26 March 2018 Issue 6 Year 80

Perdeby Official independent student newspaper of the University of Pretoria 26 March 2018

80

year 80 issue 6

UP wins Varsity Athletics 2018 AMF activist Luvuyo Menziwa found guilty

Pg. 4

Prescription drug abuse: Pill-poppers on a slipery slope

Pg. 6

UP’s Poets: ‘Poetry is central to our culture’

Pg. 8

Pg. 3

Running with renowned Ilze Wicksell

Pg. 11

TuksAthletics wins Varsity Athletics 2018. Photos: Nkululeko Ngcobo

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Editorial | 26 March 2018

Who’s the fake news

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Screenshot from Twitter

n Perdeby’s 12 March edition we published an article titled “SRC calls for first quarter student forum meeting” on the student forum meeting set to take place on the evening of 27 March. We approached the SRC for their plan of action so we could include some of this information in the article, as well as verify some facts we had already included. We received no response. The lack of response was indicated in the article as per section 1.8 of the South African Press Code.

But then Perdeby was mentioned in a tweet by SRC Secretary Soraia Machado claiming that we had published false information. This tweet was then responded to by the official twitter account of the SRC in which the SRC accused Perdeby of being “fake news”.

I find it highly problematic that a structure that is supposed to be an example of leadership on campus resorts to petty name calling on social media when it is clear their house is not in order when it comes to communication. It is even more worrying that they would use the term “fake news” when they don’t like what they read in the media.

So this week I’ll use my editorial to give you the facts. On 21 February, SRC President Kwena Moloto, Perdeby news editor Ditebogo Tshaka and I had a meeting to discuss an already unfolding communication failure from the SRC’s side. Moloto agreed that there is a Screenshot from the SRC/Perdeby Coms Group communication failure

and cited the large volume of information they are faced with on a daily basis. Moloto suggested that we set up a WhatsApp group to better facilitate communication between Perdeby and the SRC. This WhatsApp group includes myself, news editor Ditebogo Tshaka, SRC President Kwena Moloto, SRC Secretary Soraia Machado, SRC Deputy-secretary Kutlwano Mositi, and SRC member in charge of Marketing, Media and Communications Kyle Goosen. After the SRC posted on Facebook on 5 March that they would be holding a student forum, Tshaka contacted Mositi since he posted the message on behalf of the SRC. After not receiving a response, Tshaka sent a message on the SRC/Perdeby Coms Group that asked “Please send the SRC’s Plan of Action for the student. [sic]” on 8 March. Mositi responded and said “@Kwena please send it”. On 9 March, Tshaka sent an email to Moloto and posted on the WhatsApp group “@Kwena you’ve got mail” to notify the SRC that we had sent them an email. Tshaka contacted Moloto to inform him that we had until 17:00 to add comment before we went to print. We did not receive the plan of action in time to go to print, nor have we received it since then. The paper went to print on the evening of Friday 9 March.

To call us “fake news” and to say they had not received notification about this is completely untrue and damaging. Clearly it can not be claimed that Machado or Goosen have not heard about our enquiry. Furthermore, Perdeby subscribes to the South African Press Code and we are held to every rule of this code. We do this so that our news is as accurate as possible, that we hold credibility by acting ethically and lawfully, and report factually.

We are accountable to the South African Press Council and the

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Editorial Editor-in-chief Carel Willemse Editor Shaun Sproule News Ditebogo Tshaka Features Sam Mukwamu Entertainment Claudine Noppe Sport Ntombi Mkandhla

Press Ombudsman.

I expect an apology from the SRC regarding this matter.

Perdeby has an 80 year history of bringing students news and we train our staff to very high standards to ensure we have quality content at the end of the day. I take claims about “fake news” very seriously. This can damage reputable news sources, and I will not have that done to Perdeby to protect a poor communication strategy from the SRC. I would also like to remind the SRC of their statement in their 1st Quarter report for Marketing, Media and Communications; “Aspects of student life, official business and all aspects of the SRC’s on goings; remain transparent and readily accountable to the student body, across all media platforms [sic]”. So be accountable, be transparent, and don’t make false claims against another student organisation if you cannot support them.

In other news, Perdeby has just come back from our annual training camp. I love this year’s editorial and I can see so much potential and passion in them. The weekend was a great success with our new development section formalising the training that we give to our staff to make sure that they are equipped with the best tools to do their jobs at the paper.

Perdeby staff 2018

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26 March 2018 | News

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UP wins 2018 Varsity Athletics

Caitlyn Walsh, Ashley Magwindiri and Mariesa Potgieter

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n 23 March, UP hosted Varsity Athletics at the Bestmed TuksAthletics Stadium. The event began with Wimpy’s 400m men and women’s hurdles race which took place right after the opening ceremony. The race was a good start to the evening with UP runners, Gezelle Magerman and Constant Pretorius, both placing first in the 400m hurdle race. Magerman came first in her race with a stellar time of 1:00:94. Pretorius won his race with a time of 0:50:11.

Speaking to Perdeby, Pretorius said “It was a good race, I enjoyed myself a lot. The time wasn’t as fast as I wanted, but it was cold and it was a wet track so I’m very happy with what I did.” Pretorius also competed in Wimpy’s 4x100m men’s relay and commented that “It is always tough to do a relay after doing 400m hurdles, but it is a fun event to do and I had a lot of fun doing it.” Pretorius will also be representing team South Africa at the 2018 Commonwealth Games which will be held in

Australia between 4 and 15 April 2018.

Chederick van Wyk from the North-West University (Pukke) came first in the Samsung 100m men’s relay race with a time of 0:10:31.

Two UP runners were not far behind though with Thembo Monareng placing second in the race in a time of 0:10:32, a split second behind Van Wyk, and Keenan Michau coming third with a time of 0:10:51. On being a part of TuksAthletics, Monareng told Perdeby that he is grateful for being a part of what he described as a family. When asked what he wanted his next achievements to be, Monareng replied, “I want to try dropping my time and making personal bests. I’m just taking it step by step.” Thembo Monareng also competed in the Wimpy’s 4x100m men’s relay race with TuksAthletics placing second in a time of 0:40:52 minutes.

Taylon Bieldt, another UP athlete, placed first in the 100m women’s hurdles sponsored by Samsung. Bieldt placed first in the race with a stunning time of 0:13:71. Regarding her career, Bieldt described her biggest obstacle as herself.

“After a few experienced seasons behind me,

Taylon Bieldt. Photo: Nkululeko Ngcobo

Photo: Henri Uys

TuksFM donates profits to the SRC Henri Uys

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n 23 March, TuksFM donated its profits from 2016 to the Student Representative Council (SRC).

A total of R123 416 was handed over to the SRC. Perdeby spoke to TuksFM’s station manager, Leanne Kunz, about the handover.

Kunz said, “As a community radio station TuksFM’s purpose is not to make a profit but to enrich our community, a large part of which is the student fraternity of the University of Pretoria.

As such, any revenue we make over and above our operating costs is ploughed straight back into the university to be used to enrich the lives of its students.”

Kunz explained that the profits that were donated came from advertising, events held for other clients and from

activations both on and off campus.

TuksFM is also involved in other charity projects. Kunz said, “Tuks FM is community-driven so we aim to organise at least one charity drive (over and above the profit handover) every year to benefit our community.

Our Woolly Winter campaign is one such initiative, although we are looking to reinvent it a little bit this year with a new drive to assist learners in the greater Tshwane area as opposed to collecting blankets for the needy. We will also look to conduct a Spring Cleaning initiative in September, which will aim to clean up the city’s streets.”

Kunz said that TuksFM will hand the profits that it has made in 2017 to UP later this year. Kunz said, “As Tuks FM’s license holder, the university is the beneficiary of all our profits, which are then used to benefit UP students.”

my biggest obstacle was giving control over to God. It is definitely a mental thing and the more I practice giving up control, the easier I will overcome it.” Bieldt added that music helps her ease the stress and pressure from training. “I do that to calm myself down. Other than that, I am quite familiar with the field I run against […]. The girls are talented; they push me and benefit me more. It’s awesome getting to run and train together.” Bieldt also raced in Wimpy’s 4x100m women’s relay with UP coming first in the relay in a swift time of 0:46:17 minutes.

Before the prize giving ceremony, The UP male and female residences also got a chance to partake in the Varsity Athletics towards the end of the event. The residences got to compete in the Samsung’s Hostel Relay for both men and women. Vividus Ladies won the women’s relay with a time of 00.51.96 while Mopanie won the men’s relay with a time of 0:46:31.

UP won the ‘A’ division of the Varsity Athletics with a score of 31152 beating NWUPukke, who came second, by 29 points. UCT won the B division with 16640 points.

Jonathan Bredenkamp. Photo: Nkululeko Ngcobo

Keenan Michau. Photo: Nkululeko Ngcobo

Walter Ungerer. Photo: Nkululeko Ngcobo

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News | 26 March 2018

AMF activist Luvuyo Menziwa found guilty Ditebogo Tshaka and Ntombi Mkandhla

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otable Afrikaans Must Fall activist and former UP SRC member, Luvuyo Menziwa, was found guilty of hate speech and incitement of violence on 9 March by the Equality Court Pretoria for his 2016 Facebook post.

In it, he said, “F**k white people, just get me a bazooka or AK47 so I can do the right thing and kill these demon possed people [sic]”.

On 8 September 2016, Afriforum Youth Tukkies Branch submitted a memorandum of demands to UP regarding Menziwa’s Facebook post. Therein they demanded that Menziwa be expelled from UP with immediate effect, and that UP enforce it’s policies on hate speech among other things. Afriforum Youth also opened a case of intimidation against Menziwa at the Brooklyn SAPS. The case was then referred to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks).

Menziwa was ordered to apologise within five days of this ruling, which he did in a Facebook post. He was also ordered to perform 30 hours of community service in poor white communities by 31 December 2018.

While Menziwa said he welcomes the court’s decision and will comply with its orders, he raised concerns over what he feels are double standards regarding the South African justice system and constitution. “White people will never be held accountable for their crimes against humanity,” he told Perdeby, adding that, “De Klerk is so free and unchallenged

even when he presided over a government that masacred black people”.

“A black child will be deemed an animal [...] for expressing their anger and disatisfaction about the whites and the continued systematic oppression that we face daily” he said.

When asked about the motive behind the expression of his hatred for white people in 2016, Menziwa attributed it to his environment and his background. “The only time I had to deal with white people before I got to UP was when I was working,” he said.

He explained his discomfort at UP and having to “deal with issues of Afrikaans”. “[You] could say there was some kind of a build-up. Almost every day you hear cases of racism, black people feeling oppressed and stuff and now the use of language and how it kind of disadvantages black people in itself,” he said.

“Particularly now when I focus on that day, that day of the [Pretoria] Girls High hair policy protest. So such things get to you. They hit home,” he recalled. Menziwa said that his words were “just out of anger”. “The issue of the killing – that came out wrong,” he said.

Afriforum Youth announced on its website that it “welcome[d] the ruling as those, regardless of their colour, who make themselves guilty of hate speech and incitement to violence should be punished by the courts. We however note that Menziwa’s punishment is not nearly as severe as that of Penny Sparrow, even though Menziwa’s statement contained an element of violence.”

Henrico Barnard, the 2016 Afriforum Youth

Campus Mobility. Photo: Nirvana Govender

Tukkies Branch chairperson said, “It is good to see that individuals active in the political sphere [are] not raised above the law. It would however appear from the outcome of this case that people from different races are subjected to different levels of penalty when race related transgressions occur. Individuals active in the political sphere should take responsibility for their actions as there are people who confuse politics with leadership and thus follow statements that are made, especially on public platforms like Facebook.”

Menziwa was subsequently suspended from the SRC and expelled from UP following the Facebook post.

Menziwa said he believed that although he found his punishment to be fair, more could have been done by the university. “That’s where my problem lies. You do not just have to forget about whatever happens. You can’t just take someone to jail for saying hate speech or have a fine, get that person expelled and think you have dealt with the underlying issue,” he said.

When asked what a possible solution to this could be, Menziwa said on a personal level he would prefer to be part of whatever solution that the university is trying to come up with.

“Looking at the broader student population, you can see that outcry even within themselves.

Therefore at least there should have been more platforms [to] deliberate on this and find a working solution for everyone,” he said.

On 15 February, Prof. Themba Mosia, the Vice-Principal for Student Affairs and Residence Affairs and Accommodation, said that once a student has been through the normal disciplinary procedures and has been found guilty, they will serve the sentence meted out to them if they were suspended. “Once students have served the sentence and qualify to return to the university to complete their studies based on the applicable academic requirements, they are admitted into their study programme,” Prof. Mosia said.

Luvuyo Menziwa. Photo: Shaun Sproule

On 15 February, UP spokesperson, Rikus Delport explained that where a student is found guilty of misconduct, possible penalties include suspension or expulsion. “If, however, a student is expelled from the University for a period, that student will have to apply for re-admission and will only be permitted to resume their studies at the University of Pretoria after the period of expulsion has expired and if such application for re-admission is successful,” said Delport.

He also told Perdeby that students are generally permitted to continue with their studies while a disciplinary enquiry or process is underway as persons are innocent until proven guilty.

Wispeco Aluminum. Photo: Nirvana Govender

Vertically Integrated Project comes to UP Refilwe Mofokeng

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ertically Integrated Project (VIP) is a new initiative that focuses on innovation, research and development. The initiative is divided into two micro projects, Campus Mobility and Wispeco Aluminium which are being piloted in EBIT in 2018.

Senior lecturer and coordinator for Vertically Integrated Projects, Dr Nadia Viljoen informed Perdeby that UP is collaborating with Georgia Tech to be the first university in Africa to implement the programme.

Viljoen said, “The VIP programme was birthed from an educational need.

The learning that takes place on such multidisciplinary, vertically integrated teams is very intense, yet totally different from the type of learning experienced in a lecture or a practical. It is learn-by-doing in the most basic sense of the phrase. Within EBIT an

added benefit is that students can use the hours spent in the VIP teams as practical training hours as required by some degrees.

The VIP programme not only enhances the learning experience, but it better prepares graduates for the working world. To top it all off, students can earn some very valuable experience to add to their CVs. “ According to Viljoen, so far students have not encountered any challenges as the project is still new. Instead there has been many more students who have applied than what they could accommodate in the first two pilot teams. She said that this is obviously a good problem to have so they are working on recruiting more staff champions to kick-start more teams next semester.

Second year Industrial Engineering student, Nkosinathi Mahlangu explained that the two teams are multidisciplinary and consist of both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Mahlangu continued to say that, “Campus

Mobility’s main goal is to try and improve the transport infrastructure for students and staff members of the university. The role of the students is in the Research & Development (R&D) context. They are expected to gain a better understanding of specific topics in their respective disciplines, as well as come up with new ideas, systems or processes that will assist in moving the project forward.”

Nkosinathi added that not only would they gain valuable skills from their supervisors, Prof. Johan Joubert (Campus Mobility), Roland Rohrs (Wispeco Aluminium) and the project co-ordinator Dr. Nadia Viljoen, but they would get to use the acquired skills to contribute to the university’s research and development community. They will also learn to work with other disciplines, gain experience, get exposure and assist the faulty and graduate students with R&D issued in their areas of expertise.

Mahlangu explained that he joined Campus

Mobility because public transport is his main source of transport and like most people he cringes at the thought of transport efficiency.

So seeing that he is an Industrial Engineering student, he always sees the opportunity to improve systems and he believes that the programme will provide him with a great platform to do so.

Kumesh Dayal, who is also a second year engineering student and a member of the Wispeco Aluminium team, elaborated, “The programme assists students with gaining experience, exposure to real-life industries and how they work, as well as credit for practical hours through participation.

Students get the opportunity to gain understanding about R&D processes, learn about topics relating to the field as well as work with others in the respective fields of study. The projects assist with developing ideas and attempting to create systems and processes as well as to be an active member of the university and research community.”

26 March 2018 | News

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The Fulbright Foreign Student Program Alison Massey

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Photo: Elmarie Kruger

The transformation of Pretoria’s heritage landscape Mbali Mkhithi

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he Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, gave feedback on the ministerial task team’s investigation into the transformation of the country’s heritage landscape. According to this feedback, Pretoria is to keep its name and the statue of Paul Kruger on Church Square.

The response is a result of the national consultative meeting that was convened by the minister in 2015 following the #RhodesMustFall protests ignited by UCT students, where students destroyed statues of colonial figures which led to a wider movement to decolonise education. The process initiated by Mthethwa in 2015 was a reaction to the controversy surrounding statues in public spaces and the national debate over the transformation of the heritage landscape in order to foster a new national identity.

At the time of this movement and controversy, the statue of Paul Kruger on Church Square was fenced off as it was also under threat of being vandalised since it was considered to be a colonial and apartheidera monument. The chairperson of the South African Geographic Names Council, Johnny Mohlala, told Pretoria News that the brass statue of Kruger and his burghers would remain as part of the redevelopment of Church Square and will be joined by Kgosi Mampuru II, whom the Pretoria central prison was named after. Pretoria residents should expect to see, as part of the plan, new statues in conversation.

Among the resolutions taken by the ministerial task team was the need to create national consciousness and civic awareness using shared symbols such as the flag and national anthem, while offensive names and other "symbols of hate" should be removed.

Where such symbols reflected separate histories, an idea was birthed to create public spaces where they may be retained but grouped with others to offer a narrative of our shared history. This compromise can be seen in Pretoria, where streets such as Hans Strijdom and Voortrekker have been renamed to Solomon Mahlangu and Steve Biko respectively. Pretoria also has Steve Biko Hospital and Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University and new monuments such as Freedom Park and the Living Women’s Monument.

A Political Sciences lecture at UP, Dr Mabutho Shangase said, “Going back to historical symbols, most of them are very divisive because primarily as Africans and other disadvantaged groups we were not in power, so these previous symbols were created by the regime that was in power at the time or regimes that [came] even before the apartheid regime. Now, they exemplify the hegemony of those cultures.”

When asked if there were enough historically inclusive symbols, statues and monuments within UP, he said “I don’t think there are because they are historical they reflect the perspective [of the] group that was dominant and that was responsible for the construction of the university itself. I think they are embedded within that history.”

he Fulbright Program is a scholarship program that awards funding to exceptional students of any field of study to complete research and further study in the USA. The program is focused towards prospective master’s and doctoral (Ph.D.) students and has helped students from 180 countries, including 35 from Africa, to gain placement and funding at over a thousand US graduate schools. Senator J. William Fulbright began the program shortly after World War II. On 8 March, Perdeby attended a conference and gathered some of the information prospective applicants may need before they consider applying to the program.

If you are currently studying towards an Honours degree or are in the fourth year of a degree equivalent to a US four-year degree, you are most likely eligible to apply for the master’s program. To apply for the doctorate program, you should already have completed or be in the final year of a master’s degree.

The program offers two years of full funding for one degree (a master’s or doctorate), including living expenses on a “typical student budget” and in some cases textbooks.

If your Ph.D. research runs over more than two years, you will have to fund your own studies from the third year onwards, although it was emphasised that many Fulbright students have received offers from their universities for further research funding.

Fulbright’s prerequisites for qualification

are that applicants are South African citizens or permanent residents, excel academically, are highly motivated and display leadership qualities. It is vital that you apply at least 12 to 14 months before the US academic year in which you wish to study begins.

The application process is multifaceted and acceptance is based not only on your application form and personal statement, which is completed through an online process, but on reference letters, interviews and workshops, to mention a few of many stages. Fulbright also recommend that before application you do some lengthy research into which graduate schools you wish to apply to as well as the specific department you will be working with as the final decision is made by the professor you will be working under.

There are many other aspects to this complex application process, but the staff at Fulbright Program and the US embassy are willing to assist applicants with any questions they may have.

For more information visit za.usembassy.gov/fulbright, educationusa.state.gov or foreign.fulbrightonline.org.

You can also email the very friendly Carol Wilson at Fulbright_Program_ SAfrica@state.gov, or call 012 431 4000.

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Features | 26 March 2018

UP contributes to cancer therapy Gemma Gatticchi

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Image: Zanna Linde

very year approximately 14 million people are diagnosed with cancer. This is usually seen as a death sentence to many, however, UP is working to bring hope to cancer patients. According to the National Cancer Institute, 8.2 million cancer-related deaths occur worldwide and the number of new cancer cases will rise to 22 million within the next two decades. WHO defines cancer as “the transformation of normal cells into tumour cells in a multistage process that generally progresses from a pre-cancerous lesion to a malignant tumour. These changes are the result of the interaction between a person's genetic factors and three categories of external agents, specifically, physical carcinogens, chemical carcinogens and biological carcinogens.”

UP has taken a ground-breaking step toward the cure in its innovative nuclear therapy research, conducted at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital. It is being operated as a combined effort between two research bodies, namely, UP’s Department of Nuclear Medicine and the European Commission’s

science and knowledge service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC). The JRC is involved in a variety of projects and partners with many renowned scientists from all over the world. In collaboration with the Department of Nuclear Medicine, they are working towards furthering scientific knowledge on the subject of nuclear therapy to treat cancer. This partnership will allow the Department to treat advanced-stage prostate cancer patients using targeted alpha therapy (TAT).

According to the UP website, “TAT or alpha radiation is a fairly new approach to cancer treatment and is based on the coupling of alpha particle-emitting radioisotopes to tumour-selective carrier molecules, such as monoclonal antibodies or peptides. In simpler terms, targeted alpha therapy uses drugs to target specific genes or proteins that are present in cancer cells to stop the cancer from growing and spreading.”

Head of the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Professor Mike Sathekge, said that “what makes alpha therapy so effective, compared to other radio-immunotherapy treatments […], is its ability to kill the cancer cells by causing double-strand breaks to the

cancer’s DNA molecules and cluster breaks.

Alpha radiation can kill cells that otherwise exhibit resistance to treatment with beta- or gamma-irradiation or chemotherapeutic drugs, and offers a therapeutic option for patients resistant to conventional therapies.”

The treatment is promising as it has already shown an 85% success rate in patients with advanced-stage prostate cancer. The Department of Nuclear Medicine is not only one of the three platforms in the world to provide this treatment, but it is the only one in Africa. Furthermore, the Department plans to explore “the efficacy of alpha-targeted therapy for the treatment of cancers such as melanoma”, and also to acquire “a better understanding of epigenetics, which is the study of heritable changes in gene function that do not involve changes in the DNA sequence, in order to better understand the spread of cancer.” With approximately 100 000 people in South Africa being diagnosed with cancer annually, Professor Sathekge emphasised the importance of the partnership with the JRC that will allow the Department to make “life-changing contributions to patients with advanced cancer.”

Prescription drug abuse: Pill-poppers on a slipery slope Sam Mukwamu

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he past decade has seen a rapid increase in global prescription drug abuse. The US has been going through an opioid epidemic, which has resulted in a recent surge in several counties in different states filing lawsuits against opioidmanufacturing pharmaceutical companies.

The Australian and British governments have also made efforts to combat their own growing opioid issues, as the Australian government has made codeine-based medication only available to those with prescriptions, while the English government has ordered an investigation into the growing problem of addiction to prescription drugs such as painkillers, and medicines to treat anxiety and insomnia.

Mayo Clinic defines prescription drug abuse as “the use of a prescription medication in a way not intended by the prescribing doctor”, these include taking a friend’s prescription painkillers for pain, and snorting, or injecting medication to get high. The most commonly abused prescription drugs include opioid painkillers, such as Oxycotin and Vicodin; anti-anxiety medication, such as Urbanol and Xanax; and stimulants, such as Concerta and Ritalin. Mayo clinic also says that those who abuse prescription medication may develop a tolerance to the medication, as their bodies become physically dependent on the drug and will require higher doses to experience the same effects. This dependence could lead to withdrawal symptoms if dosage is decreased or if drug use is stopped.

Prescription medication abuse has also been a problem in South Africa. According to The South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drugs (Sacendu), the abuse of over-the-counter and prescription medication such as slimming tablets, analgesics and benzodiazepines has become more prevalent in South Africa. According to statistics compiled by Sacendu between January and June 2016‚ admissions to its centres for overthe-counter and prescription medication as a primary or secondary drug of abuse were 0.7% for Mpumalanga‚ 7.2% in the Eastern Cape‚ 1.7% for Gauteng‚ 1.5% in KwaZuluNatal and 1.1% for the Free State‚ North West and Northern Cape. Sancedu also noted that during the same time period, 2.4% of patients across all their treatment centres reported having used codeine for non-medical purposes, with the majority coming from

Gauteng.

According to Dr Bhoora of the UP Department of Family Medicine and the Community Oriented Substance Use Programme (COSUP), prescription drug abuse has been on the rise because people are now more aware of what drugs there are, as well as what they can do. Dr Bhoora further said “life stressors and the fast-paced society we live in also adds to the daily pressure.

Once someone has used a drug that works, those factors make it easier to need more. It is also possible that the problem has always been around but we are only realizing the actual impact now.” Dr Bhoora believes that there are several reasons as to why people initially start using or abusing prescription drugs, such as it being more acceptable to use prescription drugs than street drugs in society, they can be covered by medical schemes, there is no real bodily danger in terms of accessing, compared to street drugs sold by dangerous dealers. Dr Bhoora also says that “a lot of people use prescription drugs for a real problem, for example after an injury, and become dependent as a result of this [...] Not everybody gets hooked, but there could be underlying issues.”

The South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca) has been trying to deal with issues of overdose, but have been finding it to be difficult as there is “minimal information on overdose in South Africa”. Sanca spokesperson Adrie Vermeulen says that the scarcity of statistics is because of stigma and a lack of reporting on drug-related deaths. Speaking on overdose, Vermeulen says that “many people will assume that it’s only relevant to illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine‚ but people can overdose using prescription drugs or over-the-counter medication”. Over-the-counter drugs, which are classified under schedule 0‚1 and 2 under the Medicine Control Act 101 of 1965, can be easily bought from “a pharmacy or even a supermarket without a prescription from a medical doctor‚” says Vermeulen. “These medications are designed for the short-term treatment of headaches‚ allergies‚ skin irritations‚ coughs‚ cold and flu‚ constipation‚ weight loss‚ nausea‚ indigestion and many more‚” she said. Vermeulen further said that most people who abuse over-the-counter drugs don’t realise that “most painkillers‚ cold and cough medication contain codeine‚ which is from the opioid family like heroin

Image: Lanna Matthews

and morphine”. Vermeulen says that addiction to prescription and over-the-counter drugs can be very easy to hide from friends and family, because we “live in a chemically oriented society that finds it socially acceptable to use these legal medications”.

A lot of the blame has been laid on pharmaceutical companies for not accepting enough responsibility for the damage their drugs have been causing, while some believe that medical practitioners such as psychiatrists are to blame, as they are the ones actually prescribing the medication. Dr Bhoora thinks that it isn’t that easy to assign blame to either, because pharmaceutical companies “have a motive for selling their product”, and without these companies “there would be a lot of sick people”. Dr Bhoora says that it is impossible for psychiatrists to know who will or won’t become addicted to prescription medication, as they only prescribe the medication according to their patients’ needs.

Tertiary education institutions have become a hot bed for prescription drug abuse, as the drugs are widely available to students from other students who might actually use

the medication for their intended purpose.

According to a study conducted by the Ohio State Center for the Study of Student Life and the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery, the “majority of students who use prescription drugs for non-medical reasons report that they typically obtain prescription drugs from friends”, with the most common reasons for taking medication being for pain relief, getting high, taking sedatives to sleep, anxiety relief, and to help with studying. Dr Bhoora says that university students are in a stressful environment, and the pressure they feel can be immense. Using medicine as a example for a high stress field of study he said, “not only do you have to study but you work in hospitals as well. Exhaustion is real”.

Dr Bhoora spoke of the work that COSUP does, saying: “What COSUP has done is to assist people who use substances. We are trying to break the stigma around substances.

We offer opioid substitution therapy amongst other services. This allows people to reclaim their lives and function normally within society.”

26 March 2018 | Features

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Do successful women intimidate men

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he way our society functions is forever changing. The feminist movement has ensured that women of today enjoy many more rights than women from the past. The 21st century has seen an emergence of women who dominate academia and the workplace.

In fact, women have begun to surpass men in many spheres and that the female population has “more master’s and college degrees” and “better GPA’s” than the male population. Further, it is estimated that by 2025 “more than half the primary breadwinners in America will be women.”

Kate Manne, a Cornell philosophy professor and author, describes misogyny as the “law enforcement branch or patriarchy” which “polices and punishes women who transgress or threaten dominant men”. Manne argues that misogynistic views are still observed today because men are intimidated by high-achieving women, as these women challenge a man’s place in society. Since this is a contested and ongoing debate, Perdeby asked both students and lecturers at UP to see whether they think that high-achieving women intimidate men.

Tseleng Tshabalala (BA Visual Studies)

Image: Elmarie Kruger

Competition or collaboration: group work woes Mosa Mgabhi

I

ndividual assessments are common in university, however, also of importance are group assessments as they can be a powerful and effective way to learn.

A guide written by Cynthia J. Brame and Rachel Biel for Vanderbilt University reveals that the use of cooperative learning groups is based on the principle of constructivism which rests upon the idea that “individuals learn through building their own knowledge, connecting new ideas and experiences to existing knowledge and experiences to form new or enhanced understanding”. The guide suggests that cooperative learning follows the notion that small groups are important because students can be heard and hear their peers.

There are various reasons in favour of group work; an infographic by Monash University titled “A guide to group and teamwork” lists the advantages of team work are that a team can produce much more comprehensive or complex work, individuals learn more when working with each other, and that team work “develops decision-making and problem solving skills, project management and organisational skills as well as conflict resolution skills”. However, it also highlights the disadvantages of group work as that “group members might have conflicting ideas or viewpoints and that they may not contribute equally”. The infographic recommends that students need to be patient, committed, conduct productive meetings and communicate well to achieve optimum results for their efforts.

The University of Queensland’s website lists a few disadvantages of group work including: “tasks not being completed by deadline, ideas not thoroughly discussed by the group, members not contributing, ineffective communication, domineering personalities, inability to focus” and it provides a set of dos and don’ts of group work such as “taking notes, setting an agenda, setting deadlines and dividing work into smaller tasks as well as dealing with problems as they arise while avoiding having one student dominating conversations and talking over

others and also discouraging students who just agree to anything the other students suggest.”

Siya Jinoyi, a faculty student advisor at the Humanities department of the University of Pretoria, says that students working in a group are able to “work interactively [and] share ideas.

[Also], they get to see their strengths through the group and their frustrations including how to handle issues that come about because of these frustrations.” She also sheds light on the fact that “working as an individual [can have] its own advantages because a student knows that they have set a goal to achieve at a particular time, whereas when working with a group of people, there are those people who never want to take any responsibility” or those who have different preferences in terms of working at night or during the day. She further went on to say that students are often intimidated by group work because of underlying personal issues such as self-esteem and struggle with working with a diverse group of students from different backgrounds. She suggests that students need to empower themselves and try to do anything they can to boost their self-esteem and find a way of being comfortable with working within a group.

Not all students are able to work to their full potential when working with other individuals and according to Tutorhunt.com, advantages of individual student type work include: “students work at their own pace, they are confident about what they know, and they can use their preferred learning styles and strategies.” However, students do not get the opportunity to learn from their peers when they work individually and those who prefer interpersonal learning settings also struggle. It takes longer to complete a task when doing it alone compared to a group.

Group and individual work has its place within the university structure and both have their pros and cons, Jinoyi urges students to attend workshops that are provided by different faculties across campus to be better equipped with how to deal with the two forms of assessments and she also stresses their opendoor policy to anyone who needs and is willing to speak to a faculty student advisor.

It honestly depends on the male individual because among many other things, socio-cultural context influences these perceptions. From what I have seen in my male peers is that they prefer the assertive woman which is the successful, business orientated woman and the reason is simple, as much as women want that from men they also want a woman who can hold her own. However, when [it] comes to romantic relationships they would prefer a woman who can balance both those spheres. Assertive people intimidate weak-minded, passive people regardless of sex

Nicholas De Decker (BA Law)

I believe that a man’s approach to women, their standing in society and the subsequent respect accorded to them is shaped by early exposure in life. Unlike many, my mother was able to attain a degree and perform the domestic tasks of raising children. I have therefore been heavily influenced by my mother and her competence and strive to embody this respect for her and other women in my actions.

Sadly, [while] many men pay lip service to the concept of work-place equality, the reality places increased pressure on already limited job opportunities. Many are willing to entertain an isolated female presence, but not a flood.

We must be careful though, as pitting a career driven woman against a domestic causes division amongst women themselves. Each side becomes defensive, in turn disempowering their life choice. There is no “better” it depends on the context, circumstance and personality of the woman. The most important criterion is competence, whether it is in raising a family, starting a business, climbing the corporate ladder or both.

Kiana Fayard (Bcom Human Resources Management)

Yes I do [think that men are threatened by highly achieving women]. I feel like [this] has always been a traditional view – the whole thing of women [staying] at home and men being dominant over women and being able to put them down. When you get a high achieving women [giving orders] they feel very threatened in their masculinity. I think that society is slowly changing, but I still think there is a […] mindset that women should be in lower paying jobs. It’s not every day that you will find a woman as a CEO of a company.

Find more comments online at perdeby.co.za Compiled by Kathrine Atkinson

Deneesher Pather (MA Visual Studies and Visual Studies lecturer)

Due to misinterpretations of the feminist movement, I think there might be a real cultural anxiety about females attempting to dominate male spaces. I think that certain men might feel threatened by high-achieving women because they believe their masculinity is measured by their financial or capital success. Society places great emphasis on status and on men to be the breadwinners especially in nuclear families. Big businesses are seen as traditionally masculine places and the thought of “feminisation” (bringing in daycare centres, allowing extended paternity leave, etc.) could be seen as a threat to functionality. Some men might not feel intimidated by high-achieving women, but rather anxious about their place in a world with changing values which constantly challenge their position. I think there needs to be more inclusive conversations about changing gender dynamics so that some of these latent anxieties can be dispelled. More inclusive conversations [lead] to the quelling of societal fears which often result [in] the formation of extremist groups against perceived threats. We need to focus on educating one another and being more compassionate as a society, as a whole.

Dali Ngalo (LLB)

I think that anyone who is willing and happy in whatever they’re doing, whether that’s being a successful business women or being a stay-at-home mom, I think that’s the most important thing[…] I think other men are mostly quite accommodating. I think men who are not so successful feel upset, agitated [and] angry, whereas men who are quite successful may feel threatened because then a woman might take their place. Otherwise I think it’s also dependent on the background of the person and how that person goes about their daily life. […] I think it’s all dependent on the person, someone who would be threatened by a high-achieving woman is someone who would be threatened by a high-achieving man. I think the fact that it is a woman does play a role in that and I think it does, in certain instances, enhance that threatened feeling.

Matthew Bernhardt (Bsc Actuarial and Financial Mathematics)

As a man, I feel that successful women make for better long term partnerships financially […]

I also find more successful women to be more driven, which is an attractive quality to some men including myself. I do think that there [are] many men who are opposed to women being successful, perhaps out of intimidation, feeling a need for that sense of power, or out of competition within their romantic partnership.

Depending on the upbringing however, many other men my find this to be a positive quality, as many people may have been surrounded by successful and driven women throughout their lives.

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Entertainment | 26 March 2018

Entertainment Bites

UP’s Poets: ‘Poetry is central to our culture’

Dispute over the new Frida Kahlo Barbie doll Relatives of the late Mexican artist Frida Kahlo are in a dispute with the American toy company Mattel about the production of a doll in her image. The doll is part of the “Inspiring Women” series that was launched on Thursday 8 March, in honour of International Women’s Day. Kahlo’s niece, Mara Romeo Pinedo, and her daughter, Mara de Anda Romeo, have since threatened to take legal action, saying that Mattel does not have the rights to use Kahlo’s image.

The doll’s appearance has also been subject to critique, with complaints that the doll does not accurately reflect Kahlo’s heavy eyebrows or elaborate Tehuana-style dresses.

David Beckham launches the whiskey brand Haig Club in SA On Wednesday 14 March, David Beckham and many local celebs attended the South African launch of the esteemed single grain Scotch whiskey, Haig Club, at News Café in Sandton. Beckham praised the whiskey brand. He said that it was more than just an endorsement deal, and that it was personal to him. Beckham also mentioned that he was proud be in South Africa, and he also emphasised that he was excited to work with Diageo SA.

Nothing but vernac moved to 26 March Expression and Nothing But Vernac, an annual arts and culture showcase organised by Stuku, that was set to take place on 22 March, was moved to Monday, 26 March at the Piazza. This was done due to bad weather on the day, with the lighting company advising that it would be unsafe to host the event in these conditions.

Easter exhibition at Pretoria Arts Association

Illustration: Zanna Linde

Ricardo Teixeira

O

n 21 March, we celebrated the annual World Poetry Day, paying tribute to all past, present and future poets.

In honour of this day, Perdeby spoke to some published poets who are students, or were students at UP. Dewald Steyn Currently an assistant lecturer in the Department of English, Dewald Steyn’s first poem was published in New Contrast in 2015. Steyn remembers writing for the first time during primary school as few poems were published in his school’s yearbook, with one of his included. He became attracted to poetry because of its concise precision, and how he felt that it shapes language with dexterity. However, Steyn said he is a fan of long poems like the epic works of Homer and John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”. Other poets to have influenced Steyn include romantics such as Mary Shelley, John Keats, as well as Victorian poets Robert Browning and Alfred Tennyson. Dewald Steyn also expressed admiration for poets of the 20th century, specifically James Merrill, Hart Crane and John Ashbery. Steyn feels poetry has a vital role in our fast-evolving modern world where a tweet of 140 characters says a lot, but a haiku of 17 syllables can say just as much or more. “Poetry taps into our need to explain the world to ourselves and others, and it does so in a way that can be beautiful, surprising, absurd, or even ugly, but always in a way that makes you think or feel differently.”

Fiona Zerbst Having just completed her post-doctoral studies in creative

writing, with four anthologies of poetry published, Fiona Zerbst is a well-established poet and a brilliant one too. Coming from a family where her siblings and parents all read poetry, Zerbst was heavily influenced at a young age and had an entire library of poetry all to herself. Aged ten, Fiona Zerbst wrote her first poem. She was “overblown by undeniably exciting poetry of Roy Campbell”. A few years later, at 18, she was first published in Upstream magazine. Not long after, her first anthology, Parting Shots, was published in 1991. She published The Small Zone in 1995, Time and Again in 2002, and Oleander in 2009.

Zerbst said that her work has been influenced by translations of Russian poets, specifically Osip Mandelstam and Anna Akhmatova, as well as Derek Walcott. When asked why she feels poetry is important, Zerbst quoted the poet John Burnside, saying, “Poetry is central to our culture. It helps us to make sense of who we are.” She also said, “Poetry humanises us, something increasing important in a world with virtual reality and artificial intelligence.”

Georg Nöffke Georg Nöffke has recently completed his Masters which focuses on the intertextual dialogue between Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath in selected poems. “I have been published in the revived Inclinations (the literary magazine of the Inklings, UP’s literary society) since 2010, but was first officially published in New Contrast in 2015.” Although Nöffke was only published in 2010 he was dabbling in writing long before that. “I wrote doggerel as a child, attempted poems in my adolescence, switched to writing prose during my undergraduate years, then returned to poetry afterwards.” In a long list of poets Nöffke listed who “I think have influenced me, I hope have influenced me, whose work I imitate, whose sensibilities have shaped and modulated my own, to whom I am drawn, from whom I wish to break free,” he includes Ingrid Jonker, Sipho Sepamla and of course Shakespeare. To Nöffke poetry is important in society because “[…] to my mind poetry is important in the same sense that art is important, as a self-reflexive modality so various as to include any number of qualities and, if one were inclined to discern them, functions, be they expressive, or linguistic, or social (political), or escapist, or whatever the case may be.”

Ivor Samuel A final year Bsc Architecture student, Ivor Samuel, was selfpublished at the end of 2017. Samuels gathers inspiration “from the works of J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, B.I.G, 2pac to Rupi Kaur, Nayyirah Waheed, and various others.” He was drawn to poetry as a new form of expression as he was already doing visual art, photography and had an interest in architecture. “There was something about writing that seemed very fragile.” When asked about the effects of poetry on society and its significance, Samuels said, “I think poetry has helped people understand that they are not the only ones that go through certain things. Not just the writers but the readers as well. Because as writers, we write as a release form and for the readers, we hope it is relatable.

That’s where it’s significance comes from. From a place of understanding and expression. After all, we all just [want to] be understood and cared for as we are.”

Two exhibitions were opened for the Easter season at the Pretoria Arts Association on Friday 16 March, and they will run until Wednesday 4 April. The first is by renowned Pretoria artist Michael Heyns, with his exhibition titled Die Gebreekte Mens in the North Gallery. Cronje Lemmer and Roy Vieira Forte will exhibit their Metanoia themed work in the Main Gallery.

Catching feelings: Kagiso Lediga

Spoegwolf coming to Rafters, Pretoria

C

Stellenbosch-based alternative/indie band Spoegwolf will be performing at Rafters, Pretoria East, on 13 April. The lineup for the evening also includes Deon Meiring and Herman Kleinhans. Tickets are available at plankton.mobi.

Nandi Madida to host and produce Made in Afica

After her successful showcase at New York Fashion Week, Nandi Madida is back in South Africa, and she is working as the producer of the competition/reality show Made in Africa. The show is set to premiere on 18 April on BET. Madida will also be hosting the show. Made in Africa aims to highlight both African and global fashion trends. The show will feature 18 young fashion designers from across the continent, each hoping to walk away with the grand prize valued at R500 000.

Compiled by: Carina Kloppers

Dinah Ramonyai

atching feelings is a new South African romantic comedy directed by and starring Kagiso Lediga and featuring Pearl Thusi. The film is Kagiso Lediga’s debut film, and it premiered at the LA Film Festival in June 2017, as well as in New York at the Urbanworld Festival. Although we are only getting it in South African cinemas now, the film has already been nominated for awards and it has done well on the international film scene.

The Johannesburg set movie follows Kagiso Lediga as Max Matsane, a character that can be described as a somewhat bored and cynical former writer and academic who is married to Sam Matsane, a beautiful socialite and journalist brought to life by Pearl Thusi. Image: JoburgTimes The film explores the highs and lows of a modern relationship in this new contradictive and fast moving South Africa, and it takes an interesting turn when an older white hedonistic writer named Heiner Miller (Andrew Buckland) moves in to stay with the couple. After spending time in Australia, Heiner brings with him booze and drug filled nights, coupled with wild sexual adventures.

The Johannesburg setting of the film makes it relatable and brings it close to home. Catching Feelings touches on the elements of the lives of the black middle class, and how this class

has grown to be accepted in our communities and normalised. The struggles around it and the truth in the narrative are brought into the open by the financial strains and self-identity issues that Max, once a best-selling author, goes through in the film. The elements address real life issues like the reality of having a spouse in the ever expanding Johannesburg who has no desire to be part of a typical suburban family.

This exploration of the sides of love, relationships and trust takes place over the scores of music from the likes of Hugh Masekela and Letta Mbuli.

A glimpse of the life of a white man going through a midlife crisis in the current South African climate shows a side of the coin that is not often talked about. This element gives the film a perspective that makes it one of the best films to come out of our country. As expected, Kagiso’s commentary on the inequalities of blacks and whites in the country surfaces as a conversation about race and privilege is raised.

“I racialize everything because I’m South African. It’s my culture. It’s how I was made” . This film is a refreshing comedy that also begs us to look at the issues right before our eyes.The truth about the states of the classes is exposed in a bitter, yet necessary storytelling and is chased down by the laughs we find throughout this tale.

Feminism Is Jen Thorpe Claudine Noppe

W

hat does it mean to be a feminist in South Africa?

Is there even a need for feminism in South Africa? Finally, South African feminists can rejoice as there is a book that answers all these questions and more. Feminism Is was released on 26 February and explores the stories of everyday South African feminists.

The anthology was edited by Jen Thorpe.

The first part of the book explores feminist inspirations.

With stories ranging from motherhood and feminism, an ode to Zadie Smith and how feminism changed the authors’s lives, one essay particularly names Adrienne Rich as the author, Colleen Higgs’, feminist inspiration. “Here I want to write about how a radical feminist poet, old enough to be my mother, influenced my life,” Higgs writes in her contribution to Feminism Is. The second part of the book deals with the inclusions and exclusions of the feminist movement. Aaisha Dadi Patel provides a very important

view in her essay, Feminism is Muslim women talking back.

In her story she explains that “Muslim women come in all shapes, sizes, nationalities and races. ‘Muslim women’ does not equal brown-veiled women.” Patel goes on to say that liberal feminists do not always comprehend this and that is why “many Muslim women reject the word ‘feminism’.”

B Camminga wrote a brilliant essay discussing gender and language use in the third section of Feminism Is, “Conversations”. A stand out quote from the contribution “I am a trans person. I am also a feminist. In fact it was feminism that taught me biology is not destiny,” solidifies that feminism is not only for women. Stories like B Camminga’s make this book relatable to anyone who picks it up, no matter the gender they identify as. The section also includes conversations with Gogo Ngoatjakumba, a sangoma and relative to Nomalanga Mkhize, and Louise, who describes herself as “a queer and unapologetic fierceas-f*** feminist”. A beautiful selection of poems by Genna Gardini appears in the fourth part, “Power and Fury”. This section will feed the fight in any feminist who has heard a version of the following “Why are you feminist types always so angry? Go ahead pay the bill then, since you want to be the man.”

The final part of Feminism Is titled “In Practice”, deals with how feminism works in everyday life and how it influences certain things such as services for rape survivors.

Nancy Richards explores what the word feminism really means to her and even expresses her problems with the word. She concludes her essay, Feminism on paper, feminism in practice, by saying that whatever problems she

Sci-fi films to look out for

Gather your cosplay and get ready for these 2018 Sci-fi releases

Lorinda Marrian

I

n a world where science-fiction movies make up almost every second movie in cinemas, there is an abundance of films for fans to watch. Perdeby has put together a list of some of the most promising and anticipated sci-fi films for the rest of the year.

Ready Player One Steven Spielberg directs this sci-fi action adventure film that takes place in a dystopian universe in the year 2045 where people escape their harsh lives through the virtual reality world called The Oasis. The film follows the story of the unlikely hero, the young Wade Watts, as he seeks to take control of the virtual world by hunting for a digital Easter egg left behind by the Oasis’ creator. The film will be released on 29 March.

Avengers: Infinity War This is easily one of the most anticipated movies of the year and will see the Marvel Cinematic Universe start to work through the long awaited infinity stones storyline. The Avengers will team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop Thanos from amassing all the infinity stones and destroying the universe. The Russo brothers direct the film, along with its planned sequel for 2019, on a rumored $1 billion budget. The film’s South African release date is set for 27 April.

Replicas This sci-fi thriller follows the story of neuroscientist William Foster, played by Keanu Reeves, well known in the sci-fi world for his work in the Matrix. After the accidental death of his wife and children, Foster will stop at nothing to bring his family back, even going as far as breaking the laws of man and science. The film also stars Alice Eve who is best known for her role as Carol Marcus in Star Trek into Darkness. The

Image: Rhodeen Davies, Feminism Is cover

has with the word feminism she needs to get over it because “the war on women rages on. Together we need to stop it – with more feminism, not less.”

All of the contributions by the different authors are written beautifully and when read together encapsulates all the sides to feminism and accurately describes what feminism means, how to be a feminist and why feminism is still needed in South Africa. film is set for an August release date.

Captive States This movie essentially asks what will life be like after an alien invasion and follows the story of a group of people in a Chicago neighbourhood after nearly a decade of extra-terrestrial occupation. The movie is directed by Rupert Wyatt who is best known for directing the 2011 box office hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The movie stars John Goodman and Vera Farmiga in leading roles and is also set for an August release date.

Mortal Engines Based on the novel of the same name by Phillip Reeve, this post-apocalyptic sci-fi film was adapted into a screenplay by Lord of the Rings and Hobbit filmmakers Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. The film is set in a world where gigantic cities roam the Earth and devour smaller towns for their resources. It follows the story of Tom Natsworthy a lowclass citizen played by Misfits actor Robert Sheehan fighting for survival after meeting fugitive and assassin Hester Shaw played by Hera Hilmar. The movie marks the directorial debut of Christian Rivers who has since worked as a visual effects and storyboard artists alongside Peter Jackson in his most famous trilogies. The film will be released in early December.

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26 March 2018 | Entertainment

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Fun and Games | 26 March 2018

Poetry Corner

Top Ten

The Sun Will Rise

These

- Bongiswa Msibi

- Bongiswa Msibi

These that speak of their sacrifice When sacrifice lies six feet beneath their carpeted floor.

Though the waters grow ever wild And its surface never stills I care not what its depth hides For soon the sun will rise.

These that speak fire so sweet to hear But in their chambers adopt that which we abhor.

The top 10 safe havens on campus 1. The Merensky Library – because you should probably be studying anyway. The building is quiet and is outfitted with heaters and air conditioners (bonus: the bathrooms are clean and uncrowded).

2. The Botany building. This out-of-the-way building is a refuge from both the weather and campus crowds. The adjacent garden is also secluded and a perfect place to spend warm days.

Though the diamonds of the sky seize to shine And the night grows too dark, too cold, I worry not of the skies For soon the sun will rise.

These that speak for the people, Who sleep in mansions to those who sleep on the street,

3. The Roosmaryn courtyard. This area’s high walls offer protection on windy days. The courtyard is picturesque and offers a quiet area to read or study.

4. The Amphitheatre. Its high roof and ample seating make this area a sanctuary for rain-drenched students. It also isn’t far from Pure and TriBeCa, if you’re looking for a quiet place to enjoy your coffee.

Though the night’s cries grow louder And it consumes without thought I do not shake to cries For soon the sun will rise.

Care not of the people As they consume currency and manufacture deceit.

5. Haloa. This coffee shop and its surrounds are an ideal shelter on rainy days, even though the area can become crowded over lunch time.

Now, not far beyond The sky bleeds of golden glory and passion, Of colours beyond my mind’s eyes And I see before me, the sunrise.

We stand and applaud For these brave and noble speakers And salute these: Our honoured nation leaders.

6. The grass outside the admin building. Quiet and dotted with trees, these lush lawns offer pleasant spots of shade for a quick rest between lectures.

7. Adler’s. Wait out the heat or the rain while waiting for your food.

Perdeby often gets asked if we have a space for poetry in the paper. Now we do. If you think your poetry should appear in this space, send an email to perdeby@up.ac.za. Submissions may not be more than 100 words and may not have any unusual layout features. See the Perdeby letter policy at perdeby.co.za for other guidelines.

9. The botanical gardens. It feels like a holiday being among the shady trees. Just don’t get too botanical.

Pssst...

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ssst... has been patiently waiting under the floorboards of the Perdeby office for anything exciting to happen. Unfortunately Pssst... found that nothing worthy of a snarky comment has happened in weeks, except for maybe Serrie returning.

Apparently no res is allowed to refer to Serrie as Serrie! Tread lightly Stuku, a rose by any other name is still a rose. Since Serrie is not Serrie anymore and a lot of uncertainty still surrounds the “singing and dancing competition” many reses cannot get the numbers, or have just opted to back out like Jasmyn and Taaibos. Maybe Taaibos is just tired of losing to Mopanie. Just look at what happened at varsity athletics. Or maybe they have just grown tired of redoing the same Serrie (sorry, “singing and dancing competition”) year after year. The only resses who are actually still trying are Mopanie and Maroela.

Pssst... is very disappointed because there is nothing Pssst... loves more than complaining about organized res events. Will Pssst... ever see the scantily clad Kollege men stumbling through a routine? When will Madelief get another chance to sing “Umlilo”? How will Erika and Mopanie prove that they hare far better than anyone else? Pssst... also wonders if the poor unfortunate souls of Hatfield Studios will have a chance to participate in any res events this year.

Speaking of organized res events, little birdies have  

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been singing tales of a failed Around the world. Tssk tssk Olympus. Pssst... was expecting so much more of the doctors who think they rule the world. Their female counter parts, Curlitzia, have seemed to drop off the map since their horrendous performance at 1nSync and Rag. It may be time for the Prinshof reses to throw in the towel and admit that they should be studying and not socializing.

It seems that things are getting catty between the Katte. However entertaining your drunk ramblings are at G6, complaining about your HC members might get you into some trouble. So lock your lips Katte, or don’t.

Pssst... doesn’t really care. The Katte have accomplished something that was though impossible. The Madelief and Magrietjie ladies have finally agreed on something.

They don’t like sharing a dining hall with Katjiepiering.

The cold weather brought with it not only somber laziness but Olienhout’s unsightly Houte drymacs.

Pssst... suggests that you go back to the 70’s where you found them, and leave them there. It is seriously time for an updated look. Just make sure TuksRes approves the change, Pssst... knows how afraid you are of them.

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Suduku

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8. The lawn across from the Drama Building. Another shady spot for warm days close to Oom Gert’s and the Agricultural Annex.

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10. In a pinch – the Humanities building’s foyer will do. On rainy days, you can join droves of soaked students waiting for a break in the downpour to run to their various destinations.

26 March 2018 | Sport

11

Running with renowned Ilze Wicksell

Image Provided

Ntombi Mkandhla

A

t the recent Liquid Telecom Athletix Grand Prix meeting, Caster Semenya broke the Women’s 1000 m record with a time of 2:35.44. The former record stood strong for 35 years and was placed by Ilze Wicksell in 1983. “People always

ask me how I feel about my record being broken,” Wicksell said, adding that she “knew” Semenya would break it. “[Semenya] trained hard and achieved her goals. I am extremely glad for her.”

Semenya beat Wicksell’s 2:37.45 record by just under two seconds.

Wicksell said that while it brings great pride to have held a record for over three decades, a record cannot stand for so long. “That means something is wrong,” she added. Wicksell expressed her hope to see middle distance running grow further in South Africa, particularly for women.

“Middle distance running needs speed and endurance,” she said, a combination which may deter many athletes from pursuing the sport.

Growing up in the 1970s, Wicksell did not have speed but she certainly had endurance. “I never made the relay team [in primary school] as they picked the four fastest.” Nonetheless, she carried on running while doing other sports all through to high school at Hoërskool Menlopark. “I never thought of Photo: Prince Jiane being an athlete, it was purely for enjoyment,” she added.

As she studied teaching at the University of the Freestate, Wicksell was coached by the renowned De Villiers Lamprecht whom she said “guided her and motivated her”. During her first year at university, she did not make the finals at the South African National Track and Field Championships’ 800m race. “But we pushed. In my second year, I went down to Potchefstroom and I won the race with a time of 2.03” she said. Her performance resulted in her being shortlisted for the Springbok side. “After that,” Wicksell said, “I knew I could run”.

Wicksell went on to win the 800m SA title consecutively for the next four years. It was in 1983 when Wicksell met her goal and the public expectation to run a sub two-minute in the 800m race in Stellenbosch. This made her the first African woman to achieve

TuksCycling takes on Zwartkop Raceway with Ruben van der Merwe Ntokozo Zondo

T

uksCycling participated in the Zwartkop Raceway over the weekend on 18 March.

The club sent members to compete in the event; Ruben van der Merwe, Johan Jooste and Andries Nigrini. van der Merwe sat down with Perdeby to discuss the event, training and the mental aspect of cycling.

What is the Zwartkop event and how does competing in it benefit club members?

The event is a criterium race, which is a race of multiple laps that amount to a 1km course for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, a bell goes off for one last lap to determine the winner. Points are accumulated after a few races to determine the overall winner. Cornering and bike handling plays a large part of the race, therefore requiring a great deal of technical skills therefore benefiting the members by improving their bike handling and cornering confidence.

What is your training regime and how do different competitions affect your training technique?

About a year ago I started working with a coach, Jaco Ferreira, who I give my events and my goals to. [Among other things], he will use my stats from my training, heart rate, power to provide me with an analysed program to prepare for the events and to improve my weaknesses for these specific events.

How do you mentally prepare yourself for the challenges you face while competing?

For me, mindset is everything in this sport.

There’s always the risk of facing challenges like misreading a situation and ultimately getting dropped by the bunch. But there’s also always a next race. I prepare for challenges by accepting them. I tell myself that for the next 3-4 hours I’m going to experience extreme suffering and push my limits. Time passes quickly in a race but the feeling of regret and giving up lasts a lot longer than just pushing yourself for those few hours.

One might have more talent or skills then you do, but if you can push yourself a little further and harder over one more climb while others give up, you get closer to your goal. It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.

What do you attribute your success in cycling to?

I truly believe that God gives me the strength to do what I’m capable of and to push myself a little bit more. I always say a prayer before rides and races for Him to keep me safe, because you never know what can happen on a ride. My family also played a big role in my career, supporting me mentally and financially.

I wouldn’t be able to take part in races and to have the equipment I had if it wasn’t for them. And then my coach, Jaco Ferreira. He helped me to get into the sport and improved me exponentially over these past few months.

The members at my club that I joined when I started cycling, Cycle Lab Lynwood, also played a large role in my improvement.

Which is the most anticipated event you will be participating in this year and why?

Tour de Limpopo is definitely a big one on the calendar. It’s a UCI 2.2 category tour which is the biggest road cycling Tour in Africa with participation being by invite only. This means that there will be some strong teams and even foreign teams as well. I am very fortunate that my team, Vander Group, was invited to represent Gauteng North at the tour and we look to make a big impact and learn as much as possible from the bigger teams.

TuksCycling appears to be a male dominated club, why do you think that is?

I think the reason is because women are less exposed to the cycling life than men. If you look on campus, there are more males than females traveling to class via bicycle. So I think it’s more of a safety issue that men feel less vulnerable when deciding to commute than women who decide to rather take the bus. And some boys pick up cycling as a form of commuting since primary or high school where parents don’t risk their daughters to cycle alone. This results in a larger male ratio of cyclists.

But the female members are growing. And you can see it on all the different group rides and races in the country. Which is good, it provides a more balanced society and I would hope to see female participation grow even more at the TuksCycling club as well.

such a feat. As she tore through the ribbon, Wicksell said, “at that moment, I wanted to call my father, but I couldn’t because he had died in January […] so I just burst into tears instead.”

Wicksell credited her family as great driving forces in her athletic career. “But they never pushed me or anything,” she said.

Due to sanctions placed upon South Africa during apartheid, local athletes could not participate internationally. “Running back then was more of a hobby […] all we ever did was compete amongst ourselves,” Wicksell said. She added that because the only athletic exposure they had was across the border in Namibia, she “did not know what she missed” because of the sanctions. However, when the Springbok squad was flown to Helsinki in 1983 to watch the IAAF World Championships, the consequences of isolation hit.

She recalled sitting in the stands watching Jarmila Kratochvílová on the track with “tears in [her] eyes”, wishing that she too could have been running. “We just watched, […] we could do nothing,” she said.

An Achilles injury in 1984 stopped her from running for seven years. Nine years later, married and a mother, Wicksell hit the track in Mauritius where she won bronze in the 800m. In 1997, she won the World Veteran Championships 800m race. Wicksell said that although training was slightly more difficult in her thirties, she drew a lot of strength from being a mother. “You are definitely stronger after children,” she said, adding that she gained more discipline from one.

Today, Wicksell is still involved in sports and is the manager for specialized and individual sports at TuksSport. She hopes more students participate in sport, even if it is just for recreational purposes. “Sport makes your whole life broader,” Wicksell said.

“We need more Casters to come through,” she added.

Sport Perdeby

TuksBadminton: Bongani von Bodenstein off to Commonwealth Games Ashley Magwindiri

B

ongani von Bodenstein, a third year UP student, qualified for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in April.

Perdeby had the opportunity to chat with Bongani von Bodenstein about his overall success.

Are you self-taught or did you get lessons from a master?

Fortunately growing up, I had people who taught me the basics and helped [me] get a jump start on my badminton career. Just to name a few, the late David Banks, Martie, Daniel Sibeko, Billy and Ruby Caper, Christina Caldeira, Michelle Butler Emmett and Stewart Carson.

What does your average week of training look like?

Monday mornings start at 04:30 with sprints followed by gym at 07:30 and then training on court later at 17:30. Tuesdays are a little better as I’m in gym by 07:30 cycling and strengthening, and training at 17:30. On Wednesday I follow the Monday routine, Thursday it’s the Tuesday routine, then Fridays are gym days and lastly Saturdays are game days with my friend and partner Ruan Snyman.

During a game, it’s easy to lose sight of your primary objectives. How do you keep yourself in check?

Whenever I feel distracted on court I simply start praying quietly to calm my mind and then

Photo: Prince Jiane

readjust my focus.

In addition to being crowned a triple champion in 2016 and 2017, this season has been remarkable for you. What has been the secret behind your success?

Honestly the “secret” behind my success is God. To elaborate, everything I do, I do to glorify his name, he has blessed me with this talent and it’s a privilege to showcase this talent for him... I may train slightly harder than some players but it’s the faith that makes the difference in my opinion.

Your hard work has propelled you to the top. Which one of your victories would you say was the most rewarding and why?

I would say it was being crowned triple champ in 2017 at the USSA because I was injured two weeks prior to the tournament and I wasn’t at a 100%, but winning and becoming one of the few people to win triple champ back to back really brought me joy.

Many players have routines and habits when they play badminton. Do you have any thing you do before a game?

I like to pray in a quiet place to calm myself down, then I listen to hip hop music to pump me up and lastly I listen to worship music and begin envisioning the game and victory.

You have proven yourself to be a winner, what would you like to achieve next year?

Next year is the Olympic qualifying year and I would like to balance my studies and get my world ranking to top 120 in the world, and top three in Africa.

Meet TuksCheerleading Caitlyn Walsh

P

erdeby interviewed leaders of TuksCheerleading, Unathi Jofile and Nkosingiphile Mncube, to get an understanding of TuksCheerleading and why they consider it to be an excellent sport to participate in.

What can TuksCheerleading offer those who are interested?

TuksCheerleading can offer [you] a sense of purpose, a healthy mind and body, as well as a chance to meet new people and make new friends.

How can you become a part of TuksCheerleading?

To be a part of TuksCheerleading, you would have to attend the try-outs which are usually at the beginning of each semester. The dates are published on the TuksCheerleading webpage and there are also posters around campus to inform people of the try-out dates. Alternatively, [you] could contact either myself or the captain, Unathi Jofile.

What does TuksCheerleading entail?

TuksCheerleading is focused not only on the team, but also on the individual. We believe that if one falls, the rest of the team follows, and if one rises, the rest of the team follows suit. With this, we focus on building each athlete up in whatever way possible. When an athlete either wants to learn a skill or is struggling with one, we put our heads together to think of a solution to help better that athlete and keep encouraging them. When that athlete finally learns that skill, we celebrate as a team.

With that being said, when we need to

get things done, we work as a team and we work hard at whatever it is that we need to accomplish. We encourage each athlete to realise their potential, and in so doing, we further the potential and success of the team.

We are one team, but a team made up of individuals who have individual strengths and weaknesses, and we use this knowledge and fact to build up the team.

Can TuksCheerleading benefit [you] physically (and in terms of health), and if so, how?

TuksCheerleading, as with any other physical sport, has many physical benefits. In addition to building a strong body, exercise can also play a vital part in [your] mental and psychological abilities. I speak from personal experience when I say that exercise can help [you] to focus and to regulate [your] mood, especially as a student [when you have] such mentally and psychologically demanding schedules. As the Latin phrase goes, “mens sana in corpore sano”, which translates to, “a healthy mind in a healthy body”.

What is focused on in training sessions?

Our training sessions are very well-rounded.

We do skills training, which is just learning, teaching and improving our stunts and stunt building. We also workout, and that is basically just developing, strengthening and training our bodies for the stunts. Also, a very “cool” element that [is] unique to TuksCheerleading, [is that we as a] tertiary cheerleadingdance too!

Who does the TuksCheerleading squad cheer for?

The TuksCheerleading Team is a performance

Image: Elmarie Kruger

and competitive team. We perform at Varsity Sports and Varsity Cup games, and at rugby, soccer and netball games. We also compete at provincial and national competitions such as the Gauteng Provincial Majorette Association and the South African Majorette and Cheerleading Association.

Cheerleading was only announced by the Olympics commit to be a sport in 2016, why would you consider TuksCheerleading to be a sport?

Sport is defined as an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature. TuksCheerleading ticks all those boxes. TuksCheerleading requires [you] to do lifting, tumbling, dancing [and] jumping, which are all physical activi-

ties. These activities also all require skill and prowess, as cheerleading is the most dangerous sport. TuksCheerleading partakes in competitions too, therefore, [you] should consider cheerleading to be an official sport [as] it meets all the requirements.

Is TuksCheerleading a rewarding experience?

TuksCheerleading is a very rewarding experience. Often, before we can get a stunt right, we fail a lot but the reward is the fact that you eventually get it right and you feel proud of yourself. It is also getting to be the “brand ambassadors” of such a prestigious institution, University of Pretoria, while having fun, being in decent shape and making a lot of friends from all walks of life.

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