2010: Edition 8

Sports The Ikey training field 11 August 2010 Volume 69: Number 8 021 650 3543

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Students demand libraries

In This Issue News UCT student attacked by shark

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Opinions

To Burqa or not to Burqa

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Features

EDUCATION’S IMPORTANCE - A student from Manyano High School takes part in the breaking of the Equal Education fast.

Hundreds of students gave up food for 24 hours in a bid to make the government listen to their demand for functional libraries.

Photo by Zakareeya Pandey Nandi Zulu, Olivia privileged schools, teachers and Wainwright and Pasqua Equal Education (EE) organizers from Christiani Arts and Culture liaison, EE held a 1 000-participant all made inspirational speeches. School, said “I have not eaten march to parliament on 21 March Heard Cape Town Archbishop Reverend since yesterday morning to prove in order to compel the government ON 29 July, close to 750 activists Thabo Makgoba gave his support the importance to people in my to pass the National Policy on an and learners gathered in for the cause and encouraged class that we need to fast for a Equitable Provision of an Enabling Khayelitsha to begin the 24-hour “those of us who have education... library in our school”. Another School Physical Teaching and (This Equal Education Fast for School [to] fight for the education of learner from Oscar Mpetha High Learning Environment.

Libraries. The primary aim of the others”. While the Archbishop was School – the first in his family to policy was passed on 1 June.) fast was to remind the government optimistic about the effect the fast reach matric – also emphasized According to EE’s research, 11 of the prevailing need for books, would have on the government, the importance of having a library 696 primary schools and 4 333 increased training of librarians, some participants felt sceptical of at his school: “Building a library secondary schools in South Africa and a dedicated budget towards the possible outcome. Although in our community is not a waste are still “without library space”. the National Guidelines for supportive of Equal Education’s of money – it’s an investment.” Equal Education – with the motto School Libraries and Information aims, Ms S Koyana, a teacher from The fast attracted close to 4 500 “1 school, 1 library, 1 librarian” – Services.

Zimasa Primary school in Langa, participants nationwide, including will continue to create awareness stated, “There was a march earlier UCT’s own Vice-Chancellor Dr of this problem.

More than 30 schools from this year and the government Max Price.

The fast concluded on 30 July, all over the Western Cape were turned a blind eye. The government The fast was just one of when supporters of the initiative represented at the event, which always turns a blind eye.” many efforts made by Equal picketed for cheaper textbooks and began with a performance of the national anthem and a pre-fast When asked if he had managed Education to improve education school libraries outside the Cape underprivileged schools. Town International Convention meal for all who attended. Learners to fast for the full 24 hours, in from both underprivileged and Mmomeleli Ngubo, a learner According to Dmitri Holtzman, Centre (CTICC). the organisation’s parliamentary Varsity, the official student newspaper since 1942, is committed to the principles of equality and democracy.

Women that wow the world

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News

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UCT student attacked by shark Lyndall Thwaits

Haiden was volunteering at Hluhluwe Game Reserve at the time and had headed out to dive with three Dutch scientists also working at the reserve. While two of the researchers went diving, Haiden and the third researcher were snorkeling nearby. They were roughly two kilometres off shore near Anton’s Reef at the time of the attack.

the boat at the time. “It happened so quickly,” Haiden said. “[The shark] grabbed my leg, I kicked it in the nose with my free leg; it bit down again and then released and swam off.” Her screaming alerted the crew on the boat, who were unaware of what had happened until this point. She was quickly pulled onboard and given first aid to stop the bleeding. Haiden was rushed to the shore where she was met by a doctor, and was later taken to a basic hospital in Msaleni for further medical attention. She was later transferred to Richards Bay hospital where she had surgery on her lower leg and foot. While the attack left Haiden with three severed tendons, she was fortunate not to have sustained severe muscle or nerve damage.

“...The attack left Haiden with three severed tendons...”

Haiden described the incident as an unreal experience. “I was frightened but at the time it still didn’t feel like it was happening to me.”

A ROUTINE diving expedition off Sodwana Bay near the Mozambique coastline on 4 July took an unexpected turn when 21-year-old Sarah Haiden, an environmental and geographical sciences student, was attacked by a shark.

After some time, Haiden’s friend boarded the boat, but Haiden decided to swim back out to the buoy line. It was on her way back to the boat that she suddenly felt something bump into her leg.

Haiden said “My mind thought 101 things all in a couple of split seconds. My initial response was to believe it was one of the divers playing a joke on me”.

She was about 40 metres from

Selebi gets 15 years Natasha Nel Former Police Chief Jackie Selebi has received a sentence of 15 years in jail after being found guilty of corruption. He was released on R20 000 bail and has been given two weeks to apply for leave to appeal.

The sentence has been met with much praise from both the public and political parties alike.

Drug trafficker Glenn Agliotti, who paid Selebi over R200 000 in bribes, is now on trial for the murder of Brett Kebble.

BP oil spill clean up

The warm KwaZulu-Natal coastline is host to many shark species, and their attacks can be fatal. From Haiden’s description of the shark, the bite marks and the observations that the crew onboard made, the shark was identified as a three-meter male tiger shark.

Haiden’s injuries are healing well and she is expected to make a full recovery. She is positive about her return to open water swimming and hopes to get back to the UCT aquatics team as soon as possible.

In the headlines

“AN UNREAL EXPERIENCE” - Sarah Haiden is recovering well from her shark attack.

Photo by Lorna Rae Daniels

The battle to seal the leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is finally coming to a close.

BP was able to bring the leak under control by pumping heavy drilling fluid into the well for eight hours, forcing the oil into a reservoir far below the seabed.

They have now got authorisation to permanently close the well by pouring cement over it.

US officials have warned that despite this small victory, the effects of the spill will be evident for a long while after the well is sealed.

Images courtesy of www.m&g.com

UCT Ju-Jitsu celebrates CAPE BUDGET ACCOMMODATION

Stephanie Venter THE JU-JITSU club recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Tokyokai Bu-Jitsu Club. To honour this milestone, the club hosted the Head of the All Japan Ju-Jitsu International Federation (AJJIF), Alexey Kunin, from the USA, and 7th Dan black belt Sorab Mowlabucus from Mauritius.

Classes for the week of 2-6 August were taken by Kunin and Mowlabucus, who showed members new techniques. “Having such world-class instructors visit was great,” says Ju-Jitsu UCT chairperson Sindy Tu. Kunin, who specialises in combat, demonstrated various knife attack situations and was “very interesting to learn from”, she added.

A special demonstration was held on Saturday 7 August in the Sports Centre and was the culmination of the celebrations. Demonstrations from pupils and sensei alike showed a range of techniques, including how to deal with gun or knife attacks.

Prizes were also given out to members for recent accomplishments, and Ju-Jitsu UCT Senior Instructor Nigel Sessions (also Head of Tokyokai Bu-Jitsu Club and the AJJIF Africa representative) was promoted to 8th Dan black belt by Kunin.

All instructors at Ju-Jitsu UCT were awarded honorary lifetime memberships to the AJJIF. FLOORED - UCT members get served.

Ju-Jitsu

Photos by Zakareeya Pandey

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News

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SRC crime strategy - making a difference? in the security of the areas around UCT, and research into various areas of criminal activity such as those linked to drugs and underage drinking.

Olivia Walton IN THE wake of the “How Many More” campaign, the SRC has been developing its strategy to reduce crime by improving response times and overall safety. The strategy is based on cooperation between local police stations, Community Policing Forums (CPF), the Groote Schuur Community Improvement District (GSCID) the SRC and UCT management.

Bernhardt is positive about the results of the strategy so far.

Launched as a result of the “How Many More” campaign – also called “We Say: Enough!” – sparked by the murders of UCT students and staff and particularly the murder of Dominic Giddy, the SRC’s crime strategy has come at a point when UCT students have simply had enough.

SRC secretary general Shannon Bernhardt said in an interview with VARSITY that “the key has been to see a large reduction of violent, theft and drug related crime”.

“The aim has essentially been to make Woodstock, Observatory, Mowbray and Rondebosch safer for the community.” UCT forms a “pivotal part” of that community, said Bernhardt, and so much of the strategy “has been aimed making students safer”.

Short term goals of the strategy are focused on “immediate safety and security” which basically translates to more police on the street. The long term goal is “to see the area improved, pulling homeless people off the streets, reducing the number of drugs in the area and improving the infrastructure within the community.”

Bernhardt added that “improvement in our case has to

ACTION AND REACTION - The univeristy and the SRC have begun work on a strategy to reduce crime.

Photo by Zakareeya Pandey be not only a reduction in crime reported but also a growth in the students’ confidence in our police.”

With these aims in mind an agreement between the City and UCT was established, effective from July. According to Bernhardt the SRC has subsequently been working closely with the SAPS and the GSCID, and has met with both groups as well as representatives from the city to discuss and implement methods of crime reduction.

These include an agreement between the university and the City to provide four rent-a-cops, two paid for by UCT and two by the City. Rent-a-cops allows communities to pay for extra police personnel in their area. The system is “controversial”, said Bernhardt, as poor communities often cannot afford to pay for extra police. It has however “been extremely effective in the City Bowl”.

Apart from this, the primary focus of the strategy appears so far to have been increased communication between various groups involved

Bernhardt said of the campaign: “I think it’s unfortunate that exceptional events often inspire exceptional work, and I think that ‘How Many More’ and the events preceding this have forced more and better work from the university and the Government.”

Bernhardt noted that “crime is a broader problem than any of us can hope to tackle simply by putting more police on the ground” but that “there has already been some improvement” particularly in terms of cooperation and confidence in the police.

The SRC has also been active within the university, working with residence leaders and using Vula to distribute information to day students.

“The University has seen a greater concentration of police resources focused on the University and its communities. The GSCID...has been ratified by the City of Cape Town and will be operational by the [July].”

“Also, one of the greatest achievements has been the greater cooperation between the parties involved in tackling crime; this of course has been difficult and one of the primary barriers to overcoming crime in the area.”

VARSITY asked Bernhardt whether he believes that the strategy will produce real change.

He responded that “I think with greater safety there will be a growing development of the community which will prevent crime from creeping back in.

There are a lot of very committed people who will be here for a long time tackling the issue, long after this SRC leaves office, in new and innovative ways.”

“I also think that crime in the area has little to do with moral decline and more to do with infrastructural decline. Crime flourished in Observatory because there was no will to stop the decline.”

What do you think of the SRC’s work? Write to us and voice your opinions: news@ varsitynewspaper.co.za

SA media freedom threatened again Natasha Nel SUNDAY TIMES jounalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika was arrested on Wednesday 4 August for possession of an allegedly fraudulent letter of resignation from Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza to President Jacob Zuma.

He has been charged with fraud and defeating the ends of justice.

The days following his arrest have been filled with speculation, as many roleplayers have accused the police of having a sinister agenda.

Wa Afrika was one of the journalists who broke a recent story which alleged that police commisioner Bheki Cele had leased new police headquarters for R500 million without adhering to the proper tendering process. Wa Afrika’s arrest took place the day after Cele had called him “a very shady journalist”. When asked if he intended to take action against him, Cele replied: “Time will tell.”

Sunday Times Editor Ray Hartley released a statement claiming that the journalist’s arrest was “designed to intimidate” because of the unfavourable article about Cele – published just a few days before the arrest. Cele has denied the accusations made in wa Afrika’s story, saying he only signed a

A “SHADY” ARREST Journalist Mzilikazi Wa Afrika is out on R5000 bail. needs assessment, not a lease agreement. Hartley has said that the Sunday Times is in possession of the signed lease agreement that backs up the article.

Hawks spokesperson Musa Zondi has confirmed the charges against wa Afrika, and his trial date is set for November 8. The journalist’s lawyer, however, told Sapa that that the prosecutor has said “there is no case, we cannot prosecute.”

Mzilikazi wa Afrika has been released on R5 000 bail.

The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) has warned the media industry that

this and any other “mistakes” made by journalists will be used to push through the controversial Information Protection Bill, (also known as the media appeals tribunal) which critics say poses a serious threat to media freedom. The proposed tribunal will, according to the ANC Youth League, “adjudicate over all wrong reporting by all media and ensure that they are taken to task for falsifying stories, sensationalism and spreading lies that seek to undermine the integrity of individuals and organisations.”

The South African Centre of International Pen (a global writers’ organisation) issued a statement last week rejecting the proposed bill. SA Pen President Anthony Fleischer commented on the role of censorship under apartheid, asking “Do we have to watch a repeat of depressing history in the name of a new hegemonic African nationalism?”

Pen Vice President Raymond Louw stated that one of the dangerous features of the bill “is the power given to the Minister of State Security to classify and declassify documents, unwelcome because it will be influenced by political considerations.”

Margie Orford, also a Vice

Protection of Information Bill ‘constitutionally suspect’ Natasha Nel The Law Society of SA (LSSA) has become the most recent critic of government’s protection of information bill. In a statement released by the organisation, they claim that the bill has “the potential to seriously erode transparency, accountability by public officials, the public’s right of access to information and media freedom.” The bill allows, among other things, the government to withhold information from the public if it is deemed to be in “the national interest”. Journalists and opposition parties have reacted strongly against the legislation.

President of SA Pen, commented that “the draft Protection of Information Bill, flawed in multiple ways, subordinates [the] constitutionally enshrined transparency to a broadly and vaguely defined ‘national

interest’.” The power this gives the heads of organs of state to define “national interest” and decide what is permissible “will result in the establishment of an Orwellian censorship system at all levels of government”.

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Editorial

VARSITY NEWSPAPER BLOGS It’s SRC-ing season! Now recruiting READER DISCRETION ADVISED: anything goes at the VARSITY Newspaper blogs...

Reasonable The Rwandan Charade DISCUSSION of the 1994 genocide is taboo in Doubt Rwanda and is a sore subject for citizens and

expatriates of that country alike. Some have referred to Rwanda as nothing more than a minority ethnic autocracy that is led by an uncompromising man who will not tolerate opposition of any kind.

Discourse along ethnic lines has largely been muted since the 1994 genocide, but reports indicate that it may yet rear its ugly head yet again. This, coupled with unresolved reconciliation issues, may lead to greater problems for Rwanda in the future.

President Kagame is also accused of formerly backing rebels in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo and adding further problems to the attainment of peace in that region through his backing of those rebels. In his own country, Kagame has sidelined NGOs and limited their role in Rwanda’s civil society.

TATENDA GOREDEMA is the Deputy Editor of VARSITY newspaper.

Read more at www.reasdoubt.blogspot.com

Trust & Believe

The Ouch Syndrome I’M NOT sure about you, but I have this odd habit of saying ouch even when I haven’t sustained any physical damage. I’m not talking about experiencing actual pain, like stubbing a toe on the edge of the bed or pinching a finger in a cabinet or drawer; I’m talking about silly little things like bumping my hand against the table and saying ouch even though it doesn’t hurt. It’s as if the expectation of pain was involuntary – a reflex instead of a reaction.

Another (probably more common) situation: someone has a problem with you or something that you’re doing – or perhaps you’re upset by the actions of others. What would logic and maturity dictate? Most of us can agree: addressing the problem swiftly and directly with the person involved will ensure the least possible damage and allow all involved parties to move on, leaving both personal and professional relationships largely intact.

NKOSIYATI KHUMALO is the Copy Editor of VARSITY newspaper.

Read more at www.trustbelieve.blogspot.com

newsgathering next newsgathering Wednesday, 11 August 2010, Meridian, LS2D

2010 collective editor Rémy Ngamije deputy editor Tatenda Goredema chief copy editor Nkosiyati Khumalo copy editors Cayleigh Bright, Karen Froneman, Nomvelo Makhunga, Stephanie Venter dtp editor Danni Liang finance team Tina Swigelaar & Odwa Sihlobo images editor Simone Millward photographers Nico Gous, Andrecia Ramnath, Zakareeya Pandey, Lorna Rae Daniels news Olivia Walton & Natasha Nel opinions Sarah Jackson & Martin Mendelsohn features Nyasha Kadandara & Tiffany Mugo sport Dominic Verwey & Edward Sellier human resources Tariro Nyamakura & Aleeshah Sayyideena advertising Odwa Sihlobo marketing team John-Ross Hugo, Andrew Ehmke & Mathabatha Sexwale IT manager Irfaan M Imamdin web editors Wei Mao & Yue Mao staff writers Marché Arends, Bruce Baigrie, Leonard Chitunhu Tonbara Ekiyor, Berndt Hannweg, Ayesha Khodebacus, Thato Mabudusha, Gosia Podgorska, Calvin Scholtz, Tarryn Steenekamp, Anton Taylor, Lyndall Thwaits,

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THE NEW term feels like a twelve-round bout with Floyd Mayweather. I was knocked out in the first ten seconds, but the referee insists that I see this through.

Much like the fight, the rounds are short, the punches are coming hard and fast, the small pause provided

by Women’s Day did nothing to alleviate or slow down the whippings that are coming over the next few weeks. It will be a miracle if I see ten-day vac still standing on two legs.

In other news, Women’s Day came and went.

Thank God. It is an awkward day for guys – we just don’t know what to put on status updates. You see, the thing is that it is not like Mother’s Day where you narrow down praise and admiration to your mother and all mothers in general, because let’s face it, they are awesome. On Women’s Day, you have to acknowledge any person that does not have dangly bits hanging between their legs as being awesome – and that is an issue for a lot of guys. [Sub-editor’s note: Amen.]

You can hear our minds chugging away as we sit in front of our computers debating whether we want to still score with one of our Facebook friends by saying something like “Women rock! Happy Women’s Day...XXX” or being blatant about it and expressing joy that Women’s Week is over or sharing your happiness at the prospect of guilt-free blowjobs for the rest of the year. Honestly, Women’s Day is like a visit from the in-laws or a colonoscopy – you pray and wish that they pass without incident but you know that sooner or later, someone is going to get shafted. Hard. It really is hard being a guy – on Women’s Day, that is. The rest of the year is cool though; it’s easier. Gender equality is put on a back seat, we can watch rugby and football without having to worry about what she wants - in general, we can just be men.

But that is a tricky concept: man. What is a man? What makes a man? I have no idea. I must admit that I genuinely have no idea. This is a shocking revelation for a person who has spent most of his life around male influences. I have done all of the things that men do. I have played sport, I have been in my fair share of scrapes, I have teased girls and even kissed a few. I have supported a soccer team (I regret choosing Arsenal) and I have watched manly movies, like 300, Troy and Fight Club. I have been camping and I have lit fires (with varying degrees of success), and I have laughed at the odd jokes that men make about women. But uhhmm, there is a problem though...I can knit, and I can cook (quite well actually). I like the Spice Girls. And I have a weird habit of cleaning every inch of my room, every so often. I also don’t think my wife will take my surname, and I want to be proposed to...

Yes, I am in trouble. I am not a man, right? But what makes us men? Is it the dangly bits?

Is it the ego? I don’t know. Because I have all of those, but I still don’t know what makes a man. So what really makes a man? I will tell you. Women make men. There I said it, the cat is out of the bag. I must win some kind of Nobel prize for this one.

I am quite sure that the person who made the English language or wrote the Bible knew this for a long time, but they found clever and inventive ways to cover it up. Adam must be kicking in his grave right now. Women do make men. It is a weird thing that guys will never admit, but it is something that we all know deep down, women make men. We run fast so we can impress them, we comb our hair because we know they like it, we sing, we dance, we make fools of ourselves – all for them. Women make men. Look at the word woman and realise that men are remnant of an identity defining “wo”.

As much as gender equality seems to invade all areas of life today, it has yet to reach full fruition. There is still a great deal of unjust discrimination against women in the workplace, at home and all of the other spaces in between that have been claimed as male territory.

Religion, culture, politics, economics – all of these need to be drastically rethought if we are to construct a world beyond gender. The latest edition and editorial are perhaps gentle reminders of the important roles that women do play in soceity, as well as the untapped potential that women have – were they to be given the space to do be all that they can be.

Term is now in full swing, tests and assignments are due in almost everday and the library has become the centre of all student life - I hope that you will stay above water until our next edition.

SRC hopefuls are bound to be out and about soon. Pay attention to what they say and what they promise. As a seasoned insider, I can tell you that DASO recruits in the same way that modelling angencies do – by going for the most gorgeous, but not the brightest; SASCO goes for the darkest, but not the brightest; COPE goes for breakaways but not the brightest; ANCYL goes for anyone with a woodwork qualification, and all of the other “popcorning” and “mushrooming” parties in between go for anyone that is left over...who are usually not the brightest either. The reason I am spilling all of this information all of a sudden is because that new bill – the one that will end newspapers as we know them – has not yet come into effect. I need to milk the system while it lasts...

You gotta love politics. Keep well.

Rémy Ngamije

Material deadline for the next edition is Wednesday, 18 August 2010, at 17h00.

VARSITY Office, Level 5, Steve Biko Building.

Tel: 021 650 3543 Know your status.

Please recycle VARSITY.

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Drink responsibly.

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Opinions Trivial Pursuit

By Sarah Jackson

Goodbye media freedom, it was fun while it lasted

that the new legislation does not take into account public interest when exposing corruption in the upper echelons of government.

The ANC also hopes to establish a media tribunal that can make rulings on all media content and impose penalties on journalists.

WE CAN’T in good conscious continue to put out a newspaper every two weeks without bringing up the Protection of Information Please Lord Let This Not Stand Against Constitutional Scrutiny Bill. The proposed legislation would allow government to mark information that is currently not secret as classified, making it illegal for this information to be leaked.

Critics of the bill have voiced fears

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The ANC has shrugged off the “hysterical� outcry by the public.

Even Julius Malema has come out of his temporary state of media hibernation to label the media “dangerous.� He went on to say, “they think they are untouchable and they can write about anything they like...those who engage in unethical activities must be locked up.� In the post-1994 era, the South African media are the lifeblood of democracy. It was the media that allowed the public to complain loudly enough for Mbeki and his AIDS denialism to be reigned in somewhat by the ruling party. It was the media who called out the ANC’s tenderpreneurs and questioned Malema’s lavish spending. And it will be the media who will continue to keep democracy alive in this country. Without freedom of the press, officials will continue to get away with more and more

until public debate and transparent and accountable government has all but ceased to exist.

reading the headlines of a different regime.

Fears of this nature were heightened when a Sunday Times journalist, Mzilikazi wa Afrika, was arrested for two days during which time many of his personal possessions were seized. Wa Afrika has been writing for years about the questionable politics taken place in Mpumalanga, making an enemy out of premiere David Mabuza. However, it wasn’t until Wa Afrika published an article accusing Police Chief Bheki Cele of tender irregularities that things really got out of hand.

Cele reffered to Wa Afrika as a “shady, shady journalist� and he was arrested soon after.

I am not for a second implying that the ANC is attempting to reinstitute Apartheid under a different name – nothing as dramatic as that – but one cannot ignore the uncomfortable similarities that are starting to be made. To censor the media would be an insult to the thousands of ANC members who died or were exiled, and whose fates were unknown to the majority of South Africans due to similar curtails on the media during this regime. Previous ANC members fought for freedom of speech, while current ANC members are seemingly fighting for freedom to abuse taxpayers’ money without being questioned.

One only has to go back 30 years in the VARSITY archives to find articles published in the Apartheid era with entire sentences crossed out in permanent marker. Entire paragraphs of editorials were blacked out and many names were not allowed to be published. With arrests of journalists and talk of media censorship, one would be forgiven for thinking they were

The ANC has justified the bill by claiming they are unfairly targeted by the media. I cannot argue with that. They are called out on every mistake they make. But isn’t this the sign of a healthy democracy and not a failing one? When Zuma came under public scrutiny for fathering a child with one of his mistresses, we were told not to question the authority of their

elders. It seems to be the view in the governing party that leaders are given a free pass when they reach positions of power when in fact the opposite should be true. The ruling party has been elected by the people, and if it is not the people they are representing, of course they should be held accountable.

The minute the attitude shifts from one of public service to one of self-entitlement, they should be expected to answer for their actions.

Wa Afrika has a dubious past and has been fired from the Sunday Times previously. If in fact he is guilty of the crimes he has been accused of, including fraud, he should be tried and convicted.

However, it is hard to ignore the coincidental timing of his article about Cele and his arrest. While reckless reporting should not be encouraged, clamping down on journalists who publish articles on the lavish spending of tax payers’ money is not protecting the dignity and privacy of individuals, it’s about protecting corrupt officials from public scrutiny and exempting them from public accountability.

Handcus or headscarves? It’s a lady’s choice Lauren Midgley A YOUNG man is turning 18, and his mates are determined to show him a good time. After making a guest appearance at a bar to let the ladies pay their respects, the signal is given – it is time.

Promptly, the boys abandon the fully-dressed females and head off to a place where their imaginations can have the night off: Mavericks Gentlemen’s Club. As the guys bolt into a cab, drunk with anticipation (but mostly with Crackling), the girls roll their eyes and shake their heads. Boys will be boys ...

Whilst some women find strip clubs fascinating, others (such as myself) balk at the thought of watching naked women hump inanimate objects. It’s not because I’m afraid that some dormant lesbian tendencies may be aroused (a popular male suggestion), I’ve just always had the notion that stripping is degrading for women.

Many would agree with me – entire nations, in fact: Iceland’s recent decision to ban strip clubs has resulted in it being lauded as one of the most feminist countries on earth. Prime Minister Johanna SigurĂ°ardottir believes that Iceland is “leading the way on women’s equality, recognising

Image courtesy of www.picasaweb.com

HER PREROGATIVE - True equality means equality of choice.

women as equal citizens rather than commodities for sale�.

new clause included in the Human Rights Act...

And then on the other end of the spectrum we have the “to burqa, or not to burqa� saga. In July the French National Assembly officially voted in favour of having the burqa banned in public.

Mr Sarkozy’s reasoning? In his view, the burqa reduces women to “prisoners behind netting� who are “deprived of identity�. Women in violation of the law will be fined the equivalent of roughly R1 500; any man who forces his wife to wear the forbidden garment is subject to a hefty R294 000 fine, as well as a possible year in prison.

Clearly, Western politicians have, in their quest to garner votes, lost something along the way. Like the plot, maybe.

So, to sum up, women who wear too little are being subjugated by men, and women who wear too much are in the same position.

Therefore, it is clear to me that women need to wear the exact right amount of clothing – perhaps a strict 60:40 clothes-to-body ratio – in order for us to say that we are legitimately “liberated�.

Now let’s start a petition to have a

“To Burqa, or Not To Burqa...�

In my opinion, the burqa sends an offensive message that women are meant to be neither seen nor heard. I also think that poledancing suggests that women belong in the sex toy aisle at Adult World. But that’s just it. It’s my opinion. One that I am entitled to; just as a stripper is entitled to relish reducing men to slobbering pups; just as the Muslim woman is entitled to her belief in religious duty.

If the argument is that most women are forced to wear the burqa by their husbands, I fail to

see how throwing them in jail will enhance their sense of freedom.

And here’s a crazy thought: complying with her husband’s wishes may be something a woman wants to do. In the same way that we cannot force a stripper to hike on a business suit and start campaigning to be president, we cannot force Muslim women to be our Westernised perception of feminists.

And now Britain is jumping on the bandwagon. The UK Independence Party, lead by Lord Pearson, is trying to have the burqa, which is “incompatible with British values of freedom and democracy�, criminalised. But isn’t a crucial point of democracy freedom of choice?

If these politicians were really as “pro-feminist� as they claim to be, they’d stop telling women what to want, what to believe, and what to wear, and let them choose whatever the hell they please.

Opinions 6 A nuclear Iran – the debate continues Berndt Hannweg Is Iran’s drive to enrich uranium a legitimate venture or an attempt at nuclear-level-pegging by one of the more infamous MiddleEastern countries?

A fascinating statistic, just before I begin: Both Iranian and American citizens were polled* regarding Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Among other questions, they were asked “Do you think that fifty years from now there will be more countries with nuclear weapons than there are today?” Eightyfour percent (84%) of Iranians said yes, closely agreeing with their American counterparts (91%). However, when asked “Do you think Iran will be one of them?”, the answers were wildly opposite. Only 27% of Iranians thought so (while 27% “Did Not Know”), whereas a whopping 86% of Americans thought Iran would have the bomb.

The debate as to whether the United States is the gung-ho “Self-Proclaimed Policeman of the World” is not the subject of this article, but I find it telling that less than a third of Iranian citizens thought they’d join the not-very-exclusive MAD club (counting amongst its members Pakistan, North Korea and the “No commentism” of Israel), while four in five Americans thought it possible.

The novelist Martin Amis said, “The nuclear arms race is a race between nuclear weapons and

ourselves”. Nuclear war is a zerosum game, in that, if we play it, we end up with zero points, and zero lives, land, political structure and skin that doesn’t function as its own night light. And the thought of a country like Iran possessing it gives sober men pause.

is a distinct lack of media and personal freedom. It is, at its core, a theocracy, led by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, whose fatwas form a large part of national law. It is not a country you wish to see with its finger on the big red button.

At least, it does until you consider a few facts.

However, I believe and support that it is any sovereign nation’s right to pursue any drive to better the lives of its citizens. Iran has a point when it states that its oil supplies can’t last forever, and a deal to have its nuclear material solely supplied from outside sources puts Iran in a very unfavourable position, where the West can flick Tehran’s lights on and off like a switch.

The first and most important is that Iran wouldn’t be the first shady country to get the bomb. The fact that Pakistan has ± 80 is unsettling.

The fact that North Korea has ± 5 is disturbing. By contrast, the US has an impressive 2 500 active nuclear weapons, Russia, 4 600 and China, 250.

This is where my primary objection to the West’s protests and restrictions against Iran originates.

To say that Iran cannot be allowed to develop nuclear weapons has a sickly hypocrisy to it. It brings to mind a man driving around in a Ferrari, banning everyone else from owning bicycles. Consider that Israel has for roughly 30 years been dancing around the issue over whether they have the bomb.

Add to this their wonderfully militaristic and hostile view of their neighbours, which has been borne (some might say justifiably) out of years of persecution, and I develop the view that we should not allow Iran the bomb, if only because it might antagonize Israel from doing something mind-numbingly stupid a la the Gaza Boat Debacle.

To conclude, Iran is not a nice country. It lacks civil liberties. Its politics leave a lot to be desired (don’t they all?). But to refuse a country the right to (allegedly) develop peaceful nuclear power is unfair. Iran’s refusal to allow complete access to UN inspectors is suspicious, but no more so than any other private state. When compelling evidence can be found that Iran is developing the weapons, then perhaps the West should act.

But let us not fall prey to another “Weapons of Mass Destruction” delusion, lest we forget the hideous lesson which Iraq has become.

*www.worldpublicopinion.org

Iran has several problems.

It’s violently anti-Israel. There

Y Choose?

choice so early on in life is going to be destructive for us later on.

There are no talks in school saying “Don’t do Drama”, with little posters indicating the harmful side-effects in pill-form.

Gosia Podgorska

NEVER mind making a career choice – our generation seems to struggle between choosing a series or a cereal. The strange thing is, as I’ve explained my career-decision dilemma to young adults over the years, there are very few of them who can tell me they are fully happy with what they do. Most young adults seem as confused as I am, and are still trying to find their way around the copiousness of careers available. In contrast to our parents, whose career choice was limited, our Generation Y has the ironic abundance of choice – there is so much of it that we can’t seem to make one.

Apparently, people of our generation will change major jobs at least five times throughout our lives. So, how are we supposed to envision ourselves in five years?

Choosing a career is a shadow that hangs with us for years. From our junior to senior school days, we are reassured over and over again (by parents and teachers alike) that we have years ahead of us left to answer the inevitable question: “So, what do you want to be when you grow up?”. To the lucky few out there, a career choice is innately known from the start, while to the rest of us, it is a decision we have to make when some university forms are positioned in front of us one fine day. The application process, final exams, and possible home-departing decisions pretty much mask the actual choice that we have to make – a career. Within

“Three years into my degree, I still can’t really settle on a true career path.”

GROWING UP - Why stop being a superhero? the space of a few months, you literally have to “grow up” and people no longer ask you what you want to be, they ask “So, what are you?” – and you are expected to know.

Personally, three years into my degree, I still can’t really settle on a true career path. I’m interested in media, sure, but I’m also interested in learning and understanding biology, english, astrology and everything the world has to offer. I chose to study something broad because I couldn’t settle on the specific.

And that’s pretty terrifying. What will I do with my know-how of a little-bit-on-everything? Another thing is that some choices are easier to decide upon than others.

Choosing not to take drugs is easier to decide on because we know that they are destructive.

Yet, choosing to become a doctor versus a journalist is a completely different thing, because we have no way of foreseeing whether our

Having a surplus of options to choose from is great (way better than picking between secretary or teacher, thanks), but it is extremely daunting when you have no idea where you see yourself in five years. Inescapably, career options will continue branching out as our technology, population and knowledge increase. I mean, imagine our poor kids trying to pick their job – “Son, would you like to be a hydrogen-farming specialist or a band manager’s manager?” Sheesh.

Our indecisive generation means that we won’t really be able to settle on one, set career in the future – instead, we will need to answer what we are when we grow up in a different manner. Generation Y is not about choosing – it’s about having the choices. At least in my case, when someone asks me “What am I?”, I think I’ll answer “I’m indefinite at the moment, call again in five years”.

IRAN - The nuclear ambitions of this Middle-Eastern nation continue to spook the world.

Sequel to Invictus – bowls edition Martin Mendelsohn A FEW days ago I read an article about the South African Police Force, and how they have found a calling in bowls. The way I understood it, the police have made steps towards creating a following for the sport. I thought, great, another elitist sport has been emancipated, been made available to many people who otherwise never would have had the opportunity to play. I’ve heard the same said about golf. I think it’s great that sports such as these can be made available to the everyday person. But then a confusing and sinister thought riled itself from some lonely crevasse in my head.

It was Steve Biko.

Sport brings people together. It also separates them from other peoples.

Cultures across the world play sports, and different cultures play different sports.

So sport is in essence a cultural peculiarity. Being foreign and only vaguely familiar with a man to whom was attributed such an important role in South African history, I automatically tried to dispel the idea, but it grew. Steve Biko believed in, and stood for the development of a ‘black identity’.

This identity was something that is supposed to stand apart from the white or foreign culture that has influenced and moulded black culture. It’s not to say that the two are mutually exclusive. But instead that black culture was not supposed to be fostered, and raised piggy-backing on other cultures.

I feel I must ask the question: if black South African culture is supposed to be independent, then why isn’t it? Why are there quotas in sports which have been

traditionally dominated by ‘white’ or foreign culture? Is the ‘black identity’ which Steve Biko fought so hard for is simply one which is being raised in the shadow of a perverse form of self-imposed cultural imperialism? It seems to be that those in power are fostering this. This government does not believe in the idea that black culture can develop independently.

“Will South Africa progress from being a ‘country under Apartheid fourteen years ago’, to being a ‘country’?”

It seems strange to me then, that the South African government seems to support quotas in sports so actively, while Steve Biko, actively opposed and tried to fight such a blatant whoreing of others’ cultures. I feel that this touches on a much larger problem in South Africa; that this country is really devoid of a clear plan in the years to come. Will South Africa progress from being a ‘country under Apartheid fourteen years ago’, to being a ‘country’?

It does not seem to me that there is any plan, or will, for this to happen. Everywhere I look I see how South Africa feels the need create an even playing field, one where everyone is equal. I agree for sure, that the past created a behemoth of problems for South Africans, and that things are better when everyone has an equal opportunity in life. I don’t feel it’s right for the South African government to try to force things right, it’s a slippery slope to be on.

Will the South African government tarry under the faults of those who went before it for ever more?

Tiffany Mugo VUVU-VOTAAA! That is the war cry that rings from the hills as our valiant champions of student leadership outline the horizon leading us bravely into a new year…oh forget it.

They are coming back. Less like Hercules and more like the various plagues of Egypt. They will descend like locusts to vie for a chance to devour the political fruits offered once part of SRC. Let me take a minute to reach out to our first years. They will shake your hand firmly, they will ask what it is you want changed on campus; some may even come with balloons and lollipops, all in the hope that you will elevate them to that position where they can rule over you from above and afar. They will pursue you as if you them owe them money.

They will be relentless, asking if you have voted (just say yes).

Chances are they will ask you again the next time you cross

Jammie, having already forgotten that they have already tried to woo you. You would be well-advised to find routes that bypass the plaza.

(There is a lovely little route that runs from level 6 of Steve Biko across the back straight into level 4 of Leslie Commerce.)

The posters will soon appear.

They will blanket our beautiful campus with the empty smiling faces of the SRC candidates.

They will be everywhere: in lectures, in residences, at shuttle stops. For those of you who enjoy being smirked at while you pee some will even materialize in the toilets on campus. They. Will. Be. Everywhere – and so will their real-life counter parts. But do not be blinded by the smiling faces.

Behind some of those beaming visages is nothing but hot air and sweet murmurings, the likes of which you hear from a guy who never calls you again. Empty, but oh-so-sugary.

As you have probably guessed

I hate the voting process. I find it false, annoying and I am already buying hand sanitizers for all the handshakes that will be forced upon me. I DO NOT know where others hands have been.

The process is horrendous but it represents something much more than what can at times be termed “a popularity contest”. It represents a time when as young adults we can have a say in an institution that holds the key to our future (and a considerable amount of our parents’ money). We can pick those we want to fight our battles when study week is made shorter or our streets are no longer safe.

As much as I hate to admit it, the people we vote for will play the knight in shining armour to our damsel in distress, and the LAST thing we need is to have a knight who cannot handle his sword or whose armour is rusted.

The choice is given to us once a year to take the reins and steer this vessel, so grab on and start turning. Go to interrogations, ask

BP – a black stain

The aerial pictures of the oil spill, and the effect it is having on the wildlife and tourism industry in the area has elicited a global outcry, with political figures in the US pontificating about the immorality of BP’s carelessness. Efforts being made by BP to curb the outflow have cost the petroleum giant an estimated $3 billion to date, but nevertheless, numerous calls have been made for BP CEO Tony Hayward’s head on a platter; this was delivered on 27 July with his resignation.

The thirst for blood gushing down the pristine marble staircases of the BP North American headquarters in Illinois has not been sated with the international media calling for the firing of more BP executives.

To the rational mind though it seems that whether or not more BP executives lose their jobs should be immaterial. The real question at hand should be: what is being done to prevent a repeat of such an incident and also to curb the scourge of oil spills in other parts of the world not fortunate enough to have excessive cable news coverage.

The oil spill off the coast of Louisiana has brought to the fore the daily ‘gang rape’ of the Niger Delta by international oil companies. The environmental degradation of the land and waters of the Niger Delta for the past fifty years by multi-nationals such

ALL AT SEA - The BP oil spill exposed the Gulf of Mexico to an ecological threat that has been unmatched in recent years. as Exxon Mobile and Shell has seen the livelihood of the people of the Niger-Delta, who were largely dependent of the rivers and swamps, become practically nonexistent.

Rivers and vegetation in the Niger Delta are covered with sheens of greasy crude, not only tarnishing the scenery, but also wiping out entire ecosystems. According to the Nigerian government, there have been over 7 000 oil spills since oil was discovered in the region, with more than 1 000 spills said to emanate from Shell-owned property, and Shell admitting just last month to spilling 14 000 tonnes of oil in 2009. There have been outcries from activists, the most vocal being the late Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was assassinated by the military junta in 1995.

Though his death momentarily made the international community aware of the plight of the people of the Niger Delta, it was soon forgotten as headlines often are (think Haiti).

Fifteen years down the line, the abuse of oil companies are being brought to light again. One cannot help but wonder why similar incidents occurring in Louisiana are seen as morally offensive, but the norm when it occurs in the Third World. This goes beyond the blind eye turned to environmental

abuse in the Third World, to the moral offensiveness of torture in Guantanamo Bay, and its acceptability in Abu Ghraib.

It feels wrong that $3 billion has been spent so far on an oil spill that occurred three months ago, when for almost twenty years the people of the Niger Delta have been awaiting a $1 billion dollar compensation for illness and the loss of livelihood they suffered. Another fifteen years, and the Niger Delta would have become wasteland, but maybe it’s an acceptable loss, considering Louisiana would be cleaned up in time for next year’s tourist season.

LIKE A CAR SALESMAN - You know that there is sawdust in the engine, but you still foolishy buy it. what candidates will do about thisor-that, and make a truly informed choice. At the end of the day you are who you vote for.

As I feel I must address all actors in this epic play, I now turn to the SRC hopefuls. WE. ARE. WATCHINg. YOU. Never forget that. Also, you work for us. Don’t ever forget that either. So if you ever sit in your offices on level 7

and start to mistake the corridors for mount Olympus, yourself for gods and the students for your loyal worshippers, know there will be someone to bring you down a peg.

There will be whispers of revolt.

There will be Student Assemblies in which to hold you accountable.

The mark of a good leader is one who serves their people, not one who seeks to be served.

VARSITY is looking for a: News editor Features editor Opinions editor Sports editor Web editor DTP editor Marketing manager Advertising manager HR manager IT manager Operations manager Send a brief CV and letter of motivation to hr@varsitynewspaper.co.za. Applications close 1 September 2010!

THREATENED - The entire Gulf faces a tough ecological challenge in surviving the oil spill.

Images courtesy of www.flickr.com

SINCE the initial explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on 20 April, 4.9 million barrels of crude oil have been spilled to date into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill was finally stopped on 15 July after three continuous months of spillage, the effects of which continue to affect the aquatic life in the area and, of course, tarnish the scenic Louisiana coastline (note: the Mexicans are not too worried about their coastline).

It really is a tragedy, but not one of unprecedented proportions as US politicians are quick to point out, because it happens literally everyday in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

Images courtesy of www.flickr.com

Tonbara Ekiyor

Images courtesy of www.flickr.com

Opinions 7 To the sound of vuvuzelas, they return

disclaimer The VARSITY Opinions section is a vehicle for expression on any topic by members of the university community or other related parties. The opinions within this section are not necessarily those of the VARSITY Collective or its advertisers.

The Opinions Editor expressly reserves the right to edit or shorten letters. Letters should include the name and telephone number of the writer, and must be received by 17h00 on the Wednesday before publication. They should not exceed 350 words, and will not be published under a pseudonym or anonymously.

Email articles to opinions@varsitynewspaper.co.za

Features Women of the 21ST century

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The Rowling stone

First Lady of the US - Michelle Obama Nyasha Kadandara THEY say that behind every successful man you have a strong woman. Michelle Obama is the woman behind the first black president of the USA. To many, Michelle Obama is just the First Lady of the land of opportunities, but she is also one of the biggest contributors to her husband’s success. She not only brought home the bacon when her husband Barack Obama went back to Harvard Law School to get his law degree in the late 1980s, but has juggled her career and motherhood, giving the necessary support that later led to Obama’s election.

What makes her a special woman is the fact that she has played the role of the traditional woman without being sidelined by her husband’s fame: she’s her own woman.

Obama stepped down from her role as Vice President for

Leonard Chitunhu JOANNE Rowling, born 31 July, 1965. Joanne Rowling, secretary of Amnesty International and researcher. Joanne Rowling, Portuguese teacher.

Joanne Rowling, divorcee. Joanne Rowling depressed and suicidal, welfare recipient, the single mother.

Community and External Affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals to be first lady. Some feminists might frown upon women putting their careers aside to stand by their men, but Michelle Obama has shown that there is no shame in playing the role of the good wife. We really love her because she’s not afraid to break nonsensical outdated traditions by wearing sleeveless attire in front of congress.

JK Rowling, the potter who crafted The Harry Potter series.

Her train of thought came to her while on a train, and her brainchild took her from poverty to the land of plenty, as the series sold more than 400 million copies.

JK Rowling, 2007’s 47th most powerful celebrity. JK Rowling, the 12th-richest woman in Great Britain, with 560 million pounds and runner up for 2007’s Person of the Year. She’s become a notable philanthropist, supporting such charities as Comic Relief, One Parent Families, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain, and the Children’s High Level Group.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Tiffany Mugo CHIMAMANDA Ngozi Adichie is the talented African writer behind acclaimed works Half of A Yellow Sun, winner of the 2007 Broadband Prize for Fiction, and Purple Hibiscus. She is a force in her own right, holding her own on the international literary stage. Praise for her work has come from such diverse sources as an email thanking her for writing a book that “daddy read and liked very much”, to praise from heavyweights like Chinua Achebe who termed her “a new

writer endowed with the ancient gift of storytelling”. Weaving together intertwining threads to produce multi-dimensional stories, her work is riveting and moving, showing true insight and talent.

She survives and thrives in a realm where African writers are often overshadowed and adds to the much-needed collection of African literature, while making a mark in her own right. The voice of African women on the international literary stage is painfully soft but writers such as Adichie give it strength with her poetry collections, plays, short stories and novels.

Dr Maya Angelou Tiffany Mugo DR MAYA Angelou is an accomplished woman hailed as one of the most significant and prominent voices of contemporary literature. Apart from being a world-renowned poet, she is also an actress, singer, playwright, civil rights activist, producer, director, best-selling author, educator and historian.

Her brilliance is most recognised and obvious in the verses and prose she produces, leading to her being hailed as a “global renaissance woman”. However, despite a host of artistic talents her abilities do not stop there. At the age of 14 she became San Francisco’s first ever African-American female cablecar conductor. This is despite having won a scholarship to study dance and drama at San Francisco’s Labour School. Her work has taken her around the world including touring Europe while in an opera and moving to Cairo to become editor for the English-language weekly The Arab Observer. She later moved to Ghana to teach music and dance; there she met Malcom X and later returned to the US with him to rebuild the Organization of AfricanAmerican Unity. Over the years she has earned many accolades including Grammy Awards and the

Presidential Medal of Arts, as well as over 30 honorary degrees. She is best described in her own words: “I’m a woman. Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman, That’s me.”

RAGS TO RICHES - Rowling’s Harry Potter series has made her the most profitable authour to date.

She’s the first billionaire author, the second-richest female entertainer, and the 1,062nd richest person in the world. In addition, the 2008 Sunday Times named Rowling the 144th richest person in Britain. She’s a friend of Sarah Brown, wife of former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

If this is not inspirational then

what could possibly be? The rolling stone finally settling and gathering moss; strong and weathering the storms. The fairer sex fairing the cold world (Edinburgh in midwinter) and triumphing after trials and tribulations (her mothers’ passing). The small steps from Joanne Rowling to JK Rowling are giant steps for womankind indeed.

DID YOU KNOW?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The word woman is believed to have derived from the Middle English term wyfman, broken down simply as “the wife (wyf) of man”. In Old English, women were described simply as wyf, while the term man was used to describe a human person, regardless of gender.

The first woman to rule a country as an elected leader in the modern era was Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, who was elected as prime minister of the island nation in 1960 and later re-elected in 1970.

While many stars and moons are christened with female names, Venus is the only planet in our solar system given the name of a female goddess.

“When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life.” - Kofi Annan “Every time we liberate a woman, we liberate a man.”

- Margaret Mead “Nobody will ever win the Battle of the Sexes. There’s just too much fraternizing with the enemy.” Henry Kissinger “Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.” Timothy Leary

The first country to grant women the right to vote in the modern era was New Zealand in 1893.

The world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji, was published in Japan around AD 1000 by female author Murasaki Shikibu.

It is illegal to be a prostitute in Siena, Italy, if your name is Mary.

Two-thirds of the world’s children who receive less than four years of education are girls. Girls represent nearly 60% of the children not in school.

Gender-based violence kills one in three women across the world and is the biggest cause of injury and death to women worldwide, causing more deaths and disability among women aged 15 to 44 than cancer, malaria, car accidents, and war.

Women perform 66% of the world’s work, but receive only 11% of the world’s income, and own only 1% of the world’s land.

About 75% of the refugees and internally displaced in the world are women who have lost their families and their homes.

Features Women who wowed the world Reem Al Numery

Queen Rania Jordan’s crown jewel

Child activist and rape survivor Sarah Jackson WHILE sometimes still called a girl due to her age, 14-year-old Reem Al Numery’s courage and persistence is bringing the world’s attention to a devastating reality, placing her in a league far beyond the average adolescent girl. In Yemen, the legal age to consent to a marriage has been raised to 17. However, due to widespread poverty in the region, young girls are often forced to marry older men in order to relieve some of the economic pressure on their families.

At the age of eight, Nojud Mohammed Ali walked herself to a

court, presented herself, and asked for a divorce from her 30-year-old husband who had raped and beaten her. Still, no story has touched the world’s heart to the same extent as that of Reem, who was forced to marry her 30-year-old cousin.

“While my hair was styled for the ceremony, I thought of ways to set fire to my wedding dress,” she told officials later. Reem protested the arrangement and was gagged and beaten up by her father. After her marriage, during which she was raped and choked by her husband for resisting sex, she tried to commit suicide twice.

She cannot be granted a divorce under Yemenian law until she is 15, as neither her husband nor

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Nyasha Kadandara

her father will give consent to the divorce, and she currently lives with her mother. Reem and others like her are part of a new generation of pre-teen activists who are giving a voice to the plight of child brides in Yemen. Reem has been named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the world for 2010.

THE CURRENT Queen of Jordan and wife of King Abdullah II of Jordan, Queen Rania has found a vocation in serving others. Instead of indulging in the pleasures of royal life, she has dedicated her life to the achieving one of the millennium development goals, universal primary education. This Arabic beauty is an advocate for children’s welfare above political agendas and cultural taboos. Her vision is, “Education

= Opportunity. The opportunity to work. Opportunity to escape poverty. The opportunity to live healthily. The opportunity to live confidently. The opportunity to have hope.” The modern day royal uses networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to reach out to people, and from the looks of her Facebook wall, she probably updates her own statuses.

She’s one reason why monarchies should still exist.

Khanyi Dhlomo - destined to be great Nyasha Kadandara “A CLASSIC example of woman who’s taken the unconventional road to success” is what comes to mind when I hear the name Khanyi Dhlomo.

She plunged herself into the television industry after matric instead of attending university as had been expected of her, and hasn’t looked back ever since.

She is one of the most highly recognised and respected women in South African media, with an eight year editorship at True Love under her belt, and as founding editor and managing director of Destiny Magazine.

What makes her an admirable feminine icon is the fact that she has managed to found and continues to run one of the most influential and sophisticated lifestyle magazines in South Africa, attained a BA at UNISA and a MBA from Harvard, and headed Tourism South Africa in France – all while being a mother of two. She makes looking beautiful while being both a successful and a nurturing person look effortless.

This year Khanyi Dhlomo has been awarded the Young Global Leader award by the World Economic Forum. With all she’s accomplished, she’s clearly destined for even greater things.

Caster Semenya - running the long mile Marché Arends

Benazir Bhutto

A GREAT deal has been said about 19-year-old athlete Caster Semenya in the last year. We all know about the 2009 controversy, which led to a subsequent interrogation into her gender.

We have listened to the lengthy debates about whether or not she should be allowed to run as a woman. And we have all painfully endured the myriad of jokes made at the teenager’s expense.

Ayesha Khodebacus

Caster Semenya has risen above last year’s somewhat unnecessary drama and has now returned to the world of competitive running.

At the very tender age of 16, she moved to the United States to attend Radcliff College and then ultimately Harvard University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in comparative government. Bhutto would later call her time at Harvard “four of the happiest years of my life”.

Benazir Bhutto was born on 21 June 1953 in Karachi, Pakistan, to a prominant political family. She was the daughter of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, also a founder of the Pakistan People’s Party. Bhutto was the first woman elected to lead a Muslim state, having twice been Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988–90; 1993–96).

WAVE YOUR FLAG - Caster Semenya stands strong and proud despite public debates about her gender.

Women’s Day would thus seem an appropriate day to leave the past behind and applaud Caster. Not only did she make South Africa proud by winning gold at the 2009 IAAF World Championships but she has also inspired many a young athlete by launching her very own sports academy for underprivileged children in April of this year, as well as demonstrating extreme resilience as a proud and self-

assured sportswoman amidst the harshest of criticism.

Caster Semenya continues to fly the South African flag proudly at athletics competitions around

the world. Since 2009 she has already won two smaller races in Finland. Her talent is unmatched by any in the international arena and we can only imagine to what heights she will soar if given a fair chance.

First elected Prime Minister at the age of 35, Ms. Bhutto became the youngest chief executive officer in the world and the first female Prime Minister in the Muslim world.

After just 20 months in office, her government was unconstitutionally dismissed by a rival political party.

Undeterred, she was reelected as Prime Minister in 1993. Following corruption charges she was imprisoned for five years .

During her terms of office, she was faced with an enormous challenge: how to effectively

govern a poor, politically fractious, and ethnically diverse nation.

Prime Minister Bhutto was praised for moving swiftly to restore civil liberties and political freedom, suspended under military rule. She launched a nationwide program of health and education reform.

As the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto is a living icon of the battle for democracy, and stands with only a handful of female executive leaders who have shaped the global events of the last century.

Images courtesy of www.flickr.com; www.picasaweb.com;

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Features

Back from the Dead : ‘The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner’ Eminem’s ‘Recovery’ Calvin Scholtz Rémy Ngamije THERE is nothing like the first time. Ask anyone and they will tell you the same thing. Whether it was enjoyable and memorable, or down-right traumatic, you will remember the first time. The same goes for rap and hip-hop fans.

In the late 1990s, a whole generation of rap fans were brought into the fold by a small peroxide-blonde maniac called Eminem – every parent’s worst nightmare. Propelled to fame by his controversial lyrics, songs that had a habit of sneaking into every kid’s Discman (because that is what we had back in the day), his famous Aftermath record label, and a racial dimension that sparked the term “wigger”, Eminem was the first foray into the world of rap for many a new listener. The Marshall Mathers LP became one of the fastest selling albums in the world and placed Eminem amongst the greatest rappers alive. Despite The Eminem Show, subsequent albums failed to live up to expectations and after his fourth album, Relapse, Eminem seemed to have fizzled out.

Perhaps he planned it that way.

Recovery is aptly named – it is that first time all over again for Eminem fans. It has all of those hard, psychopathic lyrics that made Slim Shady a household name, the jokes that make you laugh, and the emotional overtones that make Eminem a multi-layered entertainer. In a word, Recovery is a masterpiece, one of those albums that will be abused over and over again – the repeat button will never be the same – and easily one of the best rap albums made to date. Eminem delights his fans, acknowledging the standards of rap that he failed to live up to; exposing the personal and professional problems resulting in sub-par creations.

Now an old hand at the rap game, Eminem climbs back to his superstar status at a time when old favourites seem to be unable to break into the new and much younger market. With Recovery, Eminem proves that in the rap game, there are many animals, but few beasts – he is one of them.

THIS “novella” grew out of the need for the makers of the Eclipse film to know what was going on within the ranks of Victoria’s vampire army, something that could obviously not be explored from Bella’s point of view. When Stephenie Meyer was called upon to write some back-story, she once again chose to use the vehicle of a first-person narration: this time around, however, she looked at things through the eyes of Bree Tanner, a young girl who is changed into a vampire.

Meyer’s short story was given to the film’s actors to read and served as a guide for the creation of scenes depicting the newborn vampires in Seattle. And then it was published in book form, almost as an afterthought, but mainly in capitulation to the overwhelming desire of fans for any new Twilight material. It seems only fair to warn everyone that the book is about 170 pages long, and there are not many words to a page. And, being a hardcover, it’s not that cheap either.

The story opens with young Bree in the throes of her newborn bloodlust. There is no exploration of her life or personality before she became a vampire, which I found a little disappointing. The night-hunting scene that follows is quite graphic and certainly not for younger readers. There is an interesting relationship that develops between her and another vampire, Diego, but there is little surprise for fans as to how the story ends. It is, ultimately, a tragic and unsatisfying tale.

Dopping on the system Rachel Mazower

Bookmark: ‘You Don’t Know Me’ Ruth Petersen DIFFERENT is the first word that comes to mind when attempting to describe David Klass’s novel You Don’t Know Me. The reader acts as voyeur into the life of John; a seemingly ordinary teenage boy.

He has the normal teenageangst issues: he hates school and has a crush on the popular girl except for one tiny difference – John has experienced things not commonly experienced by the average teenager. Observant to his surroundings, John describes everyday life in extraordinary ways and manages to make light of the fact that his soon-to-bestep-father beats him up. Written poetically, Klass draws readers into John’s physically painful experiences with such intensity that by the time you reach the Images courtesy of www.flickr.com; kalahari.net

end of the book, the empty pages come as a shock. Funny, thoughtprovoking and a little scary, this book deserves to be read.

UCT is the heart of some incredible talent and when you get the opportunity to see it in action it is a treat. System Dop is a collaboration of four UCT students that has been to the Grahamstown festival and back. It has had rave reviews and their group, Liquid Project, even won a silver Standard Bank Ovation Award for Physical Theatre for this play and another.

The play synthesises storytelling with dance and music, to create an energetic sensory experience. The three actors (Ephraim Gordon, Taryn Nightingale and Rudi Swart) showed off their versatility as they shapeshifted through various comic and tragic characters.

As one can imagine, a story about drunkenness is filled with hilarity, but it has a dark underbelly. The play explores the dop system – a form of payment whereby workers were paid in alcohol rather than money – that was outlawed in the 1990s (although it is rumoured to have persevered into the current

day). In addition to being a form of enslavement, the dop system is largely responsible for incredibly high rates of alcoholism and Foetal Alcohol Syndrome that are dominent in the Western Cape.

Director Mahlatse Leshabane handled this serious topic with sensitivity while still balancing it with lightheartedness.

System Dop is at all times entertaining and engaging. The actors were a cohesive team and displayed fantastic comic timing.

Keep your eyes on this UCT talent in the future!

Bookmark: ‘Spilt Milk’ Calvin Scholtz

the book ended unsatisfactorily with both plots left unresolved.

KOPANO Matlwa is a young African author best known for her first novel Coconut, which won the European Literary Award.

While the book’s theme of racial identity in modern day South Africa was topical and important, the manner through which she chose to explore those pertinent issues is disappointing. Divided into two parts, each told from the point of view of two very different characters who never really meet,

Her second novel, Spilt Milk, succeeds where the first failed. Race remains an issue, but is no longer the issue. Instead, the themes of sex and religion take centre stage.

Father Bill, a disgraced white priest, is sent to work at an elitist black school. He seems to have lost his faith and is no longer sure about religious life. The principal, Mohumagadi, takes an immediate dislike to Father Bill, and the reason behind this dislike provides much of the novel’s conflict.

The heart of the story, however, revolves around the four young students whose detention sessions Father Bill presides over. Each of these children has their own complex issue to deal with: there is a girl whose mother has written a book on sexual awareness, another who doesn’t speak at all, one boy who welcomes Father Bill’s arrival and another boy who seems to hate all white people.

Ultimately the book hinges on the interaction of all six characters – students, priest and principal – as the only means towards resolution of their individual issues and the attainment of inner peace.

Features

The new anti-HIV vaginal gel

11 Image courtesy of www.flickr.com

Marché Arends 2010 has, so far, proven to be a great year for South Africa. June brought us the success of the Soccer World Cup and, as of July, our scientists are leading the way in the search to find a cure for AIDS. At the 18th Annual AIDS Conference in Vienna, Drs Salim and Quarraisha Karim from the University of KwaZulu-Natal unveiled 10 years of work into AIDS microbicides. Greeted with no fewer than three standing ovations, the Karim’s discovery of a vaginal gel, which prevents HIV infection, marks a new era in the world of AIDS research.

How does it work?

The vaginal gel is known as a microbicide. This is a substance which helps to prevent infection by a virus or bacteria. In this way, women are given the power to reduce the possibility of infection.

“Microbicides is a field developed to help women protect themselves,” explains Prof Carolyn Williamson, Head of the Division of Medical Virology at UCT. “It’s a womenempowered protection method.”

The gel contains the antiretroviral (ARV) medicine Tenofovir. This is the first gel of its kind to have an ARV as an active ingredient.

Williamson explains that unlike the gel’s predecessors, which simply coated the surface of the vagina, this gel penetrates the tissue and settles in the cells. Here the ARV medicine “waits” for HIV to infect the cells and stops the virus from replicating. In this way infection is prevented.

At present, the gel has a 39% prevention rate. What this figure means is that during the trial

SMEAR CAMPAIGN - The new gel is predicted to be a possible method of preventing the contraction of HIV. period, out of all women using the gel, 39% fewer women became infected compared to those who did not use the gel. However, Williamson explains that if the gel is used more effectively, the prevention rate could rise to 54%.

“Women who were more compliant with the trial showed better results; so more consistent use means better protection.”

Williamson, however, explains that much more can and must be done to find effective methods to prevent AIDS.

sex. For it to be effective it must be inserted at least 12 hours before sex and no more than 12 hours after.

Here they will perform many of the same tests conducted during the first trial to check that the gel actually works.

Williamson explains that the gel is not intended for rape victims and does not offer much protection if used after sex only.

“If the results of the second trial validate the results of the first trial, we could see the gel being available in about three years,” says Williamson.

“For rape victims there are much better ways to prevent HIV infection”

Because the product is still being investigated, there is not yet any definite plan for how the gel will be made available to the public, or at what cost.

“This is an incredible result in this field, but 39% can be improved on for sure.”

Unlike contraceptive pills, the gel does not need to be used daily. However, it should be used every time one has sex. Further, Williamson emphasises that the gel must be used in conjunction with a condom.

What are the practicalities?

Where to from here?

What does women?

The vaccine is packaged in the form of an applicator – much like a tampon – and is intended for women who anticipate having

Following the success of the ViennaAIDS Conference, scientists are now planning a second trial to confirm the reliability of the gel.

It is a fact that women in South Africa are at great risk for contacting HIV. It is also a fact that many women have unsafe

“The gel could be quite affordable. It has to be, otherwise it’s useless.” this

mean

for

sex because they are unable to persuade their partners to wear a condom.

Largely, men have more access to methods of AIDS prevention than women do. This is clearly illustrated by the fact that male condoms are made freely available in all public toilets. The same cannot be said for female condoms, which, in all honesty, are not very appealing and seem rather complex to insert.

Once women are afforded easy access to this gel – whether at clinics or in public toilets – they would be able to take charge of their bodies and their sex lives.

If men continue to wear condoms, and women begin to insert the gel, the South African HIV/AIDS statistics could see a turn for the better.

Television from the TOP down Image courtesy of www.google.search.com

Tiffany Mugo CAN there really be a satellite provider that “tops” DSTV? I’m not exactly sure why anyone would need PVR. Some of the things I’ve seen recorded on PVR are music videos, Barney episodes, race car rally heats and old Martin episodes. Not really thrilling viewing, is it? I have heard from many people that they are paint-dryingly bored by DSTV, and truth be told giving people a few HD channels (including Discovery and SuperSport) doesn’t make up for its exorbitant price.

Now TopTV has come and is offering something that promises to be fresh, crispy and new. But is it the same old lettuce from the salad bar or is there really something more mouth-watering?

We had the same problem with G-TV in Kenya; it came and promised to be cheaper and more entertaining than DSTV. Six months later SABC Africa moved from DSTV to G-TV. A year later, G-TV was bankrupt. And we no longer got Generations in Kenya.

So is TopTV just a fleeting affair or something long term?

A POSSIBLE SAVIOUR? - Top TV now poses a real challenge for DSTV. Who will emerge the victor?

TopTV is advertised as “the first satellite TV network of its kind in South Africa, proudly bringing digital TV into homes across the country”. It allows people to enjoy the best of movies, music, lifestyle, knowledge, kids’ viewing, sport, and more. Hello brighter world; hello TopTV. Packages range from R99 to R249. R99 gives you access to 20 channels across a number of

genres and this can be compared to DSTVs Lite package, which gives 26 channels for the same price including TCM, Super Sport channels, CNN and Channel O. Top TV’s package seems to offer much the same thing in the form of news, boasting Aljazeera and the SABC channels, but offers Fox News in the place of CNN and Euro Sport instead of three Super Sport Channels. When one compares the two packages, Lite is definitely the better option (unless

you’re into cheap Bollywood and Nollywood movies, then go with TopTV).

“Now TopTV has come, and is offering something that promises to be fresh, crispy and new.”

In terms of the various other channels, TopTV offers a host of unknown children’s channels including Baby TV, Jim Jam, and Kids Co. The 24-hour channel for babies is slightly worrying – should babies watch that much television? The music channels don’t have MTV in any form but have Q for Indie music, Kiss for urban and R’n’B, and Smash Hits for pop. (Don’t forget Nigezie for all our Nigerian aficionados) The entertainment channels include Fox (which airs such gems as The Simpsons), BET, Discovery:science (not the real Discovery Channel).

The movie channels include three channels called Top Movies, Top Movies+2 and Top Movies+24, which show your favourite movies at a certain time, 2 hours later and 24 hours later. Or you could just rent the movie. There is the thoughtful addition of the Silver channel which shows independent movies from around the world – a Cinema Nouveau at home.

An exploration of TopTV seems to be something of an anti-climax.

DSTV has managed to come up with channels of its own, as opposed to stealing channels from other networks giving a distinctly “Fong Kong” vibe. TopTV seems to be scraping the bottom of the barrel and has also been accused of having a lack of quality sports channels. Even though CEO Vino Govender says years of market research has shown that not all South Africans are sports-mad, this may cost them after so many have recently discovered their sporting roots. Contenders for the DSTV crown have come and gone and the truth is that I don’t see TopTV as the underdog who goes to take it.

DSTV is still everything it wants to be.

12

Features

Your mind is the scene of the crime AT 6PM people in the front rows muttered sarcastic calls for refunds to Nu Metro employees, as Christopher Nolan’s latest film Inception was 15 minutes late in starting. Audience members clambered to their seats well after the film was due to start with the cinema absolutely brimming.

Sighs of relief sounded around as the Warner Brothers logo was eventually emblazoned upon the screen (Nu Metro were considerate enough to give the trailers a miss). For the next two hours and forty-eight minutes, not a sound was heard from the restless mob surrounding me. To say that Inception held the audience utterly engrossed is probably an understatement.

Inception The focal point of a multilayered plot is Dom Cobb, played by Leo DiCaprio. Cobb is a skilled thief in the art of extraction: he and his team enter the human mind through dreams to steal valuable secrets. Cobb is an international fugitive, having lost his family and nationality and as is the case with many a fallen-hero, is given one last chance at redemption: a supposedly impossible operation called Inception; planting an idea within the mind of another. I don’t want to ruin anymore, so here is why you should watch it.

Dream Nolan’s fascination with dreams began when he was 16 and this particular film is one he has been chomping at the bit to make for a decade. However, he needed to build his profile as a filmmaker first, as a project about subconscious espionage and lucid dreams required oodles of wherewithal to produce. Martin Scorsese’s dream was to direct the Gangs of New York, which left diehard Scorseseans scratching their heads. Nolan’s dream is by far the more impressive.

Fans of Nolan’s works (Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige and the revamped Batman series) will immediately recognise the vividness of the Londoner’s imagination and his honesty throughout the film. The shots and edit-cuts are seamless, the camera remains calm even in actionfuelled scenes and he steers clear of a cornucopia of CGI where his innovative lens will suffice. The editing, cinematography, sound, locations and his manipulation of dynamics are simply mesmerising, while Hans Zimmer’s progressive soundtrack punctuates the film with typical panache. The impossible suddenly seems plausible with a script and dialogue that is rich,

Degree = Career?

Does degree equal career? Your job does not have to have a direct link with the content of your degree.

UCT alumnus, Dave Mackay’s career journey, is an illustration of this concept. academic

I graduated from UCT after convincing them to give me a BSc in Genetics & Developmental Biology. Since then it’s been various courses at the UCT Graduate School of Business to cover any marketing gaps.

What is your current position and where do you work?

My current role as a Digital Strategic Planner at an advertising agency - The Jupiter Drawing Room (Cape Town), allows me to

A DREAM COME TRUE Leornado Di Caprio (Titanic, Blood Diamond) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer) deliver a gripping performance together, with Gordon-Levitt being tipped to play The Riddler in the next Batman franchise. With little CGI used in the film, stars such as Di Caprio found themselves performing their own stunts in some of the most ingenius action sequences ever caught on screen.

were putty in his hands.

Imagination

Dave MacKay

What are your qualifications?

Image courtsey of www.netflix.com

Ed Sellier takes a front row seat in Christopher Nolan’s latest epic

intelligent austere.

and

anything

but

The cast is convincing in its entirety and viewers will particularly enjoy the character Arthur played by Joseph GordonLevitt, who is as debonair as Cary Grant and, in my opinion, bears an uncanny resemblance to that Aussie who played the Joker.

It’s been a big year for DiCaprio, who really hits his straps as the tragic hero. He was exemplary

in Shutter Island, but as Dom Cobb, he really showed his acting mettle and thrived as a fraught and complex character.

Inception is suitable for all ages and I am hard-pressed to recall a single swearword. What’s more, Nolan proves that in lieu of steamy sex scenes, cheesy love triangles, gratuitous violence and indefatigable one-liners, an intricate story combined with decisive directing is enough to ensure the true gravitas of a film.

Questions

Classic

Nolan’s ingenuity lies in the fact that such a complex narrative about dreams within dreams speaks with his audience. The ending left that mob with incessant questions and Nolan will have no doubt smiled to himself when he constructed his final shot, knowing the viewers

To those who are seeing it soon, pay close attention, because you won’t want to miss a moment of this filmmaking virtuoso’s instant classic. His exploration into the power of the human mind confirms him as the most spellbinding director since Kubrick.

as possible. I consume as much relevant content and see who’s doing what with technology, so that I can get a better grasp of what’s possible. That’s key to planning in an agency - you’re the How did you find your niche in your eyes and ears of what’s going on in the current area of work? market place. work with creative teams on how to bring campaigns and ideas to life across the web, social media, mobile and other interesting platforms.

Via the back door really. A small, What extra-curricular activities did temporary role as a researcher grew you participate in at UCT? into one of a planner. Following my love of all things digital allowed me I don’t think there was a single role in the rowing club which I didn’t fulfil, from to focus on it within the agency. being in charge of boat maintenance Which factors ignited your interest through to club president. in the advertising sector?

What advice can you give to students A healthy curiosity and a desire to about how to approach their career work with creative people. At first it development ? seemed like an interesting place to start a career in marketing, but the t 4IJGUJOH GSPN WBSTJUZ UP UIF XPSLJOH pace, variety and challenges have world is no easy transition. It’s even really kept me here. more difficult if you’re switching streams entirely as you’ve got to show How does your qualifications relate your employer how you can add value to your work, whether directly or to their business. (Don’t expect them indirectly? to know or care what your research thesis about “the changing foraging The one course I thought I’d never patterns of the lesser spotted stoat” is use- Statistics- actually landed me all about.) %FWFMPQ iDBSFFSJOH TLJMMTw o my job. Since then I’ve found that t having a completely different set learn how to market yourself. of experiences really helps me lend new angles and approaches to the t )BWJOH B mSN HSBTQ PG UIF TLJMMT business challenges we’re trying to you’ve learnt is important, but knowing the language and challenges of the address in our campaigns. business you’re hoping to join is What are the key skills that have crucial. The best way of doing that is to contributed to your success thus conduct informational interviews with people who can give you insight into far? the profession or organisation.

Research and problem solving skills have helped tremendously. The rate * Watch “Can I have a few minutes of at which technology and digital your time?” in the Career Information marketing is changing makes it Centre to learn more about the value really important to be as immersed of informational interviews.

Careers calender Careers Education (Hoerikwaggo, 13h00 – 14h00) 10 August: Preparing for Interviews in LT2, Hoerikwaggo 11 August: CV Development in LT2, Hoerikwaggo 12 August: Researching Careers: where to begin in LT2, Hoerikwaggo 16 August: Cover Letters & Application Forms in Classroom 12, Menzies 17 August: CV Development in LT2, Hoerikwaggo 19 August: Preparing for Interviews in LT2, Hoerikwaggo 23 August: CV Development in Classroom 12, Menzies 24 August: Cover Letters & Application Forms in LT2, Hoerikwaggo

Careers Fairs (Jameson Hall, 09h00 – 15h00) 18 August: General

Graduate Recruitment Programme (Leslie Social) 12 August: Grant Thornton, 13h00 in LS 3A 12 August: The South African Breweries Limited, 13h00 in LS 3B 12 August: Deloitte, 17h00 in LS 3A 12 August: SASTS Working Adventures, 13h00 in LS 2B 16 August: Absa, 13h00 in LS 3A 16 August: Old Mutual, 17h00 in LS 3A 17 August: PricewaterhouseCoopers, 13h00 in LS3A 17 August: Hatch, 17h00 in LS3A 17 August: Prestedge Retief Dresner Wijnberg, 13h00 in LS 3B 19 August: Burlington in 13h00 in LS 3A 19 August: Merrill Lynch, 17h00 in LS 3A 23 August: Metropolitan, 13h00 in LS-3A 23 August: Santam, 17h00 in LS-3A 23 August: Sappi Manufacturing, 13h00 in LS-3B 24 August: Procter & Gamble, 13h00 in LS-3A 24 August: Bain & Co, 17h00 in LS-3A

Company Showcase 11 August – Truworths 17 August – Moore Stephens

Hot opportunities Looking for a bursary/scholarship, vacation or graduate opportunity for 2010?

Visit www.careers.uct.ac.za/careerportal Over 100 opportunities available online now.

Features

13

The ones that got away...

Anton Taylor investigates the 3 Greatest Mysteries of All Time Anton Taylor SINCE man first became conscious, the fogs of mystery have regularly enveloped our understanding of the world around us. Unexplainable occurrences and inexplicable events have continuously confused us, leaving us with only an uneasy feeling in our stomachs. The men and women who have tried to report these events have been cast aside as conspiracy theorists, quacks and lunatics. Despite this, VARSITY has gone deep into the realms of the unknown, and has returned with a compilation of the three greatest mysteries of all time.

These are the true mysteries, the things which baffle scientists and detectives the world over. Minor stories such as the Loch Ness Monster, JFK’s assassination and crop circles have been excluded.

Nike shoes, underage sweatshop work is perfectly fine, but surely in a country as developed as the US these children shouldn’t be allowed to be doing this? They are far too young to deal with the crushing attention heaped upon them. The US media has proved a hellish death for many adults, and I have yet to hear of a child star who isn’t completely cooked as an adult. I give Miley two years before the birth of her first child, and three years before the she is given a 90 day jail sentence for an alcohol or drug-related offence. I admire JB’s strength and determination, showcased in his gritty new song “Never Say Never”, and truly hope that he is knee deep in cougars and

1. Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus I can certainly understand the obsessive infatuation with these two: one is a minxy little slut who acts innocently, but who clearly knows how to please a man, and the other is the daughter of Billy Rae Cyrus. They were always going to be hits. However, the true mystery is how these two have been allowed such an enormous amount of publicity at such a young age.

In developing countries whose job it is to provide me with cheap

BIEBER LOVE- Does his fame match his talent?

cocaine. However, there is no way he will make it another five years without a lengthy stint in rehab. I can see him and Macaulay Culkin chatting about life after fame, Justin asking questions such as “What do I do when my voice breaks?” and “What do I do when Michael Jackson tries to molest me?” At least for Bieber’s sake MJ is dead. The atrocities that he would have performed on little Justin at the Neverland ranch make me wretch.

2. 5fm’s Grant and Anele Surely a radio station as large 5fm has test audiences? Surely, the producers and CEO’s must listen to the radio at least sometimes?

Surely, surely they have ways of seeing how the entire 5fm listenership tunes out from 12:00 to 15:00 every day? Are the advertisers aware that they’re paying for slots heard by about 30 people, all of whom will probably swear never to buy the said product because it is connected to Grant and Anele? How can people stand by and allow this atrocity to go on unchecked? What does 5fm do with the reams of complaint letters they must surely receive each week? Stuff the pyramids, what I want to know is how these two are still on air - it defies logic and reason.

No more Hannah Montana! Welcome to the babes of the hood.

3.Terry Crews’s shock omission at the Oscars, the Grammys and the World Dance Awards.

Anybody who has watched White Chicks will be unable to forget the majesty of Terry Crews’s performance. Playing American Football player Latrell Spencer, his on-screen presence is resplendent.

The emotion he exhibits upon finding out that his love interest is not a white chick, but instead a tall black man is heart-breaking, and I am sure I am not alone in having cried as his powerful shoulders

shuddered with grief. His acappella rendition of Michelle Branch’s “Everywhere” brings to mind the powerful tenors of Pavorotti and Bocelli, and his dance moves during the scene where he mistakenly ingests ecstasy are groundbreaking and inspiring. All in all, Crews’s performance in White Chicks is a victory - a triumph which shows heavy doses of courage and beauty.

Yet, defying logic, Crews was not even nominated for an Oscar, a Grammy, OR a World Dance Award.

BA Students: Touchy-feely – or just plain touchy?

I HAVE a confession to make.

On the final day of last semester, I totally snapped – I made a spectacle of myself right in front of the Jammie stairs. My sudden loss of bodily control (my fist involuntarily torpedoed into my friend’s chin) was prompted by yet another snarky comment about my choice of degree.

Despite the fact that I choose to wear shoes every day and that I enjoy reading the newspaper from time to time (that Garfield is a real riot) I am still – you guessed it – a Humanities student. I honestly thought that, after five months, I was immune to BA-related jibes about how convicts have more job prospects than I do. But then

my comedic genius of a friend remarked how ironic it was that a vegetarian like myself would be working at McDonald’s for the rest of my life, and I became the Hulk, on ‘roids.

In retrospect, it really wasn’t worth the effort (or my dignity), but it did teach me a valuable lesson about myself. When it comes to my degree, I am a wee bit sensitive. Okay, fine. Very sensitive. Extremely sensitive.

Crazy-freak-punch-you-in-theface-if-you-make-one-more-BAjoke sensitive.

But still, as I watched my friend limp off into the distance (I haven’t heard from him since), I realised that this hyper-sensitivity of mine was not Karma-friendly. So, I mentally flagellated myself, and promised that in future I would behave as a respectable, wellbrought up young lady who can laugh at herself.

Yet, as the second semester progresses, I’ve made a startling realisation. I am not the only BA kid who has this sore point. In fact, all my fellow BAers are just as touchy about their degree as I am! Whew! Me: One. Those Who Tried To Commit Me: Zero.

“When I grow up I want to be a barefooted guitarist, i.e. a BA student.”

students look like the Care Bears.

For AcSci kids, you need only mention any one of the incredible and life-changing parties you’ve attended this semester – or at any point in your life, really – because they certainly weren’t there to share the experience with you.

And it’s not just Humanities students, either! Every student from every faculty has a particular “Push and Die” button – one that, even when playfully nudged, reduces us all to the same snarling, spitting, beast that would make Darwin proud.

Let us begin with the Commerce Student. To set one off, just make

And I dare you to “slip up” and call a civil engineer a chemical engineer, or a mechanical engineer an electrical engineer, or any of the plethora of combinations that can be made, and then, when they correct

Science student- Being smart means giving up being popular. a comment about money not being able to buy happiness. They just love that.

A BSc kid requires a different approach. Start listing some of the “well-known facts” that disprove evolution. My personal favourite is the one that all women have a rib that’s longer than the others - irrefutable proof of Adam’s donation. Or - if you’re a chauvinistic prick - you can always passionately argue that women’s feet are smaller than men’s because God designed females to stand nearer to the stove. But be warned, this one may result in unintended consequences, like castration.

Tell a Med student how twisted it is that they rely on the suffering of others for a paycheque. Tell a Law student they make the Med

“...women’s feet are smaller than men’s because God designed females to stand nearer to the stove.”

you, shrug and say flippantly: “Ag, what’s the difference, right?”

Seriously. I dare you.

There are countless other unmentioned G-spots (G stands for Godzilla), but I don’t want to spoil it – half the fun is probing and finding out for yourself where that button is tucked away.

By the way, if you’re wondering who the most volatile of them all is, that title definitely rests with the Humanities student. This is for the simple reason that BA jokes touch on something deeper than just a missed jol or a misunderstood profession. Disses on our degree imply that, when we are set free in the big wide world, we will be unemployable, which means we can’t earn a salary. Which means we won’t be able to buy food.

Which means we will, um, die.

So try and understand next time your BA buddy combusts. Death can be a touchy subject.

Disclaimer The VARSITY humour page is a vehicle of expression.

None of the views expressed in the humour page are those of VARSITY or its advertisers.

This means that we are above the law. Nothing that Julius Malema or anyone else says will stop us from doing whatever we want.

Oh, and go to gym. You are all putting on weight. :)

Reader discretion is advised.

Images courtesy of www.flickr.com

Lauren Midgley

Sports

14

DOM-INAT-ED

It’s a lousy winter

Dominic Verwey discusses some winter warm-ups for couch potatoes

Here’s the deal – any (relatively) vigorous amount of exercise, whether it be running, a brisk walk, or skipping rope, is going to get the blood rushing. This is a fact. And once the juices are flowing, your temperature is maintained and increases during the course of your exercise, regardless of the weather outside (please excuse me for the physiology lesson).

Surely if it’s too hot outdoors, we would run the risk of equally

Images courtesy of www.flickr.com

“BUT it’s so cold! I don’t want to go outside!”… And the trip to the gym becomes a tiresome one when it has to be done everyday, because a good friend or that elusive, obligatory gym-buddy is relying on you to go with them – and if you don’t, one of you will resent the other for not sticking to the “pinky-promise”.

So how do we get motivated for sport in winter? It’s a mystery.

It’s obviously because we might contract some fatal disease if we run underneath an ominous cloud or, dare I say, have a rain drop fall on us.

TAKE IT FROM HIM - Exercise in the cold is not that gruelling. getting sick due to over-heating?

So, with that logic, it appears we will get sick either way, whether we run in 35-degree heat or subzero conditions.

But let me break it to those of you

that let the weather dictate your training regime – it doesn’t matter!

The human body is far too complex to let a slight shift in external temperature upset its balance. The body compensates accordingly, raising or dropping the temperature

to meet the comfortable optimal operating condition. Sure, if it is overwhelmingly hot on your running day, don’t run 42km, because then you will be far more likely to, at the end of your marathon, slip into a sweaty coma.

And if you go for a vigorous bout of exercise in a temperature just above zero, and then have a twohour-picnic in the same running gear while discovering those snow angels that you’ve always dreamt of creating, then there, too, will be a problem – maybe not with your body, but rather your mind.

All the areas in between are safe zones. If it’s slightly overcast, or even if there’s a slight drizzle, running is ok. I promise. You might even enjoy that drizzle – it’s like a swim while running. I can’t think of anything more pleasant. And if it’s “too hot to go for a run”, just go for the run. There’s a reason why we sweat (some more than others), and this is the exact mechanism designed for when we, as homo sapiens, go for that afternoon jog to hunt for food.

“So grab your running buddy, or grab your parents for all I know, and just go.” grab your parents for all I know, and just go. It’s good for you.

We aren’t meant to sit around thinking about going for a run, tiring as that sounds. We are made for exercise.

Did you know that humans are the most well-adapted endurance runners of all mammals? And here’s another fun fact – did you know that the only mammal to match the ability of a sled-dog to run through icy terrains for days and days is the human? And we’re worried about a few drops on an otherwise beautiful day? I think not. Hit the track.

Hit the ground running.

So grab your running buddy, or

Images courtesy of www.flickr.com

Cape Town’s R4.5bn debacle?

BEAUTIFUL LIABILITY - Cape Town Stadium has become the white elephant of the local sporting industry.

Tarryn Steenekamp WITH the roar of close to half a million soccer-crazed World Cup visitors finally coming to an end, several pertinent concerns remain for our reinvented rainbow nation. Will our breathtaking new stadia become the latest financial fiasco or will the structures help cement our country’s international sporting presence?

While South Africa’s architectural jewels were at the very heart of the 64-match World Cup spectacular, critics believe that our country can ill afford such extravagance and have labelled the structures as Africa’s most prominent white elephants.

As preparation for the tournament, five World Cup stadia were built from scratch and one, the 90 000seater Soccer City, was completely revamped. While the total cost for stadia completion was initially estimated at R3 billion, due to dazzling structural additions as well as supplementary seating, the

cost has quadrupled to a staggering R11.7 billion. The increase has significantly cut into South Africa’s World Cup profits, dramatically affecting stadium maintenance expenses and concerns.

While there are exciting postWorld Cup prospects for the Soccer City, Nelson Mandela Bay and Moses Mabhida stadiums, smaller stadiums in Nelspruit and Polokwane are expected to suffer most, with the Cape Town Stadium also acting as a major cause for concern.

The 55 000-seater stadium, which was home to 507 332 spectators during the World Cup, is battling to secure sufficient events and will, in turn, run at an approximate loss of R7.1 million over a three year period.

The stadium’s potential for financial success will depend heavily on its ability to host rugby or football teams and, as the early cost-benefit analyses suggested, Cape Town’s greatest option

would be to convince the Western Province Rugby Union to relocate.

The rugby franchise has recently paid off its own Newlands stadium though, and last year its board members voted unanimously against a move to Green Point.

Nevertheless, stadium operator Sail StadeFrance is remaining positive over the future success of the ground, announcing the company’s imminent plans for the venue.

Sail StadeFrance director Morne du Plessis revealed on Monday that a major deal between provincial football club Ajax Cape Town has taken place, implying that all of Ajax’s home games will be played at the stadium. Meanwhile, at the end of the month, fans can look forward to a feast of football when Vasco da Gama will play host to Orlando Pirates and Ajax Cape Town will go head-to-head with Bloemfontein Celtic at the stadium on 27 August. The matches will mark the opening of this season’s Premier Soccer League and are

expected to be 20 000-seater sellouts.

Management plans to host club rugby festivals and the Varsity Cup, and aims to host a Tri-Nations match and the IRB World Sevens at the stadium in the future. Sail StadeFrance is also working hard to organise a Bafana Bafana match at the stadium in the near future.

million per annum for property maintenance and management.

Mpumalanga’s Nelspruit stadium is currently seeking private funding and is in the process of luring the Mpumalanga Black Aces to hold at least some matches on the pitch.

While Cape Town works hard to secure a wide range of stadium tenants the smaller arenas in Nelspruit and Polokwane, with no large rugby or soccer unions nearby, will be most affected by a lack of financial support.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s flagship ground, Soccer City, the biggest stadium on the African continent, will play host to the Springbok’s Tri-Nations clash against the All Black’s next Saturday. All available tickets for the match were completely sold out within two days and total revenue for the encounter is expected to peak at well over R5 million.

Polokwane has no obvious potential and stadium management have already turned to the National Treasury in a bid to secure R17

Through intelligent use of Cape Town Stadium, the city can encourage the growth of both sport and national pride.

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Major Bok overhaul needed

Images courtesy of www.flickr.com

Springboks only play for pride in their own backyard Bruce Baigrie THIS PAST month the defending Tri Nations champions lost their opening three games, conceded 93 points and two four-try bonus points, and came away with three citings and three suspensions.

The tournament’s home leg is now going to be the most crucial phase in the buildup to the Boks’ World Cup title defence at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, to be held in New Zealand.

Many criticisms have been levied against the Boks’ performances; most of them coming (as usual) from back home in South Africa.

From inside the Springbok camp we’ve heard allegations of poor and biased refereeing, as well as unconvincing “disbelief” at the team’s losses—both claims coming from national coach Peter de Villiers, and many being echoed by senior players. South Africans have always been known as whiners, and often rightly so.

After all having two completely dominant sides compete in the Super 14 final, scoring four tries and conceding ten in three matches is hardly the stuff of champions.

Bakkies Botha’s head butt and spear tackles were rightfully punished, so no arguements can be made there. But where P-Divvy does have a point is that the All Blacks have been allowed to get away with murder, particularly in Wellington. McCaw was warned three times by the referee in the red zone and was never near where Botha was carded in the game immediately beforehand.

NO MORE EXCUSES - The recent criticism of referees is merely papering over the cracks of a lacklustre Springbok side.

There were many other instances throughout the match – footage of these instances, entitled “All Blacks at the breakdown”, has been compiled on YouTube. The referees’ performances have been poor, but that doesn’t excuse the pitiful performances of the Boks.

With the games over now, the huge weaknesses of this team have been badly exposed.

de Jongh) had ever started in a Springbok jersey before this. The senior players themselves were a complete flop, with their only victory being an unconvincing one against Italy. The chance to find players like Francois Steyn in 2006 was lost and, as in 2006 when South Africa had its worst Tri Nations yet, de Villiers is now facing a similar season.

At the end of the Tri Nations last year, I stated that the Springboks would be the team to beat, and that they could not afford to lose any intensity in the build up to the 2011 World Cup. The end of year tour could not have been a bigger disappointment. De Villiers and his selectors chose not to rest senior players and gave barely any players new caps. Instead they put together a bunch of talented Currie Cup laaities that lost to secondstring Leicester and Saracens sides. None of them (barring Juan

With senior players underperforming and Springboks stars Heinrich Brussouw and, most importantly, Fourie du Preez out until next year, the outlook is dire.

The Tri Nations trophy is out of reach, and risks need to be taken.

Ruan Pienaar is out for six weeks, while Jaque Fourie is suspended, and Ricky Januarie and Wynand Olivier are not up to international standards. The electric duo of Francious Hougaard and Juan de Jongh must start if we are to build any experienced depth for the World

Cup. Pierre Spies and whichever average tighthead we pick seem to add nothing to the pack and an overhaul there is imperative.

Morné Steyn needs to prove he can control games even when the Bok pack goes backwards—and against this awesome All Black side, it will. Francois Steyn’s boot is a three-point machine and needs to be brought back, although he must realise he is not bigger than the team and must play where he’s told.

The toughest decision concerns John Smit. Smit will run out for his hundredth game at the National Stadium (formerly Soccer City) against the All Blacks, and after all he has done it would be cruel to deny him this. But his time has come. Bismarck du Plessis is back for the Sharks and his talents will be needed come 2011. Worrying statistics, such as “five tackles and six missed in New Zealand”,

and “the most missed tackles for a forward in the Super 14” indicate that it’s time for Smit to step down.

With three Super 14 titles to his name, Victor Matfield is clearly a leader, and perhaps the captaincy will re-ignite his poor form of late.

Abysmal defenses, clueless attacks and uninspired players have characterised this team in the last month, but rugby fans the world over know what this team is capable of. The All Blacks and Wallabies will undoubtedly be scared of a Springbok team with their backs against the wall. That said, without drastic improvements in all areas, I doubt the Springboks will overcome this current All Black side. It’s time for P-Divvy and his crew to prove the critics wrong with an undefeated home leg and a successful Grand Slam tour, and it all begins on 21 August at the National Stadium.

Maradona – loyal boss or demanding brat?

Cara-Leigh Shepherd WITH DIEGO Maradona’s future as the national Argentine footfall coach now over, questions surrounding the reason for his dismissal have arisen. Maradona’s contract was not renewed by Argentina Football Association (AFA) president Julio Grondona due to a misunderstanding surrounding the conditions under which Maradona would continue as Argentina’s coach.

After a mutual agreement could not be reached regarding Maradona’s coaching staff, the decision not to renew Maradona’s contract was made by the association’s executive committee.

“The hardest difference to agree on was changing some of Diego’s

‘Barclay’s’ – continued from page 16 Roman Ambramovich has clearly been hit hard by the recession as Chelsea have only managed to secure the services of midfielder Yossi Benayoun.

Yet the signature of Brazilian midfielder Nascimento Santos Ramires for £17 million is imminent. Some will also be relieved to know that Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti remains adamant that Ashley Cole will not be leaving Stamford Bridge for Real Madrid.

At

the

Emirates,

Arsene

staff,” Grondona told a reporter.

Seven of Maradona’s technical staff were required to leave and this was not something he could accept.

A few days after the news that Maradona would not continue as coach, the former player made a ten minute speech alleging that Grondona had “lied” to him and that team manager Carlos Bilardo had “committed treason” against him. Of Grondona, Maradona said, “After five minutes, he told me that he wanted me to continue, but that seven of my technical staff could not stay. When he told me this, he was saying that he didn’t want me to carry on in the job.”

The question remains, is the disagreement about the coaching Wenger has ended speculation regarding Cesc Fabregas by clearly indicating that the player will remain a Gunner for the next season. Arsenal look set to challenge for honours this season with emergence of youngsters such as Jack Wilshere, Carlos Vela and new striker Maraoune Chamakh, who have all impressed recently.

At the Kop, the disappointing Liverpool look set to improve upon their disastrous previous campaign by acquiring the services of top manager Roy Hodgson, who has lured talented midfielder Joe Cole to Merseyside. Great news for the Liverpool is that both Steven

staff a good enough excuse for Maradona to kick up the dust and throw his toys out the cot?

Maradona had just returned with his team from a quarter-final exit from the World Cup, and his coaching skills were being questioned. He was not in a position to be making demands. Surely it would make sense that if the team were to improve and prepare for success in the next World Cup, changes would have to be made, including changes to the coaching staff?

be admirable, but ‘demanding’ also springs to mind. “You can’t always give all of your friends jobs,” said Bilardo, in his response to Maradona’s accusations.

In the eyes of any football supporter, no-one can doubt that the former number ten player ranks as one of the greatest footballers to ever live. Maradona’s passion for the game is undeniable, and his talent as a player is indisputable.

However, his technical ability to coach may not be so easily argued.

While Grondona had made it clear that he wanted Maradona to stay on as coach, his opposition towards several staff members may easily have been justifiable.

Maradona’s loyalty to his staff may

There was particular romance to the idea of The Great Maradona, with all his winning experience and passion, being the one to lead the Argentine nation to glory as World Cup champions. However,

Gerrard and Fernando Torres will be staying as well.

team in the EPL, and nothing will inevitably change this trend due to their inactivity in the summer.

Being a promoted team from the Championship is a challenge as small teams battle to establish themselves in the EPL. Newcomers Blackpool are favourites to face the chop – with hardly any experience, they are surely the whipping boys of the EPL this season. Newcastle have the experience to survive, and if they can steady their ship, they will remain in the EPL – especially as they have smartly secured the services of Everton youngster Dan Gosling and stalwart Sol Campbell on a free transfer. West Bromwich Albion have always been a yo-yo

Teams to watch this season are Everton, who boast the likes of Steven Pienaar, Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta and Marouane Fellaini.

Tottenham remain to be a force as they continue to grow with talents such as Giovanni Dos Santos. Aston Villa have always challenged for a top four position, and can hopefully keep James Milner, so as to continue their push for a top four position.

David Silva is the player earmarked to make an impact in

when Argentina was annihilated by Germany 4-0 in the quarterfinals, the golden glow from the presence of the “Hand of God” seemed to diminish into the tiny sparkle of one of his famous earrings.

The atmosphere Maradona brought to the team will definitely be missed by the players, as well as fans who supported the popular figure. I doubt however that this is the last we will see of him. I cannot help but think that the legend is remains the legend, and that the team is still the team. Maradona has been down before, and he has fought his way back to the top.

The questions now is “where to?”.

the EPL, and the flop signing so far has to be Yaya Toure who, although a decent player, will not live up to his high price tag of £200 000 per week (R2.2 million). The tip for the golden boot has to be Wayne Rooney, who had a poor World Cup but is ready to prove his doubters wrong.

Hopefully this campaign can be one to remember as the fans rally behind their stars and hope that their captain will lift the Barclay’s English Premiership League cup in May 2011, after all the blood, sweat and tears that are part and parcel of a season in the Premiership.

The Ikey breeding ground Image courtesy www.zimbio.jpg

Craig McKenzie UCT CONTINUES to prove to be a great breeding ground for aspiring rugby players, as a host of Ikey Tiger Varsity Cup representatives have come through the system and graduated to higher honours.

Prior to this year the most notable of graduates were Kyle Brown (SA 7s), JJ Gagiano (USA Eagles), Michael Passaportis (Griquas), Martin Muller (WP & Stormers), Tiger Bax (WP & Stomers), Matt Turner (England 7s), Peter Engelbrecht (Lions) and Mathew Rosslee (WP). This year another group of Ikey men made the step up to first-class rugby: Ash Wells and Matthew Rosslee (Griquas), Stu Commins (Northampton Saints, UK), Tim Whitehead (Stormers & WP), Marcel Brache (WP), and Mark Coetzee (SA 7s).

The most distinguished graduate this year is Tim Whitehead, who, after starting in the Varsity Cup for UCT and for WP in the Vodacom Cup, suddenly found himself playing with the Stormers halfway through their 2010 campaign. The Will Greenwood-styled centre ended up earning a number of caps, including a 60-minute stint in the Stormers’ first appearance in a Super 14 final. When asked what he thought about the Stromers’ setup compared to that of UCT, Whitehead responded, “The structures are similar; the main difference is that WP is just more technical and there is a lot more attention to detail.”

Credit must be given to the UCT coaching team and structure, as whatever the coaches are doing must be working. For a modestly funded club with rather mediocre facilities, the Ikey Tigers have risen above all expectations by producing not only players equipped for professional rugby, but also excellent results in the last few years.

UCT and Western Province lock Martin Muller was full of praise when reflecting on what UCT RFC

Sports bites

knowledge of the game helped me to grow my game to its full potential”.

Both men are firm believers that the Varsity Cup is an extremely important tournament. Whitehead stated, “I believe the Varsity Cup is the new gateway for young players to get exposure”. Whitehead himself is a prime example, as he came to UCT with no real aspirations of playing professional rugby and got into the system via the Varsity Cup. Muller too is a big fan of the tournament, adding, “It’s a great tournament. It’s helped a lot of UCT players get exposure, including myself!”

O’ Neill quits Villa

When describing playing for the Stormers in their first Super Rugby final, Whitehead said, “The final was incredible and was an experience which I will never forget!”

A STEP UP - Tim Whitehead at a Stormers training session during the Super 14. has done for his career. “The club has helped a lot as I was brought into the first side when I was 20, so playing Varsity Cup and league matches helped me...because you end up playing with a lot of guys that are older than you. This helps a lot with [developing] physicality and technique.” The towering Muller further added that the introduction of backline coach Robbie Fleck to Western Province was quiet reassuring since the two

had worked together when Fleck coached UCT during the Varsity Cup in 2008 and 2009. “Fleckie brought quite a few ideas to WP that he was initially using at UCT, but there are big differences in the way that things like the kicking game and forward play are done [at WP compared to UCT].”

Whitehead was equally forthright with praise for UCT’s coaching staff, saying “their extraordinary

Over the years UCT has turned out a number of professional rugby players who have gone through the ranks at the club and gone on to represent province and country.

The likes of Dugald MacDonald, Peter Whipp and more recently, Fleck, Shimangi, and Skinstad, spring to mind, all of which played their formative rugby on the Green Mile. However, the numbers of front running rugby players coming out of the Ikey system and making the step up to the professional stage has increased tenfold in recent years. Credit must be given to the coaching staff and in particular John Dobson and Rob Fleck, who have steered UCT rugby in the right direction.

They both have since moved on and been rewarded for their efforts, with Fleck now backline coach at Western Province and the Stormers, and Dobson involved in the Western Province setup as a mentor to younger players. The on-field success stretches to the coaches too, who have undoubtedly played a significant role in their players’ successes.

Bolt loses to Gay

Villa denies Sven links

Back to the Barclay’s Thabang Letheo WHEN Tottenham kickoff against Manchester City at White Hart Lane on 14 August at 12h45 GMT, it will be the beginning of the greatest football league in the world: the Barclay’s English Premiership League. A way of life for many, the Barclay’s Premiership League is broadcast to millions of people around the world and provides them with thrilling football.

Manchester City has acquired the likes of Yaya Toure, David Silva, Aleksander Kolarov and Jerome Boateng. Imminent transfers could possibly be the arrival of James Milner, as well as the ill-disciplined yet very talented Mario Ballotelli from Inter Milan. This does not ensure success, as certain world stars will have to face the prospect of a season on the bench. City

has spent a considerable amount of cash to lure the world’s best to Eastlands, but have absolutely nothing to show for it yet. Will this be their season?

The Red Devils have been quiet in the transfer window, with the £8 million Mexican striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez being their only acquisition who starred at this year’s World Cup, and young defender Chris Smalling.

With El-Hadji Diouf and Danny Welbeck set to go out on loan to gain experience, Hernandez and 18-year old Frederico Macheda are expected to give Wayne Rooney much-needed assistance in scoring for the Red Devils.

Continued on page 15

Hammers chase Everton’s Yakubu