Edition 12: 2009

6 October 2009 Volume 68: Number 12 021 650 3543 varsitynewspaper.co.za twitter.com/varsitynews

Varsity, the official student newspaper since 1942, is committed to the principles of equality and democracy.

Shooting shocks campus

In This Issue News Obs march

Students march in Obs to protest against crime.

Page 2

Green week sweeps campus

Green Campus Initiative decorates the campus in green.

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Student persecuted by SAPS “The only reason I feel I got arrested was homophobia.”

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Opinions Editorial “REASONABLE DOUBT” and “TRUST & BELIEVE”, Varsity Newspaper’s alter egos, go digital.

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Trivial Pursuit Sarah Jackson, our brand new Opinions editor.

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What’s their purpose?

“Learn a little servant leadership; fight on your own ticket for what you believe in, not what the hand that feeds you believes in.”

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Features Late submission

Photo by Zakareeya Pandey

THE safety of UCT students took another blow, following soon after the abduction of Jeffrey Webster in Long Street a few weeks ago. First-year medical student Pakiso Benny Moqobane, 19, was shot and killed on Monday, 28 September, in Observatory, close to his digs. Moqobane was walking down William Road with a friend when a car with an unknown number of men approached them.

The men in the car shot twice at Moqobane.

His friend ran away and returned to find Moqobane dead. According to the Woodstock police, nothing was stolen.

In a press conference held at Bremner the next day, acting Vice-Chancellor Professor R.T. Nhlapo issued a statement in which UCT extended its condolences to Moqobane’s family. He said it was a “shock to UCT to lose a young, first-year student under circumstances of such extreme violence.”

When asked why this single incident has sparked a press conference, Nhlapo replied that it was his “own instinct that we should be doing this all the time” as it is important to acknowledge people who are victims of crime.

The University has made travel arrangements for Moqobane’s family to travel to Cape Town, and counselling services have been made available to all who have been affected by the incident. A hotline for staff and students wishing to inquire about the incident or seek counselling has been set up, and on Friday a march to “Take Back the Streets of Obs” was organised by the Faculty of Health Sciences.

First-year medical students received the news of their classmate’s death at their 8am lecture on Tuesday, when they were addressed

by Dean of Health Sciences Marian Jacobs.

Rhys Williams, a classmate of Moqobane’s, commented on the shock felt by students upon hearing the news. “I have never had a need to question the safety of our campus and its surrounding area. I have heard of some isolated muggings, but these were never violent,” Williams said.

“

We live in such a sheltered environment where crime occurs ‘out there’ and ‘won’t happen to me.’ This awful situation has shattered this false perception for me. I am now wary of where I walk and what time I leave campus.

murder, and extended their condolences to his family and others affected by his death.

The outgoing SRC stated, “We will forever remember Mr Moqobane as a heroic symbol of the fight for this most basic freedom [from violence].”

It is hard to stop something wrong when it makes you feel so right…

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Braai Day

Byron Ascott-Evans explores the importance (or lack thereof) of National Heritage Day

The student hotline is 021 650 5428.

REMEMBERING - A student lays a wreath in memory of Pakiso Benny Moqobane.

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Down and out A student’s story of depression and how to survive tough times.

Photo by Zakareeya Pandey

“

SARAH JACKSON AND OLIVIA WALTON

The incident has clearly awakened debate around the issue of student safety in the area.

In its statement on Moqobane’s death, the outgoing SRC noted that there is a “need for the university to do more to ensure that UCT students are protected from these dangers.”

Some methods suggested in the statement were “greater CPS presence in high risk areas, improved street lighting, greater cooperation between CPS and the police and an increase in the number of Jammie Shuttles that service these areas.”

Williams commented that “the notion of blanket university protection off campus is quite idealistic. That said, I do think a form of a protective escort would be highly effective.”

Both the SRC-elect and the outgoing SRC expressed shock and sadness at Moqobane’s

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The return of Anton Taylor We know you’ve missed him. And after a stint in the SRC, Anton Taylor reveals what it was like to be in student governance.

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Sports Dom-inat-Ed Just what Sports has been missing, some ranters and ravers!

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The “C” word They choked. They really did. And now everyone is scared of saying it.

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News

Volume 68 Number 12

“Take back the streets of Obs”

Photo by Calvin Jordan

CALVIN JORDAN ON FRIDAY 2 October at noon, UCT medical campus came to a standstill as countless students, staff, and community members gathered at Bernard Fuller parking area to pay homage to first-year medical student, Pakiso Benny Moqobane, and demand action. Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price spoke in honour of young Moqobane, taking a determined stance against crime and advocating for better student protection.

next to Moqobane’s smiling portrait. The march then proceeded down Main Road, back to Medical Campus.

The number of people at the march was remarkable. Hundreds of people taking a stand against crime filled Falmouth Road as far as the eye could see. Medical students wearing their white lab coats were the most visible and most solemn, while many others held placards, demanding “Crime Prevention”, “Stop the Killing”, “Save our Streets”, and “Justice.” Anger, sadness, and determination emanated from the marchers and chants of Michael Jackson’s Heal the World were heard. The march was loud and visible, sending a clear message that crimes like this will not be tolerated in the Observatory area.

Students unhappy with proposed fee increases

The Observatory community had had enough, and let it be known.

Over and above the proposed general increase of 9.75% on all tuition fees, residence fees are expected to increase by as much as 11.1% for catered residences and 10.6% for non-catering residences.

Outgoing Secretary-General of the SRC, Portia Gama, claims that based on the opinions heard at the last Student Assembly and the survey posted on Vula, students seem willing to accept these general proposals, but strongly contest the idea of faculty-specific increases.

TRAGEDY - Relatives shed a tear for Benny Moqobane.

Photo by Zakareeya Pandey

After the Vice-Chancellor’s speech, the crowd embarked on a united march against crime to “take back the streets of Observatory.” The march proceeded from Anzio Road to William Road and on to the scene where Moqobane was shot.

Here, Professor Marian Jacobs, Dean of the Health Sciences Faculty, Deputy Dean Associate Professor Gonda Perez, and the Observatory Chief of Police made speeches about crime and Moqobane’s tragic death, advocating student protection. A moment of silence was held as his family gathered around the portrait of their son, laying flowers at its base to pay their respects.

After Jacobs left, students and other members proceeded to pay their own respects by laying down their own flowers

Photos by Zakareeya Pandey

NATASHA NEL STUDENTS utilised the recent Student Assembly to express deep concern over the proposed 2010 fee increases, particularly those that are faculty-specific. Reasons cited for their discontent included arguments that UCT should not be a profit-making institution, as well as the fact that bursaries and loans from external sources would not increase in proportion to the substantial increase in tuition fees.

Both Commerce and Health Sciences are asking for a 5% increase on all course fees, while EBE want 3%. Various reasons have been cited for these proposals, namely the recruitment of qualified permanent staff and, as in the case of the Health Sciences faculty, the fact that fees are currently lower than those at Wits and Stellenbosch, despite UCT being the “preferred” medical school of South Africa.

Should the Council pass these proposals, UCT can expect a total increase in revenue of R64.38 million in 2010. Aside from improving the teacher-student ratio at UCT, there are also plans to expand the parameters of financial aid with this revenue - an excuse SRC President Chris Ryall deemed

PROTEST - SRC members were on Jammie Plaza protesting the proposed student fees increase. Students filled the Plaza to hear the SRC’s message (below).

Photos by Nico Gous “no longer plausible” at an SRC-led protest held on Wednesday 23 September.

While students listened from the Jammie steps, Ryall outlined the reasons for not accepting the proposals and the demands made in a memorandum that he later handed to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor. These demands included that the University does more to raise third-party income, as well as a written response to the memorandum within seven days to prevent students from taking “further action.”

Third-year commerce students Duduzile Lunga and Steve Walter are among those willing to accept a general increase but not a faculty specific one. “In the commerce faculty, more needs to be done to improve the quality of current lecturers before more are brought in,” stated Lunga. Walter seconded this, believing the reasons given for facultyspecific increases to be “invalid.”

News

3

Green Week springs across campus knowledge,” said Bruce Hewitson of the Climate Analysis Group. He stressed the danger of this jump.

This issue was brought home to UCT. The GCI posed big questions to the university: how green is UCT, and what is it doing to go greener? South Africa has “a disproportionately loud voice” on global climate issues, said Hewitson. Pressure on UCT to “go green” is inevitable.

Cormac Cullinan, author of Wild Law, drew comparisons to student activism against Apartheid. “Just as in the 1980s [when] universities were seen as sites of struggle, so should they now be seen as very important sites of this struggle,” he said.

“Universities and students need to be pushing for an entirely different form of education so that we are no longer training dominators and destroyers [of the planet].”

A REVOLUTIONARY IDEA - Break the bad habits.

Photo by Andrecia Ramnath

OLIVIA WALTON BIG, green, and likely to jump out and tackle you at any moment - Green Week was back with a bang this year. Organised by UCT’s student-run Green Campus Initiative (GCI), it was a week of expert opinions, lectures, documentaries, music, a cycle-athon, and free hugs.

Some of the week’s highlights were the Green Expo on Wednesday, showcasing local green-conscious projects and companies, Captain Stu live on Plaza on Thursday, and the cycle-a-thon – an attempt to keep a light connected to a bike lit for 5 hours.

DIRTY - Residence recylcing in all its glory on Jammie Plaza.

John Critien, head of Properties and Services, outlined the university’s plan to “green” itself “over the next 25 years or so,” a process that will involve the institutional change that the GCI advocates. According to Critien, the university is focusing on electricity and water conservation, new, greener, buildings, recycling (a GCI project), and transport.

How does UCT go about doing that?

Lauren De Vos, Chairperson of the GCI, noted the need for systematic change.

“Institutional changes – which retrofitting and campus-greening efforts often require – take time,” she said, adding that “the response to campus greening from the various faculties, departments, Deans and HODs has been heartening.”

“It won’t change the environment but these are the small, subtle things,” said Critien.

“For decades, UCT has made surprisingly little progress in terms of campus greening, and with the arrival of the GCI, we’ve catalysed significant action in under two years.”

GREEN POLICE - Out to get you and green you. You could catch these green-fingered sprites running around, hugging anyone and anything in green.

Photo by Andrecia Ramnath

The week kicked off with a panel discussion aiming to explain the facts and dispel the myths around climate change.

A series of meridian talks took up similar issues, with a particular focus on “greening” UCT. One of the common threads of the lecture series was the need to distill facts from the available information and interpret them appropriately. “Africa is going straight from data to action without turning data into

The Green Week Film Festival at the Labia Theatre screened a series of documentaries focused on global environmental issues: how did we get to the current crisis, is there any chance of getting out, and if so, how? The response was positive; Friday night’s screening of A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil was booked out and a second screening had to be organised. Debate was encouraged, but as one GCI member commented to the audience, “we’re preaching to the converted.”

That said, the converts are increasing in number. “We’ve grown from about 300 members, to almost 1000 members, in a little under a year,” said De Vos. However there is a need to change attitudes, not just increase the ranks: “It takes more time than this to shift attitudes and change behavioural patterns”. But she is optimistic: “UCT students are not only open to what

Former UCT Deputy Registrar gets Government job NATASHA NEL PAUL Ngobeni, who left his job as UCT’s Deputy Registrar of Legal Affairs following an internal disciplinary action against him, has been appointed as Legal Advisor to Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. Ngobeni is best known for his outspoken support of controversial Cape Judge President John Hlope, and was allegedly an important figure in the strategy that allowed President Jacob Zuma to overcome corruption charges.

Ngobeni’s appointment within the Department of Defence has caused some dissent in government, most notably from the DA. The party’s first complaint lodged through the new “Presidential Hotline” called for an investigation into the appointment of Ngobeni, citing his “lack of integrity” and alleged “fugitive status” in the USA.

VARSITY’s attempts to get comments from former colleagues of Ngobeni were unsuccessful, apparently due to the matter being “too close to home,” and UCT management allegedly requesting them not to comment on the issue. However, postgraduate law student Michael Mbikiwa commented on the “major error of judgment on the part of the Defence Minister in appointing a legal advisor who still has unresolved charges of forgery and larceny pending against him in the US.”

MOVING ON - Paul Ngobeni finds it hard to leave the trail of scandal that follows him as he takes on his new position.

“

...major error of judgment on the part of the Defence Minister in appointing a legal advisor who still has unresolved charges of forgery and larceny pending against him in the US.

“

This accusation follows an Eyewitness News report that Ngobeni is a “wanted man” in the state of Connecticut on seven counts of misconduct relating to work he did there as an attorney. It is further alleged that he voluntarily gave up his law license because of these charges, shortly before taking the position of Deputy Registrar at UCT.

Image courtesy of www.flickre.com

Photo by Andrecia Ramnath

the GCI is promoting, but are keen to support our efforts.”

Student responses support this. “It is the biggest movement on campus. They’re everywhere,” says Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, SRC President-elect for 2010.

“Our task now will be taking it from a simple nicety to something more than just a week.”

Kate Rosholt, a second-year law student and Baxter resident, was also impressed.

“I think Green Week has been really cool.

On Plaza, in the residences as well, they’ve made a concerted effort to make it incredibly visible,” said Rosholt.

“...Just as in the 1980s [when] universities were seen as sites of struggle, so should they now be seen as very important sites of this struggle...”

And is it all worthwhile?

“Definitely. I mean, save our planet man!

Otherwise it’s going to die, and then what will we do?” said Rosholt.

4

News

Volume 68 Number 12

UCT student seeks to investigate members of the SAPS asking him and his companion “What the hell do you think you’re doing?� The officers reportedly also told him “what you are doing is wrong.� When asked why, they stated that it was public indecency.

Joffe sees no grounds for this, as both he and his companion were fully dressed. “I had a strong sense that they were waiting for me to apologise and I had decided I would not do that. I told them that I did not understand what the problem was. That was when they became hostile.�

OLIVIA WALTON A UCT student locked up for a night at a Pretoria police station is seeking to investigate members of the South African Police Force.

Ben Joffe, an anthropology masters student, was held without being formally charged, and claims that his arrest and treatment were fuelled by the homophobic attitudes of the police officers who arrested him. Joffe aims to bring the issue up with the SAPS in order to raise awareness and about homophobic attitudes within the police force. “It is my right to demand that they behave a particular way when on the clock,� Joffe said in an interview with VARSITY.

Joffe was approached by two policewomen around 3.30 in the morning, as he and an unnamed Pretoria man sat in his car outside the house where Joffe was staying.

In Pretoria doing field work for his Master’s thesis, Joffe noted that “there was no music on, no lights on, the windows were rolled up.

There was no way someone could have called about a disturbance.

The police were just patrolling.� “They didn’t immediately notice that we were two men. When they did I noticed their whole demeanour change,� said Joffe.

According to him, the policewomen were “immediately accusatory, immediately hostile,�

Joffe then attempted to unlock the gate and enter the house, at which point a male policeman arrived, having been radioed by the policewomen already there. Joffe was put into a police van and driven to a police station in Queenswood.

He was held overnight and stated that he was denied access to a telephone or a lawyer, and was at no time formally charged. His cousin attempted to see him, but was told by the police that Joffe “should spend the night to dry out and learn a lesson�. Joffe refuted this, saying that “I didn’t consider myself drunk.�

However, he stated that the police made repeated references to the fact that he is gay, and to the need for him to be “taught a lesson.�

When Joffe was put into the cell, one policewomen allegedly said, “There you go, now you can find yourself a nice boyfriend in the cells.� When Joffe’s cousin asked whether Joffe would be granted bail, she was told by a police

officer, “We’ve decided we don’t want to be lenient. By the way, do you know that he is gay?� “She feels that what I was doing was morally reprehensible,� said Joffe. “The only reason I feel I got arrested was homophobia, and that’s the only reason I’ll take it up [with the SAPS].�

Joffe has approached a number of gay rights groups, as well as the Legal Resources Centre. He has so far not had much active response, but has been urged by a member of the SAPS, who is

openly homosexual, to call for an investigation. “[This policeman] told me they’d be forced to make an investigation. They cannot be allowed to feel that this is right.

I want to raise awareness so that the next policeman or -woman will think twice about acting on their prejudices when they are in uniform. “It is not about me, it is about the fact that it happened at all.�

“The only reason I feel I got arrested was homophobia, and that’s the only reason I’ll take it up.�

Photos by Olivia Walton

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Editorial VARSITY NEWSPAPER BLOGS

Girls, soccer, sex, politics, economics, fashion...anything goes at the VARSITY Newspaper blogs.

Reasonable Doubt “Death of conservatism” I recently had a conversation with a friend, and after discussing the ordinary things guys discuss such as beer, women and sport, we moved onto a discussion about conservative views and why they seem to be dissipating or becoming less prevalent. I was recently tagged a fascist for some of my centre-right views, and my friend had recently come back from a trip to California and told me the story of how the politics in the state are decidedly conservative on a lot issues whilst the social behaviour in the state is mostly liberal.

The slow decline of conservative practices and views across most of the globe may be attributable to globalisation and the many liberal philosophies that come with it, or to the idea that conservatism represents people who are anti-gay rights, anti-abortion, anti-feminism and elitist. For whatever reason, a lot of people think that conservatism is taboo and unacceptable in the 21st century, I respectfully disagree.

TATENDA GOREDEMA served as the Opinions Editor in 2009. He is now the Deputy Editor of VARSITY Newspaper.

Read more at www.reasdoubt.blogspot.com

Trust and Believe

“E-flight”

When I was in high school, blogging sites like Xanga and LiveJournal reigned supreme. But even with the near domination of these two sites, MySpace was growing in popularity every day. Soon after its release, it became the most dynamic and feature-filled social website, and helped to define social networking as it is today. With MySpace, users were granted control over almost every aspect of their profiles, and adding friends soon became the newest e-hobby.

Soon, however, as MySpace’s popularity increased among middle- and high-school students, it quickly transformed (degraded) into a place where angsty pre-teens displayed disturbingly provocative photos of themselves, whined about their boyfriends (or lack thereof), and wRoTe Bl0gz liK th*S. Shakespeare would have been so proud.

NKOSIYATI KHUMALO is the Chief Sub-Editor of VARSITY Newspaper.

Read more at www.trustbelieve.blogspot.com

newsgathering next newsgathering Thursday, 8 October 2009, meridian, in LS2C

2010 collective

editor Remy Ngamije deputy editor Tatenda Goredema chief sub editor Nkosiyati Khumalo sub editors Cayleigh Bright, Liam Kruger, Nomvelo Makhunga dtp editor Danni Liang finance team Tina Swigelaar & Odwa Sihlobo images editor Simone Millward photographers Nico Gous, Andrecia Ramnath news Olivia Walton & Natasha Nel opinions Sarah Jackson & Martin Mendelsohn features Nyasha Kadandara sports Dominic Verwey & Edward Sellier human resources Tariro Nyamakura advertising team Megan Lyons marketing team John-Ross Hugo, Andrew Ehmke & Mathabatha Sexwale IT manager Irfaan M Imamdin operations Mahleke Matome staff writers Tonbara Ekiyor, Moss Matheolane, Calvin Scholtz, Byron Ascott-Evans, Anton Taylor, Calvin Jordan external contributors Gosia Podgorska, Maciek Dubla, Tamara Sutherland, Jason McArthur, Malwande Ndegane, Richard Pearce, Helen Gibb, Bruce Baigrie, Xavier Van Der Zandt

VARSITY Newspaper varsitynewspaper@gmail.com To get hold of the News team, email: news@varsitynewspaper.co.za To contact the Opinions editor or submit an opinion, email: opinions@varsitynewspaper.co.za To contact the Features team, email: features@varsitynewspaper.co.za To contact the Sports desk, email: sports@varsitynewspaper.co.za To advertise, email: ads@varsitynewspaper.co.za Want to join VARSITY Newspaper? Email: humres@varsitynewspaper.co.za

Tel: 021 650 3543 Fax: 021 650 2904

5

“Keep the lights on” If you put an overweight, hairy woman with boils on top of her boils in front of a man, in a bright room and ask him to get an erection, you will see pigs fly before you see his hormones start to bubble. But if you turn off the lights and ask the same woman to purr in his ear, you are going to need a cleanup in aisle three.

Student politics on campus is a lot like this, especially around election time. Candidates turn off the lights and they whisper the most seductive things in your ears. Words like “transformation”, “lower school fees”, and “longer hours in the computer labs” send shivers up and down your spine, and if there is an “amandla” thrown in there somewhere, you will have to excuse yourself from the room to give yourself a moment to breathe...and clean up. It is guaranteed that the ones who moan the loudest will get the most votes. And so it was with all these erotic thoughts that we all stumbled to the election booth and cast our votes, our minds still buzzing from the previous night’s interrogations, eager to have our most sinful fantasies fulfilled. The election results show that we got what we wanted; the fifteen candidates that had turned us on the most were elected. A few days later, they haggled amongst themselves (or tried to) and a new SRC was chosen, one that had a largely independent executive.

The subsequent reactions of those “marginalised” candidates was predictable, there were letters written here, some mud-slinging over there and the rest of the UCT student body was left wondering where the beauties with the sexy voices had gone. The lights had come back on and it seems as though some people were not happy with what they were seeing; voting blindly is a lot like going home with someone after a long night at the club...it never ends well and midnight meetings always become midday’s regrets.

But that is not how I see it. I see it as a race; it does not start when the gun goes of...that is merely the trailer, a short glimpse of the longer film that is about to unfold.

The race does not take place when the adrenaline is pumping through your veins and your muscles are three seconds away from bursting. No, that’s just the ticket, the admission to a show to a long awaited show.

It does not end when you gain a two second advantage over your competitor; that is just the curtain raiser, the slow intake of breath as you realise that the real thing starts now.

The real race starts when you cross the finishing line.

All the candidates had an equal chance of being elected at the start of the campaign season, the track was cleared and all of them eagerly ran their thousand-vote dash.

But like I said, the real race starts when you cross the finishing line. It is now up to the UCT student body to hold these SRC candidates to the promises they made during their campaigns; “less stressful exam timetables”, “academic support”, and “a better UCT for all.” Ultimately, these SRC members are not accountable to each other, or to their political parties (though this is a rebuttable presumption), they are accountable to you and me, the average UCT student who was tempted with needs and wants, problems that we face every day and issues that not only affect us, by the country and continent as a whole. They turned us on, but they cannot be allowed to leave the job half done.

(Wink!)

Worldwide, the world is realising that all leaders have to make good on their promises.

President Obama is facing some harsh criticism for his policies which have failed to deliver to the US the Promised Land. He too purred seductively during his election campaign and now that the sprint is over, he is quickly coming to realise that the marathon is still ongoing. In these trying economic times, leaders are being asked to deliver on promises and the few business that can grind out a profit are pacing themselves, waiting for a chance to sprint again. The chips are down; it is either run or get left behind.

With exam season coming on, it is perhaps the best time to realise that the endless UCT race is about to kick into higher gear; assignments are due and those students who occupy Jammie Stairs have to start collecting medical notes as “Fight-for-DP Day” comes closer. Pace yourself, take it all in your stride and realise that you crossed the finishing line a long time ago when you were accepted into UCT; the real race is yet to come.

VARSITY Newspaper is running its own race as well. We have a brand new website, two new blogs, a new design, new staff... new everything. As the official student newspaper of UCT, the collective is dedicated to making sure that any student can find something to read within its pages. We want to be more than just a newspaper and we have many plans in the pipeline. We are always on the lookout for new talent, and if you want to join our team, come round to the office or send us an email. We like partying, drinking, kissing girls and guys, rude jokes about girls with weaves, cartoons and films; we are sure that you will fit right in.

This is the last printed edition of the year, and we hope that you have enjoyed reading VARSITY. You can still follow us on our website, which will be running throughout the year. If you are on Twitter, drop us a line.

Good luck for the exams. And don’t do anything I would not do... but if you do, name it after me.

Read... learn... dream... live...

Remy Ngamije

VARSITY

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ADVERTISING MANAGER

If you are interested, please send a brief CV and a letter of motivation to humres@varsitynewspaper.co.za

6

Opinions

Volume 68 Number 12

Letters

Gender bender

Change for workers possible VARSITY’s latest edition featured an article on the situation of workers at UCT in which it was stipulated that, yes, times can be difficult for them but “they have a job, right?” It also stated that, “with the employment rate at 38% - who is he (a worker) to complain?” As the article spoke about having a job versus not having a job, I would like to raise the question: When is it that a person does not have the right to desire improvements within their work environment, simply because they “have a job”?

I can only assume that the writer of the article is unaware of the difficulties faced by many of the workers at UCT today; conditions which cause workers such as Joe to say “things will never change”purely because he has not seen real effort being made to change them. Let us take for example the issue of a G4S employee, Xola Ndishe, who was a respected leader, speaking out for workers’ rights. He was recently suspended from UCT without procedure or any good reason, and then

transferred. UCT has admitted, post-investigation, that they did in fact ask for Ndishe to be removed, interfering without any formal process despite stating that it was their “intention” for there to be a “proper disciplinary process.”

Let us take another example of the Sibanye shuttle drivers, who recently received letters informing them that their contracts were to be finished at the end of year, even though Sibanye will still be operating in 2010. Perhaps if any of these people were to be interviewed in VARSITY, you would not receive comments about them “loving” their jobs.

I do not wish to appear as solely negative; however, I appreciate and acknowledge that there are many workers who, depending generally on the companies that they work for, are very happy here. I also acknowledge that yes, times are tough, but let us not accept this as a reason for abuses to occur within the workplace. Let us instead acknowledge that times are tough and make an active effort to make them better. It is not

enough to say that “considering her lack of education, Ma’sbube has had it good”. Instead, we should be paving the way for people like Ma’sbube and her family to receive an education – bearing in mind that she is not a cleaner because she wishes to be a cleaner, and she was not turning down opportunities to go to med school before accepting this job.

I am calling out to students to take an active and obvious interest in what is going on around them – particularly the people who surround us every day, cleaning up after us and generally making our lives more pleasant. They are the people who are worthy of our support. Let us break Kadandara’s consideration of the workers as people whose presence we can feel, “but we don’t see them”. I propose that we can see what we want to see, all that is required is that we open our eyes, and that we show some interest and compassion.

Fawzia Haeri

Stigmas still plague society I WAS interested to read your 22 September edition’s article on feminism, and would like to raise a point regarding its status as a group in society.

Focusing solely on feminism first, the mere word strikes a chord for many males (who otherwise might be supportive of equal rights). Why should a movement promoting equality have its name rooted in one side of the gender dichotomy? I quite understand that in the past 150 years, females have generally been marginalised, denigrated, and abused. I just think now that our Constitution supports gender rights totally, and we no longer have need for people promoting gender rights for women only. Instead such activists should focus their energies on promoting rights for both sexes, and have a gender-neutral term (this might help interest males to the cause, because seriously, what male wants to be known as a “feminist”?).

As for my own views, I support gender equality and opportunity in all aspects of life.

The other interesting point made is that feminists are in a marginalised position in society.

This is definitely true, and in my opinion totally unjustified.

Although I do not approve of the name, I have made it clear that I am on their side. Marginalised groups are so often misrepresented - occasionally by members with good intentions, but much more

often by outsiders who want to preserve the fact that these groups are marginalised. I draw attention to three such groups: Homosexuals: Gays and lesbians are discriminated against, persecuted by many religions, and suffer the effects of widespread homophobia. People who approve of homophobia misrepresent gay men (all of them, not individuals) as being overly flamboyant to the point that they are annoying, often speaking with lisps, wearing (in their opinion) unsightly clothes and worst of all, constantly on a mission to convert straight guys into gay ones and force themselves upon straight guys. Lesbians, are often portrayed as being uniformly “butch” and having nasty, domineering personalities.

Then there’s the link drawn between lesbians, feminists and misandrists.

Atheists: Atheists are marginalised by religious groups and churches. Although this marginalisation is made public to a far lesser extent than homophobia, opinions of a person are very likely to change upon hearing that their companion is an atheist, and therefore will “go to hell”. A prime example in recent times is the entire SAX Appeal debacle - the atheist writer(s) and agnostic editor were slated in the media for making fun of concepts that are positively laughable.

Polyamory: Polyamorists are a little-known group in society.

However, the action that defines being a polyamorist (taking more than one lover simultaneously) is very well known and often reduced to “cheating” or being dishonest. If I were to reveal my views on polyamory to a potential lover, something tells me that the relationship would progress no further. Instead I would hear indignant cries of “But you can’t love me and her at the same time!

That’s cheating!” Yes I can, and no it’s not. Just to make clear my stance, the same applies to women who take multiple lovers, I would be happy with this and not raise a complaint if we agreed on it.

Unfortunately, women in society who do take multiple lovers are marginalised as sluts.

Basically, conservative people are simply very good at misrepresenting people as “others” and seek to marginalise groups by getting everyone to think they are “weird” and not listen to them.

I personally am an atheist and polyamorist and am aware of the feelings people may have about these groups.

David Dornbrack Images courtsey of www.flickr.com

CALVIN JORDAN CASTER Semenya, the 18-yearold South African phenom, is the woman who has taken international women’s athletics by storm by trouncing her competitors in this year’s 800m event at the athletics world championship in Berlin.

More controversially, she is the central figure in a heated gender debate about whether she should be classified as a man or woman.

This issue only came to light once preliminary IAAF testing found that she had three times the normal level of testosterone than other female athletes. Yet, she did not fail her drug test, as she was not on any performance enhancing drugs.

Coupled with the fact that young Semenya has a very masculine body and facial features, speculation about her gender came under serious question. The fact of the matter is this, if there was any serious doubt about whether or not she was a woman, the IAAF should have prevented the star from participating in order to sort out the issue in private. But they did not, and by allowing her to compete they have acknowledged her as a woman regardless. If there is any doubt about this gender issue, why are not many female weightlifters questioned about their gender? If one were to look

at Olho Korobka, Jang Mi-ran and Mariya Grabovetskaya, one could be forgiven for thinking that they were watching a men’s event.

What about Serena Williams?

This tennis superstar is more butch than most of our rugby players, yet she is still deemed a woman.

The answer to this absurd question is quite simple, Caster has what most women athletes want and she has it naturally. This scares other competitors and organisers alike, as now the other competitors are fighting for second place and the organisers are stuck with another predictable event.

Yet, instead of dealing with this sensitive personal issue quietly, a leak in IAAF to that dodgy Australian newspaper has ruined the career of such a promising athlete, and most definitely dealt an emotional and psychological blow to an 18-year-old in the summer of her life. To question the gender of a woman born and raised a woman is quite a ridiculous question indeed, and then to treat her like a media sideshow object is a heinous show of twisted morals. As humans and in particular as South Africans, we should rally not only in support of this extraordinary young woman and her sporting achievement but also in defence of her dignity and humanity.

Images courtsey of www.flickr.com

The writing on the wall CALVIN SCHOLTZ IN RESPONSE to the article “Toilet Humour” published in the previous edition of Varsity (22 September), I thought I’d share some actual examples of things written on the walls of the men’s bathrooms at UCT that I found particularly striking. True, there’s a lot of crude drawings and comments, as well as racist slurs, but there are also some quite profound, and often very amusing, quotes. So here they are, in no particular order: This wall is currently in its second edition: Anyone perfect must be lying, Anything easy has its cost.

Anyone plain can be lovely, Anyone loved can be lost.

I left a floater in the gene pool.

Eat, drink & be merry, For tomorrow, we die.

(Dave Matthews band)

Life moves pretty fast sometimes If you don’t stop & look around u could miss it!

Live your own truth and never doubt it.

Love of all is all that is.

God is real whether you think so or not.

God touched me in a dark alley.

You create your own reality.

Can you go the distance, Without chemical assistance?

(Acid Jesus) South African culture is invisible.

Raised by wolves, I knew no bounds Life was good with the wild hounds.

I’m tame now, living within these walls, I fight the urge to lick my balls.

disclaimer The VARSITY Opinions section is a vehicle for expression on any topic by members of the University or other interested parties. The opinions within this section are not necessarily those of the VARSITY Collective. The Opinions Editor reserves the right to edit or shorten letters. Letters should include the name and telephone number of the writer, and must be received by 5pm on the Wednesday before publication. They should not exceed 350 words, and will not be published under a pseudonym, or anonymously.

.VVK S\JR ^P[O `V\Y L_HTZ Lean on Van Schaik Bookstore for all the books and study guides that’ll help you to succeed!

Here’s to a bright future!

Rondebosch: 26 Main Road, Tel: (021) 689-4112, Email: vsrbosch@vanschaik.com www.vanschaik.com

DRAFTFCB CAPE TOWN VANS000174/E

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THINK TOOLS UNDERSTAND UTILISE UNIVERSITY UPLIFT

Volume 68 Number 12

Extra serving of emotion

Trivial Pursuit

TAMLYN WILSON

Sarah Jackson GREEN Week has come and gone and we are all left feeling guilty about the fact that we drove our car to campus this morning, or left the tap on while brushing our teeth. The ice caps are melting and the sea levels are rising and, according to many people, impending doom is on its way.

I would like to think that people don’t hate the environment, but actions speak louder than words. Or, in some cases, words speak loud enough. At a Green Campus Initiative talk, one of the questions put forward by one of the students was why he couldn’t drive a Hummer and fly everywhere, as this was a sign of success. A sign of material wealth, maybe, but I still feel that this person has a lot to achieve with regards to maturity. Surely your opinion of what is happening in the world has to be based on more than your potential of owning a huge, petrol-guzzling car, guilt-free.

You could think that global warming is a conspiracy theory and that recycling and being environmentally conscious is a waste of time. For example, many people have argued that cars such as the hybrid actually end up costing the environment more than Hummers due to the mining of nickel for its battery, which has spread sulphur dioxide

“I GOT a feeling…” these few words will inspire a campus-wide tune that will, for some tone-deaf individual, end with a black eye and a nervous pee. For this I am truly sorry, however I “feel” that this catchy little phrase found scribbled upon almost every surface and Facebook status, has an important part to play in exposing the powerful fiend that is our emotions.

throughout northern Ontario.

You could also see the increase in pollution and strange weather patterns as ominous and believe we are signing up for our own extinction. Agree or disagree, at least have an opinion.

During my Opinions Editor interview I was asked how I felt about the Opinions section being criticised as a platform for people to “bitch” about issues as opposed to being proactive about them. I say we should keep up the bitching. It is a dangerous time we live in, the age where we all have equal rights before the constitution. Equal rights breed apathy. It was easy enough to identify and protest human rights abuses when women didn’t have the vote, or black people weren’t allowed to sit on the same benches as white people.

At the risk of getting an eye roll from you, I feel like I should point out that racism and sexism are still rife in our society, as our shiny new constitution does little to change people’s mindsets in practice. That’s not even taking into account the new battles we have to face, such as global warming.

One just needs to attend an HCS event or panel debate hosted by SJC, or one of the Green Week events to see that students think the fight is over. In an article

in the New York Times, it was revealed that one in every five adult Americans think that the sun revolves around the earth, a concept that was dismissed in the 17th century. But before we leap enthusiastically onto the clichéd “Americans are stupid” bandwagon, we should just have a look at what people around us are saying. I don’t really care what you think, just as long as you have an opinion about something. Nelson Mandela might be free and we may not be submerged by rising sea levels just yet, but there are still battles to be fought, so grab your pens and get complaining.

Why do we have them anyway?

TIFFANY MUGO VOTE SASCO 7! Let the DASO 5 run it again! Long live the Republicans! Yes, I know these weren’t the cries emanating from Jammie during election time but truth is I wasn’t listening. I just didn’t want to hear it. During the time I liked to call “The Reign of the Flies” (do you know how many of the pesky campaigners I had to swat away?) there was politicking. Too much. And as I hurried past to my tut and swatted away yet another promise to change my world I asked myself, “why?” When we are all students, all moving towards the same goal (a gown and a firm hand shake as we get out coveted degree), why have we decided to act as if we aren’t?

My problem here, as you can see, is political parties. The notion that we are all standing for such different things, things that are so fundamentally different when it comes to our education, is to me a little weird – and, truth be told, a little false. Do we not all want Jammies to run, longer library hours, for exclusion to be less of a reality? Why, then, are we split into political parties? For the love of the game. Political parties are a way in which 15 people can go into Steve Biko level seven and screw with one another’s heads in a bid to consolidate power for themselves. The political parties aren’t a means by which one’s student voice is heard in university, it’s a means by which some young Slick Rick can vie for president or treasurer. I’m sure we have all heard a “by an independent’s vote” story or two that conclude with these parties getting what they want in SRC. If the SRC stands for Student Representative Council, why does it feel that the

ELECTION WEEK - Party paraphenalia was strewn over the campus as political parties contested the recent SRC elections. political party and personal power are of more importance?

What makes me smile is the fact that there will be a member of the DASO exec. Comm., a firm believer of the SASCO doctrine of… whatever they believe in, and a third person who is so antipolitical parties that he or she hisses at mention of one, all sitting together in an Ecos test, praying, wishing, for a miracle. I personally have members of various parties in my Politics tut group, and we are all stressed by the same 5000 word essay for POL3029S - so what the hell is the point?

It was explained to me in terms of “these are the future leaders of our countries, future Helen Zilles, Jacob Zumas, Julius Malemas” (you know who you are, you foulmouthed thing). And I said, “So what?” That’s parliament. That’s a different ball game. The difference between neo-liberal policies and socialism does call for separate political parties. The difference

between making the bench mark for DP being 50 or 45.5% doesn’t.

So, again, what’s the point? I don’t see one. For me, it’s all just a means by which people can antagonise each other in the most important of all student bodies, the SRC. That is the forum to pull together against a rise in fees, harder exams, and all those other things that are stopping us getting to that paper - the degree, not the money; that is another struggle in which you are on your own.

So when I read a real tearjerker in the VARSITY about how DASO were pushed out of the important positions, I despair.

Boo-bloody-hoo! It’s not about you, it’s about us. Learn a little servant leadership; fight on your own ticket for what you believe in, not what the hand that feeds you believes in. Don’t let your screams and tantrums for power cause a cacophony where there should be a symphony.

As a woman I do not fear the “lonesome cold dark night” or the “thought of losing you” - I fear the gripping sensation of a reckless emotion wandering the streets of Cape Town preying not only on pre-menstrual females but also on innocent bystanders rocking back in their camper chairs with Ouma rusks and coffee. Emotions make you do things that are out of the ordinary, as their docking station lies in the Starship Enterprise that is your imagination (yes, you have one). In other words, our emotions are, most of the time, disconnected from the reality of our physical circumstance.

Sometimes, emotions appear out of nowhere, much like the highway to Nelspruit or the large chunk of tree found in the back of your car after a good night out.

When encountering a feisty and reckless emotion such as Fear, you cannot punch or stab it with reality because “oh cute, there’s little

>ÀiiÀÊ iÛi « i ÌÊ*À }À> i

8

Opinions

baby Stress holding its hand.” And when it comes to matters of the heart - or groin - you, sure as Billy Ray’s “Achy-breaky Heart,” can’t reason with them, as they tend to be foreign and can’t speak the language of “el rationale.” When catching the gaze of a needy and homeless emotion such as Shame, make sure you aren’t wearing your heart on your sleeve because it will plead for it, and subsequently break it.

“...I fear the gripping sensation of a reckless emotion wandering the streets of Cape Town...”

As much as emotions do tend to wreak havoc on our sanity, they inspire us to do enjoyable things like drink piña coladas and go dancing in the rain. I believe that emotions need to be entertained sparingly, like fast food is consumed. Your brain has been trained to rationalise, measure and calculate information and, if given the chance, should be able to tame the unpredictable whirlwinds of emotion. So the next time you catch yourself mentioning that you “got a feeling,” try to save yourself the unnecessary damage or confusion by reminding yourself that you got a brain, too.

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Opinions

9

Food for thought GOSIA PODGORSKA I’VE always had the nagging notion that I, and everyone I know, should be a vegetarian.

But when the idea of leaving Christmas turkeys and Sunday braais behind comes to the foreground, I usually dismiss the idea as quickly as the pang of guilt that brought it on. It seems impractical to consider stopping something that has become such a habit, especially when one considers the fact that people have been eating meat since Neanderthal days.

Photo by Simone Millward

Celebrity obsession CALVIN JORDAN LAST Sunday morning, as I picked up the Sunday Times to have a bit of a read, I was immediately confronted with a huge picture of Beyoncé Knowles, strutting somewhere in Malaysia for her F1 show, plastered on the front page. Now uninterested in the cover’s content, I turned the page, to be confronted with a picture of Brad Pitt being given an award for his green housing efforts in New Orleans on page three. Mildly confused, I briefly pondered how I could have stumbled upon the entertainment section so soon. This brief confusion passed as I glanced at page two to see an article about Caster Semenya squashed into the top left hand corner.

I began to wonder why there weren’t any other newsworthy stories, like the second clinical trial for China’s HIV/AIDS vaccine, in their places. For that I began to think of three features, besides advancing technology, that have risen to prominence in the first decade of the twenty-first century: the rise in national security and fear of transnational terrorism, the internet and its many social networking systems, and the ever-growing obsession with celebrities.

This obsession with celebrities is nothing new, but the level of intensity, information, and coverage of them today has reached epic proportions. Whether it be entertainment, sport, politics, or a celebrated person in their field of work, it’s almost guaranteed that a person’s whole life will be splayed across a magazine, the internet, radio, or newspaper, and like piranhas we eagerly wait to tear into all the information we can find until we know everything we can about our chosen celebrity or celebrities, from what they eat to what they wear. It has reached the stage where people know more about a celebrity’s personal life, than they do about the profession that made that person famous.

This hunger for and obsession with celebrities has reached a sickening point where you could be forgiven for believing

that the world revolves around Angelina Jolie and her numerous kids, David Beckham’s hair, and the ever-quiet Paris Hilton. This is an obsession that consumes and controls countless people’s lives, and it’s not surprising with all the tools available to aid your habit – Twitter, to know exactly what your celebrity is doing every minute of every day, the hordes of magazines dedicated to where your celebrities party and who they hook up with, and certainly not least, the Ryan Seacrest slot on Kfm to give you his latest celebrity gossip.

PAPARAZZI - The voyeurs of the 20th century.

However, in those days the world was not overpopulated with 6 billion people, and animals weren’t being pumped full of antibiotics and hormones. Today, about 70 percent of all antibiotics and similar drugs produced in the United States are given to livestock and poultry. Somewhere down the road, there was going to be a pile-up – and it seems to already have begun, with constant health warnings about red meat being churned out in the media. So, the question you need to consider is:

I fully endorse the idea of being vegetarian. I believe that if every person on this planet was taken to an abattoir (quite the euphemism for such a morbid place), and forced to witness the mass murder of helpless animals, it wouldn’t be a forgettable experience. On the other hand, giving up meat is a difficult notion to even deliberate - even for me, an abashed meat-eater - if you have been brought up on chicken curries and beef stir-fries all through life.

If you are going to go down the veggieladen path, get acquainted with the various forms of vegetarianism, ranging from true vegetarians (defined as not eating any meat), and the several sub-categories of vegetarianism, including pescetarians (fisheating vegetarians), lacto-ovo vegetarians (dairy- and egg-eating vegetarians) and the ever-saintly vegans (no animal products).

You need to get your facts straight; otherwise you might walk into a quick stop proclaiming you are a pescetarian, and risk people mistaking you for some sort of evangelist.

“Should I turn vegetarian?”

This obsession is a plague that strips personal identity and character, as many men strive to become Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom copies, and many women Paris Hilton and Madonna wannabes. It has reached a situation where many people could probably tell you more about their favourite celebrity than about their closest friends.

Answers vary, but the general consensus seems to be that red meat is bad for you, if you eat it all the time. But that kind of answer pretty much sums up all food groups – anything in excess is potentially harmful.

In my opinion, red meat should be a very limited part of a healthy diet – it’s just not that good for you, dude: high cholesterol anyone?

We have developed an unhealthy obsession with celebrities that can only be rectified by opening our eyes to the rest of the world, being interested in those around us, and not being bored with our own lives.

Why, you ask? Well, we are all unique, and to live a life following and imitating other people seems pitiful and pathetic. So the next time you think “I wonder where ... is, and what they just did”, phone a mate and organise a beer or coffee session.

All the health warnings do little to most people. It’s pretty much the same fight that has, over the decades, forced negative habits like smoking and drinking to come with a warning sticker. And even with all the dangers printed straight onto the packaging, few really care to stop. It could prove the same if the world’s next breakthrough in nasty habits was meat-eating.

Would the picture of a slaughtered animal on the packaging of your Texan steak stop you from buying it?

Image courtsey of Masterfile

“Probably not.”

The vegetarian/meat-eaters battle is nothing new to society. The only difference is that even a decade ago, vegetarianism would have been extremely difficult to uphold. These days, however, with a greater variety of soy and protein substitutes being sold in stores and tempting vegetarian options on restaurant menus, perhaps now is the time to live a little greener, in more ways than just buying a Toyota hybrid.

If you are going to continue eating meat, make sure you eat the healthiest kind, which means free-range meat fed on pasture and grass. Conventional meat is typically raised on corporate factory farms that produce processed meat containing additives such as sodium nitrate, which has been linked to cancer.

Chew over it - death isn’t as tasty as it may have last seemed...

Image courtesy of flickr.com

10

Going green...

...a long delayed assignment

95%

REMY NGAMIJE

–The amount by which pollution could be reduced if people used aluminium instead of plastic bottles.

“

Volume 68 Number 12

AS WE drunkenly stumbled into the new millennium with fears of the Y2K bug firmly behind us, the world was faced with a more permanent and immediate problem: climate change and the over-exploitation of natural resources. The world woke up from an overindulgent stupor to higher temperatures, higher gas and electricity bills and food prices that hungrily chewed at a stretched wallet. Left, right and centre, the economic gluttony of the human race is what has been at the forefront of discussion since 2000, discussion that has often resulted in “talks about talks” or “this-and-that project that will do this and that, thereby reducing this emission or that pollutant.” In other words, we were doing what can only be described as the postponement of an assignment that was due “only in few weeks, months… years.” After all, we had time – the next generation could wait a bit.

Over 80% of a household’s annual waste can be recycled.

“ SSSSMOKING - Factories continue to belch out smoke as the world heats up.

POLLUTION - Though the world has realised that CFCs were destroying the ozone, industries continue to churn dangerous pollutants into the environment.

“

If we recycled every plastic bottle we used, we would keep two billion tonnes of plastic out of landfills.

The only problem is that the deadline for this very important project has been moved forward by a couple of years, and worldwide, few people seem to have been given the memo – some not even realising that there was a submission due in the first place. However, there are a group of individuals that have noted that a global DPR is on the cards, and have been scrambling around, lobbying multinational companies, handing out flyers, hugging trees, and requesting that the lights be turned off when they are not in use. Of this small group of nerds and other barefoot individuals that seeks to save the world, the green designers and environmentalists are perhaps the least understood and the least acknowledged; people who seek ways in which to make the world a better, more efficient and cleaner place through the designing of an eco-friendly world and lifestyle.

“

Green design, or eco-friendly design as

“Only fools litter” ANONYMOUS

More than 25 million beverage bottles made of plastic are thrown away every hour. Plastic material dumped into the ocean also contributes to poor health and even death for creatures living in the ocean.

it is sometimes called, is a discipline of science that seeks to change the way in which human beings interact with the world and each other, by designing commodities and services that use scarce resources as efficiently and as cleanly as possible. The term seeks to encompass the design of a building or the engine of a car, and extend these concepts to the lifestyles that people live and the ways in which they try to minimise the use of resource-hungry technology or services. This term has, however, been relegated to the techno-savvy geeks that try to convince us that a Toyota Prius is cooler than a Lamborghini Gallardo - something that is just not true! Treeguger. com, a leading environmental website, defines green design as a philosophy of eco-friendliness in everyday life – a definition that tries to encourage people to make small changes to their lifestyle in order to preserve the ecological health of the planet in any way possible. Despite the broadening of the concept of green design, it is still commonplace for the movement to be entrenched in science alone. This view would be changed if people realised that without an environment, nothing on Earth

“The only problem is that the deadline for this very important project has been moved forward by a couple of years and worldwide, few people seem to have been given the memo – some not even realising that there was a submission due in the first place.” would survive – science, art, and politics included.

As a scientific movement, green design seeks to change the way in which technology affects the ecological environment around us. It does this by reducing the petrol usage of a car, the amount of heating that a house uses, or the amount of water that is used to flush a toilet. Although in some ways green design is a discipline that originated and remains deeply entrenched within science, it has now filtered to other fields, drawing ideas and knowledge from art and other cultural practices from around the world. It is now commonplace to see artists calling for a greener environment through their respective mediums, and architecture seeking to be more “earthy” or “leafier,” as trees and natural building elements are integrated into what was once a cold

discipline. Green design has even penetrated as far as fashion, where recyclable material is used to produce high-end couture as well as everyday wear, making sure that consumers don the sexiest jeans and sneakers without harming the planet. Design galleries such as greenwithglamour.com present fashionable eco-friendly design that does not detract from its commercial appeal.

Despite the global movement towards green design, it seems as though only Africa has been left behind, holding firewood in one hand and foreign electricity bills in the other. Perhaps the problem that the continent faces is that too many of its inhabitants “live off” the environment to really comprehend what it is that they are doing to the natural environment; it is difficult to tell a person not to chop down trees when he or she has a family of ten to feed at home. However, if green initiatives are tailored to meet the demands of the African continent, then it will be possible to make the Dark Continent… greener.

The problem does not lie in embracing new and expensive technology, but in appropriating traditional customs of the past in our everyday life. Africa has always

GREEN ENERGY - Only now is the world realising that renewable energy is what the world needs. had a connection with nature, and it is perhaps this ancient connection that needs to be revived.

Perhaps the greatest step that green design could take to making the world a better place would be to curb the elitist appeal that it carries, more detrimental than the geeky and nerdy feel that seems to be attributed. If green designers could come up with a way to make it “cool” to be environmentally conscious, or a way that appeals to the consumer-driven era in which we currently live, it would be that much easier to get drivers of diesel-guzzling monsters into a few humble Priuses, maybe even onto bicycles. Because it is hard to stop something wrong when it makes you feel so right…

25 million

–The number of trees that would be saved if people stopped reading newspapers and shifted to electronic media. It is the print media that suffered the most during the current economic recession. Paper and other non-renewable resources such as oil have suffered greatly in the marketplace. Newspapers worldwide have shifted to the cheaper and more economic online platform, reducing their costs but also reducing their circulation.

Printing on recylced newsprint is a favourite with “green newspapers.”

One square metre of the earth’s surface can receive 1,667kws of solar energy, meaning that solar panels have great potential to harness even more power from the sun while occupying less space.

Despite the fact that Africa receives more solar energy than other continents, solar energy has not yet become a major contributor to the environmentalist ideals of many countries. High costs and a lack of technical knowledge have been highlighted as some of the factors that have slowed down the march of green design on the continent.

For more ideas on environmentalism, see Time.com’s Design 100.

Images courtesy of www.flickr.com, www.deviantart.com, www.inhabitat.com, www.time.com Sources: Time.com

Green Card

What about sunrise What about rain What about all the things That you said we were to gain?

What about killing fields Is there a time?

What about all the things That you said was yours and mine?

Did you ever stop to notice All the blood we’ve shed before?

Did you ever stop to notice The crying Earth, the weeping shores?

“

“

The highest selling environmentalist song on the planet, Michael Jackson’s “The Earth Song.”

Heating up Though there has been a drive towards using reusable energy, oil and petrol are still the major energy sources in the world. Africa, as one of the hottest continents in the world, could do with a move towards solar power; when the sun shines, make electricity.

UCT’s Green Week allowed students to gain valuable insight into the ways in which they can help save the environment.

Talking green One is too small a number to make it alone. At least that is what the world has quickly come to realise. Saving the environment is not something that can be done by one person, it requires the joint effort of the world community as a whole.

This realisation has spurred the sharing of ideas, and creating global resources where free thinkers can share their thoughts with the world.

One successful initiative is TED.com, a leading conference were inventors, designers, writers, world leaders and entrepreneurs meet to share their ideas, dreams and wishes with the world.

The dream that is shared collectively is saving the environment. Log onto www.ted.com and share in the global conversation.

Photo by Remy Ngamije A brief glimpse around UCT will show you that despite the numerous bins located around the campus, bottles still find their way from students’ mouths onto the ground.

The cost of going green The problem with green living is that it is expensive – it is expensive to restructure one’s life to the needs of the environment in one sweep. However, there are small things that one can do in everyday life that need not take bank accounts from a healthy green to red; showering instead of taking a bath, using hardy plants that do not need to be watered everyday, or using everyday waste for arts and crafts. The possibilities are endless. For more information, go to: www.greenlivingtips.com.

Did you know that a single glass bottle will take 4000 years to completely decompose in the natural environment?

11

Eco-living Every year, over 40 million acres of tropical rainforest are destroyed through burning and logging.

Toyota Prius

-The most proactive environmentalist in the world currently.

As producer of An Incovinient Truth, Al Gore has brought the environmental message to the world. His work in this sphere made him a Nobel Prize winner.

Al Gore

Take a seat

Got one of those old bathtubs lying around? How about cutting it in half, welding some legs on it and making the coolest couch the world has seen? Old bathtubs found in rubbish heaps are free. After some green designing, they can retail for as much as R10 000.

“

Recycling one tonne of paper saves 17 trees and 7000 gallons of water.

“

Introduced as a solution to the petrol problem, the Prius has had mixed reviews with the car industry and consumers alike. Environmentalists and celebrities love it, stating that it is economic and “really really cool.” Car enthusiasts hate it, stating that it is stripped of all the mechanical muscle that defines a car. The rest of us are caught in the middle wondering whether we must be cool or save the environments.

Why can’t we be both? Change the shape, put on bigger rims and one killer sound system (tweeters included) and voilá!

Car - pool

If all the cars on US roads had properly inflated tyres, it would save nearly 2 billion gallons of petrol a year.

Images courtsey of www.flickr.com, www.photobucket.com, picasawebalbums.com

Many architects now to integrate green design into their design palette. Since design is all about using what is available to you, it has become imperative that architects, as well as the construction companies, start using recyclable materials when constructing buildings and houses.

In line with this, civil engineers have started structuring their towns in a “green manner.” More trees, more parks, more dustbins, more recycling – this what governments are being encouraged to put on their planning agendas.

Reducing your speed to 90 kph from 105 kph may increase your fuel efficiency by as much as 15 percent; cut it to 90 from 110 and you could get a 23 percent improvement.

Cars and factories are still the biggest polluters of the environment.

Many green initiatives such as car-pooling or taking public transport have been advanced as ways of taking more cars off the road. However, these projects have been met with little success, as consumers still flock towards automobiles.

Environmentalists hope that the current economic recession and the rising prices of oil and petrol will spark a greater movement towards these initiatives.

At UCT, you can take your car off the road and take a Jammie.

They may be late, but they reduce our combined carbon footprint.

12 Opinions

Volume 68 Number 12

Summer train-spotting TAMARA SUTHERLAND SPRING has sprung and summer is supposedly coming. That is, if the earth is not consumed by some global-warming-initiated tidal wave. But, being optimistic, the time of year is soon approaching where girls have to shave their legs again, and shades and ice cream are the orders of the day.

Most first-year residence students stand open-mouthed as they watch the trendy second years jump into their friend’s Polo Classic and zoom off into the Camps Bay sunset. After catching themselves drooling, they trudge off to the gym pool, where they are guilttripped by the dedicated gym bunnies getting “bikini-ready.”

You too can feel the UV rays freckle your skin, and endure the sandpit in your crotch. Muizenburg, Kalk Bay and Simonstown are sunny spots situated on the other side of the mountain and can be reached via a less elitist mode of transportation – Metrorail.

Hopping onto a train to get to the beach is actually quite a common occurrence. For those who have yet to figure out the ways and means of public transport, it is possible, and death is evitable.

The South African Metrorail transportation system is not renowned for its efficiency or safety. It is thought by many affluent young scholars, coming from various parts of the country, that should they take a take a seat on the chugging choo-choo, they will probably be tossed from the carriage onto the hot tracks, before the train cables are stolen and they are redirected to Gugulethu. This is not entirely true. Although we live in a country infamous for its soaring crime statistics, there are ways to “live it up” (and get off of Lower Campus) in Cape Town, and stay alive.

If you are a penniless first year craving salt water and sandy ice cream, head on over to Rosebank station, and buy a ticket which takes you to the shores of Muizenburg or Kalk Bay. First class is recommended as the chairs are less greasy and slightly cushioned, costing a mere R5.50.

Third class houses more people and less windows, but costs less than a packet of salt and vinegar Lays (R3.50) and is surprisingly not a guaranteed death ticket.

On the weekend the train heads off in that direction every 40 minutes or so, from about 8am to 6pm.

It is not advised that you adorn your most fashionable YDE dress or super-hip Havaiana “flippy floppys,” but you do not have to look like a Main Road hobo to avoid getting mugged.

Casting our minds farther back we can find already established classics, from the Beatles all the way to Run DMC, again all extremely talented artists, releasing unparalleled hit after hit.

In contrast, seeing today’s music there seems to be no comparison; in general it’s dull, sounds the same and becomes monotonous due to it being repeated a million times per day for lack of anything better to play. Perfect evidence for this would be KFM’s “no repeat workday” concept, nothing more than a marketing ploy to attract fed-up listeners away from rival stations.

However, don’t for a second think that today’s music has taken a step backwards. The first reason for this is the human race’s natural urge to remember the best.

The illusion of safety on campus: smokers

Almost everywhere you go around campus, this horror seems to follow constantly, in the process irritating the living serosa off our lungs. Yep! It is indeed that insidious thing, smoking. I have never really understood the fascination and pleasure derived by people from this rather crappy piece of invention (the cigar). It’s repugnant! The smokers, I’m sure, are very well-acquainted with the health implications of a single drag (it comes with a warning). It hardly bothers me that one sees it fitting to dig one’s own grave – frankly, I wouldn’t give a rat’s snout because the more people who perish from nicotine, the lower the impact on Earth’s resources that is otherwise imposed by a booming human population – but they should leave some of us out of their misery.

Everyday we non-smokers have to bear inhaling this pollution on shuttle stops, building entrances (Leslie stands out) and even in the Food Court area, which is by far the worst.

Where are we sane people supposed to go? Perhaps more importantly, do we realise the impact that this alone has on our already messed-up environment?

THERE seems to be a strong feeling these days that over the past two years or so music has been taking a nosedive. When we do cast our mind back, at first glance it seems understandable. Looking back at something like the Grammy Awards of the early 2000s, we had winners like Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Linkin Park, Blink 182 and 50 Cent. All very respected, talented artists producing songs that seem destined to be remembered. Every winning act being called up to the stage seemed just as deserving as the previous, and all of an incredibly high standard. Every winning song seemed to have electricity, songs that wouldn’t let you remove them from your head no matter what you tried.

SEEN AND NOT HEARD - Music seems to delight the eyes but no longer thrills the ears.

about taking weekend trips to the beach is that the government is too stingy to pay the cashiers overtime, so most of the time YOU can travel for free.”

I WORRY that this article might (and hopefully will) ruffle up more than its own share of feathers, because the issue at hand is so ubiquitous and the majority of us seem so numb to it that we’re scarcely bothered.

Well, I think this behaviour is most shameful, more so for a people of our calibre. Apathy – as the eminent Jane Goodall once said – is a very lethal attribute creeping ever so stealthily into our society, and one from which we need to rid ourselves, soon!

JASON MCARTHUR

So, when the sun eventually fights its way through the hurricane winds and moody mountainous clouds, and summer attacks our senses with braai smoke and sweaty armpits, don’t get your sun “Satisfaction” from Benny Benassi echoing out of the Lower Campus gym. Jump on a train and head over to the sandy shores hidden behind the mountain. Your transport costs will be so low, you can fill your malnourished frames with double doses of vitamin “sea.”

“The nifty thing

MALWANDE NDENGANE

Has music really gone down the drain?

(And don’t you even start thinking, “Oh gosh! Earth boy or Al Gore fanatic.”)

In case you have not yet contemplated the gravity of my suffering, I suggest you start praying or purging yourself for what little conscience you have left to be invoked. The grim reality, according to an article on eHow.com, is the fact that: Producing cigars uses up a lot of land, which could otherwise be used for treeplanting or food for starving children in the developing world.

Pesticides are used excessively for tobacco plants.

Many trees are cut for tobacco packaging – on average one tree is wasted for every 300 cigars produced.

Water & energy is wasted for their production.

Around 4000 (yes, 4 with three zeros!) chemicals are released into the air when a manufactured cigar is lit.

When disposed of indifferently, cigar butts make their way into rivers, lakes & dams polluting water in the process when they degrade (a process that on average spans 25 years!)

And this is barely even half the list.

We don’t remember the bad parts of the early 2000s music. The Hilary Duffs, Lindsay Lohans and Ashlee/ Jessica Simpsons all fade away and all we can remember are the greats.

Also, six years’ worth of music seems to blend into one. Our memories tend to remember all the good bits happening simultaneously.

The second reason is that if we look close enough we are certainly not short of talent; far from it. If you sift through the industry and move all the heaps of garbage out of the way there are some diamonds in the rough. Prime examples are Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Flo Rida.

DEAD MICROPHONE - No more Lady Gaga’s album The Fame, singers, no more crooners, although slightly strange at times just synthesised tunes all year - “Poker Face,” according to her, is round. in fact about her imagining that the man she is sleeping with is a female - it is no less brilliant in “catchiness,” and production quality from start to finish. What’s more, it’s a breath of fresh air to have a unique artist in a time where people can only seem to copy what the best-selling act is doing.

Flo Rida has an impressive “flow,” for lack of a better word, and seems to be the new saviour of hip-hop. Then we move on to Leona Lewis and Taylor Swift, who both seem to have an incredible future ahead of them. Sadly, stuck-in-the-past artists like Kanye West, desperate for attention and record sales, feel they need to attack them on world stages; apparently this is for the good of Beyoncé, an already dominant artist in the industry.

At the end of the day, it’s the passage of time that makes a classic, a classic. Madonna, probably one of the most established artists today is also one of the artists who have been around the longest. This is no coincidence; true greatness can only be achieved by having a long history to your name.

I think in ten years’ time we will still be complaining that music is worse off. The difference is that we will wish we still had artists like Lady Gaga and Flo Rida instead.

FUTURE CLASSIC - How much longer is it before Flo Rida becomes the new Mozart?

Images courtesy of Masterfile

Features

13

National Heritage Day... Braai Day A look at FAME I LIKE to braai. For me there is nothing more South African than an afternoon filled with the laughter of friends, juicy boerewors rolls dripping with tomato sauce and the smell of smoke lingering in your nostril hairs – but that is just me. Last week Thursday, on National Heritage Day, I went to a braai.

South Africans have been granted National Heritage Day as a time to stop and take cognisance of what our heritage means to us, and it is the culmination of Heritage Month, which runs during September. Unlike most public holidays in South Africa, which directly commemorate historical watershed events, National Heritage Day is non-prescriptive. We as citizens are able to embrace our heritage and manifest it in whatever manner we deem fit.

National Heritage Day’s story has not been without its own controversy, though. When the first democratically elected government came into power in 1994, one of the bills which they had to pass was the Public Holidays Bill.

Initially, 24 September was excluded from the list of proposed holidays.

This led to objections from various interest groups, specifically the IFP. This day was known as Shaka Day to the predominantly Zulu interest groups and hence was of great significance.

The newly elected parliament, in the spirit of unity building, re-tabled the bill to include 24 September as National Heritage Day.

Heritage is a multi-dimensional term vis-à-vis what it represents due to the large role personal influences play in determining heritage. More so, the complexity of heritage is increased due to the diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic profiles present in South Africa. This raises the question about what the aim of National Heritage Day is.

“

Are we meant to be celebrating our personal heritage, the heritage of our region, the heritage of our nation, or all three of these?

“

BYRON ASCOTT-EVANS

The Department of Arts, Culture and Technology identifies the aim of this day as the recognition of those aspects of South African culture which are tangible and those that are difficult to pin down: creative expression, our historical inheritance, language, the food we eat as well as the country in which we live. This leads us to the conclusion that the significance of the day lies in celebrating what it means to be South African, which is underpinned by the Proudly South African campaign.

South Africa is a brand which is currently undergoing both a local and global rebranding strategy to move people way from the negative perceptions and attitudes they hold towards it. National Heritage Day is one of the main tools that can be used to advance this strategy, as it provides the country with a platform to

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN - Students attempting to braai on a wet heritage day - a typical South African practice.

Photo by Byron Ascott-Evans

showcase what South Africa is actually about - not only what is reported by the global media. Ideas such as Ubuntu, reconciliation and the richness of culture can be tangibly expressed through arts and crafts, traditional dance, food and music as well as only-in-South Africa activities. Each year the Department of Arts and Culture decides on a certain aspect of “our” heritage to be the focus of the day; this year it was focused on celebrating our local craft. But is local craft an aspect universal to all South Africans or is there one unifying aspect?

There is a large group in South Africa that believe there exists one unifying aspect: the braai experience. This group was the driving force behind the campaign to re-brand National Heritage Day into National Braai Day. This led to an outcry from various interest groups, with the main objection emanating from the National Heritage council who are entrusted with preserving South Africa’s culture, tradition and history.

They felt that the idea of National Braai Day diluted the meaning of National Heritage Day. Through some discussion a compromise was reached whereby the National Braai Day initiative was transformed into the “Braai 4 Heritage” initiative. Both parties understood the power that a braai holds in South African society, irrespective of demographic differences, and thus wanted to leverage this power to elevate the importance of National Heritage Day. The central question still remains, though: what does it mean to the average student? Walking around campus, I stopped various people and asked them two things: whether they knew why we celebrate National Heritage Day and the day meant to them. The first question produced a generic response, “National Heritage Day is…um…it is about like our heritage…um…I do not actually know…what is it about?” The second question however was much richer in responses. These ranged from “It is a day to hang out with my mates and have a braai,” to “a time to think about where I’ve come from, my family’s come from and where I’m headed”, “just another public holiday” and my favourite: “a day to recover from a hangover.”

So what have we learnt? National Heritage Day is important; the importance varies from person to person. To some the day signifies the rich history that has helped shape the country, while to others it is a perfect excuse to pull out the tongs, boerewors and good times. So to everyone who did anything, be it small or large, to embrace their own heritage last week Thursday, I salute you and say happy National Heritage Day.

MACIEK DUBLA THE 2009 remake of Fame – originally a 1980s musical about the students at the School of Performing Arts in New York City – fares pretty well considering the considerable risk in remaking a movie with a cult following and a mostly unknown cast. However, it doesn’t make you want to join the nearest dancing, singing or acting class as soon as the credits start rolling.

One of the greatest challenges director Kevin Tancharoen faced was trying to condense four years into just under two hours - and while he manages to get the timing right for the most part, much of the character development is lost and too much of the plot is changed to ensure that some sense of cohesiveness is maintained.

Only characters that are central to the plot show growth, while secondary characters with potential to grow fade into the background.

As a cast of unknowns, aside from Megan Mullally – a flawless performance and a singing voice of note – and Kelsey Grammer, many of the young artists stood out, not only in their acting, but also in their individual talents. Most notably was Naturi Naughton playing Denise Dupree, the girl who doesn’t quite fit in until she finds her voice and shows that while playing Beethoven and Bach may have been good for the little girl growing up, singing and dancing is for the woman she becomes. Kherington Payne, of So You Think You Can Dance fame, performs her heart out and shows that getting kicked off the show was a blessing in disguise as it gave her a chance to prove just how good she really is.

Fame is pretty: it has the colours, the lights, the great performances, sweeping city scenes and shows the gruelling life faced by these talented students. Where it falls short is by trying to give the audience too much too quickly and yet not enough. It lacks the necessary depth and you leave feeling as if there was something missing, that infamous “X” factor. It could’ve been the decision to place the title theme song at the end of the film, or perhaps I was the only one annoyed by this; either way, it was likeable, not loveable.

14 A pool of thought: Fokofpolisiekar Features

Volume 68 Number 12

It wasn’t long before the trio caught the attention of Dave Luyt – esteemed in the local film industry – who helped them to get registered and provided them with the necessary equipment. “[After we] made it official, we hired a space at the Armchair Theatre, sanding floors to make rent.” Domingues adds, “We sat around and got fucked for six months.”

XAVIER VAN DER ZANDT talks to Fly on the Wall Productions about ambition, sanding floors to make rent and Fokofpolisiekar: the Movie.

“FILM, you start from an ideal, a feeling, and you delve into it, delve into it, delve into it.” Bryan Little’s digging hands mirror his words. The director of Fokofpolisiekar: the Movie and one-third of Fly on the Wall Productions leans back on one of the many pieces of furniture in the outfit’s mattress-strewn cinema – it has been a long, hard road.

The Roeland Street office is a creative space, shared with The African Attachment (12 Mile Stone/Bellville Rock City) and photographer Sean Metelerkamp. It is, as Little dubs it, “a hippie commune” replete with canines: Ella, a large, friendly wolf-looking hound and a sausage dog happy to greet the journalist’s leg upon entry. Filipa Domingues, producer, shares the occasional Ridgeback and Boston terrier “come to play.” This is not a tie-and-collar affair.

The duo and Grant “Apples” Appleton – absent from the interview – met while working on a college film project and went on to produce a video for local band Plush, involving 12 locations in three days with no budget. Says Domingues: “Our ambition almost killed us. One night, we decided that if we were going to kill ourselves doing this, we might as

With no existing reel, she tells of how Luyt took a “huge leap of faith” and joined the team. “We [then] did some spec commercials for [a local bag manufacturer] which went unbroadcast (sic). We noticed [they] would look good with the MTV logo and sent them through.” Twenty minutes later the vice-president of MTV telephoned the firm. The pieces, one of which depicts a graffiti artist bathed by the dim light of a suburban street lamp, are still in circulation and have been translated into 23 languages.

Over the course of the following three years the outfit completed commercials for Total, the Discovery Channel, Nokia Magazine and Samsung.

in a microcosm. South Africa is so diverse, it’s important that even Afrikaans culture is celebrated. We also hope that people will see the young aren’t oblivious. Young people contribute a lot to the forming of new societies and subcultures – it would be criminal not to listen to what they have to say.”

“

It is the story of five pissed-off Afrikaans kids with no voice, creating a platform through music.

“

well call it something.”

Fokofpolisiekar: the Movie will be in national theatres on 23 October. For a review of the film, visit www.varsity. co.za

“There are three stories [in the film]: It is the story of five pissed-off Afrikaans kids with no voice, creating a platform through music. It is a coming of age story, common to people who are even slightly awake. Secondly, it is the story of the fans, about how and why the band is so important to them. Third, it is an attempt to contextualise history. We tend to turn our backs on 1994 – no one wants to deal with it. It’s still going to take time and feel sore... Fokofpolisiekar inadvertently spoke on behalf of a generation.” Little’s sentiment is echoed in one of the film’s interviews: “We were born in the 1980s… too young to understand [apartheid] and too old to know nothing.”

The collective worked tirelessly to complete the film, which went on to win the Audience Award at the festival.

Since winning the prize, local cinemas have agreed to screen the movie and there has been talk of it being entered into the International Documentary Film Festival. “We never thought about it, but two days ago we realized that people overseas would be calling it ‘Fuck-off Police Car’.”

Little believes there are two sides to the film. “We hope people can see something special happening, even if it’s

Ntebogeng Mahlare joined Sanlam Investment Management in 2006 as part of the Investment Professionals Development Programme (IPDP) as a trainee Fixed Interest Analyst. She is now a Fixed Interest Analyst/Dealer. Her responsibilities include assisting the portfolio manager on the Sanlam and Santam Capital portfolios, running the Fixed Income Tracker Funds and managing the Sanlam Asset Liability Funds.

As a former Sanlam Actuarial Science bursary winner, Ntebogeng places great emphasis on education and is passionate about improving the quality of education and empowering the youth through education. She majored in Actuarial Science and holds a Bachelor of Business Science Degree (Economics), which she attained from the University of Cape Town in December 2005. She completed her CFA Level 3 this year.

bursary Sanlam Investment Management

Applications due by 14 October 2009

Ntebogeng is the oldest of six children and was raised by her grandmother in rural Limpopo. To ensure that she had access to a better quality of education, she moved to Gauteng in grade 5 where she completed her primary and secondary school education.

With five distinctions, she was the top black female achiever in Gauteng, as well as being the top achiever in Mathematics in her matric year.

In her spare time Ntebogeng mentors young people, hoping to motivate and empower them by showing them that making a success of life is attainable despite coming from a disadvantaged background. She is also involved in Global Leadership Interlink, an organisation focused on raising ethical leaders.

Ntebogeng enjoys going to the gym, running, reading, travelling and spending quality time with her friends and family. She is also involved in various capacities in her church community.

Selective applicants will be invited to attend to an interactive session with Sanlam Investment Management.

Ntebogeng Mahlare www.sim.sanlam.com SANLAM IS A LICENSED FINANCIAL SERVICES PROVIDER

If you have what it takes please contact Sonia Hayward for an application form at 021 950 4640 or email bursary@sim.sanlam.com

Investment Management

Features

15

The real truth about depression RICHARD PEARCE AH, COME on. Not another whiny article pleading for the collective human heart to sympathise with the weaklings of society who can’t pull themselves together and blame it on spontaneous weather patterns that allow their moods no consistency whatsoever. We don’t have time for that.

We’re students. Life is good. No complaints.

Right?

Eight months ago, I’m almost sure I would have said that, but after hitting a solid brick wall in the first semester of this year, my whole conception of depression changed and was transformed into something that I came to realise has been part of my life for quite some time: Mental Illness. What?

What did you just say? Even now, as I write this, I realise that the words are incredibly difficult to conceptualise, especially as a student. But, as I came to find out (yes, the hard way), amongst students, it’s very, very real.

Undoubtedly, this is the most important step to understanding depression and other related mental illnesses in all of their contexts – to realise that they are, at their core, nothing more than that: illnesses.

It doesn’t take much to understand how people suffering from other illnesses require professional treatment to set them on a course of recovery. But the stigma surrounding mental illness, I believe, lies in the common misconception that you, the human being, are in complete control of your existence at all times: master of your own fate. When you’re a young and carefree student, with the world at your fingertips, it surely shouldn’t take more than a phone call to a friend to get you out of your depressive state? Everybody’s been

there - had the blues, felt a bit down and possibly not known how to carry on. But most people do. For sufferers of clinical depression, however, this is much easier said than done.

inability to concentrate or remember simple things; psychomotor agitation/retardation – feeling like you can only move very slowly; feelings of guilt and worthlessness; suicidal thoughts.

The reasons for this are more than evident when viewed in a holistic way. Every human being shares a similiar physiological make-up, the same chemical composition.

Essentially, our brains and the chemical processes that take place inside of them, make us who we are. They give us our everyday existence.

A person undergoing a major depressive episode can thus seem like a completely different person, and often describe themselves as “not feeling human” or simply unlike their normal self. Antidepressant medication works to restore the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain, aiming to restore the individual to their normal level of functioning. A dysfunctional hypothalamus can be caused by a multitude of factors. It can be genetic, part of your individual biology or simply a result of your personality and thinking patterns, but the most common catalyst for the onset of depression? Stress.

The hypothalamus in the brain is the control centre for some of the most powerful chemicals (known as neurotransmitters) that influence the way we feel and function in everyday life. It is said to be the “brain of the brain” in that it regulates and is responsible for a significant deal of the brain’s functioning. A list of its primary functions would include the regulation of: mood cycles, sleep cycles, energy levels, motivation, hunger, libido, memory and concentration and psychomotor functioning.

It is easy to see, then, how any change in the levels of chemicals in this area of the brain could seriously affect your normal functionality. This so happens to be the simple nature of depression as an illness – a change in the level of neurotransmitter chemicals (especially serotonin) in the hypothalamus region of the brain. In line with this, mental health experts identify the following as symptoms characterising clinical depression: depressed mood; decreased interest or pleasure in activities once found enjoyable; significant change in appetite; sleep disturbances – insomnia or oversleeping; chronic fatigue; “brain fog” –

The first step to overcoming the illness is to be able to recognise it, and the symptoms given in this article are quite universal.

UCT’s Wellness Centre has a team of fully qualified professionals who dedicate their time to helping those who truly need it. In fact, unsurprisingly, the majority of their sessions are depression-related. So please, if you feel that you recognise depression, and that there is no hope, seek help, because I know from personal experience that it is available.

Visit Rich’s website www.studentbrains. com to learn more about the illness and how to tackle it. Or contact Student Wellness 021 650 1017/1020.

DOWN AND OUT - Depression is real. But there are ways around it if one is able to get the right help in time.

It’s fair to say that there isn’t a day that goes by at university that doesn’t involve stress in some or other form. Although the depressive personality is generally shaped by a combination of both biology and lifestyle, there may be elements of any individual’s personality that can predispose them to responding to stress in a depressive way. With exams just around the corner, all students will be put the test. It’s just a question of who can survive.

If you feel that you’re not surviving, the reasons could well and truly be physiological. It’s important to understand that any mood is a physiological process, and with the stress of exams comes a prolonged and deeply depressive mood. It may just be the case that you can’t think yourself out of it. If depression has set in, you would simply be fuelling the fire.

Freedom of speech and preach MOSS MATHEOLANE WHEN John Milton wrote Areopagitica, a letter to the English Parliament in defence of freedom of speech, I am certain that he had no clue what the future held for this little privilege. The truth may be a difficult thing to ascertain most of the time but the significance of revealing it or any version of it, remains paramount.

It has been said that the media plays an important function in society, most especially one based on constitutional and democratic values such as ours. In academic circles one is bound to come across concepts like the “fourth estate”, “watchdog” and “information gatekeepers”, all of which are used to describe the media. In as much as the media’s importance is undeniable and obvious, this noble institution is not without its own share of threats and dangers. It is therefore important that we take stock of what these threats are.

To begin with, I could list a myriad of things that threaten the media as an institution but none compares to that unlikeable word, “censorship”. Why do I say this? Well, in the media, information is everything; it is what makes the media an industry in the first place and what keeps us ordinary citizens knowledgeable about the happenings in our world.

Censorship can be said to emanate from politics thinly veiled as the law. In short, it is any attempt to stifle or hinder the media or anyone’s ability to express information in the way they want to. For the media, this does not even take into consideration the hard part of getting hold of the information in the first place.

Take this scenario for example. Recently, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) had discussions with South African cellphone service providers, MTN, Cell C and Vodacom, over the issue of lowering charge rates for users. Financial Mail technology writer Duncan McLeod attended as a member of the media but before the meeting could even begin he was booted out.

This was rather strange behavior given that it is we users who are directly affected, maybe not so much as the profit margins of these service providers but it is we who keep them going. This of course is not censorship, but rather a direct limitation to the access of information. Already one

can see that censorship, though dreaded by the media, is not the only threat it faces.

The law as alluded to above is perhaps the greatest method in which the media can be threatened. Last year a number of draft legislations directly and indirectly involving the media were put forward. Substantially and procedurally these Bills had the disturbing and obvious effect of hindering the right to press freedom and freedom of speech which are clearly enunciated and protected under s16 (1) (a) of our Constitution. One of the Bills debated by an ad-hoc parliament committee on intelligence was that of the Protection of Information.

It basically required the classification of state information on the basis that it is of “national interest”, meaning that the media cannot get its hands on it and in the event that it does, it can be deprived of a public interest defence.

Fortunately the Bill was never passed after much lobbying and protest from the various newsrooms and relevant organisations.

The Polokwane conference, if anything gave a clear indication of what the ANC wanted to see happening with the way the media operated. Here the ANC made the blunt proposal that the media should be regulated by a tribunal apart from the ombudsman. Although some of the arguments made had the temerity of sounding rational, they nonetheless did nothing to remove the suspicious motive that seemed to be lurking behind the proposal. It was suggested that the press ombudsman, Joe Tlholoe, has been too soft on news media professionals and organisations. But a quick review of some of the decisions that the ombudsman has made in the recent past will show that he has not been afraid to make himself unlikable in media circles.

the negative effect is that the online environment provides the newspaper industry with an additional space where more numbers can be garnered for purposes of reeling in advertisers. For this to happen the readers need to be online for a particular amount of time, otherwise there is no brand or advertising exposure. In the words of Mail & Guardian editor, Nic Dawies, Google is “eating our lunch and they don’t seem to care”.

The media is also a threat to itself, mostly due to a few bad apples. As it is often said about the law, “justice must be seen to be done”, so too can it be said about the way the media conducts itself in getting to the truth, whether concerning an individual of public or private standing.

Precedent is the yardstick by which it will ultimately be measured and the public, whose interest it relies on to succeed when the shit hits the fan, is not as unaware as it would like to believe.

In South Africa, there is still much resistance that can be launched to protect media freedom; the Constitution guarantees this. We must remember that it is thanks to the media that we got to eventually learn about the Chuene/ Caster debacle, the recent SAFA surprise and notably all the public protests that have taken place for almost the whole of this year.

“It is not censorship, but rather a direct limitation to the access of information.”

By now, it is clear that politics and the law are two things that the media has reason to be wary of, but there are others as well and they cannot be ignored. Recently, Financial Mail carried an article regarding the “enemy” status that Google engine search has taken on in the eyes of many a news media organisation. This comes with the launch of the latest Google product, which allows users to flip through the various news sites as if flipping through a magazine.

Now you may say this does not sound at all bad, but

Images courtesy of www.flickr.com

16 Bookmark I wanna be a supermodel Features

Volume 68 Number 12

MACIEK DUBLA

MOSS MATHEOLANE

Saramago’s Blindness

reviews

José

NOW I know what you’re thinking: “Where has this dude been? The movie - and the book upon which it’s based - came out long ago.” But since there has yet to be a review in these pages about this book, let me take a crack at it. Firstly, the book is brilliant. The author, Saramago, is one of the best things to come out of Portugal and has a Nobel Prize for Literature to prove it. His works have the remarkable tendency to combine fantasy, magical realism, and even political satire into one unconventional yet moving story. The book is an analytical rendering of society, its various strands, and most importantly, the individual within it.

The novel is about a country which gets hit by an inexplicable “plague” of blindness. One by one, everyone begins to go blind - and not the kind where there is darkness, but rather a permanent white light. Government`s reaction to all this, typically, is to huddle everyone who’s blind into an old abandoned asylum where they are promptly forgotten. It is here that a group of individuals find themselves having to create some kind of community where they share their limited resources, and each other.

The catch, and there always is one in stories like this, is that among all the people who go blind, one woman retains her sight. Strangely, she never uses her obvious advantage, in keeping with the saying that “in the land of blind, the one-eyed man is king” - especially given that she is in the asylum which ends up being run by, wait for it, a gang of blind anarchists. As a take on the human condition, this part of the story is rather wishful.

Without saying too much I can tell you that the book has a sequel to it named Seeing, but you will have to find out about it for yourself. It’s in the library.

The VARSITY Humour section is a vehicle for expression. The views expressed in the Humour section are not necessarily those of the advertisers or staff of VARSITY newspaper, or the University of Cape Town.

That means that you cannot sue for the things that are said in this newspaper. For example, if it is stated that your weave looks plastic, it is not that we are trying to insult you. Rather it is that to a mere observer, it looks like you are walking around with black plastic strings on your head. In which case, we recommend that you refer back to the first issue of the year in which we warned you that people who wore such things would be picked on.

October 10 is international “I Hate Weave Day.” Please mark this solemn occasion by removing the horse hair from your head and show off the natural velcro disposition that you were blessed with.

And remember gents, “We don’t do WEAVE chicks!”

THIRTY-SEVEN years ago, John Casablancas founded what became the number one modelling agency in the world.

Elite Model Management (Elite) was at the top of the industry for twenty years, in which time Casablancas was able to launch the careers of most of the world’s supermodels that we still read about in today’s high fashion magazines – Iman, Naomi Campbell, Giselle Bündchen and the infamous Janice Dickinson, among others. However, in 2000, Casablancas sold Elite, choosing to go into retirement.

Having signed a five-year no-compete clause, little was heard from the top man in the modelling world until the launch of the Joy Star System in 2007.

Along with his long time friend and associate, Jeremie Roux, the Joy Star System was a concept developed, as Casablancas says, “to identify exceptionally talented people, prepare them and then launch them in their international career by placing them with the best agents worldwide.”

But the Joy Star System is more than just a concept; the name itself holds a substantial history for the man behind the top names. When asked where this idea originated from, Casablancas explains, “Star System was the name given in the Hollywood of the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s to the management method applied to the movie studios’ stars such as Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Rita Hayword, Lana Turner, etc. The methodology which I had used successfully for many years at Elite resembled that of the Hollywood studios and had resulted in great part in producing the Supermodel phenomenon.”

And clearly the system worked, as the last two supermodels Casablancas launched were Heidi Klum and Giselle Bündchen, both of whom are still gracing the catwalks

of today – with Bündchen as the highest earning supermodel in the world.

The system now comes to South Africa in the form of Joy Star Model, an international modelling contest looking to launch the next global supermodel.

South Africa has produced a number of models, and the occasional supermodel, but very few, if any, have made a career internationally, most just fading away and appearing on magazine pages every so often. Casablancas believes that South Africa has what it takes to produce the next global supermodel – one that doesn’t just last a year or two, but has the staying power of Bündchen and Linda Evangelista.

“Today, I spend a lot of time in Brazil … this country is also comprised of many races which produce beauties of very different types that have gone on to hugely successful careers … I see South Africa in the same light: a land of opportunity which, on top of it, has a great connection with

the international fashion world through Cape Town as a very highly regarded and beautiful shooting location.”

What this means for the models of South Africa is that they have a chance to take part in an international modelling competition, work with the best, and possibly be chosen to start their modelling career with an allexpense paid trip to Milan, a complete test portfolio and a try-out with a top modelling agency. All you need to do is be at The Butterfly Studio (8 Bree Street) on 17 October at 10am or go to www.joystars.com to possibly be the next Global Supermodel.

When asked if there was any advice he could give aspiring models, Casablancas said, “Be yourself, be honest in analysing your strengths and weaknesses, and work on your human qualities because fashion is a business of people...and people are very sensitive to charm, seductiveness and personality.”

ON THE CATWALK - The modelling agency continues to pull in millions of girls world wide with promises of fame and fortune.

The return of Anton Taylor “Beware, you could catch the SRC” ANTON TAYLOR IT WAS a Tuesday morning. At least I think it was, but my memories from those days are blurred and unreliable. I can’t tell you what time it was, nor can I tell you what the weather was like – the thick curtains kept the room in constant darkness.

Like so many mornings before, I squatted wretchedly in the corner, lying in a green mush of effluence and chicken-noodle boxes. Enya was playing softy, gently stoking my suffering, and I was chugging down that wine you buy from Spar which comes in milk cartons. I was burying my feelings deep, deep inside me, next to where I hid repressed memories such as the three years I had to make use of Leo Marquard toilet facilities and the time I saw those four guys sucking each other off in a circle at Pringle Bay. It was as I was about to make the terrible, unforgivable mistake of using the word “LOL” in general conversation, that I received a message from Rémy informing me that I, Anton Taylor, could write again for VARSITY now that my tenure in the SRC was over. At first I was confused. Who was this Anton Taylor? What did Rémy mean “write again”? Slowly, however, my senses and past life came back to me, like the rising sun gradually illuminating the dark morning. The muscle atrophy was bad, and I had to struggle to sit up, take my hands out of my pants, and press pause on “Two Guys One Horse.” Almost instantly I knew that I had to tell all of you my story.

I have been ill. For over a year, I have been unable to put pen to paper. I have crushed my creative yearnings, swallowed my happiness, and forsaken the smut which lies true in my heart.

My mullet has dropped off, my moustache has receded, and like Samson I have grown weak. My bench-press is nowhere, I get hammered off a six-pack, I acquiescently smile at losers I should hurt, and I barely accelerate when a small flightless bird or injured puppy walks in front of my car. I’m like Gollum.

Except with back hair.

What ailment am I suffering from? AIDS? TB? Syphilis? No, not yet. Mine is a disease more serious than all others – it is a disease which afflicts and ultimately destroys the soul. And its name is SRC.

How do you catch this disease? Well, those most at risk are people looking for power, attention and a chance to corruptly manipulate resources in their favour. Falsified medical literature may pretend that it also infects people looking to make a change and help others, but I can promise you that no politician, whether in government or university, gets involved in something like the SRC for anything other than ego pumping and self-benefit.

Symptoms include manic depression, frustration, sexual deviation and academic exclusion. The disease attacks the body and mind through egotistical children and bitter bureaucrats to create a muddy marsh of death which relentlessly swallows the wheels of all progress, and in turn, your soul. The death knell comes when VARSITY hurriedly reviews the report of the work you have a given a year of your life to before randomly assigning a completely uneducated percentage for the entire student body to judge you by.

However, despite our purely selfish motivations, there are some side effects to the disease which some could consider positive. You meet amazing people, and get inspired by the quality of some of the staff working here. As a group of sufferers we have done remarkable, unprecedented things for the university, and as individuals we have seen our work tangibly helping students’ lives (I raised a quarter of a million Rand for student bailouts, double last year’s amount – just so you know). Although completely unintended, all of this does, it could be said, make you feel a bit of this thing I believe people call “goodness” (not sure of the pronunciation).

But more important than these fluffy superficial perks are the true joys: yellow parking disks, free printing and photocopying, air-conditioned offices overlooking Cape Town, salaries, the use of a personal computer and in turn an unlimited supply of pornography.

In conclusion, if you want to know what the SRC is like, imagine kissing Megan Fox or Brad Pitt whilst being anally dominated by a horse wearing a barbed wire condom. There are moments of beauty, fulfilment and lust, but the overwhelming feeling is a deeply penetrating pain which destroys you from the inside and leaves you crippled and bleeding from the ass for the rest of your life.

Varsity Report Card Seamus, the shameless.

His commitment to things that don’t talk back is inspiring: his shoes, his wine, his bonsai, his car, his kwaito. As a parting gift we’d like to give him some tips on how to commit to things that are alive:

3.

Out of the whole collective, Zerene has 600-andsomething friends on Facebook, but no boyfriend.

Applications open now (please note, NO re-applications accepted. YOU know who YOU are).

Answer your phone/reply to SMSes. Only Arnold Schwarzennegger is not allowed to show emotion.

When you’re kissing beer bottles more than your girlfriend, there’s gonna be beef.

(Sing this to the tune of that nursery rhyme about stealing a pig) Dan, Dan, where is that man? Got a section and away he ran…

“

Tatenda has been very active in his portfolio as womaniser, oh, ummm, Ops Editor. He has sought to undress, oops, address burning hot women, uh… issues, on campus.

Always ready to rise to the occasion, his quick wit and sharp tongue have earned him many a favour. VARSITY recently conducted testing on him and blood was found in his alcohol stream. Has been known to sleep in the office.

“

“

Brian. Uh, awkward turtle.

Especially when he was involved in a break-up, which was followed by some broken, and back-breaking, encounters on the couch. Brian has also been known to sleep in the office.

Mathabatha claims he’s related to Tokyo Sexwale. We think he said that to get in our pants. Job well done.

Megan, our resident lone ranger, took that song, “I shot the sheriff” and turned it into “I shot the deputies.”

The illicit love affair her and JR-from-the-Cape-Flats have been having was made public at the Varsity social when they referred to each other by their pet names. Next time you see her, call her “Lauren.”

“

The Broken Year

T.I is that girl that everyone loves in the office, but no one’s really sure what she does… other than comment on their general attire.

If you close your eyes when she talks, you’ll think you’re in an episode of Laguna Beach… and she’s proud of this. She likes fashion, blogs and crazy monkey sex.

John-Ross (JR) is that guy in the office that doesn’t say much, but when he does it gets awkward really quickly.

We stopped him just in time from printing a poster that said “Feminism: another woman that just won’t go down.” How he’s still on the collective, Lord knows.

“

Tina maintains she’s a good Christian girl from Oudtshoorn. Praying is second-nature to her, that’s why she’s always on her knees. She certainly took good care of her “Operations” Sarah is blonde.

She drinks. She’s in portfolio. the collective. So is Tatenda.

Olivia… and… Dominic (please Like all good observe appropriate silence) It’s a f a m i l i e s , good thing that news and sports t h e r e ’ s Maciek was that guy from Appeal whose hate mail are on opposite ends of the paper. always a SAX we had to sort through for a Just like their respective editors. You stray. That’s few months, and on occasion think that was a coincidence?

Liam. pretend that he wasn’t in the Simone lives life office when campus pastors Ever hire someone through a lens, has a came looking for him. And purely because huge tattoo on her back then there was the break-up. they’re funny? We and a looooooonnnng After that we felt too guilty did, and we like to camera. This is code to get rid of him. We suspect call him Desmond. for “pornstar.” But we that he has a secret fetish for RAG; his disguise as a love her anyway.

Pole didn’t fool us, not with the amount of swinging he did between the two offices.

“

2.

P.S. no weaves allowed. He has a pathological fear of them

We found Yati in the backseat of a red Chico and decided he needed Jesus. We consider him our success story, as his new blog is Trust and Believe. He also sings gospel to us really loudly on Monday mornings. Bless.

“

1.

“Remy needs to get laid.

Please apply here. Now.”

“

Zerene

17

Irfaan likes pork.

We probably shouldn’t have said that.

Wei and Yue. Yue and Wei. Wei and Yue. Goddamn Chinese twins. If you can figure out who’s who, please let us know.

Nyasha has big feet. Like, really big feet. Should we call Athletics South Africa…?

Tara… where are you?

Come back to us...

NET#PHKD ;;=H <:I> MHPG 1)++--X>XO

18

Sports

Volume 68 Number 12

A brand new sports column

Dom-inat-Ed DOMINIC VERWEY AND EDWARD SELLIER

50-over cricket staring down the barrel MAYBE it’s time to start facing the facts: 50-over cricket is dead. The ICC Champions Trophy has failed to inspire the cricketing enthusiasts, something the ICC had in mind when establishing the tournament. I cannot recall a game to remember and quite frankly the last and probably only ODI that really caught the public’s attention was that infamous day at the Wanderers when Mick Lewis became the most expensive bowler in ODI history.

Oh, and the Proteas chased down the impossible 437 set by Australia!

The crowds have been predictably poor with the only sell-outs witnessing the Proteas choke again. Mind you, you cannot blame spectators for cutting their losses when they have to sit through the 20-40 over mark, when the only real talking point is the deep fine leg that has just moved three metres to his right. I suppose there’s also the “excitement” of when the captain will employ the tactical batting power-play. I think you get my point.

game into two 25-over periods has been suggested, which may make the separate periods more exciting in themselves.

However I feel the game is trying to take on the mould of 20-20 cricket and is becoming less distinguishable in its own right. 20-20 is the way forward! Quick, gripping, and a crowd-pleaser - where big hits seem like the norm. It has revived the game for now, however I feel it has only been a short term solution with some of the game’s top players retiring (Messrs Ponting and Khan) as they simply feel the format has detracted from the true essence of cricket. They wish to focus the rest of their playing career on tests, which embody the physical and mental toils that cricket was always supposed to challenge. If you want tradition, by all means concentrate on test cricket, but why not have a bit of fun? Maybe 20-20 cricket should replace the 50-over game, but I, for one, would love to see the 50-over game stick around in order to perpetuate the tradition of the format. Maybe a tad idealistic, I feel.

Quite a kick, UCT Taekwon-Do HELEN GIBB WHILST its presence has been felt in South Africa for a number of decades, the Korean martial art of Taekwon-Do is in its inaugural year at UCT. This fact did not, however, stop three of UCT’s newest Taekwon-Do club members from trying their hand at the annual South African National Taekwon-Do Championships, held from 24-27 September in Port Elizabeth.

The students were pitted against competitors hailing from all over South Africa, including a number from the well-established Taekwon-Do club at Grahamstown’s Rhodes University. Entrants competed in a variety of events, ranging from special techniques, in which one is required to hit an elevated target using jumping and flying kicks; to sparring, where competitors battle using combinations of kicks and punches over two minute bouts.

Bilo Lwabona, a first-year Computer Science student, brought home the gold with his special techniques – having only begun Taekwon-Do this year after being inspired by the martial arts videogame “Tekken.” After switching to Taekwon-Do this year after having been involved with kickboxing, Enslin Gardiner, another competitor and silver-medalist, is pleased with his achievements, but is confident that he can add a few gold medals to his collection next year, when the tournament will be held on home turf. Helen Gibbs, a second-year Humanities student who has participated in Taekwon-Do since the age of 10, believes that their achievements at the tournament will help give UCT’s Taekwon-Do club the endorsement it needs to become the most popular style of martial arts on campus.

The club’s Chairman, Cameron Gordon-Forbes, having fought (and won) against Sports Administration to set up the club, believes that Taekwon-Do is a valuable addition to the University’s current sports offering. Of last weekend’s success, he is “extremely proud,” and hopes “to do even better next year, with many more students competing.”

For more information, contact UCT Taekwon-Do at ucttkd@gmail.com or SMS 079 081 4372.

So where to now for the gentlemen’s game? I have always been a cricket fanatic with a soft spot for the test match format.

Crowds are dwindling, causing financial problems, and that cycle will continue until it all but dies out. Fewer kids are playing the game at school, which means less participants coming through the ranks to the national or international stage. These problems will undoubtedly have major spin-offs, and within the next two years we will see major changes to the game.

Obama in Copenhagen

HOWZAT! - 50-over cricket has its stumps knocked out!

There’s been talk about shortening the game to 40 overs but I’m not sure that will yield any improvements other than making the game two hours shorter, from eight hours to six. Wow! Also, splitting the

Chicago for 2016 Olympics? Well, Obama seemed to think so, arriving in Copenhagen to support Chicago’s bid.

Maybe a bit biased, but the United States president has his pride, and therefore had a point - he wanted his home city to show their worth. I say “good on you Obama, but Rio will just be better.”

The atmosphere and overall rise of the economic standings in Rio will help to contribute to, what we think, one of the best Olympic Games ever. They will put on quite a show for us. And so would Madrid or Tokyo, the other nominees, for that matter. Chicago’s hopes, in the face of stiff competition, have been swept away by gale force winds.

Image courtesy of www.cricketecstasy.com

Sharapova wins Tokyo Title REMY NGAMIJE After ten months out with an injury, Maria Sharapova scooped the Toray Pan Pacific Open title in Tokyo. After leading 5 sets to 2 and gaining the title after her opponent, Jelena Jankovic, pulled out with a wrist injury.

Sharapova was ecstatic to have a victory under her belt so soon after coming back from shoulder surgery.

Sharapova managed to see the competition out, as the top two seeds, Venus and Serena Williams, were knocked out in the first round. The win sees Sharapova back in full match fitness, ready to contest the tennis world once again. Sharapova, Clijsters, and the Williams sisters are the big names in world tennis at the moment, and the world’s merely waiting for a tournament in which they will all face each other.

FLIPPING INTO ACTION - Helen Gibb (centre)- Silver (Patterns, Individual Sparring and Power Breaking) Bilo Lwabona (right)- Gold (Special Technique), Silver (Team Sparring) and Bronze (Power Breaking). Enslin Gardiner (left)- Silver (Sparring), Bronze (Patterns).

Photo by Cameron Gordon-Forbes (current chairman of UCT Taekwon-Do)

NFL standings thus far TATENDA GOREDEMA For all of our American foreign exchange students who are missing NFL action, here are the team standings according to Conference as of yesterday: In the AFC East, the New York Jets are top of the table with a 3-1 record. In the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens are leading with a 3-1 record. The AFC South is led by the impressive Indianapolis Colts who are undefeated with a 4-0 record; the AFC West is led by the undefeated 4-0 Broncos. The NFC East is led by the 4-O New York Giants, the North by the Minnesota Vikings with a 3-0 record; the West by the San Francisco ‘49ers who are currently 3-1. Finally, the South is led by the New Orleans Saints with a 4-0 record.

19 Cricket weather is here Don’t say the “C” word Edward Sellier speaks with UCT’s cricket Sports

captain about the upcoming season.

Captain of the squad and all-rounder, Peter Laing, is in a jovial mood ahead of the new season. After what he described as his “best preseason yet,” with countless hours spent in the gym, he cannot wait to take the field and feels that his side has what it takes to succeed in every format of the game.

“We want to win everything we compete in, but our preference is to win the twoday league as this is the most prestigious format in club cricket. The incentive is there for us with an opportunity to compete in the club championships. We are also capable of success in the 45-over competition, as well as the upcoming 2020 tournament which starts next year.”

UCT last won the two-day league back in 2002, but Laing is adamant that the current crop of players have more than enough quality to repeat that success. His squad includes the current captain of the Western Province Amateur team, Martin Walters, as well as fiery opening bowler Richard Lotte and explosive middle order batsman, Chris Cooke.

Laing, who himself captained the Western Province Amateur side of 2008, is inspired by some of the great names to have graced South African cricket. these include Omar Henry and former UCT coach, the late Hylton Ackerman; says Laing, “They were an incredible influence on my cricket through their

SO, South Africa have yet again been knocked out of a major tournament and can only reflect on a lost opportunity to cement their status as the world’s best one day outfit.

Being weary of having the “choker” label bandied around before the tournament, the South African squad will now resent this tag even more, but perhaps feels it bears some truth. However, some argue that South Africa had very little match practice in the 50 over format preceding the ICC Champions Trophy, having not played a one day game in approximately 90 days. In contrast, prior to the ICC Championship, England encountered Australia in a gruelling one day series (which Australia comprehensively won) while India, knowledge and experience and really New Zealand and Sri Lanka battled it out in a helped me develop a steady mindset in triangular series. my approach to the game.”

An area of concern is the lack of sponsorship for cricket at UCT. The team practices with old, weathered cricket balls and the only field looks dry and in need of treatment. Accordingly, sponsorship is number one on Laing’s wish list for the season: “Everything hinges on a sponsor.”

Sadly, the club “simply does not have the funding to improve the structure of the club. We only have one cricket field and with no money it is difficult to maintain it,” says Laing. It seems that funding would be greatly beneficial to a group of players that is visibly passionate about playing for the university.

Despite losing the The Ashes to England, the Aussies are still in with a chance...

However, the tournament goes on even if the host nation has vacated the playing fields. New Zealand and England progress from group B at the expense of South Africa and a talent-filled Sri Lankan outfit. Sri Lanka looked really menacing in their victory over South Africa but could not beat England or New Zealand.

This down-to-earth New Zealand squad have proved their critics wrong and beat England on Tuesday to top group B.

The 20-20 tournament scheduled for next year will feature the top eight club sides in the country and could certainly emulate the success of the Varsity Cup rugby tournament. Such a competition would be the perfect opportunity for students to get behind their university’s cricketers, as well as presenting various possibilities for fundraising and sponsorship for UCT cricket.

Despite the financial concerns, all signs point to a fantastic season for UCT’s first eleven. The side has a 45-over home game against Pinelands Cricket Club this coming Saturday and VARSITY urges students to show their support as the cricketers look to get their season off to the best possible start. The game commences at 10am.

If you are interested in joining the UCT cricket club or have any other questions, please contact UCT cricket coordinator Kobus Olivier at 078 284 2566.

CLEAR SKIES - With spring in full swing the UCT cricket season looks to kick of on a good note.

Photos by Heinrich Gerstner

Africa, the “ South number one cricket

team in the world, humbled by an early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy...

What are other teams doing right that we aren’t?

FULL HOUSE - Will South Africa’s cricket still pull in the masses?

Graeme Smith, notwithstanding his excellent knock of 141 off 134 balls, could not save South Africa’s blushes in the ICC Champions Trophy group stage match against England at Supersport Park, Centurion. Even AB De Villiers, South Africa’s most consistent batsman in the past 12 months and throughout the competition, was only able to muster 36.

In particular, South Africa’s bowling attack was found wanting, as it was in the games against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. The main problem was, especially in the loss to England, the inability of the South African spinners to stem the flow of runs in the middle part of the opposition’s innings. Johan Botha and Roelof Van der Merwe failed to stifle the middle order as they had done so well in the calendar year preceding the tournament. Dale Steyn was

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BACK IN THE DAY - SA had their act together and crowd thrillers were the norm. Now you just never know what to expect from the team that takes the pitch.

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mediocre by his high standards, whilst Wayne Parnell proved too expensive even though he was South Africa’s leading wicket taker, having bagged five wickets in the comprehensive victory over New Zealand. Furthermore, Albie Morkel continues to appear to be lacking in confidence after such a promising start to his career.

They really could...

“

AS THE summer sun becomes a more prominent figure after a seemingly endless Cape Town winter, the start of the 2009/10 cricket season approaches.

The oval is a hive of activity as the first team squad trains for their first twoday match against the Western Province Cricket Club.

OSCAR SANDERS

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Images courtsey of www. abc.net, www.fanpop. com, www.ipladda.com

Meanwhile, Australia and Pakistan face off in a group A crunch match on Wednesday.

Pakistan has qualified for a semi-final berth while Australia still needs to ensure its progression. Australia, current holders of the trophy, will not qualify if they lose to Pakistan and India beat West Indies by a hefty margin.

India still has an outside chance and need to make sure they beat the Windies. They would relish the opportunity to avenge their loss to Pakistan, their arch-rivals, who beat them by 54 runs on Saturday.

Maties tame Tigers, again

SPORTS BITES Alonso changes to Ferrari Fernando Alonso moved to Ferrari, declaring that it would be the last team that he raced for.

Rio to host 2016 Olympics TIGHT SQUEEZE - Maties and Ikeys lock horns in a scrum. Maties showed their class and won the game 32-13.

BRUCE BAIGRIE FRIDAY, 25 September saw traditional rivals Ikeys and Maties face each other on the Green Mile.

It was always going to be a daunting task for the men from UCT, considering they were a depleted side coming up against a Maties team including many provincial players, such as Conrad Hoffman and J.D. Moller. Even so, the Ikeys came out firing and a good bit of play saw them get a penalty within striking distance. Matthew Rosslee banged it over to give them an early lead. Unfortunately a couple of minutes later Conrad Hoffman showed his class to step through the UCT backline to score under the sticks.

UCT’s set pieces were consistently under pressure with J.D. Moller dominating the scrums and the Maties’ jumpers hassling them in the air. The Maties’ accurate kicking game also didn’t help and UCT’s back three were often under pressure. Eventually the

Maties’ pressure paid off, and lock Andrew Priar barged over to take the score to 14-6 and it remained as such till the break.

The second half went much the same way, with Stellenbosch dominating possession and territory. International referee J.C. Fortuin consistently penalised UCT at the breakdown, and Stellenbosch picked up two penalties to add to the pressure.

UCT must be commended for their defence though, as they repelled wave after wave of the Maties’ attacks. One felt for them as Hoffman yet again showed his worth, scoring a breakaway try from a loose ball at the ruck to sprint 30m for the score.

At 27-6 the result was effectively sealed, but replacement James Martin brought an edge to the backline and sparked off a great try which was the result of some great interplay between the backs, before Martin got a seemingly impossible offload away to Ashley Wells who dived over to give the

Photo by Julia Busch.

home fans something to cheer about.

Rosslee booted it over to bring a more respectable score of 27-13 but the Maties were not done and they promptly scored again in the corner to end a forgettable night for the Tigers. Coach Paul Dobson was gracious after the game, conceding his team was thoroughly outplayed by a well drilled, star-studded Maties side, but he assured VARSITY that they would be a very different side for the upcoming Varsity Cup and that he was confident for the future. One can see why, as UCT certainly never lacked commitment and their late try highlighted the spirit of the team.

FINAL SCORE UCT Ikey Tigers: 13 Stellenbosch Maties: 32

Dlala Invitational: the promotion of peace DOMINIC VERWEY THE Dlala for Peace All-Nations Invitational Soccer World Cup took place at St. Joseph’s Marist College on Thursday 24 September, with twelve teams competing in a well-supported tournament in a run for the promotion of peace through the world’s most loved sport.

The tournament aimed to recognize the need for peace throughout our country, and indeed the world, using soccer as a vessel. Two months of planning resulted in an extremely efficient tournament, with teams from Nigeria, England, Italy, Turkey, Mauritius, South Africa, Somalia and the Congo flooding onto the pitch and strutting their talents. Also present were a PCT team (a computer training team) and two teams representing Amy Biehl (a children’s foundation dedicated to the recognition of community needs), one of which ran out eventual winners of the tournament.

Organizers and administrators of the tournament, Kieran King and Francis Briggs (co-founders of the Dlala Africa concept), ensured an efficient event. “This tournament is regarded as a “tester,” with the hope of it becoming bigger and better in years to come,” said King. “One of the aims is to get more sponsors in order to further our cause.”

“It wasn’t difficult to get spectators interested and excited about it, though,” said King. This was shown through the highly motivated crowds attending the event.

PLAYING FOR PEACE - The Dlala Invitational brought diversity to the field. Talent and fun were showcased.

Photo by Michelle Pollard & FIG Multimedia.

Dlala Africa is an inspirational idea – “a brand and concept that we should play, bringing out the child in each person.” The tournament also served as the conclusion of a documentary being conducted, part of which was held in Zambia, where a soccer ball was taken in order to “break the ice” between those promoting peace and those

Rio de Janeiro was chosen as the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games. Chicago had been another city in the running, with US President Obama vowing to “bring it home.”

who struggle to come to grips with it.

Another aid to the cause is the Youth Peace Scroll, signed by Dlala participants, which serves as a “physical buy-in for Ubuntu and Peace,” says King. “The tools are soccer and the Peace Scroll, used through media, in order to help education about the concept’s progress. The ball is a symbol of unity – the round shape, being infinite, portrays completion and countless possibilities.”

The focal point of the entertaining event was the arrival of children from the Amy Biehl foundation: they were playing drums, enjoying company, watching the soccer, and undergoing an entirely unifying experience in the process. “The smiles on all the faces is something worth working for,” said King. “This tournament is the hands-on practical of what the concept behind Dlala is trying to offer.” Using soccer in order to educate children at a young age about the importance of and need for peace is what the tournament aimed to illustrate, and more importantly, what Dlala Africa strives for.

Details and information can be found at Dlala Africa’s Facebook group, and any questions or queries can be forwarded to Kieran King at dlalaking@gmail.com.

Chelsea banned from transfer market Chelsea Football Club was banned from engaging in any transfer activity until January 2011. Chelsea has appealed against this decision but still awaits further information.The decision was handed down by FIFA when it was discovered that they encouraged Kakuta, an 18-year-old player, to break a contract with his French club, Lens. Kakuta was slapped with a four month match ban and a 780 000 Euro fine that he has to pay to Lens.

Premier league round-up

The English Premier League was treated to another feast of soccer before the upcoming international break.

Man. Utd struggled to a 2-2 draw against Sunderlad at Old Trafford. Arsenal (above left) played Blackburn at the Emirates Stadium, where an eight goal thriller was the surprise of the weekend. Blackburn notched two goals in the first half but Arsenal claimed three before the break. The secong half turned into a full scale assault with Walcott, Fabregas & Bendtner banging some of the best goals of the season.

Liverpool were the only losers of the weekend after Chelsea (above) drummed two past them. Anelka and Malouda notched the winning goals as the Blues went one up in the Liverpool-Chelsea rivalry.