelona’s Neymar was able to equalise in the 71st minute of the game, ending the game 1-1 with Atletico securing a crucial away goal.

Manchester United and Bayern Munich also played to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, with United’s goal coming from an unlikely source, defender Nemanja Vidic in the 58th minute. Bayern levelled matters with a sweetly struck shot by Bastian Schweinsteiger only eight minutes later.

Borussia Dortmund were away to Real Madrid.

The Spanish side played a clinical game, beating Dortmund in a comfortable 3-0 victory. Goals came from Gareth Bale, Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo before Ronaldo was substituted due to a minor knee injury.

Paris Saint Germain (PSG) hosted Chelsea at the Parc des Princes with José Mourinho’s side losing 3-1. Ezequiel Lavezzi scored for PSG in the third minute of the game. Chelsea equalised from the penalty spot in the 27th minute after Oscar was brought down in the box by Thiago Silva. Eden Hazard stepped up to slot the ball home. David Luiz scored an own goal and PSG’s third goal came right at the death after Javier Pastore scored in the 90th minute.

The second leg fixtures began with Chelsea taking on PSG at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea

South African players in the IPL NICOLE BARON The 2014 Indian Premier League, better known as the IPL, is much anticipated by sporting fans.

The IPL is made up of eight teams with players from around the world. This fast-paced cricket tournament begins on 16 April in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This year, 12 South Africans will be competing in the tournament.

One of the players to watch out for is the Proteas’ ODI captain AB de Villiers, who is playing with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

De Villiers will be joined by former Chennai Super Kings player Albie Morkel. As a left-hand batsman and a right-arm bowler, Morkel looks to be a standout in this year’s tournament.

Morkel will be playing against his brother Morne Morkel, who plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Another South African playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders is Jacques Kallis.

A master of the fast-paced T20 format, Kallis was a candidate for the 2010 Orange Cap (top batsman) in the IPL. Kings XI Punjab have two of South Africa’s young stars in their arsenal this season, lefthand batsman David Miller and pace bowler Beuran Hendricks. Miller is looking to use his international experience to his advantage, having played for Durham and Yorkshire in the UK. Hendricks, on the other hand, is looking to gain international experience through this tournament.

The lone South African in the Chennai Super Kings is Proteas all-rounder Francois “Faf” du

Plessis.

Marchant de Lange, although relatively unknown, was purchased by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012. This season the pace bowler will be playing for reigning champions Mumbai Indians.

“Where else in the world do you get the opportunity to basically kill someone with two bouncers in an over?”

The Sunrisers Hyderabad will be looking to capitalise on their investment in the aggressive Dale Steyn. The number one bowler in test cricket has said about the IPL, “Where else in the world do you get the opportunity to basically kill someone with two bouncers in an over?”

The team to look out for this year is the Delhi Daredevils, who have three South Africans in their squad: the most expensive foreign wicket-keeper in the IPL, Quinton de Kock, big-hitter JP Duminy, and Wayne Parnell, who was the youngest South African to ever receive a central contract from Cricket South Africa.

Adongo signing for the Colts. Image: africanscholar.com

SIMPHIWE NHLABATHI Former UP-Tuks 1 lock Daniel Adongo has been playing for America’s National Football League side Indianapolis Colts since signing a one-year contract with them last year. The Kenyan, who spent a large part of his rugby career in South Africa, made the move after what he called “a series of emails” between him and the Colts.

Adongo started his rugby playing career with Strathmore School in Kenya. From there he joined the Kenya Harlequins junior team. He was spotted at the 2006 Safari Sevens tournament in Kenya by South African scouts while representing Strathmore School in the school division of the tournament. In 2007, Adongo joined the Sharks Academy where he played for the Sharks u/19 team in 2008 and the u/21 team in 2010. Later that year he was included in the Vodacom Cup squad, but failed to make an appearance for the Sharks.

He made his way into the team in 2011. Adongo made his debut for the Sharks Vodacom Cup team in the opening match of the season against the Blue Bulls, in which the Sharks triumphed 30-19. He made a total of ten appearances in the tournament and also featured in the 2011 Currie Cup Premier Division squad, although he did not play in this competition.

By the end of 2011, Adongo made the switch to the Blue Bulls where he was released from his contract after only six months. He then joined UP-Tuks 1, for whom he played in the Varsity Cup in 2012 before moving to New

Zealand to play for the ITM Cup team Counties Manakau. Although the team gained promotion to the ITM Cup Premiership, he was left out of their 2013 squad. Adongo then featured for the Eastern Province Kings, playing in the Super Rugby squad before losing his place in the team, subsequently playing for the Kings in the Vodacom Cup and also the 2013 Currie Cup First Division.

On 25 July 2013, the Colts announced that they had signed the Kenyan as an outside linebacker despite the fact that he had no prior experience in American football. “Going forward, I think I just want to be the best that I can be for the team. Servitude is what it’s about here and I think that’s the culture that has been embroiled in the boys as we go forward,” said Adongo when asked about how he can contribute to the Colts.

After spending time as a member of the practice squad, he was placed on the Colts active roster on 3 December 2013. “Well, I’m pretty much starting from scratch, but I’m a quick learner and I’m ready to put in the hard yards to make sure that I’m up and ready to go when the time comes,” Adongo said. He added, “I want to inspire people. I want to validate everyone’s dreams. If you can draw inspiration from my story, that’s what I aimed to do.”

Adongo made his debut for the Colts against the Cincinnati Bengals. He also played against the Houston Texans in the 2013 regular season, and in the 2014 post season against the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots.

Red Bull Campus Cricket USHENTA NAIDOO Assupol Tuks faced Steinhoff Maties in the first South African Red Bull Campus Cricket finals.

The three-match T20 tournament commenced on 8 April at the TuksCricket Oval.

Maties won the toss on day one and elected to bat first. Tuks were ferocious in their attack, taking two early wickets, leaving Maties 11/2 in the fourth over. The visiting team managed to gain some stability and fought back, putting up a respectable 118/4 at the end of their 20 overs.

David Mogotlane finished as Tuks’s best bowler with figures of 2-0-9-2. Tuks responded by reaching their target with two overs remaining and seven wickets in hand, finishing 122/3.

South African u/19 captain Aiden Markram made 50 not out off 45 balls and took home the award for man of the match.

The second match took place on 9 April.

Tuks won the toss and chose to bowl first. Tuks, once again ruthless in their attack, left Maties 28/4 after four overs. Vincent Moore (4-0-162), Theunis de Bruyn (4-0-30-2) and Corbin Bosch (3.5-0-15-2) each took two wickets for Tuks. Maties were 106 all-out in the final over.

Tuks reached the target within 16 overs with De Bruyn and Markram leading the chase again, finishing on 36 and 57 respectively. Markram was named man of the match for the second time.

Tuks won the toss in the third and final game

Tuks dominating the bowling. Photo: Brad Donald

on the afternoon of 9 April and decided to bat first. Tuks posted a score of 144/9, with Maties chasing for the first time in the tournament.

Maties looked formidable as they reached 70/2 halfway through their innings. However, Tuks dominated in the second half of the innings, restricting Maties to 125/6 in their 20 overs.

Tuks finished the tournament with a 3-0 victory over Maties.

As winners of the Red Bull Campus Cricket SA finals, Assupol Tuks advance to the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals in England.

The tournament will take place from 21-26 July. Tuks will represent South Africa, playing against teams from Australia, India, England and Pakistan.

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Gustav Lemmen: serving up a storm SIMPHIWE NHLABATHI TuksTennis player Gustav Lemmen has won the TuksTennis Club Champs for the fourth year in a row. On 29 March he achieved this groundbreaking feat, winning his fourth successive tournament with a comfortable 6-1 6-2 victory. He is a third year actuarial sciences student, the vice chairman of the TuksTennis club and has been chosen to represent South Africa twice, in 2011 and 2013.

When did you start playing tennis and what got you interested in it?

I started playing tennis at five years old and got proper training around the same age. I have 17 years of experience in playing tennis and I got interested in it because I started winning. I also got to play in different cities and got the opportunity to meet a lot of new people. I got to see the country and tennis took me there.

If you had to pick a tennis player whose playing style is most similar to yours, who would it be and why?

It has to be Nikolay Davydenko. He counter punches, stands on the baseline and hits wings equally well from both sides. But currently, it would have to be Novak Djokovic because his style of play is also similar.

What would you like to achieve in your tennis career in the next ten years?

It’s actually too late for me now, in terms of a tennis career. You have to start a professional career between 15 and 16 to get the experience

Lemmen in action. Images: Tuks Tennis Students Facebook

you need, otherwise your career will be too short.

Also, travel costs are too much because most tournaments at a professional level are overseas.

You have won the Club Champs four times.

What goes through your head in the last set of your final games?

It depends on the match. If you break the opponent, you’re more likely to stay on top. I’ve only had one or two matches that were “score line tough”, in the sense that the score was very close.

Otherwise I have fairly relaxed games, mostly because I take the lead early and give myself room for error.

Do you have any pre-game superstitions or rituals? If so, what do you do?

I don’t do anything pre-game, but during the game, when I have to serve, I always have to have all three balls, whereas most people prefer two.

When the opponent feeds the ball to me, I don’t like it when it touches the line and if I win a toss I usually receive, because I want my return to surprise the opponent. I also wear black socks with black shoes and white socks with white shoes.

Who is your role model and why?

Roger Federer. He wins a lot so he’s easier to support and he also makes it look easy because

Jetovator: a fun way to fly

Chris Hersov riding the Jetovator. Photo: Brad Donald

MICHAEL REINDERS Jetovator is a new water sport trending around the world. It combines a water bike and a jet ski, which allows you to fly into the sky.

The Jetovator is a small, bike-like vehicle which is propelled by water jets. The jet ski which is used with the Jetovator has a special Jetovator unit fitted onto it which replaces the jet ski pump. All the force of water goes forward into a single tube which goes into the bike to send the bike into the air. The main thrust goes out the back and then about 40% of

What happens when you don’t listen. Photos: Maxine Twaddle

the power will comes out of the handle bars.

The rider then controls the bike in the same way that you would control a motorbike, except you do not control the throttle; this comes from the jet ski itself. The handle bars are used to control height and direction. The trick is to get your weight forward, as you cannot fall off the front of the Jetovator but only off of the back.

The Jetovator can reach heights of about eight metres, can travel at speeds of around 40 km/h and can also dive under water for short periods of time.

Brothers Nicholas and Curtis Geils run

Jetovator Witbank Dam. Perdeby was invited by the brothers to Witbank Dam to try it out.

The overall Jetovator experience at the dam was interesting and enjoyable. The Jetovator was placed in the water and dragged out behind a jet ski with the rider holding on. The operator then started up the jet ski and the bike went up into the air, until the rider fell off.

Curtis told us, “If you listen you’ll fly, if you don’t you’ll fall.” This happened a lot and the lesson was learnt the hard way. The first few times you try to lift up out of the water are hard, although some people get it right the first time, but within minutes you are flying and falling.

It is an adrenaline-filled, fast-paced experience that leaves participants smiling.

Nicholas adds, “We have a 100% flying rate, we haven’t had anybody who hasn’t been in the air.” Having all the control makes the experience even better and allows the rider to steer where the bike goes, how high and how often you fall.

The Geils brothers run Jetovator Witbank Dam over the weekend from Barham Bay Lodge (formerly known as Steve’s Place). The lodge is on the bank of the dam and also has a pool, bar, shop and braai area. There is also accommodation available at the lodge. They provide a whole day experience where people can braai, spend the day with the Jetovator Witbank Dam team and enjoy the resort facilities. The brothers bought the franchise in January this year and started running the business in February. Curtis told Perdeby that they are planning to, “Take to [the] Witbank skies one flight at a time.”

Chris Hersov, who also tried out the Jetovator, said it was, “Really cool and a lot easier than I thought. Even a 50-year-old can get on and have a jol.”

Those interested can book in advance to ride the Jetovator. It costs R750 per person for a 30-minute ride, but group specials and discounts are available. More information about the Jetovator Witbank Dam is available on their Facebook page Jetovator Witbank Dam.

he’s graceful on the court. He’s half-South African as well.

How do you bounce back from your losses and what was the worst loss you’ve ever suffered?

I just take the defeat on the chin. Once you’ve lost, you’ve lost. You have to see where your opponent played better than you and you also have to look at your own mistakes. My worst loss came in 2008 while playing nationals in Bloemfontein. We were one set all and I was 5-3 up in the third set. He cheated by changing the score to him being 5-4 up and a huge argument ensued. We had to start the set from scratch and he went on to win. He was also my seeded player, therefore if I had won I would have [gotten] his seed and I wouldn’t have to play a seeded player until the quarter finals.

When you are on the tennis court, it’s just you against the opponent, unlike rugby or football where you have teammates with you on the pitch who can help motivate you. How do you keep yourself motivated?

Well, the captain is allowed on the court on changeovers and can help and tell you about things that you can improve on, but I never really use him much. Also, the responsibility is heaped on the player so all the glory is yours and all the disappointments are yours too. It’s actually a double-edged sword.

How do you balance playing tennis for Tuks at a semi-professional level, studying and maintaining a social life?

You make time for the things that you have to do.

It’s as simple as that. Studies only take up so much time and there is no reason to use it as an excuse.

Tuks represented in the Cape Epic WILLIAM ALDRIDGE The Cape Epic celebrated its tenth anniversary of the race this year. Arguably one of Africa’s most grueling mountain bike stage races, with eight days, 713km, and 14 850m of climbing, it’s not for the faint-hearted. The Epic attracts riders from 45 different countries and has 67% South African representation.

The Epic only has 1200 riders, one of whom happens to be a Tuks student.

William Mokgopo, a first-year sport science student, was chosen to be a part of the Absa team for the Epic. Absa is the main sponsor of the event and puts together a team of ambassadors who represent the bank and follow a theme of “human spirit”.

Mokgopo was discovered by the Diepsloot MTB Academy and rode his third Epic in 2014 with Owen Hannie, SuperSport and Metro FM presenter, who rode his fifth Epic this year. At the finish line, Mokgopo was presented with an Amabubesi medal, which in Zulu means “pride of lions”.

The medal is awarded to riders who have completed the race three times. After his experience at the Epic Mokgopo said, “I actually learned that it gets tougher as you go. Fortunately I got stronger as time went by. And it feels really good – Owen Hannie was helping me and encouraging me along the way and I think I redefined my strength. Thanks to Owen and Absa for the opportunity we got this year.” Overall, Hannie and Mokgopo finished 102nd finishing stage seven in 4:05.01.

In April, Mokgopo will be representing South Africa in the Elite u/23 XCO team for the MTB XCO World Cup, which will be held at Cascades Mountain bike Park in Pietermartizburg, KwaZulu-Natal.

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