27 October 2014 Issue 22 Year 76

Hello Ambassador

Eyewareness aims to improve local safety

Tuks up-and -comers

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

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27October2014

2014:

year in review

Perdeby

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

18January2014

Meet the SRC

Finding your platform to perform

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03February2014

year76issue 01

The student catalogue

TuksSports’s success in 2013

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Rag 2014

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First years edition

17February2014

Varsity Cup match ends in draw

Rest in peace Prof. Visser TEBOGO TSHWANE A memorial service for Prof. Roelf Visser, Director of Residence Affairs and Accommodation, was held last Friday morning at Universiteitoord on Duxbury Road. Prof. Roelf Visser died on 31 January at the age of 55. He had been diagnosed with lymphoma, a kind of blood cancer that causes white blood cells to divide faster and live longer than average. The blood cells eventually form a tumour. The tumour may develop in the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, blood and organs. In his passing, Prof. Visser leaves behind his wife Retha, their two daughters and their families. At the memorial service, Prof. Visser’s daughter Marguerite read a letter from his wife. Mrs Visser wrote of their long, happy marriage and mentioned how they had been friends since they were teenagers. Prof. Visser’s daughters and their husbands spoke about what an exemplary father Prof. Visser was and how much he loved them. Vice-Chancellor and Principal Prof. Cheryl de la Rey delivered a message at the funeral. Prof. De La Rey emphasised Prof. Visser’s contribution to the development of UP. She described how he rose in rank at UP from an assistant lecturer to the Director of Residence Affairs. She mentioned his contributions to TuksRes, especially his involvement in the establishment of TuksVillage and his influential role in changes to residence policies. Prof. De La Rey said that Prof. Visser had influenced the lives of many thousands of students. She said that UP worked out that Prof. Visser had had an impact on up to 75 000 students during his long career at UP. He was actively committed to his role as head of residences, Prof. De La Rey said. Prof. Niek Grové, UP’s Registrar, delivered the eulogy. He echoed many of Prof. De La Rey’s sentiments and expressed how dedicated Prof. Visser was to his work. He mentioned that

Perdeby

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

year76issue03

WeChat: IM future or flop?

Knot good enough: should you ditch getting hitched?

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

year76issue04

P12 P10 AfriForum Youth takes a stand against e-tolls P7

AfriForum Youth has called on students to sign an online petition against e-tolls. Image provided. MOLEBOGENG MANGOALE According to a media statement released by Afriforum Youth, the organisation has taken a stand against e-tolls. AfriForum maintains that many students at UP are against e-tolls and have started a campaign against the tolling system. Afriforum made a banner with students’ footprints painted on to show their protest. “Most students do not earn an income. Those who do have an unpredictable income that is far below the tax threshold. Students can apply for personal loans to get the necessary financing to study, but these loans are expensive and have to be

and was significant in establishing the Department of Residence Affairs and Accommodation the following year. Prof. Visser was also the president of the South African Chapter of the Association of College and University Housing Officers International. In 2011, ACUHO-I presented Prof. Visser with the Presidential Service award for his outstanding contribution to the organisation. Prof. Visser achieved remarkable academic and professional success in his career but also had a lasting impact on thousands of students at UP through his work at TuksRes. He was passionate about the wellbeing of students. Prof. Visser will be sorely missed.

Dying to bring your imagination to life

repaid at a massive interest rate. There are students who travel from their home towns to their respective universities every day, and such an individual trip can cost up to R178. All students are affected by the system,” said Rochelle Oosthuyse, chairperson of AfriForum at UP. “Student support is incredible. They were first suspicious, but once the students have grasped the symbolism, they were only too eager to jump. The campaign has been a great success,” said Henk Maree, the national chairperson of AfriForum Youth, in the media statement. The youth organisation has launched an online petition to mobilise students against the e-tolling system. AfriForum Youth

maintains that the aim of the petition is to make government and the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) aware that students cannot afford to pay e-tolls. The petition is aimed to reach students across all universities in Gauteng, Free State and North-West. In October 2013 President Jacob Zuma said at an ANC rally in Johannesburg that students may be exempted from paying e-tolls. The government has taken a decision that taxis and minibuses will not pay for e-tolls as it is in the best interests of the poor. AfriForum Youth also says that students should be exempted from paying e-tolls as they have no fixed income.

University fees on the rise

Alleged racist attack at University of the Free State

Photo provided

Two students from the University of the Free State (UFS) appeared in court last week after assaulting another student in an apparent racist attack. Charl Blom and Cobus Muller were released on a warning at the Bloemfontein Magistrate court, Times Live reported. They were charged with attempted murder, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and reckless and negligent driving. According to Times Live, Dumane Gwebu, a fifth-year economics student, was admitted to hospital last week Monday after he was attacked on his way home from campus. It is reported that the perpetrators ran over Gwebu in a bakkie and when he confronted them later on, they assaulted him. The assailants had allegedly tried to drive over three female students before they hit Gwebu. The accused allegedly continued to call him a “k****r”. “It is clear that I am penalised for being black. Their intention was to kill ... now they are out,” Gwebu told reporters outside court. He said that at UFS being called a k****r is common. Gwebu continued to say that he did not understand why Muller and Blom attacked him. He criticised the justice system for releasing the pair on a warning. “Messages like this mean that students will continue to live in universities surrounded by racism,” he said. The vice-chancellor of UFS, Prof. Jonathan Jansen, told the media that that the motive for the attack may very well be racist but that they do not know this for sure yet. “It is so sad and disappointing that, after so much progress with the social transformation of the university, such a horrific incident could have occurred,” Prof. Jansen told Times Live. He added that, if found guilty, in the criminal investigations against them, the two students would not be permitted to continue to study at the university. However, it is reported that students at UFS are not surprised by the attack. They maintain that for the past two weeks there

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His body was found alongside this stream. Image: fourwaysreview.co.za

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

17March2014

Reviews

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P3 HUMPHREY MOKOENA

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The SRC’s offices are in the Roosmaryn building on UP Hatfield Campus. Photo: Brad Donald

Arcadia and Prinshof to Hatfield bus services. Students with a driving licence would be able to apply for a UP driving licence and be employed

to drive the minivans which will replace the buses. The SRC also aims to lobby for the library

to be open 24 hours a day and students in the programme would be able to do shifts working at the library. The SRC also said that they would like to make administrative posts available as part of the programme. The SRC was not able to confirm how much of the students’ tuition fees would be debited for each month’s work, but they confirmed that it would be within the standards of South Africa’s labour laws. Lotter said that working for the university should not mean that students neglect their studies. “It will be extremely important that this programme doesn’t affect anyone’s academics, which is why academic performance will be taken into consideration when students apply for the programme. We will also establish a working system whereby students do not do shifts within a certain time frame of semester tests and exams,” Lotter said. The proposal for the work for study programme is expected to be finalised this week and will then be presented to university management. Lotter said that the SRC hopes to have a fully established programme in place by the end of this year and a formal programme implemented at the beginning of 2015.

Concern over high food prices at new dining hall TEBOGO TSHWANE UP has established a new dining hall for the Sport campus residences. Seven residences, excluding TuksVillage, are now making use of the TuksMonate dining hall, which services approximately 2 000 students. All other dining halls on the campus have since been closed. The main concern students have with the new dining hall is the increase in food prices. Stephan le Roux, a second-year BCom student said, “It’s too expensive. With the new dining hall they said they were going to make it cheaper but it’s more expensive.” Bakithi Mngomezulu, a first-year BCom student, mentioned how the prices are too expensive for what is offered. “The prices are too inflated compared to what you receive. If you look at the meals sometimes, I don’t think you are getting your money’s worth because they charge you R33 for two russians and chips,” said Mngomezulu. TuksRes’s Food Services division told Perdeby that the meals are fairly priced. Students complain that chicken costs the same as red meat, but Food Services maintain that chicken and red meat are along the same grade. They also added that their food prices will remain the same for the whole year, regardless of the country’s economic fluctuations. One of the changes implemented with the new dining hall is that students do not have to book meals in advance. Some students have complained that because of this, certain meals tend to finish quickly. This has also led to long queues. Other students, however, say that the fact that they do not have to book meals in advance is convenient for them. “It’s better this way, I know some of my friends in other residences book their meals and then something comes up during the day and they can’t make

Spec-Savers Hillcrest Shop 13, Hillcrest Boulevard Cnr of Duxbury and Lynnwood str. Hillcrest 0123623144

this year. If it continues to increase at the same rate, it will be R5 200 next year. The residence reservation levy also increased from R4 600 in 2013 to R5 200 this year. This means that students who stay in residences had to pay R9 800 before they could register for their studies in 2014. Students at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) had to pay R9 340. In addition to the registration fee, international students at UP have to pay an additional levy of R2 500. Tonderai Matanda, second-year BA Law student said that as an international student, he had to pay the levy as well as medical aid premiums of R4 188 before he could register. “It is a burden to say the least. Times are tough and the increase in fees is a slap in the face,” he said. Residence fees have also increased. A single room cost R24

100 in 2013 and it now costs R29 700 this year. Single rooms at newly renovated residences like Boekenhout and Olienhout cost R32 000. Gambu Zitha, a second-year LLB student, said that he felt the increases were justified as the university has to maintain its facilities and needs the money to do so. At UP, the first-year Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery fees amount to R39 170. At Wits, the fees amount to R52 030 and at Stellenbosch University (SU) to R46 254. A BCom Accounting Sciences degree programme costs R25 320 at first-year level at UP, while it costs R37 380 at Wits and R33 881 at SU.

supper, so they forfeit that money,” said Andrew Cox, a first-year BSc student. Second-year BCom student Leandra Sewell said, “I prefer the fact that we don’t have to book anymore, because sometimes when you had to book, [it’s either] you did not have time to book or you forgot. Now you can just come here, see what they have [and] if you don’t like it you don’t have to eat it.”

Another problem that students have with the new dining hall is its distance. Jonathan Duurman, a second-year town and regional planning student, said, “My problem with the dining hall, when it’s raining especially, is that I have to walk in the rain or borrow someone else’s umbrella to get there.” Dr Peter Martins, director of Food Services at UP, said that the changes came as a result of the

university to adhere to government regulations. “Renovating the old dining halls of each res in order to bring them up to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points standards would have meant more money, and students’ fees would increase as well. This was the best option financially.” Send your comments on the new dining hall to perdeby@up.ac.za

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Suspect caught stealing car

Skrillex releases surprise album

14April2014

Tuks crash out of Varsity Cup

MAXINE TWADDLE The ANC national executive committee’s education and health sub-committee said last Monday that it aims to implement a programme requiring graduates to do a year of community service within the next five years. Graduates will be required to participate in the programme regardless of whether their degree was funded privately or by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The programme replaces the graduate tax which was proposed at the ANC’s Mangaung elective conference last year. Delegates asked that the conference consider taxing people who graduate from institutions of higher education. The money raised from this tax was intended to be used for NSFAS, which would then be able to fund more undergraduate students. The proposal was rejected after public uproar. The committee then proposed that graduates whose degrees were financed by bursaries or loans (including NSFAS) be required to perform a year of community service. This was then expanded to include all graduates. Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor, who chairs the committee, said that this would allow graduates to gain experience before they enter the job market. She said that graduates should consider how the community service can benefit them instead of only considering it a delay in their career. Nthabiseng Nooe, an engineering and environmental geology honours student, agrees and said, “Service to others is by far the most important aspect of personal development. Academia places a high emphasis on the individual, which is great because graduates need to be given credit for their work. But what is the real value of your grades?”

Illustration: Simon-Kai Garvie

Nooe added that, “A year of community service can show graduates the social application of their studies while also raising awareness of potential clients should one work for a corporate later.” Edward Hall, who is doing his postgraduate certificate in education, told Perdeby on Twitter that the programme could “evolve an elite group of people” who display both mental and intellectual strength. He added that, although there would be a greater gap between skilled

and unskilled workers, the development for graduate students would be “great”. Ngeti Zwane, a final-year political science student, tweeted, “Just imagine a mathematics/actuarial [sciences] graduate teaching mathematics or being part of strategic thinkers at municipal level.” Not all students are excited at the prospect of having to undertake a year of mandatory community service. Some students have expressed concern about how they will finance

themselves during this year while others are doubtful as to how efficiently the programme will be enforced and monitored. Dr Laurel Becker, a senior lecturer from the Faculty of Education, said that, “Very careful planning will be needed if the plan is to be successful. One of the problems that will arise is already evident, in that many students who have bursaries will be unable to do community service as they are bound by the terms of their bursaries to begin working immediately in the company or the organisation that awarded the bursary.” She added that it would be a good idea to give graduates who are unable to find employment the option of doing a year’s worth of community service in order to gain experience in fields that are relevant to their degrees. “I am of the opinion that any sweeping decisions will prove to be unrealistic. When graduates find immediate employment, they are able to enter the job market and are then in a position to contribute to the economy in a meaningful way.” Ntsako Risenga, a final-year LLB student, said that the programme is a good initiative but added, “Unless they are going to fund the expenses incurred in getting the graduates places where they can do [community service], it will be a nightmare to administer and ensure proper and efficient participation.” In a statement issued on the same day as the ANC’s announcement, AfriForum Youth said that the programme would result in graduates leaving the country to work overseas. What do you think of the proposed programme? Send an email to perdeby@up.ac. za, tweet @perdebynews or vote on our online poll.

Perdeby a and Sonop w n Se

A number of UP students have been forced to drop out due to the shortage of National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funds. NSFAS failed to cover the 2013 fees of many students and, consequently, these students have been unable to register for the 2014 academic year. Earlier in January, the South African Students Congress (Sasco) embarked on a national strike at universities such as the Tshwane University of Technology, the University of Johannesburg and the Durban University of Technology. Due to the national strike Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande allocated R1 billion to NSFAS to settle outstanding fees from 2013. At UP, outstanding fees from last year have still not been settled and students are still unable to register. Having recognised the problem, the university made provision that students with outstanding funds due to NSFAS could register for 2014, provided that they had achieved an academic average of over 50% and that a complete application for financial aid for 2014 had previously been submitted. The university said that students who did not fall into this category needed to make payment arrangements with Student Accounts. This arrangement included the stipulation that at least 50% of

the outstanding fees had to have been paid or covered by external funding before registration could be approved. The university says that it is aware of the announcement that has been made by the minister regarding the R1 billion allocation, but that it has not received an allocation for historic debt funding from NSFAS to date. “Should UP receive historic debt funding, qualifying students will be informed accordingly,” said the registrar’s office. In February the university opened up late applications for 24 hours for students who had not applied for financial aid for 2014. Only a few students could register. It is not clear what selection was based on or how many students registered. The registrar’s office said that, “It has always been communicated to students that an application for NSFAS funding does not guarantee an award [of a place at UP]. Certain NSFAS criteria and academic criteria need to be met in order to qualify for an award. Many students who applied for NSFAS did not qualify for awards.” “In addition to this, awards were subject to availability of funding, resulting in students who theoretically qualifying for awards not receiving any awards. UP acts as an agent for NSFAS and administers funding on the behalf of NSFAS.

Criteria and funding for awards are determined by NSFAS.” Selina Bojosi, a third-year BIS Publishing student, had to leave UP due to NSFAS’s lack of funds. Bojosi had received an internship that would also fund her studies this year, but ended up losing it because she was unable to register as a student for 2014. Bojosi owes R65 000 to the university. She told Perdeby that NSFAS did not send her an SMS to inform her to sign a contract last year. When she first inquired at the bursaries and loans section of Client Service Centre (CSC), she was told that her NSFAS application had not gone through. When she went to the CSC again, she was told that there was a shortage of funds. Bojosi said that although she has still not seen her final results due to the outstanding debt, she managed to find out from one of the employees at the NSFAS offices that she got an average of 61%. This means that, according to the provision that UP has made, Bojosi would have been eligible to register. She said that she was informed by NSFAS that the only reason why she cannot register is because she did not apply for NSFAS this year. Bojosi maintains that she did not apply because of her internship. Bojosi said that she was told that there is nothing that can be done to assist her.

Another Tuks student, a BA Law student that wishes to remain anonymous, said that he applied for NSFAS funding last year and was also told that funds had run out. He owed a total of R104 000 to UP. He was only able to register once he managed to find a sponsor that paid R64 000 of what he owed the university. He added that if NSFAS does not settle his outstanding fees, he will be faced with the same situation next year as his sponsor will not pay more. “All this time I did not have access to my final results. They told me that they could not help me and took me to Student Support. There I was advised by the psychologist that I should go and work,” he said. “The only thing I got [from NSFAS] was the R3 000 Eduloan card for books. They told me that I should wait for historic debt funding for 2014. When I did approach them this year they told me that there was no money,” he said. He added that he has been sleeping in the library for the first two months of the year as he did not have accommodation. It was only after he was able to register that he was placed in a residence. UP has said that it can assist students who applied for financial aid with university-managed loans. The maximum value of these loans is R20 000 and the student must provide two guarantors for the loan.

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Con o

on pu o

Red Bull Campus Cricket

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Homosexuality illegal

year76issue07

Menlyn DriveIn closes down

Dreams: the scientific view

AmaTuks stun Pirates

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Dan Patlansky interview

Homosexuality legal Same-sex marriage legal

Homosexuality is illegal in many African countries. Image: Maxine Twaddle

ANC The ANC, founded in January 1912, is the oldest party participating in the elections. They have been the ruling party on a national level since 1994 and are currently being led by President Jacob Zuma. Their mission is to move South Africa forward as well as fight crime and corruption. Cope The Congress of the People, currently led by Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota, is a party that was formed in December 2008 by former ANC members. Their main objective is to “take political power at the polls and deliver better government to South Africa”. DA Lead by Helen Zille, the DA has been the official opposition to the ANC on a national level since the 1999 election (known then as the Democratic Party). The DA was founded in June 2000, and according to their website, they aim for an “open opportunity society in which every person is free, secure and equal, where everyone has the opportunity to improve the quality of his life and pursue her dreams, and in which every language and culture has equal respect and recognition”. EFF Founded in August 2013 by expelled ANC Youth League President Julius Malema, the EFF party seems to have divided ANC supporters. Borain said that, “The EFF is getting surprising traction and is fighting a vigorous and interesting campaign.” They aim to focus on revolutionary cultural values and to create conditions that ensure total political and economic emancipation. VF+ Lead by Pieter Mulder, the Freedom Front Plus (Vryheidsfront Plus) was founded in March 1994. Their mission is to realise the rights of the Afrikaans community. With the final list of political party candidates only being released on 22 April, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has more than 300 parties on their potential candidate list. It is because of this reason that you have to familiarise yourself with the major parties and their manifestos. The importance of voting cannot be stressed enough. Though some people may experience feelings of apathy towards politics or elections, casting your vote contributes to the future of South Africa and gives you the opportunity to make your voice heard. By excluding yourself from voting you are rejecting your right to have a say in how South Africa is governed.

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Affirmative action Agang SA To amend discrimination and unfairness in the workplace and to enable white citizens to share their skills, expertise and wealth to build South Africa. ANC To strengthen the existing affirmative action laws for a faster transformation of the workplace and to strive for equal representation in the workplace according to population demographics. Cope To strengthen the application of affirmative action laws to include women, youth, and previously disadvantaged people from rural areas. DA To find a balance between affirmative action and equal opportunities for all, to improve BEE so that it rewards companies that invest in their workers and to create jobs. EFF To reinforce affirmative action laws to ensure that all previously disadvantaged citizens benefit and to prioritise the employment of people with disabilities, black people and women of all races. VF+ To scrap affirmative action to ensure that employment is based on merit and not race.

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EFF’s banner. Photo: Hendro van der Merwe

EFF Tuks says that they advocate English as the only teaching language at the university. EFF Tuks has called for free tertiary education and has expressed its discontent with issues currently surrounding NSFAS which resulted in a number of UP students being unable to register due to outstanding fees. Mokoena said that it was disappointing to see UP students not engaging in a

demonstration like other universities. “The political societies that are currently in this institution did not do anything about this situation, which means they are indeed failing the working class students,” he said. EFF Tuks told Perdeby that it is yet to release its manifesto and that it plans to participate in the SRC elections later this year.

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Perdeby

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

Image: Brad Donald

Elections will be held on 7 May and some are referring to them as the most contested elections since the start of democracy in South Africa. Since 1994 the ANC has largely dominated the polls, however, with the current build up to the elections, the possibility of yet another landslide ANC victory could be under question. There has been an increase in service delivery protests, corruption, new parties, and even old allies of the ANC, like Julius Malema, who have shunned away from the party. Will factors such as e-tolls, the Nkandla scandal and even the fact that Nigeria has officially surpassed South Africa as the biggest African economy, influence where you make your mark? Dr JCM Venter, lecturer at the School of Social and Government Studies at the NorthWest University, said in his article titled “The 2014 election: the need to participate and the major parties” that, “The democratic principle of contestation allows everyone the opportunity to now vote for or against their principles (and that of any other party) and this will make a difference especially as we stand in the era where the dominance of the ANC and therefore the one-party system in South Africa is beginning to falter.” Making an informed decision when it comes to casting your vote may seem intimidating given the limited experience most students have when it comes to elections. Independent political analyst Nicholas Borain told Perdeby that the best way to establish which party you will be voting for is to, “Read the manifestos, listen to the speeches, examine the character and history of those who lead the party and ask yourself if you have specific interests that are better represented by one party more than any other.” He goes on to add that you should also consider national interests that are broader than your own personal interests when you make this decision. Perdeby looked at the election manifestos of six major parties contesting the election. Agang SA Agang, led by anti-apartheid activist Dr Mamphela Ramphele, is a young party that was formed in February 2013. The name means “build” in Sesotho and according to AgangSA. org.za, Agang stands for a “clean government to restore the promise of freedom to all South Africans: equality, dignity and hope for all”. According to Borain, Agang presents itself as “a clear and articulate opponent to government corruption”.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Tuks branch was launched two weeks ago and has been registered as an official political society at UP. Last week during marketing week, the newly formed political society recruited 108 new members in two days at Hatfield campus. EFF Tuks recruited an overall 230 members. Ditswhanelo Mokoena, EFF Tuks coordinator, said that the party feels that Tuks students are not properly represented. Mokoena said that EFF Tuks’s goal is to make sure that the needs and struggles of poor and working class students are recognised. “We must try to fight inequality and injustice at this institution,” said Mokoena. EFF Tuks held its first general meeting with students on 27 February. Issues that were raised at the meeting included the prevailing National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) crisis, the discontinuation of buses to Sunnyside and Arcadia and the lack of transport to Prinshof campus. EFF Tuks said that it is also concerned with issues such as high residence fees and residence food prices, as well as the quality of food in dining halls. Nqobile Mhlongo, the convener of EFF Tuks, also mentioned that students have raised their concerns about different exam scopes being given to English and Afrikaans classes in the same modules, which she alleges usually benefits Afrikaans classes.

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year76issue11

ANC wins national election LIESE-MARIÉ HEYNES AND MAXINE TWADDLE

MAGGIE ROODT

Photos: Hendro van der Merwe and Brad Donald

Economic Freedom Fighters launch Tuks branch MOLEBOGENG MANGOALE

TuksAthletics comes out trumps

RAMfest P6 & P7

Homosexuality punished by death

12May2014

H fi d Sunn d ob m g

nd A

on nu

The ANC fell short of winning two-thirds majority in the national elections held last week Wednesday by about 4%. Although the ANC was still the overwhelming favourite, its majority hold has decreased from 65.9% of the vote in 2009. In this year’s election, the leading party won 62.15%, or 11 436 921, of the votes cast. Support for the ANC in Gauteng dropped to 53.99% this year from 64.04% in 2009. Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba said that the ANC is not concerned about this decrease or the votes cast against the organisation. “The ANC can’t win a whopping 62% and then complain about the other 38%,” he said at ANC headquarters Luthuli House on Sunday. Gigaba said that the ANC being voted into power again is “also an exciting moment because it says that we can now continue implementing the programmes that we have promised that we are going to implement”. Gigaba highlighted four points that motiva

Education Agang SA To improve training for teachers and to introduce a minimum pass rate of 50% for all subjects and all grades. ANC To make two years of pre-school education compulsory, to eradicate adult illiteracy and to open two new universities. Cope To establish a national literacy campaign and to increase the minimum pass rate. DA To educate more than 15 000 teachers per year and to ensure that every school has basic resources and services as well as to align education outcomes with workplace needs and to expand NSFAS assistance. EFF To offer free quality education funded by an education tax on corporations and to develop and expand tertiary institutions. VF+ To provide mother-tongue education.

Employment Agang SA To emphasise skills training at school level, to establish skills development programmes and also fund on-the-job training. ANC To promote local procurement and to create six million job opportunities through job placement and internship schemes. Cope To support national development plans and to ensure that small and medium enterprises receive more support from government as well as to supply affordable loans to new enterprises. DA To attract investment in labour-intensive industries and to create seven million job opportunities through an expanded public works programme. EFF To secure industry development and to implement minimum wage. VF+ To actively restrict and prohibit strikes and to favour a wage subsidy.

Read about crime and corruption policies online.

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Perdeby

o now

Mbali Ntuli was at the protest. Photo: Brad Donald

Perdeby

year76issue10

Asking Alexandria to perform in SA

Howard Armistead, an American HIV activist, said that people must be concerned with the gross human rights violations in Uganda. “Every person in the world must be denouncing what happened in Uganda,” he said. On 24 February, President Yoweri Museveni signed the anti-gay bill into law despite resistance from gay rights groups and western donors. “There is no scientific justification for homosexuality, it is just a matter of choice,” Museveni said. US Secretary of State John Kerry has compared the law to apartheid in South Africa. Last week Tuesday, the Department of International Relations released a statement saying that they took note of developments regarding the situation of lesbians, gays, bisexual, transsexual and intersex persons (LGBTI) in the world but did not condemn Uganda’s new law. “We are disappointed in the government’s handling of the issue. We want them to condemn the law, merely taking note of it is not enough,” Ntuli said. Juanita Kallychurn, a second-year LLB student and Daso member, said, “We [Daso] support the gay and lesbian community because of the persecution they experience, in this country and on the continent as a whole. I am here because I believe in equality for all people regardless of race, religion or sexuality.” Third-year BEd student Kholwa Shingwenyana said, “I am bisexual and I have a right to love whoever I want to love. Sentencing someone to life in jail just because they are gay is just the same as taking their lives.” The Ugandan officials did not respond to the protest.

“We are happy to see young people fighting for human rights. No government has the right to tell people who to love.”

2014 elections: make your mark

Perdeby

e 2014

Born free and now free to vote in 2014

Oscar trial update

The Tuks branch of Daso last Thursday joined a national protest by the DA Youth outside the Ugandan High Commission. The protest was against an anti-gay law that was recently passed by the Ugandan government. The law criminalises homosexuality and prescribes sentences as harsh as life-imprisonment. James Lotter, SRC deputy secretary and chairperson of Daso at Tuks said, “What is happening in Uganda is a serious case of human rights abuse. We, as Daso, advocate for human rights and are joining this protest today to show support for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters there.” He added that the South African government’s failure to condemn the passing of the bill is a sign of its lack of commitment to the protection of human rights. National DA Youth leader Mbali Ntuli also attended the protest. “We are happy to see young people fighting for human rights. No government has the right to tell people who to love,” she said. Ntuli also said that the aim of the protest was to get the South African government to publicly condemn the bill as unacceptable and to offer asylum to gay and lesbian Ugandans who were “ousted” by the media there. Shortly after Ntuli’s arrival, the police arrived and told the protesters that it was an illegal gathering as they had not applied to the city council for permission to gather and protest. “We were only expecting 15 people but evidently many young people feel strongly about the issue and that is why they are here,” Ntuli said. Some locals also joined in the protest.

Handling winter on a student budget

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

year76issue09

Twenty years of equal rights

known as the student court), presided over the forum. Dr Matete Madiba, the director of Student Affairs, and Dr Willem Jorissen, the deputy director of Student Affairs, also attended the meeting. SRC President Enwee Human listed the SRC’s strategic objectives for 2014. He said that the SRC’s vision for 2014 is to implement “world class student leadership in achieving transformation and sustainable student success”.

As part of its goals for the year, the SRC aims to enhance student life, including enhancing student life for students with special needs. The SRC also aims to increase financial opportunities for students and is investigating a proposed work for study programme. This programme has been proposed as a solution for students who are unable to pay their tuition fees. In return for working for the university, students would have money taken off their tuition account. One of the SRC’s aims for the year is to increase Tukkie pride. Human told the forum that, “We want to make sure you’ll always love the university you went to.” To achieve this goal, the SRC encourages students to wear university branded clothing on Thursdays. When concerns were raised about the cost of such clothing, Human said that the SRC is negotiating with Wannabee to reduce prices. The SRC’s final objective of the year is to amend parts of the Constitution for Student Governance. Like last year, students will be consulted during this process. SRC Treasurer Arno Burger tabled the SRC’s budget for 2014, which amounted to R1.5 million. He unpacked individual allocations according to portfolios. The forum raised questions about the R50 000 that was allocated to the SRC Aid Fund as opposed to the R127 000 set aside for the SRC’s annual dinner. Human said that the SRC would look further into the matter. Other issues that were highlighted at the forum included financial exclusion of NSFAS students, the criteria for residence placement, extending the bus route to Arcadia/Sunnyside and Prinshof campus, and student parking. Human said that talks with NSFAS have begun and that a national meeting of SRCs from universities across the country is scheduled later this year to address the challenge of a lack of funds made available by NSFAS.

Perdeby

P10 P8 P12 P3 Compulsory community service for graduates?

The first Student Forum meeting was held last week Wednesday. The forum is a replacement of the Student Parliament, to which the SRC was previously accountable to. The forum consists of the SRC as well as the heads of faculty houses, societies, and residence and day house HKs. Emile Zitske, the chief justice of the Constitutional Tribunal (formerly

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

NSFAS shortfalls force students to drop out

The TuksMonate dining hall on Sport campus. Photo: Paul dos Santos

SRC President Enwee Human addressing the Student Forum. Photo: Brad Donald

DAN MAFORA AND FUMI SOKO

Perdeby

MOLEBOGENG MANGOALE

DAN MAFORA The cost of higher education in South Africa has become increasingly expensive, making it more difficult for students to access it. According to IOL News, university fees have increased by 8-12% in the last year. UP’s media liaison officer Nicolize Mulder said that UP’s fee increase came as a result of a decrease in the government’s subsidies to universities, inflation in the higher education sector that exceeds the country’s official inflation rate, and the increase in costs of municipal services. UP’s registration fee increased from R4 100 in 2013 to R4 600

this week to submit a memorandum demanding that the matter be dealt with effectively. “Not much has been done and the non-racism project hasn’t been achieved. The university took two days to respond to this incident,” he said. Muller and Blom are set to appear in court again in April.

First quarterly sitting of the Student Forum

Graphic: Brad Donald

24March2014

CSA Centre of Excellence

SRC proposes work for study programme The SRC has proposed a work for study programme that aims to increase financial opportunities for students who are struggling to pay off their tuition fees. This is in accordance with their strategic aim to assist students who struggle financially. The work for study programme will involve employing students to work for the university and, instead of paying them directly, will deduct money off their tuition accounts. James Lotter, the deputy secretary of the SRC, is a key member involved in this project. He said that the project was part of the 2013 Daso election manifesto. “NSFAS has many flaws and we are looking at more alternative solutions for students to receive financial aid. The work for study programme is another platform that creates opportunities for students to gain access to financial aid and at the same time students will leave the university with work experience,” he said. The programme is intended to target financially needy students who are performing well academically. Some of the projects that students might expect to be a part of include the idea of re-establishing the Sunnyside to

Fees at UP have increased this year. Photo: Eddie Mafa

year76issue08

Do antidepressants kill the mood?

Oscar Pistorius trial update

Exclusive interview with Karin Prinsloo

P12 P4 P7 P9 Daso protests against Uganda’s anti-gay law

DAN MAFORA

MOLEBOGENG MANGOALE

Ronald Uys went missing on 29 January. Image: fourwaysreview.co.za

• Walk away from a heated argument to prevent it from turning violent. • Do not carry illegal or dangerous weapons. The presence of a weapon could escalate a tense situation. Section 3 (1) of the Dangerous Weapons Act of 2013 (Act No. 15 of 2013) stipulates that any person who is in possession of any dangerous weapon under circumstances which may raise a reasonable suspicion that the person intends to use the dangerous weapon for an unlawful purpose, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years. • Avoid excessive drinking. Alcohol impairs judgement and prevents you from protecting yourself effectively. • Do not walk alone late at night. Walk in groups and take well-lit routes. • Be aware of your surroundings. • Do not use a cell phone or listen to music while walking.

Daso protested outside the Ugandan High Commission last Thursday. Photo: Brad Donald

The University of Free State’s Main Building. Image: panoramio.com

have been isolated incidents of racism at the university and that management has been sweeping them under the carpet. The UFS SRC has demanded action within 14 days. Phiwe Mathe, the SRC president of UFS, told Eusebius McKaiser on Power FM that they will march to the vice-chancellor’s office

Tuks student found dead Ronald Patrick Uys, a 27-year-old UP student, was found dead in a veld near the Chilli Lane shopping centre in Sunninghill last Wednesday. Uys’s body was found near a stream after a five-day search. Uys’s car was found in the Sandton area on the same day. Uys went missing on 29 January and, according to Fourways Review, he was travelling to Paulshof at the time of his disappearance. He may have passed through Diepsloot, Dainfern and Fourways. Fourways Review reported that Uys’s housemates contacted his family on 31 January after he had not returned home two nights in a row. Spokesperson of the Sandton police station Captain Kym Cloete said that the police do not suspect foul play but are waiting for a post-mortem to be conducted to establish the cause of death, Fourways Review reported. Perdeby contacted Lynden Uys, Uys’s stepmother, but she declined to comment.

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Brooklyn SAPS has compiled a list of precautionary measures students can take to reduce the risk of being a victim of such an incident:

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

10March2014

year76issue06

RAMfest: The sleeping beast

NWU comes under spotlight

attack. A case of assault has been opened at Brooklyn Police Station. Any person who witnessed the assault or who might have information that might assist police in this case can contact the Brooklyn Police Station. “Students can assist the police [by] assuming responsibility for their own safety and the security of their belongings by taking simple, common sense precautions,” said Captain Weilbach.

Perdeby

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

03March2014

The National Budget

Olienhout house father David Raats told Perdeby that he does not think that the boys were involved in the fight that took place at the Square. He added that there have been reports of men in their 20s going to Square with the intention of starting fights. “I have heard it often that around this time of the year a lot of people go to the Square looking for trouble. For some reason students from res are easy targets for these people.” He also mentioned that the victim is not the type of person who gets into fights. “He is a mellow guy. He is not the type of guy who looks for trouble.” The victim’s mother told Perdeby that the incident has been shocking and traumatic for the whole family. She added that both the residence and the university have been very supportive and have offered to assist the family with counselling should they need it. The student was released from hospital on 29 January and is back at Olienhout. Apart from stitches and some swelling, he is recovering well. He said that that the attack “could have been much worse, I could have died. I am feeling fine”. He will have to undergo more surgery to replace the teeth that he lost in the

treatment,” said Brooklyn Police spokesperson Captain Colette Weilbach. A third student, who is also an Olienhout resident, witnessed the attack and tried to assist the victim. He suffered minor injuries from his altercation with the suspect. The suspect fled the scene shortly afterwards in a car that had just arrived. The victim was immediately admitted to Muelmed Hospital. He suffered from fractured cheek and temporal bones and also lost three of his teeth. He underwent surgery on 28 January. A specialist from the hospital told the victim’s family that had the brick hit him one centimetre above, he could have sustained serious brain damage or even died.

Perdeby

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“For some reason students from res are easy targets for these people.”

MOLEBOGENG MANGOALE

Prof. Visser was passionate about all people. Prof. Yolanda Jordaan, head of Marketing Management, thanked Prof. Visser’s wife for being his support and allowing him to live his dream. She also thanked Mrs Visser for her work as a house parent at both Taaibos and Magrietjie. Prof. Visser was born in Volkrust in February 1957. He studied quantity surveying at UP. He completed his BSc, Masters and PhD degrees at UP before taking a job at the university as associate professor in 1999. Prof. Visser served as the head of residence for Taaibos (1994-1997) and for Magrietjie (19982003). In 2003, Prof. Visser was appointed coordinator of residences

UP worked out that Prof. Visser had had an impact on up to 75 000 students during his long career at UP.

UP aims to go green the fun way

At this point the motive for the attack is still unclear. Nothing was stolen from the students and the witnesses say that the attacker did not ask for any of their possessions. Police are investigating the possible motive. “It seems that the victim and his friends observed a fight in Hatfield shortly before the incident,” said Captain Weilbach.

He suffered from fractured cheek and temporal bones and also lost three of his teeth.

year76issue05 Green Week edition

24February2014

Ienk Athletics 2014

Neknominations

The future of wearable technology

Is safety still a problem in Hatfield?

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Olienhout student attacked in Hatfield

A second-year Olienhout resident was attacked outside Hatfield Square on 24 January. The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, was hit repeatedly in the face with a brick during the attack, which occurred around 04:30. The victim was with a friend on Prospect Street just outside the Madelief residence when the attack happened. They had decided to walk back to Olienhout after their lift did not arrive. “They were on their way to Duncan Street when they heard someone approaching from behind. The student alleges that he was hit in the face with a brick by an unknown man when he looked back. He sustained head injuries and was taken to a local hospital for

UP’s Hatfield campus as seen from the Humanities Building. Photo: Brad Donald and Reinhard Nell

Perdeby

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

10February2014

Varsity Cup

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Perdeby

Ienkmelodienk 2014

An Olienhout resident was attacked on Prospect Street on 24 January. Photo: Brad Donald

KEEPING STUDENTS HEALTHY FOR OVER 50 YEARS

Accommodation still a crisis for students

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The Google effect

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Perdeby

Editorial

Let’s talk about transformation

www.perdeby.co.za perdeby@up.ac.za m.perdeby.co.za @perdebynews @PerdebySport @PerdebyE Tel: (012) 420 6600

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Carel Willemse

carel.willemse@up.ac.za @Ed_in_Chief

Editor Michal-Maré Linden

perdeby@up.ac.za @MicsLinden

News Michael Bongani Reinders Features Maggie Roodt

news@perdeby.co.za @Mike_Bongani features@perdeby.co.za @Maggiejroodt

Entertainment Elmarie Kruger Sport Simphiwe Nhlabathi

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Teams Layout Ashleigh Batchelor Craig Horrmann Jacob Swati Kriszti Bottyan Lusanda Futshane Nikita Mokgware Stacey Cabeleira Copy Christelle van Schalkwyk Emma Paulet Happy Mahlangu Jaco Stroebel Jessica Nogieć Rorisang Moloi Shannon Nauschutz Tshegofatso Ndabane Tshepho Mamashela Online Jarred van der Westhuizen Joane Olivier Lauren Neuhoff Mothusi Masibi Mpho Maphanga Richan Schwellnus Thabang Letageng

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Copyright Perdeby is printed by Paarlmedia. All rights reserved. Contributions are welcome. All due care will be taken with materials submitted, but Perdeby and printers cannot be held responsible for loss or damage. The editor reserves the right to edit, amend or alter in any way deemed necessary. Perdeby cannot be responsible for unsolicited material. The opinions expressed in Perdeby are not necessarily those of the editors and printers of Perdeby.

27 October 2014

When you run something as public as Perdeby, people will always find something to criticise online. Responding to these unfounded slurs is not productive, however what I can do is address the more urgent, valid points. Last week was no different. We published our 2015 editorial hello and were met almost immediately with several complaints that out of the ten editors there is only one person of colour and three females. I’m not denying this but I think students need to understand how the selection process for anything at Perdeby works. In terms of editorial, the decision is based

on merit. Our entire editorial are the absolute best people to lead each section. Some were chosen for their experience, some were chosen for their mad skills and all were chosen because if they weren’t on the editorial, we’d deliver a substandard Perdeby every week and you’d complain even more. To be selected for the editorial, you need to submit an application. I cannot force anyone to apply, so if only three females apply, there can only be a maximum of three females on the editorial. This process is exactly the same for the rest of the Perdeby team. We hire based on what someone can offer us in terms of skills and ideas. Regardless of that, I thought it would be interesting to analyse our demographics. Perdeby currently employs 94 people across nine sections. Of these employees, 49 (52%) are white, 45 (48%) are of colour, 44 (47%) are female and 50 (53%) are male. Keep in mind that there is no quota system in play here. This happened on its own. To achieve a 1:1 ratio, I would have to replace two white people with two people of colour and three males with three females – numbers insignificant enough to be petty. The university’s demographics do not match the national demographic, so it is only reasonable that it’s going to take a while for us to be fully representative of our national demographic. On the evening that these complaints came through, I hosted a general staff meeting and took particular care to analyse just how diverse we really are. I realised something. People whose ages ranged from 18 to 23 years sat side by side. There were drama students, law

From the Editor students, engineering students, physiotherapy students, IT students, marketing students, English students, education students, medical microbiology students and even an actuarial science student. Not only do these students speak English, there were also students who speak Shona, Afrikaans, Greek, Sepedi, Russian, Xhosa, French, Portuguese and Zulu. Some were born in Pretoria and others are complete foreigners. Some like girls and others like guys. Some are wealthy and some are on several loans just to finish the year. Some face physical, emotional or cognitive challenges and others went to schools for the gifted. If we pulled the bylines from all of our articles or didn’t publish the names and faces of the editorial, what would that mean for Perdeby? Not much, because this publication isn’t about race or gender. It is about providing content that is diverse and relevant to the student body at large as well as specific, smaller groups. If you don’t believe me, have a look through our past editions on issuu.com/perdeby and see how with each edition, the diversity and appeal grows. If we define diversity just by race or gender, we’re missing something crucial. None of us are two dimensional beings. Everyone has a backstory that makes them unique. Yes, we do need fair representation in the workplace in terms of race and gender but that shouldn’t prevent us from realising that true transformation is the ability to sit next to someone and not worry about their gender or race, but rather who they are as a person. Michal-Maré

Letters Do you have an issue you’d like us to engage with? Send a letter to perdeby@ up.ac.za. Please note our letter policy. The policy can be read online.

News

27 October 2014

Comparison between residence food prices and local competitors MAKHOSAZANA NDLOVU Kloostersaal and Tuks Monate provide catering services to approximately 8 400 students residing in the university residences, including Campus House and Urban Nest. However, students are concerned about the prices at Kloostersaal and Tuks Monate. The prices at Kloostersaal and Tuks Monate are the same, and Tuks Monate also has a mini-supermarket where students can purchase grocery items.

A final-year industrial engineering student, who wishes to remain anonymous, buys at both Kloostersaal and Tuks Monate and said, “Prices at Kloostersaal and Tuks Monate are very high, and since I am using a student loan it only provides 50% of my meals account which negatively affects my budget. It would be better if the school enables students to use their cards at grocery stores like Pick ‘n Pay, where prices are lower than Kloostersaal or Tuks Monate.” Martha Mmamagobo, a second-year social work student residing at Urban Nest, said, “The

price increments have badly affected my budget because there is little money left in my account and some of the products have been removed from the combos.” Peter Martin, the deputy director in charge of food services, said, “Our item sale prices are revised twice a year (1 January and 1 July) regardless of the regular increases in, for example, fuel price or price increase[s] by our suppliers. The department merely absorbs any increases within our mentioned dates.” Martin further said that “We are the only university

which provide[s] students with [a] food allowance (R14 000). We do communicate this to the students that the allowance is only 50% and they need to budget and load more funds to sustain them for the rest of the year. Our system allows students to get daily limits. It is the responsibility of the students to decide on how they spend their money.” Perdeby has compared the prices of TuksMonate and Kloostersaal with those of local competitors in the area. Photos: Hendro van der Merwe Infographic: Carel Willemse

A price comparison between Tuks Monate, Pick ‘n Pay and Spar

27 October 2014

News

2014: a year in review United Nations Day 2014: MICHAEL BONGANI REINDERS 2014 was a very eventful year for the University of Pretoria with many big stories being reported on and even broken in Perdeby. This is the final edition for the year and Perdeby is doing a review of the biggest stories and headlines of the past year. 3 February – Olienhout student attacked in Hatfield On 24 January a student from Olienhout residence was attacked and beaten with a brick outside Madelief residence on his way back from Hatfield Square in the early hours of the morning. The student was admitted to hospital for his injuries and was released on 29 January, having recovered well from the incident. The Brooklyn police implemented precautionary measures that students should employ to ensure their safety. 10 February – Rest in peace Prof. Visser Prof. Roelf Visser, the director of residence affairs and accommodation, died on 31 January from cancer at the age of 55. Perdeby gave a short profile of Prof. Visser as well as his lifetime achievements. He made a huge difference at the University and his death has left a void. 10 February – Tuks student found dead A 27-year-old UP student was found dead in a veld near a shopping centre in Sunninghill after he had been missing for five days. His car was found in Sandton and no specific details were available surrounding his disappearance and death. Economic Freedom Fighters launch Tuks branch – 10 March The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Tuks branch was launched earlier this year on Main campus. It was registered as an official political society at UP. EFF Tuks coordinator Ditswhanelo Mokoena said that the party feels that Tuks students are not properly represented. She also said that the main goal of EFF Tuks is to make sure that the needs and struggles of poor and working class students are recognised and addressed.

24 March – NSFAS shortfalls force students to drop out A number of UP students have been forced to drop out due to the shortage funds from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). NSFAS did not cover the fees of many students in 2013 and as a result many students were not able to register for the 2014 academic year. NSFAS had been their only means to fund their studies. 28 July – Controversial res decision put off for now UP postponed making a decision on splitting residences. Instead, the proposal to make Olienhout, Inca and Jasmyn exclusively firstyear residences, and Boekenhout, Asterhof and Lilium exclusively senior residences has been postponed until further discussion. The university had initially wanted to implement these proposed changes in 2015, but there was opposition from the university’s residences, causing the university to postpone the decision. 4 August – Lecturer found dead in alleged suicide A UP lecturer died after jumping from the 21st floor of the Humanities Building (HB) on UP’s Main campus. 44-year-old Danny NortjéRossouw was an accounting lecturer at the university. 1 September – Student jumps from Humanities Building A male student died after jumping from the Humanities Building (HB) on Main campus in an alleged suicide. The suicide came a few weeks after a lecturer had also committed suicide by jumping from the HB. The incident raised concerns over safety and precautionary measures that the university planned on putting in place after the first incident. 8 September – Rasethaba elected SRC president Mosibudi “Rassie” Rasethaba was elected 2014/2015 SRC president in the annual SRC elections. Rasethaba ran as an independent candidate. A total of 6 140 students voted in this year’s election. AfriForum Youth won six of the 12 SRC seats and Daso, EFF Tuks and Sasco got one seat each.

career and quiz event

UN Day keynote speakers. Photo: Brandon Dlamini

students, such as the modules that are useful to enrol in, to better their chances On Wednesday 22 October the United Nations of obtaining employment within the UN. They also suggested that students apply for Association of South Africa, in collaboration internships at specific sections in the UN and with the United Nations Information Centre, that they should find out about UN programs, hosted the annual UN Day career and quiz such as the Junior Political Officers program event at the University of Pretoria. The main aims of the event included raising which gives students a better chance of obtaining employment in UN agencies upon awareness among students about the UN completion. as an organisation and the potential career Kenneth Diole, a second-year BA Political opportunities available for students within the Sciences and International Relations student UN. and the organiser of the event, indicated to The event featured four guest speakers Perdeby that this year’s event was a success. from various agencies in the UN: Mr Walid However, he also acknowledged that some Badawi, the country director of the UN things could be improved upon. Diole said Development Programme in South Africa, Dr that attendance could be improved on next Habib Somanje, the health systems advisor year. In order to try and achieve this, Diole for the World Health Organisation’s South said that the organisation would use its African sector, Ms Cecilia Njenga, the marketing expertise to better advertise the head of office for the UN’s Environmental event. Programme in South Africa, and Ms Chantell The event ended with a discussion period Witten, a nutrition specialist from the UN Childrens Fund in South Africa. Each of these in which students could ask the speakers questions about the careers offered by the speakers gave information to students about UN, however the questions focused more on the sections of the UN they work for and the NEW K how plans to address or is currently specific mandates of each of these sections. ILLthe ERUN Dproblems L EAL facing the world. This EA D R LE IL K addressing They then gave their biographies and the EW N was followed by a quiz about the history of various routes they took to eventually attain the UN in which students could win small their current positions within the UN. prizes, mainly consisting of UN merchandise. The speakers gave practical advice to KEEGAN FRANCES

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27 October 2014

> Features

27 October 2014

Ebola research slowed by budget cuts SAVVA POUROULLIS Over 9000 cases of Ebola have been confirmed worldwide by the World Health Organisation (WHO), with the current death toll at almost 70%. The organisation also predicted that there could be 10 000 new cases per week by the end of December. Currently, there is no confirmed effective vaccine or antiviral drug. According to Dr. Francis Collins, director of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the US "would have had a vaccine in time for [the Ebola outbreak] that would've gone through clinical trials and would have been ready", if not for the steady decline in the NIH's budget over the last decade, which also affected research into other methods of containing and treating Ebola. The NIH has resorted to redirecting its budget and stripping funding from other projects to bolster its Ebola research. An air of panic has begun to spread across the US following two Ebola scares in Boston. The WHO stated that Ebola is still spreading geographically, raising concerns regarding the progress of an Ebola vaccine, a project that the NIH has undertaken since 2001 with few results to show for it. The NIH's current Ebola vaccine is successfully undergoing tests with monkeys, but it could take several months before human trials begin. Another experimental drug named Zmapp has been deployed to fight Ebola with moderate success, but stock levels are low, due once again to budget cuts. While the US works on its vaccine through the NIH, the Canadian government is developing its own Ebola programme, but it is months behind the NIH in terms of research. Private sector pharmaceutical companies have little to no Ebola-focused programmes. WHO director general Margaret Chan has chastised private sector organisations for not

Illustration: Jaco Stroebel and Monrique Hennig

investing in diseases that predominantly affect poor communities with no income to pay for medication. While authorities scramble to develop a vaccine to prevent new cases, as opposed to the current method of treating the symptoms and trying to contain the outbreak, the situation in West Africa grows ever more urgent. Proposals have already been put forward to increase the NIH's budget from about $29 billion to $46 billion by 2021, but such measures are years too late for the current Ebola outbreak. Collins claims that, if not for the budget cuts, the NIH would have been "a year or two ahead" with their vaccine research There has been a more galvanised response

from the US and Western society since the death of US citizen Thomas Duncan and the subsequent spread of Ebola to one of his nurses. Mark Zuckerburg, CEO of Facebook, has announced his plans to donate $25 million to Ebola research. The UN has founded a new agency, the Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, which some say is late in coming. BBC Africa reported that, according to officials, they did not realise how out of control the situation was. The slow response from Western countries seems to reflect a detached social perception of faraway disasters, such as epidemics or natural disasters. The US government's decision to marginalise funding for medical research is also

worrying. On the other side of the world, many EU scientists have expressed their concern about budget cuts to research and development following the EU's tough economic climate over the last few years. Their argument is that scientific research is essential to solving medium and long-term problems, and giving it a low priority because of the absence of immediate results is a dangerous path to follow into the future. A concern is how our children's children will deal with the problems of their age when no preparation took place in the years before. After all, today's society enjoys all the intense research done by the US and the USSR during the Cold War, a time when there was a powerful incentive for governments to improve their technology by all means possible. Today, no such incentive exists and it falls solely on human conscience to understand that future challenges for the world, however distant they may seem, could very easily be avoided by preparing for them during a time when it seems unrewarding to do so. The lack of response to such a rapid outbreak has alarmed many officials in the UN. Hopefully it will result in a more alert and aggressive system for dealing with future potential epidemics. While Ebola was confined to West Africa, Western society hardly noticed its deadly potential. Even as the most recent outbreak became more severe, most people took little notice, but now that a citizen has been diagnosed on US soil and the outbreak is slowly turning into an epidemic, calls for a vaccine are being heard. Accusations are being thrown at the US government for failing to prepare a response to such an outcome, leaving them, along with most of the world, uneducated and unprepared to deal with Ebola.

Eyewareness aims to improve local safety

Eyewareness stickers on the corner of Festival and Burnett Street. Image provided.

TIJANA SAKOTA Many of us feel vulnerable walking in the Hatfield area alone or late at night. You may feel intimidated by those asking for spare change or by the person who merely misses brushing shoulders with you on the sidewalk, causing you to clutch your bag a little tighter. However, there is a way to ensure your safety. Eyewareness is a project set up to address Hatfield’s safety concerns. It provides students with a platform to not only report acts of crime in the area, but to warn others about crime hotspots. Fourth-year design student at UP and

founder of the Eyewareness project Reinette Robberts established this project as a design assignment detailing how people feel about the space of Hatfield. The purpose of this assignment was to use design in order to enhance a space. By interviewing students about their perception of the area, Robberts found crime to be a serious issue within the Hatfield area. When asked which animal best represents this area, Robberts was faced with “quite a few interesting answers”. Some people said a hyena, as they believe Hatfield to be “sly and backstabbing” while others said it to be a type of fungus or a jackal. When asked about their

Eyewareness logos. Images provided.

confrontations with crime, the interviewees either knew someone who had been attacked and/or robbed, or they had been victims of crime themselves. This led to the idea of creating and placing stickers in and around crime hotspots in the area. Inspired by a class on plagiarism, Robberts learnt that eyes have an influence over people’s tendencies to act morally. Being under surveillance and having the feeling of being watched results in people condemning bad behaviour. Robberts decided on stickers with the eye symbol as affordable and effective markers of crime hotspots. “I wanted to empower the students by giving them the tools

to ensure their own safety and the safety of others,” says Robberts. She further explains that she aimed to prevent crime at these hotspots since trying to find one solution to eradicate crime was “impossible”. The Eyewareness Facebook page states that the project “strives to inform and warn people of problematic areas” by using eye stickers to mark the location. “When students are moving through the Hatfield area they can use my stickers as a reminder to be ‘eyeware’ (aware),” urges Robberts. The crime hotspots can be marked by students using the Eyewareness stickers and thereafter students can upload a photograph of the location of the sticker onto the Eyewareness Facebook page. Tip-offs on where students have recently been attacked and robbed will also be posted on this page to provide further information for other students. The latest post on the Eyewareness Facebook page is by Robberts where she tells of how she was attacked and robbed on Roper Street near the Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary. “Two guys approached [my boyfriend and I] and at first it seemed like they only wanted a cigarette...[They then] attacked us and took my handbag,” says Robberts. She says that the attackers had a knife and had tried to choke her, after which her boyfriend fought the attackers off her before they left. Crime hotspots posted on the Facebook page include the corner of Festival and Burnett Street, the bus stop on the corner of Orient and Park Street, and the corner of Park and Glyn Street. Robberts encourages students to be observant. She says that “[students] do not need to avoid Hatfield, but just be careful and be aware.” The Eyewareness sticker template is available for download on the Eyewareness Facebook page. Robberts also says that stickers will be handed out in the Hatfield area.

27 October 2014

> Features

Highlights of Halloween’s history NAISARGI PATEL “Don’t ever accept sweets from a stranger.” This is a sentence that almost every child has heard while growing up. Yet on 31 October each year parents send their children off to ask strangers for sweets. As you get older, sweets turn into alcohol and trick or treating turns into dress up parties. Over the years, many traditions have developed around celebrating Halloween. It began as a harvest festival called Samhain (pronounced “sow-in” or “sah-win”) which was celebrated at the end of the Celtic year. According to “The history of Halloween plus 5 things you didn’t know about the holiday” written by Katla McGlynn, it was believed that the spirits of the dead would return on the last day of the year to destroy crops. As a ritual, bonfires were lit and crops and animals were sacrificed to placate the spirits. When the Romans made their way to England, Scotland and France, which were Celtic territories at the time, they brought along their holiday of Feralia, which was about honouring the dead during late October. They also brought a tradition about honouring the goddess of fruit and trees, Pomona. This is believed to be the reason for giving apples on Halloween. Costumes are a major part of the celebrations. Those who celebrated Samhain wore animal skins and the Scottish would dress to mimic the dead during the day. The various disguises were meant to protect individuals from being recognised as human by the demons that arose. Nowadays costumes are not limited to such sinister themes and many people dress as their favourite television characters, superheroes or someone they are inspired by. Students may struggle to afford elaborate Halloween costumes, but there are certain cost-effective ways in which you can dress up. These include using eyeliner and red lipstick to look like either a zombie or a bloodthirsty vampire and using old clothes that can be torn and re-stitched as desired. When Christianity spread, All Saints’ Day, which honoured saints and martyrs, became a part of the Celtic territories’ traditions. Samhain was replaced by All Saints’ Day, which was later renamed All Hallows’ Eve, and was finally shortened to Halloween. Halloween was not primarily an American tradition. The US was influenced by the Irish, Scottish and English when they

Illustration: Johann van Tonder

sailed across the ocean in the 19th century. The poor would beg for sweet bread and offer prayers for the families of those who gave in return, instead of the current “trick-or-treat” tradition. According to “Halloween history” from Halloweenhistory. org, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK, among others, adopted Halloween as a holiday from the early 20th century. Halloween is celebrated in different ways around the world. In Australia, some people leave bread, water and a lamp on before they go to sleep on the night of Halloween, as it is believed that the items will invite dead souls to earth which will bring along strong cosmic energy. The Belgians light candles in memory of their dead loved ones and the Germans hide their knives so that they are not harmed by the spirits that return. In Sweden, Halloween is known as Alla

helgons dag and is celebrated for seven days from 31 October to 6 November. On the Friday before All Saints’ Day, university students are given half the day off while school children have the full day off. China has a festival called Teng Chieh to remember those who died in such a manner that their bodies could never be buried, such as in an accident or drowning, so that their spirits can go to heaven. France does not celebrate Halloween as it is largely seen as “American” and was almost unknown until 1996. Although Halloween is not a recognised holiday in South Africa, many people express interest in it. In 2013, a student came to Tuks dressed in a genuine-looking Iron Man exoskeleton. Although it is not a South African tradition, an increase in popularity has been seen, just as in various countries around the world.

Is changing your degree worth it?

Illustration: Brandon Dlamini.

LIESE-MARIE HEYNS If you are finding it difficult deciding whether you should revise chapter six of Applied Statistics or drop everything and pursue your dream of becoming a deep-sea photographer, you are not alone. A study by the National Centre for Education Statistics in the United States found that 80% of students change their major (the equivalent of our degree) in college. Furthermore, college students change majors an average of four times over the course of their studies. “Many students are unsure about whether or not they are studying the right thing,” says Liana Kruger, an educational psychologist at Student Support on Main campus. According to Kruger, many students choose a degree before knowing exactly what it entails. The course turns out not to be what the student expected, says Kruger, or their interests change as they gain life experience and are exposed to new things. It is very important to look at what stage of their life a student is in, says Kruger. She also says that Student Support looks at various point-intime tests, like aptitude and interest questionnaires, and even

conduct interviews with students before they consider advising them to change their course of study. “To change your course isn’t always the best idea, especially not if there are other personal factors motivating your decision,” she said. “I think it’s been a problem young people have struggled with for centuries,” says movie producer Piet de Jager about students’ concerns about choosing the right degree for them. De Jager has made a name for himself in the Afrikaans film industry with movies such as Verraiers, Roepman and Stargazers. Producing has always been his dream and De Jager admits that it would not have been possible if he had not stuck it out and got his law degree. He is still practicing as an attorney in order to fund his passion. He says that once you know something isn’t for you, it makes no sense to continue pursuing it. He adds, however, that the value of a degree can never be overstated. “Studying an extra three years for another degree once you’ve finished one is nothing in the context of 60 to 70 years,” says De Jager Fred Nagel is a first-year architecture student at Tuks. After studying sound engineering and working for two years, he made the tough decision to start over again. “It’s a weird feeling. Most of my friends have already started working and are making

money, and here I am a first-year again.” For Nagel, sound engineering was the four year gap he needed to find out what he really wanted to do with his life. He says he has a real passion for innovation and creating, and architecture allows him to put his talents and energy into this. Making the move was not an easy decision for him. He had to bid farewell to his band, Monkeys in Boots, to focus on his studies. “It is every boy’s dream, I think, to be a rock star one day, but in South Africa there is just no way to make a living from music,” says Nagel. Working people don’t seem to have a better idea of what they want to do for the rest of their lives. According to a study by the Bureau of Labour Statistics in the US, people change jobs on average 11.3 times before the age of 54. In 2009 they also found that people will have had up to seven distinctly different careers by the time they reach retirement. Despite the willingness to change your course or career, there are twice as many people across the globe who are unhappy and “actively disengaged” at work compared to those who are “engaged”, passionate and drive innovation in their workplace, says opinion poll company Gallup in their State of the Global Workplace Report 2013. In South Africa, only 9% of people really love their job, while 45% are severely negative about their jobs and likely to spread that negativity to co-workers, says the report. The remaining 46% are “checked out”, putting little effort into their work. People who had tertiary education are a little happier, with 16% of South African graduates engaged at their workplace, while only 18% “roam the halls spreading discontent”, as Gallup CEO Jim Clifton puts it in the report. In the TED talk The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains the phenomenon that more choice actually makes us unhappy. The fact that there are so many degrees and careers to pursue is actually paralysing, says Schwartz, because if you chose wrong in this day and age, it is your fault. In the past, society could be blamed for not offering degrees in the field you were interested in. Now, however, the burden of choice falls squarely upon your shoulders. The opportunities you associate with the options you gave up seem to far outweigh the benefits of the career or degree you chose. No sooner have you made a choice than you start wondering if a different career might have suited you better. A quote by author Maya Angelou, “If you can’t change your circumstances, change your attitude,” might be rephrased. If you change your attitude toward your job and your studies, perhaps it won’t be necessary to change your circumstances as often.

Entertainment

27 October 2014

From left to right: artwork at the expo, Alessio La Ruffa presenting at the expo, Shadowclub performing at the afterparty. Photos: Henry Engelbrecht

Hello Ambassador: creative highlight of the year KYLE OBERHOLZER This weekend saw the second instalment of the Hello Ambassador creative conference hit the streets of Pretoria around the State Theatre, where the main event took place. The event forms part of a substantial contribution to the growing creative industry in the Pretoria city centre which is steadily gaining recognition. If you consider yourself creative, names like Cool Capital and Hello Ambassador should already feature in your conversations with your like-minded friends, and if you’ve never heard of them it’s time you pull your eyes away from your computer’s screen and venture beyond the confines of your studio. This year’s event incorporated a street festival, an after party

The Curious Incident. Photo: Viesturs Gross.

Becoming inquisitive

Exclusive interview with The Curious Incident ELMARIE KRUGER UK pop rock outfit The Curious Incident has released several critically acclaimed singles and will be touring South Africa in November and December this year. Perdeby spoke to the group about the tour, their upcoming EP and the band’s South African influences. The band consists of Cavey Roberts (vocals and guitar) from South Africa, Mirko Piconese (guitar) from Italy, Dan Bowery (bass) from England and Diaz Meidiawan (drums) from Indonesia. You’re coming to South African shores soon. What can fans expect from your performances here? Fun fuelled, high energy shows that are guaranteed to get you shaking your hips. Fans can expect to make at least four new friends. You have one South African band member, will this tour have

and a creative expo which showcased the design competition’s winning piece by Tuks fine arts student Izak Buys. However, it is the speaker line-up that really defines this event and easily justifies the ticket price. The presentations ranged from advertising agency CEOs speaking about the business of design right down to sessions with local photographers telling their own success stories. MTV Base channel director Tim Horwood gave a presentation on the expanding music scene in Africa, and Ogilvy CEO Abey Mokgwatsane provided insight into the business of marketing, ending with an interesting quote: “The big are not always going to eat the small, but the fast will always eat the slow.” On the other side of the spectrum was designer Louis Minnaar who presented a powerful personal story that highlighted the

stress, anxiety and emotional trauma that so often accompanies the deadlines of design briefs. The tension that existed from the broad range of presentation made for a gripping two-day conference that never left one bored from repetition. Of course, no conference is complete without a bit of humour. Comedian Kagiso Lediga gave an explicit 10 minute satirical narrative on the finer aspects of farting in public. After two days of solid creative input only one question was left unanswered: “Where are all the people?” Despite trending on Twitter on both days, the venue barely reached 50% capacity and this was definitely not due to lack of quality. Hello Ambassador has undoubtedly curated a conference that deserves a “sold out” banner on its door. Fortunately, it will be coming back next year to offer even more creative inspiration and motivation.

any sentimental significance to you? South Africa is a massive inspiration for [Cavey] so performing in SA is something [he] hope[s] to keep doing for many years to come. As [Dan’s] parents lived [in South Africa] for over five years before [he] was born, [he] grew up hearing stories about South Africa and was surrounded by South African art and objects that have left [him] with a lifelong fascination and passion to return to [the country]. [Diaz] did an exchange semester at Cape Tech and fell so deeply in love with South Africa that [he] had no choice but to come back for the World Cup. What can listeners expect from your upcoming EP? An eclectic and somewhat unexpected style mash [and] tonguein-cheek teasing of the lyrics of some of the band’s favourite modern artists, Aloe Blacc and Sam Smith [on the single “Money”]. Are there any songs on the EP that specifically stand out for the band? We all have our own favourites but we are really excited to release “The hunt” as this has been the high energy climax of our live shows over the last year and was the starting block for our current sound. You recently started shooting the video for one of your singles, “Money”. What was that experience like? [Cavey and] a friend strapped GoPros to [their] chests and heads and went out giving strangers in London and Cape Town money. It felt amazing giving out money for nothing and seeing a range of “this is too good to be true” faces. Some of the reactions were priceless. You all come from very different countries. How has this influenced your sound and songwriting style? It can sometimes make the songwriting process a bit longer and more stressful than necessary due to communication issues. Sometimes things take longer and get bumpy in our little family but we manage to come to similar conclusions together. We all love our home countries and take loads of inspiration from them. We want to move people both literally (by dancing) and emotionally.

Image: mtv.co.uk

Calendar 28 October-18 November: Entrepreneur workshop – About Guest Lodge 21-31 October: TUT Sculpture Exhibition – TUT campus 30 October: Romeo and Juliet: 3 days of total chaos – Aula Theatre 30 October: UP Symphony Orchestra concert – Musaion Theatre 31 October: Brooklyn Design Fair – Brooklyn Mall & Design Square

31 October: Halloween Block Party – Arcade Empire 1 November: Hazel Food Market – Greenlyn Village Centre 1 November: Cartoon Workshop – Leonardo Gallery 4 November: Hillsong Church pre-exam Worship Night – Aula Theatre 7-8 November: New music for new films – Sax Arena 21 November: 30 Seconds to Mars live in SA – Coca Cola Dome

To get your event listed on our event calendar, send the date, event name and venue to entertainment@ perdeby.co.za or tweet us (@PerdebyE). UP societies are welcome to send their events, too.

SWEET TALKER JESSIE J KOJO ESSAH English singer-songwriter Jessie J gained worldwide popularity with the release of her debut studio album Who You Are in 2011. In an attempt to remind the world of her presence, Jessie J has delivered her third album Sweet Talker, an album that showcases her brilliant vocal talent. Unfortunately, it is inconsistent and does not succeed in leaving a long-lasting impression on the listener. The album opens up with the track “Ain’t been done”, with Jessie J stating that no artist before her has done what she is doing. This is a daring statement, as her work has been compared to that of Katy Perry. The chorus is the track’s only saving grace. Jessie J begins to hit her stride with the album’s title track “Sweet talker”. Here she shows off her great vocal talent, delivering earnest lyrics on the ever-popular topic of love. The next track “Bang bang” is easily the most exciting song on the album, with Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj delivering excellent guest performances. The track “Masterpiece” highlights the problem with the album, as Jessie J reflects on how she knows she’s perfectly imperfect in terms of her ability as an artist. She continues to say that we have not yet seen her best as she’s still working on her masterpiece. Jessie J amazes the listener again with her singing on the track “Loud”, singing about how some people try to bring her down and enjoy seeing her at her lowest. The closing track “Get away” is a sincere song, employing simple but powerful production that ends the album off on a strong note. Despite these positives, however, the album contains more forgettable songs than memorable ones, such as “Keep us together”, “Said too much” and “Fire”. Rapper 2 Chainz delivers an unimpressive verse on the track “Burnin’ up”. Jessie J shines on this album vocally, but it’s not enough to save this album from lacklustre production and uninteresting lyrical content. The good moments on this album are few and far between, and Jessie J has a long way to go before she’s able to deliver a completely satisfying project.

27 October 2014

Entertainment

5 must-play indie games under R50 THOMAS MARAIS

Illustration: Johann van Tonder

When looking for gaming entertainment, digital gaming marketplace Steam is the place to turn for many gaming enthusiasts. It offers various games for the more economically challenged gamer, many of which are made by first-rate indie game developers. Loadout This game is a free arena third person shooter with multiple game modes, cartoony wound models and fully customisable weapons. Have you ever wanted a beam weapon that fires lightning? What about a fully automatic rocket launcher that explodes into eight smaller bombs on impact? Or a rifle that heals people when you shoot them with it? All of this and more is possible in Loadout. Dungeons of Dredmor This turn-based role playing game (RPG) features simplistic sprite-based graphics, unforgiving gameplay, randomly generated dungeons and an in-depth crafting system. Dredmor takes you on a quest to defeat the eponymous dark lord who was locked deep beneath the earth many years ago. The game’s wicked sense of humour is engaging, and due to its procedurally generated nature has near infinite replay value. Warframe Warframe is a free third person action game where you essentially play as a space ninja. Gameplay consists of a group

of players cooperating to complete many varied objectives to gain components for crafting. The game comes with some basic warframes, but more can be purchased with Platinum, which can be bought with real money. This is not entirely necessary, but can reduce the repetitive grind that the game sometimes falls into. The Binding of Isaac A notoriously difficult top-down RPG/shooter hybrid, The Binding of Issac is well known for its demented art style and story. You play as Isaac, a child whose mother goes insane and begins hearing an ethereal voice which demands a sacrifice. Isaac escapes into the basement where he encounters devilish enemies, fiendish traps, and eventually his own mother. The basement contains dark secrets and Isaac must resort to changing his own form in order to combat the evil that lurks in the shadows. I Wanna Be The Guy: The Movie: The Game This sprite based platformer, coded in flash, is renowned for being the most difficult game ever created. You play as The Kid, who wants to be The Guy. You become The Guy by killing the previous Guy. In order to reach The Guy, the player must traverse a tower filled with dangerous obstacles. Even the apples, which occasionally ignore gravity, are untrustworthy. The game is based on jumping from platform to platform and avoiding danger, which extends to the ground itself. It provides an incredibly fun, possibly masochistic, experience.

Diamond Thug is Chantel Van T, Danilo Queiros and Adrian Culhane. Image: Diamond Thug’s Facebook page.

Diamond Thug: ADHD electro indie at its finest

SHAUN SPROULE Capetonian indie electronic rock three-piece Diamond Thug will be visiting Pretoria next month. Perdeby spoke to the group before they set off for the Jacaranda city. How did you experience performing at Rocking the Daises? How did the crowd receive you? It was great. It started off a bit shaky because the crowd had broken the crowd barrier during Taxi Violence’s set the night before. We had to delay the start of our set a few minutes because they had to put a new barrier in, but once it started it was great. We had a pretty big crowd for 10:00 and they were up and dancing, which is always nice to see. It was also nice to see people gather before our set started, because that normally means they’ve come to watch you, rather than that they were just stumbling past. But all in all we love playing at festivals because of the entire experience that goes with it.

From 20-30 November you will be touring Durban, Pretoria and Jo’burg. What can fans expect from your performances? We’re a band with ADHD, we can’t do the same thing for too long without being bored. [The] last time we were up in Pretoria and we spoke to you guys after our show at Arcade, Adrian was playing stand up drums. This time we’re going [to Pretoria] and he’s playing guitar. We’re always changing things around, our music is moving more towards the sound of our latest single, but there’s still that old electronic sound sneaking in here and there. In general, you can expect a real eclectic show. We’re touring with Thor Rixon and The Vaabs. They’re incredible bands. So the performances will let you choose whether to dance in the front row or sit and listen from the back of the club. What can listeners expect from your upcoming single and demo album? We’re probably going to release another track in December just in time for the holidays. It’s a summer song that’s easy listening with a little South African flavour. As for the album, we don’t

Thato Molope spreads the Sound of Comedy WILLIAM ALDRIDGE Sound of Comedy is a small business venture founded by former Tuks student Thato Molope. The business is based in Pretoria and aims to provide opportunities for upcoming comedians to showcase their talent. The program has been running since the beginning of 2014. Perdeby spoke to Molope about the initiative. How can aspiring comedians get involved in Sound of Comedy? Sound of Comedy does not contract any comedians. What we do, though, is scout for young comedians and artists creating waves in the industry. Should you want to feature as an open mic on one of our shows, contact us through our Facebook account and we will further communicate with you. Otherwise, hit the comedy spots and we will find you. Are you specifically targeting Tuks students? At the moment we are targeting all fans of comedy as a whole.

We do, however, look to design a show directed at students, where the price is right and the comedians are incredible. Is there any chance of a show being held at the university? We have previously approached the university but at the time the venues were fully booked. We [are looking] to host a show at the university next year as we have a lot more time to book the venue. How can budding comedians get involved in the industry itself? The best way for comedy enthusiasts to get involved is to go see comedy shows. I think that if you are a young comedian in the game you need to be in the comedy clubs, seeing comedy shows and [you] definitely need to be at the open mic nights. Where do you see Sound of Comedy in the future? I want Sound of Comedy to be the number one mobile comedy show. I want to bring comedy to people. I want to create a platform for artists to showcase their artistry to the world and give established, but also up-and-coming artists the much needed exposure.

even know what to expect from it yet. Danilo has just finished his mechatronics engineering degree, which means we have more time to put into composing and recording. So hopefully we’ll have a quality product out next year. Some of your singles have been released on your Bandcamp page using the “pay-what-you-want” principal. What encouraged you to take this approach? [T]he first two singles we released were pay-what-you-want and the last one has a minimum fee of $0.50. We put all of them on our Soundcloud with 100 free downloads. We like the idea of free music, but we also like the idea of eating food and staying alive. So if you want our music for free you can have it, but if you want to pay us for our music you can do that too. We had one guy pay $50.00 for one single. We immediately emailed him to say thank you and make sure it wasn’t a mistake. His reply was simply: “Just keep making good music, hopefully you guys can buy a round of drinks with that.” Its people like that who really help to build SA music.

n Fun & Games

Pssst...

Top ten ways not to spend your holiday MICHAL-MARÉ LINDEN AND ELMARIE KRUGER With holidays drawing ever nearer, you will receive ample advice on how to waste your time for more than a month. However, no one sees the traps in some of these ideas. Perdeby has decided to save you from these seemingly magnificent plans. Here are the top ten ways to ensure that your time wasted is not pure torture.

House sitting –While all your friends are spending time together, you’re confined to someone else’s house without their Wi-Fi password, a pesky animal to keep you company and the fear that if you do invite said friends over, they break your aunt’s prized vase.

A week has passed and the residences seem to have come off of their Prestige high. All this means is that they’ve gone back to their usual weird, unclassy and even plain distasteful ways. Jasmyn had their formal dinner last week Saturday. Jasmyn proved their classiness yet again by rushing off to DropZone before the food was even cold. Mopanie had their annual flab parade - uh, jock run. Jock drive? Seriously Mopanie, what are you guys doing? The only people more ridiculous than you were Maroela at their Jag en Visvang. Apparently Maroela are so inept at procuring their own fighters for Boksaand that they invited the DropZone bouncers. This was a poor decision, as Maroela proved to be weaker than Mopanie when they struggled to contain the bouncer’s aggression. Pssst... would like to congratulate Maroela, though, as after years of practise they’ve finally managed to draw a mediocre-sized crowd. Part of this crowd consisted of the Katte. Pssst... is worried about their level of desperation because clearly Maroela have no interest in them. Despite their needs, the Katte weren’t very persistent at attempting to make friends as they all had to leave early. Apparently they’ve replaced Jasmyn as the guaranteed hook-ups for Kollege’s State Ball. At least someone is giving

2 3 4

Family projects – Building 1000 piece puzzles or retiling the bathroom are basically the same skill. And who exactly needs that skill?

Reading English setworks – Anyone who has ever attempted to read Heart of Darkness or Tale of Two Cities will understand the need for an updated, well-produced, comprehensive movie version.

6 7 8

them attention. From boxing to girl fights, Pssst... hears that Klaradyn and Zinnia are struggling to be friendly with each other. Pssst... is glad to see this, as this means there will be even more drama next year when they Rag together. Pssst... has heard rumours about an incident involving Sonop at DropZone. Perhaps they should give Maroela tips on how to deal with the DropZone bouncers. They’ll have to wait a while, though, as Sonop is probably still enjoying the view from behind bars. Still on the topic of Sonop, Pssst... hears that Sonop presented Erika with a pony. Pssst... would like to remind Sonop that unicorns have a horn, althought this just confirms Pssst...’s suspicions regarding their academic award at Prestige. In a weird fit of unusual friendliness, Pssst... hears Erika have been inviting other ladies residences to quiz nights at Springbok’s. Are men no longer good enough for you then, Erika? Pssst... would like to take this opportunity to reassure the residences that just because exams and holidays are around the corner, Pssst... will be watching you all very carefully. Until next year.

Perdeby web poll

Child minding at Spur – Sure you’re getting paid, but painting snotty pizza faces and reasoning with paranoid moms isn’t worth the money. Summer school – Especially if it’s chemistry.

20 October 2014

■ Stay at home ■ Travel ■ Work

How will you spend your holiday?

Vote online at www.perdeby.co.za

Visiting newly discovered family members – Especially if they turn out to be part of a cult … or vegetarian. Getting sunburnt – Crispy bacon is supposed to be edible, not mobile.

Job hunting – Graduation is scary. Compiling a CV even more so. Mostly because Life Orientation never bothered to teach you how to do it.

Being accidentally locked in res – Mainly for the food issue. Loneliness shouldn’t be too much of an issue due to the undeniable rat infestations. (See pesky animal, point 1).

Locked in a foreign jail – Going to Indonesia seemed like a great idea, right?

DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT! CALLING HEALTHY YOUNG WOMEN AGED 21 – 32: Donate some of your eggs to a childless couple and be well rewarded for your time and effort – you might even be part of a miracle!

Contact colleen@babymiracles.co.za or on 083 380 2354 to find out more.

www.babymiracles.co.za

27 October 2014

G Sport

New look Bafana under Mashaba

Bafana Bafana. Image: BuzzSouthAfrica.co.za

DANIËL BASSON Having dropped to 66th position in the Fifa world rankings after being defeated 5-0 by Brazil and only managing a goalless draw against lower ranked New Zealand, South African football fans were looking for someone to restore their faith in Bafana Bafana. For this the South African Football Association put their faith in the hands of Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba once again. When appointed at the end of July 2014, Shakes Mashaba entered his fourth stint as the head coach of the South African senior men’s national football team. The appointment of Mashaba was somewhat surprising as many international coaches were linked to the job,

Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba. Image: OffThePitch.co.za

including 2013 African Cup of Nations winning coach Stephen Keshi, who was recently fired from his position as head coach of Nigeria. The former u/20 men’s football coach has already stamped his authority on the national team by attempting to rebuild the squad with a mixture of experienced players and youngsters. In his first two matches as Bafana coach, Mashaba included inexperienced Nhlakanipho Ntuli, Dumisani Msibi, Ayabulela Magqwaka and Rivaldo Coetzee in his squad, also handing Coetzee his debut at the tender age of 17, making him the youngest player to ever represent the national side. The likes of Dean Furman, Thabo Matlaba and Anele Ngcongca regained their position in the team after the Gordon Igesund era.

Even though the emphasis in selection has been placed on youth, Mashaba proved that he will still pick ageing players who are in form at club level when he called up Reneilwe Letsholonyane, who is currently the top goal scorer in the Absa Premiership. In the first four matches of his tenure, Mashaba remains unbeaten. It seems Bafana is also adapting well to his football philosophy. He wants the players to form a unit both on and off the field. Shakes Mashaba has enforced many changes after Gordon Igesund’s departure, the most notable being that he has said he is going to rotate who wears the captains’ arm band. Other than that, Bafana have now adopted the conventional 4-4-2 formation, moving away from the lone striker style of play Igesund

preferred. It is already easy to see that Mashaba will always play his strongest eleven, even if it means that extensive changes need to be made every time the squad is selected. One can also see that he applies no-nonsense defensive tactics and demands plenty of goals from his strikers. The start of his newest spell as head coach of the national side has been flawless. He has led Bafana to the top of their qualifying group for Afcon 2015 with the team yet to concede a goal in almost 360 minutes of football. Shakes Mashaba is a charismatic coach who wears his heart on his sleeve and always has time for his players and fans.

An interview with Tuks cricket Five minutes with Sport HK of player Katlego Sempe the year Kemsley Rajoo LAUREN NEUHOFF Katlego “KG” Sempe is a third-year sport science student and a batsman for TuksCricket second team. With the varsity cricket season around the corner, Perdeby sat down to talk to this rising star. How long have you been playing cricket for? My whole life. Actually one of the first things I got from my father was a cricket bat. I have been playing for Tuks for two years now, but recently took a break due to the tough competition within TuksCricket and I was offered a bursary to play for Tshwane Metro at the Sport School of Excellence, which was a great opportunity for me. I then came back to Tuks [after] I had a chat with [the] head coach, Pierre De Bruyn. He welcomed me back with open arms. You guys are the Red Bull Campus Cricket world champions and also made a clean sweep in the club competitions this year. Who would you consider to be your toughest competition? We’re just so confident that we go into a game knowing that we are going to win. After winning the Red Bull Campus Cricket, we just keep riding on that success to keep us confident in ourselves. We have only lost one league game in five years of cricket. How is the new season looking for TuksCricket? So far we have played five games and won all of them, with the help of the exceptional talent we have in our teams. What are you looking most forward to in this upcoming season? Everything. We are basically undefeatable, so another championship win would be great! We [are] competing in USSA (University Sports South Africa) now in December and we also have Varsity Cricket coming up next year in February. This will be the very first

Varsity Cricket [we are competing in], which is exciting. We will be training in December for the Varsity Cup. How do you improve on weaknesses that you identify? I have a motto I live by: Identify the problem, find a solution and the fix the problem with the solution. I live by those three steps and just keep working [on] it until it is perfected. What is your favourite format of the game? Personally, [I like to play] three legged cricket. I was recently introduced to it and it is a lot of fun. Who is your greatest inspiration in cricket? My [batting] inspiration would have to be Michael Clarke from Australia. He is really mature and I take a lot from him. On the bowling side I find Jadje from India to be very inspirational as he shows a lot of courage and adaptability. He is also a left arm spinner just like me. What do you think of the South African tour to New Zealand currently taking place? I definitely back South Africa. [I’m] not taking anything away from [the] New Zealand cricketers but we need that confidence, especially because we are playing Australia in November in the T20s. What advice would you give anyone interested in playing cricket? It is a lot of work and the competition is very competitive. You can’t give yourself a one year plan to get into the first team, it takes perseverance and at least a three to five year plan because of how exceptionally talented the competition is. What are your future plans with regards to your cricket career? I’m just going to take it in steps and see where it takes me. Hopefully one day I will be able to play internationally.

Kemsley Rajoo. Image provided.

SIMPHIWE NHLABATHI Kemsley Rajoo won Sport HK of the year at the annual Residence Prestige evening on 15 October 2015. Perdeby sat down with Sonop’s former sport HK in a quick five minute interview. What do you believe contributed to your success as sport HK of the year? Hard work is the most important. Also, putting the right people in charge of the various sport disciplines within the res. You also have to make a lot of sacrifices and I think that is crucial for success.

With you bagging the individual award, Sonop also won sport residence of the year. Do you believe that the two go hand in hand? I think people can win the awards [separately]. We (Sonop) hadn’t won sport res of the year in ten years. The goal was always to win that and not the individual award. What advice would you give to other sport HK’s who have the desire to win the same individual award you received for 2014? Never try please people. Have a vision and stand by it. Don’t compromise your principles, even if they make you unpopular. Never be afraid to make the tough calls, if you have to bench a friend, do it.

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Tuks up-and-comers edition

Pieter Griesel with the ball. Image provided.

Derek Botha. Image provided.

Interview with Pieter Griesel and Derek Botha SIMPHIWE NHLABATHI Pieter Griesel and Derek Botha are both UPTuks 1 rugby players studying theology and education respectively. Perdeby asked them some questions about their path in rugby. When did you start playing rugby? Pieter Griesel (PG): I basically started playing as soon as I was able to hold a ball. Derek Botha (DB): I started with Bulletjie rugby when I was about five or six years old. I’m not a guy who actually plans for the future, [but] if I [do] get the opportunity to play pro, then I will seize the moment. What has been the biggest challenge for you in chasing the UP-Tuks 1 dream thus far? PG: To get to the level they are on without preseason [training]. I actually struggled with conditioning and fitness. Just as an example, in res rugby I could only bear crawl 22 metres. For UP-Tuks 1, I had to bear crawl 22 metres

10 times, which basically equals to 220m. DB: UP-Tuks 1 and res rugby are on two totally different levels. Moving from res rugby to UPTuks 1 was a mission mainly because you kind of have to catch up from not having preseason [training]. It took a lot of effort but it eventually paid off. What has been the proudest moment for you as a rugby player? PG: It would have to be the first time I walked into the UP-Tuks 1 locker room. I didn’t think it would be so professional. They have all the names of all the former Springboks who played for them on top of the locker you are assigned to via your position. They also put your name there as well. DB: Apart from the locker room, it has to be the call I received. I originally wasn’t in the squad, but a few days after the Tuks Barbarians game against UJ I had just walked out of class and I received the call up from the coach. He basically asked me to come and train with them

and I agreed. What has been the lowest moment for you in the sport? PG: It has to be the red card I received in the Carlton Cup final. I was sent off in the seventh minute of the game and I basically had to watch the whole final, all 73 minutes of it, from the sidelines. DB: I haven’t really had any apart from injuries and yellow cards here and there. Also, when you lose you can easily get over those things, so I haven’t really had one. In terms of making it this far in rugby, what or who has continually pushed you and what made it possible for you to come this far? PG: My mom, dad and brother. I had actually stopped playing in first and second-year when I was at Pukke. I had offers from the Sharks but I was never conditioned so it was hard for me to break into the team. I then decided that after school, I’m just going to go and study. While at Pukke, a mate invited me to play res rugby.

After Pukke, I moved to Pretoria for my second degree and I also stopped because I wasn’t conditioned. Again, I was invited to play for res and was injured in the first three games. I continued after I got better and I was spotted by UP-Tuks 1. After a few sessions with Naat, the UP-Tuks 1 conditioning coach, I can happily say I’m a lot better. DB: Also my mom and dad. My mom was against rugby at first, but when she started seeing how far I was going she warmed up to the idea. My dad was supportive from the start. He told me if I wanted to be an engineer, I must do it. [If] I wanted to be a brick maker, I must do it. After school, I went to Stellenbosch University and I [gave] up on rugby. [I] moved to Tuks and I played badminton and we won USSA (University Sports South Africa) in 2012. In 2013, I started playing for my res for fun. Pieter and I started practicing extra on our own just for the fitness. We did our best and everything else just fell into place.

Jeremiah Nkwana Interview ZUKO QUSHEKA The 21-year old, Mamelodi-born Jeremiah Nkwana is set to be next in the long line of sporting stars produced by the University of Pretoria. With a work-ethic to rival ABSA Premier League players it’s only a matter of time before he sets the top level alight with his talent. Perdeby sat down with Jeremiah to talk about his football career. What got you started with football? The people from Mamelodi. At the time I started playing there were many soccer players from Mamelodi [in my hometown] so it became like a dream for most of the young boys there in my township to be like those that play in the PSL. So you’ve finished your first-year at the University of Pretoria. How has balancing the footballing and educational experience been for you? To be honest with you it’s been a bit difficult balancing the two but I’ve pulled through, not bad. I have time to focus on my studies and focus on my football so I don’t think it’s very difficult in that sense, but I enjoy the challenge. You scored a great free kick in theVarsity

Cup final. How often do you practice your free kicks? [M]aybe before or after [every training] session, [I’ll] hit like 20 balls and try to put them all in, so I think it paid off in that tournament. People think it just happens, but it takes a lot of dedication and hard-work. Do you think enough is being done to help Varsity Cup players make it into the ABSA PSL? To be honest with you I wouldn’t say there’s an effort being [made] for players from the Varsity Cup to go through to the PSL, because if [you] look at last year’s Varsity Cup, (TUKS won the Varsity Cup last year), none of [the] players are in the PSL now. Only one player from [last year’s] tournament made it into the PSL, which is Thabo Mnyamane from North West University. Even this year no one made it, but I think it can be improved by maybe extending the tournament. What is the best advice you ever received? What advice would you give to young players? Never compromise just to make other people happy. Just be yourself and people will like you the way you are, and if they don’t that’s their problem. Advice I would give is just keep

Jeremiah Nkwana. Image: SoccerLaduma.co.za

pushing and be patient. Don’t rush things, you don’t rush success, success will follow you, just keep on working hard.

Who would you like us to interview? Tweet (@PerdebySport) your suggestions to us or email sport@ perdeby.co.za

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