17 October Issue 21

Dr. Ian Erasmus

TANDARTS / DENTAL SURGEON

Oral Hygienist available for cleaning Nooddiens beskikbaar Tel: 012 362 5773/4 2nd Floor Hateld Plaza Burnett Street, Pretoria Tel / Fax: 012 362 5773/4

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

17October2011

year73issue21

Zuma on campus

Oral sex can cause cancer

Perdeby at Sexpo

Interview with LARK

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Controversy delays election results DAVID CROSS Several student movements such as COPE and the Progressive Youth Alliance at the University of Pretoria are dissatised with the outcome of the 2011 SRC elections. They have demanded all cases of misconduct to be dealt with in a serious manner by the university.

COPE student movement has made claims of campaign sabotage, accusing “agents” of AfriForum Youth of having violated university policy during the course of the SRC elections. COPE campaign posters were allegedly removed and discarded. Reports indicate AfriForum Youth also released pamphlets containing the names of independent candidates that they wished students to vote for, which is strictly forbidden by university policy.

In addition to these democratic violations, AfriForum Youth election material that was rejected by the IEC was still distributed in large volumes on campus. AfriForum Youth reportedly also broadcasted SMS’s without an opt-out option.

AfriForum was ned R80 000 by university management as a result of the violations, R50 000 of which has been suspended.

“SASCO and COPE expressed their dissatisfaction with the results of the AfriForum SEC (Special Election Court) case, claiming that the outcome did not remedy the detrimental effect on the election caused by AfriForum’s conduct,” reported Wesley Timm, Chief Electoral Ofcer of the IEC. COPE is calling for a harsher punishment to be given to AfriForum Youth, including the disqualication of all candidates contained within their illegally distributed pamphlets as well as a reduction of parliamentary seats.

“I have also heard rumours of threats of violence and physical disruption should the results not be released without further consideration,” states Timm. AfriForum Youth has requested an emergency meeting with the rector of the University of Pretoria regarding pressure that youth movement SASCO has applied to the university in order to prevent them from releasing the election results. “SASCO subsequently threatened UP in a letter, stating that they would do anything to ensure that the results of the elections were not released unless AfriForum Youth gave up a number of the seats they had carried,” stated Charl Oberholzer, National Chairman of AfriForum Youth.

Jordan Grifths, DASO Chairman, stated, “We will be demanding the release of the results of the election, which took place on 13 September, over four weeks ago, as well as a release of a judgement against AfriForum for electoral campaign transgressions which may fundamentally affect the fairness of the election outcome.”

DASO’s demand for the release of the election results reects the need for the student parliament to be fairly constituted, as students without access to student representatives are left without assistance in important matters such as nancial aid. All complaints regarding the freeness and fairness of the election have now been settled by the IMB (Independent Monitoring Body) and the SEC, however, management at the University of Pretoria has insisted that the election results are not to be released until the election is deemed as free and fair, in addition to talks of a possible re-election if further controversy persists.

Over 7000 students voted in the SRC elections, a 20% increase in the number of students who voted in the previous election.

Welcome, Mr President

Photos: Desré Barnard

President Zuma visited Tuks last week. See the full article on page 3.

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17 October ’11

Friends, presidents and Holidays in Spain

Editorial

From the Editor

www.perdeby.co.za perdeby@up.ac.za (012) 420 6600

You know that thing where you hear a song that describes what you want to say to someone so exactly, so perfectly and poetically, that you know if they heard it they would know exactly how you feel and everything would be magically better somehow? Ja. That has been happening to me a lot lately.

It’s interesting how music can reect your life, how you can extract meanings from lyrics and apply them so specically to yourself.

This phenomenon describes my recent battle of wills with Imogen Heap and The National, who I love love love, but who just so happen to have a couple of songs on my shufe that didn’t make life very easy, emotionally. I nd that, in such cases, rediscovering old music helps. I brushed off some old Coldplay because I had tickets to go see their show, which was fairly pleasant. I’m not their biggest fan, but they gave an awesome performance. Chris Martin, jy mag maar. Speaking of awesome: The Beatles. The Beatles solve all problems. Listen to them, and you will be happy. I am happy to report that Imogen and I have worked things out, though.

As you can probably tell from my incoherent musings, it’s been a tumultuous few weeks, personally (don’t worry, those gory details won’t be shared here) and academically.

As far as academics are concerned, there’s this funny thing that happens when you enter the last few weeks of your degree. You start getting devastatingly demotivated, tired, disinterested.

Over it, to use the vernacular. It probably has to do with being so bloody close to the nish line. The race is almost run. Fatigue, I believe, is the word for it.

You know that thing that happens where you get a powerful urge to run away? Go to the airport,

EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Carel Willemse EDITOR: Beyers de Vos NEWS: Nina van Wyk news@perdeby.co.za FEATURES: Marie van Wyk features@perdeby.co.za RES UPDATE: Katlego Mkhwanazi resupdate@perdeby.co.za ENTERTAINMENT: Meagan Dill entertainment@perdeby.co.za SPORT: Charlotte Keuris sport@perdeby.co.za COPY: Hayley Tetley LAYOUT: Hickley Hamman VISUALS: Desré Barnard

TEAMS LAYOUT Camilla Coertse Celeste Theron Allan Le Roux JP Nathrass COPY

get on a plane, y to Spain, meet hot Spaniards and drink sangria in romantic little enclaves to the sound of soothing Spanish guitar? Ja. That’s been happening to me a lot lately as well. If only I was rich and didn’t need a visa. Life is lled with little practicalities which make hedonistic adventures in Bohemia, amongst other things, impossible, isn’t it?

But, when life gets you down, it’s the little things, like music and chocolate and Zoo cookies that make everything better. Little things like a stranger stopping you in the street and telling you that you’re doing a good job when you’re having a bad day (thank you, kind stranger).

And also, friends. Friends are the most important thing in life, a lesson I keep learning again and again. So I want to say this publically (excuse, for a minute, my sentimentality): my friends are great. All of them. They make the whole thing worthwhile. I would be stupid without them. They also throw great parties.

But, I’m rambling. Back to what is important: you, the reader. We have a packed edition for you this week. Check out our interview with LARK rst, because they are incredible, and then page to our delightful coverage of Sexpo. Then, the president (JZ) was on campus this week, without much fanfare or notice, so we have a little bit for you on that, as well as on the increase in university fees for 2012. Then we take a look at Boekenhout’s attempt at recording an album. This album cheered me up immensely, for all the wrong reasons. It was weak, boys. But it made me happy.

And, if nothing else, at least we don’t have a story about exam stress on the front page. Cliché, much?

Stay excellent, kids Beyers

Ruhan Robinson Caitlin Roberts Jaco Kotze Jenna-Lee Fortuin Mandisa Mbele Somarié Gravett Saneze Tshayana Nadine Wubbeling Yuan-Chih Yen Marissa Gravett

ADVERTISING SALES Cell: 083 318 9738 carel.willemse@up.ac.za

COPYRIGHT

Perdeby is printed by Paarlmedia. All rights reserved.

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

For counselling and guidance in an unplanned pregnancy, contact 0800 864 658 or go to www.adoption.org.za

Dear Tukkie I trust that the ten day break has afforded you some respite after the “gruelling” third term you have had. This term is no different either. Some of you are already having sleepless nights, preparing for Semester Tests. I have rst hand experience of this.

In our time, we looked forward to such days because we knew that they were taking us closer to our goal. If you have the same attitude, you will win half of your battle even before it commences. Courage!!!

The unfortunate reality is that your academic programme this time of the year is always in competition with a number of social activities. There are farewell functions, end of the year functions, sporting events and informal recreational sessions.

Participation in more than one of these has proved to be counter-productive for some. The scale tends to gravitate towards one side only. Self-discipline is what I always advise. However, this too is never without a challenge from those who offer more

attractive alternatives than the “boring” talk about academic work. I trust that you are mature enough to make the right choices.

For those who are interested, the recipe I offer this time of the year to which I have received positive feedback from individuals who followed it is the following: i) as a rule, you should go over the work covered during the course of the day before you go to sleep. If there are areas you are not certain about, follow up with your lecturer or the tutor allocated to you. However, this time of the year, you need that as well as a list of areas which you never followed up during the course of the year. Make an appointment with the person who can help and go with a notebook ii) consider forming a study group with your peers. This helps you to determine how much you know or do not know and which common areas you all are struggling with. Work can be divided up according to areas various individuals have an edge in. Many people have beneted a lot from such groups. However, the downside of it is

that if not vigilant, the entire group might hold on to incorrect information iii) revise the study time table you have been following during the course of the year to ensure that the modules with which you are struggling get more attention. Please do not spend more than three hours one module per day. Take a break in- between and allow your brains to recharge iv) eat healthy and balanced food with a lot of greens.

Substitute exercises and sleep/rest for Red Bull, Coke and coffee. These and other stimulants can affect you negatively v) nally, sleep early the night before an exam. Wake up in the morning to look at the main points you have noted on a piece of paper and leave them behind when you go to the exam room. Please take a break of at least three hours after the exam before you embark on studies for the next examination.

Best wishes Prof McGlory Speckman Dean of Students

The views reected are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Perdeby

News

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17 October‘11

President Zuma gives lecture at Tuks KIRSTI BUICK On Thursday 13 October, the University of Pretoria received its rst visit from President Jacob Zuma. The president was asked by the Department of Political Sciences and the newly-established Centre for Mediation in Africa to deliver a lecture on South Africa’s foreign policy.

The lecture was attended by the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim; Jerry Matjila, the department’s Director-General; and various foreign ambassadors and high commissioners.

In his address, President Zuma gave a brief overview of the South African position in the world of international relations and the country’s relationship with various states, regional groups and organisations. He stressed that South Africa’s “foreign policy is independent and decisions are formed by national interest. We are not dictated to.”

The president thanked the university for its interest in conict resolution in Africa, as he outlined the stance of the country on the various conicts in Africa. Most notably, President Zuma said of the situation in Zimbabwe: “We will continue to call on parties to spare no effort in creating a peaceful environment for fair and credible elections.” The president has played an active role in facilitating dialogue between Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC. A student posed a question about South Africa’s vote for UN Security Council Resolution 1973, which authorised using “all necessary measures” against Gadda’s forces. President Zuma responded by saying that South Africa only signed up to restrict Libyan airspace. He said, “Western countries used the resolution to do what was not in the resolution. They used the airspace for themselves. They abused it. That’s a fact.”

In closing, President Zuma expressed a desire to build a closer working relationship with the university. “We look forward to working with the University of Pretoria to build a better Africa, and a better world.”

Photo: Desré Barnard

Oral sex can cause cancer, says UP professor UP fees to increase FRANCOIS VAN DER WESTHUIZEN According to new research conducted by Prof. Andre van Zyl of the university’s School of Dentistry, if you’ve had six or more oral sex partners in your life, you’re ten times more likely to get oro-pharyngeal cancer. Van Zyl and the South African Dental Association recently warned of the health risks of oral sex and were concerned about the increase in oral cancer.

According to the Cancer Association of South Africa, the main causes of oral cancer are smoking, heavy consumption of alcohol and a poor diet. Another cause of the disease is the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can be sexually transmitted.

This type of cancer starts in the mouth in the form of an ulcer that bleeds easily and does not heal. It then spreads to the neck, tongue and tonsils if left untreated.

Maretha Smit, the CEO of the South African Dental Association, says that the organisation has launched an educational campaign, to combat “the alarming increase” in cases of oro-pharyngeal cancer. In addition to promoting awareness of the risks involved in oral sex, the campaign will also draw attention to the risks of smoking hubbly, another cause of the disease.

However, the South African Dental Association believes that drinking coffee can lower the risk of oral cancer. Coffee contains antioxidants, an important compound that can help protect your body from disease. In fact, a growing body of research suggests that coffee may also prevent diseases like cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Prof. Van Zyl says that oro-pharyngeal cancer can be cured with four to six weeks of chemotherapy, but only if the cancer is detected at an early stage. The South African Dental Association recommends an HPV vaccine, for both men and women, to prevent oro-pharyngeal cancer.

“If you’ve had six or more oral sex partners in your life, you’re ten times more likely to get cancer.”

DANIELLE PETTERSON The university is aiming to increase the study fees for 2012 by 9.5%. This follows the 8% increase at the beginning of 2011.

This was conrmed in a meeting held on 4 August by the Strategic Committee for Study Finance.

The minutes of the meeting state that discussions with student leadership will commence with a proposed 10.5% increase. According to DASO Chairperson, Jordan Grifths, UP management is attempting to dupe the SRC during talks into thinking they have negotiated the amount down to 9.5% when in fact this is the amount initially desired.

SRC President and AfriForum Youth Chairperson Charl Oberholzer said that UP management was confronted by the executive of the SRC. Their response was that a percentage had not yet been decided on. Oberholzer states that the SRC is now wary in terms of its negotiations with UP management. “We do not trust management with negotiating on the fee increment since we suspect that tactics are being used to make students think that they accomplished something,” he said.

According to Oberholzer, the SRC will attempt to negotiate a more reasonable increase. A further goal will be to ght for better quality of student services and support mechanisms, thereby ensuring that value is added to student life.

A meeting between the SRC and UP management is scheduled for 20 October.

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17 October ‘11

News

Tuks hosts the 2011 Kuesta University Choir Festival KOKETSO DLONGOLO Tuks hosted the Kuesta University Choir Festival where South Africa’s top unversity choirs take part in the Kuesta Gala concert once every two years.

The Kuesta (from the words “Kultuur” and “Fiesta”) University Choral Festival has been held in rotation at the participating universities’ campuses for more than 30 years.

The aim of the festival is to ensure the continued development of the South African university choral music culture and to maintain the standard expected of South African university choirs. This year the Tuks Camerata welcomed performances from the universities of Potchefstroom, Johannesburg, Stellenbosch, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the North-West University Choir.

Second-year actuarial science student and Camerata member, Jocelyn Mazarura, says,“It was absolutely fantastic, I had a great time and am very grateful for the opportunity.”

The festival started on Friday 30 Septmeber and continued until Sunday 2 October. All together, 296 choristers from the respective universities took part. Each choir was given two opportunities to perform for the other choirs. Willem Potgieter, a Tuks Camerata executive member and Marketing Manager, described the event as “a moving experience.”

“Every chorister was left enchanted by the amazing music,” said Potgieter.

At the end of the four performances, a mass choir piece written by one of the Tuks Camerata alumni, Pieter Bezuidenhoudt, was performed. “The sound of 300 mature choir voices will be locked in everyone’s memories for years to come,” said Potgieter.

The highlight of the Kuesta weekend was the Gala Concert which happened on the Sunday evening in a sold-out Musaion.

Some of Tuks Camerata’s most recent accolades include rst place in the Jazz and Pop category at the 46th CA Seghizzi International Choral Competition at Gorizia, Italy, during 2007. In 2010, Tuks Camerata won the award for Best Adult Mixed Choir at the Bratislava Advent and Christmas Music Festival. Thereafter, the Choir undertook a concert tour of Poland and Austria.

Photos Pho tto oss: Desr esréé Barrn rnar aard rrdd

Students celebrating Tukkie Trots Day last week. See the full article at perdeby.co.za.

Res Update

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17 October ‘11

Boekenhout: Res of Rockstars

ZOE NGOMBANE

Pssst… would like to congratulate Curlitzia and Mopanie for winning the Res of the Year award. Pssst… still doesn’t know why the new HK were all dressed up. There will be plenty of opportunities to sweat in those blazers and, sometimes hideous, dresses. No offence to Lilium. Pssst… would also like to give special awards to the residences. Once again, if the shoe doesn’t t, then don’t throw a t about it.

Pssst... Res awards: The We Don’t Know When to Use the Word No award goes to Nerina. Pssst… thinks the Biggest Skirt Hoppers of 20ll award should go to Kiaat. Kiaat also gets the Clown award.

The stunt you pulled at the Ienk Athletics was classic. Pssst… feels obligated to award Katjiepiering the Shame We Try award. The Most Stylish Female Res of 2011 is Jasmyn, for having an outt for everything: house meetings, Stuku meetings and even non-existent meetings. The Most Stylish Male Res of 2011 is Kollege for rocking those wife-beaters. Thjey also win the Square Commitment award. The Nose in the Air award is for the res that is so stuck up, it’s just sickening. And the winners are: Madelief and Zeus Men. Taaibos should get the Res That Tries Really Hard and Still Doesn’t Win Anything award. The Good At Nothing award and the Worst Res Colours award goes to Lilium.The Worst Clubhouse of the Year award goes to Olienhout. The Serious Obsession With the song “Black and Yellow” award goes to Kiaat.The We Only Have One War Cry award goes to Maroela.

Sonop wins the SPCA award for animal care.

The Bestiality award for an unhealthy obsession with lions goes to Klaradyn. The Saw Award for unnecessary violence belongs to Madelief (using tasers is taking it too far).

In February of 2010 while some were preparing for the Soccer World Cup, Boekenhout was cooking up something a little more indigenous to Tuks. Boekenhout was putting together an album, Waglys. Its residents submitted entries of original music, in any language. Out of the 26 music entries, 15 were selected by an external board of adjudicators made up of local professional musicians. An album was then put together. A fair upgrade from the earlier years of Boekenhout CDs that consisted mostly of one musician singing to the tune of a guitar. “[There were] months of back and forth between us and the recording studio, mixing and mastering the tracks,” said Marno Kirstein, who is at the forefront of the Boekenhout CD project. “We even made a few extra trips to Nelspruit, where the actual recording studio is situated, to re-record some of the vocals and instrumentation,” he added.

The album is titled Waglys, refering to the fact that the waiting list is an unfortunate reality in the life of a Tuks residence student.

The launch of their 15 track album saw Boekenhout light up with music to a cheering crowd. There were many vastly different genres on the CD: from a bit of jazz to attempted ballads.

The launch gave the audience a taste of what is on the album. They performed an indie track “Life” and a fun, if not politically incorrect title “Siamese Twins”. The Boekenhout song “Nog `n Dagie” was a sure favourite. Some interesting ones included “Chocolate Milk Cookies”, a song supposedly about everyday disasters of the modern-day student, but also a song which you hope wasn’t a serious attempt at quality.

“Chocolate Milk” is a track that will have you in stitches, either because of the ridiculously humorous lyrics or because of its total lack of quality. The drum and guitars of “Sunny With a Chance of Pain” help make this track a sing-

along, although the lyrics are painfully corny and uninspired. The song “Kiekies” by Henk Otto won the prize for the song most eligible for a music video and the video was shown at the launch. All in all, the album is of a good production standard.

There are some really good songs and some I-can’t-believe-that-made-it-onto-the-album songs.

The album sells for R150 in a CD/DVD package and it is just the beginning for Waglys.

Boekenhout is planning on sending their music video to MK once they’ve aired the footage of

the album launch. The nal leg of the project is to nish a short documentary on the CD project. “[It has taken] about twenty months so far. We’re not professionals. We are students, we stuff around,” said Kirstein. “We have to count on people working for peanuts, on Echo Studio, on doing the live recording, all on a shoe-string budget,” added Kirstein during his speech at the album launch.

They made it this far with a full recorded album, that’s got to be something to be proud of.

Image: Supplied

Curlitzia and Mopanie scoop Res of the Year

Mopanie chairperson recieves award

KATLEGO MKHWANAZI Residences and their HKs of 2010/11 gathered together one last time at LC De Villiers’ Rembrandt Hall to celebrate prestige evening. Prestige evening is a platform to give recognition to the residences that excelled in different areas of res student life.

The awards were given in different categories: Rag, culture, sport, social and academics.

Each student service provider was given the opportunity to give out awards. TuksRag gave the TuksRag Prestigious (overall winner) Award to Madelief and Olympus who raised the most funds for Rag. Stuku presented awards for culture external and internal. The overall winners for student culture were Erika and Boekenhout. “It’s not the HK who won the

events, you get a lot of help from the residents,” said Zane Groenewald, Boekenhout culture external HK. Jacob Ssali, TuksSport EC member, presented the Excellence in Sport awards, which are given to the residences that excelled in recreational sport. The residences that excelled in both sport participation and results are Madelief and Mopanie. The res that had the biggest support at their sport events and was awarded the Overall Spirit trophy was Erika.

The award for the highest academic average was awarded to both medical campus residences Curlitzia (79.39%) and Olympus (75.20%). TuksVillage also got the highest average of the mixed residences with a 74.90% score. But TukRes is not all about work and no play. Residences were asked to vote for the social events of the year. Katjiepiering had the highest votes for hosting great social events. Roelf Visser awarded Katjiepiering the Directors’ Award for res excellence. Visser explained that this award is for a res that a has over the years had good management and that has established and maintained good relationships and is passionate about the roles it plays. According to Visser, Katjiepiering is a well-balanced res that has performed well on the Hillcrest campus. The much anticipated award was the Res of the Year award. An award that identies the cream of the crop and conrms that the hard work pays off. In third place were Madelief and Olympus. In second place were Erika and Sonop. First place was tightly contested, but was awarded to Curlitzia and Mopanie. These two were residences of the year in 2008 as well. They each received a cash prize of R5000. “I’m ecstatic. Everyone worked hard. We are blessed by the Lord. They [Mopanie] are an amazing group,” said a happy Danie Ungerer, Chairperson of Mopanie. Visser commended the residences for working hard.

“All of you are doing a great job,” said Visser.

Photo: Brad Donald

With Exam season around the corner , we thought the following letter we received from a student might be of interest.

Letter to WOOLFSONS PHARMACY staff Thank-you so much for giving me such an unfair advantage over my fellow students and my B.Ed. degree,you have made it all seem so easy.

As you know I came to you feeling tired and not being able to concentrate for long periods of time and as my major is mathematics I simply could not cope. One of my biggest concerns is that my parents cannot really afford the University fees so I dare not even contemplate failing. I had so much work to do and was starting to cry allot as I could not seem to concentrate and was falling behind with my studies and projects.

Thanks to you and your team at Woolfson’s and two brands made by Vital-- Ginkgo Biloba 7,000mg and Maxi B with Vitamin C I have had so much energy I am not sure I am the same person. I am also averaging 80% for all my projects and tests this year. I really feel you have given me an almost unfair advantage and I really appreciate your recommendations. I try and tell everyone that is showing any old symptoms as I had how good I am feeling on your Vital combinations.

Thank-you for being a life saver.

Yours Sincerely Miss N. Wilmans.

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17 October ‘11

Features

Murderous women throughout history MASENTLE NTHOLENG The Bloody Mary cocktail, the story of Snow White and the movie Monster. Put all of these together and what you get is a blend of party favourites and celebrated forms of entertainment that tell of blood and gore behind their names and origins. When it comes to murder, cunning, malice and unforgivable (but undoubtedly creative) forms of torture, women share the podium with some of history’s most prominent killers.

One of the most interesting and possibly horric stories of a murderous female is that of Elizabeth Bathory, also known as “The Bloody Queen of Slovakia”, who lived in the 17th century. She is notorious for committing approximately 650 murders but was ofcially prosecuted for only 80. Many people described her as insane, weird and cruel, but this is said to be because she was the result of inbreeding in the Bathory family. It is said that as aristocratic life was overly boring for Elizabeth, she found herself a female lover despite her marriage and, encouraged by her maids, started torturing servants for entertainment by dousing them with water then letting them freeze to death outside in the snow. When she became a widow shortly after turning 40, she started bathing in and drinking the blood of virgins because she believed that by doing this she would retain her youth. Girls from surrounding villages were summoned to her castle, kidnapped, hung upside down in spiked cages, and then drained of their blood. Hundreds of virgins were allegedly killed for their blood during Elizabeth’s ve-year reign but she was never satised with her complexion. Talk about insatiable.

Daisy de Melker is known as South Africa’s rst serial killer and the second woman to have been executed in this country. She was responsible for three murders. She committed the rst in 1923 – the victim: her rst husband.

Her second husband soon followed. She then went on to murder her son. She was only prosecuted for her son’s murder. De Melker, who was a classic black widow, used the old-school murder method of using highly untraceable poison to get rid of her victims.

Although she was a trained nurse, she was very procient with things that are not supposed to be found in the medicine cabinet. She got rid of her two husbands by giving them each a generous dose of strychnine. This is a highly

toxic substance used as a pesticide for rodents and birds. She killed her only surviving son, Rhodes, who was 20 years old, with a large dose of arsenic (a tasteless and odourless toxic substance previously known as “inheritance powder” because impatient heirs were infamous for using it to get their inheritance money).

Another blonde-gone-ballistic is worldfamous serial killer Aileen Wournos. She is notorious for killing seven truck drivers between November 1989 and November 1990 while she was working as a prostitute. She was found guilty of six murders and received the death sentence. She died by lethal injection in 2002. Wournos, author of Monster, which was turned into an Oscar-winning movie, had a past

riddled with sexual and physical abuse, as well as endless stints in prison while house-hopping between foster families. The series of murders she committed is said to be a reection of her violent past. She claimed that the truck drivers she killed were asking for it by attempting to rape her.

Filicide is apparently another popular means of murder for the more insane and murderous woman. Filicide is the act of murdering one’s children. Andrea Yates is infamous for drowning her ve young children in her bath tub in 2001, a heinous act she had been planning for two years which Yates attributed to her religious fanaticism when she told her jail psychiatrist that it was the seventh Deadly Sin. “My children weren’t righteous. The way I was raising them, they could never be saved.

They were doomed to perish in the res of hell,” Yates said. One just has to wonder what level of crazy one has to be on to actually do such a thing without even inching. Andrea had been suffering from postpartum depression and psychosis, which gave way to her slaying frenzy.

This, by all means, is not a guideline to teach people how to get away with murder. It does, however, prove that crazy comes in all forms, sexes and pill sizes. Horrors like these were a reality to somebody and why anybody would want to name a tasty cocktail or Disney animation after these tales, nobody knows. This could also come across as a friendly and subtle warning to actually take hormones seriously because you never know what monster you might be unleashing if a glass of wine is not offered while a lady is going through PMS. Photo: Bonita Lubbe

For as long as we both shall live?

NOLWAZI MNGADI Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. This old custom represents the items that a bride should have on her wedding day in order to have a long and happy marriage. Despite high divorce rates in South Africa and around the world, little girls (and boys) dream about their wedding day from a young age. There are those, however, who take the institution of marriage, twist it, ip it on its head, and turn it into something completely unrecognisable and sometimes a little weird.

Paraphilia is described in the American Journal of Psychiatry as “recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviours generally involving non-human objects.” While it may not occur to many people to marry the material object of their affection, there are those who would take that next step.

Erika La Tour Eiffel is an ex-soldier in the US Army who lives in San Francisco. She has had intimate relationships with inanimate objects, including one with a bow named Lance, the Berlin Wall and a piece of fence which she keeps in her bedroom. But these previous relationships pale in comparison with the love of her life, the Eiffel Tower. Erika married the monument and legally changed her name to show the strength of their bond.

The marriage ceremony was a small affair, with just friends and family in attendance. In an interview with ABC News, Eiffel did not think it was strange to be in a relationship with objects instead of people, saying, “We feel an innate connection to objects. It comes perfectly normal to us to connect on various levels: emotional, spiritual and also physical for some.”

Other people decide to marry someone who they have known their whole lives and with whom they feel completely at ease. One such person is Liu Yen of Zhuhai City, China, who in 2007 married himself in a traditional ceremony in the village square. Yen married

himself by holding a ceremony where the “bride” was a life-sized cardboard cut-out of himself in a traditional red Chinese bridal gown. Yen claims that he is not gay, but may be “a little bit narcissistic”.

The ceremony itself followed all the procedures of a traditional Chinese wedding.

One guest commented, “It is a real grand wedding except that the bride is a photo.”

When asked why he decided to marry himself, Yen said, “Marrying myself is a process of deconstructing and reconstructing myself.

I make use of the wedding to reconsider opposite-sex marriage. My behaviour seems ridiculous, but I am traditional and conservative at heart so the wedding ceremony is traditional.”

Yen’s behaviour might seem absurd, but he is not alone in this respect. France is known for its wine, its cuisine and Paris, the city of love.

Love in France seems to be much more potent than it is in the rest of the world, with lovers wanting to be with each other even beyond the grave. There is a section in the French civil code which allows for posthumous marriages.

That is, marriages where one partner is already dead, provided that certain formalities are complied with. In 2009, Magali Jaskiewicz married her ancé one year after his death. The bride arrived at the ceremony in her wedding dress with a picture of her groom next to her.

The ceremony was attended by close friends and family, including the two children she had with her late ancé, Jonathan George. After the ceremony, the bride commented that she was “not in the mood to celebrate”, having sadly become a bride and a widow on the same day.

Posthumous marriages in France are not as rare as one might think, with up to ten of them being granted each year.

Marriage is a normal and sometimes even boring part of life, but with some people the words of the American comedian Groucho Marx ring true: “Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who wants to live in an institution?”

Image: Gerhard Louw

Features

17 October ‘11

7

The Shakespeare conspiracy: “What’s in a name?”

BERND FISCHER Most of us can recall hours upon hours spent learning the works of William Shakespeare.

He has been described countless times as the greatest writer of the English language. But how would it make you feel if you found out that Shakespeare was a fraud? Many conspiracy theorists question the authorship of his work, claiming that someone other than the famous writer was responsible for the plays and poems which bear his name.

Questions about the authenticity of Shakespeare’s work arose approximately 150 years after his death. Many scholars argue that it was simply impossible for someone with his background to produce the quality of writing that he (supposedly) did. Shakespeare’s real birthdate is unknown, although it is traditionally celebrated on 23 April. There is no documented evidence of his school attendance, baptism, marriage, death or any tax records. What we do know for sure is that he grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon, a small market town in England known for sheep farming. Academics argue that this environment seems unsuited to nurturing a writer of Shakespeare’s calibre, who, in his works, has a great understanding of court politics, aristocratic culture and foreign countries.

Further evidence suggests that he grew up in an illiterate home – this is seen by the signatures of Shakespeare and that of his parents. Illiterate members of English society in the 16th century were known to sign their names with a simple mark. Scholars who question Shakespeare’s authenticity describe his surname as an “illiterate scrawl”, which is strange for someone whose works indicate that he had a vocabulary of between 17 500 and 29 000

words. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s surname is written inconsistently on most of his works, ranging from “Shake-speare” to “Shak-spear” throughout the years. The use of a hyphen indicates the possibility of a pseudonym, ironically often used in Shakespeare’s own work.

Although over 70 possible authorship candidates have been brought to attention over the years, the most popular candidate is Edward de Vere, also known as the Earl of Oxford. This

Oxfordian Theory seems the most plausible if you choose to believe that Shakespeare was a fake. Because evidence only exists to suggest that Shakespeare was an actor or possible businessman in theatre, Oxfordians have suggested numerous reasons as to why they believe the Earl of Oxford is the real author.

De Vere represents a typical writer of that time. Many believe that he was a suppressed writer who could only publish his works to aristocratic audiences for fear of public shame

if his writing was rejected. Not only does de Vere t the aristocratic ideal of a writer but many characters in the works of Shakespeare (including Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew) resemble that of his family, friends and members of court. Due to the highly political nature of these works, a case for the attack on the monarchy also seems plausible.

Although some of his plays are set in Italy, there is no record of Shakespeare ever visiting the cities which he so elaborately describes.

However, records show that de Vere not only travelled around Italy but also lived in Venice.

The cities that de Vere did not explore on his trip are also never mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays.

Stratfordians, proponents of Shakespeare’s authenticity, maintain that the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. In fact, they argue that the proof to show that Shakespeare did write his own works is adequate enough. Other well-known authors also have documentary evidence missing and this does not mean that we should question every writer. They rely on government records, testimony from poets, historians, actors and playwrights who all worked with Shakespeare.

Of course, we can expect our popular cultureobsessed society to jump on the bandwagon.

A lm directed by Roland Emmerich titled Anonymous is set for release in the United States at the end of October. The lm chronicles the possibility of the Earl of Oxford as the author of these works and further investigates the Oxfordian theory. As Shakespeare himself (supposedly) said: “To be or not to be; that is the question.”

Image: Ezelle van der Heever

8

Entertainment

17 October ‘11

Sexpo: `n slinkse kykie agter die skerms CHRIS VAN DER MERWE Seks, eksotiese danse en `n hipnotiseur wat effe aan die stoute kant is. Waar kry mens al hierdie goed onder een dak? Jy’t reg geraai: Sexpo.

Sexpo 2011 het Johannesburg in volle swang op Donderdag 29 September by Gallagher Estate getref. Alles van seksspeelgoed en pornograese aktrises tot erotiese skouspelle was weereens te vinde by hierdie unieke geleentheid. Perdeby was natuurlik daar, rég in die middel van die aksie.

Daar is soveel wat by Sexpo aangaan, maar daar is beslis `n paar dinge wat uitgestaan het.

Wanneer mens daar instap, is die eerste ding wat jou oorweldig die wye verskeidenheid uitstallings en stalletjies. Die stalletjies varieer van masseuse en `n man wat rubber-penisse gogel, tot bier wat met tequila gemeng is (wat ook blykbaar laag op koolhidrate is, dames). Daar was natuurlik verskeie groot name wat pornograe- en seksmaatskappye betref. Maatskappye soos Adult World, Luv Land en Lola Montez was oral te vinde in die twee sale waarin Sexpo gehou is. Hierdie winkels het die geleentheid gebruik om verskeie spesiale aanbiedinge aan potensiële kliënte te maak.

Anders as die vanselfsprekende stalletjies en uitstallings wat mens verwag om by so `n geleentheid te sien, was daar `n paar interessante uitstallings ook. Almal het sekerlik al iewers gehoor van Pricasso. Indien nie: Pricasso is `n Australiër wat bekend is vir sy unieke talent om skilderye met sy penis te skilder. Ja, jy’t reg gelees. Perdeby het hom `n paar vrae gevra. Vir iemand wat so oop en bloot sy “manlikheid” tentoonstel, is Pricasso maar `n man van min woorde. Volgens hom het die idee om op hierdie oorspronklike manier te skilder net een dag in sy kop opgeduik en het hy eers na `n paar probeerslae die kuns vervolmaak. Pricasso is reeds ses jaar besig met sy eie vorm van skilder en hy het al verskeie beroemde mense geskilder, insluitende George Bush, Hugh Hefner en onlangs selfs Helen Zille.

Sexpo 2011 het ook gasheer gespeel vir nog `n eksentrieke en interessante man van Australië. Mark Anthony is bekend as Australië

se eerste “stoute” hipnotiseur en het na Sexpo gekom om sy talent aan `n vars Johannesburgse skare ten toon te stel. Perdeby was gelukkig genoeg om hom `n paar vrae oor sy werk en vertonings te kon vra. Volgens Anthony het die idee vir sy “Hypnaughty” vertonings gekom terwyl hy besig was met sy familievertonings in Australië. Aanhangers van sy vertonings het hom genader en gevra om ekslusiewe volwasse vertonings te doen. Sy eerste “Hypnaughty” vertoning was so suksesvol dat hy besluit het om daarmee vol te hou. Volgens Anthony is dit heeltemal moontlik om `n persoon onder hipnose tot klimaks te bring. Anthony verduidelik dat wanneer hy beheer het oor iemand anders se onderbewussyn, hy dan voorstelle na die persoon se verstand kan stuur wat kan lei tot uiterste plesier. Volgens Anthony glo hy nie daarin om mense tot die uiterste toe te dryf nie. Aangesien hy `n gesertiseerde hipnoterapeut is, hou hy by die nodige etiese waardes. Dit beteken egter nie dat hy nog nie `n paar snaakse goed met mense aangevang het nie. Volgens hom is die snaaksste ding wat hy al `n man laat doen het, om hom te laat glo dat sy skrotum aan die brand is.

Blykbaar het die man dadelik na `n ysmasjien toe gehardloop en ys in sy onderbroek gedruk.

Wat Sexpo 2011 anders as enige vorige een gemaak het, was die feit dat daar vyf internasionale pornograese aktrises teenwoordig was. Die bekendste aktrise onder die vyf is sonder twyfel Michelle “Bombshell” McGee. McGee is beroemd vir haar betrokkenheid by `n verhouding met Sandra Bullock se man, Jesse James. Die ander aktrises sluit in Alektra Blue, Stoya, Kayden Kross en Kaylani Lei. By Sexpo kon mens met hierdie aktrises gaan praat en foto’s saam hulle neem in, kom ons sê liewer net, interessante posisies.

Sexpo word jaarliks gehou en is deur en deur `n belewenis wat almal ten minste een keer moet beleef. Of dit nou saam jou vriende, jou beter helfde of (hierdie word nie aangemoedig nie) ouers is, maak seker dat jy ten minste een keer Sexpo toe gaan. Jy sal nie spyt wees nie.

Photos: Desré Barnard

Entertainment

17 October ‘11

9

LARK: “We learnt the subtle art of simplicity” NADINE LAGGAR LARK is back after their hiatus with a new album on the way and plans to conquer the European market whilst rocking festivals countrywide.

Perdeby caught up with Inge Beckmann (vocals), Paul Ressel (producer and guitar), Simon Ratcliffe (bass) and Sean Ou Tim (drums) to nd out more about the band that brought us alternative electro.

You guys have been working on some new material, when should we be on the look-out for the new album?

Inge: February next year.

When can we expect to get our hands on the new single?

Inge: I’m not allowed to disclose any of that information, unfortunately.

Sean: If she does say it, she might have to break the recorder.

Can you tell us where it’s going to be released?

Inge: No, it’ll be released as part of a compilation that’s linked to a certain brand that I’m not allowed to say anything about.

Is Perdeby allowed to know the name of the new album?

Inge: Yes, can I please say it? I’ve been gagging to say this.

Sean: Hey, we’re dropping this for the rst time.

Inge: Exclusive. Perdeby, jou steek!

Sean: Wait, wait, wait. That’s not the title. [drum roll] Inge: No, the album title is Gong is Struck.

Would you say your sound has changed at all with the new material? And if so, in what way?

Paul: Gees, it’s changed a lot. I mean, just from a technical standpoint, I’ve been in the UK now for three years basically learning from the best producers and mix engineers in the world. So in terms of my abilities as a producer, getting sound, that’s gone up a bit. It’s much richer and the sound is stronger I think. I think we learnt the subtle art of simplicity as well. [With] a lot of our earlier stuff everyone used to say it’s one song but it’s like ve songs in one with jumping in different sections and different melodies and parts. I think we learnt to take an idea and really explore it. It’s LARK grown up.

Are there any plans for a new music video on the horizon?

Inge: Yes, yes. There is a plan for a new music video. Hopefully two, but ideally three.

Sean: And the most awesome is four.

Inge: But there’s denitely one coming.

How was it performing at Bestival to an international audience in September?

Inge: Awesome. Amazing festival. It’s big. It’s not as big as Glastonbury, it’s about half the size of that.

Paul: It was quite cool for us being at that point when we got there and no-one really knows who we are. There were a couple of ex-South African die-hards.

Inge: The Bergs, the Bergs came.

Paul: But it was great. Like, the people that wandered in but didn’t really know what to expect stayed. We even had the sound engineer come up to me afterward and said he called all his buddies to come and listen and we got some amazing feedback. I think it was a good start to getting into

that scene there.

How was it working on the new material with Paul Ressel being in London?

Inge: It was interesting.

Paul: It was Skype. We wrote this album using Skype and email, basically. We just felt like we really needed to write a new album Inge: It started with a letter actually.

Paul: Ja, it started with a letter.

Inge: Straight from your heart [laughs].

Sean: Dear Paul ...

A traditional sent-by-mail letter?

Inge: Ja, we just basically decided we want to work together again and it sucked not to.

intercut with Jude Law’s accidentally comedic rants.

The most important thing about Contagion is its commitment to the story, which sets it apart from other thrillers. The focus is wide and global, leaving no room for one or two main actors to steal the show. The message is bigger and more demanding and deserves several points of view,

some of which end abruptly because death is the lmS’s main reality. This is what makes the movie so believable and so frightening all at once.

What if Ebola, SARS or swine u had got out of hand? This question gnaws at your mind throughout the lm while you shovel unsanitary concession-stand popcorn into your mouth. The hardest thing about this movie is watching the

Paul: So there was no idea of, like, we’re going to sit down and nish an album. We just started writing stuff and before we knew it we had an album’s worth of material. And then [we] spent two, three weeks in August just recording in the studio here. It’s kind of slowly being put together.

Inge: It’s not entirely nished yet. There’s still some work. It still has to get mixed and mastered.

Simon: The single was mixed with Paul still in the UK and it’s not the same. I mean, it’s cool.

The single is cool and we obviously traded notes a lot but when you’ve got everyone in a room it’s much easier to get a vibe going than: Oh, daylight savings, no, hang on I’m with a client.

Inge: I’ll put it to you this way. It started out with me and Paul, Paul with beats and me singing into my little microphone on my Mac Book Pro on Garage Band. Then bouncing out the vocals and then we created a Dropbox. Then I’d be like, here’s a new verse. He’ll take the new verse and then I’ll sing the chorus and that’s how we did it.

Paul: We basically got really nerdy on this album.

Inge: Very nerdy.

Sean: And it continually ate my bandwidth.

LARK took quite a break after Razbluito, can we expect to see a lot more of you guys with the new album coming out?

Inge: Well, where?

Simon: At your house?

If you really want to Perdeby’s just down the road ...

Well the thing is that [Paul] does live in a different country so if we do play in South Africa it’s usually around a tour. Flying down for one gig isn’t really worth it.

Paul: In February there’s going to be a big tour because it’s going to be the album launch and Ramfest so we’re going to be around a lot during February and March. Then we’re going to be doing shows in Europe in April and May. Possibly a festival in Taiwan in June. So there’s a lot of things on the cards and I think our focus is denitely on the European markets. I mean, we would never not launch an album in South Africa.

This is always going to be our home here.

Inge: That Taiwan festival is crazy. It actually attracts 500 000 people.

Sean: I’m going to run into the crowd, you guys will never see me again.

Inge: You know what, we got booked for that festival this year and then [Paul] was in London and I was in Cape Town and we were just still busy writing the album.

Paul: It was just too soon.

Inge: We couldn’t do it and then they booked Van Coke Kartel in our place. I love that story.

Photo: Desré Barnard

Contagion: gripping and infectious LUSANDA FUTSHANE Most cinephiles can easily spot Steven Soderbergh’s lms: big budgets, epic storylines and star-studded casts. As the director behind successes such as the Ocean’s trilogy, Trafc and Erin Brockovich, Soderbergh is skilled at delivering thrilling and dramatic narratives.

It comes as no surprise that his latest project, Contagion, does not disappoint.

Contagion follows the events surrounding the global outbreak of an incurable and rapidly spreading lethal virus that is transmitted through touch. It explores the connected stories of rabblerousers, panicked politicians and people affected by the virus. The lm is fast-paced and dramatic: elements that Soderbergh is famous for bringing to all his projects. The ensemble cast is also convenient because the viewer never has to worry about lack-lustre performances. Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Laurence Fishburne all bring this captivating and emotional thriller to life, which couldn’t have been that hard given Scott Z. Burns’s incredible script.

Even though the movie isn’t explicitly classied as a disaster movie or a horror lm, a bit more paranoia and hysteria could have been used given the terrifying storyline. Also, the non-linear narrative seems unnecessary for the greater part of the movie: it complicates certain pivotal scenes that would have been better had they been presented in a simpler way. Audiences should be prepared for intense and affecting moments

world plummet into chaos in such a plausible way for two hours and then leaving the cinema nerveracked and shaken, trying to accept that it was all ction.

Contagion opens in Nu Metro theatres on 21 October and on the Ster Kinekor circuit on 28 October.

Image: www.IMDb.com

10

17 October ‘11

Entertainment

“Peace, love, respect, anarchy”

KIRSTI BUICK “Good morning, I’m Mark Esterhuysen,” began the newsreader’s outburst. “F*** racism. F*** the pigs who killed Andries Tatane.

F*** the AWB. F*** racism. We are all wild animals meant to live free. F*** capitalism. F*** fascism. F*** this f***ing wage slavery graveyard s**t. F*** domestication. F*** Malema. F*** the state. F*** the petrol economic growth on a nite planet. This is the only f***ing planet we have. Peace, love, respect, anarchy.

Follow me on Twitter. You can see me on Facebook as well.”

These were the words of former Talk Radio 702 newsreader Mark Esterhuysen after his late-night tirade on air. Esterhuysen, who worked for TuksFM while studying journalism at UP, used his graveyard-shift slot to swear repeatedly. His rant lasted 40

seconds before the station managed to drown him out with a song.

Esterhuysen now has thousands of followers on Twitter – it seems his tantrum wasn’t for nothing. Ironically, this has transformed Esterhuysen from that voice you heard reading the news on the way home from the Square to a famous (or rather, infamous) local personality.

Another South African radio personality who seems to subscribe to a similar theory is 5FM’s Gareth Cliff. However, he manages to keep his job while doing so, which is more than we can say for Esterhuysen. Recently, Cliff came under re (once again) for an alleged sexist slur against a female interviewee. Cliff told Aids activist Angela Larkan that she should be proud of herself for having started working at age 22 because most women at that age “do

nothing but lie on their backs with their legs open.”

The comment didn’t seem to bother Larkan too much. The 27-year-old said in an interview, “I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I was surprised but I kind of ignored it and carried on. I wasn’t upset.” However, DA Durban councillor Tex Collins was.

He reported Cliff to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCCSA) and called on the DJ to apologise to all women.

True to form, Cliff took to his website to refute the claim: “This whole story is preposterous. It is spurious and seems a deliberate attempt by a minor politician and newspapers to make a mountain out of a molehill.” On his Twitter page (who needs a publicist these days anyway?), Cliff commented, “Found out that the guy who complained about the ridiculous #sexist comment is a minor DA politician. Obviously.”

Unfortunately, some radio personalities run into trouble off air, and even Twitter can’t save them. Darren Scott called a colleague a k****r at a Jacaranda 94.2 teambuilding event. Scott claims that he had lent the colleague large sums of money, which he had failed to repay. Despite this, Scott subsequently apologised, and resigned from Jacaranda.

Closer to home, TuksFM have had a few run-ins with the BCCSA themselves. Last year, the “Gay or Okay” segment was brought before the BCCSA on the grounds that “impressionable” students will come to see homosexuality as something negative and that the title amounted to hate speech. However, the tribunal eventually found that “there was nothing that could be described as the advocacy of hatred or incitement to cause harm to homosexuals in the programme.”

More recently, in July this year, the station came under re for a segment that offered to give a R200 voucher to the listener who had gotten away with bribing the police the smallest amount of money. TuksFM was reprimanded by the BCCSA for “glamourising unlawful conduct”.

So it seems that on South African radio, not all publicity is good publicity, and some who overstep the mark probably won’t fare the same as the now infamous Mark Esterhuysen. The self-professed “enemy of the state” and “defender of anarchy” released a statement on his blog (where else?) where he claimed that he did not regret his foul-mouthed rant, beginning his statement by saying: “I am not sorry for what I have done. All is fair in love and war.”

In radio too?

Image: Gerhard Louw

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17 October ‘11

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Sport highlights for the week CARLO COCK Springboks out of World Cup The Springboks were halted in their quest to become the rst team to successfully defend the Webb Ellis trophy on Sunday 9 October after narrowly losing 11-9 to Australia in a classic quarter-nal encounter. In a game which saw the Boks dominate from the onset, they only had themselves to blame, after missing several chances to turn their dominance into points.

After a rst half in which Australia was utterly outplayed but scored with their only try-scoring opportunity, Morné Steyn looked to have given the Boks the win with a drop-goal midway through the second half. But it wasn’t to be. Danie Rossouw conceded a penalty in South African territory later on, and James O’Conner converted to give the Wallabies the decisive lead. Many South Africans, among them Springbok legends Naas Botha and Joel Stranksy, were quick to point to the performance of referee Bryce Lawrence as the main reason for the Boks’ defeat, because they had two tries disallowed for forward passes.

However, out-going coach, Pieter De Villiers, and now former captain, John Smit, both admitted after the game that the Boks failed to capitalise on their chances and lost as a result of this. “In big games like today, you have to take your chances when they come and we missed our chances, so unfortunately, that is how it goes,” a visibly upset De Villiers said after the game. South Africa lost more than just a quarter-nal that day, as the game also marked the end of the legendary international careers of Victor Mateld and John Smit. De Villiers’ tenure came to an end just after the game, as he announced he would be stepping down as coach.

Bafana’s failure to qualify for AFCON Bafana Bafana failed to qualify for the CAF African Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be held next year, after a goalless draw against Sierra Leone at Mbombela Stadium on 8 October. Bafana Bafana went into the game with the clear plan of simply earning a draw which they thought was all that was required to seal qualication. Bafana goalkeeper, Itumeleng Khune, displayed some rather impressive acting skills, faking an injury to waste time and even gesturing to the crowd indicating he was wasting time as he ran back to the goal posts after receiving “treatment”.

After the game, Bafana players and coach Pitso Mosimane celebrated, as they thought the point was enough to see them qualify on goal difference,

but it was later revealed that CAF do not make use of the goal difference rule to decide which team progresses when teams nish on level points.

Instead, they implement a complex head-to-head system, disregarding the points gained against the bottom placed team, in this case defending champions Egypt, whom Bafana Bafana beat.

This bizarre rule means that Niger has qualied for AFCON while South Africa joins the long list of notable absentees from the event, which includes Cameroon, Nigeria, and Egypt.

Archery Championships Tuks was the proud host of the World Indoor Archery Championships which took place from 3-7 October. The event, which was held in the Rembrandt Hall at LC de Villiers Sport Centre,

saw top archers from all over the country and the world compete over four days, with the award ceremony being held on the nal day.

South Africa, perhaps predictably, dominated the medals table, taking all but one of the 14 medals on offer in the Cubs section. In the Juniors section, South African archers claimed 19 of the 22 medals on offer. Steve Kendrick from the United Kingdom won the Professional’s gold medal while the Adults section saw South Africans Theresa Rossouw, Jacob Wessels, Willem Jacobs, Andrew Simpson and Shaun Anderson all nish in medal places.

Vettel wins Formula 1 championship Formula 1 sensation Sebastian Vettel successfully defended his world championship after nishing third at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on 9 October. The talented German driver, who last year became the youngest Formula 1 world champion in history, becomes the rst driver since Fernando Alonso in 2006 to win back-to-back drivers’ titles. He now becomes the youngest two-time champion in history. Vettel has started on pole a dozen times and racked up an astonishing nine race victories this season, erasing any doubt over his driving ability.

“There are so many things you want to say in this moment, but it is hard to remember all of them,” he said after winning the title. “It’s as confusing as the rst one, I should say, so it is hard to nd the right words” The 24-year-old could now go on to become one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport, with many pundits and observers suggesting he has the talent to match Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world championships.

Image: Joachim Lubbe

Water sports: get wet this summer

KATLEGO PHEEHA Seven years ago, the country watched proudly as Roland Schoeman won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. He went on to break records, both locally and internationally, and became a household name. All knew who Roland Schoeman was, but what most people didn’t know is that he was a product of TuksAquatics.

While swimming makes up the largest part of water sports at Tuks, the university offers a wide variety of other water-based sports such as triathlon, life-saving, underwater hockey and water polo. TuksAquatics employs coaches of world-class standards who are accredited by the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA).

One of the bigger clubs of TuksAquatics is water polo – a team water sport which consists of six eld players and a goalkeeper. The winning team is the team that scores the most points in their opponent’s net. Water polo is not only a tactical sport but a very physically demanding one too. Game play includes swimming, passing the ball around to team mates and wrestling opponents. The athletes are required to follow a specied gym schedule and dietary guide in order to ensure optimum tness, especially when preparing for competitions such as the University Sports South Africa tournaments. A similar discipline of TuksAquatics is underwater hockey – a non-contact sport in which two teams of six players compete to manoeuvre a puck across the

bottom of a swimming pool into goals.

Canoeing is also one of the various water sports available at Tuks. Although not as popular as swimming or water polo, the sport has gained a lot of interest over the past several years.

Perdeby spoke to two self-taught canoeists, Willie Bronkhorst and Derik van Eyk, both civil engineering students doing honours and nalyear study respectively, who have been canoeing together for three years. “In the beginning it’s all falling and swimming back to the boat. But after a while it becomes natural, and you get a sense of balance while sitting in the boat,” said Bronkhorst as he explained the steep learning curve of the sport. “It’s a challenge. If I had got it right the rst time, I wouldn’t have continued

with the sport,” said Van Eyk. TuksSwimming has been led by coach and manager Steven Ball since 2009 and has produced some of the nest swimmers in the country. One of the most notable of these is Emily Gray, a rst-year BA Sports Science student who started swimming seven years ago as therapy after enduring an amputation of her left leg. She has been representing South Africa since 2005, when she was just 15 years old.

“It’s a great honour to represent my country and a dream of mine, [but] it does come with a lot of responsibility,” she told Perdeby. This year she was nominated for the 2011 SA Disabled Sports Woman of the Year award which was eventually won by Natalie du Toit. “It was pretty amazing going to Sun City, being around so many celebrities and so many great athletes,” said Gray.

Like all university-based sports, the disciplines of TuksAquatics offer a special challenge in terms of balancing competitive sports with being a student and maintaining a good academic record. Most Tuks athletes combine education with their love for sports by choosing a degree in sports science. “The sports science programme is more compatible with the training load of top athletes with regard to class and degree schedule structures,” explained Claire Rolt, a BHons Sports Science student and assistant trainer, specialising in swimming.

Both in the lecture halls and in the water, the members of TuksAquatics are continuing to impress and the University of Pretoria continues to produce both current and future athletes who represent the country and the university in competitive water sports.

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