27 August 2018 Issue 13 Year 80

Perdeby

Official independent student newspaper of the University of Pretoria 27 August 2018

Hatmed Medical and Dental Centre 454 Hilda Street, Hatfield

Tel: 012 362 7180

80

year 80 issue13

24/7 counselling hotline launched University of Pretoria launches new tech business incubator Pg. 4

Dr J: 35 years of service and counting

Election Season Pg. 5 overview

Pg. 7

Pg. 4

The prominence of African women in literature

Pg. 9

Image: Shaun Sproule

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Leadership

Editorial

80

Editorial | 27 August 2018

years of Perdeby A look back at South Africa’s oldest student newspaper

The Times They Are A-Changin’ Elmarie Kruger

“ I

Come gather ‘round people, wherever you roam, and admit that the waters around you have grown,” sings Bob Dylan in his 1963 song “The Times They Are A-Changin’”. His words still ring true today, even in our niche student landscape. The times are always changing, in fact, and we need to decide whether we will stagnate or move forward.

These words are equally true when it comes to the media, and it is no different for Perdeby. Over the last 80 years, Perdeby has had to adapt its content for a changing audience, which is sometimes a difficult – albeit necessary – exercise.

For example, Perdeby’s reporting focus has shifted over the years from the weighty to the whimsical. Some notable past Perdeby headlines have ranged from “Chemistry and War” (1944) to “Women allowed to wear

Photo: Ditebogo Tshaka

have been a leader on campus for two years now, and next year I will hopefully be going into my third. In my time, I have been able to get to know many other leaders and have seen them grow in their terms. It is by no means a responsibility that should be taken lightly. It is also very hard work; ask any of the current leaders on campus and they might even try and discourage you from doing it. But these times of discouragement are just passing feelings, in the end it is all worth it.

I have enjoyed my time. There are, however, a few things I have learned along the way. As we go into the elections this week, I thought I would share some of the lessons I learnt (and still re-learn every day) with those taking on the momentous challenge of leading others.

It’s okay to make mistakes. We think that we need to be perfect from day one, but that is impossible. We all make mistakes, but it is important to treat every mistake as your greatest learning opportunity.

Don’t be ashamed, admit your mistakes. It’s okay to make mistakes, but never hide them. Trying to brush your mistakes under the carpet will do nothing but bring you misery and trouble. No one will think less of you if you say you have done wrong — apologise and move on. In fact, most people will respect you more for it.

Ask for help. I often find myself not knowing what to do next. It is not solely up to you to reinvent the wheel. Relying on others and asking for help can yield better solutions that you could have come up with yourself.

Go wild; over plan and overthink. I had so many ideas going into my leadership positions. I must admit that only about half of them ended up happening.

That’s because I had so many that the ones that actually work end up being the fantastic ones. But remember, don’t spend time on the plans that you can see won’t work. The half of my plans that didn’t end up happening were futile anyways, so I threw them out before putting in my time and effort.

Things take time. I still have plans that will only truly kick in next year, but someone had to do the ground work and planning. The lesson in this is also to take your time with things, rushing will only lead to needless mistakes that could end the entire idea.

Lead by example. In every aspect of life, be the person you want others to be. No one is better than the people around them, so don’t assume as such. Treat people with dignity, especially in a leadership position.

Leaders serve those they lead, not the other way round.

And most importantly, have fun. If you enjoy what you’re doing you will always do better at it.

Go wild, leaders!

Shaun Sproule Editor

Perdeby www.perdeby.co.za Twittier: @perdebynews Instagram: @perdeby_tuks Tel: (012) 420 6600

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pantsuits” (1971). Some of Perdeby’s more light-hearted headlines have included “The RAG-saucer” (1955), “Tukkies in movie” (1965) and “[Perdeby] theft: Three “villains” steal paper” (1990). On the opposite end of the spectrum, some of Perdeby’s more serious stories have included “Baby born in residence room” (2002), “Student jumps from Humanities Building” (2014) and “UP damage-free after student protests” (2016).

As the UP student body has changed in mindset and composition, so must their news provider, and as with any publication, this means that the role of Perdeby has also changed from its initiation until now. At its inception, Perdeby was seen as a beacon of student identity and culture. However, let it not be forgotten that it has always been the role of Perdeby to inform, entertain, diversify and, as ever, to act as a watchdog – a voice for the voiceless, and an independent, ever-changing force to be reckoned with.

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27 August 2018 | Advertisement

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= Total vouchers (R) (Vouchers are valid for 3 years)

R375

R750

R200

R400

R150

R300

R50

R100

R40

R80

R815

R1 630

4

News | 27 August 2018

UP student still in hospital after pedestrian accident Henri Uys

A

Engineering Building, Hatfield campus. Photo: Elmarie Kruger

University of Pretoria launches new tech business incubator Nondumiso Mntambo & Mbali Mkhithi

O

n 8 August, UP announced the launch of TuksNovation, which is a new high-tech business incubator that aims to support postgraduate students in creating start-ups and employment opportunities. TuksNovation was established in partnership with Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), the Department of Small Business Development, and the Department of Trade and Industry.

TuksNovation offers technology development and commercial support through the technology and business development life cycles. It provides technology development and entrepreneurship support from prototype to commercialisation growth stages, to ensure that the technology is fully developed and addresses a relevant market need. A virtual incubation programme focuses on technology and tech entrepreneurship skills, while an acceleration programme focuses on commercialisation and business growth.

The incubator provides access to an extensive network of industry partnerships through its affiliation with the Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT) Faculty and is currently expanding its

government and industry partner networks.

The goal of the incubator is to act as a catalyst for the development of industrial clusters which positively impact the Tshwane region.

According to Black Excellence Network (BEN), the university’s Vice-Chancellor Prof. Cheryl de la Rey said, “We have ramped up our efforts to implement innovative strategies to leverage and commercialise home-grown technologies in order to create sustainable new enterprises and subsequently job opportunities.” She continued to explain that, “We realise that by developing and commercialising research and development projects within academic institutions and by creating new spinoff companies, universities can contribute to job creation and economic development.”

The university also develops the students’ entrepreneurship skills through courses offered

by Enterprises UP in order to prepare the students for the work place environment. There are more than 3 800 postgraduate students in the EBIT faculty and services could be expanded to other science and technology-linked faculties at UP in the future. The goal is for TuksNovation to act as a catalyst for the development of industrial clusters which positively impact the Tshwane region.

24/7 counselling hotline launched G Refilwe Mofokeng

rades and Levels (Pty) Ltd is a youth development initiative that was founded in 2011 with the premise of creating a platform that seeks to change the South African youth landscape. The aim of the hotline is to address the staggering youth suicide rate.

Perdeby sat down with Group PR & Communications Manager at Grades and levelsSA, Luthando Zibeko, who said, “We are delighted to be working with the South African Union for Students and we will call on basic and higher education to consider inclusion of mental health as a major subject from grade R to all the graduate studies. We are pleased with the response that we have received from students since the opening of the call centre in Randburg. We are creating a platform for students to open up when facing mental challenges such as rape, failure and lack of concentration that could result to depression which might then lead to suicide.

We offer a call centre where students can call and speak to counsellors and social workers about the challenges that they are confronted with. We are also available on Whatsapp for live chat one-on-one sessions, as well as through other social media platforms such as

Twitter and Facebook.”

According to The Sunday Independent, Clinical Psychologist, Mthetho Tshemese said, “An urgent intervention is needed to address the problems associated with mental illness. Often, we think of mental health in relation to mental illnesses. We don’t think of what it means to have mental health [issues], we think of it as though the person is crazy.

It is accompanied by stigma.”

Perdeby asked Zibeko how many calls the organisation receives on average. “The response from students has been positive.

We started on 1 August and to date, we have received a minimum of thirty calls a day. The number of students getting in touch with us is increasing every day.”

“Worldwide, suicide is among the top four causes of deaths and in South Africa there has been a rise of suicides among South African students. Depression is implicated as the most [prevalent] cause of suicide among students, followed by substance abuse, broken relationships, HIV/Aids, adjustment disorders and inadequate health care,” Zibeko said.

Students can get a hold of the Grades and Levels SA call centre on 087 654 7566. They are also available through Whatsapp on 076 445 5696 between 08:00 – 17:00.

del Cato, a second-year BCom student at UP, is still in hospital after being involved in a pedestrian accident in July.

Perdeby previously reported that Cato was struck by a car on 16 July, while attempting to cross the street outside the Duncan Yard restaurant in Hatfield. She sustained severe head injuries when her head first hit the car and then the road. Perdeby spoke to Cato’s father to get an update on her condition. Cato’s father said, “She was in intensive care for almost five weeks before she was taken to rehab. She has not awakened from the coma yet. She does open her eyes but she is not aware [of her surroundings].” Cato slipped into a coma after doctors brought her out of a medically-induced coma. He explained that Cato’s vital signs are stable but that they differ from time to time. When asked what doctors are expecting, he responded, “The doctors said that over a period of time she will awaken from the coma, but they cannot say when.” According her father, the doctors confirmed that Cato suffered

severe head injuries. He added, “She will need a long rehabilitation period to recover back to normal. The doctors believe that she can recover but they cannot confirm anything until she is fully awake.”

He explained that there are six levels of a coma. According to her father, Cato is between the second and third level of a coma. He added that a person is fully conscious and aware at the sixth level. He said that the driver who hit Cato has visited her in hospital and the two families are still in contact with each other. He said that it was an accident and that there are no hard feelings toward to the driver. A trust has been set up to help with some of Cato’s medical bills.

According to an article on Rekord East, her father said that their medical aid only covered a part of Cato’s hospital bills. He explained that, “It is getting very expensive, but we have had a couple of people who have been in a similar position reach out to us and offer to help.”

Anyone who wishes to offer help can contact Ester Syfert on 073 183 2587 or Zonja van der Merwe on 084 928 1759.

Paseka Gaola. Image Provided

The Street Store at UP Resego Molele

F

irst year BCom extended student, Paseka Gaola, brought The Street Store to Mamelodi campus. The Street Store is a brain child of Kayli Levitan and Max Pazak from the Cape Town advertising agency M&C Saatchi in collaboration with the Haven Night Shelter. It is a pop-up store for the homeless where they can shop for free. The Street Store at UP, however, takes it to more than just clothes shopping.

The project, which has been running for almost three months now, initially set out to collect winter clothes from students living in TuksNaledi and set up a The Street Store for residents of Mamelodi. “As I was sharing this idea to other students, I found out that the need is actually more within the students as not all students have support from home or a bursary,” said Gaola. “Something had to be done. I remember that one student was travelling from Mpumalanga to Pretoria every day, waking up at 04:00am and arriving home at 21:00. It was very bad. By the grace of God, he [the student] received accommodation at one of the university’s [residences],” Gaola told Perdeby.

It is stories like these that lead Gaola to set up The Street Store at UP. This initiative is run

by Gaola and an executive committee made up of Precious Masango, Njabula Sibiya, Diteboho Mofokeng and Lethabo Masobe. The team is guided by lecturers, faculty student advisors and management from the Mamelodi campus.

“What we do is that we send a message and ask for donations and people donate. When someone wants something, they can just contact us, or the FSA’s and lecturers and we make a way to make sure they get whatever they need,” said Gaola. The team then goes to The Street Store and gets whatever the student needs. “So, we don’t necessarily have [a] period where we say that this is that time where we are giving out or this is that that time when people are donating. We take donations on a regular basis and we also donate on a regular basis,” he added. The Street Store at UP also gives daily donations to students who do not have financial assistance [and] has students who they donate to daily. A local business also donates perishable food to The Street Store at UP three times a week allowing students to prepare lunch on campus or for them to take home.

“As of 2019, we are planning to branch out to every campus and res of the University of Pretoria so that no student sleeps with an empty stomach or doesn’t attend lectures due to lack of toiletries or not having nice clothes,” said Gaola. He stressed that it is not a onceoff initiative but an organisation they hope to pass on to future UP students, so students can focus on their academics without worrying about basic needs. Any person or institution can help by donating non-perishable food items, toiletries and clothes. To contribute to this initiative, email the business clinic at businessclinic@up.ac.za or call Gaola on 0834388163.

5

27 August 2018 | News

Election Season overview O Mbali Mkhithi

ver the past few weeks elections, campaigns and voting for leadership positions were held at the University of Pretoria. For UP residences, the Primaria’s and Chairpersons manifesto and voting was held during the week of 5 August. For house committee members it took place from 14 August to 16 August. In previous years, candidates had to apply for a certain portfolio and centre their speeches around it. This year, candidates had to present a speech on why they were running for House Committee. Faculty houses also elected the 2018/2019 faculty heads during the week. Each faculty communicated with their students on who the candidates were and how the voting would take place.

Student Representative Council (SRC) circuses were also held at the UP piazza during the past two weeks where candidates from different portfolios engaged with the students. The presidential circus was held on the 23 August from 12:00 to 14:00. The candidates were; David Kwaba who is an independent candidate, Masilo Moshabela an ANCYL candidate, Thulile Zulu who is an EFFSC candidate, Chikomberero Chiobvu a DASO student, Lebogang Mahlalela an independent candidate and Daniel Viljoen who is a VF+ candidate.

During the circus, Chiobvu (DASO) told students she believed in standing together with the students to tackle issues that they face on a daily basis such as student nutrition, funding, and mental health. She continued to say that she believed that in order for students to be able to “FLY” at UP, there were areas that management needed to focus on.

David Kwaba (Independent) went on to tell the students that he believed that when leaders engage in student leadership, the most important thing is not having a fancy office, nor is it about receiving all the recognition. Instead the most important thing is having that one student who coming to you and thanking you for changing their life. That was the reason he is running for SRC president, the fact that he knows that he cannot change the world in a day but he can make a difference. Mahlalela (Independent) told students that she believed that the strength of students comes through their unity.

The unity of both those who are party affiliated and those who are not. She explained that she was running for president because she strongly believes in the capacity and capability of the SRC to unite efforts and effectively eradicate the persistent and pressing issues that students are facing on Campus.

Viljoen (VF+) told the students that he was not necessarily interested in politics but he realised that he wanted students to get their tutorial classes in their home languages because he is a firm believer that you cannot reach your full potential if you do not get taught in the language you think in.

Moshabela told students that he would make the SRC visible not just to the students on the Hatfield campus but to all students around UP campuses. He continued to explain that lack of the SRC presence in all campuses has weakened their impact. He vowed that under his leadership he would put students first and only students.

Zulu (EFFSC) told students that they were advocating, amongst other things, for computer labs that are functional, an open day that is accessible also to the poor, and satellite offices so that the SRC is relatable to students in all campuses. She continued to tell the students that she wanted a TRC for all the students who were suspended during the FeesMustFall strike.

Elections for the SRC will take place online from 07:00 on 27

August until 19:00 on 29 August 2018. A student will receive an email containing a URL, username and password. When they click the URL, they will enter into a voter portal where they will log in using the details they have received. Once they are logged in, they will have access to ten ballot papers. They can then vote for their preferred candidate click submit and will receive a receipt of acknowledgement.

On the same day as the UP presidential circus, a student at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) was fatally shot during their SRC elections held at the Soshanguve North Campus in the evening. The exact facts about the shooting are still unclear and comment from the police was not immediately available. TUT spokesperson Willa de Ruyter told News24 that, “It’s still very sketchy what happened there. We have started an investigation and we are working closely with the police.” She explained that, “From what we understand there was a shooting incident in which a person was fatally injured. That is part of the police investigation. They have opened a murder docket.”

The shooting follows vote rigging allegations at the university, the parties competing in the elections were the South African Students Congress, Economic Freedom Fighters Students’ Command, ANC Youth League, DASO and the Students’ Christian Organisation. The Citizen reported that De Ruyter said that according to reports received, the SRC elections at the Soshanguve north and south campuses experienced problems because of a shortage of ballot papers, as well as suspicions that an official was taking ballot papers when he moved to supply another voting station. De Ruyter said an independent external service provider manages SRC elections at the university and the elections ran smoothly at all campuses, except for Soshanguve and Ga-Rankuwa.

As a result of the shooting, classes were suspended by the campus rector for Friday and the university assured that it would assist the police with the investigations and work with the independent voting body to probe the rigging allegations.

According to Eye Witness News, a building was set on fire after violence erupted following the shooting on Thursday, the newly refurbished campus radio station was also damaged during the strike. The destruction of property resulted in heavy police presence on both campuses. According to The Citizen, Moses Dlamini, Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) national spokesman explained that, according to the report received from the South African Police Service (SAPS), students held SRC elections during the day, and that at about 18:00 police were called to the campus after the presiding officer was allegedly held hostage and assaulted by the students. Dlamini said, “The police drove into the campus in about 10 police vehicles and they managed to rescue the presiding officer. On their way out of the campus, the students allegedly barricaded the entrance of the campus and started throwing stones at the police and their vehicles. There were about 2 000 students.” He continued to explain that, “The police reported that they fired at the ground with R5 rifles and that when they left no one was injured but police vehicles were damaged. The police were later informed that a student had been shot and injured. The student died in an ambulance en route to hospital on the R80 road.

Police firearms were seized for ballistics testing.” Dlamini said the post-mortem of the deceased student would be held on Friday at Garankuwa mortuary and that the docket would be collected on the same day for further investigations.

Two UP students awarded acclaimed travel bursary

Tebogo Mphelo and Annelize Morgan. Image Provided

Lorinda Marrian

U

P students, Annelize Morgan and Tebogo Mphelo, were awarded the prestigious Abe Bailey Travel Bursary to visit the United Kingdom for three weeks. The travel bursary provides university students and junior lecturer staff members with an all-expenses paid trip that covers educational tours of England and Scotland, and a visit to the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The bursars will also become part of the Abe Bailey Fellowship whose membership comprises of all previous bursars form the inception of the tour in 1951.

Anneliza Morgan, a third year Bachelor of Education student, says she applied because the objectives of the bursary were aligned to her purpose which is to “teach unity through diversity and multiculturalism”. Morgan looks forward to interacting with members of the fellowship who are past bursars as she believes it

will be a worthwhile and enriching experience since the bursary has a very rich history and positive background.

Tebogo Mphelo, a final year mechanical and aeronautical engineering student, says that he saw this as an opportunity to learn about the different cultures in the United Kingdom and how the it has been able to manage multiple socio-economic issues.

Mphelo also says that he saw this as a way to engage with other young leaders all across the country who want to see South Africa at a greater standing. He looks forward to the trip to the AU headquarters where he wants to understand where Africa stands at the moment and the action plans they have to tackle the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The travel bursary has a variety of rigorous requirements as students have to not only be academically strong but must also have a variety of skills in leadership and service. Students have to be under the age of 25 and be in their third year of study or above.

Lecturers with junior status may also apply.

Morgan recommends future applicants to start working early on their applications by committing academically and serving through leadership and community service because the bursary requires well-rounded individuals who are committed in all aspects of life.

Mphelo also encourages students to take part in community service programmes since the bursary requires students to work with a diverse group of people.

The bursars will meet in Cape Town on 26 November for two days of orientation before they make their way to the United Kingdom.

Attendants of the Cultural Evening. Image Provided

University of Pretoria International Society cultural evening Nondumiso Mntambo

O

n 10 August, the University of Pretoria International Society (UPI) hosted their cultural evening dinner at Adler’s restaurant on Hatfield campus. The dinner is an annual event that gives both South African citizens and international students at UP the opportunity to exhibit their cultures.

Perdeby asked UPI chairperson Chikomborero Chiobvu, what the inspiration was behind the theme of the dinner “embracing my culture”. Chiobvu said, “When you are in university you don’t really have a lot of opportunities to be authentically you, so by having an ‘embracing my culture’ theme we were reminding students to not forget who they are in the process of pursuing a degree.”

Chiobvu said that the aim of the cultural evening dinner was “to have people from different backgrounds interact, learn from each other and grow in understanding of the various places people are coming from.”

Many of the performers at the cultural evening were up and coming artists who were performing their original pieces.

Perdeby had the opportunity to interview a few of the UP students who performed at the dinner and asked them about having the opportunity to showcase their talents. Tadiwanashe Mupfunya, a civil engineering student who performed an original poetry piece, said, “I feel like I got more out than I put into the evening. Sharing the stage with such amazing personalities for my very first ever performance in varsity was a dream come true for me.” Mpho Llale, an audiology student who was rapping at the event said, “Getting to explore the talent that we have around campus and sharing my art with other people was a learning experience for me.” Limbani Phiri, a BSc Actuarial and Financial Mathematics student who performed a critic on the African state poetry piece said, “[The cultural evening dinner] was simple and straight to the point, fun for most parts and deep for others.” Kgakollo Mokgotlha, a final year BCom student who introduced her book titled, The conversation, said that her experience was “nerve wrecking”. Mokgotlha went on to say, “The event allowed for connections to be made and I could not imagine having started my book launch any other way.”

Chiobvu remarked that “the beauty of the turnout was the diversity we had. What made it more special was that we had students from the various UP campuses in attendance.”

When asked what other events UPI was involved in, she said “UPI currently has the boys football team playing in the campus league and we are excited for how much they have accomplished thus far.” Chiobvu also mentioned that UPI would be having a community project in September at an orphanage.

6

Features | 27 August 2018

Transorbital endoscopic surgery

Illustration: Nkululeko Ngcobo

Katherine Atkinson

U

ntil recently the only way to remove a brain tumour was through a craniotomy. This invasive surgery, which requires a hole to be drilled into the skull, can lead to many complications

including a long recovery period. A newly developed technique called transorbital endoscopic surgery allows the brain to be accessed through the eyes and nose. This new technique is making waves in South Africa thanks to ENT Professor Darlene Lubbe of Groote Schuur Hospital.

While at an international conference Prof.

Lubbe saw new pathways to access the brain, demonstrated by Professor Kris Moe of Washington University. These pathways, one at each corner of the eye and one through the nose, allow for surgeons to enter the brain with relative ease. This makes the procedure far less invasive. Unlike a craniotomy, which can leave a patient recovering in ICU for a week, patients who undergo transorbital surgery will usually be discharged after just four days in a general ward, says Prof. Lubbe to Mediclinic. Aside from the fast recovery time, transorbital surgery allows surgeons to reach previously inaccessible areas of the brain. Although the procedure is used to remove tumours, it can also treat a range of diseases and injuries in the front part of the head, says Mediclinic.

The operation is highly sophisticated and requires an interdisciplinary medical team, namely an ENT, an ophthalmologist and a neurosurgeon. Therefore, Prof. Lubbe has been working alongside ophthalmologist, Dr Hamzah Mustak, and neurosurgeon, Prof.

Allan Taylor, to perfect and perform this surgical technique. Perdeby spoke to Prof.

Taylor about this innovative procedure.

Sometimes brain tumours push on the optic nerve and may eventually impact vision.

The Groote Schuur team found transorbital surgery has the potential to solve such vision problems. Prof. Taylor says “[m]ost patients require surgery because their vision is impaired and their eye bulges out. We have been very happy that most of our patients

have better vision after the transorbital surgery, we did not see this with craniotomy.”

While comparing transorbital surgery to craniotomy, Prof. Taylor says that the “risks of transorbital are lower than conventional approaches”. Prof. Taylor explains that this is because they do not have to open the head and because the incision is so small that there is a lower risk of brain injury and infection. While transorbital surgery may be limited to the front part of the brain for now, Prof. Taylor says that he that he does “think it is possible for [them] to get to more tumours and aneurysms using a transorbital approach”. This however, would lead to increased risk.

Still a recent development in the medical world, the first successful transorbital surgery was performed by Prof. Moe in America in 2010, says Mediclinic. Thanks to Prof.

Lubbe and her team, South Africa was first place, after US and Italy, where transorbital surgery successfully removed a sphenoid wing meningiomas (brain tumour which could impact vision). Although the aim is to nationalise and globalise transorbital surgery, Prof. Taylor says that “Darlene Lubbe is technically one of the best at endoscopic surgery and not everyone is at her level”.

This means that the surgery would be very difficult to replicate by other surgeons. Prof.

Taylor adds that “[this] is how this works though. Someone starts a new procedure, works out how to do it safely and once a routine is established it can be taught to others. At the moment I think we are still working out the limits and safety margins. It will be a few years before this is available at more centres”.

UP Arts

University of Pretoria Camerata

Choir Auditions for 2019

Individuals of the Streetscapes garden. Image Provided

Escaping homelessness Gemma Gatticchi

T

he reasons for homelessness are almost as diverse as the people who make up this suffering population of 200 000, a notable amount of the 53.5 million people who inhabit South Africa. The cause of their homelessness varies between structural, personal, and cultural factors with unemployment playing a major role.

According to Trading Economics, the unemployment rate in South Africa increased to 27.2 percent in the second quarter of 2018.

Adding this, the number of unemployed people rose by 103 000 while the number of employed people fell by 90 000.

Khulisa Social Solutions, a non-profit organisation situated in Cape Town, shows that there is an alternative to suffering and hopes to lessen these statistics. One of their initiatives is the Streetscapes urban garden programme which prides itself in being a “hand-up” and not a hand-out. Here homeless people are given the tools to make their own life changes. Streetscapes teaches them a skill so that they are equipped with a purpose, for example, by being employed to cultivate fruits and vegetables.

Jesse Laitinen, project manager of Streetscapes says, “[w]e started in 2014 with research with our beneficiaries of their needs and hopes as well as what options were available. Based on identifying a service gap in the sector for our clientele, we started providing services under [the] Streetscapes banner in February 2015. This meant offering reintegration services to people living on the

streets that were not rehabilitated, and who had antisocial behavioural challenges along with substance misuse.”

After six months, the 2015 trial project boasted that 77% of the participants were no longer homeless and 68% of them had tackled their substance abuse problems. Along with this, a further 73% have found permanent employment either at the garden itself or through their participation in the programme.

According to the Khulisa website, the organisation operates throughout the country and employs over 300 staff members, working in and around 400 communities around South Africa and reaching close to 500 000 people a year. Currently they have three gardens, an artisan soap shop and an organic compost enterprise, all of which employ the homeless.

When asked about the success stories from Streetscapes, Laitinen mentioned, “[o]ne lady after ten years on the street has been reunited with her four children and has moved back with them, and is a wonderful caring stable parent. Another lady after having been on the streets with her mother since the age of one is now married, has a second child on the way, [owns] a house and has taken her mother off the streets with her.” She goes on to say that their project addresses both the need to build motivation as well as rehabilitation and reintegration of these isolated individuals and it is more of a lifestyle or life-choice than a job.

To contribute to this project you can make a donation by finding their banking details on the Khulisa website.

Auditions 3 - 7 September 2018

Cantate ordibus, cantate cordibus, cantate mordibus.

Sing with the mouth, sing with the heart, sing with life.

More info: www.tukscamerata.co.za

CAMERATA

27 August 2018 | Features

7

Dr J: 35 years of service and counting

Left to right: Prof. Themba Mosia, Dr Willem Jorissen & Prof. Cheryl de la Rey. Image Provided

Sam Mukwamu

O

n 21 July UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Cheryl de la Rey, honoured Dr Willem Jorissen with an award for 35 years of service to the university, at House Erika’s 50th year diner. Perdeby decided to take a walk down Jorissen Street

to chat with Dr Jorisssen, more affectionately known by students as “Dr J” or “Dokkie” as he is known by the Erika residents.

Dr Jorissen started at the University of Pretoria as a first year in 1977, and has pretty much not left the campus in over fourty years. His first job after graduating was in the university’s then Bureau for Student Services

in 1982. Dr Jorissen explained how he worked under different directors, whose faces were on photos hung on the wall, starting with Dr Andre Breedt. After the development of a new subsection Dr Jorissen was out of the student affairs environment for a while, and he worked in lecturer training. According to Dr Jorissen, the subsection “worked on the curriculum, and how to write study guides and how to do good assessments. This whole thing about ClickUp and e-learning was actually a part [of it]”.

He worked in the Department for Education Innovation until 2011, when he was asked to take up the position of Dean of Students on a short term basis. On 1 January 2012 Dr Jorissen was promoted to permanent, full time Deputy Director of Student Affairs and has held that post since. Dr Jorissen explains, “I started off my career within student services, and then actually now going to the end of my career I’m back at student affairs. So, it’s actually like a cycle.” Dr Jorissen has also enjoyed working at the “Purple Palace” (Erika), along with his wife, as House parents for what will be thirty years in January.

When asked about what he found most fulfilling in his 35 years of service Dr Jorissen said, “I think the most fulfilling for me is actually every day you start afresh with new energy. Working with students, and the student energy, and their love to live to the fullest. Every day they come with new ideas. I’m getting my energy to do my work from the people I work with, staff as well as students. In this environment there [are] a lot of challenges. Working with students they are really creative, they are really people that are on the cutting edge of what is happening in society.” He also acknowledges that

there are students in difficult situations and speaks of the need to help those on campus who desperately need help. He believes that academics should be the only challenge that a student should face, not accommodation or having to find where your next meal will come from.

Dr Jorissen has experienced great job satisfaction and believes the opportunities that the university has provided to him, as well as the people he’s worked with contributed to his development over all these years. He even speaks of rebuffing offers from Stellenbosch University and companies in the private sector, because he never felt the urge to leave simply for a change in scenery or even for more money. Having gotten his PhD in Tertiary Didactics, and with his research being in “how to get a better and more effective, and efficient teaching model for the opportunity to give students the exposure of self-study”, Dr Jorissen says that UP produces students that are “all-rounders” and have developed “holistically”. He says that as a UP student you are sought after by companies, because “you are well trained and the university has packed into [you] all the best components, and that you can be a good citizen and a good worker for the company.”

As to what the future holds for Dr J, he hopes he is fortunate enough to carry on until his retirement, after which he just wants to “enjoy all the beautiful things”. He is an avid lover of art and antiques, as highlighted by his magnificently decorated office, and he hopes to have something on the side to do with antiques and art. He also wants to spend more time with his family, saying “[me] and my wife have the three daughters. There [are] at this stage six grandsons and one granddaughter. So, just to enjoy family life and see what the future holds.”

Selling religion: the cost of faith S Mosa Mgabhi

outh Africa has been involved in a lingering debate about the regulation of religion by government.

The Commission for Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL) presented a report to the portfolio committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) in June 2017, recommending that religious organisations should self-regulate and that a legislation framework be established to deal with legal loopholes following its investigations in the “Commercialisation of Religion and Abuse of People’s Belief Systems”. The report was however rejected by parliament and chairperson of CRL, Thoko MkhwanaziXaluva, revealed plans to seek a declaratory order from the Constitutional Court about the constitutionality of their recommendations.

Mkwanazi-Xaluva also expressed that the committee is interested in consulting the court about its independence as a committee and the effectiveness of its recommendations, as she saw no reason to “spend taxpayers’ money [on an] institution [that] is powerless”.

The 33-page report revealed, among other things, that some church leaders are charging “consultation fees” before praying for congregants, others run fully operational shops through selling holy water, clothing, and oil at marked-up prices and that at some churches congregants are encouraged to conveniently use speed point machines for tithes and offerings. The findings also revealed that some churches were operating illegally, many were unregistered, and those registered with the Department of Social Development did not annually report to the department as required by law and that

sometimes congregants are expected to pay to head offices located overseas or deposit money directly to the private bank accounts of individual pastors.

Mkhwanazi-Xaluva expressed that the lack of accountability by some churches contributes towards “questionable religious practices like eating grass, snakes or rat[s], or drinking petrol”. She further spoke of the absence of peer review structures and disciplinary bodies to report pastors who violate their duties.

Professor of Practical Theology from the University of Pretoria, Yolanda Dreyer, expresses that if individuals who sought to open churches were to “go to the trouble and incur the cost of obtaining credentials, the number of fly-by-nights who see religion [as] an opportunity to make a quick buck off gullible people, will probably diminish.”

Prof. Dreyer further went on to emphasise that “wherever people are misled and exploited, and are in need of protection against unscrupulous predators, the state should intervene…[for] churches are there to do two things: worship and benefit the people.”

In“Commercialisation of theological education as a challenge in the NeoPentecostal Charismatic churches by Kelebogile T. Resane from the Faculty of Theology at the University of Free State, he expresses that technology has significantly influenced the commercialisation of religion with TV channels running for 24 hours displaying programmes that often conclude with an appeal for financial contributions.

In another article titled “Miracles in the Neo-charismatic movement: Historical and theological critique”, Resane further expresses that public television stations portray “telecasts of tele-preachers claiming

Photo: Katie Atkinson

to perform miracles” but that the questions of the authenticity of the miracles and the ethical integrity of those performing them are unavoidable. Churches with charismatic leaders have increasingly become popular in the country and have garnered support from individuals from different cultures. “The personality of a leader is always a factor, irrespective of what is taking place, be it ‘miracles’ or ‘pilgrimages’ or ordinary church services. Some leaders are more charismatic than others and use their charisma in service of the cause (God’s work)”, said Prof. Dreyer “[while] for others it is about their own ego and power. Mature believers should be able to discern what they are dealing with and not allow themselves to [be] misled by demagogues.”

Michael Swain, executive director of Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA), stated that the organisation represents 227 denominations, churches and other religious groups and expressed that “[they] are not persuaded that licensing is the solution”. He further expressed that although religion is a

“profession”, it is, however, incomparable to careers like medicine, law, and financial services. He added that there are laws, procedures and regulations that govern such sectors “whereas the area of faith by definition is fluid and varied.” Swain further went on to assert that the practices reported by the commission (LRA) were criminal acts since they were abuses and should be dealt with by the law, for criminal acts cannot be performed under the guise of freedom of religion. He added that the proposal for peer-review committees was indication that the LRA as an institution seeks to meddle in religious affairs therefore the proposal is “widely condemned and opposed by the religious community.”

Richard Mdakane, CoGTA portfolio committee chairperson, expressed that their stance was that “the state and churches are separated”, therefore churches should rather self-regulate. He further added that the security cluster has laws that it needs to enforce and that “wherever laws are broken the state cannot fold its arms, wherever there is criminality the law must take its cause.”

8

Entertainment | 27 August 2018

The Vintage Square Thrift Fair. Image Provided

The Vintage Square Thrift Fair Alison Massey

I

t is not uncommon for students to feel jaded after having stayed around their university for several semesters. Since Hatfield Square was demolished in late 2014/2015, it has seemed as though not as much has been happening in Hatfield.

However, with a few new attractions opening up, this may change. The Vintage Square Thrift Fair, which recently moved its premises to Duncan Yard on the corner of Prospect and Jan Shoba, is one of the new additions to the day-time entertainment scene.

Cassandra Botha, the founder of the fair and owner of Vintro Clothing, says that, “the first fair was held in October 2016 and since then there have been 22 vintage clothing thrift fairs”. With free entry, live music and a variety of shops and food stalls, the fair promises to be an easy way for students to entertain themselves on the first Saturday of every month. Cassandra adds that “the market has an amazing vibe and a huge variety of individualistic thrifted clothing”. According to Cassandra, “another advantage of shopping at the Vintage Square Thrift Fair is that you can shop without a heavy [conscience] […] because by purchasing previously worn items instead of newly manufactured items, students help contribute to slowing down the negative effects of ‘fast fashion’”.

The discourse around the effects of the fashion industry on the environment has been growing in recent years in the scientific community. “Fast Fashion”, according to Merriam Webster, is a type of clothing production that aims at making fashion quickly and at the lowest possible cost. The Independent explains how this means that corners often get cut causing chemicals used in the production process to make their way into the environment and huge amounts of clothing to choke our landfills and river systems. They go on to explain that the best thing we can do as consumers is to wear our clothes for longer and to buy fewer new items of clothing, but this is not always realistic in today’s consumerist culture. Medium.com and Trustedclothes.com suggest buying second-hand clothing as an alternative system that allows users to recycle and reuse and reduce the amount of toxic waste in the environment. The concept of “sweat shops” is well-known and links to the unethical side of fast fashion, as well as the environmental side. Forbes quotes Gwen Floyd, co-founder of Soko (an ethical fashion company) as saying that “people are being treated as extensions of machines”.

When discussing how she started the vintage fair, Cassandra said, “I loved fashion, however I did not want to be part of the fast fashion industry which largely contributes to damaging the environment and in extreme cases is involved in unethical practises. […] It dawned on me that vintage clothing could be upcycled in a trendy way to encourage reusing fashionable pieces and help slow down the fast fashion industry”. The fair has become a popular day-time attraction over the past two years, with “roughly 1000 to 1300” people in attendance each month.

Perdeby spoke to two of the stall-holders to get more of an idea of what the vintage fair is like. Jackie Webb, owner of Backyard

Images Provided

Vintage, and Phil Grimbeek, owner of Grim Clothing, provide insight into the Gauteng Vintage scene.

How did you start selling vintage clothing?

Jackie: I started when I was in my fourth year of Med School. It was started in my own “backyard” & cupboard, which inspired the name “Backyard Vintage”. I bought most of my clothes second hand & thrifted, but would often find items that were not my size or my style, but awesome nonetheless, that I wanted to share with like-minded people.

Phil: It all started when I was around 16 years old, I had an instinctive liking for weird and unique things. […] Then in my second year at varsity I counted all of my vintage clothes and it amounted to about forty jackets and jerseys. I then started to sell, first to my friends and then on campus with a mobile rail going around from class to class. When I moved to Pretoria in the start of 2015 the vintage scene was not at all what it is today.

Where do you source your clothes?

Jackie: Backyard Vintage sources all our items from charity stores in and around Pretoria and Johannesburg. This means that every purchase contributes to providing these organizations with a monthly source of revenue to continue the good work they do.

Phil: Back in the day it was really hard to find quality pieces but after a while you acquire an eye for something special. This allows me to source from virtually anywhere. Depos, containers, hospices, flea markets, friends and I’ve even bought a jacket off a lady’s back that I saw in the street.

What is the best part of selling clothes at the fair each month?

Jackie: [The fair] attracts all kinds of interesting, creative personalities, and I love this! I am stimulated and inspired by my customers, and I think the fair provides a space where every individual can feel comfortable expressing themselves in their own unique way, whilst finding some treasures.

Phil: Seeing people walk away with a unique piece and knowing that they are the only person in the entire world that has a piece like that, and seeing the joy vintage clothing brings.

In your opinion, why should people come to the fair?

Jackie: The fair has a huge variety of vendors, so there is something to suit every taste, style and size. Live music, food vendors and a great coffee stand are also available so it’s the perfect allinclusive-weekend activity.

Phil: To make Pretoria cool again. The fair is a bubbling pot of so many different individuals so just being there inspires creativity and uniqueness. If not for that then just come to laugh at the silly hipsters.

Why should people buy second-hand clothing?

Jackie: It is beneficial for the environment [and] you can always find something that is outrageously unique and suited to your taste, that none of your friends will be boasting tomorrow. In Backyard Vintage’s case, it’s an opportunity to give back to the charities that we source from and support the local economy.

[And] it’s affordable!

Phil: Every piece of clothing has some history behind it and each new owner gets to add to its story without hurting Mother Earth.

Image from imdb.com

Farewell Ella Bella Lwazi Mvusi Carina Kloppers

T

he film Farewell Ella Bella is the debut film of the budding director Lwazi Muvsi and it also the first film to emerge from Emerging Black Film Makers Transformation Fund. The movie tells the story of Ella (Jay Anstey) reclaiming her life right after the passing of her alcoholic father. When she is left with nothing but debt and the bitter memory of a complicated past, she calls up her nomadic godfather, Neo (Sello Maake Ka-Ncube), on a whim and asks him to accompany her to Johannesburg. She intends to bury her father’s ashes at her childhood home in Johannesburg.

Farewell Ella Bella starts with almost no set-up and we are simply thrust into the shattered life of the titular protagonist Ella. Because of the movie’s abrupt start the audience struggles to invest in the characters. We are unable to transport to Ella’s reality, and so we cannot understand or relate to her or any of the other characters. The movie tries to right this with tacked-on flashbacks, but instead we feel even more detached from the action on screen. The choppy scene cuts do not help either. Regardless of the characters’ intentions and reactions making logical sense, the audience is not afforded opportunity to grow and feel with the characters. We are inevitably left unmotivated to care for the characters or the story. Alas, this makes Farewell Ella Bella lack any emotional payoff.

Still, it would be foolish not to acknowledge the film’s heart.

It clearly comes from a place of great meaning for Mvusi.

And maybe that is actually what caused Farewell Ella Bella’s undoing? Mvusi seemed to have been so preoccupied with showcasing the pitfalls of alcoholism that she overplayed her hand and failed to give the audience a holistic viewing experience.

Farewell Ella Bella is a film that had potential. Enough so, that an argument could be made that with a better developed script and a veteran’s directing eye Farewell Ella Bella could have been quite good, because there are these rare and beautiful moments where the film touches on some deeply profound concepts. These moments where we transcend to the characters’ world and we connect with them, just as the movie was desperately trying to force us to from the get-go. But then the punches fail to really land, as the tacky and unnatural dialogue brings us crashing down to earth. Farewell Ella Bella had a story to tell, it just could not tell it well enough.

Unfortunately, Farewell Ella Bella is not a film that will change your life. It is actually rather dull and forgetful, but when you take into consideration that it is the director’s first film, you might be more forgiving. Although she still has a lot to learn about movie making, she shows promise. She clearly has a knack for the mixing of different South African identities. Mvusi is neither blind nor oblivious to the social prejudices and racial stereotypes of our local climate, but she shows no intention of conforming to them. With some refinement of her style, Mvusi will soon be a worthy South African director.

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27 August 2018 | Entertainment

The prominence of African women in literature Mosa Mgabhi

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frican women broke into the literary scene much later than their male counterparts, however, their writing brings forth their history and experiences throughout the centuries. African female authors introduce a female perspective and articulate a different African reality than that portrayed by African male writers. They shed light on the cultural and sociopolitical factors that stand in the way of female agency.

African female works encompass a wide range of themes such as how patriarchy in traditions, education, customs and even the law, keep women governed by men in the private and public spheres of their lives. Beyond the inequalities between women and men, African women also write about the racial hierarchies in their societies and the politics that arise from them. They also address the underdevelopment that plagues their different countries and the drawbacks it presents, including poor access to and quality of education. They also write against the suppression of their sexuality and their right to make decisions concerning their own bodies.

An article titled “Women in African Literature: Writing and Representation” published in South African History Online (SAHO) highlights a few African female authors that continue to assert themselves as writers both domestically and internationally.

The women featured include Zukiswa Warner, born in Zambia to a Zimbabwean father and South African mother. She was shortlisted for the K. Duiker Award in 2007 for her debut novel The Madams (2006). Her novel Men of the South (2010) was also shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize in 2011.

Her other acclaimed works include Maid in

SA (2013) and London Cape Town Joburg (2014). Warner was named one of the top 39 Sub-Saharan African writers under the age of 40 by Hay Festival in 2014. Buchi Emecheta was a Nigerian writer with her work focusing on the politics of race, gender and sex. Her works were largely based on her own experiences which is evident in her debut novel In the Ditch (1972). She has also published autobiographical tales such as Head Above Water (1986), as well as children’s novels including The Moonlight Bride (1980) and Nowhere to Play (1980). She received the New Statesman Jock Campbell Award for Commonwealth Writers in 1979 and ran a publishing house that had a branch in London.

Zimbabwean novelist, Violet Bulawayo, also received much critical acclaim for her debut novel We Need New Names (2013) which received the Pen/Hemingway Award, the Etisalet Prize for Literature, and placed second for the Barnes and Noble Discover Award.

A book published in 2010 titled African Women Writing Resistance: An Anthology of Contemporary Voices was compiled by contributors who advocate for the empowerment of women across the continent.

An extract from the book details how women confront challenges, “while also creating visions of a more positive future, using writing to bear witness to oppression, to document opposition struggles, and to share successful strategies of resistance”. The extract also highlights how African women writers are “moving beyond the linked dichotomies of victim/oppressor and victim/heroine to present their experiences in full complexity”. The anthology sheds light on the various challenges that African women are faced with including to progress HIV/Aids and high maternal mortality rates. Domestic violence, child marriage and

marital rape. The luring of children and women into exploitative and unsafe sexual activity as well as the contested issue of genital mutilation are also among other issues of concern to African women.

Despite numerous challenges posed to African female writers, contemporary writers persist in telling their stories and shaping the narrative in terms of African storytelling.

Kenyan author Makena Ojerika won the 2018 Caine Prize for her short story Fanta Blackcurrant (2017) and first-time Ugandan author Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi won the Windham Campbell Prizes from Yale University for her debut novel Kintu (2014).

Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie, author of Purple Hibiscus (2003), was announced as the winner for the 2018 PEN Pinter Prize and will receive it on 9 October at The British Library while first-time Nigerian author Oyinkan Braithwaite’s highly anticipated novel, My Sister, the Serial Killer, is set to be released in November and is already being adapted into a film by UK production companies Big Talk and

Illustration: Kayla Thomas

Working Title.

The numerous, varying accolades that African female writers have received are indicative of how Africa and the world at large, is taking women’s experiences and voices into account and allowing them to determine and share their own stories.

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Fun and Games | 27 August 2018

Crossword

Top Ten Across 3. Earl Grey, e.g. (3).

5. Green? (7).

9. Processed cacao treat (9).

11. Chutney fruit (5).

12. Franklin Show her some respect (14).

13. Leppard Pour some sugar on them (10).

Down 1. Shakespeare’s go-to (3).

2. Something to face? (5).

4. Spending wastefully (11).

6. Rival of Paris (5).

7. Third estate (11).

8. Repast (4).

10. Was he really so great? (6).

The top 10 excuses you give to lecturers: what they really sound like 1. “My computer crashed just before I could submit my assignment on TurnItIn. And so did all the other computers on campus.”

2. “But ma’am, you said we could do this assignment in pairs! Isn’t it normal for a lecturer who has been teaching the same module for 10 years to randomly decide to change their own syllabus at the last minute?”

3. “I thought class last week was cancelled. And the week before that.

And the one before that. Isn’t this a correspondence module anyway?”

4. “My brother did this module in 2010 and he said I’d be fine if I only came to the first lecture. Either way, I’m handing in all his (outdated) assignments.”

Sudoku

5. “I swear I thought this lecture’s venue was in HB 3-14, not 3-15! I’ve been sitting in an empty lecture hall all this time and I never bothered to double check the module’s timetable [nervous laughter intensifies]”.

6. “Prof., my roommate accidentally took my assignment just as I was about to come and hand it in. Now he’s moved to Sweden, so can you just give me 100% and call it a day?”

7. “What do you mean our class tests count for marks? How dare this module follow the same structure as every other module I have?”

8. “I’m a star athlete and that pretty much means I’m exempt from academic activities, right?”

9. “Can I get an extension for this assignment? I know you told us about it four months ago and gave us multiple opportunities to work on it in class, but with my hectic procrastination schedule, I really just couldn’t fit it in, hey.”

10. “I didn’t have a way to email you an excuse before the due date for this assignment that I’m trying to submit three weeks late” – sent from my iPhone.

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27 August 2018 | Sport

11

Dane van Heerde: Up and coming INEX racer

Dane van Heerde. Image Provided

Paul Gray

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ane van Heerde is a second-year English and Psychology student at UP with a passion for motorsport. He is making waves in the sport through the INEX Legends Racing League, an international racing league that features inexpensive, standardised cars. This makes motorsport more accessible and creates an even playing field for competitors.

Van Heerde has been involved with motorsport for around six years, starting off with karting (which he still competes in) and has moved onto the INEX Legends Racing League, where he competes in the semi-pro class. The league is a tricky one to navigate, with limited

tyre changes and sealed engines. This means that, other than the skills on the racetrack, you have to make sure not to jeopardise the car throughout the season, as a breakdown or running out of tires can set you back or have you at the back of the starting grid for future races.

Being Van Heerde’s first season racing in the INEX Legends Racing league, he is competing in the the semi-pro class. His goals for the foreseeable future are to move up to the Pro League by next year and hopefully compete in the overseas leagues the year after. He hopes to be on track to reach his goals, with steady performances this year, including a win under his belt.

His passion for the sport comes from both his dad, a motorsport and racing enthusiast, as well as his knack for the sport. Van Heerde explains that, “Driving is something I’ve always loved”, and he finds that “a sport where you remove yourself [from the immediate interaction, unlike ball sports] and control something other than yourself I’ve always done well”. Passion is what really drives him, the adrenaline of being seconds away from great harm are the moments he lives for and what he loves about the sport.

“Fitness and dedication are important in the sport”, says Van Heerde, “the fitter you are the more consistent you will be on the track, without endurance both focus and ability wanes as the race goes on”. He lives by the motto, “If it ain’t my best, it ain’t worth doing”. In his pursuit of achieving in the INEX Legends League, Dane has had various role models and help along the way, some of which include his dad, Richard van Heerde, who races in the INEX Legends Masters League; SEEF Racing, his mechanic; and Campus Key. Van Heerde has three races left in the INEX Legends racing league on 29 September, 13 October and 16 November at Zwartkops Racetrack.

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DJ le Grange in Budapest. Image Provided

TuksJudo: The Budapest Grand Prix Tournament with DJ le Grange Caitlyn Walsh

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J le Grange, a South African under66kg champion, recently competed in the Budapest Grand Prix Tournament.

Perdeby spoke to le Grange to see how the tournament went.

Recently, you competed in the Budapest Grand Prix Tournament, how did the tournament go?

The tournament went okay. Three weeks before I was set to leave I came down with a bad bacterial infection which set my preparation back a bit. But thankfully I recovered in time to have good form for the competition. A Grand Prix is a high calibre competition and some of the best in the world come to compete there. I had 61 competitors in my weight category making it a tough task. I won my first fight against an up and coming fighter from Mozambique. My second fight was against the home favourite, Hungary.

It was a good and tactical match. Unfortunately, halfway through the fight he caught me off guard and that was the end of the match. Although, I would always like to strive towards a medal, this was the first tournament for Olympic qualification and to start accumulating Olympic qualification points is the first priority. I managed to achieve that and now I can start aiming higher.

How does the tournament help you in the qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games?

The single win managed to push me into the top 32 of the tournament and I walked away with 84 points. 78 points more than what I would’ve had, had I lost my first fight. It’s not the most points, but it goes a long way and pushed me 15 places up the world rankings.

What fighting styles do you use in general and in the tournament?

I am a predominately left-sided fighter. I vary my distance against a fighter by changing from close to far range constantly throughout the match. I always look for an opportunity to counter my opponent if he doesn’t fully commit to a technique. And I am also strong on the ground where strangles, arm locks and pins are important. I generally try to stretch a match out as I’m one of the fittest competitors. So the

longer a match goes on, the more beneficial it is to me. And I’m all about technique. I will never enter a match without having constructed an effective game plan that looks to exploit my opponent’s vulnerabilities. The techniques I do during a match would depend completely on how my opponents fight.

You attend a week long training camp after the tournament. What does the camp specifically focus on and how was it?

Training camps like these are pretty straight forward. You have some warmups and then go straight into rounds of fighting. It generally consist of two sessions a day and I try to get anything in between 12 and 15 fighting rounds in per day. The main focus would be to fight as many different styles and fighters as possible so as to build confidence and it also helps a great deal [with] one’s stamina. The main goal is to constantly and consistently refine your style and techniques and to build confidence in them.

What advice would you give to those in the future that wish to compete in the tournament?

Never feel inferior to any competitor. Always back yourself against any fighter no matter what.

They, just as you are, are human beings. Always stay humble, respect your opponent and never think that you’ve done enough. You have to constantly focus on improving. Be positive and friendly when training, they are helping you as much as you are helping them. And when you have time, watch the experienced guys all the way from how they warm up, to how they carry themselves during a match.

What was your best moment during the tournament?

Winning is always a great moment and of course I had the privilege of my wife being able to attend the tournament, she saved up money just to come and watch me compete. But to me, whenever I am at an international tournament the best moment is to be able to compete at such a high level. A lot of times when you’re competing at such a high level you tend to forget that there are kids that don’t even qualify to compete at the SA championships and you forget where you came from. So to me, the opportunity of being able to compete at this level is just awesome.

Varsity football how things stand Keegan Sullivan

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ith the Varsity Cup Football tournament five rounds in, the battle for the title is heating up. UJ and TUT, placed first and second respectively, clashed with UJ inflicting the first loss of the season upon TUT and consigning the Pretoria-based outfit to third on the log, behind Wits on goal difference.

The top four is rounded off by NWU who are currently sitting on nine points. The University of Limpopo and UKZN find themselves at the foot end of the table on one point each with both sides falling to record their first win of the season.

With the battle for a top-four finish heating up, UP-Tuks boosted their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages by securing a 2-0 win against the University of Limpopo. The defending champions are currently in 5th position only one point off of fourth placed NWU. This makes for a mouth-watering clash as Tuks and NWU meet at the Tuks Stadium on Thursday 30 August in round six of the tournament.

With UP-Tuks’s form peaking at just the right time, Perdeby caught up with skipper Simbongile Njokwe to discuss how the season has gone up

to this point. When asked about the season so far, “Fighting for each other and trying to be united” was highlighted by Njokwe as being the team’s greatest strength. This spirit of togetherness is highlighted by the team’s impressive defensive record with UP-Tuks keeping a clean sheet in each of their last three games. When asked about the key to the team’s watertight defence, Njokwe said, “Good communication is [a] pre-requisite to any solid team”.

Tuks will be looking to capitalise on home ground advantage in their crunch match against NWU. Njokwe is aware of the advantage of playing at home and said, “Our supporters are the driving force to our positive results at home. The support they give us is unbelievable.”

Tuks will be hoping to win two on the bounce to ensure their semi-final spot but face a tricky away challenge at UWC to finish off their regular season. Njokwe mentioned how “weather conditions play a pivotal role” when visiting the Cape “especially when it’s windy and raining at the same time”, he said.

UP-Tuks supporters will be hoping for clear skies and smooth sailing for their football side as we reach the end of the season.

Sport Perdeby

UP water polo player TuksCycling roundup needs funds for Russia

TuksCycling member, Nigrini. Photo: Ntokozo Zondo

Ntokozo Zondo

Palesa Hlela. Image Provided

Mbali Mkhithi

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P final-year Sports Management student, Palesa Hlela, who is also part of the Tuks Water Polo team, has qualified as the goal-keeper for the National Water Polo team for 2018. The team will be participating in the World Cup which will be held in Russia from 4 to 9 September this year. However, as Swim South Africa requires its players to self-fund the tour, Palesa is financially unable to cover the trip to Russia. The goalkeeper’s journey to making the national team has already exhausted her family’s funds, having just travelled to the Czech Republic to play for South Africa in the 2018 EU Nations Water Polo Cup. Palesa explained that, “It’s not viable for my parents.

They cannot take out another loan,” adding that she has also benefited from donations from their work colleagues. Her father is a university lecturer and her mother is a teacher.

The official amount required to be able to play in Russia is R28 000. There are a few players that have been put on a payment plan. Palesa explained that she doesn't know what the requirements for the payment plan were.

There have been negotiations between the team and the players to have costs reduced as a result of an outcry by the players. Palesa told Perdeby that, “To be honest, regarding the

funding of tours, I do believe that when you make a senior national side all funds should be subsidised. This will also aid in athlete entertainment. Keep the funds low and more players will stay and be attracted to the game.”

Hlela’s water polo career started when she was in grade 8 at Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High and since then, Palesa has played in the provincial tournament in 2012 and moved on to her first international tournament in 2015. She has been playing for the National squad since 2015. Hlela was invited to the University of Pretoria Sports Awards and received honourary colours. This year, she qualified again for the South African Water Polo Nnational Colours and will be playing in the upcoming Fina Water Polo World Cup. Her community has been donating to try and get her to Russia. She said that, “To be honest, I am overwhelmed by the response of my community. They have definitely made the Russia trip financially viable. ” Her coach, Bev Shuttleworth, told IOL that in addition to being an asset to Pietermaritzburg Girls High School swimming team, she was “a natural in the water and so easily learnt how to play water polo”.

If anyone wants to help with her funding they can contact her mother Nthabi Hlela at hlelanthabi@gmail.com or call her on 0713615632.

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uksCycling cyclists are keeping a busy August calendar participating in; Student Series MTB cup, World University Cycling Championships (WUCC) and the Lowveld tour to name a few. The club sent 14 riders to compete in the MTB cup which compromised of three rounds which ran from April to August. Nigrini, who has been competing in the Varsity Cup league for less than nine months produced impressive results securing first place overall in the event. Nigrini, praised the team work that helped him secure the win said, “During the first MTB Cup (14th April in Wonderboom) I rode to the front where teammate Felix Manex and I worked together to take the first and second place”. Nigrini, further analyses his performance in the second MTB and final MTB noting that, “there was a different dynamic, all the riders we’re watching me. I used this as an opportunity to decide on the race pace which best suited me. The final had the highest technical aspect meaning it was a race against time. Every corner was an opportunity to gain more time on the other riders. Early on I attacked and rode the corners as fast as I could to secure the overall leaders Jersey and make it a hattrick.” Nigrini acknowledges that whilst winning can be a great confidence boost it can also have the adverse effect of making you complacent in preparing for upcoming events cautioning, “After winning the first round I convinced

TuksTaekwondo championships held at UP

TuksTaekwondo members compete at the championship. Photo: Mariesa Potgieter

Mariesa Potgieter

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he TuksTaekwondo championship was held on 25 August at UP’s Hillcrest Sport Campus. Before the championships, Perdeby spoke to some of the athletes and the Club Chairperson to find out more about

TuksTaekwondo in general.

Perdeby spoke to chairperson, coach and black belt, Deran Naidoo, to find out more about preparation for the championship. Preparing for big championships is quite difficult says Naidoo, because “[they] need a lot of time to prepare, especially for the fighting” and they only train,

“twice a week”. “For some people, that is not enough,” he added, they start preparing early to make sure they are ready for the big competitions.

As their practice sessions fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Naidoo said that the club focuses on techniques, patterns and self-defence on Tuesdays, and “Thursdays is when we focus on fighting and sparring.”

Taekwondo is beneficial because, “It is a very cardio intensive sport” and it also focuses on, “muscle strength”. Taekwondo also helps with self-defence and Naidoo says that some people join, “just for self-defence”. Naidoo also adds that, “Taekwondo is mainly a lower body sport and [they] mainly focus on kicking.” Taekwondo also helps with flexibility and it is easier if you are flexible. Taekwondo can be a tough sport, because it is challenging, “If you are not flexible” and also, “if you are unfit”. Naidoo comments that, “The thing with our club is [that] we do not force you into the deep end straight away. We go at your own pace and develop you slowly as you go.”

Lea Botha, a BA General student, has been

myself that my competition was stronger than me which stopped me becoming overconfident.

Being overconfident could lull me into training less seriously or throw my eating habits off course which influences recovery.” Nigrini, hopes to achieve the goal of becoming a dualracer; mountain biker and road racer following in the footsteps of inspiration, Burry Stander in five years.

The World University Cycling Championships which take place every twoyears saw the club competing on an international level in Portugal against students from around the globe. The competition ran from the 31st of July to the 4th of August includes various cycling disciplines; individual time trial (ITT), road race, mountain bike and downhill. Elmari de Wet and Jacques Horn competed in the championships representing the national team and the club, de Wet reviewed the performance, “I managed to finish in the middle of the field with both the ITT and road race. Not being at top form, I should be satisfied with this result.” de Wet, who graduated last year and is currently working as a full-time engineer discussed the objectives for the competition, “Primarily to be the best I can be trying to be at an optimal fitness and health condition. There was uncertainty about my attending up to two months before the competition which lessened my training time.” Cyclists tailor their training regime according to the type of track in their upcoming event, subscribing to this principle de Wet said, “apart from my general fitness training I’d do sessions that simulate the type of riding an event requires. For ITT, I would also include longer, hard intervals to simulate the conditions for doing a time trial.” Training not only includes the physical conditioning but being in the correct head space through mental preparation “It’s all about working on my subconscious which forms the core of who you are and what you are doing which is the deciding factor when things get increasingly tough. I focus on my thought-system and what I allow in, this requires self-assessment knowing your motive, strengths and being alert to block your weaknesses.” de Wet noted Ashleigh Moolman Pasion as an inspiration, “who built herself up to success with endurance and consistency. She only started pursuing her cycling career after obtaining her degree in chemical engineering”.

doing Taekwondo for a year and a half and enjoys it because of the, “community aspect”.

She says it is easy to balance her studies with her sport, because “It is in the evening so it isn’t a big problem and it also actually gives you a break from your studies to relax.” She feels she “performs better academically” after exercising.

Justine Jiang, a BSC Sport Science student, enjoys TuksTaekwondo because, “I really like the people [and] usually after training and before training there is a lot of communication. Despite sometimes being in competition together, there is always support.” She also adds that, “There is a sense of camaraderie and companionship”.

Another TuksTaekwondo athlete, Aymar Talawou who already graduated after studying IT, shared his goal for the upcoming TuksTaekwondo championships. He said that he would like to get gold but also to, “mostly try out new stuff he learnt since [he is] a brown belt”.

When Perdeby asked Naidoo why Taekwondo is a sport that many should consider, he replied by saying, “Taekwondo is very open-minded. We like to try a lot of different things, especially with our kicking.” He also says that, “There is always something new to learn”.

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