23 March 2021 Issue 2 Year 83

PDBY 23 March 2021

Year 83 | Issue 2

yourcampusnews.

P3

SRC and student marches: a recap

Photo: Tarik Lalla

P6

The second pandemic: Gender Based Violence

P7

PDBWhy: Instagram as your personal dating CV

P10

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Try in Pretoria: Jan Cilliers Park picnic

2 | From the Editor

23 March 2021

You should care

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for everyone. Classes started, campus opened for some, and students protested nationwide. But, disappointingly, UP had some of the least funding issues some students face. This is largely because so many UP students don’t care about what they dismiss as ‘politics’. But the issue isn’t just politics and protests. Students who have earned their entrance, just like everyone else, are being excluded on the basis of money. We shouldn’t be so okay with this, and we shouldn’t be silent when the government and the problems. But UP stands out in our silence and our lack of interest.

As you read this, you may wonder why you ideas are encouraged and instilled in UP culture. dismissing real issues as ‘just politics’, or on their behalf. It suits UP for you to not care about the issues that students have to face. After FeesMustFall, it seems to me like the university tries its hardest to keep students apolitical, and avoid potential student action and movements gaining momentum, we’re made to dismiss issues students face and made to think we hold

university makes the easiest option apathy.

You don’t need to accept everything as ‘just the way it is’. You have a voice as a student, and the university needs to listen to it. Every student should know they have a voice, and know how to use it when they need to.

However, student apathy isn’t only the SRC was embarrassingly unprepared.

If we learnt anything from the #AmINext protests, is that student action dies out without proper planning and strategy. You can only rally students for so long before they tire of marching around campus without results. Lerato, as SRC president, should have explained the course of action, rallied support, and implemented a planned out approach to achieving students’ goals.

FeesMustFall wasn’t spontaneous, and its success didn’t come from spur of the moment sit-ins. SRC, you have the potential to lead students and make UP management listen to you, and implement real change, but it won’t happen like this. Students can only care if they have strong leadership and a loud, clear voice speaking on their behalf.

I am not telling anyone to protest or not to protest, but I am saying we should all care.

Whether you support the cause the SRC is defending or not, you should know you have a voice as a student. We aren’t mindless cogs in a machine, pumping out degrees. We are all active, acting students, and should exercise our agency by caring about, discussing, engaging with and

Copy: CJ Barnard Nomzamo Xolly Maluleka Maryke Steynvaart Layout: Duane Kitching Kara Olivier Ngoako Ramokgopa Kirsten Minaar Multimedia: Tshepang Rihlampfu Vice Mkansi Promise Zulu Cletus Mulaudi Sanele Zulu Cassandra Eardely Elma Akob

challenging ‘politics’ and the very real problems and issues raised by our fellow students. Support the marches or don’t, but care and challenge the apathy we’re encouraged to feel.

I’d love to know your thoughts on all of this, and how you feel about student issues and student action. Write a letter to the editor (editor@pdby.co.za) and have your voice published in the next edition. You can read the Until next time,

Kayla Thomas

Do you know of news PDBY should be reporting on?

Let us know on social media @pdbymedia!

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23 March 2021

News | 3 hours of the memorandum being handed over.

SRC continues marches The SRC and a group of students met at the Prospect Street entrance on 16 March. PDBY spoke to Ndlovu, seeking clarity on the gathering.

SRC and students marches: a recap Nokwanda Kubheka, Tshepang Moji, Amukelani Makamu, and Susanna Anbu

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he SRC, along with political student societies at UP, expressed grievances as the academic year began. They expressed disapproval at how the university handled NSFAS queries and

prepare a memorandum to deliver to Vice Chancellor and Principal, Professor Kupe, and in solidarity with Wits students protesting in Johannesburg.

UP announces registration updates On 10 March, UP announced various measures to aid students facing left behind”.

UP, in noting the delays in registration faced by students, most notably those funded by NSFAS, decided to extend the registration deadline to 31 March. The university has also exempted NSFAS-funded students from making the initial registration payment and has made available approximately R20 million in bursary

Police to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).

SRC president, Lerato Ndlovu, demanded that the Deputy Minister receive their memorandum and handed it over on behalf of students.

EFFSC UP hosts a mass meeting and drafts a memorandum On 15 March, a group of students, led by the EFFSC UP, gathered

which will be submitted to the Vice Chancellor tomorrow”. She further stated that the meeting sought to invite more students from different the memorandum”. Ndlovu explained that the SRC were told to send an email to the Vice Chancellor as per procedure. She asserted that she does not think it would be convenient to send the memorandum

concerns and address issues regarding the university’s handling of Joined by a group of students and members of the SRC, the mass meeting saw the drafting of a memorandum, which included demands to UP to waive the registration fee, revise academic exclusion critieria, allow 100% of TuksRes students to return, make study material available online, review accommodation criteria and make computers available to students on campus, among others.

The memorandum was to be handed to Prof. Kupe on 16 March.

The EFFSC UP also heard calls for a possible total shutdown of the university if UP management does not deliver a response within 24

March. Representatives from SASCO, EFFSC and Faculty House Chairpersons were amongst those present in the mass meeting.

EFFSC UP chairperson, Sthembiso Nkosi stated that failure to meet the demands stipulated in the memorandum would result in student demonstrations in front of university gates, thereby restricting access to campus.

Rikus Delport, Director of Institutional Advancement at UP, stated

of students to protest, we encourage them to do

also set revised dates for payment, extending the

following the proper processes and complying with all the COVID-19 health and safety protocols”.

The SRC and other gathered students at the

to 30 June and 30 September respectively, and has reduced the historical debt payment required for registration from 50% to 40% - only for 2021.

the corner of Prospect and Festival Street, directing

burdened in light of the COVID-19 pandemic to reach out to the university via email, to ssc@up.ac.

were seen seated across the zebra crossing of

UP SRC march to DHET Following the university’s announcement, the UP SRC posted on social media platforms about a march set to take place on 11 March from Es’kia Mphahlele Drive and Struben Street in Pretoria.

Secretary, Thandi Mabala, told PDBY that the going and demand attention.” Police arrived in the scene and monitored the mass meeting.

of Pretoria, refuse to be victims of this injustice and blatant oppression of young people”. The SRC told PDBY that the march was also a token of solidarity with Wits students who have engaged in protest action from 8 March. The march began at 08:00 and students were escorted by the Metro

Photo: Tshepang Rihlampfu

Enterprises@UP building entrance, barring entry and exit from the building. On 18 March, at 12:00, Prof. Kupe received a memorandum of demands from the SRC. The memorandum set 23 March as the deadline for a response from the university, and requests that all academic activity be paused until a solution is agreed upon.

Tuks meme page accused of transphobia Tshepang Moji

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strong, well developed, and that shed light on important questions ne of UP’s Instagram meme pages, known as Tuks Faculty of Memes (@tuks_facultyofmemes), has recently come

what has been labelled by some as transphobic and hate speech. The page led an online discussion through polls and Q&A’s, about the recently started movement termed the ‘Super Straight Movement’, which has gained global notoriety. This resulted in the Tuks Faculty of Memes page receiving negative feedback from some followers, and a heavy response from UP’s queer society, Tuks UP&OUT(@tuks_upandout).

The ‘Super Straight Movement’, which formed the backbone of the discussion and the subsequent fallout, is a movement that claims to ‘invent’ a new queer identity known as ‘Super Straight’ - a ‘sexual

made”.

UP&OUT went on to post a series of images discussing the ‘Super Straight’ movement and why it is transphobic and racist,

people if their Sex Assigned At Birth (SAAB) matches the gender you are attracted to”. This is seen as a strike back against the queer community by some, with proponents of the Super Straight movement claiming that their unwillingness to date a transgender individual is not transphobic and that their heterosexuality has been ‘policed’ by members of the queer community – terming this a double standard of

and pushed forward queer liberation movements), it’s especially horrifying”.

UP&OUT extended an invitation to the student body to ask questions and have dialogue that does not present a threat to queer

non-cisgender gender identities).

Tuks Faculty of Memes opened a discussion surrounding the ‘Super Straight’ movement through the page’s Instagram stories feature, which the page manager described as an act of satire aimed at the standards regarding cancel culture and so on”. The page posted a series of polls, asking the predominantly student based followers questions around this movement. Page manager, JC Styen, explained that

Movement’ has been largely popularised by Neo-Nazis on Reddit and 4Chan. Furthermore, they’ve co-opted anti-racist imagery, (like the black power symbol and the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’)”. iconography of a marginalised group to push a movement against

on Instagram any time, or if they want to have a more comprehensive discussion, they can also contact upandout.tuks@gmail.com”. Tuks Faculty of Memes people, who are at risk of offending this community, should at the very least be given a clear idea of what they can do to avoid offending them”. UP&OUT encouraged reaching out for information, after people!”.

In light of this, the Tuks Faculty of Memes page issued a statement, where Steyn expressly stated that he does not support the Super objective to express dissatisfaction with the concept of cancel culture, face of questions and critique, the UP&OUT representatives became answers to some of the questions [he] and [his] followers had asked”.

about the cancel culture that came with these rules”. Contrariwise, the page was also met with some backlash, most prominently by issues, you should involve queer people in the discussion from the

made was overtly transphobic, but many of them were, even if unintentionally”. Steyn has invited a leader of UP&OUT, or any similar queer organisation, to further discuss the issues surrounding

being spread from a cis-het [...] perspective, it can often be wrong, even if it’s completely accidental”.

In posting responses from followers, the Tuks Faculty of Memes

issues in April.

Illustration: Tshepang Rihlampfu

SRC Financial Aid Amukelani Makamu

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household income doesn’t exceed R400 000. The SRC Financial Aid is meant to assist students with the payment of

arrangements with UP, an academic average of 50% or higher, and an optional motivational letter.

PDBY reached out to the SRC Treasurer, Jozias Mahube-Reinecke, and asked him a few questions with regard to the SRC budget as well as the SRC Financial Aid: How much has been allocated to the SRC budget in total for 2021?

In brief, how does the SRC plan on using this R700 000, and how much has been allocated to the Study Aid Fund.

R400 000 was allocated to operational funds, and R300 000 was allocated to the Study Aid Fund. The SRC Council made a decision to move half of the operational funds into the Study Aid Fund, to help register more students [and] to make it R500 000.

The SRC Financial Aid applications closed on 8 March and will be considered by the SRC review committee.

4 | News

23 March 2021

Health Sciences faculty assists with vaccine rollout Susanna Anbu

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he University of Pretoria’s Health Sciences Faculty is set to assist with the national rollout of vaccines in South Africa. PDBY

Adjunct Professor: Department of Internal Medicine and Head of Team at the University of Pretoria and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, that the hospital is “[…] is currently rolling out the JNJ vaccine to healthcare workers”.

Furthermore, Prof.

Ueckermann stated that the hospital aims to vaccinate a total of 500 healthcare workers in a day. All UP medical students undertaking their clinical years of study (years 4-6) phase of the rollout of the Johnson and Johnson (JNJ) vaccinations happening at Steve Biko Academic Hospital. The JNJ vaccine is a single shot vaccine that is being rolled out in South Africa following

accounted for the Additionally, UP researchers are currently involved in a study involving neutralising antibodies that are less effective against the new variant. The publication has been accepted

by Nature Medicine for publication. Prof.

Ueckermann states that “[they] are continuing to look at neutralising antibodies and T-cell responses in patients who had both the previous and the new variant in South Africa”.

The UP Faculty of Health Sciences has also hosted a vaccination information session where numerous UP researchers provided clarity on vaccine modes of action and common myths surrounding them.

The session can be found using the following link: https://www.youtube.com/

Campus nostalgia UP Clothing Regulations: Denim was only allowed on campus in 1977

Image: Cletus Mulaudi

Javett UP launches exhibition Kayla Thomas

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n 13 March, Javett UP launched Word Woes, an exhibition by renowned South African artist Willem Boshoff. The exhibition was curated by Hélène Smuts and takes its name from an etching work in the exhibition. The exhibition is described by Javett UP as a “retrospective of works spanning the duration of Willem

A

n article that appeared in a 1977 issue of PDBY (known then as Perdeby), informed students that new regulations permitted the wearing of denim on campus and to attend lectures.

The article reports that students were elated with the changes in the clothing regulations. According to our summary of the new regulations published in the 1977 article, changes included:

“Touch” by Willem Boshoff. Photo by Kayla Thomas

Boshoff’s artistic practice”, and engages broadly with language to “challenge the use of language as an instrument of cultural identity or exclusion”.

Boshoff, in discussing the artwork “Word Woes”, explains that the work consists of a list of words that make “some sense in both the English and Afrikaans languages, but of which the itself is an example, as ‘word woes’ is read as distinctly different in English and Afrikaans, and that in “English, this title laments issues dealing with words and in Afrikaans it instructs all to let go and be wild”. Other art works and installations featured in the exhibition include mixed media works “Bull”, “Blue” and “Death of Afrikaans”, as well as an interactive Braille installation.

Boshoff’s mixed media installations feature an engaging range of media from garden shears to plastic dolls, thorns, engravings and intrauterine devices/IUDs. The diverse and stimulating exhibition is art and willemboshoff.com. To view the exhibition, tours can be booked at bookings@javettup.art.

“Blue” by Willem Boshoff. Photo by Giovanna Janos

Male students: The minimum clothing for male students on the campuses was a pair of trousers with a seam or a Safari suit. In both cases, clothing needed to be accompanied by shoes and socks and no sandals or any similar footwear were allowed. Male students were also allowed to wear “short trousers” if they were coming to campus for a practical class, write an exam, or go to straight to the library, a shirt with a collar, long socks, and shoes, and no sandals or opentoed footwear were allowed.

Female students: The minimum clothing for female students on campus was either a dress or a skirt with a blouse or jersey or seamed long trousers with a blouse or jersey, with neat shoes or sandals. Halter neck dresses, tops or beach wear were not allowed. An open stomach or slip slops were not allowed.

The 1977 article concludes that male students are now allowed to wear denim on campus after it was previously banned. This allowed only male students to have a wider range of clothing choices for campus.

Compiled by Susanna Anbu

23 March 2021

News | 5

News bites U

U

P partners up with Mamelodi Sundowns On 8 March, the two institutions announced a partnership with the aim of enhancing football and developing it through

P partners with the France-South Africa Crossbusinesses

allow technology start-ups to test and verify their business models and solutions in the global market, allowing them to

According to UP, the partners will work over game of football by sharing their experience and creating educational facilities for up-andas their sport science and medical professionals, will collaborate with UP’s sport science and medical service providers, such as the UP High

website, UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Tawana Kupe, is excited about the opportunities that this partnership between TuksNovation and IMT will bring much-needed opportunities to allow the growth and development of local to a larger international market, thus showcasing to France

Exercise Medicine and Lifestyle Institute The French Ambassador, Aurélien Lechevallier, said demonstrates the opportunities for cooperation between

U

research-based young innovative companies; an important

P is SA’s best in these

and Electronic engineering, Mathematics, Accounting and Finance, and Theology, According to the UP website, the rankings show that UP was able to improve its ranking with Accounting and Finance

E

lon Musk’s aptitude test score from UP remerge On 3 March, Elon Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, posted on Twitter that she remembers a time

Student voices in the pandemic I

ntroduction In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reached South Africa and the country went into a strict lockdown to try and contain the situation. In the following months, a group of University of Pretoria development studies students themselves forced to leave campus and student residences and try to learn online – wrote about this unprecedented situation. In this short collection we share some of these experiences; some reveal what the students themselves were going through, some capture the stories of others around them. No-one, at the time of writing these, really imagined that a year later we would still be so severely affected by this pandemic. But here we are, all still grappling with many of how others have been affected in some way illuminating and perhaps encouraging.

Editors: Marc Wegerif and Bontle Modubu – March 2021 University of Pretoria, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology.

Problems faced by higher education students

Elon Musk walked away with A+ results from the University of According to the rankings,

test results show that Musk received an A+ for programming remember correctly, they had to retest you because they had never seen such wonder you are such Image: Twitter.com/mayemusk

tweet with a picture of the results from

Compiled by: Nokwanda Kubheka

Intervarsity news

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niversity of the Witwatersrand (Wits)

Read the collection in PDBY: next installment 12/04

U

niversity of the Western Cape (UWC)

Professor John-Mark Iyi, the African Centre for Transnational Criminal

Year with student demonstrations that saw the institution suspend

the prevention of registration for students with historical debts, and the These protests seek to delay the academic year for as long as the institution - and the Department of Higher Education - refuse to hear

N

elson Mandela University

research, advocacy and postgraduate training in International Criminal

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ape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) The Cape Peninsula University of Technology has recently

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6 | News

23 March 2021

The second pandemic: gender based violence Mothusi Mokalane

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outh Africa suffers from a serious pandemic. The violence against women and children in this country is at its highest ever. Women are becoming or are already endangered at the hand of men. After 16 days of activism against women and children abuse, the government reported that in the months leading to and during December, South Africa recorded more than twelve thousand cases of gender-based violence (GBV). South African universities and colleges are not immune to this pandemic. Violence against students from other students and others is a problem that universities are faced with. One of the effects of the

not only directed at women and girls. Queer individuals, in particular, also experience such threats and violations. They are discriminated against on the basis of being non-conforming, as they do not practice

David shows an analysis of policies in South African universities. This analysis shows how a lot of emphasis is placed on sexual harassment, and, therefore, how policies are overlooking other violence that may female violence, and “any form of violence against anyone irrespective of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, etc is not acceptable”.

understood, both in terms of what it entails as well as its prevalence.

founded in deep social and patriarchal constructs. These social and patriarchal beliefs are as widespread in society as they are in university

philosophy of education at Stellenbosch University, states that GBV involves physical, sexual, emotional, domestic, economic, and intimate partner violence.

To date, the dominant narrative and understanding of GBV seems to be limited to male-on-female violence. However, there are harmful

maleness as central, as opposed to femaleness, which is deemed as secondary or other. This view leads to the belief by men thinking they have power over the female body, and enables rape culture by positioning women and queer people as inferior or secondary.

to victimhood and powerlessness, and makes it seems as though women can never perpetrate gender-based violence. The second implication is that the construct of gender is not universal and diverse, and not necessarily limited to the historical context of just men and women, but includes different gender and sexual identities. There are people who are non-gender conforming, and those who are in the trans community, so it can be damaging to assume violence is exclusively cisgendered male-onfemale violence.

With the rise in statistics of GBV, higher learning institutions have had to create policies that will try to eradicate this pandemic. However, these policies are not as effective as one would hope, as most of them are limited to sexual harassment and male-on-female violence. The policy framework addressing gender-based violence in post-school education is founded on the argument that GBV is a male-on-female violence.

This view is undoubtedly biased and ineffective; we must acknowledge that physical and sexual violence is

to provide a full picture of the scale of the scourge of GBV. This lack of information is a result of cases being underreported for a variety of reasons. The majority of incidents, particularly those in which queer people are victims, either go unreported or, when reported, they are not followed up and investigated fully.

the basis of the incident. Following this, a written statement is obtained.

Captain Weilbach noted that “statements with regards to gender-based violence and other sensitive cases are taken in private in a Victim crime scene […] and where possible more statements will be obtained”.

If their identity is known, the suspect is arrested immediately. For a case follow-up, once a crime has been reported, a registration is made in the Crime Administration System (CAS). The CAS number is forwarded to the victim through an SMS. For victim support services, victims can relating to crime can be given to the police by contacting 08600 10111. has policies and measures in place that serve to address this problem.

spaces. She explains that inasmuch as it is a learnt social construct, it can be unlearnt. In dealing with a case lodged by a male student, Sono emphasised the importance of noting that “male students can [also] be sexually harassed”, despite the patriarchal perception that men are always the perpetrators. on GBV. She explains that, “as a person who has been there, I know a chairperson is to ensure urgency when a student lodges a case with us; I rise fast to the matter and get the student into the right channels with both the management of the building and the university so that justice University policies are usually policies on unfair discrimination and harassment, disciplinary codes for students, and disciplinary codes

as to ensure equal protection of all people, and give a clear description of what the different violations are. Similarly, the sexual offences, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and sexual violence policies for a number of universities neither unpack what is understood by gender-based violence, nor mention queer issues. With regard to some queer individuals because they are also vulnerable to violation”, and encourages victims to “report any case of violence, discrimination or harassment using all the available avenues that can be accessible to the person at the time”. She added that counselling support is offered, and an “investigation is instituted immediately”.

The number of cases reported by victimised students are very small compared to the actual violence that takes place,

of gender-based violence reportedly taking place in and around institutions in South Africa became national headline news and spurred the fraction of such cases made it into local and/or national news.

is set to launch an online case reporting system through the University mechanisms and processes that are in place to address discrimination, harassment, and all-round violation of students and staff of the institution. The utilisation of this system will remove many barriers stated that “this will eliminate the travel challenges faced by those who currently need to report cases face to face. Once the case has been lodged in the system, it will be routed to the investigator, who will then contact the complainant and go to their location to investigate the matter”.

Another objective of this reporting tool is to create an integrated management system that will connect complainants to all the relevant stakeholders in GBV or discrimination case management. The Counselling Unit and Employee Wellness Unit, to offer them emotional and psychological support. “The system will be able to provide a complainant with a case reference number, an acknowledgement of receipt of the complaint, a progress update as the case is referred to the various stakeholders for processing. It should be noted that this system does not replace face-to-face case reporting or email case logging, or the human resources grievances reporting system. Employees should continue to utilise these, as they will be integrated into the new process.

The university is devoted to creating an environment that will ensure This system is being implemented alongside existing policies that the university has put in place to try to combat GBV. In 2019, the university policy is to promote the achievement of procedural and substantive equality, and prohibit any form of discrimination, hate speech, harassment, and violence. The anti-discrimination operational manual provides a detailed process that one can follow in lodging a complaint as well as how the case will be managed.

Students who experience violence of any nature should contact the sarah.matseke@up.ac.za, and ntsikie.loteni@up.ac.za.

Illustration: Cassandra Eardley

23 March 2021

Features | 7

PDBWhy: Instagram as your personal dating CV Asanda Made

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ost people are not able to start a serious relationship with someone else without first completing a social media deep-dive on that person. From looking through all their posts on Instagram, to reading through the

comments, an online profile is usually the first place where someone will start forming their first impressions of a potential partner. PDBY asked students a few questions related to whether or not the first impression they get from a person’s Instagram profile lasts, and if it has any influence on their decision to pursue that person.

Lebogang Rampedi : BComHons in Statistics and Data Sciences

Palesa Majake: 1st Year LLB

Yes, to a certain extent. It is important to remember social media is a facade.

That does not mean that I won’t throw my shot, because in doing so I can truly get a good perspective [of] the individual I am pursuing. If he doesn’t fit my criteria, on to the next profile.

This one is a bit tricky because Instagram profiles are used for different purposes. Some may be personal and others solely influential. In conclusion, no, because some people’s Instagram profiles can be a deception of their true character.

Most definitely, because with what you get from one’s profile is the image you create for them, in your mind. If you post cars every second post, I’ll definitely remember you as a car fanatic.

these days is so important in the dating world. The photos featured would be what draws attention and […] to a certain extent I believe your photos can give a ‘trailer’ of who [you are].

Your Instagram would allow one to feel capable [of approaching] or not. criteria I want in a partner then I’d want to get to know them. For example, [if it] is evident the person is religious because they refer to a bible verse, that would make [me] more prone to interact with them as it’s something I’d want in a partner.

Yes, Instagram has given a platform for people to get a read [on] you before they sign themselves up to engaging with you, just like how a potential employer will look at your CV before interacting

Yes and no. An Instagram account does give a sense of who someone is, what sort of things they like, however due to social pressures people tend to hide their true traits [...] from their Instagram accounts.

We tend to see this in burner accounts people make for jokes and videos to share with closer friends. People are extremely multilayered so it would be impossible to understand who they are from Instagram alone.

what] their character is like and if you like what you see, only then do you pursue.

Yes, in a way you feel like you know the person just based on what they put out there. So, by the time you meet this person you are already thinking “oh this is the guy who ...”.

because as stated it is a small window into who you are.

I truly believe people should try put their best foot forward in this regard. Social media allows you to get a feel of someone before

8 | Features

23 March 2021

A brief architectural history of UP This architectural compilation is meant to serve as a “visual tour” of campus for students,

“

“

Image: Cletus Mulaudi

Susanna Anbu

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he University of Pretoria has a diverse range of architectural styles and a variety of eye-catching building designs.

Buildings serve as tangible evidence of growth and change

centre played an important role in assimilating the previously distinct photo spot for formals and dinees. through where the Student Centre currently sits, which created an Old Merensky Library The design of the Old Merensky Library is accredited to Gerhard Interesting facts about other buildings on campus: Voortrekker Monument – elements of which he incorporated into Old Merensky, which is why the building itself mimics the monument.

in their memory of campus due to the trademark buildings and their memories of student life. The Standing Building Committee at UP is responsible for maintaining architectural coherence between campus buildings. This architectural compilation is meant to serve as a “visual tour” of campus for students, encouraging a sentiment of of campus associated with these buildings after a year of campus closure from the pandemic.

The Entrance

designed by the architect Brian Sandrock. The second component was originally occupied by Leo Weinthal, owner of The Press

the Engineering 2 building and the Mineral Science building boast of the building to incorporate symbols of indigenous culture and on the building being a symbol of water and fertility. Closer inspection of the entrance shows two animal forms: the crocodile which has been regarded by many scholars as simply a bit of upon whoever enters the building was meant to invoke the notion The overall structure of the building is shaped like that of an open a block of cement at the entrance of the building. The building is

designed by the architect Gordon Leith, shows an application of a classical Greek design. The building was originally used as an The administration building, known as “the Ship”, was designed

by Brian Sandrock. The building has a characteristic triangular design pointing in the south-west direction. This shape mimics the prow of a ship – accounting for its colloquial nickname. The western external wall of the building is a thick concrete panel. This structure The post-modernist architectural style on campus was introduced Management sciences building is notable as contrary to the typical vertically tall buildings. Pauw opted to design a long, outstretched stone building. The building is also accredited as the longest building on campus, for which Pauw received an award.

modern library posed – hence the construction of the new Merensky housing an entertainment and conference centre inside.

use as the library. The Old Merensky is now a heritage site and art

The Old Arts Building

building itself lies between two symmetrical structures meant to

seen in the Theology, Botany, Chemistry, Meteorology and Old The Piazza

structures erected around it. This feature has become a central entity

student facility known as “TukkieWerf”. The chapel itself boasts stained glass windows and statues, and has been used as a venue for weddings, theatre, choral and church services.

Campus buildings serve the basic purpose of housing students during academic activities, however, they also serve to reignite pinnacles of memory embedded in these architectural structures that

23 March 2021

Features | 9

Conspiracy theories vs reality

Image: Bernhard Schiele

Popular conspiracy theories:

Carli Botha

A

Skeptical Science

PDBY

dictionary as “a theory that explains an event or set of explanation is that “certain life experiences and personality traits

few widely popular conspiracy theories that are prevalent today. populations”.

PDBY that the popularity of conspiracy theories is closely connected

theory.

“

and discredited.

with”.

The Conversation

“

that we currently live with

th

Business Live

Journal of Personality

volunteer.

The New York Times

Healthline

10 | Entertainment

PDBY featured artist: Kefentse Dlamini

23 March 2021

PDBY’s artists to watch Roman Figga “El Patrón”

O.C.D

Martin Gill Images provided.

“

Caitlyn Walsh DBY

“Hollywood Face”

What initially drew you to the entertainment industry?

“ What is your speciality?

Has this pandemic hindered you in any way?

What do you hope to achieve for yourself this year?

What do you pride yourself on the most?

Search & Rescue

Try in Pretoria: Jan Cilliers Park Dani van der Horst

What has been your biggest achievement thus far?

What struggles or challenges have you faced and how have you overcome these?

T

How have you gone about reaching your goals?

What advice would you give to aspiring artists?

Notes on Grief: Launching 11 May Kendall Behr We Should All Be Feminists Half of a Yellow Sun Purple Hibiscus Americanah

Notes on Grief

Notes on Grief

Notes on Grief

Notes on Grief

Photo: Cassandra Eardley

23 March 2021

Entertainment | 11

Catching up with

Carla Franco Ashleigh Pascoe

P

DBY

music that she creates.

When did you know that you wanted to make music and how did you go about reaching this goal?

“

Images provided.

I have come to accept that there is an importance in sharing your voice in this world – especially if it is a marginalised one.

accomplished.

I remember messaging my primary school music and art teacher,

What do you love most about being a musician?

She did not say much, she seemed shocked and immediately asked

reality and experiences are undisturbed.

What advice would you give to your younger self about becoming a musician?

“Could She” is your most recent release. What is the personal meaning behind this song?

Something that is truly important to me is to use my music as a

my lyrics.

Is there anything you’re working on now that you’d like to give us a sneak peak into? and eyes out!

Which of your songs is your favourite and why?

L-O-V-E! – an

me realise that I have lost the capacity to love like I once did, to 1,2,3” I

Vasalya Moodley

O

Is your music based on your own musical preferences?

music and rock, and I even love my stereotypical sad pop songs and

n 15 February, the Inklings Literary Society premiered a short L-O-V-E!

the time and truly aided the hardest healing processes to date. For that What has been your biggest obstacle in relation to your music?

Who are your musical idols, and is there anyone who inspires your musical sound? inspires me more.

Who would you say your number one supporter is?

That is a tough one because I have a really good support structure

According to your Instagram page, you are a proud member of the queer community. Does your pride come through in your music, and is your sexuality a source of motivation for your music?

and community outreach programs, such as book drives.

L-O-V-E! The Wayward of the World.

L-O-V-E!

passed, I have come to accept that there is an importance in sharing your

Sport PDBY Featured Athlete: Simphiwe Wanda Caitlyn Walsh

P

DBY

Wanda has obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Geography and Environmental Management and his Postgraduate Diploma (Hons) in Food Security.

When it’s all said and done, nothing beats the joy of being that spark that keeps people dreaming and believing in themselves, and providing these services puts us as personal trainers in that position. workout just to get them active while also tracking their abilities and compound movements, such as mountain climbers which I provide

preference of training and goals. Currently, I’m working with two which I usually mix with athlete speed and agility training. [With] the second group, I provide strength and conditioning training to them, which involves more weights and static cardio than the boot camp style training.

consistent enough for them and myself to see progress, that really was challenging especially mentally, it was hard continuing [because] as a beginner trainer a lot of these experiences are not documented so when they happen to you, they kind create doubt and make you lose interest. simply by working on myself and consistently showing up. Another challenge I faced while starting out this journey was understanding that one of the key skills I developed over time.

I’ve also had to walk long distances for venues where I can conduct my sessions, and that often-chased people away, up until I was able to use the campus gym. Now I just use my yard and the local sports ground.

I’m still facing transport challenges which prevent me from expanding sometimes but again, with persistence a plan will come to fruition.

As a trainer or personal trainer, I feel like it’s important to help people reach their physical goals, but what’s more important is shaping the individual’s mind-set and conditioning it to be able to withstand pain, not only for physical gains but the mental strength needed for other aspects clients and also being a good listener for them, as the gym for others is therapy and more than just sweat and tears.

who are capable do the normal version (this applies for my bootcamp sessions). Star jumps, high knees, foot stomps, cross jumps, butt-kicks, and skipping rope I like to use as warm up. For core: planks and their variations (full plank, elbow plank, planks with reaching arm, alternating planks) including bear planks and their variations. For abs, I like to keep it simple. I use the classic foot to foot crunch, crunches with hands

Caitlyn Walsh

P

DBY spoke to the head coach of TuksRugby, Nico Luus, about the team.

As part of our 2021 “Champion People that’s World Class” theme, it was a massive honour to spend the day with a world-class player like

chest crunches and also some weighted abs exercises [which] usually do

and coaches.

lunges and jumping leg workouts and also incorporate pause reps and pulse reps just to shock the body either at the end or beginning. For arms and back, I use the basic push-ups, inchworms, [and] Spiderman crawls along with bear crawls and some weightlifting exercises. For speed and agility, I like to focus on unilateral exercises and also some maker drills.

Yes, there is no doubt the knowledge and insights shared by him challenged the team on their way of thinking and their understanding of lineouts, and also humbled them when Victor took off his tracksuit to form part of the training session, stealing and taking lineout balls from the team.

The thing is that when you’re having a boot camp session, people do is during my planning [is] have two different versions of the same exercises that I will be instructing. For that particular session for the beginners and those who are capable of doing the advanced version. So in an open session like that of a boot camp, I like to use a time as well, so that those individuals who can do more, do more and I make sure I push everyone, but in pushing them I make sure it’s according to their level of capability.

The fact that it was a practical session, which included not only telling but also showing helped the players to understand the smaller detail surrounding lineouts, especially the importance of foot movements.

start doing house calls rather than using my own space.

Fitness is a lifestyle, meaning it’s a way of life. It doesn’t have to be the only philosophy that one lives by, but one can borrow some of its aspect to further strengthen one’s way of life because all is in the mind.

I am hoping to be able to make a living through helping those who started [...] to train people, to gain anything was not in the plans and if we didn’t need money to survive, we would be doing this for free.

Victor Matfield visits TuksRugby

and have the discipline to control one’s self through good times so that one doesn’t lose your discipline, and through bad times so that one doesn’t lose sight of the end goal.

I wanted the team to get the thoughts and insights from world-class players, to learn what it took for them – on

Illustration: Giovanna Janos

towards becoming world-class players. It made the team realise the importance of being a student-athlete in their aspirations to become possible Springboks.

Having had the privilege of playing against Victor, he will always be remembered as the best lineout lock that I ever had the opportunity of playing against. I was always inspired by his work ethic and his being able to play at such a high level at the age of 38. like Willem Alberts, and the road he had to travel from playing Tuks 2nd team (Fezelas) to being told by the Bulls that he wasn’t part of the plans to joining the Lions and becoming a 43 capped Springbok player.

Image provided

TuksHockey is ready for Tokyo Boitumelo Kokwe

A

s a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of the major sporting events that were scheduled to take place in 2020 were postponed.

One such anticipated tournament was the 2020 Summer Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo, Japan. The commencement of the games would have seen competitors from different countries competing on a global scale.

However, the Olympic games are now set to commence on 23 July 2021 and will conclude on 8 August 2021. The Olympic Games include a wide variety of sports, including hockey. The inclusion of hockey at the Olympic Games will grant the opportunity to the National South African Women’s Hockey Team to participate.

With the participation of South Africa at the Olympics, students from the University of Pretoria might also get the chance to be part of the competition, through the University of Pretoria hockey team, TuksHockey. The players are: Lerato Mahole, Marizen Maria, Edith Molikoe, Onthatile Zulu, and Jean-Leigh du Toit.

Inky Zondi, who is the TuksHockey Head of Programme and Head Coach, will also get an opportunity as the Assistant Coach for the National Women’s Hockey Team. Zondi has been the Head Coach of the women’s team since 2015 and has led TuksHockey to various competitions, including the Varsity Hockey competition.

The aspiration of the TuksHockey team to be selected came after in 2021.

COVID-19 taught us the valuable lesson to take nothing for granted and to really appreciate being a part of this wonderful game of Rugby.

I would just really like the players to go out and enjoy themselves and continue to aspire to be Champion People that’s World Class.

Apart from the normal training, at the end of 2020 season we appointed JL de Jager, the former Davis Cup Captain and tennis player, who has done amazing work in preparing these youngsters off the with being uncomfortable.

neglected in our weekly planning and preparation. Due to the fourweek non-contact training followed by the gradual introduction to contact, where we’d normally play 3 or 4 warm up games, due to COVID-19, we will only play one resulting in the players being less