28 August 2017 Issue 13 Year 79

Female athletes continue

The gender pay gap in sport

to break gender barriers -pg 11

-pg 11

Perdeby Scanned by CamScanner

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

28August2017

year79issue13

State of the art centre – Javett-UP -pg 3

Results for the UP SRC elections 2017. Infographic: Sam Sherwood; New SRC President, Kwena Moloto. Photo: Fezekile Msimang

DASO UP wins 2017 SRC elections MARKO SVICEVIC

This year’s SRC elections took place from 21 to 23 August. For the first time in its history, the elections were held online and students were able to vote for their preferred candidates through the VoteNet system.

On 23 August, the official preliminary results for the elections were released. The results showed that DASO UP had an overwhelming majority win for all ten contested portfolios. Kwena Moloto, DASO UP’s presidential candidate won the presidential portfolio with 5044 votes, followed by the EFFSC-UP’s candidate Mamello Molotsi, who won the deputy-president portfolio with 2916 votes.

Speaking to Perdeby, Moloto explained what he thought were the reasons for DASO’s win. “I think firstly, we as DASO ran an extremely clean campaign; we focused specifically on what we as a DASO SRC could provide to the students of UP rather than engaging in petty politics. We also had a very clear detailed manifesto with achievable points, and we spoke to the issues that really affected most students – and that’s finances,” said Moloto.

“This is obviously a historic victory.

Ten out of ten has never been done at UP, it’s rarely been done anywhere

in South Africa and this is indicative of students and South Africans in general calling for change,” said Moloto.

Further, DASO UP SRC candidates have pledged a percentage of their SRC honorariums back into the SRC study aid fund. According to DASO UP winner of the SRC treasurer portfolio, Duane van Wyk, all DASO members have made this pledge.

“The SRC president has pledged 75%, the other SRC executive members (treasurer and secretary portfolios) have pledged 59% and all other DASO elected SRC candidates have pledged 45%,” said van Wyk. “Because of the different salaries that the respective SRC members receive, we worked out that we only need around R830 for living expenses, the rest was excessive and this way while we are all giving different amounts, we are all walking away with the bare minimum that we really need,” added van Wyk. Van Wyk explained that DASO would be encouraging all 17 SRC members including the EFFSC-UP members who won the deputy-president and deputy-secretary portfolios, and ex-officio SRC members to pledge a portion of their honorariums back to the study aid fund.

“If every member takes the DASO pledge we could raise R250 000

for students in need of financial aid,” said Van Wyk. Payment of the honorariums into the study aid fund would be done at the end of every quarter next year, added van Wyk. When asked about plans for the 2018 SRC term, Moloto explained that because a Temporary Student Committee (TSC) had been in place this year, the 2018 SRC term will already begin in September. “It is also extremely important that the states the departments are in due to the TSC currently in place, a lot of planning will be needed, that the SRC sets up this year already for next year,” said Moloto.

Moloto further added that “We as DASO will be working extremely close with the DA lead City of Tshwane during our SRC term, and reiterate the obligations the city has to take care of students.

Essentially this makes us [the SRC] the link between the city and the students of UP.” Moloto said that the SRC would work with the city to lower costs associated with study, such as transport, by engaging the MMC of Roads and Transport regarding the bus services, and student accommodation, having already engaged councillors for the potential creation of social housing for students. “We will be prepared come the beginning of 2018, we will

be prepared for the UP res crisis and how to deal with accommodation issues instead of tackling it last minute – no student should be forced to sleep on the library floor,” said Moloto.

Moloto also explained that “it is important to note that even though DASO won ten out of ten, whether your shirt is blue, green or yellow, this SRC is for all students of UP”.

Soraia Machado, DASO winner of the SRC secretary portfolio explained that in terms of transparency, it is important to keep students up to date on what the SRC would be doing.

“We need to get the ClickUP SRC tab working so students can actually see what the SRC is doing, visibility and accountability are key,” said Machado. Machado also went on to thank all students for participating in the SRC elections. “There has been an increase from 7000 voters last year to 10 000 who part took in these elections,” added Machado.

According to the CEO of the IEC, Michael Makobe, one objection to the SRC elections was received.

“However, the objection did not relate to irregularities or the accuracy of the election results and was merely against one of the political parties competing in the elections,” said Makobe.

Dregeana, the new Vividus Men -pg 5

Gender-based violence: a woeful Women’s Month -pg 7 Scanned by CamScanner

Sneak preview: Kopanong

-pg 8

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Change is as good as a holiday

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

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Editor Shaun Sproule

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News Ditebogo Tshaka

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Features Savannah Plaskitt

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Entertainment Shaun Sproule

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Sport Lorinda Marrian

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Online Content Carly Twaddle

onlinecontent@perdeby.co.za @CarlzTwaddle

Deputy Online Pooja Pundit

news@perdeby.co.za

Web Rebecca-Anne Perridge

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There has been a lot of change in the air recently. If you hadn’t heard, we have a new SRC – an SRC in which DASO won by a surprisingly wide margin – after a year of having the somewhat controversial TSC. The massive voter turn-out was a surprise to me. The amount of people at any of the circuses was very low, and with DASO’s success, it seems some of the other parties and independent candidates underestimated the power of social media.

The circuses and debates are meant to help

students make informed decisions on who they vote for, but questions and comments went wild on some of the posts across social media where candidates could personally and thoughtfully respond to questions.

I, like many other students, felt a sense of disbelief at the results. What happened to the old SASCO? What happened to deep institutional change promised from the parties of the past? How have student issues moved from serious social concerns to where we can get free WiFi? Do simple solutions like this really address the underlying inequality in race, gender, culture, class, nationality and sexuality? We need to constantly question proposed solutions to make sure they are not just false promises aimed to placate students.

It is worrying that for many students the decision to vote was clear and party specific.

Having a good mix of representations is a good thing – it allows for the representation of different people from different backgrounds with different needs.

In any case, congratulations to DASO. A success such as this is not without its hard work. They also now have to prove themselves and deliver all the promises they have made – promises that were conveyed in writing on social media so that we can all hold them accountable. A successful leadership structure can only be credible if WE deem it so. It is up to the students, other parties and the media to ensure we are not

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side-lined. We will definitely be keeping our ears to the ground at Perdeby, and we hear that other groups will be doing the same.

Talking about change, the editorial had the opportunity to attend the Duke Menell Media Exchange after our last edition.

We watched panel discussions with the leading people in South African media and those that are pushing the boundaries of the profession. Here we got new ideas for the coming year so that we can continue to bring the students of UP the best service we can. It made the changing nature of the media and the growing importance of the media as the whistle blowers of society more evident to us. Trump even recently said that the media was a more formidable opposition than the Democrats. I think that’s what Perdeby needs to be for the students – a credible source of information that provides students with the truth of all that happens on campus. Journalists often fall into the trap of reflecting issues at face value, but good journalists will uncover the deeper meanings to show a more complete truth.

Change is good, and campus seems to be full of it. I believe that all things new need to build on the old, but it can be difficult to enforce change. As a wise fortune cookie once advised me, “Do not give up, the beginning is always the hardest.”

Shaun Sproule Editor

Clean sweep victory for DASO, but can they get the Student Governance house in order? From the Editor-in-chief

multimedia@perdeby.co.za @samsherwood95

Research and Development Xander Janse van Rensburg

From the Editor

What might have seemed like Christmas to some, felt like an April Fools’ joke to others as the preliminary SRC election results were announced last Wednesday. DASO cleaned house by taking the ten elective portfolios decisively. It was really only by default that the EFFSC managed to pick up the two deputy positions in the presidential and secretary portfolios. The margin of victory obtained by DASO makes it clear that this wasn’t a fluke, the closest contestant showed a difference of more than 400 votes. On average the difference between the DASO candidates and their competition was more than 1300 votes.

The circuses I attended were uninspiring to say the very least and candidates relied on the same old rhetoric we’ve come to expect from aspiring student politicians. But something was in the air, something that manifested itself in more than 10 740 students voting in this year’s election. Considering the general apathetic stance of UP students towards student politics, we’ve seen a significant increase in voters from previous elections (around 7 000 in previous years). Taking into account that you didn’t even have to get out of bed to vote, a 22.71% voter turnout is still far from what I’d consider a political awakening.

There are however a couple of factors that

might have led to, dare I say, a lesser student apathy towards the governance structure at UP. Firstly, the electronic voting played a massive role. The online voting system made it exceptionally easy to cast your vote from anywhere. There really wasn’t an excuse not to vote and yet 75.65% of students still didn’t give a damn. I do however believe we’ll see an increase in votes come future electronic elections.

Secondly, we need to take into account the extremely difficult two years that preceded these elections. Unrest and disruptions on campus certainly played a role in the way students reacted in this election. Considering that DASO wasn’t as visible as the EFFSC or SASCO during the Fees Must Fall disruptions, perhaps students chose stability on campus while making their mark this year.

Lastly, it would be naive to disregard the national dialogue around politics in our country. The ANC is haemorrhaging support and, as microcosm of the country, the UP SRC elections reflected the current mood in politics. SASCO received a proper hiding and I can’t help but wonder if the ANC will take note of this. However, I have to commend SASCO on the mature way they accepted defeat.

Afriforum and independent candidates were nowhere to be found either. Previously we saw independent candidates fare a lot better than their politically aligned counterparts.

So DASO sits comfortably on the iron throne of student governance for 2018. The trust of the students is theirs to lose, and while some interesting promises were made at their circuses, only time will tell if they will be able to fulfil the mandate afforded them by the students of UP. Carel Willemse Editor-in-Chief

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28 August 2017 | News

3

Culinary Sciences degree introduced and food laboratories upgraded

Campus News Bites

South Campus Halaal Kiosk temporarily closed

UP’s Department of Facilitites Management released a statement announcing that “due to unforeseen family circumstances, Mr Moosa’s South Campus Kiosk and the mobile kiosk in front of the Merensky Library, which sells Halaal food, will be closed until 13 September 2017”.

While a mobile unit will be made available on South Campus from 28 August 2017 to 13 September, no Halaal food will be available for sale during this time.

UP excels in June 2017 ITC results

The Economic Management Sciences Faculty’s students and staff, enrolled in departments specialising in Financial Sciences (Accounting, Auditing, Financial Management and Taxation) have recently received their results from the June 2017 Initial Test of Competence (ITC) of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.

This is the first qualifying examination that is written after the completion of an accredited Chartered Accountant (CA) programme.

This challenging professional exam which forms part of the pathway to qualifying as a CA, yielded the following results for UP: •The highest cumulative pass rate in South Africa for the 2016 CTA cohort (after the completion of both the January and June 2017 ITCs), with a 98.5% pass rate.

•The highest pass rate in South Africa.

•The highest combined average mark for the four papers written during the June 2017 ITC.

UP hosts special lecture on the A-bomb and nuclear history

On 17 August, UP’s Centre for Japanese Studies hosted a special lecture, “The Atomic Bomb and Human Rights: Special lecture by a second-generation A-bomb survivor”

by Mrs Tomoko Watanabe and Professor Anna-Mart van Wyk in the Plant Sciences Auditorium.

Watanabe, a second-generation Atomic bomb survivor from Hiroshima, founded ANT-Hiroshima in 1989 – a nongovernmental organisation dedicated to building peace in the world by promoting Hiroshima’s message of peace and reconciliation. Her work includes educating on the realities the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced during and after the atomic bombings in order to promote awareness and nuclear disarmament for peace.

During the lecture, Prof. van Wyk, Head of the School of Social Science at Monash South Africa, gave a condensed history of the development of nuclear weaponry and its destructive powers, alongside international policy on nuclear technology and the modern nuclear arms count, while contextualising the presentation with the recent rise in tensions between the United States of America and North Korea.

Watanabe gave personal accounts of the bombings and the aftermath, emphasising the horrors of the devastation and the resilience of those who survived and rebuilt.

Hiroshima’s history and reconstruction are an important aspect of her work and she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation since 1998.

The special lecture concluded with a question-and-answer session fielded by Watanabe and Prof. van Wyk. Compiled by Danica Charles and Rebecca Woodrow

State of the art centre – Javett-UP

Beams being placed over Lynnwood Road that will house a bridge gallery. Photos: Stefan Stander

MARKO SVICEVIC AND BRADLEY TJONGARERO

On 11 August the Javett-UP, a new state of the art centre currently under construction on UP’s Hatfield and South Campus, began to change the landscape of Pretoria with the addition of a bridge over Lynnwood Road.

The Javett-UP project, is one of the largest art construction projects aimed at promoting arts and culture heritage in South Africa.

Starting on the morning of 11 August, seven beams each over 33m long and weighing 71 tons were placed on four tiers. The process, which took 26 hours to complete, resulted in a 34m long and 20m wide bridge over Lynnwood Road that will house a gallery.

Two 300 ton mobile hydraulic cranes were needed to lift and position the beams in place.

According to the personal assistant to the Director of the Javett-UP, Samantha Saevitzon, the Javett-UP will have nine indoor exhibition spaces, a 117-seat auditorium, a museum square, an art conservation area and an outdoor exhibition venue. The centre will cater to and host an

array of artworks from South Africa and Africa. Various academic programmes will also be facilitated through the Javett-UP and coordinated by UP. Mr Pieter Mathews from Mathews & Associates Architects, head architect of the project, informed Perdeby about the elements behind the unique architecture of the centre.

Speaking in regard to the Mapungubwe Mountain that will house the Mapungubwe collection Mathews said, “This solid, iconic, sculptural, vault-like structure will be molded using custom formed shuttering to create deeply carved random recesses in the external concrete surface.”

Mathews added that “These grooves will create a constantly changing play of light and shadow on the building’s surface as the sun moves through the day and when viewed from the passing cars on the busy Lynnwood road.”

The innovative architecture of the project resulted in the Javett-UP centre being nominated for the St Gobain Architectural Award, which is an award which recognises exceptional projects throughout Africa.

Prof. Annél van Aswegen, a representative

from the office of the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, and UP coordinator of the JavettUP project, said that the centre would add academic value to UP as students would have access to its artistic resources. Moreover, the centre would serve as a public museum and facilitate public engagement through methods such as school visits. Prof. van Aswegen added that the centre is expected to be the focal point of South African art.

The resources that will be displayed at the centre include those currently being housed at UP, the Mapungubwe collection and the private collection of the Javett family. Prof. van Aswegen explained that there will also be a showroom that will enable UP students to exhibit their own art pieces.

Among other aspects, Prof. van Aswegen reiterated the importance in the centre serving the wider community, saying that it will not only link the Hatfield and South Campuses but will also link the greater Tshwane area with UP. This will aid in projects for the Hatfield village development.

Construction on the Javett-UP is expected to be completed in 2018.

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News | 28 August 2017

Intervarsity News University of Cape Town (UCT) The University of Cape Town recently announced a new degree that no other university on the African continent offers.

The new degree, a Master of Data Science with a specialisation in Financial Technology, will be implemented in January next year. Dr. Co-Pierre Georg, senior lecturer at the African Institute of Financial Markets and Risk Management (AIFMRM) at UCT and course convener, said, “In the past, companies were mainly looking for advanced mathematical and modelling skills.

There still is demand for these skills, but by far the largest demand now is for students who have a thorough understanding of finance combined with a mastery of modern data analytics and software development skills.”

Francesca Little, associate professor and Head of the Department said, “We started the MSc in Data Science to give students a thorough understanding of the latest methods in statistical learning. This includes the extremely exciting field of machine learning and artificial intelligence.”

North-West University (NWU) Another senior academic at NWU is being investigated for plagiarism. Eleven academics at the institution are already being investigated after a whistle-blower came forward with allegations of plagiarism.

The academic, who cannot be named until he has been formally charged, allegedly “plagiarised 15 articles”, according to a source close to the student body. The study, called “A Decade of Aflatoxin M1 Surveillance in Milk and Dairy Products in Developing Countries (2001-2011): A Review”, allegedly plagiarized a whole paragraph from Lon Whitlow’s study “Evaluation of Mycotoxin Binders”, published in 2006.

City Press reported that the academic was promoted last year to the position of associate professor. This was confirmed by NWU spokesperson Louis Jacobs. Jacobs said that none of the implicated academics have been suspended or placed on special leave.

The university is still busy with its forensic investigation into the allegations.

University of Johannesburg (UJ) and University of the Witswatersrand (Wits)

Sibanye Gold, an independent mining group, announced a R30-million sponsorship to UJ and Wits. Sibanye Gold invested R25-million in the same institutions in 2014.

According to a media release from Sibanye Gold, “The primary aim of the donations is to enable both universities to maintain the existing high quality teaching and learning standards, support increased intensity in research and innovation and provide essential capital for development and maintenance of world class facilities.”

Neal Froneman, Sibanye CEO, said, “The mining industry is a critical component of the South African economy and has a significant role to play in delivering future economic growth and employment. The provision of high quality education is a vital requirement if we are to grow the economy and as a company, we are aware that our core purpose – our mining improve [sic] lives – can only be realized, if we continue to build the pipeline of young talent needed to lead our industry into a bright future.”

Compiled by Henri Uys

Becoming a work-ready graduate through UP initiatives DANICA CHARLES

UP is trying to produce ‘work-ready’ students through the Career Services Unit. Career Services aims to provide advice and assistance to UP students and graduates in preparation for their careers.

The Career Services Unit attempts to achieve this through online courses, assistance with CVs, cover or motivational letters, advice on career planning, psychometric assessment preparation, job searches, job applications, preparation for interviews and work readiness workshops. The unit also ensures that students are exposed to work experience through student hire, which enables students to acquire basic soft skills. Career Services also assists students in accessing available on-campus jobs. Career Services simplifies contact between the work world and students

through career fairs, career presentations and individual exhibitions.

In conjunction with Enterprises UP, the unit also offers a work-readiness initiative, Ready for Work, which prepares graduates by providing skills training, additional to academic competence or work experience.

The Career Services uses an online platform called TuksCareers, allowing students and Alumni to network with potential employers, whereby they will be able to view employers registered on the database, get notifications of upcoming events, search and view job opportunities, access useful resources, view frequently asked questions and ask their own questions.

Students can obtain career advice by visiting the Career Services office or booking an appointment online.

There are free skills development courses

online, with a programme consisting of four course packages that include free modules for UP students or pay-per-course options with a nominal fee for those who are not enrolled students at UP. The free online courses are available to assist with career planning through an introduction to career planning, researching careers and researching potential employers.

According to the Deputy Director of Student Services, Elmarie Liebenberg, “Graduates should realise that a degree is no longer enough to guarantee employment […]. Companies are increasingly looking for work-ready graduates who, in addition to their academic qualifications, have job-specific skills that will enable them to start making a difference.”

This unit is a division of Student Services, located in the Old Chemistry building on the Hatfield campus.

Fem fights abortion myths in South Africa HENRI UYS Fem will launch a social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter from 28 August to 1 September “to reveal the real face of safe abortion and how it can save women’s lives”, according to a press release sent out on 21 August. Fem, a service that launched in February this year, enables users who are seeking safe and legal abortion service providers to find such a provider close to them, simply by using SMS. According to the press release, approximately 50% of women who choose to undergo an abortion, choose facilities that are not up to standard and are potentially dangerous. It also states, “False beliefs on abortion are not up to date with current science, and create many barriers, which are preventing women from accessing safe services. Besides suffering from all sorts of stigmas, women in need of abortion procedures fear any mistaken consequences.

They often decide to opt for the back door consisting of illegal and unsafe providers with unrealistic promises of efficacy and secrecy.”

According to an article titled “Abortion: Let’s bring the “must-not-be-named” of reproductive health out of the darkness”, published on safe2choose’s website, there are a lot of myths and stigmas attached to abortions. The article reads, “Busting the myths about abortion and increasing access to reliable information is essential in order to alleviate the stigma and reveal how easy, common and safe the procedure actually is.

Women need to feel secure and supported in order to seek safe and legal providers who will reassure them and make them feel welcome. To address this issue, safe2choose and Fem are jointly launching a campaign to reveal the truth behind abortion myths.

We hope to reach out to as many women as possible and oppose fake statements that are pushing women to opt for backdoor abortions.”

“We want to let women know that they are not alone, that there is whole community of women supporting them. We will listen and take care of you without conditions”, the press release concludes.

Photo: Shaun Sproule

UP Department of Consumer Science launches new food labs BRADLEY TJONGARERO AND MARKO SVICEVIC On 17 August, the UP Consumer Science Department launched its new food labs that will cater for students within the department.

Three food laboratories had undergone extensive upgrades in order to keep up with ever changing commercial trends.

The refurbished facilities boast induction cooking as well as blast freezing upgrades.

Similarly, a range of modern equipment is housed by the department courtesy of the Culinary Equipment Company. The upgrades will help the department in keeping up with modern day training and research needs.

The department states that, “The labs have been designed to be trendy, ergonomic and user friendly, with industrial equipment and services.”

At the launch, Prof. Alet Erasmus, Head of the UP Department of Consumer Science, recalled the journey it took for the department to reach this stage. Prof. Erasmus explained that the talks on refurbishing the food labs had been in the works since 2010. Prof. Erasmus also recalled some of the milestones that the Department had overcome during the construction period. The construction process was started in June 2016 and completed in March this year, taking a total

of ten months.

Prof. Erasmus further elaborated on the new BSc Culinary Science degree that the Consumer Science Department will be offering, emphasising its uniqueness to Southern Africa as well as the various opportunities it will offer for graduates.

The audience was able to experience the potential of the new food labs at the launch.

Using the new food labs, award-winning chef, Chantel Dartnall, together with the students in the Consumer Science Department stunned the attendees with a remarkable culinary experience.

Head of food nutrition, Dr Gerrie du Rand said, “Culinary research is a growing area, which can be expanded with new facilities and modern up-to-date equipment”, adding that, “this puts UP at the forefront of culinary art and science training and enables future graduates to contribute to consumer food and services development”.

Lanadene Bron, fourth year Hospitality Management student at the UP Department of Consumer Science, said that there is an increasing necessity in keeping up with the world class standards within this field. Bron added that these facilities would play a role in producing great students, and will better equip all students within the Department in keeping up with and identifying with global standards.

28 August 2017 | News

5

Promises and Lies The Project of Freedom TAIGA RIVE

Dregeana, the new Vividus Men The old Vividus Men logo (left) and the new Dregeana logo (right). Image provided

MARKO SVICEVIC

As of 15 August Vividus Men will now be known as Dregeana. The day house, first started in 2003 and eventually split into male and female day houses in 2006, announced the outcome of their rebranding campaign at their end year function. According to the 2017/2018 Dregeana Chairperson, Arend Kahlau, there were several reasons behind the rebranding campaign. “The previous executive committee spoke extensively about this for a while, there was a perception from the outside that we are mostly a white Afrikaans male day house,” said Kahlau. “Internally, this perception has changed a lot and we have made a lot of progress towards transformation,” he added.

Dregeana Deputy Chairperson and Internal Affairs member Ben Ainsworth explained that several campaigns were done this year in order to change external perceptions. Some of these include painting the wall (Grafitti wall), articles released about Vividus Men and the relocation of its offices, and an interview on TuksFM. The rebranding consisted of a name change,

as well as changing the day house’s official logo. Kahlau explained that the new name “Dregeana” was one of the three options provided. “Three new names were presented to us, Adansonia, Searsia and Dregeana, and finally a vote was taken in which Dregeana was chosen,” said Kahlau. “Vividus is a Latin term and we wanted to keep the Latin origin, and therefore, all three name suggestions were Latin names of indigenous South African trees,” added Kahlau. Dregeana is the Latin name of the Natal Forest Mahogany, also known as the Thunder Tree. “The new name thus links with our ‘Sons of Thunder’ slogan, which [is what] our first years are called,” he said.

Ainsworth explained that “We don’t want to lose what we have built over the years but we want to show people that we have changed”, adding that “This is the next chapter in our history, focusing on inclusivity and making the day house a place where everyone has a sense of belonging.”

Kahlau added that the focus for the coming year will be on publicising the rebranding of the day house.

Fees Commission report still to reach Zuma NTOMBI MKANDHLA

Business Live reported that President Jacob Zuma has not yet received the Fees Commission report for 2017. Eye Witness Live added that the deadline was extended to 30 June to “allow more time for research and consultation”. This makes the report delayed by almost two months.

The Presidency spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga told Business Live that the report had not yet reached President Zuma as “It is up to the commission to do the handover and they will decide when that is.”

According to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development’s website the Fees Commission “was established in terms of section 84(2) (f) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996”. The South African Government News Agency’s website adds that the Fees Commission is to “investigate the feasibility of free higher education and training in South Africa”. The Commission is chaired by retired Judge Jonathan Arthur Heher

and began its work in 2016.

Speaking to the publication, Spokesperson to the Commission Musa Ndwandwe said he “[could not] divulge whether the Presidency has the report or not,” adding that the Fees Commission’s mandate is only to compile the report and that it is the President’s “prerogative” to share its findings with the public.

However, he did share with Business Live that at the moment, free higher education is unaffordable, and that “universities relied heavily on fee increases because the government’s contribution had declined in real terms over the years”.

President Jacob Zuma formed the commission following pressure from the 2015 Fees must Fall protests. He also announced that institutions of higher learning would have a 0% fee increase for 2016. Telling Business Live, Ndwandwe said “there is an incorrect perception that [the commission is] yet another ‘ploy’ by Zuma to frustrate students’ demands for the immediate implementation of free higher education”.

During the course of the month of August, there has been a display of photographs and quotes in the foyer of the Humanities Building.

The exhibition, entitled Promises and Lies: The ANC, Exile and the Project of Freedom, is curated by Dr Siona O’Connell in partnership with the Visual Identities in Art and Design Research Centre (VIAD) and Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Johannesburg. This was accompanied by the screening of the documentary Promises and Lies — Fault Lines in the ANC (directed and produced by O’Connell) in the Auditorium, followed by a talk on African politics by Brown University’s Professor of Humanities and Critical Theory, and Director of the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, Dr Barrymore Bogues. O’Connell, who has her Masters in Arts (African Studies), and Doctorate in Philosophy (African Studies), is currently working in UP Arts, having moved from UCT last year. The photographs are taken by award-winning British photographer Laurie Sparham. The event was hosted by UP Dean of Humanities Professor Vasu Reddy.

The photographs, taken between 1989 and 1990, show multiple South African iconic freedom fighters, and are representative of a great turning point in South Africa’s battle against oppression. The images are headed by purposefully emotive quotes from the ANC’s Freedom Charter such as “The people shall share in the country’s wealth”, “There shall be work and security” and “There shall be peace and friendship”. The choice to explore this concept though a more artistic medium,

according to O’Connell, is crucial in finding new ways of thinking about the past and a new way of being.

The purpose of the exhibition as well as the documentary is to highlight some important contrasts in the state of politics currently, compared to the place from which it stemmed over 20 years ago. As is stated by Dr O’Connell, the exhibition “is positioned to ask UP students to consider that our history scripts our present, that the lines between good and bad, villain and hero… then and now are not as clear… [and] to recognise [that] the sacrifices and residues of a catastrophic past continue to shape the lives of millions of people in South Africa”.

The exhibition not only intends to raise questions but also addresses how we must engage with political issues we face today.

Dr Bogues spoke about three vital aspects of this: decolonisation, freedom and the radical imagination. We need to challenge the western ideologies about the self and society. The radical imagination is the most important tool we have to allow us to break out of the deadlock that we find ourselves in and create a decolonised and free world for all people.

O’Connell comments that, “South Africa missed a crucial opportunity in 1994 to imagine an altogether new way of being”.

As a student body, our political affiliations are secondary to why we choose to be active citizens. The view shared is that we are key players in this new struggle that should see us having “influence beyond the confines of a securitised campus” and “thinking beyond binaries with regard to race, gender [and] sexuality”.

A representative of Curtin University in Perth Australia will be visiting Pretoria on Thursday, 31 August 2017 to discuss study options with interested students.

The one-on-one sessions will take place between 13:00 – 15:00 at the Conference Centre (Floor 1) of the City Lodge Hotel, Lynnwood Bridge, Pretoria.

Please contact the accredited agent: Rutega Education Services at 082 887 0306 or info@rutegaeducation.com for further information.

Ranked 211th in the world and 10th in Australia in the Academic Ranking of World Universities, Curtin University offers its students a fresh, global perspective. We’ll equip you with the skills and knowledge you’ll need to solve the big challenges of tomorrow. In the 2017 QS World University Rankings by Subject, Curtin achieved ranking in 25 subjects and ranked as a top 100 university in seven subjects. These rankings are a testament to our award-winning teaching staff, industry-reviewed courses, modern facilities and extensive support services.

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2017/08/25 8:27:15 AM

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Features | 28 August 2017

Illustration: Michelle Hartzenberg

Don’t shoot the messenger: a guide to diplomatic immunity LORINDA MARRIAN On 20 August Zimbabwean First Lady, Grace Mugabe was granted diplomatic immunity by the South African government after being accused of assaulting South African model, Gabriella Engels on 13 August. After the incident, Mugabe was requested to turn herself in to the South African authorities and after failing to do so, requested diplomatic immunity from the South Africa government.

Diplomatic immunity in its broadest sense refers to the protection of foreign diplomats and heads of states from “arrest,

lawsuit or prosecution” in the host country. This practice has been a part of relations between sovereign entities for centuries and can be traced to the ancient civilizations of China, Egypt and Greece.

In modern times, international laws concerning diplomatic immunity are dictated in “The 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations” which South Africa ratified in 1989.

The treaty states that “the person of a diplomatic agent shall be inviolable” and the agent “shall not be liable to any form of arrest or detention.” In South Africa, the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act of 2001 guides diplomatic law which says that “a

head of state is immune from the criminal and civil jurisdiction of the courts of the Republic” and similarly these privileges can be extended to the head of state’s spouse.

Normally the head of state’s spouse can be granted this privilege, provided that the spouse is in the country on official business. Therefore, in most cases, diplomatic immunity is conditional, depending on the nature of business being conducted by the spouse. However, it is important to note that in some legal circles there is an argument that, regardless of the nature of business conducted by the spouse, diplomatic immunity should be automatically given to all spouses of foreign heads of states.

The debate around the First Lady focused on the fact that she might not have been in South Africa on official business, nor was she at the time accompanying her husband on official business.

Additionally, diplomatic immunity is normally granted before the dignitaries visit to the host country.

The final decision on diplomatic immunity was left to the minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane. According to a statement released by the department, the minister “agonised over the matter and that the decision was not an easy one to make”. The decision was partly made due to the fact that South Africa was host to the 37th Southern African Development Community Summit (SADC) which took place between 19 and 20 August where President Robert Mugabe was in attendance, and it was imperative to maintain good relations with Zimbabwe and other SADC countries and the “derivative immunity of spouses of Heads of States”. The First Lady promptly returned to Harare on 20 August.

Dr John Kotsopoulos, a senior researcher at the Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (GovInn) at UP, said that ultimately, the government had to make a decision between potentially undermining its relationship with an important neighbour, Zimbabwe, or pursuing a case against a foreign dignitary on behalf of a South African citizen. In this case “international relations have trumped justice.” With regards to the potential backlash the government might face, Kotsopoulos adds that foreign policy decisions rarely cost governments votes. He argues that citizens in most countries are usually more concerned with jobs, the state of the economy and other domestic issues.

“Therefore, despite the media storm, which has been reminiscent of the storm surrounding South Africa's failure to arrest Sudanese President al-Bashir it is doubtful that there will be any serious political repercussions for the Zuma administration.”

On 23 August, AfriForum on behalf of Gabriella Engels, filed a review application to set aside the decision made by Minister Nkoana Mashabane in North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. As to date of going to print, no official statement was released from the Zimbabwean First Lady on this matter.

28 August 2017 | Features

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Gender-based violence: a woeful Women’s Month

desensitised to any form of violence and therefore it’s becoming the norm to rape and abuse.”

In April 2016, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) released a report entitled Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in South Africa: A Brief Overview. The focus of the report was to assess gender-based violence against women and use the finding to “inform its gender violence prevention initiatives in various communities”.

CSVR defines gender-based violence as violence that “occurs as a result of the normative role expectations associated with gender, as well as the unequal power relationships between the genders within the context of a specific society.” The CSVR listed many forms of gender-based violence such as domestic violence which “often involves physical violence or threats of violence” as well as “sexual assault, battery, coercion and sexual harassment.”

While domestic violence is the most common form of gender-

based violence (GBV) among partners, sexual violence is the most common form of GBV in general. Sexual violence, stemming from rape culture, involves “rape, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and trafficking.” Other forms of GBV include physical and emotional violence, and economic violence, where a “male partner may be reluctant for his female partner to work or may manage and abuse her payment for work done.” Femicide, the most extreme form of GBV, is the murder of a female by her intimate male partner. On 30 May 2017, The New Age confirmed that 63 women had been killed in 30 days in Gauteng alone. Ten of these murders are confirmed to be cases of femicide.

Violence against women greatly affects the individual and community at large. Lage says that the individual may suffer PTSD and will struggle to lead a normal life as she may not be able to receive counselling. Lage also says that there may be a stigma attached to the violence inflicted on the individual, leading to the victim experiencing feelings of shame and guilt even though “she did not have anything to do with the act of violence.”

While the CSVR acknowledges that religious and cultural practices, use of alcohol, ownership of guns and unemployment are causes of GBV, they categorise the perpetuation of GBV into three broad categories. These include inequality, the acceptance of violence, and hegemonic masculinity.

Hegemonic masculinity, which celebrates the dominant position of men through female subordination, is found to be a major cause of violence against women. This is because it reaffirms the notion of male superiority and “feeds into societal perceptions of what it means to be a man.” Patriarchal culture embedded within society marginalises women, therefore making them vulnerable to violence. Lage says that the “moral issue of how a man views a woman today has become totally distorted.” Although South Africa has good policies on protecting women against violence, both Lage and the CSVR agree that there is a lack of implementation in policy.

People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) Executive Director, Nonhlana Mokwena spoke to eNCA about an app that they are launching to help women who are victims of genderbased violence. Mokwena said that “there is an urgent need to co-ordinate services for survivors of gender-based violence nationally.” The app, which can be downloaded for free on Android or IOS devices, will give women information from NGOs, public and private sectors. Additionally, the app will be able to locate a POWA branch or an NGO funded by the Department of Social Development near the victim. It will also link the victim with social workers and counsellors. Mokwena says that lack of information, especially with regard to human rights, is a reason why women do not report incidents of GBV. Lage says that fear of being turned away by the police and death threats also keep a woman from reporting violence, and Mokwena adds that “the treatment [of victims of gender-based violence] at the police station is appalling.” Due to this perception and the increased incidents of gender-based violence, Police Minister Fikile Mablula has created a six-point plan which lists how victims of violence must be handled, but only time will tell if these new policies will be adhered to. In the meantime, it is imperative that women start to report incidents of violence.

Lage concludes by saying that the public must “start speaking up against this and take action. Liking a page on Facebook is not enough. Get equipped and empowered and be a voice for someone who needs your voice.”

Civil Rights Act, which was passed in 1964 and brought an end to segregation, as well as banned employment discrimination based on race, religion, colour, sex and national origin. Despite his speech being aimed at his fellow Americans, his message was one that was received globally, as countries that had gone through struggles for independence, and those that still had their own struggles for civil rights to overcome, took his words to heart. The evidence of his impact can be seen in the various roads, parks and monuments that have been named in his honour in countries such as India, France, Zambia and South Africa.

King was a supporter of South African anti-apartheid activists, such as Albert Luthuli and Nelson Mandela, and gave numerous speeches and sermons in which he connected the fight for freedom and equality in the US with the struggles that other countries, like South Africa, were facing. He also called on the British and American governments to aid activists in bringing down the apartheid regime – a regime he strongly denounced, and described as being “a medieval form of segregation organised with 20th century efficiency and drive”. Speaking about how Martin Luther King’s speech would have been received in South Africa, Ms Heather Thuynsma, a UP lecturer, said that “the Apartheid government dismissed it with derision, and the liberation movements stationed both inside and outside South Africa embraced the sentiment and essence of the speech, but they probably didn’t agree that a non-violent approach would be successful in the South African context. After all, this was given some three years after the Sharpeville Massacre.”

Although King’s dream of an equal society has been mostly praised, it hasn’t become a reality, as there are some who still

have strong, hate-filled and racist views. The events that took place in Charlottesville on 11 and 12 August highlighted this.

Hundreds of white supremacists and neo-Nazis were allowed to legally march in a “Unite the Right” rally, carrying Confederate and swastika flags. Violence erupted as counter protesters clashed with the white supremacist group, which left many injured and one woman tragically killed when a car was driven into a group of counter protesters. The incident in Charlottesville is just another in a string of recent public displays of racism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of discrimination. A lot of the blame has been laid on the poor leadership of President Trump, who has failed to denounce the white supremacists and neo-Nazis that endorse him.

Not only do these incidents divide a country and spread hate, they also undermine the work that civil rights activists have done in the name of equality and freedom.

According to Ms Thuynsma, King’s message is as relevant today as it was 54 years ago. She said, “Its reconciliation message is also pertinent for South Africa especially after the Marikana Massacre and the recurrent xenophobic or, as one of my third year students renamed it, Afrophobic attacks” Ms Thuynsma also stated that “The speech speaks of racial reconciliation both within and outside the US. its hopeful undertones helped embed a damning indictment of segregation as a policy and racism as a mind set. And his passionate delivery stirred the consciousness of [the] broader public while tapping into and, in many ways, re imagining the clichés which form the cornerstones of the American Dream; the idea that ‘all men (both black and white) would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness’”

Illustration: Michelle Hartzenberg

KATHERINE ATKINSON Women’s Month in South Africa is meant to commemorate and empower women. However, these ideals seem a distant reality from Women’s Month 2017 as the country was reminded of the increased cases of gender-based violence.

On 6 August Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Mduduzi Manana allegedly assaulted two women at Cubana in Fourways.

A few days later, on 9 August, News24 reported that a 26-year old woman from Khayelitsha was found dead after attempting to escape from her abusive boyfriend. Earlier this year Karabo Mokoena was allegedly killed by her abusive boyfriend, and Hannah Cornelius was raped and murdered.

Tabitha Lage, CEO of Hope for Women and founder of African Alliance against Human Trafficking says that “violence [against women] has certainly increased in 2017. Society has become

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The speech that changed the world

Image: The Stanford Freedom Project

SAM MUKWAMU “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character”. This is one of the most quoted lines from Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and probably best highlights King’s vision of a society where a person’s race isn’t a factor in how they are treated. 28 August marks the 54th anniversary of the day King delivered his speech in front of over 250 000 people who marched to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., to protest for civil and economic rights for African Americans.

The speech is one of the most defining moments in American history as it inspired change in the United States. It specifically led to an increase in support of President Kennedy’s proposed

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Entertainment | 28 August 2017

Entertainment Sneak preview: Kopanong Bites Stasis makes Rocking the Daisies Top 12 The alternative rock band, made up of five UP students, entered the #ROCKTHEDAISIES contest earlier this month. This contest allows the public to vote on which bands they would like to see perform at the music festival later this year. Stasis made the Top 12 but unfortunately fell out in the next round. Go to the Stasis Facebook page to see when this talented group of musicians has their next live performance.

John Legend is coming to South Africa On 22 August Big Concerts confirmed that the “Love me now” singer will return to South Africa for his Darkness and Light global tour. Legend, along with a full band, will be performing at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg on 3 and 4 November. Tickets will sell for between R515 and R1140. The tour then moves on to Durban and Cape Town before leaving South Africa.

Shortstraw releases Those Meddling Kids On 1 September, Johannesburg-bred band Shortstraw will release their fourth album, Those Meddling Kids.

The album will include songs such as “JETLAG”, “Ignorance is bliss” and “Thailand”. Each song will have a unique work of art designed by different artists, and a music video directed and created by anyone with the most passionate pitch. Some of the music videos have already been released and can be seen on the official Shortstraw website.

Van Pletzen releases second music video

Peach van Pletzen and Mathieu Auriacombe make up the new Afrikaans satirical duo. Van Pletzen released their first song “k*k lekker” in June of this year and will be performing at Oppikoppi. Their second release, “GOUD” is a humorous social comment on a night out in The City of Gold, Johannesburg. “It is not the destination that matters but the journey. We set out to go and party in JHB but landed up driving from place to place having a grand old time in the back of the Uber.

It is almost like a road trip to nowhere, because all that matters is now,” Peach van Pletzen said about the release.

Photo: Shaun Sproule

CARINA KLOPPERS This year the 17th annual Kopanong Student Arts Festival will take place from 18 to 23 September on UP’s Hatfield campus and surrounds. The Kopanong Student Arts Festival is a weeklong showcase of more than 50 events including theatre productions, short films and workshops from a variety of genres.

As Kopanong aims to promote young artists in their journey towards change and transformation in the South African arts, this year boasts a diverse program. Westly Smith, a member of the organising team that also directs, choreographs and performs in the festival, says, “The festival aims to produce productions that speak to a variety of people and there will definitely be something to excite everyone. This year’s programme is proving to be relevant to today’s social affairs. It is very exciting to have works from TUT, Oakfields College and City Varsity included in this year’s programme.”

Smith also remarks that they are excited to once again present works from some industry professionals. Liquid Fusion will present the internationally acclaimed, Standard Bank Ovation Award winning production, Burn. Gavin Mattys’ My Dog Don’t Like and Drama Lecturer Bailey Snyman’s PhD creative project L.I.F.E A History of Distance will also be presented for one performance each.

Perdeby also spoke to veterans of Kopanong, Ronaldo Botha, Max Breytenbach and Micia de Wet about the value of the platform that the festival offers young artists. This will be Botha’s fourth year participating in Kopanong. He is acting in three productions. Breytenbach is part of two productions this year; he is directing one, and co-choreographing and performing in the other. De Wet has been involved with the festival for seven years

now and she will be showcasing one production this year, Father, My Father: A Folktale for the Found Girls, which she directed, choreographed and mostly wrote.

Kopanong provides a platform for young artists to celebrate student arts, culture and South African heritage, while engaging with the other artistic voices of tomorrow. Botha notes that it is the festival’s capacity to inspire change that ensured his continued involvement. He believes the most dynamic part of Kopanong lies in its ability to catalyse important discussions.

Breytenbach added that “Art allows us to associate and identify with characters and situations that may allow us to become more informed and develop a more rounded outlook on the world.”

He also remarks that he is looking forward to engaging with the artists and audiences in order to help them and himself develop and grow in the contemporary South African theatre landscape.

Kopanong assists with the development of young artists, by helping them to refine their artistic voices. De Wet added that this is due to the allowance of creativity without the pressure that there would be at larger scale festivals. According to her this can lead to phenomenal work because of the absence of fear and pressure, or can alternatively result in absolute flops, although, she says “This is true of any festival.” Furthermore, she states that she thinks Kopanong’s accessibility and loyal audience allows for criticism and feedback from far and wide. She concludes by saying that Kopanong spring boarded her development. “It’s where I’ve won an award, been nominated for awards, and [gathered] valuable [criticism] in order to grow myself as a performing artist.”

Tickets for Kopanong will be sold at R35 each, and will be available online and at the Drama Department’s box office during the festival. The link to purchase tickets online will be made available closer to the time.

Mango Groove making a comeback

The Afropop band has been away from the limelight for quite some time but 2017 marks their return to the South African music scene. Mango Groove started off the year with the Large on the Lawn event in Johannesburg. In July they joined Majozi and Rubber Duc at the famed Xmas in July event at Ground. Catch the band live on 9 September as they celebrate The Good Luck Bar’s second birthday and on 13 September as they take the stage at Lentedag.

Trever Noah wins the Nielsen Booksellers’ Choice Award The South African Comedian won this award for his bestselling autobiography Born a Crime and Other Stories.

The Nielsen Booksellers Choice Award goes out to the book, written by a South African author, the booksellers most enjoyed selling. Noah’s book was up against Koors

by Deon Meyer, My own liberator by Dikgang Moseneke and a few other critically acclaimed book.

Compiled by Claudine Noppe

Image provided

Knowing Me, Knowing You KATHERINE ATKINSON On Thursday 10 August the Rockwood Theatre had its official media opening of Knowing Me, Knowing You. The show exhibited a collection of hit songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s. The Rockwood Theatre, formerly known as the Pretoria Barnyard Theatre, is newly furnished and offers a beautiful fusion between rustic and contemporary styles. In the actual theatre the seating arrangement consists of tables facing the stage, creating a relaxed and friendly space by allowing people to socialise and order delicious food and drinks during the performance. However, the Rockwood Theatre has more to boast than just its revamped venue.

As promised, Knowing Me, Knowing You takes you on a vibrant journey through the past. There were five singers, each with their own unique tone which gave a refreshing feeling to the well-known hits. The musicians also offered a plethora of talent which was highlighted when they performed solos. The most memorable of these instrumental solos was an acoustic piece

performed by the lead guitarist. The night also included short interludes of comedy that allowed for seamless transition between songs and created a jovial feel.

Although the night was a tribute to rock, pop and folk songs of the past, there were a few modern songs that did not quite fit. These included songs by artists such as Bruno Mars, Ellie Goulding and Maroon 5. Inspite of their incongruity, these songs were among the best executed. Other well-executed songs included “River deep, Mountain high”, “I got you babe”, “Dance with somebody”, “How do you do!” and of course “Knowing me, knowing you.” A South African flair was added when a few Afrikaans and Mango Groove songs were performed.

Even though some songs were not met with the same energy as others, by the end of the night the atmosphere was as lively as ever, which resulted in almost all of the audience dancing.

Overall, Knowing Me, Knowing You offers a thoroughly enjoyable evening and is appropriate for family and friends. Knowing Me, Knowing You will be showing on every week from Thursday to Sunday until 1 October.

28 August 2017 | Entertainment

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The Lebowski, a new Indie-Rock band at Tuks. Photo: Dé-ann du Toit

Meet The Lebowski SERISHKA MOODLEY

The Lebowski is a new band that has originated at UP. The band, which consists of Llewellyn Steyn, Kris Hamersma and Dylan Pietersen, was formed in July 2016. This indie-rock band played at the Mieliepop Festival, Arcade Empire, the Goodluck Bar, Railways, Rumours Lounge and Aandklas.

They have previously recorded three demos, and have recently released their four-track EP, Pretty Bland. The EP is a balance of indie and alternative rock. Perdeby sat down with The Lebowski for a quick Q and A. Here’s what they had to say.

What made you guys form the band?

An indescribable attraction to Llewellyn’s moustache brought us all together. Second to this was the idea of helping Dylan find love through the band; girls love drummers. And then there’s also the not so significant fact that we love music and like being sweaty on stage.

What made you guys come up with the idea of forming an indie-rock band as opposed to a band that just does one type of music?

We didn’t choose indie, indie chose us.

What was it like performing at Mieliepop?

We really enjoyed it! Mieliepop is one of the coolest festivals we’ve been to. It’s really small and niche and you really get the idea that people are there to appreciate South African music.

The scenery is gorgeous and everything was

organised exceptionally well. We would love to play there again.

Your latest EP, Pretty Bland, was recently released. How would you describe the change in music from your previous demos to Pretty Bland?

We took a lot more time to do Pretty Bland, so we put a lot more thought into it. We also had a much better idea of what we wanted in terms of sound. We also felt like we had a lot more freedom to write the kind of music we enjoy playing so we think people will find the EP quite honest in many ways.

What inspired the name of the band?

We were looking for a name that was catchy, fun to say and meaningless at the same time. We were hoping to just be “Lebowski”, but some other progressive band beat us to it, so we did what any reasonable person would do: we added a “the” to our name.

You said that the band’s music ‘should always walk the fine line between mundane and poignant’. How is this reflected in your music?

Our music is such that people can listen to it and find the lyrics really pointless or at the same time really meaningful. It really depends on how you choose to interpret it. Hopefully it means that we are the sort of band that you can party to but also find an emotional connection to if you sit down and listen to our music with some good scotch.

Monark Monark

Image provided: Johnathan Andrews

Simpiwe Petros: Living life UnPlugged and InCharge UNOSHAMISA CHIRADZA Simpiwe Petros, a former UP student is a radio personality and a speaker coach. He did his Honours in Industrial and Systems Engineering, and is currently a radio personality. In terms of the drastic change, Petros says that he has always been passionate about media and he isn’t going to let what he studied define him. So he pursued his passion and ended up on radio, hosting a show called Unplugged and InCharge on Cliff Central. In November 2016 he spoke at TEDxPretoria about of his radio show and the motivation behind it; to inspire others not to accept their circumstances and help them realise that they have the responsibility and ability to become whatever they want to be. He wants people to know that they have the power and choice to create the future they desire. Petros says a big fear of university students is public speaking and most people avoid it all costs, so he started the Leave Your Mark (LYM) Academy to help people overcome their fear of public speaking. Being a part of the academy will mean you get to learn a wide variety of skills that focus on enabling you to overcome your

discomfort and build confidence as a speaker.

The academy’s programme includes voice training, speech preparation techniques and confidence controllers. The Standard Bank Incubator happening on 26 August 2017 in Hatfield will be a great place to see what public speaking is about. During Petros’s time at UP, he was part of EnactusUP. He said, “Enactus UP changed my life. It played a major role in my life. If it wasn’t for Enactus UP, I would have never believed in my speaking skills. It is definitely a programme that shaped my views on leadership and what it really means [to be a leader]. I was also privileged to represent South Africa in Mexico at the Enactus World Cup, which is an experience I will never forget. I definitely believe that it is the catalyst that completely changed my views on what life and leadership is all about.” Simpiwe’s advice for students is that they should embrace failure and not see it as a stumbling block, but rather a stepping stone that empowers you. After embracing failure there will be a point where you will be liberated to do and try more, because the fear of failing will become non-existent in your life.

Blood Brothers 2017: Chris van der Walt

Image: Michelle Hartzenburg

SERISHKA MOODLEY On 4 August Monark held a launch party for their second album at the Barnyard Theatre in Rivonia to celebrated the release of their second album selftitled Monark. The launch was a huge success, with opening act Ryki getting the crowd pumped with all the favourites. Monark’s performance was nothing short of excellent, leaving the crowd in absolute awe. They performed songs from both their albums. They got the crowd jumping with all their hits, especially when lead singer, Eugene Coetzer, jumped on one of the audience tables and began singing even more passionately.

The album sees the band head in a new direction in terms of their sound and production. The album was produced by Eugene Coetzer and Ewald Janse van Rensburg, both of whom are members of the band.

The songs feature elements of a wide range of music choices so as to attract a bigger audience. The songs draw their inspiration from artists such as Drake, Coldplay and Michael Jackson, which makes for an album that has a wide range of styles with a good hook.

While all their songs are great, there are some songs that stand out from the rest including “Broken”, “Here’s to the fun” and “Lonely light”. The album also features Ryki on one of their songs, “Sake of Our Love”. The album is fun and upbeat and showcases a more honest side of the band.

Image provided: Andre Badenhorst

THSILISANANI NDOU Blood Brothers will see South Africa’s rock icons unite for one night only, this year in support of the Vrede Foundation. Ten of South Africa’s favourite rock icons will be collaborating to perform some of their greatest hits on one stage. The third annual Blood Brothers concert will take place on 30 September.

Perdeby caught up with Chris van der Walt, bassist for The Black Cat Bones, who will be part of this year’s group.

What are you most excited about for Blood Brothers 2017?

I’m really excited to work with all these amazing people. It’s going to be a mal party! And it’s all for a great cause.

You are the bassist for The Black Cat Bones and Dead Lucky, how do you juggle the two bands?

The Black Cat Bones is my main focus. We have our main booked dates, and I try work around it to ensure that I’m constantly gigging. I have a couple of other side-projects, but they all seem to fall into place. I put it all in a calendar, and fill in the gaps.

What does the Vrede Foundation mean to you?

It’s wonderful that people are taking steps to use music as

a medium to raise awareness.

Everyone has been, or will be, touched by cancer in their lives. We’re quite oblivious until it’s too late. So getting people to think about important issues, with music, could be life changing.

What separates your style as an artist from other musicans in your genre?

I play very hard and aggressive[ly]. A lot of bends, slides, bashing the bass with my fist, loads of distortion and FX. I grew up playing nicely, but somewhere along the line I wanted to rock, break the rules, and scream with a bass.

I learned all the rules, just so I could break them.

If you could perform with any artist on the line-up, who would it be and why?

I have actually been blessed to have performed with each of the artists, somewhere along the line. The great thing is everyone has something different to offer. I would like to perform with all of them on one stage, because it would be a very interesting mix of styles, vibe, and power. Oh wait, I think that’s happening soon.

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Fun and Games | 28 August 2017

Pssst...

Top 10

Pssst… has a cold this week, it must be because of having to use the same finger print scanners as Kollege. Pssst… also suspects it might also be because of the second hand embarrassment Pssst… felt from watching the terrible video Taaibos posted on Instagram. If Pssst… wanted to watch such an awkward video Pssst… would have gone to watch some Grade threes rehearse a play. Speaking of Taaibos and what Pssst… can only assume was a horrendous house week based on the video, Pssst… heard that their beer pong competition with Nerina was not at all excellent, Pssst… would like to clarify the rules of beer pong for all involved, the goal is to get the other team drunk before you, and you cannot hope to win if you yourself are already drunk.

Pssst… has had a few complaints about Kollege’s practices at Jolly’s. Pssst… thinks that pineapples should be reserved for fruit salads or pizzas (if you’re weird like that) not for shouting out at in the middle of Jolly’s if you’re not doing too well with the ladies.

Pssst… would also like to remind Erika first years that the word pineapple is not a valid reason to hook up with older Kollege boys.

Pssst… knows summer is on its way but Pssst… already needs sunglasses because of the new HK elected this week. Pssst… is worried no one understands the word transformation, Pssst… is not excited for another year of pathetic student culture.

Pssst... attended Tshwane 10s this weekend where Pssst... got some insight about how respect works these days. Kiaat respects their elders and acted respectfully towards Pssst..., you have something going for you at least Kiaat! In contrast, Pssst... was very

unimpressed with Magrietjie. Its not nice to kick those with far more wisdom and experience when they are down. Shame on you Magrietjie.

Pssst... is also glad that the Houte finally had their incipid Citizen’s Ball. How many posts did you even make about it? Struggling with res pride maybe? Pssst... understands, Pssst... also wouldnt be proud to be a Houteman.

Pssst... heard that some Klaradyn and OP ladies had a bit too much fun at Kollege last Friday. Pssst... would also hide in the bathrooms and refuse to come out. Imagine, screaming Welpies and those manky Kollege flatcaps, even the OP ladies were scared, and some would say they deal with scarier beasts on a daily basis.

Finally, Pssst… would like to commend the people who took part in UP A Capella. Commend may be a strong word, Pssst… would just like to thank the participants for not being terrible. Pssst… was glad to see Vividus Men (or that new strange name that no one can pronounce) and Vividus Ladies being more inclusive, Pssst… is pleased that this means that they have included people with talent this year. The disappointment of the final’s night for Pssst… was Madelief; who managed to be terrible before they even began singing. Why have a theme empowering women if you’re going to announce that you’re not feminists? Pssst… thinks maybe their theme was meant to insult women’s rights activists. In Women’s Month. Shame.

Crossword

Top 10 reasons everyone is getting sick If you are like everyone in the Perdeby office this week, you will be suffering from the widespread campus cold. These are the top10 reasons everyone is getting sick: 1.

The cold front

2.

The tightly-packed queues in the Piazza

3.

Furniture in lecture halls and offices

4.

The biometric system which makes it easier to spread germs

5.

The dusty air

6.

The change of seasons

7.

Test week and assignment stress

8.

That one person in class who never sneezes or coughs appropriately

9.

Being squashed next to other sick people in lecture halls and the library

10. Jolly’s

Old cartoon tv shows wordsearch

Bands crossword

Across: Down: 1. One of the most famous British boy bands from 2010

8. “Wonderwall” band 9. Girl group and winners of 2011 X Factor

Dexter’s Laboratory

Powerpuff Girls

10. Irish boy band from 1998, known particularly for their covers

Johnny Bravo

Hey Arnold

Rugrats

Tom and Jerry

4. Dutch Eurodance group

11. “She looks so perfect” Australian boy band

Arthur

Ben 10

5. “I want it that way” boy band

12. Kurt Cobain’s band

As Told by Ginger

The Flinstones

6. Justin Timberlake’s 1993 boy band

13. “All the right moves’ American band”

The Jetsons

Scooby Doo

Top Cat

Recess

2. “Wannabe” girl group from the U.K. 3. “Radioactive” American band

7. Adam Levine’s band

14. “Heathens” duo

Catdog

28 August 2017 | Sport

11

The gender pay gap in sport

Image: Shaun Sproule

Female athletes continue to break gender barriers ANTHONY JORDAAN In a world primarily perceived through an androcentric (male centred) view point, it is women in sport who particularly face the enduring challenge of overcoming unwanted designated categories, stigmas and biased criticisms. Women are seen as less competent and fitted to participate in many sports much of the time, whereas men’s sports, ranging all disciplines and codes, are typically more widely accepted. In South Africa, particularly, it is men’s rugby and football that receive more marketing, attention and funding than women’s teams participating in the same sports.

This is largely due to the stigma that has been attached to women’s sports ever since the ‘Heraean Games’ in sixth century BCE became the first ever recorded women’s athletic competition. This is then unfortunately further perpetuated through a lack of media coverage of women’s sport, which encourages gender stereotypes and heteronormativity (the attitude that heterosexuality is the only normal and natural expression of sexuality).

Fortunately, female sports participation and popularity has continued to dramatically increase throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, reflecting changes in modern societies, with an increased emphasis on gender parity and equality.

Women’s sport has become more widely accepted throughout the world, thanks to the emergence of female role models who continue to challenge existing beliefs and limitations placed on women in sport.

This has been achieved through the emergence of athletes who have broken the mould, such as 23time Tennis Grand Slam Champion, Serena Williams, American mixed martial artist, Ronda Rousey, and South African middle-distance sensation, Caster Semenya.

Serena Williams most notably has won 23 career Grand Slam titles, a total unmatched by anyone in the sport. Williams’s feat is made all the more impressive as out of those 23 titles, her most recent comes as she won the 2017 Australian Open during her first trimester of pregnancy.

Rousey has been praised by many, including UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) president, Dana White, as being a role model for younger girls through overcoming many adversities in her life. This includes the suicide of her father when she was just seven years old. Despite adversity, she has won Olympic gold and multiple other titles in the sport of MMA. Caster Semenya similarly is never really safe from the on slaught of criticism and abuse. Nevertheless, Semenya has gone on to claim gold at the 2009 World Championships, silver at the 2011 World Championships, silver at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the women’s 800m, and most recently a gold medal at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.

On the continent of Africa many women continue to do many great things in sport. At the 2016 Rio Olympics a 24-year-old Ethiopian distance runner, Almaz Ayana, ran in the women’s 10 000m race for only the second time in her career. She proceeded to break the world record for the race by a mind boggling 14 seconds. Kenyan marathoner, Jemima Sumgong, became the first Kenyan woman to win a gold medal in a marathon at the games, making history for her country.

Women’s participation in sport has historically been multifaceted and complex. With the emergence of female athletes and role models from around the world who continuously seek to transcend the ‘traditionally’ established status quo and boundaries in sport, the hope exists that sport will one day progress towards a more fully integrated and equally established playing field for athletes of all genders.

Illustration: Michelle Hartzenburg

SAVANNAH PLASKITT

In 2015, then women’s tennis number one, Serena Williams earned half as much as the men’s number one, Novak Djokovic, even though both had won three Grand Slams. In 2016 the highest paid female footballer was Alex Morgan, who earned about $2.8 million while the highest paid male footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, earned more than $88 million.

The US men’s soccer team is ranked 26th in the world while the women’s US soccer team is ranked world number one.

The women’s team also generated $20m more revenue last year than the men’s team, but were still paid significantly less

than the men. This discrepancy is not an outlier in football as the sport has the largest pay gap. Winner of the Women’s Super League received no winnings but when Chelsea won the Premier League title last season they received £38m. In the Champions League men’s winners, Real Madrid were awarded £13.5m and women’s winner’s, Lyon were awarded just £219,920. In the World Cup the winning men’s team receives £35m compared to the £2m the winning women’s team receive. Golf and cricket also have a large gap between men’s and women’s winnings with male winners of The Open receiving £1.17 million compared to women’s £487,500, and cricket World Cup men’s winners receiving £3.1 million compared to women’s £470,500.

A lot of the disparity in earnings stem from the commercialization of sport, so while competitions (such as the tennis Grand Slams) pay the same prize money to both men and women, sponsors may pay less. European Solheim Cup captain, Annika Sorenstam, said “Sport is a mirror of the business world. Unfortunately a lot of women in the business world don’t always get paid the same as a man in the same role. We just have to continue to fight for it and hope they pay by performance and not by gender.”

A misconception surrounding women in sport is that it is not as entertaining to watch. Executive Director of Women on Boards, Claire Braund, argued that “Had our culture been used to seeing women, rather than men, play football and rugby for generations, we would find the idea of men playing these games a bit novel. It’s all a matter of perspective.” In the US, the Women’s World Cup final had the largest viewing audience in the history of US soccer.

However, according to a BBC study of 68 different sports, the pay gap is narrowing. The study conducted to mark Women’s Sport Week 2017 found that 83% of sports now reward men and women equally, rather than 70% in 2014.

In 1973 no sport rewarded men and women equally. CEO at Women in Sport, Ruth Holdaway, said in an interview with HuffPost UK that “there needs to be fundamental culture change within the sports sector itself […] We need transformation at every level of sport, but especially at the top as female board members and CEOs of sports organisations are still a minority.” Holdaway continued saying “Women’s sport will never receive the recognition it deserves when female voices are in short supply.”

Sport TuksVolleyball. Image Provided

TuksVolleyball carry on despite hardships ANTHONY JORDAAN

House Education’s Fitness Camp. Image Provided

House Education hosts fitness camp NTOMBI MKANDHLA House Education recently wrapped up its four-week long fitness camp held at the Groenkloof sports fields between 19 July and 19 August. Boniswa Tele, Vice-Chairperson of House Education, said the faculty house “needed a fun project that they could do for the students”. Tele also added that they ran with the idea of a fourweek long fitness regime as it would have more of an impact on students as opposed to a one day sporting event.

The free event was hosted on Monday and Wednesday evenings and targeted Groenkloof res students, although, with a payment of R30 a session, the larger UP student body was also allowed access to the programme on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Those two evenings were also open to Groenkloof res students for “additional support” with the programme, Tele added.

Themed “#SummerBodyFitness”, House Education collaborated with Move4Fitness, a student-driven fitness initiative. Donald Marrocane, co-founder and trainer of Move4Fitness said he assisted the trainees with high intensity interval training which promotes rapid fat burning. “We also used strength training such as squats, push ups and sit ups,” he said, adding that he did not use gym equipment with the trainees so that they could “[use] their own bodies to get into shape”.

Furthermore, Morrocane provided the trainees with a basic meal guide including eating recommendations for the duration of the programme to obtain optimum results. Tele who also participated

Image: Michal-Maré Linden

LORINDA MARRIAN Varsity Football: The fifth round of Varsity Football kicked off last week Thursday. Tuks beat a ten man Wits team 4-0 at the Tuks Stadium. Two of the four goals came from Man of the Match

in the camp said, “Eating healthily isn’t expensive,” adding that being a “smart shopper” lessens the amount of money spent on desired food. However, she admitted that following an eating plan was “difficult”. She then said she found strength in a support system formed with other trainees where they would sometimes share their food.

“During the planning [of the event] I anticipated that only females would partake – I did a survey first,” Tele said, commenting on the female only attendance. However, she added that the programme was open for all. Each student who successfully completed the training programme was rewarded with a certificate of attendance on 19 August. This was a “positive reinforcement” to the trainees who worked to reach their goals, Tele said.

The top 10 trainees were given with organic herbal water

by Greenline, a UP society which tackles and campaigns for environmental issues. The top three trainees were awarded a free gym membership from Tuks Student Gym. Commenting on the criteria for the top achievers, Morrocane said he looked for consistency. “It was not about the fittest but the most hardworking,” he said.

Calling the programme “intensive”, Amanda-Kathleen Seefane, a second year BEd FET General student who partook in the camp, said she most enjoyed the workouts where they had to work with each other. “It would build team spirit [...] and at the same time, it would push [me] to do better,” she said.

Odwa Mawon, with Best Shot Award winner Claudio Almeida and Frank Mpedi adding the rest. Elsewhere, CUT (Central University of Technology) beat NWU (North West University) 2-1, while UJ beat University of Fort Hare 3-0.

Tuks will face the University of Fort Hare on 4 September at 18:30 in Alice, Eastern Cape Athletics: Luvo Manyonga, after winning gold at the IAAF World Championship, attempted to break Mike Powell’s long jump record which is set at 8.95 in the French Alps. Theoretically, the higher altitude is meant to make jumping easier, however, due to strong winds, Manyonga managed a distance of 8.46m while his first four attempts were all no jumps.

Squash: TuksSquash Junior Blaine Verhange won the u/19 title in the Junior Squash Open Championships after beating Nathan van der Westhuyzen.

Rowing: TuksRower Thabelo Masuthu, become the first black rower to win a medal at the Junior World Rowing Championship in Trakai, Lithuanaia, when he won bronze.

Swimming: UP dominated at the South African Short Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg with a total of 44 medals and 748 points. Seagulls Swim Club placed second with 312.50 points, while Maties (Stellenbosch University) placed third with 305 points.

2017 has so far been a highly successful year for sports clubs at UP. Among those which have experienced and accumulated success in recent times is TuksVolleyball. In 2016, the club experienced success on the Beach Volleyball scene, claiming silver in the women’s Varsity Sport Beach Volleyball Tournament, as well as presenting both male and female athletes to represent the u/23 Gauteng Beach Volleyball team.

On the indoor court, however, is where players from the club experienced the most success. In the USSA (University Sports South Africa) tournament, the women’s team came second, falling just short to UWC (University of the Western Cape) in the final with a score of 33-29. At the Tshwane Volleyball indoor league, both the men’s and women’s teams claimed gold, while the women went on to win bronze at the National Club Championships.

The year got off to a turbulent start when women’s team captain and winner of the ‘most valuable player award’ for three years running, Margrit Springer, obtained her doctorate and as a result was no longer permitted to represent the club.

With new captain Vanessa Sardinha da Silva taking over the role, the team were especially hopeful of going all the way in this year’s Indoor USSA Championships. However, the team suffered disappointment in the quarterfinal rounds, as they were eliminated. Nevertheless, they continued to dominate on the Beach Volleyball scene, claiming both gold and silver positions in the women’s USSA Beach Volleyball Championships.

Psychology Honours student and club outside hitter, Shani Klopper, gave her thoughts on the club’s performances thus far in the 2017 season. Klopper spoke of the team’s initial dissappointment with their elimination from the indoor tournament at the USSA Championships, but went on to say that dominating in the Beach Volleyball competition had restored a sense of drive and fulfilment in the team.

With TuksVolleyball affiliated with the Tshwane Volleyball and Gauteng Volleyball Unions, the following players from the club represented the Tshwane Volleyball Union at the May Inter Regional Tournament: Lise Chapelier, Margrit Springer, Dominique Gachet, Alina Diestelkamp, Magalie Bourblanc, and Nicky Wenhold. Additionally, the following players from TuksVolleyball went on to represent the club at the South African Inter Provincial Tournament in Bloemfontein: Nicky Wenhold, Magalie Bourblanc, Dominique Gachet, Heiko Damaske, and Vanessa Sardinha da Silva.

With the club boasting a strong coaching programme and some of the best facilities in the country, the team now sets its sight on the upcoming GVU League matches, the VSA (Volleyball South Africa Club Champs), as well as hosting the October High School Beach Volleyball Tournament Club administrator, Takalani Mfamadi, says that the club offers opportunities for various levels of players to attend training sessions, ranging from beginner, intermediate and advanced players. TuksVolleyball also runs a league for the TuksRes students starting which began in July and will continue into September.Coaches and players at the club are also encouraged to attend coaching and refereeing workshops and clinics.

Still to come in 2017, the club is expecting strong performances by players in the Tshwane Volleyball Union League, the December Varsity Sports Beach Volleyball Tournament, a string of Beach Volleyball competitions organised by the Gauteng Volleyball Union, and a September Club tournament hosted by Volleyball South Africa from 17 to 23 September.

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