Blackface: deeper racism at UP?
Binge drinking and brake pads
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Oppikoppi: from dust til dawn
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Perdeby Tuks se amptelike studentekoerant / Official Tuks student newspaper / Kuranta ya baithuti ya semmušo ya Tuks
18August2014
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Curlitzia and Vividus Men sing their way to success
Curlitzia and Vividus Men are the winners of Serenade 2014 and will represent Tuks at Nationals. Photos: Tahnee Otto and Praise Magidi
MICHAL-MARÉ LINDEN Curlitzia and Vividus Men were crowned the Tuks Serenade winners at the annual Serenade Gala evening hosted by Stuku last Friday night. The Musaion played host to the eight finalists as they each performed one last time before the winners were announced. Boekenhout, Olympus, Sonop, Vividus Men, Curlitzia, Erika, Magrietjie and Vividus Ladies qualified for the final on Thursday through the marks they obtained in the prelims last week. The gala evening started off with Olympus. Their song selection, which included Ed Sheeran’s “I see fire” and Bastille’s “Things we lost in the fire” reflected their firemen theme well. Olympus also made thoughtful use of firemen-related props, such as a ladder, that were later used as percussion instruments. Erika gave the first ladies’ performance
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of the night. Having chosen street poets as their theme, they went for an urban approach. Erika made good use of movement and their rendition of the national anthem stirred patriotic feelings in the audience. Sonop, last year’s national winners and this year’s winner of the Best Own Composition award were next to perform. Film studio props abounded as their theme of film crew was well executed with well-choreographed and synchronised movements. Their addition of a few humorous skits also played off very well. Sonop placed third overall. From film crews to news anchors, Magrietjie followed. Their performance was good technically but their stage presence seemed to fall a bit flat at the gala evening. However, Magrietjie’s use of a number of local songs, such as “Doo be doo” by Freshly Ground, was a highly positive part of their performance which placed them second
overall. Vividus Ladies made use of a car wash theme. However, it was their vocal strength that was most impressive. Each performer contributed to their performance’s extensive range and good use of dynamics. Vividus Ladies won the Best Own Composition for the ladies and placed third overall. Serenade men’s winners Vividus Men also had vocal strength on their side as they presented a Bohemian melody themed performance. Inset with multiple humorous skits, the audience was entertained throughout their performance. A crowd favourite was the character Gustav, a German street artist. Vividus Men also claimed the prize for Best Theme and Best Arrangement of the Prescribed Song. The men’s prescribed song was Mr Big’s “To be with you”. Likewise, ladies’ winners Curlitzia also won Best Theme for their car guards idea
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and Best Arrangement of the Prescribed Song which was “Thandolwethu” by Berita. Curlitzia made excellent use of dynamics and movement as well as introducing a satirical take on local car guards. Boekenhout concluded the evening’s performances with their train engineer themed performance. Unique and well-thought out use of body percussion, whistling, drums and a cello were used to fill out their sound. Their performance got off to a slow start on the night but by the end of it they had the audience convinced that they deserved the second place overall. The night on the whole was a great success running smoothly and timeously through the programme and showcasing some incredible Tuks talent. Curlitzia and Vividus Men now go through to Serenade Nationals where they will compete against other universities from around South Africa.
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Editorial
Kindness is the new black
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18 August 2014 From the Editor
I didn’t want to write about Blackface. I’m not indifferent to the incident. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I have a very strong opinion about it. I also, however, have a very strong opinion about journalistic ethics and one of those is that journalists must be impartial to their subject matter. This means that when I ran meetings planning Perdeby’s coverage of the incident and when I edited related content, I had to put aside my own views and be as objective as possible. While it would be irresponsible for me to write an editorial about exactly what I think about Blackface, I thought it would be even more irresponsible to ignore it completely and write an editorial about how much fun I had at Oppikoppi (a lot) instead. I spent much time going over the picture in preparation for this edition. When I was looking at it for probably the tenth time, I was struck by the poster with the words “Be silly, be honest, be kind” in the background. If only everyone would follow the last rule. A world where everyone endeavours to be kind
sounds quite utopian: if you’re kind about a person’s race, features, religion, sexuality or anything else about them, you leave yourself no room to be bigoted. There’s too little kindness in the world these days. You don’t need to look hard to find unkindness: the Porsche passenger who assaulted someone who hooted at him, the person in the HB who pushes everyone out the way to get into the lift first, the internet trolls who threaten people who express opinions different to their own with physical violence. I could go on, but it makes me too sad. Being kind to someone – which you can achieve with the simplest act, like holding a door open – shows that you respect the fact that he or she is a human. It shows that you understand that you are not above recognising their dignity. You lose a bit of your own dignity each time you deny someone else’s.
your surroundings. We should be dealing with more pressing issues like corruption, murder, education crisis and climate change. Instead of persecuting these girls (or anyone for that matter), proper education on race should be provided. Race is a mere classification of human beings according to the percentage of melanin they have in their skin. A genetic mutation due to
the different climatic conditions that we were subjected to. As man, we are the same on a genetic level. I pose a challenge to everyone: one ought to engage in critical thinking when dealing with such issues. One should not jump into conclusions especially when the lives of people may be wrecked. Tiisetso Mphuthi
stereotypes. Students are faced with so many challenges in the institution and racial discrimination is one of them irrespective of it being towards black students, but it happens in the broader student community. It is time we stop being rigid and ignorant and tackle this race bull that continues to haunt us at the university, as we can vividly recall the Kiaat incident where “Black students”, specifically, were asked to clean the clubhouse. We cannot speak for everyone as we do not know how they feel about racial stereotypes, but we are, and we challenge senior
management to stop hiding behind their airconditioned offices and face the sad reality, as they have included plans of transformation in the UP 2025 Strategic Plan. In conclusion, “Being black is not a matter of pigmentation, being black is a reflection of a mental attitude,” [said] Steve Biko. Thus we should not tolerate and try to control issues of race as they will continue to surface in years to come. Mandla Ntimane and Ntate Dhladhla
joke, but it is part of a tradition of mocking and insulting black people. There are no logical arguments that will ever justify or defend the actions of these girls. So quite frankly I am rather bored of the worn out and idiosyncratic justifications that people in support of these girls and their actions have offered thus far. We must, now more than ever, adopt a zero tolerance policy towards ignorant and flippant attitudes because this essentially leads to lines being crossed. For, as the Daily Maverick’s Sisonke Msimang so eloquently put it, these girls and people who have similar
ideas to them are products of a system trying to gather its strength in the face of a growing black confidence and power. Thus as a proud black young lady, I condemn the actions of these girls and those in support of them. I refuse to accept the notion that I am defined by my black face, big bottom and “menial job”. While the above may be a part of who I am, I will not let a bunch of racist ideologues tell me I am one dimensional. I am more than that. Lehlohonolo Moche
Max
Letter to the editor I think it is outrageous to regard what those two students did as a racist act. The fact that they did this at a private party shows that they were not intending to incite any public disturbance or to offend anyone. It was merely humour. The fact that their picture went viral was that they were negligent enough to forget that there is really no privacy in social media. Barbarism in the 21st century is ignorance of
Letter to the editor We have underestimated the saying “ignorance is bliss” until recently. It is clear that some people in our so called “rainbow nation” are still ignorant when it comes to issues of race. We must say we are very saddened and touched by the picture which went viral on social media, where two female white students posed in domestic worker outfits, with black paint smeared on their faces and arms, as they posed with headscarves and padded bottoms. This picture ridicules the current situation that most black women in South Africa experience and continues to reinforce racial
Letter to the editor Following the Blackface scandal I am appalled by people’s insensitive reaction towards the matter. The fact that people were condoning and justifying these girls’ actions was shocking. People must understand that “black” is not a costume. The girls’ actions were dehumanising and demeaning. It is one thing to play dress up, but to mock the race, heritage and job (an earnest and dignified job) and livelihoods of our mothers, grandmothers and aunts, is not only racist, it is ignorant and inhumane. Not only is Blackface a visual equivalent of a racist
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18 August 2014
Disciplinary action for blackface students MOLEBOGENG MANGOALE, MAGGIE ROODT AND TEBOGO TSHWANE UP is taking disciplinary action against the two female students involved in the blackface incident. They have been temporarily suspended from Madelief, Vice-Chancellor Professor Cheryl De La Rey said during a visit to the residence on 11 August. A statement from the Officer of the Registrar said that, “The process is taking its course … The students involved have as yet not been found guilty of any misconduct, nor have they been excluded from participating fully in their academic programmes”. Although the disciplinary action has not yet been concluded, the university has said that
it does not condone or tolerate any form of discrimination or racism. A statement issued by UP said, “The behavior of the students in the photograph is completely unacceptable”. Even though the event that the students dressed up for was a private party, the statement continued that “because they are registered UP students who brought the university into disrepute”. The SRC has supported the university’s position. SRC President Enwee Human said that, “The SRC is confident that the disciplinary processes will be concluded in a fair and impartial manner.” Perdeby contacted one of the girls involved in the incident, but her legal team has advised her not to speak to the media until the disciplinary proceedings have concluded.
What happens if a residence student is accused of misconduct? If the Head of Residence believes that a student is guilty of a serious misconduct that justifies temporary expulsion from the residence, he or she will consult the Director of Residence Affairs and Accommodation before referring the matter to the Registrar. The Registrar will then decided whether the student should be temporarily expelled from residence, before informing the Director of Residence Affairs and Accommodation. The Registrar and the Disciplinary Committee of Students will meet to confirm or set aside the expulsion, or to impose an appropriate disciplinary measure. A disciplinary investigation will be conducted.
Students abducted and robbed CECILIA MUDAU Three Tuks students were abducted, robbed and assaulted on 31 July after boarding a taxi on the corner of Festival and Burnett Streets around 19:00. A former student, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Perdeby that she and two male UP students were abducted by five armed men in the taxi. The students were taken to a remote area in Marabastad, where they
were stripped of their clothes, robbed of their personal belongings and assaulted. “I really believed they were going to kill us,” the victim said. She said that she has reason to believe that her abductors were targeting students specifically. She said that she has heard of another abduction of two girls in Pretoria central by men in a taxi that fits the same description as the one she boarded. The cancellation of the UP’s bus service
to Sunnyside and Arcadia has forced many students to walk home or take taxis late at night. Students feel most at risk between Hill and Eastwood Streets, which has become a crime hotspot. The victim has reported the matter to the Brooklyn Police Station but she was not accompanied by the other two victims. The police told her that she could only open a case if the other two victims report the case with her.
EFF Tuks branch officially launched
Students during the EFF Tuks launch. Photo: Praise Magidi
BOIPELO BOIKHUTSO The EFF Tuks branch was officially launched on 6 August at the Graduate Centre. At the launch, new executive committee members were elected. Each member introduced themselves to the crowd with a unique EFF chant. EFF Tuks secretary Jaco Oelofse said that
three candidates affiliated with the EFF will contest the SRC elections. He added that the party has an alliance with the Young Socialist Student Society. “Due to our new presence on campus, we are still finding our place. However, we are deeply committed to deal with the issues of the working class student,” Oelofse said. He said that although the EFF will focus on “the
struggles of black working class students”, they will not alienate other students. Oelofse said that the party will be addressing racism, sexism, homophobia and classism. EFF Tuks convener Nqobile Mhlongo said that one of EFF Tuks’s goals is to do away with NSFAS and promote free, quality education.
Students and SRC discuss student governance DYLAN FLOWERDAY SRC member for transformation and student success Nthabiseng Nooe hosted a forum last Wednesday which discussed the role of student governance. The discussion focused on why student governance exists, ways to tackle student apathy, ways the SRC can be more effective,
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and what services the SRC should provide. Students who attended the forum pointed out that there is a lack of communication between the SRC and students, and said that the SRC does not seem to be taken seriously by either students or UP management. Attendees also said that the role of the SRC at UP is unclear. They said that the SRC should play a bigger role in promoting activism on campus and should allow political societies to
help them do so. In response, Nooe said that the SRC is not an independent body and therefore need to obtain permission from the university before they can act. Students at the forum also said that they felt that the SRC does not respond sufficiently to contentious issues, and raised the blackface incident as an example.
SRC confirm Spring Day 2014 MOLEBOGENG MANGOALE SRC President Enwee Human and head of student development Dr Rina Wilken have confirmed that Spring Day will go ahead this year. The event is scheduled for 10 September. The SRC, instead of TuksRag, will organise Spring Day. Human said that the decision to take the responsibility of organising Spring Day away from TuksRag has nothing to do with the organisation owing the institution R400 000. This year’s Spring Day will not be a fundraising event as in previous years. According to Human, students will be informed of details regarding performers and tickets once final arrangements have been made. The 2015 SRC will be inaugurated on Spring Day. Only UP students will be able to attend Spring Day, and will need to show their student cards to gain access to the event.
INTERVARSITY NEWS FUMILAYO SOKO University of Witwatersrand (Wits) A female Wits student was allegedly raped by a male student at an off-campus residence. According to Wits Vuvuzela, Rob Sharman, director of campus housing and residence life, confirmed that the “student [had] reported the matter to staff at her residence”. Details of the attack have not been released to protect the student while the case is under investigation by local authorities. The student is currently receiving counselling from the Wits Sexual Harassment Office (SHO). University of Limpopo Lectures at the University of Limpopo resumed class last Wednesday after three weeks of violent protests at the Medunsa campus. The recent strike at the medical institution was in response to perceived class issues and the proposition to change the university’s name. Although the demands have not yet been negotiated, spokesperson Kgalema Mohuba said that, “The majority of students will heed the call that the university is coming back to normality.” University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Yaseera Ismail, a quantum information processing and communication PhD student at UKZN, achieved third place at the eighth North American International Optical Society of America (OSA) Networking of Students Conference (IONS) in Montreal, Canada. Ismail presented a 15-minute talk titled “The effects a stimulated turbulent medium Imposes on the quantumness of a polarisation-based entangled photon source”. The young scientist said that, “Attending this conference provided me the opportunity to visit a top research facility where researchers are working in the same line as I am, among various other branches of physics.” UKZN is involved in an optics and photonics project involving 300 universities around the world.
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18 August 2014
Blackface: deeper racism at UP?
LIESE-MARIE HEYNS Questions have been raised about the prevalence of racism at UP after two white female students living in a university residence posted a photograph of themselves with their skin painted brown, wearing doeks and with exaggerated behinds. The incident, which has come to be known as Blackface, has resulted in the two girls being temporarily suspended from residence, pending investigation. They will also face disciplinary action from UP. The incident has questioned underlying racism in residences at UP. UP’s residence policy reserves 50% of the places allocated to first years in residences for black students, based on the current campus demographics. However, black students say that having a room in a residence does not necessarily make them feel at home in residence. An anonymous second year BCom student in Madelief says that she was asked to move out of her room just a week after settling in. “The HKs didn’t explain to me why but they made an excuse that the girl moving into my room had already chosen my room the previous year, but the girl was already staying in another room in the same flat. She was white,” the student said. “I was told by the housekeeper that the girl who was moving into my room said she couldn’t have a black girl living with her in the same room.” When asked about racial integration in residences at UP, Marga Zeelie, head of Placement Management and Guest Accommodation at TuksRes said that there have been cases where students of different races requested to not share rooms. However, Zeelie says that these requests were most often based on cultural and religious differences rather than race issues. Zeelie says that while TuksRes tries to accommodate everyone’s preferences, they encourage students of different races, cultures and religions to live together. Students that
Photo: Kirsty Mackay
feel discriminated against are encouraged to speak to their HK, house parents or directly to TuksRes. “Our doors are open to everyone,” Zeelie said. Many students have expressed outrage over the incident, saying the photograph is demeaning towards black women. Ntuthuko Makhombothi, president of the SA Student Congress (Sasco), said that the students’
portrayal of black women is insulting to “our black parents in a manner reminiscent of the oppression of Saartjie Baartman”. Saartjie Baartman was a Khoikhoi woman who was taken from South Africa to Europe, in the early 1800s where she was examined by anatomy professors and exhibited to the public. Prof. Jonathan Jansen, rector and vicechancellor of the University of the Free State,
wrote in an article for The Times on 14 August that the incident can be blamed on white and black middle class youth being “mis-educated”. Prof. Jansen also shared his thoughts, some of which appear in the article for The Times, with Perdeby. Prof. Jansen said that the incident did not take into account the historical suffering of black women and that it does not display an awareness of the fact “the black body was for centuries the subject of ridicule and humiliation at the hands of white people”. He says that, during apartheid, black women had to endure degradation such as having to line up naked and be hosed down and beaten by white authorities after a pass law raid. He also made mention of Saartjie Baartman. Today, Prof. Jansen says, many black domestic workers have to endure verbal abuse and discrimination. Prof. Jansen points out that the incident shows total disrespect towards black women. “That the very people who are being ridiculed are the ones who serve as domestics in white homes,” he says, adding that these women often act as “co-mothers” in raising white children. He added that exaggerating the physical features of any person for the purpose of “fun” is the worst kind of racial insult. Finally, the incident shows no form of self-reflection, Prof. Jansen says. “You cannot insult adults like that. But of course for these white students, the word tannie applies to whites and black adults are called by their first names,” he said. According to Prof. Jansen, first years should be taught about different races and cultures so that they can embrace diversity and address racism. “I believe a core curriculum for all first years at university that includes such a critical history of ‘the past as present’, and taught by open-minded professors, could address these concerns.” With additional reporting by Naisargi Patel.
The history of blackface in popular culture ELMARIE KRUGER In light of the recent incident at UP, that has now come to be known as Blackface, Perdeby decided to look at the history of blackface in popular culture. Blackface, a person covering their face in a substance such as shoe polish in order to make their skin appear darker in colour, is usually done as a form of stereotypical parody and is greatly frowned upon in today’s society. Even though blackface has no one particular root or genesis, it can be traced as far back as the 13th century, when slaves captured in west Africa were put on display for entertainment purposes in Portugal. As early as the 15th century, white actors used substances to make their skin appear darker in productions such as Shakespeare’s Othello. In the early 19th century, “blackface clowns” gained fame in the United States as a part of vaudeville performances. In these performances, actors caricaturised black slaves, specifically those from the American south. These slaves, and particularly former slaves, were portrayed as gullible, indolent, imprudent and weak. Blackface was widely commercialised by minstrel shows in the 1800s and in only a few decades these performances moved away from minstrel acts to movies. By the 1930s, blackface was popular in moving pictures as well as in advertising. Until as late as the 1940s, blackface was prominent in comic strips and in children’s cartoons such as Tom & Jerry and Bugs Bunny, although the majority of these scenes have since been cut out. Today, blackface is regarded as dangerously offensive, especially in countries with a sensitive history in terms of racism, such as South Africa and the United States. However, portrayals of blackface are not regarded as a taboo everywhere. For instance,
Image: wikipedia.org
the Netherlands celebrates St Nicholas Day in the form of Sinterklaas arriving along with his assistant Zwarte Piet, a pageboy whose face is painted black. This is regarded as an integral part of Dutch tradition instead of an offensive parody. A popular comic strip character in Mexico called Memín Pinguín is also a clear example of the blackface typecast. Since the 1940s, he has been a fundamental part of Mexican popular culture and is represented as being unintelligent and over-spirited.
Image: roadtravelafrica.com
In the United Kingdom a company called Robertson’s Jams had a blackface mascot by the name of Golly which they used until as late as 2002. In South Africa, the Cape Minstrels or Kaapse Klopse wear blackface for the annual Cape Minstrel Festival, although in this context it is not intentionally seen as offensive but rather as a part of the Cape’s rich tradition. Local movie mogul Leon Schuster is also often seen donning full blackface for many of his film roles. A debate arose after Schuster
appeared in a television advertisement in 2013 in blackface portraying a stock South African politician. The advertisement was removed from the air after it was chastised for being stereotypical and racist. The controversial history of blackface is often overlooked by the general public, yet it is a matter that needs to be handled with great sensitivity, caution and tact because of its many negative associations.
> Features
18 August 2014
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Binge drinking and brake pads: why alcohol should stay off the road
LIESE-MARIE HEYNS
You are likely to encounter two types of people at 02:00 in the morning: people who go to Dropzone and people who go home. Students who decide to call it a night are left fumbling for their keys and waging wars against car doors while trying to find the keyhole. They drop their keys twice before getting into the drivers’ seat. These incapacitated young adults will be joining the fleet of other drunk drivers on South African roads. “More than 21 000 people have been arrested on our roads in the last year as a result of drinking and driving, and it has been shown that 50% of people who die on our roads are over the limit,” says Gary Ronald, head of Public Affairs for the Automobile Association of South Africa (AA). He adds that, “Alcohol significantly slows reaction time and distorts your vision, and the effects of a heavy night of drinking could well affect your driving ability the next morning.” After only one unit of alcohol, your chances of being in an accident are doubled. One unit constitutes 10ml of pure alcohol for an average adult weighing 68kg. This is equal to two-thirds of a beer, 75ml of wine or 25ml of whiskey or brandy. A Smirnoff Spin contains between 1.2 and 2 units of alcohol while a 340ml can of Castle Lager is 1.6 units. At the legal drinking limit, you are four times more likely to be in an accident, says Ronald. In South Africa, the legal limit is a breath alcohol content of 0.24mg per 1 000ml, or a blood alcohol limit of 0.05g per 100ml, so you could be over the legal driving limit after a single drink according to Charlotte Sullivan, director and fundraiser of South Africans Against Drunk Driving (SADD). The AA advises that you limit your alcohol consumption to one unit of alcohol per hour. If you weigh less than 68kg, the amount of alcohol your body can process could be much less. Sullivan says that students don’t realise the consequences of excessive drinking until they are in a car crash or involved in another incident. She warns that the intake of large amounts of alcohol could also lead to increased levels of violence and unsafe sex practices. Excessive drinking can also affect students’ academic performance at university. “We know from the latest research that binge drinking can lead to permanent damage to the brain,” Sullivan says adding that each time you
Photo: Brendan Fraser
blackout, a part of your brain suffers irreparable damage. Binge drinking among students has become culturally acceptable. The SADD defines binge drinking as more than five units of alcohol in a single sitting. However, she says students drink a lot more than this on a night out. Many students find themselves away from home for the first time and they suddenly have very few restrictions. “Sadly, because young people often do not receive any education on alcohol they do not understand the dangers of this sort of drinking,” continues Sullivan. She warns that young people can easily become alcohol or drug addicts at university. “It is important to know your family history – if you have any family history of addiction you need to be very careful about drinking
and drugging.” According to Dr Andreas Plüddemann, a specialist scientist in the Medical Research Council’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Unit, because your alcohol tolerance increases the more you drink, people often don’t realise they have a problem until they’re in their late thirties. South Africa has one of the highest statistics of heavy drinkers in the world. A study by the World Health Organisation showed that the per capita intake of South African male binge drinkers from the age of 15 onwards is nearly 40 litres of pure alcohol per year. “We’ve done calculations that put us in the deep red zone. This puts us in the highest bracket in the world, along with Russia and the Ukraine,” says Plüddemann. South Africa loses R20 billion in productivity costs due to alcohol-
related deaths, absenteeism, poor productivity and high turnover. The cancellation of a number of university sponsored events where students could drink alcohol and stringent residence clubhouse curfews still spark outrage among many Tuks students. Robert Seyfert, an IT student at UP, believes that prohibition isn’t actually decreasing student drinking. “The only way to make something safer is to manage it. The majority of students want to drink. Period. There’s no getting around that,” he says. Seyfert believes that the early curfews and bars in Hatfield Square closing down are forcing students to look for new watering holes further away from Hatfield, causing numerous students to drive drunk. Howard Dembovsky, national chairperson of the Justice Project South Africa, says although the situation is sad, Tuks are well within their rights to cancel such events. He agrees that prohibition doesn’t work, and says that student behaviour at events should be taken into account when looking at Tuks’s decision to cancel certain events. “They have the right to protect their property from damage and it is not uncommon for drunk people to vandalise things,” says Dembovsky. Sullivan says that the availability of alcohol at university events should be restricted at events, especially events aimed at first-years. “The university is an educational institution – not its students’ parents,” says Dembovsky. He says it might, however, be a good idea for the university to include alcohol education in its course syllabus. SADD runs a programme in ten South African universities that educates students about alcohol and its effects. “Education and awareness is very important as well as developing a culture in the university that does not promote alcohol abuse,” he says. “Getting caught and convicted for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can and will have a disastrous effect on the rest of your life and make everything you have studied for at varsity a waste of time and effort. You will not be able to get a job or a travel visa. But getting caught should be the very least of your worries. You could kill your friends, yourself, and/or someone’s loved one. If that’s what you want to do, go ahead and drive while you are impaired. If it’s not, then get a designated driver who drinks soft drinks while you party it up,” says Dembovsky.
Video game addiction: when you can’t stop playing GABRIELLA FERREIRA Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, Grand Theft Auto and World of Warcraft all have one thing in common: they are the popular titles of one of the biggest entertainment industries in the world. Gaming has gradually grown to be one of the most popular recreational activities for adults and children. As more and more people begin to embrace this popular activity, the threat of video game addiction becomes ever more apparent. Video game addiction is defined as a compulsive disorder where a person needs to play a game or increase the amount of time they take part in gaming behaviour, to the point that it may interfere with their life. Healthline.com suggests that symptoms of possible addiction include gaining a pleasurable feeling from playing that cannot be gained anywhere else, lying about how much time is spent playing, withdrawing from family and essential activities in life, performing poorly at work or school, experiencing irritability when not playing, losing sleep or skipping meals to play, constantly thinking about gaming and spending significant amounts of money on gaming related items. Although the idea of video game addiction may seem like a laughable prospect at first, there have been several incidents in which addiction resulted in the death of gamers or
individuals related to gamers. One of the most recent incidents occurred earlier this year, when The New York Times reported that a South Korean man’s two-year-old son starved to death because the father spent an entire week playing online games at an internet café. In an article titled “The psychology of video game addiction”, psychologist Joseph Hilgard indicates that the reason why gaming may be so addictive is that it makes use of the brain’s internal reward system. Video games reward players for accomplishing particular goals and in doing so may strengthen the brain’s need to perform the task, as we enjoy performing tasks that reward us. Video game addiction is something that can be prevented if you feel that your gaming habits are becoming a problem. PsychCentral. com suggests several steps that can be taken in order to prevent or treat addiction, such as keeping track of how much you play, slowly reducing the amount of time spent playing each day, and using other means to connect with friends if that is the reason for playing. If none of this seems to help, the best solution may be to stop playing altogether. It is important to remember to enjoy everything in moderation. If you are beginning to feel that your life depends on unlocking every single weapon in Call of Duty, it may be time to start limiting your time playing and get some fresh air.
Photo: Anele Mkungela
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Odyssey: from dust till dawn MICHAL-MARÉ LINDEN For the 20th year in a row, the arid plains of a farm up in Northam were overrun by prawns craving dust, sweet sounds and revelry – nothing less than a guarantee from Oppikoppi. This year’s theme was Odyssey, as South Africa’s biggest music festival celebrated the Greeks and all things classic. The festival kicked off on Thursday with many of the festivalgoers having arrived early that morning or the day before. The weather was hot and the bands were even hotter. The programme for Thursday was rather laidback and highlights included Wrestlerish, who played one of their last live performances, and Bittereinder. An exciting discovery was Fridge Poetry who played on the small Ray-Ban Top Bar Stage and had people dancing on the tables to their brassy punk sound.
Friday included a number of local rock heavyweights including Zebra & Giraffe, Van Coke Kartel (plus a male streaker dragged off stage by security), Gangs of Ballet, Taxi Violence (who are celebrating their tenth anniversary this year), and Oppikoppi veterans Springbok Nude Girls. The hugely popular HomeComing Picnic managed the Skellum Stage for the day, satisfying hip-hop, rap and house fans. Crowds were also drawn by the endearing Matthew Mole, Afrikaans poet Gert Vlok Nel, rap megalith HHP and the dreamy Christian Tiger School. Other notable performances included Australian singer Sarah Blasko, whose haunting melodies left crowds transfixed, and Durban-based Urban Creep, who your parents were right to enjoy when the band was active some 15 years ago. The last day meant Oppikoppi brought out the big guns. Cat Power (USA), The Inspector
Photos (clockwise from top): Wolfmother, Aloe Blacc, Rival Sons, Editors, The Inspector Cluzo, Wolfmother. Photos: Brad Donald and Hendro van der Merwe
Cluzo (FR), Editors (UK), Rival Sons (USA), and Wolfmother (AU) all put on top quality performances. Unfortunately, the international lineup was damped slightly by the withdrawal of DJ Marky (BRA) who was denied access to South Africa due to complications with his yellow fever vaccination requirements. Local icons Hugh Masekela, Dan Patlansky, Cassper Nyovest, Spoek Mathambo, aKing and Shortstraw all presented sets to rival the international acts. Overall, the performances were on point and everyone had a good time but there were a few minor details that were disappointing. There seemed to be fewer festival attendees – no doubt the result of the lack of a long weekend. The Odyssey theme and the 20-year anniversary were underplayed, which meant that the atmosphere of the festival seemed a little hollow. The international lineup featured superb acts but they were generally unknown, which meant fewer sing-a-longs and less tangible excitement. Furthermore, acts you would expect at such a huge anniversary event such as Jack Parow and Fokofpoliesiekar were noticeably absent. Despite this, there are two points that one can draw from such an event. For a local festival to run for 20 years is an incredible achievement. One such that its 20th anniversary shouldn’t be about international acts anyway, but rather a celebration of our heaps of local talent in every genre, both old and new. On this front, Oppikoppi Odyssey undoubtedly delivered. The second is that while we all celebrate our 20th birthday, everyone knows it’s at the 21st that the party truly gets raucous. Until Oppikoppi comes of age, the dust lust and eagerness to become a prawn yet again will remain with us for the next year.
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Ten years of Taxi Violence
Taxi Violence perfoming at Oppikoppi Odyssey. Photo: Hendro van der Merwe
ELMARIE KRUGER This September, Taxi Violence will celebrate their tenth birthday. Perdeby sat down with bassist Jason Ling at this year’s Oppikoppi festival to discuss their forthcoming anniversary album. Oppikoppi commemorates its 20th anniversary this year. What does it mean to the band to be performing at this momentous event? It’s our ten-year anniversary as a band, so it’s nice to share an anniversary together with someone. It’s their 20th year and our tenth so everyone is celebrating something, which makes it special on both sides. You’re launching your ten-year anniversary album in September, which is very significant. What does this mean to the band? It’s a bit like when you read a good book and you reach the end of a nice chapter. It’s the same way for us: not the end of the book, but the end of a good chapter. It sums up what we’ve made through in these ten years. Anyone who’s in a band in South Africa will know that it’s quite tough, it’s hard work and it’s not
easy to get recognition and to carry on. So ten years for us is a big thing. It’s an assessment of our friendship as a band. Does being in the industry for as many years as you have make performing and making albums any easier? It only gets harder because of self-expectation. When [your band] comes out, no one really knows you, so you put stuff out and it’s either good or it’s s**t. If it’s good, you need to beat that [with your next release]. You obviously don’t want to fail. It’s like any other sport or competition, you don’t want to lose. After ten years you have expectations of the crowd and you want to keep them happy, and that’s what makes it difficult for us. But as a job, it’s the best job in the world. After writing and recording songs for this long, are there any songs that stand out above the rest when performing? All of them, really. At another festival about two years ago, they gave us a two-hour slot and we actually struggled to fill those two hours because we had so many songs that we didn’t know what to do. Choosing a set list is the hardest thing because we love playing all our songs. Usually “Devil ‘n pistol” is a winner, along with “Venus fly trap” and “Unholy” – stuff that our older fans, who’ve been there from the start, appreciate. Last night we
Christian Tiger School for the record. Or tape.
Image provided
played four new tracks to test them out and the crowd [enjoyed them] just as much. This shows that we’re on the right path to keeping fans happy. What can fans expect from the anniversary album? Quintessential, typical Taxi Violence – rock‘n’roll. It’s not mainstream, but yet it’s catchy. We’ve done what we want and what makes us happy. We’re finishing off the album now and the mixes are sounding amazing, we’re happy with it. We believe that it’s the best work that we’ve brought out. Has there been anything special about the recording process this time around? Yes, over the years we’ve learnt the “tricks of the trade”, where to record, what’s the best drum sound, who’s the best at mixing and mastering [albums] – basically gathering a team who we’d like to work with. We’ve taken the best of everything [this time]. We did our drums and vocals at Heritage Sound in Cape Town, we did the guitars and bass by ourselves at George [Van der Spuy]’s studio, Kill City Blues, also in Cape Town. We weren’t on the clock, so we just had a whole month to do everything – we had time to add lots of guitars and lots of bass. That, for us, made it special. We took our time on it and it’s going to sound great. MICHAL-MARÉ LINDEN 2014 has seen the slow release of Christian Tiger School’s new album Chrome Tapes. Luc Vermeer, one half of the duo, chatted to Perdeby about their new material. Your process for releasing the new album has been quite a unique one. Why did you decide on it? I think we were just really eager to release something but not the full thing. So we thought about it and made [it] into a process so that we could show, in a sense, what we were doing but not the whole thing. I bought a tape machine and I think that’s why we started releasing tapes. It didn’t work. We had to take it to a farm to get all the tapes recorded. So we just decide to release it like that and then possibly release some form of video and then hopefully the full album as well – so, sort of multi-formatted instead of a plain release. We wanted to do something more than that, something a little more involved. Has your sound changed since your debut album? Definitely. A lot. It’s grown and we’re still exploring so it’s more just exploration than [it has] necessarily changed, but we’ve added on to the sound. You’ve been playing your new material for some time now. What has the response been to that? It’s generally been pretty good. Some people are confused, but you get different reactions in different areas. In Jo’burg they’re more hip-hop orientated so the majority of them are enjoying the hip-hop side. We’re going to have two sides of the album, anyway – one more electro side and one more hip-hop side. The electronic side will appeal a little more to the Cape Town fans. But generally it’s been very interesting. People have been enjoying it so we’re excited to see when we release the entire thing what it will be like.
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Zebra & Giraffe: discussions amid the Oppikoppi dust ELMARIE KRUGER Amid the dust and excitement at Oppikoppi 2014, Zebra & Giraffe spoke to Perdeby about acoustic sets, their upcoming album and their newest single. You’ve just completed your annual “stripped-down” tour. Does performing in this unique way give you a different perspective on your older material? It’s weird going back to songs that were written six or seven years ago and to redo them for an acoustic set. It’s interesting and hard and some songs don’t work. A lot of songs need to be reworked and totally changed up, which gives them a whole new sound. The band’s setup has changed quite a bit, how has this affected your new material? While we’re not planning on making any more changes, the fact that there are now four of us has definitely affected the way we work in the studio. Your newest album Knuckles will be released soon. What can fans expect? Music [laughs]. It’s not necessarily a new direction or anything, but maybe [the sound] is a little more organic. Your lyrical content is usually quite personal, where have you drawn lyrical inspiration from for this album? This album is slightly different from the last ones because of the fact that [Greg Carlin] moved to Cape Town. It was a big change and [he] was just in a better space in [his] life. The lyrics definitely reflect that, although some of the stuff still reflects back on the old days. It’s stuff that will always be there and it’s always good to go back and re-look at those things. It’s still very personal, looking at what’s happened in [Greg’s] life, in [the band’s] lives. We all have a very similar lifestyle and this represents where we are right now, in our headspace. Do you have any personal favourite songs on your new album? “I’ve been bad”, our single that we just released a video for [as well as] the song “Knuckles”. How did you find the shooting of the video for your latest single “I’ve been bad”? It went really well. We got our fans involved in the video and it was cool to make them a part of the experience. We created this whole little world and it was one of the first videos we’ve been really happy with because we came up with the idea and it’s probably our favourite video we’ve ever done.
Photo: Brad Donald
Photo: Brad Donald
Photo: Hendro van der Merwe
The Muffinz: “we all felt that through music we could change people so much more”
Photos: Eddie Mafa
MICHAL-MARÉ LINDEN The Muffinz have become a well-known name on the local music scene. They’re currently busy finishing up their next offering I’m Still Standing and took time out to perform on the HomeComing Picnic Stage at Oppikoppi. Perdeby chatted to Keke and Simz about their progress. Has there been a development in your sound from your previous albums? Keke: There is a lot of growth from our first album. With our first album we were still babies in the industry. We knew what we wanted but we were still babies. I think this time around we know what we want and we’re doing things on our own accord. I think the difference is also that we’re producing it ourselves, the second album. This time around we’re doing things on our own and we’re excited. How has the recording process been and is there anything special about it? Keke: It’s quite interesting. When you’re a band I think it’s different from when you’re a soloist. You write melodies and
lyrics but you don’t have the whole vision of how you want it to sound. But as a band, all the instruments we’ve got are on the album and there are no additions except for one song where there are trumpets. But the bulk of it is exactly as you see it on stage and I think it’s nice for us because it allows us to change the music in such a way that come live that’s when people are like “put your money where your mouth is” but we try to make sure that what we can accomplish in studio is what we can accomplish on stage. So it’s been quite interesting because we play the music in the studio exactly how we want it to sound like whereas with the first one, we weren’t even sure what the album sounded like. We knew exactly what it sounded like on stage. But it’s nice to see the fruit come into shape the way that we hoped. Simz: That’s where the magic is – live you want the music to sound a lot better. We wanted to tone down the album so that when people come to the show they have a really great experience. What did you use as you inspiration for this album? Keke: The album is called I’m Still Standing, even though it’s hard to do. Sometimes we achieve something and you feel like the people you know should be the first ones to jump for joy but sometimes people are not happy to see you move forward. But despite the bad vibes and people wishing you ill, you push through and at the end of the day, you’re still standing. In keeping with what we did on the first album, we’re trying to share our stories, what we experience. Now it’s been two years, we’ve had lots of experiences. When we started out [and] people said “This isn’t going to go anywhere, you’re wasting your time, you must go back to school” but we’re still standing. It’s hard work for us to be here but we’re here. You’ve doing a show in benefit of Equal Education for All. Why is that cause so close to your heart? Simz: There’s something special about education because when people think about education they think of a change in state of mind, teaching you how to be able to help yourself. But that’s not how it’s turned out. Everyone that gets an education turns out exactly like everyone else and that’s not the idea of knowledge. Knowledge, you’re supposed to enrich yourself and we believe that if you can give the kids sufficient knowledge and the right knowledge that can help them become better people in society but also in themselves. Education has always been close to our hearts because that is where we met and even though we weren’t studying music, we always had this passion because we all felt that through music we could change people so much more because music is nice and it has a message.
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Photo: Eddie Mafa
Dust and divinity meet at Oppikoppi’s Running of the Gods ELMARIE KRUGER Day three of Oppikoppi Odyssey started out much cloudier than the previous two, but the weather soon cleared up and Oppi-goers dared to venture out of their tents and back to the stages. However, in addition to the scheduled musical entertainment, the day also provided for amusement in the shape of Oppikoppi’s
annual Dustbowl Olympics. This year, the event took the form of a “running of the gods” race. Costumed dustbowl puritans gathered for the event in imaginative (and sometimes ridiculous) attire. At 13:00 a mass of toga-wearing, sword-wielding Spartans and Homeric heroes took off to see who would arise as the victor in this event. One creative contestant arrived accurately dressed
as Thor – complete with Mjölnir. The winner of the race wore an interesting combination of an Athenian toga, a Spartan war skirt and bright blue tekkies. The event was an overall success, attracting eager participants and supporters alike, offering the crowds an entertaining break from their continuous partying.
Homecoming Picnic goes to Oppi
Photo: Eddie Mafa
MICHAL-MARÉ LINDEN For the first time HomeComing Picnic took charge of the Skellum Stage on the second day of Oppikoppi. The stage’s lineup featured some of the biggest names in rap, hip-hop and house such as HHP and The Muffinz. Katlego Malatji, co-founder of HomeComing Picnic, told Perdeby that the partnership between HomeComing Picnic and Oppikoppi “came as a result of quite a number of interactions between us and Hilltop Live where we have agreed to partner up on projects to sort of bridge social and cultural gaps in entertainment”. Malatji said the reason for this is because “people think Homecoming is a black thing or Oppi is an Afrikaans thing and since we are both leaders in our fields it only made sense for us to join forces”. “It’s always going to be humbling for a 20-year beast like Oppi to put their confidence in you,” said Malatji, adding that he thinks both brands benefited immensely and next year they aim to “keep up with our [HomeComing Picnic]’s ‘SHIFT | THE | CULTURE’ philosophy by diversifying [their] stage and contributing a wholesome music and entertainment experience”. HomeComing Picnic is a Pretoria-based event that was founded in 2008 as a way for old friends that had moved away for varsity to see each other again. The picnic soon came to incorporate live musicians as well as a charity initiative that sees the profit of at least one of the four annual picnics donated to community service projects.
Photo: Eddie Mafa
See the rest of our Odyssey pictures on the Perdeby Facebook page Photo: Brad Donald
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“Oh captain, my captain”
Robin Williams: the captain of the big screen remembered LIZL LOMBAARD AND YANGA TYIKWE Sometimes characters surpass the movies they feature in. They form part of our memories and we love them so much that we forget that they are only fictional.
During his lifetime, Robin Williams portrayed an astounding number of these iconic characters. Williams possessed an unparalled talent to fit into characters which were polar opposites, and it is because of this that in his long career he has appealed to the child, the teenager and the adult.
His recent passing has left a gaping hole in the big screen and in the hearts of millions, but the characters and the genius behind them will never be forgotten. Perdeby looks at some of the iconic characters he portrayed and their most memorable quotes.
Image: Lizl Lombaard
MonArk Negatives ELMARIE KRUGER MonArk’s debut album Negatives is a pop-rock explosion that is certain to inspire its listeners. “Only one”, the album’s opening track, ensures that the record begins strongly and forcefully. This makes the album appealing from the get-go. The band’s latest single “Something” is an excellent follow-up, contributing to the rest of the radio-ready songs on the album. Like the song itself, its video is loaded with meaning, as all of MonArk’s music videos to date have been. “Build it up” is the band’s second big single and is sure to have fans singing and dancing along in no time while “Smiling”, with its awe-inspiring chorus and imaginative video
(directed by Bouwer Bosch) warmed the hearts of many when it first graced South Africa’s airwaves. Instruments intermingle perfectly on this album to make each track pleasing to the ear and to uplift the listener. There is no doubt that fans will have a smile on their face after listening to upbeat tracks like “Over now”, “Wait” and “So long”. The track “Own the night” starts out with tender acoustic guitars – a rarity on this album – but rapidly moves into a steadier beat with a soft electronic undertone, although the guitars still remain in the background as a sort of postscript, creating a beautiful blend of genres. “You make” is an emotional, personal song with an inspiring melody and lyrics filled with hope and promise, making it one of the album’s highlights. Negatives is a welcome deviation from most superficial pop albums as its lyrics convey depth and meaning. Each song seems to end as if the last note is a whisper that is left to linger in mid-air, which is effective as it leaves the listener anxious to hear what is next. Overall, no fault is found with Negatives as it is an excellently mastered, original album filled with pleasant surprises. Judging by the exceptional quality of their debut album, there is only one way that MonArk can go as a band – forward.
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Akani Simbine: a rising star Akani Simbine. Image: youtube.com
SIMPHIWE NHLABATHI Akani Simbine is one of the rising stars in South African athletics. The 20-year-old sprinter represented Tuks at this year’s Varsity Athletics and South Africa at the Commonwealth Games. You recently ran at the Commonwealth Games. How was the whole experience and what was your proudest moment? I’m still young in athletics and it’s only my third year doing this. The Commonwealth Games were pretty awesome for me because I was on one stage with all the best sprinters in the world, except the Americans, so it was just
like the Olympics and the World Champs. My proudest moment was when I ran the 200m and qualified for the final. I wasn’t going to do the 200m when I came to the games but then I just decided to move away from withdrawing and just ran. A personal best (20.37) and a final came out of that, which was also totally unexpected. In terms of the 4x100m relay at the Commonwealth Games, some sport journalists have said that the only runner who ran a faster leg than you was Usain Bolt. How do you feel being compared to him? Well, yeah, of course, that’s a very proud moment for me because other than running against Bolt, we also got the national record (38.35). I also heard about that [referring to the previous statement of Bolt being the only one to run faster than him] and just being compared to Bolt is an honour. He is a legend in the sport and I’m being put in [the same] sentence as him. That’s pretty awesome, but also shows me that with more training and
work, I can get up there and put pressure on the guy. Do you have any aspirations for Rio 2016 and do you think that with the current young crop of South African sprinters, we can expect great things from South Africa? Just qualifying for Rio is an aspiration within itself but more than that, I feel like I want to get into the finals for both 100m and 200m and also the 4x100m relay because once you’re in the final anything can happen. We can also most definitely expect great things of the young guys coming up because we have more sprinters running fast and not just times that
are considered fast in SA, but internationally. If we can get the right support and just put in the hours, then great things can come from the South African team. If you could thank anyone for contributing to your success, who would it be and why? First and foremost, God. My coach Werner Prinsloo, my family and friends because they are a great support structure, my manager Peet van Zyl, Tuks, HPC Pretoria and Adidas. Lastly, what does the future hold for you? I just want to keep getting faster, stronger, being one of the fastest in the world and getting closer to my dream.
Spots are cool...just not on your face There are those who wear SPOTTY tops, name their dog SPOT or hang out at hot SPOTS! They listen out for their favourite radio SPOTS and always find WIFI hot SPOTS! Even those a little DOTTY will agree, SPOTS are cool, just not on your face! Benzac® AC 5 is a benzoyl peroxide formulation used on the skin surface to combat acne spots. It contains the Acrylate Copolymer Dual Action system also known as AC beads. Benzoyl peroxide reduces micro-organisms1 and inflammation1, while the special AC bead formulation absorbs excess sebum from the spot and releases glycerine at the same time to prevent excessive dryness.2, 3 It is available in both a gel form for smaller areas such as the face and a wash for larger areas such as the shoulders, back and chest. Benzac® AC 5 is the No. 1 topical spot treatment in pharmacy.4 How does Benzac® AC 5 combat acne? Twice daily application of benzoyl peroxide, the active ingredient in Benzac® AC 5, will kill 95 % of the bacteria P. Acnes within 5 days.5 Because benzoyl peroxide is not an antibiotic, there is the added benefit that the bacteria will not become resistant to the effect of Benzac® AC 5.6
How does benzoyl peroxide work? • Mild anti-inflammatory action6 • Anti-bacterial action6 • Effect on prevention of blockage of pores by skin cells6 A complete kit for acne-prone oily skin is now available from Benzac® AC 5 with the new Benzaderm Oily Skin range. Benzaderm Oily Skin Cleanser is formulated for oily or combination skin. The gentle cleansing action removes dirt and make-up without leaving the skin feeling tight and dry. 7 It provides deep pore cleansing and won’t clog pores.7 Benzaderm Oily Skin Moisturiser is a non-greasy formulation for oily or combination skin which leaves skin feeling soft and healthy. References: 1. Gollnick H, Cunliffe W. Management of Acne. A Report From a Global Alliance to Improve Outcomes in Acne. J Am Acad Dermatol 2003; 49(1): S1-S38. 2. Klein WL, DiSapio AJ. Acrylates Copolymer: A Technique for Entrapping Cosmetic Actives. R & D Archive - Galderma CIRD Sophia-Antipolis. Data on file - Galderma Laboratories. 3. Health and Beauty Solutions website accessed October 2012. 4. IMS Data – March 2014. 5. Kligman AM. Acne Vulgaris: Tricks and Treatments. Part II: The Benzoyl Peroxide Saga. Dermatologic Insights. Cutis 1995: 56; 260-261. 6. Thiboutot D, Gollnick H, Bettoli V, et al, on behalf of the Global Alliance to Improve Outcomes in Acne. New insights into the management of acne: An update from the Global Alliance to Improve Outcomes in Acne Group. J Am Acad Dermatol 2009;60:S1-50. 7. Draelos ZD. The Effect of a Daily Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin on the Skin Barrier of Subjects With Acne. Cutis 2006; 78 (1): 34-40. S0 Benzac® AC 5 Gel. Reg. No.: X/13.12/133. S0 Benzac® AC 5 Wash. Reg. No.: 30/13.12/0044. Each 100 g contains 5 g benzoyl peroxide in an aqueous gel base with glycerol and acrylates copolymer. For full prescribing information refer to the package insert approved by the medicines regulatory authority. Full product information on Benzaderm range, available from Galderma Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Co. Reg. No.: 1996/000311/07, PO Box 71150, Bryanston, 2021. Tel.: 011 706 2339. www.galderma.com BEN 1407-05. Final approval date: 13/08/2014.
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Bacary Sagna. Image: trbimg.com
BRIAN KIAUTHA
Manchester United, who finished in seventh position last season, will be aiming to get back into the top four with the help of former Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, who led Netherlands to a third place finish at the World Cup. Manchester United have brought in some new players such as Spaniard Ander Herrera and England right back Luke Shaw. If the pre-season friendlies are anything to go by, Van Gaal’s side looks rejuvenated and will be a team to watch. Arsenal’s FA Cup success last year saw the club end a nine-year trophy drought and their dominant performance in this year’s Community Shield indicated that Arsène Wenger’s men will be looking for more silverware. Wenger has spent a lot this transfer period, buying Barcelona forward Alexis Sánchez, defenders Calum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy and Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina. Wenger’s first objective will be to lead his side past the Champions League playoff round against Turkish-side Besiktas at the end of August, after his opening domestic league campaign match against Crystal Palace. Former Arsenal player Cesc Fàbregas is back in the Premier League but will be playing at the other end of London for Chelsea. Joining him at Stamford Bridge is fellow Spaniard Diego Costa and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, among others. Costa joins José Mourinho’s troops in good form after leading Atlético Madrid to the league title and Champions League final, and will be hoping to replicate the same with his new club. Mourinho has said that Chelsea are in a better form to win this season’s Premier League than
they were last season, adding that his current team can dominate for ten years. It remains to be seen whether the Blues will miss the services of Romelu Lukaku, who has signed a contract with Everton. While on loan to Everton last season, he helped the Merseyside club finish fifth with their highest point tally in a Premier League season of 72 points, in manager Roberto Martínez’s debut season as Everton coach. Joining Everton in the Europa League campaign will be Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City. Tottenham’s new coach and former Southampton coach Mauricio Pochettino has bought Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm and midfielder Ben Davies, while Hull City has bought Jake Livermore on a permanent basis and Robert Snodgrass from relegated Norwich City. Newly promoted teams Leicester, Burnley and QPR will be hoping to avoid relegation come May 2015. Leicester, who earned automatic qualification, will be relying on their Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel, son of Manchester United legend goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, to continue his amazing saves and performances to help with their goal difference aggregate, given the competitive nature of the league where avoiding relegation at times boils down to goal difference. QPR has signed former Manchester United captain and defender Rio Ferdinand as well as Juventus forward Mauricio Isla on a season-long loan. Loïc Rémy also returns from a season-long loan at Newcastle United. Arguably the underdogs of last season, Crystal Palace and Sunderland will build on their incredible performances in the second half of last season to avoid any last minute relegation
scares. Sunderland required a string of good results toward the end of last season against Chelsea and both Manchester clubs while Crystal Palace was inspired by new coach Tony Pulis to finish 11th on the log. Southampton have sold a majority of their starting 11 from last season, but rebuilding has started through the acquisition of coach Ronald Koeman who has already lined up Celtic FC number one Fraser Forster, as well as seeing defender José Fonte commit to the club for another three years. Whether the coach will be able to steer his team to an eighth place finish as Pochettino did last season will be seen through his “new” squad as the season begins. Top referee Howard Webb retired after officiating over 500 Premier League games in his 11-year stint as a Premier League referee, as well as officiating the 2010 World Cup final between Spain and Netherlands. Webb was the first referee to officiate a World Cup final and a Uefa Champions League final in the same year. He has been promoted to technical director of the Professional Game Match Officials Board. His retirement coincides with the introduction of the vanishing spray that was introduced during the World Cup and will be used during the 2014/15 season. The 2014/15 season promises to be a hotly contested season due to the marquee signings for most teams, the intense rivalry between teams and the derbies, such as the Manchester, the Merseyside and the Tyne-Wear derbies. A lot is at stake not only in revenue, such as broadcasting rights, but also pride as fan loyalty and patience will be pushed to the limit and teams’ tenacity stretched to the maximum.
defensive lapse early in the game and put UP-Tuks 1 under pressure as they sought to penetrate their defensive line. UP-Tuks 1 were then reduced to 14 men after Pieter Griesel was given a red card for a high tackle. Police converted the ensuing penalty but were not able to capitalise on the oneman advantage and lost possession often through poorly executed box kicks. However, Police were awarded a penalty after one of the UP-Tuks 1 players was penalised for a late tackle. The fly-half was unsuccessful in his attempt at goal. Police tried to unsettle the opposition’s attack by slowing the ball down but were penalised after their blindside flank tried contesting at the breakdown while being off his feet. Tuks fly-half Clinton Swart converted the penalty from 30 metres out to bring the score to 8-3 in favour of UP-Tuks 1. UP-Tuks 1 exposed Police’s back three for their poor positioning on a number of occasions and late in the first half they were forced into touch near their try line after a good kick from UP-Tuks
1. UP-Tuks 1 then set up another superb rolling maul as they drove towards the line. Tobias scored his second try of the game on the stroke of half time as a result of his side’s dominant maul. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful as UP-Tuks 1 led 13-3 at half time. The game started to open up in the second half and was played at a frenetic pace. UP-Tuks 1 used their lineout drive to good effect as they set up another one, this time on Police’s five-metre line. Swart barged his way over the line, got up and converted his own try. Later, Hugo spotted some space behind Police’s defensive line again and was able to kick an almost perfect torpedo, with Police finding themselves defending near their line again. UP-Tuks 1’s ball retention on the day was immaculate and they were rewarded for their patience when they just sucked in too many defenders and right-wing Theuns Kruger was left one on one with a lock, beating him easily to score in what was a good team try. The conversion was unsuccessful.
Police hit back immediately with a try in the right-hand corner after they strung a few phases together close to UP-Tuks 1’s tryline. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful. Police contested aggressively at the breakdown but were penalised for not releasing the ball carrier. Swart made no mistake in converting the penalty as UP-Tuks 1 now had an unassailable 2813 lead with only six minutes left of the game. Police threw everything at UP-Tuks 1 and found themselves five metres from the try line. However, their impatience saw them forcing a pass and subsequently knocking the ball on. Andries Kruger collected the ball and ran the length of the field, outsprinting the cover defence en route to the try line to dot down under the poles in what was a great individual try. Swart added the extras before the end of the game. UP-Tuks 1 will be happy with how they have performed in the Carlton Cup this year after having lost only one game during the whole campaign.
After a three-month hiatus the Barclays Premier League is back. During the break, Germany won the World Cup, beating a Messi-led Argentina 1-0. The impact of the German players, such as Mesut Özil and André Schürrle, will soon be felt as the players and fans alike prepare for the new season. Manchester City made it two league wins in three years at the end of the 2013/14 season, with Liverpool finishing two points behind the champions. Manchester City has had a quiet transfer window so far, but they have brought players like Bacary Sagna and Frank Lampard into the squad as they aim to retain the title. Liverpool will play this season without last year’s player of the season Luis Suárez, who will be playing for Spanish giants Barcelona after a deal reportedly worth £75m was agreed on by the clubs. Suárez’s departure has not been well received by the majority of Liverpool fans, especially now that the team is back in Champions League contention and will need the services of a prolific striker like Suárez. Coach Brendan Rodgers has been swift to add reinforcements to the squad from all over Europe as seven new players have joined the Merseyside club making Liverpool one of the busiest teams during this transfer window. Some of the new acquisitions include Southampton trio Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and defender Dejan Lovren, as well as young Belgian striker Divock Origi who will join the squad in 2015 after completing his loan spell at French side LOIC Lille.
UP-Tuks 1 retain Carlton Cup title
KAYA NOCANDA
UP-Tuks 1 won this year’s BBRU Carlton Cup beating Pretoria Police 35-13 in the final on Saturday 9 August. In the build-up to the final UP-Tuks 1 coach Pote Human did not believe that the game was going to be easy and said that there would be “war” when the two sides collided. The opening ten minutes of the game saw both teams using a lot of one-off runners to assert their dominance in the collisions. UP-Tuks 1 were determined to cross the advantage line with each carry but Pretoria Police’s defence was strong and they were able to repel UP-Tuks 1’s efforts. Team captain and number five lock Reniel Hugo spotted some space behind Police’s defensive line and his chip forced the Police full-back to kick the ball out inside his own 22. UP-Tuks 1 were then able to set up a rolling maul that saw Sidney Tobias scoring the first try of the final. The conversion attempt by Antonie Beswick was unsuccessful. Police were desperate to make amends for their
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