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Perdeby Tuks se amptelike studentekoerant / Official Tuks student newspaper / Kuranta ya baithuti ya semmušo ya Tuks
21May2012 The DA and COSATU clash
SRC push for extended library hours
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year74issue12 Sexual harassment on campus
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Nzimande recognises faults at UP
to Charl Oberholzer, National Chairperson of AfriForum Youth. It is unclear for which subjects the distinctions were obtained or if these students Minister of Higher Education and Training achieved more distinctions individually than Blade Nzimande has reportedly acknowledged other students who were admitted. that intervention is needed in the University of Oberholzer said that although the organisation Pretoria’s Faculty of Veterinary Science. has welcomed the action taken by Minister In an official document sent to AfriForum Youth, Nzimande, experience “shows that this won’t be Nzimande reportedly indicated that a work sufficient”. group has been established and will advise UP An article on on how the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences “An article on AfriForum’s AfriForum’s website alleges that UP has can be expanded to website alleges that UP admitted to turning allow more students to be accepted into the has admitted to turning away white students from the Faculty of degree. away white students from Veterinary Science in UP management told Perdeby that there the Faculty of Veterinary order to meet racial quotas set by the are already plans in Science in order to meet department. Funding place to “significantly to the expand its Faculty of racial quotas set by the allocated university depends on Veterinary Science” its success in meeting and increase intake department.” these targets. In setting by one-third next these targets, the year. This will be department aims to reflect national demographics accompanied by development in the faculty’s in the students who enrol for university degrees. infrastructure. Nicolize Mulder, UP Media Liaison Officer, told Nzimande conceded that South Africa faces a shortage of vets. The document allegedlydeclared Perdeby that the work group has long been in effect and so is not a result of any action taken that changes to admission systems must be made by AfriForum Youth. According to Mulder, the in terms of quota requirements pertaining to group has been working to improve all medical entrance into tertiary institutions. faculties at most South African universities. According to a statement made available to In general, Perdeby was told that admission is Perdeby by AfriForum Youth, this comes in not based on race, but on academic achievement. response to a protest staged by the organisation. The protest, which took place in March, involved However, UP admitted that “the faculty reserves a number of places for students from the a group of students painting themselves black. designated groups.” According to management, They protested outside the Department of Higher admission requirements are structured so that Education and Training’s head office in Pretoria. AfriForum Youth have alleged that they represent access is provided to “a variety of students”. At the time of going to print, the Department of a group of 30 white students. Collectively, Higher Education and Training was not available these students achieved more than 200 matric for comment. distinctions but were turned away from UP because of “poor academic results”, according MAXINE TWADDLE
DA supporters marching in the youth wage subsidy march last week Tuesday. Five Tuks students were hurt when the march turned into a violent confrontation between the DA and COSATU. Photo: Ruhan Robinson
The Graeme Watkins Project interview
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Perdeby 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 Web: Marissa Gravett webeditor@perdeby.co.za @perdebynews
Editorial
21 Mei ‘12
If your life had a face, I’d punch it There are moments when the need to sit down and reflect on what you’ve learnt from your experiences becomes necessary. Usually, these moments are a natural consequence of endings: the end of a year being the cliché. I don’t particularly like self-reflection, because it usually results in change, and change is often attached to sentimentality, and I really don’t like sentimentality. But as every sanctimonious self-help book (I hate self-help books) has ever told you, change is inevitable. Sometimes it is just (so) necessary to reevaluate your priorities or your relationships. Change usually has casualties, though. In my case, it was the end of a few friendships. This is always a sad, and often angry, event. But the older I get the more I realise that the idea of permanence is one of the great follies of the young: we don’t appreciate just how much life there is left to live and how much growing up we still need to do (an aside: this is why I struggle to understand how the crazy people who get married while they are at university can commit themselves so easily). But hey, at least I know that, no matter the state of the other relationships in my life, my love affair with coffee is forever. It’s not a secret that I’m addicted to coffee. Literally addicted. I don’t just say that. I have withdrawal symptoms; things like headaches and mood swings abound when I go a day without coffee (well, caffeine). I don’t consider this a bad thing, really. As I always maintain, at least I’m not addicted to crack. Perspective, that’s the key. Needless to say, I have a very close relationship with coffee shops in this city (on campus this is
Copy: Hayley Tetley @Hayley_Tet Layout: JP Nathrass @JPNathrass Visuals: Brad Donald @Brad3rs
Teams Layout Nolwazi Bengu Yannick Pousson 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 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.
KOMMUNE Bachelor woonstel en kamer beskikbaar. Veilige parkering, bediende, wasgoed, internet, DSTV. Kilner Park - R3000 Jacques 082 33 22 600
From the Editor
Fego, a place of joy and wonder) but I’ve grown slightly bored with my off-campus options. So if anyone knows about a really awesome coffee shop in Pretoria, drop me an email or a tweet or a smoke signal. But let me be specific and qualify what I mean when I say awesome: awesome implies good coffee, good atmosphere, good service and (this is a biggie) good cake. There must always be good cake. And if it turns out you’ve introduced me to life-changing coffee, I’ll owe you something. Like a diamond encrusted kidney. I ramble sometimes, don’t I? Stop listening to me and go read the paper. It’s our last one of the semester before the dark and dangerous exams come into your lives. So good luck with those. You won’t find an article on how to do well in your exams in the paper, because I assume you all know how to write exams if you’ve made it this far in life, but you will find some exciting other things. Like our article on sexual harassment (panda!) and the one where we interview The Graeme Watkins Project. We also take a look at the DA march for a youth wage subsidy that went all kinds of wrong last week, and in which a few Tuks students were hurt. Enjoy the paper, enjoy your holidays and keep an eye on our website and Twitter feed for updates till we are back in July. This is Sparta! Beyers @PerdebyEditor
News
Tuks students involved in DA and COSATU clash MARGEAUX ERASMUS Several Tuks students were present at the DA Youth wage subsidy march last week Tuesday, which turned violent when COSATU members began throwing stones at the DA marchers. Both organisations had Tuks students among their ranks. According to Thorne Godinho, Chairperson of Tuks DA Student Organisation (DASO), approximately 20 students joined DASO at the march. He told Perdeby that during the march, five of these students had bricks thrown at their legs. “They marched to COSATU House, got there and it turned violent,” said Godinho. Michael Davis, a first-year BCom Law student said, “This was my first DA march that I attended and [I] was very apprehensive about the whole build-up of it in the media. I was shocked and disgusted at the behaviour of COSATU and the lack of leadership in its ranks to be able to lead its people in a peaceful manner. Throwing rocks and causing violence is no way to solve problems and come up with solutions for our economy.” Tokologo Ngakane, Chairperson of SASCO, was among the COSATU supporters and said, “The DA came and tried to intimidate and bully COSATU but the workers did not allow them. Both myself and the secretary of the branch were there. The Provincial Chairperson of SASCO who is also from Tuks was there. It turned violent the moment [the] DA wanted to force their way to COSATU House.” SASCO’s national office released a statement in defence of their actions that read, “As the South African Students Congress (SASCO), we are deeply delighted and overjoyed at the manner in which a rented crowd of the DA was dismissed,
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through all means by the workers, youth and students of this country.” Referring to the people who had joined the march, Godinho said, “These were ordinary students, not necessarily DA voters.” According to Godinho, COSATU’s interference with the march went against their constitutional right to protest peacefully. The DA planned to march to COSATU House on Tuesday 15 May because COSATU has continuously blocked their proposals for a youth wage subsidy which they claim would create around 423 000 jobs for young South Africans. Godinho said that COSATU is against the youth wage subsidy because they are losing members. “Young people are less likely to join a union,” he said. “I believe they are trying to hold onto their power [which is] why they are against people utilising their constitutional rights [to march].” A fact sheet drawn up by the DA states that the youth wage subsidy will allow the treasury to provide tax subsidies to businesses for every person between the ages of 18 and 29 they employ. According to the statement, both President Jacob Zuma and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan have declared their support for the youth wage subsidy. But the statement released by SASCO’s national office said that, “As students of this country we view the youth wage subsidy as a form of modern day wage slavery and as such we are together in defending their hard-won gains in a democratic dispensation. We cannot allow those who speak on behalf of white monopoly capital to harass the entire society in the name of economic growth and job creation.” To read the full version of this article go to www.perdeby. co.za.
Pssst... Pssst… hears Maroela’s pet chicken ran away this week and was spotted roaming around outside the university’s main entrance, but that it was back at Maroela by Thursday afternoon. Love is in the air apparently: Pssst… hears there’s talk of a Madelief first year getting more than familiar with an Olympus HK. Apparently Madelief and Olympus have decided to take their Rag partnership to new, previously illegitimate heights. And apparently Boekenhout and Madelief’s Culture Externals are an item. Hmmm, Pssst... finds it quite coincidental that this power couple managed to ensure the Serrie win for their reses. It’s ontheffing season, and Pssst… quite enjoyed the show. One of the Maroela first years got so drunk after they got ontheffed that he gave a couple of Katjiepiering girls a striptease performance – the full monty. The Katjiepiering girls, who’ve been deprived of any attention from the Maroela men for so long, asked for an encore, which the Maroela first year was more than happy to provide. Speaking of stripteases, some Jasmyn girls took full advantage of their ontheffing by marching to the Square in their skimpiest outfits. They were later spotted doing the walk of shame back to res, heels in tow. Pssst... will admit, though, that we have been looking forward to the new generation of Lilium and Jasmyn girls to show face at the Square. Pssst... hopes the girls live up their names this year. Meanwhile, Boekenhout, still high off their record-breaking jottir reaping, tried to pick a fight with a campus car guard. Pick on someone your own size, né? Like Lilium, maybe. Pssst... hears the girls got up close and personal with Rodney the Rhino during a recent res rally. Olienhout maybe you should work on your surveillance skills. Maybe the Houte are holding out for the Lilium girls. Sorry boys, but it seems the green-clad girls prefer the Kiaat men, after Pssst... witnessed some of the girls making their way to the Kiaat first-year dinee in nothing but their underwear, or so it seemed. Some things never change, but Pssst... just wants to tell you Houte, you can do way better. As for Kiaat, Pssst... expects that from them, their standards aren’t particularly high, but then again, when Lilium makes it so easy how can they refuse, right?
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News
21 Mei ‘12
SRC pushes for extended library hours KEVIN VAN DER LIST
The Student Representative Council and COPE@TUKS are in the process of extending library hours on Hatfield Campus. The SRC has submitted a proposal for the extension of library hours to the university. The parties involved are currently awaiting a response from the university. Robert Moropa, Director of Library Services, said that the library has received a request to extend its hours and it is being considered. He added that the financial implications must be evaluated before any decision can be made. Christopher Pappas, the SRC member for Academic Affairs, is hopeful that the proposal will be approved and will not be compromised by financial constraints.
The proposal comes after students complained that library hours are too short. Pappas said that students who depend on the library for books, notes and the internet are unable to complete their work in the library after 21:00. “If the university wants to call [itself]
“If the university wants to call [itself] an educational institution and also have a lot of focus on academic excellence and research, then they need to provide the facilities for that.”
an educational institution and also have a lot of focus on academic excellence and research, then they need to provide the facilities for that,” he said. If the proposal is approved in its current form, the Merensky and Law libraries will be open 24/7 during exam times. During nonexam times, the abovementioned
libraries will be open until midnight from Mondays to Thursdays, and until 18:00 from Fridays to Sundays. Once these times have been accepted, the SRC aims to have a 24-hours-every-day library operating, regardless of the time of year. Comfort Mashiloane, a second-year BEd student who regularly uses the library, said the extended times “won’t be a waste”. He said that most students in residences depend on the library’s computers and have to resort to using internet cafés on Sundays when the library is closed. He feels that this is not always an economically effective solution for some students. Moropa said that the library will provide for students’ needs where possible. What do you think? @Perdebynews.
Student passes away after car accident MARGEAUX ERASMUS
Jarred Thain, a second-year student studying landscape architecture, passed away on Tuesday morning due to severe brain injury. Thain was involved in a car accident on Lynnwood Road on 4 May. He was the driver of the car and his friend, also a second-year landscape architecture student, Michael Wood, was in the passenger seat. Wood has been released from hospital and is recovering. Brooklyn Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Annabel Middleton, told Perdeby that according to the police statement Thain was busy pulling out of a parking area when a speeding car hit them from behind. The impact pushed the car over the cement island into oncoming traffic where a truck collided
with their car. “A case of negligence and reckless driving has been opened,” said Officer Middleton. She added that culpable homicide will be added to the main complaint. Thain’s father, Lee Thain, told Perdeby that Thain was a wonderful boy. “I know it is a difficult time for all of us,” he said, but he urged students who knew Thain to “be strong”. A friend of Thain’s told Perdeby: “[Thain] was always one to make other people smile and cheer up. He taught a lot of people many lessons of life. He didn’t care who you were or what you looked like, he treated everyone the same. He was an amazing guy and so many people loved him.” Wood told Perdeby that Thain was “a kind,
honest guy who always tried to make things better for everyone else. He always saw the lighter side of life and made a party out of every situation.” He added: “[Thain] will never be forgotten and may his spirit live on in all students and lecturers who had the privilege to meet this angel, Jarred Anthony Thain. Rest in peace, shaparrinos and fresh for days.” Student Affairs Vice-Principal Prof. Nthabiseng Ogude said, “The university wishes to express its deepest sympathy with Mr Thain’s family and friends,” and added that the funeral arrangements for Thain have not yet been finalised. Go to pPerdeby7412a or perdeby.co.za to read Wood’s full message about Thain.
Photo provided
UN High Commissioner delivers memorial lecture DAVID CROSS United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, delivered a public lecture regarding women’s sexual and reproductive health rights at this year’s Helen Kanzira Memorial lecture on Tuesday 15 May. Prof. Cheryl de la Rey, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria, welcomed the guest speakers. “We will hear more about why this is an important event, not only in the lives of those at the University of Pretoria, but in the lives of all citizens of South Africa and the world at large,” she said. Pillay began the lecture by commemorating the late Helen Kanzira, who was a student of the pioneer class of the LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa. Kanzira died at the age of 39 in October 2007 due to complications that arose during childbirth. “Helen’s memory inspired women
in Africa to focus on the individual and collective values of each and every woman and to work to ensure that women enjoy healthy and productive lives and give birth to new life in freedom of choice and without discrimination,” stated Pillay. Important subjects concerning the violation of human rights and in particular, women’s rights, were discussed at length. Other topics addressed in Pillay’s lecture emphasised the large degree to which women’s sexual and reproductive rights are violated across the globe on a daily basis. Commentary regarding the progress made in the realisation of the enjoyment of human rights by women since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 dominated the bulk of Pillay’s discussion. “Women continue to experience a multitude of human rights violations. These range from gender-based violence to denial of women’s legal capacity,” she said.
Tuks students go Google FRANCOIS VAN DER WESTHUIZEN The University of Pretoria will be launching new student Gmail accounts on 23 July 2012 which will replace the current student email accounts. The notice explained that the switch is necessary to meet the growing requirements of students and that the Gmail platform is more user-friendly than the current system. During the transition, students will still have access to their UP email accounts for at least three months. Students should note, however, that they will not be able to send or receive e-mails from their accounts during this period. A final decision regarding the closure of the UP system will be made after this period. There will be a welcoming email in every student’s Tuks Gmail account that will contain a process for students to follow if they want to copy their old mail to
their new Tuks Gmail account. The email addresses of students will not change. The only change that will occur is the location of the mailboxes. Students will be able to access their Tuks Gmail accounts through the student portal. Access to Tuks Gmail will also be configured on mobile devices. Students should take note that their Tuks Gmail account will be completely independent from their personal Gmail accounts. Every student’s Tuks Gmail account will still have the following format: u12345678@tuks.co.za. Advantages of using the Gmail service includes: an increased space limit of 25 GB per person as opposed to the current system’s space limit of 50 MB, the sending and receiving of messages up to 20 MB, and Google Talk which allows students to talk to fellow students and tutors.
News
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21 May ‘12
Taaibos en Jasmyn maak tyd vir liefdadigheid
Boekenhout breaks jottir record
STEPHANIE VAN DER PLANK
AMY-MAE CAMPBELL Taaibos en Jasmyn het op Saterdag 12 Mei `n pretdag by die Mmamotse Laerskool in Temba Hammanskraal gereël. Die pretdag vorm deel van `n langtermyn joolprojek by die skool wat op Saterdag afgesluit is. Die doel was om fondse in te samel en aan die skool te skenk, sodat sekere opknappings in die toekoms gemaak kan word. Leerlinge van die skool asook gemeenskapslede het die geleentheid bygewoon. Hulle kon deelneem aan sportaktiwiteite en `n danskompetisie en daar was ook attraksies soos springkastele. Toegangsfooie is vir die pretdag gehef. Die Jasmyn en Taaibos joolraad en ander koshuisvrywilligers besoek die skool sedert 2008 elke jaar en het al verskeie take aangepak en voltooi. `n Groentetuin is op die skoolgronde geplant, badkamers is opgeknap en `n klim-en-klouterraam is vir die speelterrein gebou. Met die pretdag se fondse beoog die joolraad om nette vir die sokkervelde aan te skaf, sowel as om netbalpale vir die sportterrein op te rig, verduidelik Erwyn Durman, Taaibos se Jool
HK. Die skoolhoof, me. MP Mooke, het kommentaar oor die projek gelewer en gesê dat die besoeke die kinders aan universiteitstudente blootstel, wat die kinders bewus maak van die geleenthede wat na skool beskikbaar is en hulle motiveer om hard te werk. Volgens Durman het hulle hard gewerk om die pretdag te finansier. `n Lootjietrek kompetisie is gehou en Tiger Brands is genader om lekkernye te skenk. Elke koshuislid kon ook help deur geld vanuit hulle studenterekening te skenk. TuksRes het gehelp met die administrasie van hierdie proses. “Die geleentheid om te gee na ander uit te reik, is die beste gevoel wat daar is. Ek dink ek kan namens Jasmyn en Taaibos sê dat dit `n groot sukses was,” het Elzeri Lombard, Jasmyn se Jool HK, gesê. Alhoewel die langtermynprojek voltooi is, gaan die joolraad steeds na die skool uitreik, het Durman gesê. Kyk na meer foto’s van die pretdag by pPerdeby7412b. Foto verskaf
Huis Boekenhout broke the record and stole 80 Madelief jottirs last week Tuesday. The two residences were sleeping when the Boekenhout boys sprang on the girls, stole as many jottirs as possible and threw them into passing cars that they had organised for the purpose. By doing so, Boekenhout broke their previous record when they stole 70 jottirs in a day, a record which has been standing since 1989. Boekenhout’s chairperson, Roger Player, said that seeing as this is their 50th Feesjaar, he and the first-years decided it was time to break the record. He said, “The evening was crazy, jottirs [were lying] everywhere and [the evening] definitely had a few [heartbroken] knolle.” Luckily, none of the Madelief girls were hurt. Madelief Primaria, Lidalize Grobler said, “Obviously we were livid.” In 1989, Boekenhout broke and buried the stolen jottirs at Madelief to celebrate their achievement. This year they decided to return the jottirs to the girls and donate a plaque to commemorate the event. Player said, “We realise that this was a shock for Huis Madelief but what we agreed on was that this would be a part of history that will be remembered for all time. We appreciate the good manner in which Madelief took it and plan to build a stronger relationship.” At 06:00 the boys returned the jottirs with a letter and a Boekenhout feesjaar stamp stuck on the inside. They also invited the Madelief girls to watch them paint their Eiffel Tower green, to celebrate their long-standing relationship. Grobler said that the two residences have always had a good relationship in the past but added that, “[W]e don’t take this lightly. You can’t steal our jottirs and think it’s fine.”
Features 21 Mei ‘12 6 Sexual harassment on campus: what you need to know “Compared to other universities in the Gauteng region, we have the smallest number of staff members working for a student support centre.”
DITSHEGO MADOPI Do you know about the university’s sexual harassment policy? During the past few weeks, you might have seen a notice on ClickUP asking you this question. Of the sixteen students interviewed by Perdeby, all of them said that, before this notice, they had not been aware of the existence of a sexual harassment policy at Tuks. This issue is of some importance to the dynamics of relationships formed on campus, so why is there so little awareness about it? Elize Gardiner, Protection Officer for the university, states that the reason for the questionnaire is to establish why so few cases are reported. She says this could be because students are not aware of the policy or because they may not know what constitutes sexual harassment. “We had no cases last year and of the cases we have had, most are reported by staff members instead of students,” she says. The university’s policy has a somewhat abstract definition. It states that “sexual harassment is [any] unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that violates the rights of an employee or student and constitutes a barrier to equity in the workplace or within the University community.” The policy clarifies this further, explaining that “the unwelcome conduct must be of a sexual nature, and includes physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct.” One problem that comes up when dealing with sexual harassment is that perceptions about what is acceptable and what is not can differ greatly. The notion of personal space
can be subjective and people may not be aware when they cross the line with the person they are interacting with. For instance, despite broader definitions in official documents, male students interviewed generally expressed the opinion that only explicit behaviour, such as groping someone’s genitals, constitutes sexual harassment. Tumelo Mathulwe, a second-year BSc Geology student, says he has been touched in unexpected sexual manners by girls several times but he doesn’t view it as harassment. “When a girl does something like smacking me on the butt, I just take it as a message that she is sexually attracted to me. I also don’t expect her to act up when I retaliate with the same action because she initiated it,” he says. Interestingly, when Mathulwe and other male interviewees were asked if the same rules apply when the act is committed by a member of the same sex, they were in agreement that they would be more likely to label that as sexual harassment. The opposite can be said for the girls interviewed. Bonolo Seperepere, a second-year BSc Human Genetics student, says, “When a girl touches you in a sexual manner, it’s less uncomfortable. Even if the girl is homosexual, the fact that they are the same gender as you makes it acceptable.” The university’s sexual harassment policy includes same-sex harassment, establishing that “the grounds of discrimination to establish sexual harassment are sex, gender and sexual orientation. Same-sex harassment can amount to discrimination on the basis of sex, gender and
sexual orientation.” Another ambiguous issue discussed was verbal sexual harassment. The UP policy states that the following constitute sexual harassment: “unwelcome innuendos, suggestions, hints, sexual advances, comments with sexual overtones, sex-related jokes or insults, graphic comments about a person’s body made in their presence or to them, inappropriate enquiries about a person’s sex life, whistling of a sexual nature and the sending by electronic means or otherwise of sexually explicit text.” But students interviewed say they have experienced this and are again wary of labelling it as sexual harassment. A journal article entitled “Student Perceptions of Sexual Assault Resources and Prevalence of Rape Myth Attitudes” reports on a study
“We live in a society where people like being victims.” conducted by Amnesty International. Men were observed to blame a woman for her own sexual assault if her wardrobe was revealing. When asked about this, most Tuks interviewees were of the opinion that it was not a myth at all but a valid point to be made against apparent victims. The perceptions that students have about sexual harassment do not fit neatly into what the UP policy has outlined. Dave Ledwaba, a second-year BEng Mechanical Engineering student, says, “We live in a society where people like being victims.” Another complaint raised by students was that sometimes, after something has taken place and you need to talk to somebody about it, you go to the Student Counselling Services only to find that the appointment book is full. “It’s frustrating,” says one student. “If you need to talk at that moment and you can’t, you’re more likely to dismiss it and try to forget about it.” Dr Madeline Nolte, head of the Student Support Centre, spoke to Perdeby about the
difficulties facing the centre. “We are extremely busy and although we never turn a student down when they need our services, it’s hard to accommodate everyone with less than 30 permanent workers at the centre. Last year alone, we had 33 000 contact sessions with students.” Dr Nolte mentions that the permanent workers are spread across all of Tuks campuses which makes evident the strain that the centre is under. “Compared to other universities in the Gauteng region, we have the smallest number of staff members working for a student support centre,” says Dr Nolte. “The centre offers a step-in service where no appointment is necessary but this works on a first come, first serve basis. A 24-hour crisis line is also available if a student has an issue that can be discussed telephonically.” A formal or informal procedure can be followed when reporting a case of sexual harassment. The latter is more a matter of approaching the perpetrator (either done by an appropriate person or the protection officer, with or without the complainant) and addressing the issue verbally. The formal procedure, on the other hand, does not allow for the complainant to remain anonymous and an investigation must be carried out. Depending on the outcome of the investigation and the extent of the harassment, a person found guilty may be suspended or expelled if they are a student, and fired if they are an employee of the university. Marinda Maree from the Institute for Women’s and Gender Studies says that people who are new to the university are more likely to be victims of sexual harassment because they may not yet be aware of the social norms on campus. A female student illustrates this: in her first year she was groped by a fellow student who simultaneously made crude sexual comments about her black leggings. “I was new on campus, still unsettled in the environment and I didn’t know anyone so when it happened, I felt humiliated but didn’t feel that I could do anything to counter that behaviour. If the same thing happened to me now [in her third year of study], I would probably handle it differently,” she said. To report sexual harassment, the university’s protection officer, Elize Gardiner, is available in the Admin Building, office 5-4. You can also contact her on 012 420 3073 or email her at elize.gardiner@up.ac.za.
Photo: Hendro van der Merwe
The digital revolution: are we living our lives online NOLWAZI MNGADI The internet, since it moved into the mainstream, has never ceased to amaze. From navel fluff collections to a website dedicated to half-naked, four-legged men, the internet has not only made life simpler for people with access to it, but it has also provided us with many different ways to escape from our real lives and “live online”, as it were. Perdeby investigates the ways in which the internet has looked at John Donne’s saying “no man is an island” and replies with a cocky “challenge accepted”. For those who seek romance in their lives but cannot manage to get past the stage of mumbling hello and walking shyly away from their crush, there is the virtual girlfriend. In February 2005, The New York Times ran an article about Vivienne, the virtual girlfriend created by Eberhard Schöneburg (the CEO of the software company Artificial Life Inc.). Schöneburg states that he hopes that “[people] think of her as a companion and will see her as a practice round before the real one.” The Vivienne programme is able to go to the movies and bars with her “boyfriend”. One can even buy presents for her paid for with real money (which goes to Artificial Life Inc.). If someone feels that the relationship with Vivienne has reached the next level, it is even possible to propose to her and marry her. Of course, this marriage comes at a price. A virtual mother-in-law with all the perks (or not) of a real one is included. Artificial Life Inc. is looking at extending the programme to also accommodate the needs of female heterosexuals, and both male and female
homosexuals. For women who are looking for a sensitive, good-looking man who is not tied down by vices such as alcoholism, drug use or reality, SergioBoyfriend.com provides just that. “From philosophical conversations to heartfelt chit-chats, from logic and inference to some serious love and intimacy, Sergio can do it.” This quote from the website sums up the Sergio experience, which is available to anyone for a sign-up fee of $24. The move which people make from the real to the virtual universe becomes easier with the integration of certain programmes into social
networks. An example of this is a feature in the computer game, The Sims 3, which allows users to post their Sims’s “memories” on Facebook. Many different websites now have “Like” or “Share” buttons which allow people to share their online experiences with friends and followers on social networks. The existence of virtual girlfriends, virtual boyfriends and even entire virtual worlds, such as Second Life, is a by-product of the internet age and is inescapable. Is the ubiquity of these services, however, a sign of a more serious problem in our society? Human interaction has
largely moved online, with social networks which grow larger by the minute (Twitter alone grew by an average of 10 million users per month last year). This contributes to the phenomenon of people creating online personas, many of which are fake and sometimes serve only to “troll” forums or bully other internet users. This cyber bullying can lead to trauma in young people especially, like the case of Megan Taylor Meier. Meier committed suicide in 2006 due to cyber bullying on MySpace. Services such as being able to buy clothes, DVDs, books and food online, make it easier for people to be connected with the rest of the world via only an internet connection. However, it is not only people’s personal lives that can be lived on the internet. In 2005, Columbia College and Stephens University in the USA introduced online classes for biology students. Students were able to perform lab work in the comfort of their own homes, using an online environment. Since the introduction of the programme in 2005, the universities have experienced a combined growth of 50% in the enrolment for these classes. Gary Massey, Dean for Adult Higher Education at Columbia College, said in an interview in 2009 that the online learning environment was “growing in leaps and bounds.” It seems that society is moving rapidly towards a lifestyle in which life online takes just as much precedence and priority as life beyond the computer screen. With technology constantly developing at an exponential rate, this evolution may be unavoidable. It is up to the individual to decide on the balance between real and virtual in his/her own life. Image:www.secondlife.com
Features
7
21 May ‘12
Incidence of foetal alcohol syndrome soars BERND FISCHER
“There is a lot he wants to do, but I must remind him he’s not like other kids,” says 45-year-old mother Marion Williams, a Stellenbosch resident whose child suffers from foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Williams is one of many mothers in the Western Cape with an FAS child. FAS is a condition in which a child’s mental and physical development is damaged due to high levels of alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy. Research done by numerous health organisations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that the Western Cape has the highest prevalence of FAS in the world. According to Denis Viljoen, a researcher and geneticist based in Cape Town, approximately seven to eight percent of babies born in the Western Cape have FAS. This is distressing when considering the fact that the prevalence of FAS in developed countries only ranges from 0,1 to 0,2%. Wellington, a small town in the Western Cape, has become notorious for its high rate of FAS. The Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR) reports an increase in the prevalence of FAS among Wellington pupils entering school, with an alarming 88 out of every 1 000 grade-one pupils having the syndrome. The town of De Aar in the Northern Cape faces the same problem. This social concern is not just one of other provinces, but also of our own. Studies done in Gauteng by FARR report an FAS rate of 1,2% in Lenasia, 2,2% in Soweto and 3,7% in Westbury. According to Viljoen, approximately one million people in South Africa have foetal alcohol syndrome and another five million suffer from similar alcohol exposure disorders. “It’s tragic because it’s completely preventable,” he says. The foetus is exposed to alcohol from the
mother when it crosses the placental barrier. The child is subjected to the alcoholic effects for an extensive amount of time as it cannot process the alcohol quickly enough. Alcohol intake poses a risk during any point of pregnancy but especially during the first three months, when the chance of miscarriage is highest. The consequences of alcohol exposure – which include physical, behavioural and cognitive problems – are debilitating. Children with FAS are born with a belowaverage height and weight. Since there is no cure, the child has permanent brain damage (often made visible through facial abnormalities) which can affect all aspects of his or her life. FAS sufferers tend to have learning disabilities, with an increased risk for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and a number of behavioural problems including poor anger management, poor judgement and a lack of social and communication skills. It is believed that locally, the syndrome has a historical origin in the wine-growing areas of the Western Cape, where farm workers
were paid with alcohol. This controversial method of payment was known as the “dop system” and no longer exists. Despite proof that FAS mostly affects those at a lower socio-economic level, Viljoen maintains that “[there] are an increasing number of children with [FAS] from middle and higher socio-economic groups” who visit his private practice, which offers support to children who have been subjected to alcohol exposure. It is generally accepted among the medical community that binge drinking while pregnant is harmful to an unborn child but questions regarding light drinking and its effects on the foetus remain mostly unanswered. A controversial study done by University College London found that light drinkers (those who consume one or two units of alcohol per week) were 30% less likely to have children with the social or emotional difficulties generally associated with FAS, compared to those who abstained from alcohol completely while pregnant. Critics have condemned the study, as it suggests that light drinking is beneficial to a growing
foetus. Many argue that the ever-changing advice on how much alcohol is allowed is conflicting. In an article published in The Telegraph, Abigail Flanagan of MumsNet. com (an online forum for mothers) says, “The constantly changing information does scare people and some find themselves halfway through their pregnancy when the rules change.” Flanagan recommends that women ignore the changing information and instead “use common sense” by avoiding drinking and seeking advice from medical professionals. Most health departments in countries around the world insist that alcohol should be completely avoided during pregnancy. According to the Nutrition Information Centre of the University of Stellenbosch, most South African women are aware that drinking alcohol during pregnancy is harmful but this knowledge has little effect on their alcohol consumption. “People know about [FAS] but they drink anyway,” says Anna Marie Kok, a mother from Sunrise Township. “They have so many other problems to deal with that they need to escape.” FASfacts, a South African NGO, believes that prevention and treatment programmes for alcoholic women could greatly reduce the incidence of FAS. Prenatal screening for maternal alcohol use and education through national awareness programmes are also crucial. The WHO has revealed that FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation in North America, Canada and South Africa. With the knowledge that this syndrome is entirely preventable, society should not passively accept these statistics but should instead turn their attention to resolving the issue at hand.
Image: Charné Fourie
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8
Features
21 Mei ‘12
Home and away: can South Africa survive emigration? LUSANDA FUTSHANE “I love this country and I wouldn’t dream of ever leaving it,” says Stefan van Zyl, a first-year BCom student. “There’s so much diversity and culture in South Africa that you can’t find anywhere else in the world. Why leave?” In 2009, a study by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) reported that nearly a quarter of the white population had left the country since 1995. In addition to that, the number of black, Indian and coloured South Africans emigrating from the country had doubled between 1995 and 2009. It is now 18 years since South Africa became a democracy, yet it seems that we are still losing citizens to other parts of the world. Is the South African population slowly becoming disenchanted with its own country? Perdeby investigates. Emigration has been a fiercely debated topic for many years. Since 2000, South Africa has been accused of having a steady “brain drain” – young, skilled citizens leave the country in great numbers every year in pursuit of better opportunities or a better quality of life in other countries. The debate is: are those who emigrate justified in doing so if they’re not satisfied with the situation in their country, or do they have a duty as South Africans to stay and help to fix whatever problems are causing them to consider leaving? The biggest motivation for emigration is crime. South Africa has one of the highest incidences of rape in the world and, just years ago, xenophobic attacks in our country caused international concern. Most recently, white farmers have been victims of the high number of race murders that have been taking place in the last few years. Andrew Loots, a second-year geology student, says that he plans to leave the country once he has finished his degree. “[Members of] my family
“This country raised us all, educated us and equipped us with talents that will feed us for the rest of our lives. Leaving is simply ungrateful.” have been victims of crime four times in the last three years. Half of my extended family is already in New Zealand and I plan to join them as soon as I finish studying.” Loots acknowledges that the government is doing a good job of rehabilitating the country, but not a fast enough one. “It’s just not safe yet and I cannot wait any longer.” Another factor that has convinced many young, qualified South Africans (especially white South Africans) to leave the country is affirmative action. Loots says that this too is reason enough for him leave the country. “Fighting for a job in this country is just too difficult,” he explains. “I want to live somewhere where my qualifications speak for themselves and nothing else matters.” It is true that finding employment in other countries is easier because affirmative action is not an issue, but it can also be difficult in other ways, considering that most first-world countries are still sceptical of South African
qualifications because of our comparatively lower standard of education. With the exception of doctors, engineers and scientists, many experience finding employment overseas as challenging. Countries that most people prefer emigrating to, like Canada, the US and Australia, have stringent migrant labour policies and only outsource employees when the skill level of the migrant employee is higher than what is already available in that country. In order to secure a steady, wellpaying job overseas, one needs to accumulate an unusually high level of qualifications and experience in their home country first. This process can take years and at the end of it all it is usually simpler to stay than to emigrate. Curiously, the South African government does not keep a regular record of the amount South African citizens leaving the country. Independent research groups conduct most studies and reports on emigration. “I don’t dispute that people have left – I just
dispute the high figures. Nothing indicates that they’ve all emigrated permanently,” Martine Shaffer, Director of the Homecoming Revolution (an organisation aimed at helping returnees assimilate back into the country), says in response to the statistics published by the SAIRR. Perhaps the government is still holding on to the hope that the emigrants will one day return to South Africa. Companies in crisis like Eskom have often tried to entice engineers who have emigrated to return to South Africa. According to James-Brent Styan in an article entitled “Hundreds of engineers quit SA”, in 2008, Eskom had a vacant post for an engineer that paid above R100 000 a month, which is more than twice the amount that emigrant engineers earn overseas. Despite the many reasons that South Africans have given for emigrating, there’s still a reassuring number of citizens willing to stay. George Skhosana, a final-year marketing student, says that whatever issues this country has are our responsibility to fix. “We’ve come such a long way, but there’s still more that we can do. I’m not going to abandon my country when it needs me the most just to live like a foreigner somewhere else.” He adds that South Africans who emigrate have “given up” on their motherland and are only making matters worse by taking their skills and education to countries that have given them nothing. “This country raised us all, educated us and equipped us with talents that will feed us for the rest of our lives. Leaving is simply ungrateful,” he says When South Africa was liberated all those years ago, we were promised freedom, diversity and a reconciled nation that we could all be proud of. Today, one needs only to open up a newspaper to know the problems that our country is facing. Political tension, poverty, employment inequity and crime – are these reasons to leave or reasons to stay? Photo: Eleanor Harding
21 May ‘12 Entertainment 9 The Graeme Watkins Project on the USA, Idols and a new album learned with Jeff and how he did it. Obviously, we still have our own style and our own way of doing things but we learnt so much invaluable information, just on how to get a specific vocal sound, how to get a specific guitar tone, how to play midi drums. Do you have a release date for the new album? Graeme: No, I don’t think we’re going to rush it. We’re only four singles into the first album and our market, as small as it is, there’s still quite a bit of life in the first album, we think. But don’t worry, there are some really exciting things on the cards. How do you think having Ryno as an engineer adds to your music? Graeme: I think it benefits us both in studio and live. Rudo: Well, you say “benefit”... [Laughs] Graeme: No, he’s always the ears of the band. I mean, if there’s ever a situation where we aren’t sounding quite lekker, then Ryno just comes with wisdom and advice. That’s the only reason we keep him because, I mean, he is a ginger. [Laughs] No, but being the producer of the album, he knows exactly how he wants things to sound and everybody is like that. If you watch Rudo soundcheck bass guitar, he can start soundchecking at seven in the morning and still not be happy by seven that evening. Each person is very particular about what they sound like. I think that comes across on the live scene, for sure, and even on the recording but particularly on the live scene. Rudo: When we’re writing as well, everyone prides themselves on what they’re doing. It’s either a hundred per cent or nothing at all.
MELINA MELETAKOS Fresh from a trip to the USA, Perdeby caught up with the rather jetlagged members of The Graeme Watkins Project to chat about working with renowned producer Jeff Blue, recording their second album and the elements that make up their power-house live performance. While in the US, The Graeme Watkins Project was scouted by producer Jeff Blue. What do you think the opportunity to work with someone like Blue means for the band? Graeme: I think, first and foremost, the trip to the United States was like a master class in itself. Learning not only about the music that you write but how to conduct your business, how to become more than just a band. You become an identity, you become a brand, and it’s not thinking local, it’s thinking global. Don’t write for local, write for the rest of the world and then obviously you have to crack it in your own country before you can crack it anywhere else. We also got a massive reality check in terms of thinking that you’re not going to go over there and just get picked up and be an overnight success – it doesn’t work like that. It takes ten years to craft anything, regardless of whichever territory you’re in. Working with Jeff was just kind of like a compressed version of that. Time is money, so we walked into a studio, we had two days to write, produce, track and record an entire song and he says that’s the maximum [number of] days they’ll work on a song unless it’s a really big artist – [then] they might take an extra day or two. That’s the reality of the situation nowadays: a 14-track album takes two weeks to make. Ryno: It’s just cool to see on what level they think. We think you make a cool song, you’ll get a spin on 5FM. They think you make a cool song and you make millions of dollars all across the world. That’s what they’re thinking. Rudo: That’s true. There was someone last year who asked, “So, how are you doing?” and we’re like, “No, we’ve got a few singles on national radio.” They were like, “Oh my goodness, you guys are rich,” and we were like, “No.” [Laughs] Graeme: See, they don’t understand the size of our territory. Rudo: They literally write for the world. Graeme: I mean, it’s just totally different. There you get a top 10 hit and you are set for life. Like financially, you are set for life. That’s kind of what you are dealing with over there. But it was an amazing opportunity. You guys are in the process of recording your sophomore album. How is that coming along? Matt: It’s coming on well. I think we’re about six tracks in now. They are definitely going to be on the album. It’s more a refined sound. I think we were finding our feet with our first album and we really discovered the sound that works for us and what The Graeme Watkins Project is all about. And it’s very much based around our live show as well, about the energy that we can get to the crowd. So it’s quite exciting already — even six tracks in. Graeme: I think [those] six tracks that we’ve done now we’re going to revisit regardless, taking on what we’ve
“We’re writing hits but we’re not writing number ones yet. That’s what we’re going to do.” After the immense success of your debut album, do you feel any pressure to be just as successful with your second one? Graeme: Massive pressure. I do. I don’t know about you guys. Ryno: I feel less pressure, strangely enough, since we’ve come back from the States. I felt confident coming back from the States [because] all the feedback we received was good. It was just a reaffirmation that we have something special going on. We must get back to why we made music to begin with – because we love it. There was so much thrown at us, like comments and critics and fingers pointing at us about our songs and our song structure. But that is who we are. That is our sound and that is how we write music. You guys seem to produce radio hit after radio hit. What do you think the magic ingredient is that has made The Graeme Watkins Project so successful? Matt: Um, drums. [Laughs] Rudo: I think it’s really a nice vibe. Since day one, since the day we met, there’s been a lot of chemistry between us as friends and if it’s there offstage, you know for a fact it’s there in studio. It’s always present. I think that’s most probably the main ingredient. Graeme: I think the music, in terms of the radio, in terms of the average listener, it’s easy sing-along stuff. You hear it once or twice and you’ve got the gist of it. The songs, as complex as they are musically, are very simple to listen to and I think that’s the secret. We can still have fun and be as creative and crazy as we like but still keeping it commercially viable for the Joe Public. You know, I was writing with a guy from Norway when we were over there and he said to me that you’ve got to think of your public as toddlers. They want to know that Joe goes to the bar, puts his hand in his pocket, he takes out change, he gives it to the barman, he gets a drink, he drinks his drink. They want it as linear as possible – point A to point B. There’s no C, D, E, F, G involved, because then it becomes jazz. Rudo: Too metaphoric. Graeme: It sounds weird, but I totally get that. If you listen to a Katy Perry song, the second time you’ve listened to it, you know all the lyrics. It’s almost like you knew the song
before you even heard the song. That’s the secret to pop and the secret to a radio hit. You almost feel like you wrote the song yourself. I think that’s the secret, and we have to learn that. We’re writing hits but we’re not writing number ones yet. That’s what we’re going to do. Write number one after number one after number one. Ryno: That was amazing. Well done. [Laughs] You were so into it. Graeme, being on Idols, what lessons do you think you learned that you are applying to the music you are making now? Graeme: Never enter a reality TV show again. That’s on my top 10 list of things never to do again. It was terrifying. I think what Idols taught me, most importantly, was how to communicate to an audience, no matter what the medium is. Be it with social networking, be it on camera, be it on a microphone, or be it face to face. And how to play to a large audience – I think we played to like 3 000 plus people every week. Not many rock stars in this country get to do that, let alone the rest of the world. It also made me realise how difficult this music industry is and what you need to succeed and the passion, the drive, and the balls you have to have. You guys are renowned for delivering power-house performances. What elements do you think go into making a good show? Matt: Lucozade. Ryno: I think all our backgrounds are performanceorientated. We’ve been doing the performing side of things for a long time now, so it almost becomes second nature and we do it because we love it. It doesn’t matter if we’re playing to 500 people or 5 000 people, we give the same show every time and I’m not joking. I get off the stage and there was nobody in the audience and I’m still sweating just as much and I think that’s the key. Rudo: And it’s fun. It’s always fun. Graeme: And music is just as much of a visual thing. If you are watching a movie and there’s a scene where someone is dying it’s not just the dying that makes you cry, it’s the music they play. That’s why I don’t watch sad movies, because of the music they play. Matt: I think it’s also the tempo at which the songs are at. If we were playing ballads – you can’t rock out to ballads. Graeme: You would do ballet. [Laughs] He is right, though. Matt: The songs create the energy for us to let go and then we can. Graeme: If you have fun and you throw your inhibitions away, everybody else is going to. They can see you are doing it and they’re like, “Yes, okay. Gooi `n dop and see what happens.” And I mean, the more you drink, the better we sound. Rudo: You can spot people who are checking us out for the first time and those who have come back. The first timers are quiet, they’re just, like, looking but eventually it becomes a party. Can fans expect any new music videos in the near future? Rudo: There’s a single out now that we plan to do a music video for. Matt: There will also be an EPK (electronic press kit) launching in the next two weeks or so, so check that out.
Photos: Eleanor Harding
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21 Mei ‘12
Entertainment
Norah Jones reveals Dark Shadows: all fang her darker side and no bite
MELINA MELETAKOS The world went gaga over Norah Jones when she released her debut album, Come Away With Me, a decade ago. Her simple jazz-folk sound was a breath of fresh air amid the raunchy, commercial offerings of midriffbaring pop stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Since her epic debut, the songstress has struggled to deliver the wow factor that initially enamoured audiences, earning her the nickname “Snorah Jones” along the way. The release of her fifth studio album, however, sees Jones returning to her former glory. On Little Broken Hearts, Jones joins forces with popular producer Danger Mouse – a collaboration which sees her adding a pinch of indie to her signature jazzy feel. On top of it, a rather different side of the
wholesome singer is revealed. Little Broken Hearts exposes a brooding, revengeful, and emotionally loaded bouquet of songs penned after the recent crumbling of Jones’s relationship. “Miriam”, a song addressed to her exboyfriend’s mistress, is the epitome of this new trend in Jones’s sound. A chilling vocal performance merges with sinister lyrics like “Miriam/ That’s such a pretty name/ I’m gonna say it when/ I make you cry”, creating the emotional masterpiece of the album. Laced with melancholic piano lines, “She’s 22” is another song intended for Jones’s exboyfriend and his new, younger lover. She repeatedly asks, “Does she make you happy?” and unexpectedly ends her musing on the broken relationship with the pained but stoic lyric, “I’d like to see you happy.” “All a Dream” oozes attitude with its reggae vibe and wispy, soulful vocals. It is devious yet elegant, eerie yet engaging – contradictions which make it all the more arresting. Little Broken Hearts also sees Jones experimenting with a slightly more accelerated pace. Her dreamy crooning to a bouncy, synth-created riff in “Happy Pills” playfully tickles the fancy of pop-lovers but is hopefully as close as the singer will stray from her niche. With a sound that is smooth and mellow, it’s easy to feel that Jones’s style has remained stagnant and uninspired. The beauty of Broken Little Hearts, however, lies in its simplicity and should be appreciated for just that. Listen to “Miriam” @ pPerdeby7412c or on the web. RATING: 7/10
Image: www.media.prefixmag.com
NADINE LAGGAR If you are part of Tim Burton’s cult following, then there are certain expectations that you’re going to have when watching Dark Shadows. And it delivers on most fronts. The film is quirky, there’s an entire cast of offbeat characters, the set designs are a visual banquet and the 70s context ties it all together with a hedonic classic rock soundtrack, interspersed hippies and shag wagons for those with original Woodstock nostalgia. The narrative, however, couldn’t be more fragmented – even if Burton himself had given the script to Edward Scissorhands for a quick read-through. But that’s what happens when you try and compress 1 225 episodes into a 113 minute film. That’s because Dark Shadows is actually Burton’s tribute to the Dark Shadows television series that aired on ABC in the USA from 1966 to 1971, which was a revolutionary concept at the time that first introduced fantasy characters, such as werewolves, vampires and witches, to daytime programming. The story follows the life, or lack thereof, of Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), a family-bound heir who rejects the love of his servant, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green), who turns out to be a witch. And witches, as folklore goes, don’t take too well to rejection. So Angelique goes on a rampage, killing Barnabas’ parents, lover and finally turning Barnabas into a vampire and burying him in an iron coffin for roughly 200 years. There’s nothing quite like a woman scorned, especially when she possesses magical powers. Now Barnabas is back and returns to his family’s mansion (Collinwood) to find
it derelict and inhabited by the dysfunctional descendants of the Collins’ bloodline. Depp, as always, delivers a superb performance as an eighteenth century man trying to get to grips with the 70s, and carries most of the comedic weight of the film, while the sensuous Green ensures that, whatever your sexual preference might be, it’s aimed squarely in her direction. It’s also a pleasure to see Michelle Pfeiffer, as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, in a dark and assertive role reminiscent of her performance in Stardust. But mention has to be made of Helena Bonham Carter, who plays the in-house psychologist, Dr Julia Hoffman. With oddlyshaped breasts, a slightly pudgy silhouette, flaming ginger hair and an always-present glass of whiskey in hand, she manages to be just the right combination of retro-drunk and doctor, leaving you wishing the psychotic alcoholic featured more in her subplot with Barnabas. This is the problem with Dark Shadows. There’s either too little or too much. And just as you’re getting comfortable side characters start popping in and out of the story. Barnabas’ love interest, Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote), for example, randomly reveals her entire backstory at the end of the film which completely disorientates you because she has barely been present in the last 40 minutes. Dark Shadows sacrifices a cohesive narrative for Burton’s aesthetic. However oddly satisfying his vision might be, Dark Shadows is probably best left as a rental than a night out. RATING: 6/10 Image:wwwDOTspinoff.comicbookresources.com
Sport
11
21 May ‘12
European football round-up AB BASSON
The 2011/2012 European football season has been one of the most entertaining in recent years. The English Premier League, considered by many as the best league in the world, witnessed arguably the most dramatic season in its 20-year history. Fans were entertained until the final day, where Manchester City snatched the title with 90 seconds of the season remaining to end a 44-year wait to win a league title. Going into the final game of the season level on point with Manchester United, City needed a victory over Queens Park Rangers to lift the trophy. In what was a surprisignly close game, City won 3-2 after goals from Edin Džeko and Sergio Agüero in stoppage time. Chelsea won the FA cup for the fourth time in six years and Liverpool ended their trophy draught with a penalty shootout win over Cardiff City in the Carling Cup. In Spain, Real Madrid ended Barcelona’s three year dominance, winning La Liga for the first time since 2008. Manager Jose Mourinho’s team won the league convincingly, finishing nine points ahead of Barcelona with 32 wins in 38 matches to claim their 32nd La Liga title. Powered by an amazing 46 league goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid ended the season on 100 points, becoming the first team ever to notch up a century of points in La Liga. The Italian Serie A supporters also witnessed an incredible season that saw Juventus claim the Scudetto (league title) for the first time since 2003. Having been stripped of two titles and relegated to Serie B in the last decade following the Calciopoli Scandal, Juventus ended the season unbeaten, winning 23 games and drawing 15 to claim their 28th Serie A title. Juventus can still win a famous double if they beat Napoli in the Coppa Italia final.
In the German Bundesliga, Borrusia Dortmund won their second consecutive title, finishing on top of the log, nine points ahead of rivals Bayern Munich. Jurgen Klopp’s men also embarrassed the UEFA Champions League finalists with a 5-2 drubbing in the German cup final to secure a double. Porto yet again triumphed in Portugal, winning the league comfortably with several games remaining. Porto, who have been the dominant force in Portugal for the last decade, beat rivals
Benfica to the title. At the time of going to print the French Ligue 1 had not yet been decided, but Montpellier looked to be favourites with a lead of three points over PSG going into the last game. It will be Montpellier’s first league title if they succeed in winning or drawing against Auxerre. The Netherlands witnessed one of the most tightly contested title races in recent years, with six teams in with a chance of winning the Eredivisie going into the last 10 matches. Frank
de Boers’s Ajax Amsterdam team prevailed in the end after winning 14 consecutive games towards the end of the season to claim their 31st title. In other leagues across Europe, Zenit St Petersburg won in Russia, Anderlecht in Belgium, Galatasaray in Turkey and Celtic in Scotland. See a video of this season’s footbal hihglights @ pPerdeby7412f or on the web. Photo: realmadridfootballblog.com
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Bridgitte Hartley qualifies for Olympics
TuksHockey dominate Winter League
NATALIE THOMPSON
STAFF REPORTER South Africa’s “Golden Girl” of sprint canoeing, Bridgitte Hartley, has qualified for the London 2012 Olympics in the K1 (one-person per boat) women’s 500m event. She had to place in the top eight in the world in 2011 to qualify for the Olympics. Hartley placed 10th but was lucky enough to qualify when two competitors who placed ahead of her qualified for the team events and dropped out. Flat-water kayaking places its participants in eight or nine lanes, where they race in heats, semi-finals and then finals. The qualification from semi-finals to finals is made according to a place and not times. Hartley also participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics where she had to race in a K2 (a two-person boat). She managed to reach the semi-finals having only practiced with her partner for three months prior to the event. Hartley tells Perdeby she thinks it was a good achievement to make it as far as the semi-finals after such a short time in a team boat. According to Hartley, the reward of standing on a podium for South Africa is a wonderful feeling
and is something she is aiming to achieve. Hartley’s rise to the top of the sport is surprising considering she was not too keen on sprint canoeing when she first started out. “I was introduced to river paddling by my dad late in high school. I started training more for rivers in university when I was studying at Tuks. I thought sprinting would be boring and I rather wanted to race rivers in South Africa. But I did some sprint training and then saw it was making me faster so I continued and represented South Africa for the first time in 2006 in Hungary at the World Championships,” she told Perdeby. Hartley will will race in two world cups before returning to South Africa as part of preparation for the Games. The first was last week in Poland (18-20 May) and this week she will participate in Germany (25-27 May). Hartley will be back on home ground for two weeks and will then depart for training camps in Austria and Hungary until the start of the Olympics. See more photos of Bridgitte in action @ pPerdeby7412d. Photo provided
TuksHockey has continued its good run in the preliminary round of the Northerns Hockey Winter League. Tuks 1 men played their second match of the tournament on 11 May while Tuks 1 ladies played their second game on 13 May. Both teams won their respective matches, continuing their promising campaigns for 2012. TuksHockey have multiple teams in the Premier Division of the Winter League and consequently, Tuks 1 men’s second game was an internal league match against Tuks 3 on the new, blue AstroTurf at UP Sports campus. The match was a walkover for Tuks 1. The final score was 9-0. The Tuks 1 ball control and field possession was strong from the start and with six goals scored in the second half, Tuks 1 displayed clinical finishing. The Tuks 1 ladies played their second league match against TUT at TUT’s Pretoria campus. Constant movement of the ball between the two teams resulted in a fast-paced match for the ladies. The teams seemed equally matched, with TUT continually testing the Tuks defence. However, the TUT team were kept from scoring. Towards the end of the first half of the match, play settled in TUT’s quarter and goal circle. TUT slowed the pace of the game by lingering at breakdowns and passing the ball back, drawing the Tuks offence out of their half. The Tuks ladies had multiple opportunities to score however, they could not capitalise. Nevertheless, Tuks remained in TUT’s goal quarter in the second half, pestering the TUT defence. In the 54th minute Tuks scored a brilliant goal, with a combined effort from Tarryn Moses and Jacinta Jubb. Ten minutes later TUT seemed certain to score, with the Tuks defence and goalkeeper drawn out of goal leaving an open
invitation for TUT. However, Tuks goalkeeper Phume Mbande made a great save resulting in Tuks winning a turn-over ball. The last 15 minutes of the match saw multiple attempts at goal from Tuks and it became evident that the Tuks skill had overpowered TUT. The final score was 1-0 to Tuks 1 ladies. The preliminary round of the Winter League continues into June, with the knockout round of the tournament starting in July. See the latest Northerns Winter League logs @ pPerdeby7412e or on the web. Photo: Brad Donald
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