Perdeby Official independent student newspaper of the University of Pretoria 5 March 2018
80
year 80 issue 4
Incubus in Pretoria for their world tour
UP’s WiFi network frustrates students Pg. 3
Pg. 9
Pres. Ramaphosa announces his first cabinet reshuffle Pg. 5 Are textbooks too expensive? Pg. 7 Are dancers artists or athletes? Pg. 11
Photo: Sally Hartzenberg
We had the opportunity to join the Day House, Faculty House or Society of your choice. 1nSync took place where we had the opportunity to get our first taste of what a varsity performance is like and we ended off the first two weeks with doing our bit for the community with the RAG of Hope day.
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Editorial | 5 March 2018
Rated X18
How Perdeby works Editor-in-chief
Editorial
Independence Perdeby is an independent newspaper, meaning no body outside Perdeby influences our content. We are held to the South African Press Code, Section 16 of the Bill of Rights. We subscribe to the Press Council, an independent regulatory mechanism that holds journalists and publications accountable to journalistic ethics and the South African Press Code. Training Perdeby falls under the Student Development wing of the Department of Student Affairs. We have multiple training programs to ensure our staff have all the necessary tools and skills to do our jobs ethically and effectively. We also offer a Writing Lab, which is open to all students at UP. Our first Writing Lab starts 13 April. Funding The printing and publishing of Perdeby is funded through our advertising. This is done to maintain our independence and to ensure none of our content can be influenced by outside bodies. Our training and development is funded by UP.
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always get excited when we hire new staff, and this year was quite the intake. We had very little room at the paper as we weren’t far from capacity. We had so many applications we couldn’t even give everyone an interview, but I’m excited to see what the new staff can do. One thing that I noticed was that no one knows what happens behind the scenes. I don’t expect people to know how we work, but there were many misconceptions about Perdeby that I think should be clarified. I’ve put together a nifty infographic on how Perdeby works as part of my editorial this week. Hopefully you will see how much work, dedication, and professional skill each of our staff members puts into the publication on a weekly basis. I would also like to encourage students to apply for out Writing Lab, which starts on 13 April. I know its quite far in advance, but we have skills at Perdeby that we would love to share. If you need help with your writing, want to get some insight into the way we write, or would just like to learn some handy tips, please apply. Finally, I would like to raise an issue that I could hopefully get some input on from our readers. It involves the ruling around Inxeba. This movie has been rated as X18, a rating given to pornography, but as far as the Film and Publications Board (FPB) indicates, there is no sex in the movie. The movie contains homosexual themes, which according to the report by the Appeal Tribunal of the FPB, as reported on by the Daily Maverick, is “harmful and disturbing to [the 16 year old] age group”. Apparently, the 16 year old age group does understand what is happening, but that this understanding “does not necessarily relate to moral behaviour”, and that “when repeatedly exposed to acts of such low moral standards he may show the propensity to engage in morally unacceptable, antisocial behaviour as reflected in the film.” There is the question about revealing too much information about Ulwaluko, the Xhosa initiation ritual, but the film’s director, producer and other people working on the film have all denied this. How can a movie like this can be rated the same as porn? Isn’t this ruling unconstitutional, homophobic and unfair? It’s also strange that another LGBTIAQ+ movie, Call me by your name, is showing at theatres across the country. Inxeba has been well received internationally, and as far as I can find out, has been nominated for 9 different awards. If you have a comment about this, or would just like to add your say, send me an email at perdeby@up.ac.za.
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5 March 2018 | News
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UP’s Wi-Fi frustrates students
Henri Uys
U
P provides free Wi-Fi services to its students and staff across most of its campuses and residences. However, this service has frustrated some students. Some are complaining of slow speeds, sudden disconnections and difficulty connecting to the network. Perdeby sat down with IT Director and CIO, Xolani Hadebe, to discuss the difficulties that students are experiencing. Hadebe said that the university undertook projects, regarding the Wi-Fi services, last year. Some of these projects included the upgrading of the university’s firewall and the Wi-Fi controllers. Hadebe said, “The whole university infrastructure, at the moment, is old and the number of users have more than doubled.” Hadebe explained that the university is using the SANReN network for internet connectivity. This network is a government-owned network that provides shared internet access to all South African universities and TVET colleges connected to the network. Hadebe explained that they have alternative solutions that they are working on. Hadebe said, “We will look at having a secondary breakout point, which will be a commercial line. And then we, internally, are going to decide on which traffic breaks to which service provider. So we might for example, decide to take all Wi-Fi traffic…[and divert it] to the commercial line. That means, people updating their phones or those watching videos, for non-academic purposes, will get [the] benefit on the commercial line.” Hadebe explained that students are experiencing difficulties because the university’s Wi-Fi network cannot meet the huge demand from the students. He also said that the biggest problem is not having difficulty to connect, but that there is a delay in connecting. Hadebe went further by saying
that if the network still experiences congestion in the future, the number of student connected devices will have to be limited. For example, a student may only be allowed to connect a certain number of devices to the network with their student number. The IT building on the Hatfield campus is one of the few buildings on campus that has very little to no Wi-Fi coverage. Hadebe said that he is aware of this and that there is a project underway to renovate the building. Hadebe also said that there is another project underway to ensure 95%-98% university-wide Wi-Fi coverage. According to Hadebe, most residences are “cabled”, meaning that students in residences make use of LAN cables to have internet connectivity. Hadebe said that discussions will soon take place to decide if the cable system will be replaced by Wi-Fi in these residences. Perdeby asked if they would consider blocking certain websites that create high volumes of traffic, such as video streaming services.YouTube, for example, generates a lot of network traffic and can cause congestion. Hadebe responded by saying that this will be difficult to do because of blended learning. The University is constantly monitoring WiFi usage, according to Hadebe. He said, “We know who the high users are. We can see the sites visited. The system is fully monitored.” Hadebe added that, in some cases, the university will contact students who are using a lot of data. Hadebe said, “We need to educate our users to know that [the Wi-Fi services] are limited resources and they need to be used sparingly.” He added that students should be allowed to access the internet freely for studying and recreation purposes, but to do so responsibly, keeping in mind their own study commitments and other users who need the network for important work.
Noluthando Mbangula, B.Ed 3rd year
I feel like the Wi-Fi is bad. It affected my schoolwork when I was writing my test… and it submitted. It goes off and then I got a whole zero for a test [and] it was [only] one attempt. They said they can’t fix that but I feel like they didn’t know that the Wi-Fi was bad so now that there’s actually more complaints about the Wi-Fi they changed the test. I feel like for res students, we pay so much money and it’s been going up. The res fees have been going up, [yet] the services are actually worse.
Werner Loock, BCom Financial Sciences 3rd year
The problems with my experience with this Wi-Fi is that the connection is not great. Even though on some locations on campus you have great connection, but others [for instance] just downstairs from the IT Building, the first floor you don’t get that great of a connection which is not nice. Sometimes we’re writing test and they want us to be on our phones or sometimes we have to go on our phones to research something. I know some of us have data, but to be honest some of us also don’t have data, so we need that.
Malese Mokgetloane, BSc Human Physiology, Genetics and Psychology 3rd year
You know how you expect the Student Centre to have the strongest connection? You’d wait for like 15 minutes [there] just to connect and when it does connect it buffers the whole time or it just disconnects by itself. You then move from the Student Centre and go to the Library with the hope that it will work quicker and it doesn’t. You’ll be sitting there waiting for your Novell to log in for like a good 30 minutes. You’ll just be there admiring the screensaver. Things get submitted late. We missed a schizophrenia thing cause of the Wi-Fi, we couldn’t submit our online assignment because of the Wi-Fi.
Keanan Pillay, BIS Information Science 2nd year
The current situation of the Tuks student WiFi is absolutely appalling. We can hardly ever connect to it and on the off chance we’re able to do so the speeds are too slow for us to be productive.
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News | 5 March 2018
Luigi Di Sarro World Disclosure exhibition ART EXHIBITION
Ricardo Teixeira
From 2 March until 18 May 2018 Mon - Fri 08:00 -16:00 www.up.ac.za/up-arts
Luigi Di Sarro:
World disclosure
Portrait of Luigi Di Sarro, artwork by Di Sarro, Untitled 1969 Image provided/ promotional artwork University of Pretoria - Edoardo Villa Museum,
On 1 March, an exhibition commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the death of Luigi Di Sarro opened at the Eduardo Villa Museum on the UP Hatfield campus. The exhibition entitled World Disclosure, is open to the public and features eight sculptures, 12 enlargements of drawings, and two original pieces, entitled All' Amore and Addio, that have been donated to the University of Pretoria Museums by the family of Luigi Di Sarro. The exhibition is curated by Prof. Paola Ballesi, professor of Aesthetics, and former Director of the Academy of Fine Arts of Macerata, in Italy. Prof. Ballesi wrote of the work of Luigi Di Sarro after meeting him in the mid-
1970s, before his untimely death on 24 February 1979. On 2 March, Prof. Ballesi gave a public lecture on the life and works of Luigi Di Sarro, at the Merensky Library auditorium on Hatfield campus. During the lecture, Prof. Ballesi spoke of influences on Luigi Di Sarro's works, his life, his education and some of the wisdom he left behind. Although Di Sarro died at the age of 37, the art he left behind is extensive. His drawings number in the thousands, and the sculptures in the exhibition are only eight of approximately 80 that are known to exist. The works of Di Sarro left a big footprint on the artistic movements of the 1960s in Italy, as they amplified and interpreted the ethics of the time. His artworks hold many similarities to Eduardo Villa, the artist whom the museum is named after. Both artists were of Italian origin and their sculptures were of a metal medium.
However, where Villa preferred bronze, and his work was large and heavy, Di Sarro used iron rods and wood, and his work was minimalistic and light in nature. The exhibition was the result of a collaboration between the University and the Cultural Institution of the Italian embassy. Prof. Theo van Wyk, Director of UP Arts stated "It is a fantastic collaboration and a significant one. Two juxtaposed artists, Italian artists, with very different divergent trajectories in art work, yet there is a link between the two. To build on that relationship on a different point of view, European and African, it is a good way for international collaboration between the University and the Italian Institution." The exhibition will be at the university from 2 March until 18 May, it will then travel to Europe and be on display at various other galleries. In a quote shared with Perdeby by Alessandra Di Sarro, Luigi Di Sarro's niece, she recalls her uncle writing in Italian, "I was born to go into the world, to breathe love, to see the light, to touch the earth."
Old Merensky Building, Hatfield Campus
Students unhappy with UP’s take on gender-based violence
By the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Pretoria, in collaboration with the Luigi Di Sarro’s Centre of
Documentation for Contemporary Artistic Research in Rome and the University of Pretoria Museums
Masesi Tsotetsi
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s reported by The Citizen on 19 February, UP students are unhappy with the university’s progress regarding action taken to prevent gender-based violence. Students told the publication that the university seems to be taking its time revising policies of genderbased violence, sexual harassment and discriminatory actions. The students also said that the university has been “dragging its feet” as it has failed to keep its promise to open a crisis centre for raped and sexually assaulted victims. As a result, students have issues with their safety when they are on campus. A final-year law student, Thiruna Naidoo, has expressed that the university has been trying to create a safer environment for students. However, the approach which the university is taking is regarded as “insufficient in addressing the driving factors behind these issues”. Naidoo expresses further that the university is not making a substantial effort to involve students in discussions about possible solutions. According to Naidoo’s comment to The Citizen, the university lacks transparency and there is also great difficulty when students try to access minutes from Executive Management meetings except for when the SRC requests them. Naidoo
Illustration: Rhodeen Davies
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says that the university bases these policy changes on its own perception and not on research which should be conducted to find out the statistics of students’ experiences regarding the matter. The university’s spokesperson, Rikus Delport, mentioned that awareness programmes have been increased around campus to prevent any further cases of rape and sexual assault. Furthermore, Delport said that the university has appointed a senior investigating officer who deals specifically with gender-based crimes. Since the university is close to government rape crisis centres such as Mamelodi Hospital and Steve Bantu Biko Academic Hospital, Delport says that it is not “feasible” for the university to offer similar services on campus. He goes on to say that these centres employ skilled legal people, forensic medical experts and counsellors who can assist rape victims in the appropriate manner. Delport said that “once a case is reported on campus and it is within the 72-hour period for the assault having taken place, the university arranges transport to the crisis centre so that the victim can receive the necessary medical, legal and counselling support.” Students are encouraged to make use of UP SPEAKOUT for anonymous reports, and also contact the South African Depression Anxiety Group (SADAG) for online counselling.
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5 March 2018 | News
5
Mamelodi Campus Alumni Club launched Shaun Sproule and Ricardo Teixeira
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n 17 February, the University of Pretoria Mamelodi Campus Alumni Club was founded. The day marked a historic moment, commemorating the success of the students who started their academic careers at the campus. The event was attended by Vice-Principal Prof. Norman Duncan, the Dean of the Mamelodi Campus, Prof. Nthabiseng Audrey Ogude, the Dean of the Natural and Agricultural sciences faculty, Prof. Jean Lubuma, and the Deputy Dean of the Economic Management Faculty, Prof. Johan Oberholster, among other distinguished guests. Mamelodi campus plays an important role at UP. Mamelodi Campus hosts students completing extended programme degrees with lower entrance requirements for students who did not meet the qualifying criteria for their chosen courses but are willing to take an extra year to work hard to attain their degrees. These students are often very successful, as the Dean’s lists frequently include students that started at Mamelodi Campus. The Alumni Club will play a specific role in the future of the campus, as members will act as ambassadors, securing financial support, contributions and bursaries for students. The members will also act as mentors to students on Mamelodi Campus, giving peer support and guiding younger students. The formation of the Alumni Club came as a result of a project undertaken by Griffiths Makgareetsa, who spent weeks creating the foundation of the structure. The Club forms an
important part of the Mamelodi Campus being an anchor institution as it ties the University to the surrounding community. The lack of a student voice at Mamelodi Campus will be filled by the presence of the Alumni Club, as the extended program cannot be improved without knowing the experience of its students. The University hopes the Alumni Club will create a sense of family and belonging, offering support during times of stress, helping students cope with possible failures, and inspiring selfmotivation. Outreach programs will also be carried out by the Alumni Club, as its members know without direction they would not be where they are today. As such, they are running a donations campaign, gathering items and resources students need. Mamelodi Campus has a hand in assisting local businesses, in collaborations made through the Mamelodi Business Clinic, in the form of talks and information sessions. The Mamelodi Campus Garden Initiatives established a food garden on the Campus, targeting the youth and women in the surrounding community. The goal is to alleviate poverty through development of agricultural crop production and entrepreneurial skills, and job creation. Makgareetsa encouraged Mamelodi alumni to come give back through the Alumni Club. “Our time here gave us the direction to get where we are today.... Those who made it through can come back and make the experience and success of this campus the best it can be.” He further reiterated that the goals of the Alumni Club can only be brought about through participation and effort.
Cabinet reshuffle: Minister of Finance
Nhlanhla Nene
Minister of Higher Education and Training
Hlengiwe Mkhize
Naledi Pandor
Minster of Public Enterprises
Lynne Brown
Pravin Gordhan
Minister in the Presidency
Jeff Radebe
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Minister of Social Development
Bathabile Dlamini
Susan Shabangu
Minister of Transport
Joe Maswanganyi
Blade Nzimande
Pres Ramaphosa announces his first cabinet reshuffle Henri Uys
O
n 26 February, President Cyril Ramaphosa made changes to his cabinet. This was Pres. Ramaphosa’s first cabinet reshuffle since taking office on 15 February . During a live address to the nation, Pres. Ramaphosa said, “These changes are intended to ensure that National Government is better equipped to continue implementing the mandate of this administration and specifically the tasks identified in the State of the National Address. In making these changes, I’ve been very conscious of the need to balance continuity and
Art exhibition in the Humanities building Henri Uys
The student overview Malusi Gigaba
Image: Michael Ridge
stability for the need for renewal, economic recovery and accelerated growth in our country.” Speaking to eNCA journalist, Annika Larsen, the following morning, Pres. Ramaphosa described his cabinet as “transitional”. Pres. Ramaphosa said, “It is the Cabinet that will take us to the next elections. That's how people should see it, and it is a very strong Cabinet. It takes into account the strengths we have in government and we have some really good people. I'd like to give them a chance and give them an opportunity. I'm hoping... they will take us forward.”
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n exhibition, NUTRIA 2 – Imprints of Conscription into the SADF, is currently being held in the foyer of the Humanities Building on the Hatfield campus. UP PhD candidate and curator of the exhibition, Stephen Symons, said, “The exhibition seeks to interrogate the manner in which memories of the conscription of white males into the former South African Defence Force (SADF) enter a contested present. South African society was gradually intruded upon and militarised by the Nationalist government, reaching its apogee in the mid-1980s. Six hundred thousand men were conscripted from white South African society between 1968 and 1993, meaning that many ex-conscripts still occupy important positions of power and influence within South African society.” Symons said the theme of the exhibition is the “racially specific militarisation and conscription of white males into the former South African Defence Force during the apartheid era”. Symons further stated, “The exhibition presents a series of creative engagements, including installations, framed photographs and artworks exploring and disrupting the militarised pasts of ex-SADF conscripts. Essentially, the exhibition acts as an alternative articulation in terms of knowledge production within the framework
In Current Affairs During the announcement, Pres. Ramaphosa also appointed David Mabuza as the Deputy President of the Republic. Dr. Mabutho Shangase, a lecturer in the Political Sciences Department at UP, said, “My take is that the appointment of Dr Naledi Pandor is to instil confidence in the higher education sector in general. She is a seasoned politician, astute academic, and professional who is familiar with issues of higher education, science and technology, as well as knowledge production in general. She is also a reliable candidate for efficient delivery and attendance to the most pressing issues within the sector e.g. redress in terms of building a critical mass of African academics and responding to the low
of masculinity and memory, encouraging epistemological shifts relating to the discourses and visual representation of whiteness and masculinity within South Africa.” The exhibition includes life-size casts of weapons, uniforms, documents and other prints and military material. Also on display are framed artworks and photographic prints. Dr. Siona O’Connell from the Department of History said, “The foyer is an exceptional and interesting curatorial space. It has significant foot traffic from across UP constituencies. The space offers a great opportunity to draw attention to the creative endeavour and to ask difficult questions that speak to the heart of knowledge production in an academic institution. The foyer messes with the idea of a conventional gallery space being a sanitised space, separate from the sounds, textures and realities of life beyond its walls.” Dr. O’Connell continued, “Following on the heels of the previous exhibition, Promises and Lies, it is my wish and intention to continue to curate exhibitions that vigorously work along themes of history-in-the-present and how we live after racial oppression. Once again, South Africa is at a crossroads, and the creative project is crucial if we are to square up to our past and live up to the promise of 1994 and a second chance of 2018.” The exhibition will run until 20 March.
output on Ph.D.’s and the problem of aging academics.” Dr. Shangase added, “Nhanhla Nene and Pravin Gordhan are trusted and respected professionals respectively, continuity and stability are required at the National Treasury, the engine room of our economy. Eskom is the backbone of our economy, thus a seasoned professional such as Mr Gordhan is best suited to ensure that the utility delivers on its mandate and returns to its credit worthy status in terms of their finances.” Dr. Shangase also commented on reducing the number of departments in government. “Questions should be raised about the departments of Economic Development, Women, Small Business, perhaps the latter should be incorporated into the Department of Trade and Industry, whilst Women should be incorporated into Social Development.”
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Features | 5 March 2018
Student innovators and entrepreneurs Katherine Atkinson
F
or South Africa to achieve economic growth we need between “twenty and twenty-five out every hundred people to be entrepreneurs” says UP’s webpage Entrepreneurship 101. However, only about 7% of South African citizens are entrepreneurs. Despite these statistics, UP has several students who have started their own platforms or businesses.
Bukwase Mgidlana. Mpumi says that South African youth “tend to look at international influences and acknowledge their work and successes”. Zintle Iintokazi want their clothing “to change this mindset and make people aware that there are amazing influences in Africa and Asia”. Zintle Iintokazi officially started trading on 5 January 2018 and plan to expand to an online store which has more than just t-shirts.
beyond corporate identity and branding”. Diko encourages “more students to get into the world of entrepreneurship” as it gives you a sense of fulfilment and develops you personally. Nobilmen (Pty) Ltd can be contacted through their website nobilmen.altitudec.co.za.
Savva Pouroullis and Dylan Mackenzie, founders of Deliquory Services
Deliquory Deliquory Services was started in March 2016 by Savva Pouroullis, a 2017 Mechanical Engineering graduate, and Dylan Mackenzie who is a third year BCom Investment Management student. Pouroullis and Mackenzie originally “wanted it to be exactly like a food delivery service” where alcohol could be delivered to peoples’ doorstep. However, the business “started branching into other aspects of the entertainment and hospitality industry”. After the team was “asked to manage a bar at a Polo Club”, their “events management branch was born”. Now Deliquory Services “hire out bartenders, waitrons, promoters and [their] own unique vibe-improving characters”. Deliquory Services have also started sourcing “students with a large social media presence [to] pay them to mingle and promote [Deliquory Service’s] brand”. Pouroullis and Mackenzie are “constantly experimenting with new features” and have “all sorts of ideas” but “eventually want to come back full circle to [their] original idea” and “develop an app for liquor delivery”.
Zach Wolpe, founder if Bid4Books
Bid4Books BCom Investment Management student, Zach Wolpe, launched Bid4Books at the start of this academic year. The free online platform allows students to buy and sell their second-hand textbooks with “no middleman”. Wolpe started Bid4Books because he felt that “there was a serious inefficiency in the transaction of secondhand study material” and that many “students cannot afford brand new textbooks annually”. Although there is an “informal marketplace” where “students attempt to sell their secondhand books”, Wolpe says that Bid4Books “makes it much more efficient for everyone involved”. Wolpe describes trading second-hand books with bookstores as a “sour experience” which is “designed to make the bookstore as much money as possible”. He adds that buyers can buy second-hand books but not at “secondhand rates” and sellers receive “a small pittance of the full selling price”. Contrary to this, Bid4Books allows sellers to have full control of the sale and keep 100% of the selling price. The Bid4Books team has expanded from one to five students and has over 700 books listed from universities across South Africa. The site is “growing like crazy” and has achieved over “10 000 site visitations in two weeks,” says Wolpe.
Bukwase Mgidlana (left) and Mpumi Mgidlana (right), founders of Zintle Iintokazi
Zintle Iintokazi Zintle Iintokazi sells t-shirts which “uniquely [identify] with African, influential personalities”. Zintle Iintokazi, which translates to “the girls are beautiful”, was started by BIS (Hons) Publishing student, Mpumi Mgidlana, and her cousin
Peter Magomarela (top) Kgoaile Molaba (bottom), founders of Happy Shoes.
Happy Shoes Happy Shoes was co-founded in August 2016 by Peter Magomarela, a BCom (Hons) Internal Audit graduate, and Kgoaile Molaba a third year BCom Agricultural Economics student. Magomarela describes Happy Shoes as “a convenience shoe care and maintenance company” which cleans, fixes, refurbishes and customises students’ “dirty, torn and out of touch shoes” at “an affordable price”. Magomarela conceptualised this business while observing “very dirty shoes stuffed up in most people’s rooms after late parties” at his former residence, Kollege. Magomarela says many students could not find time to clean their shoes and would sometimes “discard their shoes” because they could not find shoe care businesses or “businesses around are just too expensive”. Happy Shoes closed this gap by creating their online platform, www.walksmiling247.co.za, “where people can order for any shoe care and maintenance service” at any place and time. Happy Shoes provides free drop-off and collection for areas close to Hatfield and their turnaround time is “less than 48 hours”. Happy Shoes has “expanded quite tremendously” and earlier this year won “second place in the South African round of the Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards”, says Magomarela. Here, they lost to Palesa Motaung, a Soil Sciences student at UP who founded Desert Green, which aims “to create new young farmers and develop existing small-scale farmers, while repurposing under-utilized land in rural Africa for food production”, says LeadSA. Magomarela says “there’s never a right time to start a business” and that businesses start “with an idea and you maintain the idea with consistent actions”.
Robin Titus, creator of Reference Buddy
Reference Buddy Third-year BCom Investment Management student, Robin Titus, founded the platform Reference Buddy. The free website makes the tedious task of referencing more efficient. The user simply has to “choose a referencing style”, “create a reference list” and add sources. From there, the website will do the rest, including in-text citations and arranging sources alphabetically. Titus says that the information you add “can also be edited” and if you have any missing information the website will “still structure that reference entry in the correct manner”. Styles supported by Reference Buddy “include APA, Chicago, the popular Harvard Methods, MLA, and Vancouver,” but “a new style can actually be added within five minutes.” Titus “wrote the first lines of code for Reference Buddy in October 2014” and in February 2015 a “basic version of Reference Buddy officially went online”. The website has grown considerably since then and Titus says that “just last week someone signed up from the University of Antioquia in Columbia” and there “have also been hits” from the “University of Southern Nevada and Maastricht University”.
Luvuyo Diko, owner of Nobilmen (Pty) Ltd
Nobilmen (Pty) Ltd Nobilmen (Pty) Ltd was started on 30 November 2016 by Luvuyo Diko and Prince Tshweu who study BCom Financial Sciences and BSc Medical Science respectively. Diko describes Nobilmen (Pty) Ltd as “a corporate identity and branding company which seeks to establish and enhance the visual image and brand of businesses”. Diko says that “a well-established brand could indirectly assist you in turning [a] potential client into [a] paying client”, which is why the company offers a variety of brandrelated services such as conceptualisation of brand and image, establishment of a corporate identity, logo design, web user interface design and business card design. Diko says that in “South Africa there is a growing interest among young people, including students, to ‘be their own boss’” and Nobilmen (Pty) Ltd “seeks to assist these students who have taken an entrepreneurial leap”. This is done by ensuring that those who have started online businesses have a “relevant look and feel for their page” and those who have started traditional companies have a “clean and professional corporate identity”. Diko says that the longterm goal for Nobilmen (Pty) Ltd is to be “the leading international corporate entity which […] provides long-lasting and value-adding products and services to various markets and sectors through a diversified offering
Stellar Frisby, owner of Stellar’s Staples
Stellar’s Staples BScAgric Food Science and Technology (Hons) student, Stellar Frisby, started Stellar’s Staples in July 2015 as a food blog. Since then, Stellar’s Staples has progressed into a bakery business which is based in Pretoria. Frisby says that in 2016 her friends “began insisting that [she] charge people for the cakes [she] created”. From there, Frisby “started getting orders by word of mouth” which prompted her to eventually “create a Facebook page for [her] business”. Frisby’s specialises in “chiffon cake” and differentiates herself from other bakers by using “fresh, edible flowers on [her] cakes”. Frisby has been “working on developing other products such as biscuits and lollipops”. In the future, Frisby wants to “have a range of baked products, confectionary items and preserves as part of a successful premium brand and potentially a physical store”.
5 March 2018 | Features
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Image: Michael Ridge
The price of publishing: Why are textbooks so expensive? Lorinda Marrian
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he recent closure of Coco’s, the printing business well known for printing copied textbooks, has reinvigorated the conversation around the cost of textbooks among students. The Law of Delict textbook, a prescribed book for third years studying LLB, would cost around R1100 at the book stores around campus. At Coco’s a copied version of this book would cost students no more than R400 as the book would have been priced solely on printing and binding fees. The disparity in prices has led many students to question if textbooks are too expensive and where the rest of the money goes to. Jana Möller, a publishing lecturer at the university, highlighted some of the aspects of the academic publishing industry in South Africa. Firstly, academic publishing is the smallest sector in the publishing industry due to the small percentage of the population that receives tertiary education. Secondly, the market has changed from being dominated by imported
books to much stronger sales in South Africa, however, the international publishers still retain a strong influence. Thirdly, although student numbers have grown in tertiary institutions, the amount of students does not relate to a growth in the sale of the texts. Möller argues that according to a 2004 PA marketing report on South African publishing, academic publishers estimated that only about 25-30% of textbooks prescribed at higher education institutions are actually bought by students. Around 100 000 of the 800 000 students at tertiary institutions actually purchase books, while book sales are highest in the hard sciences and business and economics fields while they are lowest in arts and humanities. Möller also highlighted the key aspects that go into making academic books, which involves processes such as manuscript development, proofreading, generation of images and book covers, legal permission (re use of copyright protected information), printing, production and distribution costs, VAT and marketing as well as the general overheads that are needed for run-
ning a company. In terms of how academic publishing works, Möller says that publishers follow two basic criteria when deciding on subject fields in which to publish. First, there must be enough students in the subject to justify a reasonable print run (number of copies of a book printed at a time) and there must be a need for local content in the subject. An order to be economical, a reasonable print run is needed to sustain a book, otherwise the book becomes too expensive for the market. Möller further says that there are not many subjects with enough students to buy so many books. Therefore, subjects such as economics may do well but a smaller degree like the publishing degree or other niche subject degrees only sustains about 30 students a year. Furthermore, the South African higher education publishers are also likely to concentrate on certain subject areas while subjects such as medicine and engineering which have universal principles are often complicated and expensive to produce and are, therefore, not often published locally. In terms of pricing a text book, Möller argues that a lot of it depends on the print-run. The higher the print run, the cheaper the cost of the book. Furthermore, some books have higher production costs than others such as the use of higher quality paper, or it may be highly illustrated. Möller argues that she does not think that textbooks are overpriced, simply because it would not be beneficial from a publisher’s point-of-view, when one considers the “making of textbooks, the problems experienced, the smaller print-runs, discounts given to bookstores”, “publishers generally work out their costing as best they can to make profits but also ensure sale”. Publishing costs are worked out so that publishers make around 5% profit. Möller further adds that photocopying is the single biggest threat to higher education publishing in this country and has been undermining higher education publishing for years. It also deprives the publisher of sales and the author of royalties. According to a 2014 paper by the Publisher’s Association of South Africa Academic Subcommittee entitled The Academic Textbook Industry and Higher Education in South Africa, South
African text books “are reasonably priced and made specifically for this market”. They further argue that the price of a textbook is made up of multiple components like paying royalties to South African academics and not just the printing cost. The association also argues that imported textbooks may be more expensive due to the exchange rate and the multinational publishers’ student edition policies which, as a result of the US Supreme Court Case (Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons Inc), allows the reimportation of low cost editions into the United States. In the United States a significant amount of research has been done on the pricing of textbooks. Ethan Senack, advocate for making university more affordable at the U.S Public Interest Research Group, has argued that textbooks are expensive for two main reasons. Firstly, professors assign specific editions of a textbooks that may change every two years and secondly, that around five publishers have control of the textbook market and are therefore able to drive up prices. He further said that publishers take most of the money from textbooks. Publishers will make around 77 cents for every dollar spent with 15 cents being spent on marketing, around 32 cents on cover costs such as printing and employee salaries. The publisher would take around 18 cents as profit. Authors, on the other hand, who Senack calls, “the person who dedicated hundreds of hours of research to write the book” only receives around 12 cents per dollar. Many groups and researchers have developed ways for textbook prices to be dropped such as Textbook Revolution, a South African nongovernmental organization aimed to reduce the cost of university textbooks by 40%. The founder, Arthur Attwell, argues for changing the way textbooks are printed and distributed so that instead of buying the books, universities would buy the license to make copies of the books. This would reduce the cost of textbooks by printing on campus. Around the world there has also been a call for the creation and funding of open source libraries. Websites such as the Open Textbook Library are places whereby students can access and download textbooks at no cost.
Immerse yourself: isolation is a choice
Illustration: Rhodeen Davies
Mosa Mgabhi
H
ealthy relationships can help make for a healthier life overall. As humans, the relationships we form with other people are vital to our mental and emotional wellbeing. Debra Umberson and Karas Montez, through their work “Social Relationships and Health: a flashpoint for health policy”, published in PubMed Central, define social integration as “the overall level of involvement with informal social relationships, such as [friendships], and with formal social relationships, such as
those with religious institutions and volunteer organisations”. The publication also expresses that social relationships have great impact on an individual’s health and there are three broad ways that social relationships work to influence health, namely physiological, psychosocial, and behavioural. Psychosocial mechanisms such as social support and personal control show how social relationships promote health. Social support refers to the emotionally sustaining qualities of relations and may indirectly influence health by fostering a sense of meaning and purpose
in one’s life as well as reducing the effects of stress. Personal control refers to individuals’ belief that they can control their life outcomes through their own actions. Mental health is another mechanism working to shape physical health, exemplified by how emotional support provided by social ties enhances well-being, which may reduce the risk of poor health choices such as drinking and smoking. Physiologically, supportive social ties benefit the immune, endocrine and cardiovascular functions. They also trigger biological effects such as reduced blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones. Some healthy behaviours such as nutritionally balanced diets and exercise promote health while others such as drug abuse and excessive weight gain tend to undermine health. Social relationships often instil a sense of responsibility which could lead individuals to engaging in behaviours that protect one’s own health as well as of those around them. Student Services at the University of Queensland expresses that people need not be physically isolated to experience loneliness, as loneliness may be experienced when people have less quality social contact than they would like. As a result, they may experience constant feelings of anger, sadness or helplessness which could, over time, lead to anxiety, depression, the questioning of one’s self-worth or the belief that their situation could never improve. Suggestions such as taking opportunities to meet with new people and interacting with them as well as keeping active are listed as some of the ways with which to combat loneliness. There is a plethora of initiatives that a student could participate in at that University of Pretoria, including joining a society, becoming an active member of their faculty, joining a day house and take part in organised student life activities, joining Tuks Rag or even joining TuksFM or Perdeby, depending on their indi-
vidual preferences. Nthabiseng Manyama, a marketing and ambassador executive committee member for Tuks Rag, asserts that Tuks Rag aims to make positive impacts not only in an individual student’s life but also amongst students themselves. She further goes on to say, “through [Rag] initiatives, students are given the opportunity to work and engage with other students from different backgrounds, with different beliefs, perspectives and personalities [making] room for social cohesion”. She refers to the success of Rag of Hope Day 2018 and how it proved just how “different people from different backgrounds can come together and make one event a success”. In an interview with BeWell@Stanford, author and former affiliated scholar with the Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Cecile Andrews, encourages students to “talk to people, introduce [themselves], ask questions, tell stories [and] be interested” She also goes on to suggest that if a student joins a group, they must do more than just send in their work but rather meet up with the group and collectively work on group projects. Manyama also reinforces this by expressing that “students can enjoy a number of benefits from involvement/participation in Rag initiatives both in their personal and professional life. Gaining important life experiences, meeting new people and most importantly, cultivating connections/good working relationships with various organisations, schools, and community groups”, however, she stresses that “it is important for one to have a support system [such as] a group of friends or colleagues that one can speak to and knows they are always willing to lend a helping hand”. She further goes on to say that “proper planning and time management [are] essential to a student’s life” to combat the stress from trying to balance the challenging aspects of student life.
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Entertainment | 5 March 2018
Entertainment Bites Comic Con coming to South Africa Henri Uys
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n 20 February Reed Exhibitions, partnering with Telkom’s VS Gaming, announced that it will launch Comic Con Africa later this year. According to a press release from Reed Exhibitions, “ReedPOP has always stayed true to its core beliefs of always putting the fans first, creating killer events and being as transparent and authentic as possible. We try our hardest to bring massive amounts of fun and excitement to the lives of our audience by creating content and experiences that are original, exciting, memorable and exceptionally awesome. So, we are very excited for this new launch into Africa.” The press release continues, “Comic Con Africa will showcase comic books and science fiction [and] fantasy related film, series and similar popular arts. The exhibition will also feature a large range of pop culture and entertainment elements in animation, toys, gadgets, clothing, anime, manga, collectible card games, video games, webcomics, fantasy novels and an Artists' Alley, where comic artists can sign autographs and sell or do free sketches. Superhero or sidekick, there will be exciting activities to enjoy that include professional gaming tournaments, cosplay competitions and new movie and series promotions. Comic Con Africa visitors can also enjoy international and local celebrity panel discussions, seminars, workshops and autograph sessions.” According to an article on MyBroadband’s website, Reed Exhibitions Africa confirmed that voice actors Nolan North and Troy Baker will attend the event. Negotiations are also underway with cast members of Game of Thrones and The Big Bang Theory. The event will be held from 14-16 September this year at the Kyalami International Convention Centre. At the time of going to print, no ticket prices have been announced.
Anthelia Bottomless Coffee Band Carina Kloppers
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he married multi-instrumental duo, Lourens and Esté Rabé, that make up Bottomless Coffee Band have been steadily gaining fans in both South Africa and Europe since the release of their debut album, Room with a View, in November 2014. Their second studio album, Anthelia, was released in February 2018 and further explores what they refer to as “gourmet music”, their established acoustic folk-rock and afro-blues sound. Anthelia adopts a more melancholic and modest tone than the duo’s previous work, but it does not allow itself to become sombre. The music is still light and refreshing. It is clear that they find their inspiration in the likes of Johnny Cash, The Beatles and The Lumineers. While the album’s lyrical work does lean towards cheesy, there is just enough sincerity sprinkled in to keep things real. It is also clear that Lourens and Esté want their music to be a vehicle for a message that inspires feelings of love, hope and change. This ties in with both the name of the album, as “anthelia” refers to the ability to see angels, and a hymn-like quality resonates throughout the album. So, with some effort Anthelia’s positivity manages to encourage good times. Esté does most of the vocal work on the album and at times her piercing soprano voice can be overwhelming. Luckily her classical singing background redeems her, as
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she exerts phenomenal control over her voice to keep it from sounding shrill. Although her voice does eventually grow on you, Anthelia would have greatly benefitted from a more frequent inclusion of deeper sounds – either from Lourens or bass instruments – to ground Esté’s vocals. Another slight glitch on Anthelia is the ineffective harmonising on the tracks that do feature Lourens’ vocals. However, this does not take away from the album’s musical quality as it adds more character and elevates the artistry. There is a magical spontaneity in Anthelia that manages to emanate the aesthetics of a live performance through a studio album. Whether intentional or not, Anthelia is an album that seriously avoided an overproduced sound, it is definitely all the better because of it. On Anthelia you will find a wonderful selection of songs that all compliment each other as they create a collective whole. The album also features the duo’s first two original Afrikaans tracks, “Ek Sal Wag” and “Lig Wat Skyn”. Altogether Anthelia is a worthy listen that might not have you seeing any angels, but it will offer a flicker of light in our sometimes grim world.
The evolution of the musical Naomi-Lisa Kobbie
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he musical film first made its debut on American screens in the late 1920s, and is characterised by its ability to intertwine song and music into a film’s storyline. Songs were used in place of dialogue or to express characters innermost thoughts and were usually accompanied by dancing. American Theatres first explored the idea of modern stage musicals, which often wanted to separate themselves from the opera of the time. The growing popularity of film and the development of sound technology meant there was a natural advancement in the way stories could be told. This lead to the Golden Age of Musical Theatre in the early to mid-1900’s in which classical musicals of the era such as Mary Poppins, West Side Story, and The Wizard of Oz were made. The 21st Century saw the rebirth of the musical film genre. Musicals were no longer rigid in structure but could be rich with dark plot lines, become epic dramas or even increasingly comedic in nature. A musical trend of our time has been the jukebox musical in which films make use of existing music from popular musicians to tell their stories. Such musicals include the films Mamma
Mia! (ABBA) and Across the Universe (The Beatles). Biographical films about showmen and musicians also became popular with films like Ray (based on the life of musician Ray Charles) and Jersey Boys (The Four Seasons) being made. Other musicals of the 21st century became notable for their acclaim with Dreamgirls, Les Miserables and La La Land all winning the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in their respective years. This years The Greatest Showman, which stars Logan-actor, Hugh Jackman and Disney idols Zendaya and Zac Efron, has also received Oscar nominations. South Africa has also recently explored the musical film genre in movies such as She is King (starring former idols contestant, Gugu Zulu and actor, Aubrey Poo) and the anticipated release of the biopic on the life of musician Brenda Fassie, which is set to start production soon, pending a court ruling over a film rights matter. It is undeniable that there is something about the musical film genre that draws people in. We watch them because their entertaining musical numbers transport us to a new world of excitement and spectacle. At the same time, they find a way to deal with stories that speak to the experiences of our time.
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5 March 2018 | Entertainment
Image: Sally Hartzenberg
Incubus 8 world tour comes to Pretoria O Ricardo Teixeira
n 24 February the American rock band, Incubus, stopped in South Africa as part of their Incubus 8 world tour. They kicked off their tour with a fantastic performance at the Voortrekker Monument. Metal-heads and rockers of all ages congregated from all walks of life. Many had been waiting years for the opportunity to see Incubus perform live. As the crowds started growing a few local acts sparked the fire for the event. The South African raw dynamic duo, Hellcats, were up first, setting the mood for the night. Cortina Whiplash took to the stage next, kindling the flame and attracting rockers like fireflies, as their lead vocalist, Loandi, played bass and seduced the audience with her voice. Soon bluesrock phenomenon, Dan Patlansky, stood centre-stage, adding fuel to the fire with his smooth sound. Armed with his trusty 1962 Stratocaster, Patlansky demonstrated his wild guitar playing while simultaneously teasing the crowd with a few songs from his new
album Perfection Kills. As soon the sun had dipped behind the Voortrekker Monument the concert goers flocked to the cashless food stalls and bar, where they could decide between a myriad of refreshments such as ice cream, tacos and pizza. At around 21:00 Incubus took to the stage and readied their equipment. Last minute sound checks completed, it was time for the main event. A South African performance has been a long-time coming, since their 1991 inception Incubus has toured the world, but had never performed in the Rainbow Nation. Formed by lead vocalist Brandon Boyd, with Mike Einziger playing guitar, Alex Katunich on bass guitar and drummer Jose Pasillas, Incubus was born out of a high school in Calabasas, California. The band added turntablist Gavin Koppell to their team before their debut album, Fungus Amongus, came out in 1995. It was only in 1997 that the band's first major album was released. Enjoy Incubus was a six-track album released for the band to have new material while touring Europe.
A few years later, on the fourth album by Incubus, Make Yourself, their most iconic song, “Drive” was released. An eager fan said, "We've been waiting forever to see Incubus, and I love the new album, but I still want to hear ‘Drive’", while anxiously waiting as the band took to the stage. After reuniting in 2016, Incubus began working on a new album, 8. The lead single “Nimble Bastard” was released in February of 2017, setting the pace for the new album and the ensuing world tours. Although the album has received mixed reviews, many fans were excited to hear new material from Incubus. In a sea of faces, voices echoing the lyrics of the band's number one hit single "Drive", all eyes were on Brandon Boyd. The lead vocalist, standing shirtless after returning center stage for an encore, with his band mates to his back, left and right. His face was magnified on the screens and his voice amplified by speakers, as lyrics continued flowing through the amphitheater. After hearing new hits “No Fun”, and “State of Art”, Incubus delivered the moment many had waited for.
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Fun and Games | 5 March 2018
Top 10 Annoying Fashion Trends on Campus 1. Activewear, did you really just come from gym? 2. Your Matric hoody. No one cares 3. Black vans. We get it, you listen to The 1975 4. Nose piercings. So. edgy. 5. Your “wannabeard”. Please shave those four hairs on your cheek 6. Graphic Tees. Do you even know what’s on your shirt? 7. Wearing beanies in 36-degree. We get it, you play “wonderwall” at parties. 8. Marijuana themed clothing. Oh cool, you smoked weed once. 9. Matching couples outfits. This is university, not Instagram 10. Anything culturally appropriated. Educate yourselves.
Poetry Corner
2018
Between these lines -Minke Biddulph Between these lines lay the lucid resentment. Buried beneath our fear of rejection, feelings shout out our hearts’ intent while the words we have spoken echo silence. Behind the deceptive walls these bruised, bloody hearts cry and sing and danceBut they can’t convince our lips to move as honestly as they do. Day after day the courage fades away And all that remains is Feeling and Word, desperately clawing for one anotherattempting to show you what I could not Say.
Be a pebble – Heike Lucht Find your voice and break the silence Let its echo thread the needle To repair the wounds that hold you bound Let your light shine, blinding Leave the shadows dancing at its edge behind Go claim your freedom! Be the pebble that creates the ripples of change.
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5 March 2018 | Sport
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Are dancers artists or athletes? Caitlyn Walsh
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Illustration: Rhodeen Davies
ften, the question that arises is whether dance should be considered as a physical activity or whether it should be considered as pure cultural expression. Oxford Dictionaries define art as the application of a “creative skill” to produce a visual image that is satisfying to look at or that invokes emotion. Sport, on the other hand, is considered to be a physical activity for individuals or teams, that can also be a source of entertainment and competition. Both of these definitions fit the idea of dancing, as dance is a form of expression used to invoke emotion and displays a satisfying visual, while it also requires large amounts of physical exertion. According to the Royal Opera House, some may argue that the
definition lies in the reasoning behind why individuals participate in dance. The decision to do so is the cause of the differentiation between sport and dance. The website also adds that many believe that the point of sport, and the physical exertion it requires, is ultimately to win whatever sporting event is being participated in. The point of dancing, however, is to express one’s self in a creative manner with physical activity and exertion. This idea is questionable, as many dancers partake in dance competitions with a purpose to crown a winner. “Sport can trigger emotional responses [such as] nail-biting tension, awe, surprise and euphoria”, says the Royal Opera House, and dance can trigger the exact same reactions. It is argued, however, that these emotions and reactions triggered only last during sporting
events, whereas art and cultural events can stir up emotions that may last longer than the initial moment of action. Sport is considered to be more about following a set of rules and keeping within the lines, whereas dancing and art is about bending the rules and breaking boundaries. If following the exact definition of art and sport, one may consider dancing to be both a sport and art. If one is considering the technicalities behind a sporting activity and behind art, one may consider dancing to be purely art or sport. Some believe that whether dancers are athletes or artists, should depend ultimately on the dancer, what they choose to be, and the reason behind that choice.
Use of drugs and steroids in sports Ashley Magwindiri
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Illustration: Sally Hartzenberg
rug abuse in sports involves the use of performance enhancing substances in an effort to gain a competitive advantage. It may also involve the use of alcohol or marijuana, according to the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport. Prohibited substances differ from sport to sport, and also with gender. The list of prohibited substances is annually updated by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The most common performance enhancing drugs used by athletes are anabolic steroids, human growth hormones and stimulants. BBC UK released a report in 2015 stating that athletes were being tested for drugs because it was alleged that the Russian government may have given its athletes performance enhancing drugs for an unfair advantage in competitions. Drug abuse in sports may result
from different stress factors such as injuries and pressure to perform excellently. The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport offers “Therapeutic Use Exemption” which is the authorization to take medicine listed under prohibited substances to treat an illness. At national level, athletes who are selected in the South African Registered Testing Pool have to submit information about their whereabouts quarterly. The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport says, “Information about their whereabouts is essential to the anti-doping programs and to show a top-level athlete’s dedication to doping-free sport.” The Institute for DrugFree Sport states that the National Sports Federations in South Africa has to abide by the terms of the National Anti-Doping program, which means all the anti-doping rules apply to members or license holders of a National Federation in South Africa.
In 2017 Aphiwe Mboyiya, a boxing athlete, tested positive for two performance-enhancing drugs after his boxing event. Furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide where found in his urine samples. He was given an opportunity to be tested for a second time, however he turned down the offer. Mboyiya was suspended on 26 May 2017, and he is still under suspension. According to the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport, if an athlete is found with performance enhancing drugs in their system, it could lead to a four year ban and no involvement in sport, including coaching. Assisting an athlete with doping could also lead to a ban. In 2011 Andrew Pretorius, a powerlifting coach, was charged with an anti-doping rule violation. Pretorius provided his daughter with Furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide in order to stabilize her weight. He was sanctioned to a six year ban from 17 March 2011 to 18 March 2017.
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Sport Perdeby
A fall from grace? Keegan Sullivan
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he FNB Varsity Cup defending champions FNB Tuks have had a string of unwanted and surprising loses as they kicked off the defense of their title with a 19-17 home defeat to a plucky FNB Shimlas on 29 January. This was followed by a historic night in Johannesburg for the impressive FNB Wits outfit which recorded their first ever win over TuksRugby since the conception of the tournament. Despite a valiant effort at the Danie Craven Stadium on a blustery Stellenbosch night, a gutsy UP-Tuks side slumped to their third successive defeat on 12 February, going down 24-16 to the men from the Cape. FNB Tuks also lost 23-13 to FNB Ikeys in round five. With the reigning champions languishing at the foot of the table with a meager two bonus points, what has gone wrong with a team which, months ago, were hoisting the trophy above their head ? Over the winter break, Tuks rugby went through a massive transition with the appointment of Dabeon Draghoender as the new Director of Coaching, and David Manuel as the coach of the Varsity Cup side. It would be too harsh to blame the poor start of the season on the new appointments. Considering the results haven’t matched the level of performance delivered by coach Manuel’s men, it is more likely that it is the old expression “second season syndrome” that is haunting the team. Throughout sporting history, the only thing
harder to do than to achieve success has been proved to be maintaining the success. This was the case for Chelsea’s defense of their Premier League title in the 2015-2016 season when the champions finished a dismal 10th. Another prime example of second seasons’ syndrome were the Springboks. After winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup they failed to live up to expectations, and finished bottom of the TriNations standings in 2008. Will the UP-Tuks rugby side continue on their current trajectory and end up having a dismal season, a fate not uncommon to many sporting champions, or will they find a way back and mimic the defense of their title in the 2013 season? TuksRugby has all the ingredients to fight their way back up the log and qualify for the knock out stages as they have a young and hungry coach determined to prove himself, and a wide array of talent in their squad. A lot will depend on the form. A mercurially talented back three of Willem Strydom, Dewald Naude and Xolisa Guma will need to be backed up by the forwards, with the big men up front looking to finally stamp their mark on this season. There has been enough fighting spirit and periods of excellent rugby shown by the Tuks side to stop Tuks supporters from going into a mad panic just yet, and although it is unlikely that we will relive the memories of a home final that ended in delight last year, it is far too premature to rule out the UP-Tuks side as of yet. FNB Tuks is set to play FNB NWU on 5 March at the Tuks Stadium.
Ntokozo Zondo Tennis On 3 March and 4 March TuksTennis hosted the 2018 leg of the Student Club Champs. The championship will continue on 10 March and the competition is open to all UP students. Rugby On 5 March FNB TuksRugby will take on FNB NWU at 16:45. At 19:00, Maroela’s rugby team, currently third on the FNB Res Rugby Championship log, will take on FNB Patria (NWU). Both games will be played at the TuksRugby Stadium. Athletics TuksAthletics hosted their first meeting of the year on Friday, 2 March. The meeting included a residence relay race. Netball TuksNetball will host their third shooter clinic on 14 March. The 2018 coaching clinics will commence on 9 March for primary school level, and 23 March for high school level. Club Manager Riana Bezuidenhout has been appointed the Gauteng Netball president. She is also the Tshwane Netball Vice-Chairwoman, USSA Netball Chairwoman ,and the Gauteng Jaguars General Manager. Fencing TuksFencing members competed in the SA National Youth Championships hosted in Cape Town on 3 and 4 February, and they finished in second place overall. Gauteng as a province collected
more medals than Free State and Western Cape, with 8 Gold, 10 Silver and 11 bronze medals. Basketball The first years competed in a residence Valentine’s basketball tournament on 15 February. During the semi-finals for women, Nerina beat Curlitzia 14-4, and Magrietjie won against Zinnia 18-0. During the semi-finals for men, Taaibos won against Kiaat with a score of 17-0, and Dregeana Day House won 22-4 against Boekenhout. The finals saw Nerina take on Magrietjie to beat them 6-4. Dregeana won the men’s finals by beating Taaibos 20-14.
10 Interesting Things to do on the
HILLCREST CAMPUS TuksGym
TuksArchery Range
TuksCanoeing
TuksGym is available to all University of Pretoria students and non-students. Mondays to Thursdays, it opens from 06:00 to 22:00, on Fridays it opens from 06:00 to 19:00 and on Saturday its form 08:00 till 12:00. The gym is closed on Sundays and public holidays. The membership fee for the University of Pretoria students is different from that of non-students.
Archery is a sport that involves the skill of using a bow to propel arrows. TuksArchery offers introductory sessions that take place on weekends at the TuksArchery Range. Non-members are also allowed to attend the introductory session; however you have to book a session. This can be done by sending them an email.
Paul van Zyl dam at Hillcrest campus is usually used by TuksCanoe paddlers. Those that are interested in canoeing can join TuksCanoe. For practicing, boat racks are available at Hillcrest campus. You have to book ahead and pay for the boats at the TuksSport Reception.
Swimming Pools
Bird Watching
Hillcrest campus also offers heated outdoor and indoor pools. Only registered club members and the University of Pretoria students and staff members can access the swimming pools.
In 2016 a birding event was held at Hillcrest campus, where participants identified various bird species. So for those that like laid-back activities, bird watching along Hartebeestspruit could be an interesting activity.
Beach volleyball court Pretoria is a land locked city so no one really gets the opportunity to feel the sea breeze. Hillcrest Campus does, however have a Beach Volleyball court, so students can at least get a feel of life on the beach.
TuksMindsport Time Out Cafe and Restaurant After an intense work-out session, you can refuel at the Time Out Cafe and Restaurant which offers a nutritious menu. The cafe is open seven days a week from 06:30 to 22:00.
For gamers, there is TuksMindsport , a club that offers gamers the opportunity to compete against each other. To become a member, fill out a membership form and pay the membership fee at the TuksSport Reception at Hillcrest Campus.
Venue Packages for hire The High Performance Centre at Hillcrest Campus offers different venue packages for hire. In these venues people can host meetings, end of year parties and cocktail parties. For bookings you can call or send them an email.
Braai Facilities Hillcrest Campus also has Braai areas where students can host their events or just chill out on a lazy afternoon.
Content: Ashley Magwindiri Infographic: Sally Hartzenberg