20 August 2012 Issue 15 Year 74

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

20August2012

year74issue15

Armed robbery on campus

Oppi: international interviews

The gospel of Oppikoppi

Oppi: local interviews

P3

P7

P8-9

P10-11

Oppikoppi 2012: special edition

2

Perdeby

Don’t have sex. You will get pregnant and die.

www.perdeby.co.za perdeby@up.ac.za m.perdeby.co.za @perdebynews Tel: (012) 420 6600 Editorial Editor-In-Chief: Carel Willemse carel.willemse@up.ac.za @Ed_in_Chief Editor: Beyers de Vos perdeby@up.ac.za @perdebyeditor News: Margeaux Erasmus news@perdeby.co.za @MargeauxErasmus Features: Meagan Dill features@perdeby.co.za @meagandill Entertainment: Nadine Laggar entertainment@perdeby.co.za @Alula273 Sport: Carlo Cock sport@perdeby.co.za @CarloRP

So some people got held up at knife point on campus last Thursday evening. The article detailing the incident is on page 3, and you guys will notice that one of the victims thanks UP security because of their quick response and “their willingness to help us”. I’m sure that’s true, but my first instinct wouldn’t be to thank security after I got robbed at knife point on campus. I defended the security services after the shooting on campus earlier this year, but surely security should be able to prevent armed robbery? The whole campus is covered in CCTV cameras and there is security at every gate whose main purpose is surely to ensure that people coming onto campus aren’t criminals?

Copy: Hayley Tetley @Hayley_Tet Layout: JP Nathrass @JPNathrass Visuals: Brad Donald @Brad3rs

Layout Nolwazi Bengu Meghan van Rooyen Copy Louis Fourie India Goncalves Jaco Kotze Nolwazi Mngadi Saneze Tshayana Lizette van Niekerk Marié van Wyk Nadine Wubbeling Yuan-Chih Yen

I’m on campus late at night all the time, and now you’re telling me I can’t be assured that someone with a knife isn’t going to walk into the Perdeby office and take all my stuff.

Seriously?

In other, more important, news, whenever anything in Perdeby even touches on a subject related to sex (see page 12, by the way), the editing process gets a little edgy. What’s acceptable, what isn’t? Are we going to get letters accusing us of encouraging reckless, immoral behaviour? Can we trust that people will accept articles discussing sex with an open mind, or do we have to employ at least some censorship?

Personally, I don’t understand the conservative side of the argument. Do we seriously still live in a society where safe, consenting sex between two adults has moral implications? Surely not. Surely I’m not destroying purity and innocence by publishing articles which honestly discuss the realities of sex?

Students have sex. All the time. Because believe it or not, sex is pretty much awesome, as long as you’re responsible about it (ooh, I wonder if I’ll get death threats for that sentence?).

And yet, there are always people who seem to think that I shouldn’t publish articles about certain subjects because … because … well

From the Editor

I’m not really sure. Because students are impressionable and can’t think for themselves?

Because their beliefs are so fragile and vulnerable that simply reading an article can lead them from the path of righteousness into the hellfire?

Could we please grow up?

Oppikoppi is a strange place. It’s a kind of dreamscape, a place of pure hedonism, where the real world is discarded in favour of a world where anything is acceptable: as long as it feels good, it is good, and the worst that can happen is that you’ll develop a slight rash. It is interesting to come back from an environment like that to a world where there are rules and responsibilities. I like to think of Oppikoppi as a place of friendly anarchy, and I have to say, that’s a philosophy that appeals to me.

But I’m a hippie, in my secret heart.

Speaking of, how awesome was Oppikoppi?

So awesome. This edition is all about Oppikoppi: photos, interviews, articles. The Oppikoppi team (Nadine Laggar and Melina Meletakos, as well as the photogs) did a great job this year and I would like to thank them from the bottom of my vodka-soaked heart.

Let’s do it like they do on the Discovery Channel Beyers @PerdebyEditor

Message from the Editor-in-Chief

Web: Marissa Gravett webeditor@perdeby.co.za @perdebynews

Teams

Editorial

20 Augustus ‘12

I felt sick to my stomach as I watched news footage of mine workers armed with machetes, spears and knobkerries being gunned down whilst storming police officers armed with shotguns and automatic weapons in Marikana, North West. I remember scrolling through my Twitter feed earlier in the day and seeing photos from Ügen Vos (Beeld, The Citizen) of protesters wielding weapons, thinking to myself that it looked like a declaration of war. Little did I know.

If you don’t know what I am on about just google Lonmin.

Criticism flowed freely on Friday. Everyone had their own opinion on who was to blame. Prof Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State commented that the pictures looked eerily similar to Sharpeville.

If you’ve seen the footage of the shooting you will agree that the police weapons were fired out of fear. Put yourself in the shoes of those officers. It’s easy to condemn the shooting but I am sure they feared for their own lives.

Either way, with the build-up to the shooting (remember that people were killed on both sides even before Thursday afternoon) the stage was set for disaster.

Now let’s look at the unions. Why do union members bring weapons to a strike? What happens when the mine can’t deliver on the increase demanded by the union? In this case the unions lost control and it cost approximately 40 people their lives. What about the mine itself? How bad are the working conditions?

How far do you have to push an individual before he takes up arms to get his point across?

Perhaps this is but an indication of a failing government, a government that doesn’t listen to its citizens, a government that doesn’t lead by example, a government that isn’t interested in educating its citizens. Every couple of weeks we read of more discarded textbooks in

Limpopo.

At the same time as the stand-off between the miners and police, TUT (Tswane University of Technology) is covered in the black smoke from burning tyres. The gripe: amongst others, catering services in residences and a lack of financial aid for students. The result: a shutdown of three TUT campuses. The cost: education.

The culture in this country has become one of “we demand” instead of let’s make a plan, let’s work together. And who can blame us? It’s the way we’ve been taught by our leaders through empty promises and hand-outs around election time.

Complaining isn’t going to solve a damn thing and this is not what this editorial is about. I am concerned and you should be too. We need to stop bickering about trivial matters and start taking the wheel of this country through accountable leadership. Its starts right here on campus with you because, like it or not, you are tomorrow’s leaders and we will inherit the rot taking place right now.

Carel Willemse Editor-in-Chief @Ed_in_Chief

Study in Australia

Advertising Sales Tel: 012 420 6600 Cell: 083 318 9738 carel.willemse@up.ac.za Copyright Perdeby is printed by Paarlmedia. All rights reserved. Contributions are welcome. All due care will be taken with materials submitted, but Perdeby and printers cannot be held responsible for loss or damage. The Editor reserves the right to edit, amend or alter in any way deemed nescessary. Perdeby cannot be responsible for unsolicited material.

The opinions expressed in Perdeby are not necessarily those of the editors and printers of Perdeby.

@perdebynews

As authorized representatives of various universities in Australia we guide and assist students with their application to study abroad. We also assist with the study visa application and supply information on living cost, accommodation, location, transport and much more.

Contact: info@rutegaeducation.com or 082 887 0306 www.rutegaeducation.com

News

3

20 August ‘12

Students held at knife point on campus MARGEAUX ERASMUS

A UP security guard taking a nap on campus last week

Three students were held at knife point last week Thursday on UP’s Hatfield campus.

LLB final-year students Nicole Lardner and Bernard Hamann, who are also co-presidents of the Golden Key Executive Committee of 2012, and Nkateko Mathebula, a final-year BCom Accounting student who is the Golden Key Vice-President for International Affairs, were finishing up with a committee meeting on Thursday evening around 19:00 at the Graduate Centre when three armed men came into the venue and told them to hand over their possessions.

According to Wayne Lardner, father of Nicole Lardner, the criminals took Hamann’s laptop, iPad and wallet, Lardner’s purse and iPad and Mathebula’s cell phone.

“Nicole’s ipad had a tracker on and [we tracked the criminals to] a train at the Station and finally [to] Hillbrow...The Police were informed, but we doubt anything was actually done,” he said.

“They weren’t just playing games,” Nicole Lardner told Perdeby, “[and] you don’t mess with people who are armed.”

Lardner told Perdeby what worries her is that this happened in a venue where students are supposed to be safe. She said, “I don’t feel very safe [on campus],” and added, “I want people to know that they need to be vigilant.”

Mathebula said, “No one ever thinks such things happen, especially on campus, but I was comforted by the quick response of campus security and their willingness to help us. They even got us counselling appointments. I don’t wish it to happen to anyone but if it does, at

least I know campus security is on my side.”

Hamann told Perdeby that he did not expect something like this to happen on campus. “I think that the police could have been more effective. They tried, but I believe they could have shown more enthusiasm in catching the criminals. We had the criminal’s exact location, why were they not caught?”

UP said in a statement that Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage and other evidence is being investigated and that the university is, “co-operating with the South African Police Services.”

The university told Perdeby, “Support has already been offered to the victims and the university will continue to render all available assistance to these students and their parents.”

Photo: Gideon van Tonder

Mr and Miss Tuks 2011 pageant conflict AMY-MAE CAMPBELL

The first ever Mr and Miss Tuks pageant was hosted by Stuku (Student Culture) on 16 September 2011. It is now almost a year later and the winners have still not received any of the prizes that they were promised, nor is it certain whether the pageant will continue.

Stuku hosted the beauty pageant last year but according to Mr and Miss Tuks they were unable to follow through on their promises and the winners are now considering taking legal action against both Stuku and UP. Miss Tuks 2011, Randy Kgodumo, said that it is unfair that Miss TuksRag received prizes such as an Audi branded with her title while the overall Tuks beauty pageant winners only received a bouquet of flowers and a sash.

It is still unclear how UP was involved in the pageant as they have not yet responded to the complaint put forward by the winners.

Stuku manager, Thabane Mkhwebane, revealed that Stuku will no longer be hosting the Mr and Miss Tuks pageant but that they only had the best intentions with regards to the pageant and do not wish to rule the pageant out completely for the future. “We got a lot of things right, but there is room for improvement.

TuksRag already sets the bar [and we] must match this,” Mkhwebane explained.

Mkhwebane added that Stuku arranged the pageant during a very busy time of year.

Cultural events such as Expressi and Serenade took place around the same time which, as Mkhwebane explained, made it difficult to address the flaws.

Stuku, however, did not arrange the event alone and approached Modelling South Africa (MSA) to assist in co-ordinating the event and preparing the contestants for the show.

According to an electronic document sent to Stuku by MSA, they agreed to train all the contestants and pledged to sponsor a test photo shoot for all title winners (this included Mr and Miss Tuks, all runners-up, and Mr and Miss Photogenic) and in addition, they agreed to give the main winners, professional modelling course vouchers at MSA that included a professional portfolio and a one-year model management membership at their agency.

Stuku promised the overall winners of the pageant beauty hampers and that Mr and Miss Tuks would represent the university at formal events. “We were told [that] we would be ambassadors for Tuks,” Kgodumo said.

None of the abovementioned promises allegedly made by Stuku or MSA have materialised. “They robbed me of my time. It is not only about the two of us, but [involves] everybody that invested their time in this,” said

Mr Tuks, Thabani Mbule.

Stuku paid MSA to manage the contestants and argued that whatever MSA promised the winners did not involve them and they (Stuku) held MSA accountable for the prizes that were never delivered.

David de Villiers, Pro Model coach and photographer at MSA, who was asked to guide and assist Stuku with the pageant, responded to this accusation and argued that it was Stuku’s responsibility to forward all the contact details and schedules of the winners to him so that MSA could arrange the courses and photo shoots as agreed.

De Villiers explained that the reason why MSA decided to pull out was because of poor communication and delegation on Stuku’s part.

“I did more than my bit ever since the start, but Stuku members at that stage were on a different planet,” he said.

He assured Perdeby that MSA never intended to jeopardise their relationship with UP and that they are still willing to award the prizes promised. But they expect full co-operation from the university. “If it is important to Tuks or Stuku, they will do their part and help me sort this out,” De Villiers said.

At the time of going to print UP had not responded to Perdeby’s enquiries.

Photo: Bonita Lubbe

DASO unhappy with electoral practices Questions have recently been raised about the illiberal and undemocratic practices in UP’s student parliament election process. Since 2010 students have been required to write their student numbers on ballot cards when casting their votes.

Branch leader of DASO Tuks, Thorne Godinho, has been in correspondence with the university to express his concerns. He recently tweeted about the “freedom-squashing university electoral practices,” and told Perdeby that, “DASO is increasingly dismayed at the illiberal and unfair form of democracy the University of Pretoria employs.”

DASO has conducted an internal review of the voting procedure in student parliament elections and has concluded that the process does not follow the model for elections as set out in the Constitution and South African Electoral Act. These documents clearly state that the voter has the right to vote freely and anonymously.

Godinho insists that UP’s voting practice is unconstitutional and undemocratic. He quotes Section 19(3) (a) of the Constitution which states that “every adult citizen has the right … to vote for any legislative body established in terms of the constitution and to do so in secret.”

He called for the act of writing student numbers on ballot forms to be abolished and commented that this practice is, “a perversion of a real democracy and should be tackled.”

Godinho recommended that the voting procedure be reformed for next year’s elections.

He said that the production of a student card

and the presence of the student’s name on the already existent voter’s roll should be sufficient identity. This procedure would be in line with Section 38 (2) (a) and (b) of the South African Electoral Act that states that, “a voter is entitled to vote at a voting station on the production of an identity document to the presiding officer; and if that voter’s name is in the certified segment of the voter’s roll.”

Wesley Timm, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Tribunal, confirmed that students have been required to write their student numbers on ballot forms. He said it is used as a safeguard to prevent fraud. He described the practice as a theory which has never been practically applied, but that the deterrent is there nonetheless. He said that there has never been suspicion of ballot paper fraud since he has been involved in elections.

Media Liaison Officer at UP, Nicolize Mulder, agreed that the practice of writing student numbers on forms is a mechanism used to solve possible voting disputes. She told Perdeby that the only time these numbers are used is when a dispute is declared. The votes are then electronically verified to identify non-existent students or double votes. This process is only employed in the second round of counting.

She added that the decision to allow student identification on ballot forms was made together with the students. There have allegedly been disputes in the past, “[but] not the recent past,” says Mulder, and it is for this reason that the system was put in place.

Do you think your democratic rights are being violated? Tweet your views @perdebynews or @StephvdPlank.

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4

News

20 Augustus ‘12

Serenade 2012 Curlitzia

Sonop

Vividus Men

ZUBENATHI JIZANA Vividus Men and Curlitzia were announced as the 14th annual Tuks Serenade winners at the Finalists Gala Event hosted by Stuku and held in the Musaion on Friday 10 August.

The other female residence Serenade finalists were Madelief (second place), Asterhof (third place) and Vividus Ladies. The male residences who made it to the finals were Sonop, coming in second, Taaibos who came in third, and Boekenhout.

Photos: Gloria Mbogoma

Youth Wage Subsidy debated MAXINE TWADDLE Representatives from COSATU and the DA Youth debated the Youth Wage Subsidy (YWS) at Tuks Hatfield campus on Thursday.

The debate was organised by Student Representative Council President Mthokozisi Nkosi. Through organising such events, Nkosi hopes to create a Tuks culture of “openmindedness and tolerance,” regardless of political views.

He told the audience that he hoped the debate would raise questions amongst students regarding both national and international issues.

Before the debate commenced, Professor Nicola Viegi of the South African Reserve Bank and Tuks, delivered a keynote address. He examined the economics of the YWS, and concluded that it cannot be viewed in isolation. Professor Viegi noted that the social cost of youth unemployment is high and said that in the “lost generations” created by youth unemployment, resources are being wasted and will be lost in the future.

Phindile Kunene, National Chairperson of COSATU, and Mbali Ntuli, DA Youth National Chairperson, debated whether the YWS would solve youth unemployment. Ntuli, arguing that it would, was declared winner of the debate, which was adjudicated by the Tuks Debating Union.

The proposition, in favour of the YWS, was represented by Tuks debater Prenil Sewmohan and Ntuli. Sewmohan, who spoke first, suggested that the potential positive benefits of the YWS outweigh the cost with which it is associated. He said that the YWS will create a culture where skills and education

are valued.

In her speech, Ntuli advised that South Africa “[needs] to be creating a country of entrepreneurs.” Citing findings from the National Treasury, Ntuli said that 420 000 jobs would be created through the YWS. In her conclusion, she implied that the opposition had not proposed any alternatives to the subsidy.

The opposition was represented by Tuks debater Paida Mangondo and Kunene. Mangondo advocated the reformation of the South African education system rather than the implementation of the YWS. He alleged that through the YWS the value of adequate training would be diminished.

This, he said, is unfair to those who have gained experience and training, and who have worked hard to receive tertiary education.

Kunene addressed the problems of youth unemployment and pointed out that, globally, the youth are three times more likely to be unemployed than older people.

Echoing Mangondo, Kunene said that education is the biggest problem this generation faces. “The youth are all dressed up with nowhere to go,” she said.

Kunene countered the number of jobs Ntuli said the YWS would create, saying that the National Treasury had revised the figure to about 170 000.

Speaking to Perdeby after the debate, both speakers emphasised the importance of student participation in current affairs.Kunene told Perdeby that it is important for students to be empowered, while Ntuli said that students “must be actively engaged” in issues affecting them.

@perdebynews

Intervarsity news FRANCOIS VAN DER WESTHUIZEN University of Limpopo The Limpopo Department of Education has told students that are part of the department’s bursary scheme that it cannot pay their fees.

The Saturday Star reported that the students met with the department’s administrator, Mzwandile Matthews.

Elijar Maswanganyi, a representative of the students, said, “Matthews told us that the department didn’t have money and said he would make an arrangement with the provincial treasury to address our challenge urgently.”

Donald Rabothata, a third-year student, owes the university nearly R45 000 and said that the department has always made late payments. Pat Kgomo, spokesman for the Limpopo Department of Education, explained that the department made arrangements with the university to make payments later this year. Kgomo said that, “Cash flow challenges hampered payments up to the third quarter.”

University of Cape Town UCT students have been warned of a gang operating near the university campus.

Three students have been abducted, assaulted and robbed.

Police spokesman, Captain Frederick Van Wyk, said that these three students were targeted while walking in Claremont, Rondebosch and Mowbray last week. Van Wyk said that the methods used in all three incidents were the same. The students were asked for directions by the gang before being forced into their car. “En route, these students are held up and robbed of their laptops, iPhones and they are also forced to withdraw cash from their bank accounts and hand [it] over to the suspects,” Van Wyk said.

Students were urged to be on the lookout for three coloured males driving a white Mercedes Benz or a small black car.

Rhodes University Huge drives were planned to hand out condoms and femidoms (female condoms) to Rhodes students for the Intervarsity weekend by the Student HIV and AIDS Resistance Campaign (SHARC) last week.

In addition to this, a campaign will be run to build up to the HIV/AIDS awareness week said Marcia Modiba, the SHARC president. According to Modiba, they are calling for students to be more responsible.

Heather Ferreira, who works at the Health Care Centre, explained that during Intervarsity the number of students seeking post coital contraception or treatment for injuries related to substance abuse rises. Ferreira said that the Health Care Centre does not offer post-exposure prophylaxis to students who have had unprotected sex and that it is only available to students who have been sexually assaulted and who are at risk of HIV infection. Ferreira thus asked that students be responsible and urged them to use “the pill” or injectables together with condoms.

Tshwane University of Technology A small group of students barricaded the gates of TUT’s Pretoria campus with burning tyres last week Wednesday.

This protest action took place despite the fact that an agreement had been reached the day before on how to resolve issues raised by TUT students.

The students of the Shoshanguve campus raised issues pertaining to campus facilities, residence accommodation and the availability of financial assistance to students in need. The Soshanguve campus operated normally on Wednesday but the protest spilled over to the Pretoria campus.

TUT management made an announcement on 15 August that read as follows: “Situation has been normalised at TUT learning sites. It will be business as usual from tomorrow 16 August 2012.” The next day, however, the university made the following announcement: “All activities at TUT’s Pretoria Campus suspended for today, 16 August 2012. Apology for the inconvenience. Situation is [being] addressed urgently.”

A building sciences student, who wishes to remain anonymous, explained that the TUT campus was evacuated by police on Thursday and that protesting students were singing and not burning tyres like the day before.

Willa de Ruyter, TUT spokesperson, said in a statement that, “We are committed as management to have on-going constructive engagements with all stakeholders, including students as our primary stakeholders. We will, however, not allow a situation where the institution is held to ransom by a group of students hell-bent on disrupting the core activities of the institution without any justification.” EWN reported that an urgent court order was obtained on Thursday to contain the situation.

At the time of going to print, TUT management had announced that TUT’s Pretoria West, Soshanguve and GaRankuwa campuses will be closed until further notice.

Fun & Games

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20 August ‘12

Pssst...

It seems to Pssst... that the reses are becoming increasingly aggressive. It seems as though DropZone has become Olienhout’s latest boxing ring. Pssst… hears that the Houte are lightweights in more than one way. Disappointing. Pssst… is proud to see that Inca trains its girls in how to teach your dirty, cheating, Kiaat (and now ex-) boyfriend a lesson.

Next time, at least don’t hook up with her fellow Inca girls in front of her. Pssst… wonders how the race for Prim 2013 is going? Pssst… spotted a Taaibos man running for his life from the Groenkloof campus at the crack of dawn. Pssst... would love to know if he was doing the “run of shame” out of Lilium after being caught, or if he was merely going for an extremely early jog? Pssst… votes “run of shame”, especially since the Lilium girls are known for their great sleepover parties. Pssst… was at Serenade and while most of the male reses were average, Boekenhout was a joke. Are you aspiring to be exactly like Kollege, Ysters? Pssst… wonders if the Asterhof Sterretjies’ are all suffering from chronic pain symptoms or have you just confused your pain pills with

candy? Pssst… would like Katjiepiering to know that nobody cares about their internal power struggles. The Katte’s time would be better spent organising a fun run. And taking part in it. Oh, and Pssst… also thinks that the Katte should Rag with the Pampoenboere from Potch next year. Pssst… (and everyone else) is used to seeing Sonop atop bicycles, Pssst… is, however, not used to seeing them fall off their bicycles.

Isn’t being able to ride a bicycle with a fair amount of skill a prerequisite? Apparently the Mopanie HK feel their Peppies need to man-up. Do the Maroela boys scare you so much that you have to smash their windows in the dead of night? Pssst… finds this cowardly. Maybe the Peppies should think about taking boxing lessons from the Houte.

Perdeby Sudoku Last week’s solution

NOMINATIONS ARE AWAITED FOR THE FOLLOWING:

SRC-honorary medal for outstanding leadership, service and achievements

Qualification: Any registered student can be nominated

SRC-Service medal for outstanding service

Qualification: Any registered student can be nominated

SRC-Leadership medal for outstanding leadership Qualification: Any registered student can be nominated

Dux docens award to staff members of UP

Qualification: Allocated to the staff member who made a significant contribution to the student student community

Excellent administrative service

Qualification: Personnel members of UP

PLEASE NOTE: Nomination forms are available at Reception (Roosmaryn-building) or from louise.botma@up.ac.za

CLOSING DATE: 12:00, 7 SEPTEMBER 2012 (Louise Botma Office 2-3 Roosmaryn)

CONTACT DEATILS: Chris Pappas, paphiwe@live.co.za, office 2-6 Roosmaryn

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20 Augustus ‘12

Advertorial

Names of the SRC members (left to right): Front row: Busisiwe Radebe, Chris Pappas, Tebogo Twala, Mthokozisi Nkosi, Tsatsawani Chauke, Tiaan Koen Middle row: Mpume Mbongo, Simone’ Engelbrecht, Angel Bolosha, Jordan Griffiths, Camille Pienaar, Atlegang Mogale, Nic Stead Back row: Thobekani Malatula, Jozua Loots, Pierre Cloete, Thinus Dicks, Simba Tavuyanago Absent: Claudette Veldhuizen The SRC are situated in the Roosmaryn buildings, Main Campus for any student related issues

SRC Study Aid Fund The SRC bought textbooks for over 100 students costing about R84 000 for Tuks students and has reserved over R105 0000 for this semester.

SRC Library collection As part of the SRC’S to promote academic excellence in Tukkies, the SRC has donated over 700 textbooks to the Merensky library for students to use. The students can use such textbooks for up to 6months.

Donate a textbook campaign The donate a textbook campaign is going to run again this year and we hope to get more than 700 textbooks again, which combined with last year’s textbooks and purchased textbooks could bring the number to more than 1700.

SRC Feeding Scheme The SRC has reserved an amount of R108 000, 00 to assist at least 40 students during the second semester.

Sponsorships In our budget we reserved about R40 000 for sponsorships. We have sponsored individual students who have to go international summits, societies, etc.

SRC Debates The hosts quarterly debate where controversial issues are discussed. Topics range from religion, racial segregation, youth unemployment crises to academic exclusions President’s Breakfast Sessions This is a new initiative introduced by the 2012 SRC and serves as a discussion forum and platform for the different constituencies who represent the student community to enable them to voice their opinions about issues that are not necessarily raised by the Student Parliament.

Academic Support to students Launched Academic exclusions campaigning arranged training in study techniques, Time management and stress management has been part of the academic support the SRC has provided to students working closely with the department of student support.

Extension of Library Hours In line with its vision and mission, the SRC proposed an immediate extension of library hours (Law and Merensky Libraries) during exam time as well as the provision of extra study areas for students. During October/November exams, the library will be opened 24hours.

Library times The times of the Merensky Library were extended from 07:30 to 00:00 on weekdays and from 13:00 – 18:00 on Saturdays. Negotiations to have 24hour access at the Merensky and Law library during November exams are currently underway.

Study Venues The SRC fought addition study venues to be made available in the HSB building from 18:00 to 06:30 on Mondays to Fridays during the exam time. Two additional study areas were also

made available in the Groenkloof campus sports centre.

Tuks has got Talent The SRC has come up with an event that will promote inclusivity on camps. This event is titled “Tuks has got Talent” and the SRC believes it can be a good starting point to promote inclusivity and Tukkie Pride amongst students. The SRC would like to see “Tuks has got Talent” becoming an institutional talent meaning that all registered students and staff members will have the opportunity to showcase their talent through performances.

Air-conditioning in the Klooster Hall Earlier in the year a group of students complained about the Klooster Hall being inhabitable in summer because of the intense heat. The matter was taken up with Facilities Management and we are happy to report that air-conditioning was installed in the Klooster Hall during the July holidays.

Parking for students The SRC fought for 700 parking spaces in the new Engineering III parkade allocated to students.

Pre-Spring Day and Spring Day Bash The SRC realized the importance of both these events as they form a very important aspect of student life and through this we have ensure that 2012 will indeed become the Year of the Student!

Accountability of the Service Providers For the first time ever, the SRC used its constitutional right this year to hold Service Providers accountable.

External Campuses In the next few weeks the SRC will pay close attention to the External Campuses and all sorts of activities will take place there as students from these campuses have always been “neglected”.

Department of Student Support The SRC has been fighting against the proposed move of the Student Support Division from their current building unless a proper facility that will be conducive for their needs can be found Transport Accessibility The SRC is in an advanced stage of negotiation with UP to provide buses to Sunnyside, Arcadia, Walkerville and the surrounding areas.

Cheaper Gautrain rates for students We also met with the Gautrain management in an attempt to persuade them to introduce special rates for students who make use of the Gautrain and negotiations are still taking place.

We are positive about the outcome of the negotiations.

Entertainment

20 August ‘12

The international sweet thing interviews INTERVIEWS: NADINE LAGGAR AND MELINA MELETAKOS What’s it like to be back in South Africa performing, John (Humphrey)?

This is great. This is my fourth time here. We’re staying at Sun City, where I’ve never been before and doing this festival, it’s my first time. But I’ve had some of my greatest experiences here. In 2006, we did shows with Metallica here. My first year joining the band, New Years’ Eve 2003/2004, was spent at St Francis Bay doing a show and ringing in the new year there. It’s one of the perks of being in this band with Shaun and Dale. Every album cycle we are guaranteed a trip back here. I hope to bring my family one day.

What was the response like to your shows in Durban and Cape Town?

In Cape Town and Durban it was just insane, it was great. We did an encore in Durban. We don’t even do those in the States. They just wouldn’t let us go so we came back and did Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” and we did an old Saron Gas song called “Beer” and it was great. I’m looking forward to tonight. It’s sort of a homecoming for Shaun and Dale, so it’s great to be a part of it.

How is work on the new album coming along?

PHOTOS: KOBUS BARNARD, BRAD DONALD & ELEANOR HARDING

When you’re in touring mode (which we have been – we’ve already done more shows between January and now than we did all of last year, which is when the album came out) it’s kind of hard to write. Whenever we soundcheck we kind of jam some ideas or we’ll be at dinner and Shaun will be like, “Give me your phone,” because I have one of these apps that you can record with and he’ll sing something. It’s kind of hard to really write or demo, we usually go home, take a break and then we start sending stuff to each other and getting ideas started and then we’ll meet up, rehearse and go from there. So, right now, nothing is really done or in the can, we’re just kind of in touring mode right now. Hopefully, I would say mid to late next year.

How would you say your music has evolved from when you first started out to the music you are making now?

We hope, as musicians, we become better songwriters, better at our craft and better at our instruments. We do hundreds of shows a year and I’ve been with the band nine, almost ten years so that’s thousands of shows, you know. We’re

not really that methodical. Anything that Shaun starts jamming or if Dale has an idea, we’ll just start kind of working it and somehow, when it’s filtered through the three of us, it sort of sounds like Seether. The band’s always had songs like “Gasoline”, a heavier song, or “Broken”. Now we have songs like “Fur Cue” and “Here and Now” or “Tonight”, so the band has those melodic elements and heavier stuff and ballads. Of course, the foundation of it is Shaun’s voice and his lyrics.

Those very intelligent and emotional lyrics have always been the basis of the band and his style.

I think that those elements are still there. I just hope we have become better and the songs have become stronger. I’m not even on Disclaimer but it’s still some of my favourite stuff. Even though I’m not even a part of that and it’s going way back.

You were nominated for an award for Best Live Act at the 2012 Revolver Golden Gods Awards.

What do you think goes into making a good live performance?

You know, that was amazing. We were up against Judas Priest and like these legends, you know. I thought it was great because we’re just a

Jesse, you’ve just gotten off stage, how was the gig?

F**king amazing.

How does the South African audience compare to other countries you’ve performed in all over the world?

Oh, it doesn’t compare. That’s it. No it’s not,

that’s not it! [Laughs] This place is like no place else on the earth and I never even knew we had fans here. It never occurred to me. And everyone that [had] never heard of [us], they were kind of like the most amazing [audience] to play for. The kind that is like, “Let’s see what you’ve got”. But then if you’ve got something they give it up. And I saw titties. I mean ... [Laughs] You guys have other projects on the go like Boot’s Electric. Do you ever feel like you’re spread a little too thin or will there always be time to perform as Eagles of Death Metal?

Eagles of Death Metal is like the special motor for the garage. So it’s like something we all fall back on. I mean, even right now we have Claude Coleman from Ween playing drums. We don’t ever feel stretched thin, that’s how it is that we keep going. You’ve got to keep training. You can’t just take a year off and then go to the Olympics and run a race. It’s the same thing with rock and roll. You have to be in practice with the devil.

You’ve said before that Eagles of Death Metal will always be about two friends having the

best time together. Do you think this is how you make the macabre and sexy sound so damn fun?

Well that’s what’s supposed to happen. The only rule is that we want to make the best songs we can make. Joshua is the most unique person in the world. One of a kind. The only person I know of who can go through the vanity splits for rock and roll and be able to allow a dude like me to take the forefront. Know what I mean? Because there’s no side project in the world that ever lived. We’re not a side project anymore. We’re like a band in our own right. It’s because we’re loving this, we love each other so much, we grew up together and we have great mothers. Like, if my mom says Quentin Tarantino likes classic rock radio, it puts a smile on my face.

Your moustache is quite impressive. Is that how you gain creative control? Whoever has the thickest and longest moustache wins?

I’m actually a year older than Josh and, um, I’m kind of like the man behind the curtain in a lot of ways. It’s my moustache that gives me power.

You guys released your third album earlier this year, A Flash Flood of Colour and you’ve just finished your world tour. How was the response to the new album?

Rob: Good, yeah, it was fantastic. We’ve never really written any music for anyone else other than ourselves. So when we find that other people really appreciate it and like it ... it’s been an overwhelming response to both [the] band and the critics, the recorded stuff and live as well. Yeah, we couldn’t have asked for anything more.

You’ve performed in Cape Town and now you’re here at Oppikoppi. How does the South African vibe compare to the other countries you’ve performed in?

Liam: It’s been amazing. I think I speak for everyone here that we’ve had the most amazing experience so far. The food’s been great and everyone has been really friendly. The landscape

and everything’s been good.

Rob: We’ve seen monkeys. [Laughs] And zebras. Driving through, it’s pretty much exactly what I imagined it would look like.

How would you say A Flash Flood of Colour differs from your previous albums, Taking to the Skies and Common Dreads?

Rob: There’s been three years between each album and I think you can really hear it in the music. It’s a bit more mature and progressed.

And a bit more verve.

Rob: Yeah.

Liam: I’d say more zef. [Laughs] Do you think the rise of electronic and dubstep have had an influence in your international popularity?

Rob: Electronic music is really spreading out a bit more and I guess, you know, it has opened it up to a few more people. But I think the thing with us

that we’ve always found is that wherever we’ve been we’ve just had to play lots of shows. We’ve never been able to go to where’s its popular and we’ve always had to put a lot of hard work in. And occasionally places we’d go to, like South Africa for example, we haven’t been here before and people are quite excited about it. That’s always really quite mind-blowing because we’ve never been here before, so how can they know so much?

I guess for us it’s always been a case of working hard.

What’s your number one item you couldn’t survive without at a festival?

Liam: Beer.

Rob: Well, I don’t know what’s it’s like at Oppikoppi but at the UK festivals: toilet paper.

You’ve got to bring your own toilet paper.

Mathias: Yeah, yeah, we’re depending on people here a little more. Our budget is, like, really small so we have to ask everybody to help us out and so this way we meet a lot of people over here.

It’s like a very personal view of South Africa. So that’s a lot different to the last time I was here. But that’s really good and I like this way a lot better than the other way.

Linda: And Oppikoppi is already a great dessert.

We haven’t even played yet and I think it’s going to be awesome, the vibes going to be amazing.

How has the response been to your music over the tour?

Linda: Awesome. We sold so many CDs [that] we have no more CDs left so we had some extra flown in. We’ve been at 5FM and all kinds of radio stations and, yeah, they’re playing our music. So for us it’s been very successful. Even now when we’re walking [through] the festival we’re getting, “Woo! Bombay Show Pig!” and we’re here for the first time so this is insane, it’s awesome.

How does performing in South Africa compare

to performing back home in the Netherlands?

Mathias: All the venues here are like a bar first and then a music venue second. Back home you have a lot of music venues, so people come out because they want to see you and over here you still have an element of surprise because people are going there to drink and if the band is nice they’ll stick around. If not, they’ll go away again.

It’s a bit more harsh than back home. It keeps you on your toes.

How do you think changing from a trio to a duo has changed your music?

Mathias: I think our music is really pure. We have a lot more energy as a duo than when there were three of us. It feels more focused in a way when you’re playing as a duo.

Linda: And it’s really handy that you just have to call or text one person to get where you’re going.

Mathias: We toured South Africa in a really small car and we fit everything in.

What surprised you about your visit to South Africa?

Eagles of Death Metal

Bombay Show Pig You guys have played a couple of shows now in South Africa. What has the tour been like so far?

Linda: Awesome. For me it’s the first time in South Africa. [Mathias] has actually been here before – [he has] also played Oppikoppi with another band. So I think it’s kind of a different experience for each of us and also a new one because it’s different for you (Mathias) now, right?

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Seether rock band. We don’t play with backing tracks or any supplementary sound. The sounds that you hear are from the three guys that are up there on stage and for us to be in that category with those guys, just to be nominated, was pretty awesome because we pride ourselves on being a live band.

We tour, we’ve always toured and toured hard and we do take some pride in it. We like to have fun.

We like to put on a good show.

Definitely.

Like Sampson, but concerning facial hair?

Definitely Sampson. When you look like every girl’s dad when they were, like, three, you have a slight advantage over anything. You know what I mean? It’s called the “paging Doctor Freud”.

Can we expect a follow-up album to Hearts On? Yes, in fact Josh and I are recording it when I get home this summer, in about a month.

When can we look forward to it being released?

In about four or five months.

Have you thought about an album name?

Um, I don’t know. We’re batting around, like, Stylus Interrupted or a name like Ladies Only, or Ladies Night. And then I was thinking that the cover could be, like, a long line of ladies going to club and Josh and I are dressed in drag trying to get in. And it’s odd because I have a moustache, whatever, but just like really horrible drag, because that’d be funny and a good reason to get into a dress.

Enter Shikari Linda: How cold it can get at night. [Laughs] Back home it’s summer right now and here it’s winter, so I was like, “Oh, I’m packing all my short skirts,” and then I was like, “Ah!” But today was nice. But musically we saw a few cool bands we played with and we’re still listening to this CD of this guy we met in Johannesburg.

Mathias: I’ve never been to Cape Town before.

So last time I was around Joburg and Pretoria. But this time we went to Cape Town and that’s like a whole different world. So now my whole vision of South Africa has been flipped around again. I liked it before but now I see how diverse it is.

Perdeby heard you were making a music video from footage of your South African tour.

Linda: Yeah, actually one of our songs is going to be released when we get back and we’re also going to [release] it here for the radio stations. So we thought it would be fun if we could use all of the gig footage and also this footage (footage of interviews and backstage). Yeah, we’re going to make a video out of it. It’s a cheap and fast way but also like a goodbye.

i p p o k i p p O f o l e p s o g e Th BEYERS DE VOS On the first day, there is vodka.

There is also the usual admin to sort out – bank cards, merchandise, breakfast – followed by an inspection of the bigger, better entertainment area. The new stage, Wesley’s Dome is awesome (later in the weekend Enter Shikari will make full use of it to blow minds away).

The rest of the day is a summer haze seen through vodka-tinted glasses. Lazy strolls through Mordor (as the camping area is very affectionately known) and visits to the more arty corners of Oppi, where exhibitions and film screenings give respite from the more fervent aspects of the festival, dominate the afternoon.

And then, to the stages! The line-up is a little bleak until Southern Gypsey Queen. They are celebrating their tenth Oppi with a great performance, and the likes of Flash Republic

and Taxi Violence put on their usual good (if slightly uninspired) shows. The best performance of the day is given by Beast (followed closely by Bittereinder), which, despite deficiencies (mainly the fact they aren’t, and will never be, as good as Lark), steal the night with their dark, powerful sound. But after they strike the last chord, and the last note of Inge Beckman’s truly awesome voice fades into the night, the trek up the famed Koppi begins, because the party is far from over. Here lies a last refuge for the drugged and the dancing: the Red Bull stage, where you can party until sunrise to the rhythmic beating of endless dubstep and electro.

On the second day, there is tequila. At Oppikoppi the days are warm and breezy, the nights are long and freezing and tequila is a drink for all weather. So, a few minutes (and a few shots) to charge phones at the nifty Jose Cuervo charging station (because even at Oppi, the habitual appeal of Twitter will not be ignored) and then up to the Jose Cuervo deck (ignore the product placement in this paragraph, please) where the tequila flows freely and the view is spectacular; the perfect sanctuary.

Today, the line-up gets a little more interesting. Jeremy Loops and Bombay Show Pig bring a folky mood to the afternoon. Friday night sees great performances from

Desomond and the Tutus and Babylon Circus (they hail from France. Go and buy all their records right now, if you know what’s good for you) and truly awful performances from Thieve and Toya Delazy (lip synch, much?).

In fact, Thieve is presented with the award for worst performance of the weekend. This wasn’t what fans had been hoping for, and the cries of disappointment will echo through Northam for the rest of the weekend.

On the third day, there are the Eagles of Death Metal. Who even knows what happened before the Eagles of Death Metal took to the stage – at this point, more drunk than can be remembered, dirtier than anyone will ever be again, memory is a luxury no one can afford. Eagles are maybe not the most anticipated of the international bands, but they are certainly the best, giving a high-octane performance oozing with sexy rock and roll, which is, after all, what Oppikoppi is really all about.

And for the most part, it lives up to this ideal, and becomes, as usual, the highlight of the year. The bigger entertainment area, the new stages, the bars dotted around the camping site, accommodated the bigger crowds with ease.

The naked run gives new meaning to the phrase: “rock out with your c**k out, jam out with your clam out”. The food is as good as ever, the hippies as happy as ever, the atmosphere pervaded by the sweet smell of hedonism at its most glorious.

Then, on the fourth day (insert sad sigh here), there are the post-festival blues. People, rising like zombies from a post-apocalyptic landscape, scrounge up the energy to pack up the broken and the bruised and brave the long road back, arriving home dirty, dusty, defeated – until next year. Oppikoppi, you sweet thing.

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Entertainment

20 August ‘12

The local sweet thing interviews INTERVIEWS: NADINE LAGGAR AND MELINA MELETAKOS

PHOTOS: KOBUS BARNARD, BRAD DONALD & ELEANOR HARDING Do you think being in bands that are already quite wellestablished has made it easier to start off as Beast?

Inge: I think in a sense, definitely. If you are already in the circuit, in a semi-noted project, people follow you and like you, then the chances of them listening to you are higher.

Sasha: Also, being in other bands you get to learn the mistakes that other bands make as well. Like the ones bands make in the beginning, you get to learn quite fast, you know?

Do you guys have any plans to record an album any time soon?

Sasha: Ja, we’re recording in about three weeks. An EP. Inge: We’re very excited about that.

Sasha: It’s about five or six songs.

Do you have a planned release date?

Sasha: Not yet.

Inge: Well, it will be nice to do it before the end of the year. That would be great.

Sasha: We’re excited to get it out.

What acts are you looking forward to seeing here at Oppikoppi?

Inge: I’m going to miss all the international acts, which sucks, but I’m definitely going to check out P.H.fat tonight and Haezer. Ja, a little bit of dance.

Sasha: Jeremy Loops. Diplo as well.

You’ve survived day one of Oppikoppi. What survival tip would you give to festival goers?

Inge: Take a nap.

Sasha: Bring some wet wipes. Your face gets dirty. Sun cream,

shorts, a time machine.

Inge: You need a sense of humour in the dust.

Sasha: Oh, a dust mask is very important.

How did the collaboration of Beast come about?

Sasha: Well, there’s two stories in a way. One of them is that Louis and Rian were just chatting, and they were like, “Hey, why don’t we start a band with two basses?” They approached me because we all know each other from Kill City Blues, the rehearsal studio. I started jamming with them and then we were like, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we could get Inge on vocals?” and we were like, “Let’s try, let’s try!” and then she accepted and the rest is history. A very short history.

To what extent is the music you are making as Beast influenced by the other bands you guys are in?

Inge: I don’t think it sounds like any of the other bands we are in.

Sasha: I think the only influence is that we are all musicians so we have our core influences of artists that we respect but it’s not really the same at all.

Why did you decide to use the two bass guitars instead of the standard guitar and bass?

Inge: That was Rian and Louis, really. They both play bass. Rian plays rhythm and Louis plays lead. Louis plays slightly higher ‒ he’s got a bit of a shorter bass which he plays through a guitar amp.

The whole rockabilly, saloon vibe has carved its own niche in the South African music scene. How did you guys decide on this genre?

Dom: For us, I think, it was just getting into the music by ourselves. I don’t think there’s anything locally influencing the drive behind it. I think it’s that we love music and rock and roll and for us it was like, “Well, no one’s doing it here and we love to go out and dance to a band that plays it, so let’s do it.”

Brandon: We’re also, I think, paying homage to the music that influenced us growing up. Our parents’ music got us into music initially and it’s wholesome and honest and very basic, you know?

We put our own little spin on it. It’s rockabilly but we hate to be pigeonholed as rockabilly. You’ve got punk influence, a jazzy influence, so it’s really cool. I think it’s an eclectic style that we play.

It’s upbeat. That’s the most important thing because you always want to jol.

There are quite a few members in the band. Does that add to the energy or can it get quite chaotic?

Brandon: It only adds to it.

Dom: The only time it’s a problem is trying to get all of us in the same room at once. Also, quite a few of our members play in different bands, so to coordinate is quite difficult. But in terms of playing together, there’s no issue with that. I think when we write music, we’re sort of getting to a place now where it’s like, “Okay, this part of the song just needs guitar or this part just keys,” so I think we’re trying to work together to keep everyone happy.

Brandon: Ja, not too chaotic as it could get. There are two guitars and keys and vocals all fighting for the same kind of frequency range

and it’s kind of overpowering so now we’re trying to simplify it a bit.

You guys recently released your EP, Backseat Bingo. What’s the response been like so far?

Alex: It’s been amazing. It’s definitely been very positive. We worked very hard on it, it took us a while. I think it’s been a long time coming and people were quite amped for it to come out. It has now and everyone is stoked.

Dom: I think that the way that we notice that people are buying it is that we see the crowd is singing our words, so I think we’ve had a good response. The only negative has been that people have said, “Why is it only five tracks?” A girl that I know says she and her dad played it in the car and they just looped it because it’s too short.

Brandon: We would rather spend the little money we have on a sweet EP than a sh*tty album.

But are there any plans to come out with a full-length album?

Dom: Ja, definitely. Like I said, it’s hard to coordinate all of us, get us all in studio.

Brandon: And being in a band with two chicks, well that’s another whole interview. No, I’m just joking. They’re cool.

Do you guys have any Oppikoppi survival tips?

Brandon: Bring a dust mask.

Dom: And some sun cream. I brought so many warm clothes and it doesn’t seem to be snowing.

Alex: It’s our first Oppi. None of us have been to one before so we’re also sussing the vibe out, you know?

What can we expect from Peachy Keen for the rest of 2012?

Dom: Lots of touring, new music videos coming out and

hopefully to have our album coming out soon.

Brandon: We’ll be in the studio by the end of the year. World domination, one step at a time.

You guys have released a string of pretty epic music videos. How much creative say do you have in them?

Eve: A hundred percent. We work in collaboration with a lot of

different kinds of artists, like DJs and designers.

You were involved in the making of a fashion film, The Frown for Rayne // Bride of Zion. Can you tell us a bit more about the project?

Eve: It was a weird one, it was a good one. It actually started out as just a photo shoot with someone filming as we went and we came out with this beautiful video at the end of it and we actually tracked the song to the video. It was a different experience for us making a track to visuals. Music has always come first.

You’ve brought your EP out, ä-mĕn, but are there any plans to record a full-length album?

Eve: We’re actually going to release two EPs, probably at the end of the year-ish. One’s going to be called Dream Gun and the other one’s going to be called Teenage Swim. The one’s going to be more dancey and the other is going to be more like witch house and triphop.

Collaborating with Spoek Mmthambo on the project Nombolo One put you on the radar. What was it like working with Spoek?

Eve: It was amazing. It was weird in a good way.

As a band you have quite a strong visual representation. What is it inspired by?

Cristopher: I don’t know, everything. We’ve tried to do the whole grunge band thing.

Derrick: Looking as horrible as you can but still with style.

Cristopher: But ja, at the moment it’s a republica, trashy vibe and it kind of influences all the aesthetic parts of it.

Do you have an Oppikoppi survival tip?

Eve: Don’t die. And if you have to die, do it fabulously.

Are there any acts you’re looking forward to at Oppikoppi?

Eve: I feel like I’ve missed the one I wanted to see.

Who’s that?

Eve: P.H.fat. We were hoping to get in on that.

The Celtic pirate folk rock genre is quite unique to South African audiences. How do you think people have responded to it?

Michiel: Pretty well, actually.

Mostert: Surprisingly well.

Michiel: South Africans, it’s in our natures [to] drink a lot so I think it works well with South Africa because it’s so unique.

Mostert: There are no other bands here that do the same thing.

You guys have said that traditional Irish music as well as deep-rooted South African folk have a lot in common. Is it just drinking or is there something else?

Michiel: It’s just because we are Afrikaans, me and Mostert are Afrikaans.

Mostert: We grew up with our granddads listening to this old Boeremusiek and it’s basically the same thing as Irish music with the concertina and all those things. So, it’s in our roots. We incorporate the same kinds of things.

Michiel: We incorporate Boeremusiek with the whole punk rock vibe. We’re trying to make it unique [and] homey. We play what we play. We’re doing our South African vibe with the whole Irish thing.

You guys have counted down the days until Oppikoppi on

Facebook. How does it feel now that you are finally here and you have three hours until your performance?

Mostert: It’s been a dream. I mean, ever since we started playing in bands we were like, “Hey, we want to go play at Oppikoppi one day,” and now it’s finally happened.

Michiel: I’ve had sleepless nights over this performance.

Mostert: I think he’s overreacting, it’s not that bad.

Michiel: It was that bad. Now, I’m just like, “I don’t care.” We’ll see what happens. I’m just going to go with the flow.

Have you got any advice for first timers at Oppikoppi?

Mostert: Bring lots of booze.

What acts are you most looking forward to here at Oppikoppi?

Michiel: Um, ours. [Laughs] Mostert: Babylon Circus. They’re going to be amazing. Eagles of Death Metal as well. They’re super cool.

There are six members in your band now. Do you ever find it a bit chaotic?

Mostert: Every day. It was the worst decision of our lives. Never start a band of six people. It’s a nightmare, admin is horrible.

Michiel: We love everyone but ... half of us [are] in Pretoria, half of us are in Joburg and it’s a nightmare.

Beast

The Frown

Peachy Keen

The Sunday Punchers

Entertainment

20 August ‘12

The local sweet thing interviews INTERVIEWS: NADINE LAGGAR AND MELINA MELETAKOS You’ve said that South African traditions are at the heart of your music. Why do you think this has been the most influential factor of your music?

Lindani: You’re born and raised with it, you take it for granted, you look outwards. You find yourself travelling and I guess that becomes something to go back to, something precious. We wrote most of our so-called traditional sounding songs when we were not in the country. I don’t know. I guess it’s always with you.

Tshephang: It’s like the music that you don’t really listen to when you’re at home. You get there and it sort of follows you.

Are you working on a second album or a new EP release at the moment?

Lindani: Yes, we’ve been in production for a long time. You can’t rush a good thing. Good things come to those who wait, as they say.

We’re feeling good ‒ we’re going to be playing a couple of new songs today.

When could we expect this new album to come out?

Lindani: We don’t know. We’ve stopped doing that. We started off going, “Next week, next month, next year.” Now we’re like, “Hold on.” I was actually saying to somebody the other night [that] it’s like when you feel really close to something and then something else happens and you realise that you are actually only half way there but that half way feels good because then you suddenly realise how much room there is to fill above what you thought was full. It’s complicated.

Your music has been known for its social commentary. Would you say that it’s a creative release or is it more of an avenue to open up a discussion about the things you think are important?

Tshepang: We don’t do that. We’re not into politics. It’s funny how people are always saying we are political.

Not specifically political, but social commentary. Like that song you guys did concerning taxi violence?

Jeremy Loops You guys are involved in numerous other bands. How do you manage to find the time to balance them all?

Andrew: The other bands sort of take priority, obviously, because they’re bigger, but we try and make as much time as we can for Thieve.

To what extent is the music you are making as Thieve influenced by the other bands you are in?

Philip: I would say not at all.

Fred: It’s a different mindset.

Andrew: It’s a step away from that for us, actually.

Philip: It’s just doing whatever we can’t do with the other bands, together. It’s sort of like a retreat, a musical holiday.

Do you think being in all these other bands has made it easier for you guys to start out as Thieve?

Fred: Yes and no. We meet lots of people who make it easier for us to get around but also we don’t get any time to just throw shows.

Philip: I think it’s quite confusing for people as well. They’re very used to our normal line-up, our normal shows that we play and then

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PHOTOS: KOBUS BARNARD, BRAD DONALD & ELEANOR HARDING

Lindani: But even that was a surreal look at that. That song specifically was about a kid who was in a taxi accident and just kind of tripped out on what he was seeing. He imagined it to be like an alien landing crash site. It was just a very otherworldly look at mundane things.

Tshepang: It was like a whole story in two songs. Taxi accident down by the lakeside and “Lakeside” is the next song.

Lindani: It was written pretty close, something for us, kind of like an exorcism.

Any advice for people coming to Oppikoppi on how to survive the weekend?

Lindani: Go hard.

Tshepang: They should drink more because if you drink you’ll forget about sh*t like this [points to dusty shoes]. You’ll forget about you Gucci shoes or whatever.

What acts are you most looking forward to seeing during the festival?

Lindani: Just saw Buckfever. Diplo tomorrow. All friends, all friends.

Tshepang: Actually Diplo is the first guy that we met before our international tours and stuff like that. We have a very good relationship with him, so we’re really looking forward to that.

If you could only take one item to Oppikoppi, what would it be?

Tshepang: A bottle of whiskey.

Any specific brand?

Tshepang: Johnny Walker Black. Or maybe Smirnoff, I don’t know. We once did a project with them. We said we drink whisky, we don’t drink vodka so they mixed Smirnoff with it. They had a new drink, Smirnoff Black and they mixed it with Johnny Walker Black and they called it Double BLK JKS.

BLK JKS You often wear a hat with a feather when you perform. Is there a story behind it?

Maybe, kind of, I guess. I haven’t been doing this very long. I mean I’ve been playing as Jeremy Loops now for just under two years. My very first show, I remember, I wanted to wear a hat and it just so happened that I had these feathers from a dress-up party.

Somehow people latched on to the fact that I have feathers in my hat. For me it kind of feels like it gives me powers. When I’ve got my feathers I feel strong. Without my feathers, especially at a big thing like this, without my feathers I just don’t feel quite the same. I don’t feel weak, I just don’t feel the same. I do wear plenty of other hats, but at big shows like this I kind of tend to wear my feathers.

On your Facebook page you revealed that you are actually quite nervous to be playing at Oppikoppi. How do you prepare for a big show like this?

The way I prepare for a show like this is I don’t eat very well.

[Laughs] I get really anxious in general, don’t sleep nights … I don’t know, there’s no way that you can prepare, other than think that the more I practice the better I feel about how it’s going to go, I guess.

But at the same time, because there are so many variables, you never know what to expect. I think that’s what scares me. I was starting to get used to big club gigs because there are certain things that you know are going to be the same. But you never know with festivals what’s going to happen. Like, you could have no one turn up because there’s seven stages here (at Oppikoppi), or you could have a full-house and the sound could be great, but it could be terrible. So, with all those things there’s no way that you can really relax. Well, at least for me. I think some artists are far more relaxed.

How did your performance go this afternoon?

It went really well. I couldn’t have hoped for it to go better. The crowd was amazing.

It looked like you had a lot of fun.

I did have a lot of fun. As soon as I’m up there I’m fine. It’s the build up before, the uncertainty. As soon as I’ve sound checked and I know all my gears are working – I’ve got, like, ten different pedals that I’m using and they each have a function. If one of them isn’t working properly then I’m in a bit of a tough spot.

You started playing as a one-man band while travelling the world on a yacht but how did you start beat-boxing? putting on a Thieve show, they don’t really know where to place it.

But after this show we’ll see what the response is like and take it from there.

You guys are releasing your new album here at Oppikoppi. How does it differ from the previous one?

Andrew: I think Fred is really particular so it’s definitely improved in terms of production. It’s just more self-produced, I would say.

There’s a greater spectrum of sounds in the new songs as opposed to the old stuff.

Do you have a survival tip for festival goers to make sure that they get home in one piece?

Andrew: Organise a lift home.

There’s a Naked Dash happening on Saturday in Boomstraat.

Are any of you going to participate or do you know anyone who is?

Fred: Yes, Philip. He gets naked wherever he can.

Andrew: The trick is to keep his clothes on till Saturday.

A good friend of mine taught me how to beat-box. In university I lived with a friend of mine, Patrick McKay – he’s from the band Two Minute Puzzle – we stayed in the same house. I couldn’t really afford rent at the time but half my rent would be paid for if I gave him guitar lessons. So I gave him guitar lessons and what he did eventually in return is give me beat-box lessons. That’s how I learned to beat-box.

Do you plan on releasing a full-length album anytime soon?

Ja, we’re working on a full-length album. I started releasing little snippets of tracks and I’m really enjoying the process. I’m taking my time though, I really don’t feel, like, in a rush. I feel like my strength is my live act anyway and I’ve come this far without really putting out much of the music. I’ve got about five or four songs already on the EP, which is about half the tracks I play in my live show. So yeah, it’s on the way, I don’t exactly know when.

You started Greenpop, a tree planting initiative with two friends.

How did this come about?

It started as a bunch of friends getting together, having some fun, planting some trees and to try getting involved in underprivileged schools. Then we started to get a huge volunteer base, people coming out to support us, and with the volunteers came the media. The newspapers and [broadcasters] wanted to know why all these suburbanite kids were out in townships planting trees.

And with all the media we decided, well, there’s a business model here, and we started Greenpop – a re-planting company and social enterprise. Obviously I’m very involved in the fun side of things, the entertainment. Strangely enough I also do the finance. I did finance at university so I’m completely on two different sides there. It’s been a lot of fun and we’re doing really well.

You recently went to Zambia for a project. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

It went amazingly; it was insane. We planted a total of 4133 trees, or something, with over a hundred volunteers from all around the world. It took us three weeks and we had a heck of a lot of fun there.

Everyday we were in a new place. One of the days we planted trees at Victoria Falls, right on the water’s edge – it was beautiful – and yeah, had a great time.

Thieve

12

20 August ‘12

Features

A kink in the chain: how far is too far?

LUSANDA FUTSHANE The world’s attitude towards sex has changed a lot over the years. There was a time when sex was only socially acceptable between a married man and woman, when vibrators were used as a now discredited treatment device for female hysteria and when homosexuality was punishable by death in most countries.

Today, decades after the sexual revolution (for example the publication of Alfred Kinsey’s controversial Kinsey Reports and the mainstream popularity of the Karma Sutra) sex has almost completely lost its mysterious and taboo nature. This is evidenced by the plenitude of sexual fetishes that are out there: from stuffed animals to insects crawling over genitals, people are starting to find a wide range of everyday objects and situations erotic. One can’t help but wonder what truly counts as normal and appropriate when it comes to sex and if people lost sight of that a long time ago in their pursuit of sexual freedom.

Thoko* is 21. She says that for the first five months of her relationship with her boyfriend, she had no idea what sort of things he was into in bed. “At first he wanted us to use candle wax on each other, then we started having sex in baths of really hot water.” She says that she at first objected but eventually relented and started playing into her boyfriend’s fantasies. “Sometimes we use real fire. It’s really hard to explain the welts and burns on my boobs and thighs to my friends, but I’ve started enjoying it so it’s a small price to pay.”

The definitive premise of festishes (or

paraphilias as they’re clinically known) is that they’re “different” from normal sex.

So what is normal and who makes that decision? In an article entitled “Paraphilias: What is Sexually Abnormal?”, Dr Wade Silverman, an American psychologist, writes that it is inaccurate to label certain sexual activities as either normal or abnormal as that creates unnecessary stigma on people’s private sex acts and causes shame. “In our own culture, we have changed our views on homosexuality, masturbation, and oral sex,” he explains. “Our male rock stars have worn skirts and our actresses smoke cigars.

Assessments of abnormality are so tinged

by personal values and personal biases that objective assessment of abnormal is almost impossible. One individual’s fetish is another’s object of disgust.”

James* is 22. He says that since he started having sex when he was 16, he has been sexually attracted to women with genital piercings (his current girlfriend has seven).

James says that he finds it impossible to get aroused unless his partner has piercings that he can “play with”. This, he says, has made finding girlfriends difficult for him in the past because his particular brand of fetish is not the kind that either party in a relationship can easily compromise on. James himself has one

genital piercing.

Even though most fetishes are harmless in private, sometimes certain fetishes can become dangerous or disruptive to an individual’s lifestyle or the public. Some fetishes, or paraphilias, like voyeurism, paedophilia and homicidophilia (lust murder) are against the law. Others, like coprophilia – the sexual attraction to faeces – can become health risks. Still others like asphyxiophilia (erotic suffocation) can even be deadly.

Dimakatso Selebi, a second-year BCom Law student, says that she has no problem with other people’s sexual interests as long as they don’t affect the lives of those outside the fetishists’ relationship. “You can do whatever you want behind closed doors as long as it is between two consenting adults and the rest of us can’t hear, see or smell it,” she says.

The times are constantly changing and sometimes even the most private of pleasures have to change along with them. It’s no secret that the world is a lot more open about sex than it was decades ago and with little or nothing being left to the imagination, people are now forced to imagine more unconventional things to preserve the excitement and mystery of sex. And as long as laws aren’t being broken and they lock the door, change the sheets and hide the videographic evidence of their kinks, no one has to know about it and wrestle with the decision of whether or not to pass judgement.

“To each his own,” Selebi reminds us. *Name has been changed.

Photo: Hendro Van Der Merwe

Beauty pageants: the bad and the beautiful BERND FISCHER By the late 1800s, contests which judged women solely on their physical appearance had begun to emerge as a form of entertainment. Today, numerous competitions of this kind exist all over the world. Perdeby explores whether these beauty pageants are still relevant today or if they merely perpetuate outdated female stereotypes.

Contemporary beauty pageants first surfaced in the USA during the busy summer months as a way to promote businesses. The contest thought to have lead the way for this phenomenon was Atlantic City’s Inter-City Beauty Contest first held in 1921. The media immediately took notice – those who did not attend the actual beauty pageants could still feel part of the judging process, just as millions of television viewers do today when major contests are broadcast worldwide.

However, this world of beauty queens has its fair share of nightmares. In fact, feminists and other critics of the competitions insist that we would be better off without them.

They believe that contests which focus on physical appearance reinforce stereotypical beliefs that a woman’s worth is determined by how physically attractive she is. This puts pressure on women to meet impossible standards of beauty, often leading to desperate and dangerous measures which could harm them. This argument has been around since 1854 when American entertainer and businessman PT Barnum staged the first beauty pageant which was eventually shut down due to public outrage.

By the 1980s, Miss World was labelled “old-fashioned” and “politically incorrect” in Britain (where the pageant originated) leading to a huge drop in television viewing.

The Miss South Africa pageant has been received in the same way over the past few years.

Supporters of beauty pageants have continued to fight back against negative opinions. They do not believe these

contests focus strictly on beauty, as the name may suggest. They argue that the inclusion of aspects such as personality and talent, as well as an interview section, makes the contests less superficial. These supporters are adamant that beauty pageants serve a collective purpose far beyond the individualistic worship of gorgeous women.

Beauty pageants therefore pride themselves in their various “platforms”. That is, the work they do for charities, the community and the environment. This, they say, is witnessed through the “Big Four” – Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Earth and Miss International – the major and most prestigious beauty pageants celebrated internationally.

Miss Earth, for example, has attempted to change the stereotypical perception of these events by the use of the slogan “Beauties for a Cause”. The organisation which oversees

the pageant ensures that its competitors are educated in environmental affairs before they may compete.

Winners may also attract attention to global affairs. Miss Tibet 2006, Tsering Chungtak, garnered approval from the Dalai Lama for voicing her support to free Tibet. Similarly, as reported by the Daily Mail, the Miss Universe Canada pageant was a catalyst for change in the industry. It faced worldwide criticism when it refused to let transgender woman Jenna Talackova participate, stating that contestants must be “naturally born female”. After much deliberation and pressure to change its rules, the Miss Universe Organisation – co-owned by business magnate Donald Trump and television network NBC – changed its mind. Since this ruling, Miss Singapore Universe has also altered its rules to allow transgender women

to participate in its contest.

Those who recognise beauty pageants as a valuable contribution to society also argue that it empowers women instead of objectifying them. The pageants are said to promote confidence in women by developing life skills such as public-speaking.

Still, the backlash from those who oppose these competitions continues to grow. With TV shows such as Toddlers & Tiaras, child beauty contests have caused the biggest uproar. Hilary Levey, a Harvard University student, investigated why mothers enter their children into pageants. “You see this a lot among people on the lower-income and education scales. They want their kids to learn skills that are needed to move up the social scale.”

One mother has no problem admitting to Levey’s findings: “My daughter looks like Barbie. I tell her to exploit it. This is your life. You take what you have and run with it,” she says. Some mothers cite the development of confidence and the making of friends as other reasons for entering their children into pageants. Critics argue that these pageants equate to child abuse and the furthering of the sexualisation of children, and insist that mothers stop entering their children into these pageants to satisfy their own unfulfilled dreams.

According to IOL.co.za, the current South African first princess Remona Moodley still believes that the pageant has relevance today, but agrees that responsibilities have changed.

“Back then, all you had to be was a pretty face. But now you have to do something. You have to come as a package,” says Moodley, who has a degree in electrical engineering.

Some may argue that an issue such as this doesn’t deserve attention while others strongly believe it is a matter which society needs to consider critically. Those on the fence may say that perhaps the saying “to each his own” is there for a reason.

Illustration: Simon-Kai Garvie

Features

20 August ‘12

13

Hashtags: to be or not to be?

MEAGAN DILL “At their most annoying, the colloquial hashtag has burst out of its use as a sorting tool and become a linguistic tumor – a tic more irritating than any banal link or lazy image meme.” Thus Sam Biddle, writing for Gizmodo.com, sums up the problems surrounding the hashtag. Originally intended for a particular purpose, the hashtag is now being used out of context.

What is hashtagging, you ask? Welcome to the twentyfirst century. Broadly speaking, a hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the hash symbol. Popular examples include #Winning or #LikeABoss. The hashtag originated on Twitter as a way of sorting or tagging topics in order to make them easily searchable by grouping similar tweets together. However, it has recently begun to expand beyond this function – either being overused, or spilling over on other social networking sites (like Facebook) and even instant messaging services (like BlackBerry Messenger and WhatsApp).

For many, the fact that the hashtag exists is not the real problem – rather, it’s how it is used (or misused) in this way.

While the merits and downfalls of the use of hashtags outside of Twitter is debatable, what is certain is that this is quite well-established as a trend. The Wikipedia page on hashtags explains, “Although Facebook doesn’t support hashtags as metadata, it has become a way for users to make expressions, rather, to emphasize a particular word or subject within a post.”

In response to this, UCT student Kristian Gerstner (currently completing his honours in environmental management) says, “When people on Facebook hashtag for no reason, or without realising what its purpose is, it looks rather retarded.”

Information design student Caitlin Roberts has a different opinion. “Half the point of social media applications is crosspollination. Hashtags are annoying on Facebook, but it’s part of the whole social media scene. People must accept and move on or get off the net.”

But does this kind of cross-pollination make sense?

Looking back at the now mostly obsolete SMS lingo, it seems to have faced similar problems. When we were all paying for our messages because of the number of characters we typed, it made sense to be economical with language – hence abbreviations like “l8r” (later) and “plz” (please). However, with the ever-increasing popularity of free or cheap instant

MIH/Perdeby/20/08-E.indd 1

messaging, as well as the growing number of cellphone models equipped with QWERTY keypads, common sense says this shouldn’t be necessary. But the trend carried over to social networking anyway.

It is undeniable that the English language evolves rapidly and constantly. Take, for example, the emoticon. Colons, semi-colons and brackets, when arranged in a certain manner, have now taken up widely recognised meanings and functions completely apart from their traditional ones. But keep in mind that such change is fundamental to the language. Think of it this way: as much as English scholars may admire

Shakespeare’s Elizabethan English, you won’t see them – or anyone else – speaking it in everyday situations (unless you get them drunk enough to start reciting, of course).

But now a new question emerges: where should the line be drawn between the necessity of evolution in language and an actual abuse of language? Perhaps the best ones to ask, in this case, are Twitter users themselves.

A study by a group of university students overseas gives insight into the mind of the average Twitter user. The group created a website called “Who Gives a Tweet?”. Through the website, users could sign up for anonymous feedback on their tweets in exchange for rating tweets by others. When evaluating tweets, users could also comment. In less than three weeks, there were more than 43 000 ratings from almost 1 500 users. On the subject of hashtags, the study states: “Twitter-specific syntax was a common source of complaint, particularly the overuse of hashtags and @mentions.

Users who responded to Perdeby’s hashtag survey on Twitter seemed to agree. Melissa (@pirategurt) wrote, “Don’t know why, but it annoys me so much. It’s worse when someone doesn’t even have Twitter but they’ll hashtag in a BBM update.” Similarly, Byron (@TheLifeOfByron) emphasises the issue of correct context: “They are used on Twitter for searching or events, so there is no point using them outside Twitter or Instagram,” he says. This raises an important point: the fact that some social networking services outside of Twitter do integrate hashtagging abilities into their website – you can search or categorise by hashtag, and clicking on the hashtag takes you to the results. This puts hashtagging back into its intended role of categorisation. Instagram is one such social networking service, along with Google+, Pinterest and Tumblr.

So how can Twitter users make use of them in an efficient and appropriate manner? Blogger Dave Coustan acknowledges that hashtags are sometimes both necessary and useful, like in large-scale emergency situations. “When bad things happen, people flip out and anything that can help pull people together is a positive. I certainly wouldn’t stop following people in the middle of a disaster because I saw them using hashtags.” Even the official Twitter help page for hashtags advises users to practise caution, stating, “Don’t #spam #with #hashtags. Don’t over-tag a single tweet. Use hashtags only on tweets relevant to the topic.”

Perhaps the main thing to consider when using hashtags is to go back to the basics of their intended purpose – if not for the sake of grammar, then at least for the sake of your followers.

What is your opinion on hashtags? Are they endlessly useful or infinitely irritating? Join the debate by tweeting your opinions to @meagandill or @perdebynews.

Image: Beyers de Vos, JP Nathrass and Nadine Laggar

2012/08/14 12:44 PM

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20 Augustus ‘12

Features

Would you sell your eggs or sperm for cash?

DITSHEGO MADOPI You may have noticed the Life with Love Egg and Sperm Donor Specialists advertisement in last week’s edition. Renee de Winnaar, a director at Life with Love, says, “Students are a segment of our target market because of the criteria of the requirements of a donor, in terms of age, health and being educated.” Life and Love pays R6 000 for egg donation and R2 500 for sperm donation, in compliance with South African legislation.

Perdeby surveyed 117 students (59 female and 58 male) about whether or not they would donate their reproductive cells. Forty-seven percent of those students said they would be willing to donate (28 female and 27 male).

A common question students asked when surveyed was whether or not they would be paid for their donations and some students did change their answer to a “yes” when told that financial compensation was indeed offered.

In countries like the United States, though, where laws concerning egg and sperm donation are less rigid, women can be paid $4 000 to $5 000 (roughly between R32 000 – R40 000) for their eggs.

In an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, Bonnie Steinbock explains: “Any time that we ask people to do things that impose significant burdens and some degree of risk, fairness may require that they be adequately compensated. At the same time, there’s a general consensus that it would be improper to offer enormous sums of money to egg (or sperm) donors that could sway their judgment.”

Some students were only familiar with the concept of sperm donation, but were unaware of egg donation. Egg donation may not be as widely known because of the increased complexity of the procedure used to obtain eggs. The process of retrieving eggs is a

surgical procedure and requires anaesthesia in order to retrieve ooctyes (eggs that are not yet fully developed) from the ovaries. Because the process is surgical, there are risks and, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, also some concern that women who undergo multiple cycles of hormone stimulation may increase their risk of having ovarian cancer later in life. But De Winnaar says they see a higher number of female than male donors at their agency and they are less

focused on the financial gain and more aware of the emotional compensation of helping someone else to have a child. “We find that women are more emotionally mature and understand the need for being a mother,” she says.

Keamogetswe Mekgwe, a first-year BEd FET in Human Movement Science and Sports Management, says he wouldn’t donate because he doesn’t always want to wonder if there might be a child of his out there. “It

would be living with a constant uncertainty.

I want to have an influence in my biological child’s life. And I don’t think students should be considering it. At this age, you’re not yet sure about what you want, most of what you do is on an experimental level. Even if it’s anonymous, there’s a chance that the child may grow up and want contact with me as their biological parent which may disrupt my life at that moment.”

Egg Donation South Africa is one of the largest agencies in the country. Founding member Mbali Mkhize says that most of the donors are young, university-educated women aged between 20 and 32. Agencies recruit and screen donors who have to undergo a detailed medical examination and blood tests, as well as a psychological assessment. Multiple agencies state on their sites that a donor can donate their reproductive cells five times, which limits the number of babies born with the genetics of one donor. Agencies record information on donors such as their physical appearance (including a baby picture), likes and dislikes, and academic achievements. No identifying information, such as a name or adult picture, is given to the new parents.This ensures donor anonymity.

Tahira Tarr, a second-year chemical engineering student, says, “If you have the opportunity to help somebody have what they cannot attain by themselves, then you have to do that. I wouldn’t consider it to be my child, it would be the child of [whomever] raises it.

It’s just going to be my egg but it isn’t going to be so much of me. There’s only a genetic link but my baby would be the one I carry in my womb. But I wouldn’t mind meeting the child if that was what he or she and her parents wanted later on in life.”

Photo: Hendro Van Der Merwe

Sport

20 August ‘12

15

Five minutes with softball star Jackie van Wyk KATLEGO PHEEHA

Jackie van Wyk, second-year BA Human Movement Science student, recently became the youngest player to represent South Africa at the international softball games held in Canada.

Perdeby spoke to the softball pitcher about her life, her experience as a softball player and her selection into the national team.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Centurion and went to Hoërskool Centurion.

How old were you when you first started playing softball?

I was 10 years old. I was in grade four playing for the u/11 girl’s team.

How did you get introduced to the sport?

Softball was a sport at my primary school, Laerskool Louis Leipoldt. I continued [playing] it in high school and started playing club softball when I was15 years old.

What is the most challenging thing about the sport from your perspective?

I think the most challenging thing is to focus the whole game. Club softball is usually seven innings, or two hours. The challenge comes

when we are at the fifth inning and start to get tired. This is when the most focus is needed.

How did it feel to be called up to represent the country?

It felt great when I heard I was selected. My family and friends were very proud and I felt all my work finally paid off.

Is this something you do part-time or do you see yourself playing professionally for years to come?

Softball in South Africa is part time. You play club, can be selected to represent your province at a provincial tournament, and at the provincial tournament a South African team is selected. I would love to play professional ball overseas.

What did you get most out of the games in Canada?

I learned a lot from all the seniors in my team as well as the other teams. Our team won their first international game against Puerto Rico since, I believe, 1995. The game started after we sang “Happy Birthday” to Madiba. The feeling was great.

What has softball brought to you in both your personal and athletic life?

Softball is what I live for. It gave me friends

for life, taught me about commitment, and most of all, it taught me how to fight for what I want in life. Sport gives me a balance in life. If I perform in sport, I usually can achieve my goals in academics as well.

What goals do you have academically and in your sporting career?

I want to go into biokinetics where I can help with the rehabilitation of sport injuries. My softball goal is to go play overseas and learn the most that I can.

Who has been the biggest influence to help you succeed in the sport?

Coaches have been the biggest influence in my sport. I learn what I can from them. From primary school until now, I think about them all. My role model has to be Monica Abbot. She was the pitcher of the American softball team a few years ago. The focus she had on and off the field is what I still strive for.

What was the best advice you were ever given to help you improve your game?

To be patient when trying new things. With pitching you can’t get everything right on the first day. Never think you know everything.

Photo: Provided

Tough day for archers at Winter Challenge

ZENNA MULLER Archers from across Gauteng showcased their skill at the TuksArchery Winter Challenge on Saturday 11 August at the Absa Tuks Stadium.

Archers of different ages took part over distances ranging between 60 and 90 metres.

The challenge consisted of six rounds and archers had four minutes to shoot six arrows in each round. An archer shoots 144 arrows to try and attain a maximum score.

However, because of unforeseen bad weather conditions, most of the archers withdrew from

the competition. “Overall Saturday’s shoot was typical of an outdoor shoot, and the wind played its role. Some archers shot good scores, others not,” said Alex Mauldon, one of the organisers of this event.

Danelle Wentzel from Magnum Archery, currently one of the top five compound (modernised bows) shooters in the world, almost managed to shoot a new South African record on Saturday. Wentzel said that she just wanted to shoot the best that she could and will hopefully compete in the Commonwealth Games in two years’ time.

TuksArchery has over 30 archers and is the fastest growing archery club in South Africa.

Mauldon told Perdeby that even though they are still a small club, they plan to increase their numbers through schools in North Gauteng.

“Though we are small, the standards we achieve are high: in our training (our coach Johan Steyn went to the London Olympics with the South African team), in the competitions we host (which are internationally recognised) and the standard of our archers.”

TuksArchery’s future plans are to possibly send two or even three archers to compete in the

2016 Olympics in Rio de Janierio. Their main goal is to host four outdoor and four indoor tournaments. Lutke van Dorssen, chairperson of TuksArchery told Perdeby that they aim to host the best competitions in the country, as people come as far as the Western Cape to take part in these type of events.

Even though the weather may not have played out as the archers would have hoped, it was still a successful shoot and one step closer to the TuksArchery club’s dreams.

Photos: Provided

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Sport

Taaibos and Erika 2012 basketball champions

KATLEGO PHEEHA On 15 August the Rembrandt Hall hosted the 2012 TuksBasketball Hostel League finals, which saw Taaibos and Erika end the day as champions.

Under Hostel League regulations, the matches were played with two 15 minute halves. Erika had beaten Magrietjie 21-11 to book a spot in the ladies finals. Their opponents were Madelief, who had outscored Inca 18-6 in a one-sided semi-final contest.

The final started off slowly, with both teams shooting poorly. It was Erika that scored first, thanks to star player Kadi Diallo, but failed to capitalise on other scoring opportunities.

Both teams looked determined to go home with the trophy and at the end of the first half

the scores were still close at 10-8 to Erika.

The second half continued with the same intensity as the first, with the tempers between the players nearing boiling point.

The game was proving to be both a tactical and physical contest, and with three minutes to go, the scores were tied at 12 apiece. Both teams came agonisingly close to scoring the winning basket but neither defence was giving an inch. The scores were still tied after regulation and the match went into a two minute over-time. Over-time started well in favour of Erika, with Kadi Diallo finally breaking the deadlock with a stunning threepoint jumper. Just moments later, Erika found their way in the paint for another basket and finished the match 17-12 to be crowned champions. “I don’t know what happened

with the basket I made in over-time. I just decided to go for it. I was open, there was no defender on me so I just decided to shoot and it went in. It was the important basket that we needed,” said Kadi Diallo after the game, who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) after the match.

The men’s final saw Taaibos compete against YES-Tuks, a team of day students.

Both teams started the match off at a very fast pace, trading three pointers and entertaining the crowd with reverse lay-ups and hang shots. Midway through the half it was Taaibos that had the early advantage with a 11-6 lead. YES-Tuks continued to play impressive basketball but were unable to keep up with the pace of Taaibos, and by half time, were trailing 16-6.

The second half saw Taaibos show more dominance as both sets of players started to show signs of fatigue. Taaibos went on a 5-0 run to start the half and create some breathing space. YES-Tuks continued to display some resistance but as fatigue set in, the sting in their offence had significantly dropped. In the end Taaibos won the title 23-11. For the men it was Taaibos’s Theo Malatji that won the title of MVP. “We played as a team. It was what we had decided at the beginning. We decided to play a quick game and I’m very happy that everybody played their part,” he told Perdeby after the match.

Photos: Gideon van Tonder

AmaTuks held to draw in PSL opener

AmaTuks drew 1-1 with Maritzburg United in their first Premier Soccer League (PSL) game at Absa Tuks Stadium on Sunday 12 August. AmaTuks, who won the National First Division last season to gain promotion to the PSL, had to settle for a draw after leading for most of the second half.

Photos: Brad Donald

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