2011: Edition 9

Varsity THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN

UCT Ballroom gleams in gold

23 August 2011

Volume 70: Number 9

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Hear our voices Lyndall Thwaits

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Image: GarethSmit.com STRUCK – Members of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union went on strike on Monday 15 August, advocating for an 18% wage increase. The image was taken outside the Cape Town Civic Centre as protesters waited to be addressed by Deputy Mayor Ian Nielson.

Basil Botha, who is a cleaner in the Steve Biko Student Union Building, said that workers felt “intimidated by many.” he current human resources policy allows for direct contact between the two parties; nevertheless, the workers feel victimised by the system. A cleaner at UCT who wished to remain anonymous said: “UCT don’t treat us like human beings; we don’t feel free, we must just clean.”

Feelings of victimisation and frustration were expressed by many of the workers present. Grievances over workers’ current wages played a signiicant role in their strike action.

Workers claim that the “allowances” that UCT allocates to them are being deducted by their respective companies for taking part in the strike, or for taking sick leave.

workers... are tired of waiting for UCT management to resolve issues Instead of hiring extra workers when a worker reports in sick, cleaning companies are allegedly increasing the workload of other employees.

Workers called for individual

paycheques which accurately reflect their income and a system which supports the workers and their best interests.

Metro workers at the strike on campuses across UCT said that they were unhappy about the health and safety aspects of their respective jobs. hey claimed to be inadequately supplied with uniforms and warm clothing for working in the winter. he DVC said that processes and procedures were in place to deal with allegations of intimidation and payment disputes saying that “all of this is talk, but talk is important.”

Workers were clear to say that they invited further conversation

with UCT management by opening the door, but that they did not want to ight with them. he SRC said that as a body it “supports the rights of workers to a decent living wage and beneits.” hey will continue to investigate the issues which have been raised by the workers through the strike action. he strike action by UCT workers is in part an extension of the mass national strike for wage increases for workers across the country. While workers at UCT were ighting for this increase, they acknowledged that if granted, the increase could take months to implement.

IN THIS ISSUE

CT cleaning staf gathered outside Bremner Building on Middle Campus on the morning of Wednesday 17 August before marching to upper campus as part of their strike action. Workers anticipated a direct response from UCT management regarding many ongoing issues surrounding their working conditions and payment. he meeting between UCT management and the workers was meant to act as a platform for workers to raise their concerns directly with the respective bodies within UCT. Workers stood outside the Bremner building with placards and there was a strong presence of security, with CPS monitoring the crowd, and the building heavily protected. Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) Professor handabantu Nhlapo and John Critien, Head of Property and Services at UCT addressed the crowd.

Cleaning staf from Metro and Supercare were supposed to put down tools on Monday 15 August but many have been coming in to UCT to fulil their duties. hey later joined the major protest, for fear that not being seen there by peers would result in violence in their homes and communities.

Last Wednesday marked the irst day that they abstained from their usual duties.

Workers repeatedly told the DVC that they are tired of waiting for UCT management to resolve issues surrounding pay and worker’s code of conduct. Amongst other things, they also claimed that UCT has the power to say “no” to outsourcing staf. hese issues are not unfamiliar to the staf, but previous strikes have not brought about the desired change they had hoped for.

Allegations of UCT intimidation made by a worker who approached them directly sparked a heated debate between the DVC and the worker in question. he worker was allegedly given a warning for attending a UCT meeting.

Zionists in spotlight page 3

London burns

page 5

Walk of Shame

page 7

SlutWalk

page 8-9

Res4Res revealed

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

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news

Malema and Shivambu charged JOHANNESBURG – ANCYL President Julius Malema and Spokesperson Floyd Shivambu have been charged with bringing the ANC into disrepute and “sowing divisions,” it was reported last week. he charges refer to past public statements. he date of the hearings has yet to be set, but Malema and Shivambu will be given the opportunity to defend themselves. hey will be represented by a member of the ANC in good standing.

– News24

Dewani extradition LONDON – A British court ruled on Wednesday 10 August that Shrien Dewani can be extradited to South Africa for allegedly orchestrating the murder of his wife Anni in Cape Town last year. The judge rejected arguments of posttraumatic stress and undesirable prison conditions. However, the final decision lies with UK Home Secretary Theresa May. – Times LIVE

National Health Insurance announced JOHANNESBURG – National Health Insurance (NHI) is to be introduced in South Africa in the next 14 years beginning in 2012, the Department of Health announced recently. Health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi plans to improve the quality of healthcare in the public sector and pricing in the private sector. “It is one of the biggest challenges worldwide, with a shortage of more than four million healthcare workers all over the world,” he said.

– Health-e

Malema apologises CAPE TOWN – ANC Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema has apologised to Botswana for urging government change. Last month, Malema said the Botswana government was a “puppet regime” and a serious threat to Africa. “We felt it is necessary to apologise and withdraw the statement [...] publicly, because we have noted that the statement has poisoned the environment,” Malema said.

– BBC.co.uk

US supercop to help UK LONDON – Prime Minister David Cameron has appointed US law enforcement expert Bill Bratton as an anti-gang consultant for British police. his follows four nights of rioting in north London earlier this month. Initially beginning as peaceful protests against the police shooting of a man, the actions turned into widespread vandalism and looting. “here are two police cars on ire; I’m feeling unsafe,” said David Akinsanya, 46, during the riots.

– CBC News

Danielle Barnes

SRC elections postponed Olivia Wainwright

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he upcoming Student Representative Council (SRC) election week has been postponed until Monday 19 September. his deferral of almost a month is the result of a decision made in June this year to increase the size of the SRC from 15 to 17 members. he nominations for SRC candidates will remain open until hursday 25 August. he SRC constitution was amended at an extraordinary sitting of Student Assembly to include two new members: a postgraduate academic chair and a student services and labour representative. he changes to the SRC constitution create an amendment to the UCT Statute — the law passed to create the University of Cape Town. Because of this, Minister for Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande must approve the changes.

he previous election dates – 22– 26 August – were set before the SRC was aware that the Minister would be signing the papers shortly.

Jerome September, Manager of Student Governance and Leadership, said: “he SRC Elections Committee, in full consultation with the SRC and after receiving advice from the Registrar […] decided to amend the dates to accommodate the election of a 17-member SRC.” Many students, however, have remained unaware of the new election dates. Student Nick Harris said: “I knew they were taking place in the near future, but I didn’t know the dates.”

However, SRC Vice President External Jessica Price maintained that “a mass email was sent out to all students explaining what has happened and giving the new deadline for nominations.” Posters and social media have also been used to advertise the changes. he introduction of two new members has been largely welcomed.

Image: Simone Millward

DELAYED – Election oicials oversee last year’s SRC election booths.

This year’s elections will begin on Monday 19 September.

Saad Panjwani, a student, felt that “we will have a stronger voice,” while Makeeda Gamedze said that “each [SRC] member can be focused on their own tasks.” he above-mentioned changes have led to a shift in other important

Zuma defends R2.4 billion Swazi bailout

Stephanie Venter

LAVISH – Swaziland’s King Mswati III has been criticised for an excessive lifestyle while many Swazis live on less than $2 a day.

Lucy Wileman

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resident Jacob Zuma has defended the decision by the government to grant Swaziland a R2.4-billion bailout, despite intense criticism.

Swaziland has sufered inancial troubles since the 2009 recession, resulting in the collapse of revenue from the South African Customs Union (SACU). SACU had previously provided two-thirds of their national budget.

should you allow your neighbour to collapse?

In an oicial statement, President Zuma said: “If a country is your neighbour, should you allow your neighbour to collapse because you hold certain political views? Will that not impact on you?”

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe supported this assertion, saying: “If you allow Swaziland to collapse you will have short-term satisfaction but you will pay dearly – more than the R2-billion loan – in the form of the inlux [of Swazis to South Africa].”

South Africa agreed to the bailout after attempts by King Mswati III to obtain a loan from both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the African Development Bank failed. Both institutions demanded major bureaucratic cuts and the implementation of austerity measures.

South African Cabinet spokesperson Jimmy Manyi said that this was not a loan from the South African Treasury, but a guarantee backed

by Swaziland’s SACU payments, and subject to their successful performance in four areas. hese include conidence-building measures to be undertaken by the Swazi government, iscal reforms (as required by the IMF), capacitybuilding support to be provided by South Africa, and co-operation in multilateral agreements.

Critics argue that this was South Africa’s opportunity to demand an end to police brutality and the suppression of political opposition in Swaziland, as well as to insist on constitutional reform of the monarchy. his has also led to fears that South Africa will be expected to inance other nations in the future.

Some have also questioned Swaziland’s loyalty to South Africa after it voted against South Africa receiving a seat on the UN Security Council.

electoral dates. he Question and Answer week (“Interrogation Week” ) has been moved to 12–16 September.

Provisional results will be announced on Monday 26 September, and the new SRC will take oice on Tuesday 1 November.

Politics tutorials withdrawn, reinstated

Image:Siphiwe Sibeko /Landov

NEWS BITES

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However, speaking to VARSITY, Seegers said that she could not conirm that tutorial system decisions are “decide[d] on the basis of inancial resources alone. […] Our tutorial system is under constant review for both educational and inancial reasons.”

“Professor Seegers [did] conirm that the Department had long given course convenors a choice about the kind of tutorial system they want to put in place,” Isaacs added.

inancial constraints within the Politics Department at UCT led to the apparent cancellation of tutorials and the absence of course readers for certain courses, students were informed in lectures at the beginning of the second semester. he Student Representative Council (SRC) conirmed to VARSITY that a number of irst-, second-, and third-year Politics courses did not have the traditional tutorial system.

Tutorials reinstated A number of students When initially contacted for approached the SRC with concerns comment on the course structure about the structure of Politics in the Politics Department, Seegers courses this semester, which led to said her department was awaiting the SRC meeting c o n f i r m at i o n with Head of the of additional Politics Departresources for “Our tutorial system is ment Professor Politics tutorials. under constant review Annette Seegers he Faculty of for both educational on Wednesday Humanities was and financial reasons.” “aware that we 27 July.

At this meetwould like more ing, the SRC resources for “was informed that funding tutorials for small groups in 2011,” constraints were limiting the said Seegers. number of small group tutorials Seegers was later able to that could be ofered,” said conirm that her department Academics Chair Inshaaf Isaacs in had implemented smaller-sized a statement. tutorial groups for some of the Giving speciics, Isaacs said courses afected. “POL2039, that POL2039 course convenor POL2040, and also POL1006 will Markus Korhonen informed the have small group-tutorials of the class at the beginning of term that right size,” said Seegers. “there would be no tutorials as part “When the issues were brought of the course, and that no course to Professor Seegers’ attention reader would be made available by the concerned students, the to students […] his action was a decision was immediately taken result of budgetary cuts.” to ask Mr Korhonen to drop the In place of tutorials, a course- textbook and use a course reader. size seminar would be held to allow [… A] 200-page plus reader was students to “engage less formally” distributed to the class shortly with the work, Isaacs continued. A thereafter,” said Isaacs. textbook was prescribed to replace a course reader.

news 3 Res4Res ends with a bang Tension at What Is Rael forum Vuyile Mahlangeni

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ednesday 9 August – Women’s Day – marked the beginning of UCT’s annual theatre and production festival, Res4Res. he ive-day festival saw most of the UCT residences showcase their hidden talent.

Ten of the residences put together productions which showed in the evenings at Hiddingh’s Little heatre. he festival was adjudicated by hami Mbongo, the Artistic Director of the Baxter heatre and this year’s winner of Best Actor at the Fleur du Cap heatre Awards. he theme for this year’s festival was “Identity: MXit, Berry It, Face It” and received varied interpretations. During his feedback speech, Mbongo expressed some disappointment, saying: “I expected the plays to dig more into the theme. We are at UCT, a very diverse population and there are many identity crises students face.”

Mbongo also mentioned that he expected the plays to be delivered in diferent languages – a sentiment appreciated by the Kopano cast, whose play Wounded Love was predominantly in isiXhosa. his,

however, proved to be a barrier for some of the audience. “It was hard for me to understand what was going on,” audience member Nikolai von Stackelberg said ater the show.

Nasiphi Fazi, who participated as a director in Res4Res last year, said that she was entertained by this year’s plays, adding, “I think the Smuts guys presented a very relevant and socially critical play.” heir play was entitled Clatta.

Africa’s past Apartheid state. “he welcoming we received at UCT was mixed,” said What Is Rael spokesperson Roi Wolf in a statement to VARSITY. “On one hand we got excellent reactions from students on campus and people were happy to meet us. On the other hand, the anti-Israeli students were loud and provocative and avoided engaging with us in dialogue; this surprised us very much.”

Prizes he festival was concluded by a prize-giving ceremony, acknowledging exceptional plays and individuals.

Sipho Ndlela from Varietas was awarded Best Dancer, and Best Comic Actor and Actress went to Tsego Liphuko from Baxter Hall and Lwando hewa from Smuts Hall respectively. Best Dramatic Actress was awarded to Kopano’s Nokuthula Mpanza, with Best Dramatic Actor going to Alex Pennington from Smuts Hall.

College House director Boipelo Seswane won Best Director prize. he award for Best Play went to Tugwell Hall for their play Ellipsis, directed by Basani Mkhize and Dawn Shabangu.

Achmat made his objection to Alan Fischer’s position clear

Image: Courtesy Res4Res

Image: Maya Sharon

EXPERIENCES – Mazal Yitzhak speaks of her experiences as a black Ethiopian woman in Israel.

Stephanie Venter

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ensions ran high at a forum featuring visiting Israeli group What Is Rael on hursday 18 August as some UCT student groups demonstrated opposition to the delegation’s visit. he forum was organised by the UCT branch of the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS), who are hosting What Is Rael in South Africa. Other groups present were the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA), the South African Students Congress Organisation (Sasco), and the Palestinian Students’ Forum (PSF), who were in opposition to the delegation’s visit.

Notably present in the crowd were well-known South African Treatment Action Campaign activist Zackie Achmat and Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli activist and member of the action group Anarchists Against the Wall.

Achmat and Pollak were particularly vocal during the forum, and were both supported and rejected by the audience for this. he audience itself was divided, with people expressing strong views on

both sides, while others observed.

Achmat made his objection to Alan Fischer’s position as mediator clear at the beginning when Fischer conirmed that he was not a UCT staf member. Ater the debate, Fischer described himself as “someone who is involved in the Jewish community”, who ofered to mediate as he felt “a student was not the right person to do this”.

...we feel we have an important role to play in the conflict he MSA expressed dissatisfaction with Fischer’s moderation, saying that “clear bias was demonstrated”.

However, other audience members appeared frustrated with Achmat’s continued interruptions.

Of the larger group of delegates, six were introduced as speakers at the forum. he speakers had varying credentials, and were not necessarily of the same view. Most commented on the diversity of the What Is Rael group, and said that Israel is “not a perfect state”. hey rejected comparisons of Israel to South

In a contrasting view, Sasco-UCT Chairperson Mike Ramothwala said “the event was not planned in a way to create constructive dialogue. […]

It was one-sided as there was no one on the panel to represent the Palestinian people’s view.”

SRC President Amanda Ngwenya expressed disappointment that “UCT students [were] bullied into [an] anti-Israeli boycott.” Ngwenya said that “the overwhelming message […] was not one of an institution that values freedom of thought and of speech.”

Explaining SAUJS’s role in the delegation’s visit, Stephanie Hodes, National Chairperson of SAUJS said: “As South Africans we feel we have an important role to play in the conlict and feel that we could teach Israelis and Palestinians our own lessons about reconciliation and nation-building.” he oicial position of the MSA – who urged their members to attend the event in protest – is one of “strong object[ion] to the Israeli students’ justiication of their country’s institutional discrimination and the abuse of the Palestinians peoples’ human rights.”

What Is Rael is not linked to the Israeli government, and delegates paid for their own lights, the group conirmed.

UCT students get new email addresses Sajjad Karamsi UCT students received new mailboxes last week, as the university begins to migrate from Novell’s Groupwise client. he new email address format will be abcxyz001@myuct. ac.za, and students will be able to use both email addresses simultaneously until the end of the year when the old addresses will be discontinued. he new client is based on a Microsot Live@Edu platform which ofers improved features

such as a 10GB mailbox (200 times larger than the current student mailbox), better integration with mobile devices, 25GB storage, and free use of the online Word and Excel applications.

An instant messenger service is also part of the package, with features that include group chat.

In addition, these new email addresses are for life, meaning students will not lose their email address once they graduate. his is a cloud-based system, so services are not hosted locally.

Staf, Masters and Doctoral students will retain their email

addresses and will only migrate to the new system next year.

UCT began investigating alternatives to Groupwise last year, ater concerns about its stability and sustainability emerged.

While more than 1 000 students accessed their new mailboxes on the irst day, a large number are still unaware of the new system.

However, students who have accessed MyUCT are impressed with the features. Yevashan Perumal, a fourth-year B.BusSci student, was pleased with the 25GB online storage, and stated that the “change was long overdue”.

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opinions

Editorial

Nyasha Kadandara

Trust and Believe

Nkosiyati Khumalo, Deputy Editor

Editor-in-Chief

Oh, how the mighty have fallen?

Is this the year of revolutions or what? Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Morocco, our own series of strikes, the cast of Two and a Half Men... 2011 is the year! By the time you read this, Libya’s favourite uncle Gadaffi may have a “former” attached to his name.

Hokoyo! people to see how cardboard, corrugated iron, and plastic make for excellent housing materials. If I were the Human Settlement minister I would be ashamed that I haven’t been able to give the people of Mitchells Plain dry feet. Every year people act surprised at the amount of rain and the government proclaim that they will provide enough housing in the next ive years, but people are wet and cold right now. he strikes are the result of pentup anger and a failing political system and the beginning of a failed attempt at African Democracy.

For a long time, the blame for inequality has belonged to Apartheid, but that story is getting old. Apartheid did not pay out the CEO’s at SABC, SAA, and Eskom millions for doing kak!

Ater seeing the way people panicked over brief fuel crisis in July, I can safely say you will not survive what is going on Zimbabwe, Angola, Ivory Coast… actually, let’s just say the rest of Africa.

In my language Hokoyo means watch out. South Africa, Hokoyo!

Your precious, yet neglected democracy can easily turn into a nightmare. Students, vote for your SRC, house committees, & faculty councils; amongst us there is a Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, a Julius Malema, and I pray a Trevor Manuel.

Make you mark and don’t continue to take democracy for granted.

ne

op ws in io fe ns at ur es sp or t im s ag es

hat a hectic week. So much chaos: riots in London, strikes outside our lecture theatres. You might be irritated with the Supercare workers demonstrating outside a venue while you tried to listen to a boring lecturer, but what would you do if you earned a measly R4000 a month?

People keep crying about how unfair the world is, but what exactly did you expect when you didn’t even vote, or worse, you vote based on what happened seventeen years ago?

I understand why Somalians are unhappy: they are starving. I would be upset too. I know why, as a Zimbabwean, I am sad: I can’t vote in free and fair elections. But I am absolutely dismayed at how South Africans have decided to throw their toys out of the cot when you have brought it upon yourselves.

When I look back at this fascination of hosting international sporting events in this country, I don’t understand why a government would splurge millions of dollars on stadiums that are now in danger of becoming white elephants when you can’t implement a decent educational system that works for more than three years. he World Cup lasted a month but an education is the git that keeps on giving. What good will soccer do you, when you can’t even read the score?

If I were the tourism minister I would be embarrassed to invite

Newsgathering Wednesday, 24 August, 1pm Maths 304 DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: Wednesday, 7 September

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ‘SRC: glass half empty or half full?’ (26 July 2011) It is reported in this article by a member of the Day Houses SubCouncil that the SRC Day-Houses restructuring proposal has not been “seen or approved” by the Day-Houses Sub-Council.

I wish to clarify that the proposal was presented to the Day-Houses Sub-Council, as well as all other

represented student structures, at a sitting of the Student Assembly on Wednesday 11 May. he purpose of this was to gauge initial comment from the student sub-structures. he proposal will return to the Student Assembly once it has been circulated through the relevant SRC

sub-councils, and all comment has been duly considered. he SRC remains committed to this project and to ensuring that the best possible end-result is achieved. his process will be assisted by consultation.

Sean Darge

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a co ds nf er ed enc ito e ria l hr

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But before we all start signing “Changes in My Life” (stuck in your head — you’re welcome), let’s just see how things pan out. I can remember how friends and family in the US danced in the streets for Obama; I wonder how many of them would do it again now.

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2011 collective editor Nyasha Kadandara deputy editor Nkosiyati Khumalo news Stephanie Venter & Lyndall Thwaits opinions Tiffany Mugo & Berndt Hannweg features Marché Arends & Thandokazi Hlwatika sport Sajjad Karamsi & Nicole Beale Design Nic Botha images Michael Currin web Azhar Desai & Chris Linegar human resources Caterina Aldera & Chido Mpemba advertising Sizwe Moagi marketing Rémy Ngamije OPERATIONS Candy Peck CONFERENCE team Florentina Swigelaar & Odwa Sihlobo sub editors Kent Elsner, Rhynhardt Krynauw & Stuart MacDonald staff writers Calvin Scholtz, Liam Kruger, Lucy Wileman, Sibahle Melane, Damian Phillip Smith, Nick Corbett, Alex Karp, Tanya Wagner, Mohamed Mollagee, Meli Ncube, Alex Nagel, Michael Fitt, Tracey van Heerden, Langa Sigodi, Olivia Wainwright, Roxanne Jones, Lucy Wileman, Vuyile Mahlangeni, Funeka Dumbisa, Kishan Chokkappan, Carla de Klerk, Matthew van der Westhuizen, Alex Searle, Wandile Mamba & Lefu J. Dlamini. photographers Candice Land & Gareth Smit cartoonist Julian Nkuna Design Takura Wekwete

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opinions

5 Speak Easy

Tiffany Mugo

Why did the South African cross the ocean?

Carla de Klerk

S

tatistics show that over a million South Africans have emigrated to newer pastures since 2001, and about 500 000 of them went knocking on the door of the UK. According to reports, the biggest reason for this is the rate of violent crime in South Africa. In a country where about 50 people are murdered every day, this lood to safer grounds seems quite understandable. But is it really?

People pack up their lives to go to Australia, the USA, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK, believing that the problem of “crime” is exclusively linked to South Africa. Most of us know people living abroad and should you ask them the reason they traded the sunny African sky for the dreary, grey clouds of the UK, the most famous response usually is: “I want to live in a place where my kids can play in the streets till late.” When thinking of the recent London riots, I am sure all the kiddies are having a jol out there in the streets...

No, I do not intend to use the riots as a joke; however, I do see it

as a wakeup call. Crime happens everywhere. Seriously, unless you train a hyena as a guard dog, there is nothing protecting you from anyone. In the past year, the number of rapes, thets, and knife crimes has drastically increased in London.

According to BBC News, racism and bullying have begun to threaten Arabs and blacks in the workplace.

“...unless you train a hyena as a guard dog, there is nothing protecting you from anyone.”

Five people have been killed in the riots so far by means of violent shootouts and physical attacks. hen, bringing into account the vast number of muggings, lootings, and injuries brought by the riots, does this place sound like the Promised Land where you want your children to “roam free” in the streets? his “wakeup call” is not just applicable to London and the UK, but all around the globe. Gangrelated crimes are increasing in the

Image: Dan Istitene/Getty Images

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US and, according to the US National Gang Assessment Center, they have become a threat to public safety. In Australia, racism has become an increasingly big issue, as proven the racially motivated crimes and attacks against Indian students in 2009.

Even in Norway, anti-Islamic beliefs led to the massacre of 77 people. his list can go on forever. My point is that you can’t escape crime in the society of today, no matter what your location. he problem lies with our society. People. Us. We live in a time where the world is experiencing an economic crisis; there are wars in the Middle East involving America, Australia, and the UK; in many African countries, our neighbours experience war and famine; even in our own country there is regularly talk of political unrest and rioting.

Civilisation has created a hostile environment for itself to live in.

Sadly, leaving your home to emigrate to “the land of the free” won’t cure the evils of the world. If the grass seems to be greener on the other side, it is only because there it is currently Summer — eventually Winter will be there too.

A new role for tertiary graduates There are some questions that our “Afropolitan” university, this “island in a sea of poverty” has not aforded us the space to ask. As young intellectuals, we haven’t been critically challenged by our curricula to rethink what the privilege of education directly means for the mission on which we must embark to redesign our distorted societies, both locally and internationally.

As an engineering, science, or medical student I must ask the question: Am I to go and contribute to the destruction of the African environment by Sasol and Shell or am I to look into renewable fuels and build sewage systems for the majority of our people who live in appalling sanitary conditions?

As a privileged member of society, am I to use my talents to face the challenges of HIV/Aids, malaria, and tuberculosis that plague millions

Image: Duncan P Walker

Lefu J. Dlamini & Wandile Mamba

of my brothers and sisters, or am I to join the 20 000 African graduates that leave for Europe every year?

As a inance, law, economics or sociology graduate, what is my role? Should I consider how best to use the resources that Africa is rich with to beneit African people?

Should I be concerned about the nationalisation of the mines and land, and successfully managing the state budgets by developing

complex inancial systems that will minimise corruption?

Who is to study the psyche of a defeated people, and work on ways to make them feel empowered and relevant, in the kind of society to which we aspire? he solution might include interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary challenges. It can be made compulsory by the university that postgraduate students from

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y hands are shaking. he season? How many singers now clack of the keys grates my have more fans who, having heard nerves. I hit reconnect repeatedly. their albums, would actually go to hey say the deinition of madness their concerts (where the money is is doing the same thing again and made)? Are we not in fact building again expecting a diferent result. this billion-dollar industry? hink But the hub. Just. Won’t. Connect. of this as a utilitarian moral I understand that there are a few argument, the greatest good for moral and economic issues tied up the greatest number people. with DC. “You’re stealing music.”

Yes, I have invoked “Someone worked hard to make kindergarten-level philosophy to that movie.” “You’re spreading plead my case, but at the end of viruses.” I also get that there is the day the prestigious honour of porn being downloaded, but that this university rests irmly on the is a conversation between you, shoulders of peer-to-peer sharing. your maker and that bottle of hand As students ater a hard day of late cream you hide in tuts, failed tests, the cupboard. I and sleepless also understand the nights, or ater “We literally cannot the soul-crushing issues of copyright.

I understand that survive without DC!” rejection when somebody (and a man who has we’re not talking “lectured u 4 about the temper 2 yrs” doesn’t tantrums in trailers) may be recognize you, let alone know missing out on a small portion of your name, the shows on DC their salary. But let us not be those give us the strength and sanity to people who don’t see the sunshine face another day. he strength to in the rain. sit through that tut or lecture. A DC provides a means to reward for that late-night study share notes, lecture slides, in session. And the notes we ind on fact, knowledge across faculties, there don’t hurt. academic disciplines, years of Sure; the lectures are nice, the study, friendship groups, and even tutorials sometimes helpful, and strangers. Before you laugh and the course readers contain some think I’m blowing smoke, I once gems. But we need our ix. We obtained some amazing con law have the need... for our speed. Yes notes which I, in turn, shared. On I said it. We are junkies for that Vula you’re restricted to just your half an hour of mindless comedy, course codes, but with DC the those 40 commercial-free minutes doors of academia are thrown wide of intense drama. It is what carries open! And isn’t that what higher us through the day... the week... education is about? the semester. We need our shows, Of course there is a more, shall or campus is going to become we say, casual side to DC. Sure, in akin to something from Dawn of amongst the work there are some the Dead. Res will start to mirror videos being shared. A little music deleted scenes from Hostel. And loats back in forth. All this may no one wants that. As one student or may not be free. But let us look eloquently put on Facebook: at it this way. How many more “We literally cannot survive viewers do obscure shows now without DC!” So for the love of have because thousands of students all things DP-related, will this hub had their shows inish the current please connect!

diferent spheres collaborate on their master’s dissertations. he focus can be on a particular community. he engineer can focus on the infrastructure, in consultation with the lawyer on human rights and dignity, in consultation with the medical professional on general health, and in consultation with the environmentalist on environmental concerns. his kind of approach taken by the university could begin the process of helping us identify exactly what our role should be ater our studies. he solution might be the development of a civic organisation that compels matriculants to serve a

year doing community development work before they can register at a tertiary institution.

We are aware that many young intellectuals, both black and white, feel that they are isolated from the political discourse in Africa.

History never makes room for such; it judges a generation by the most visible/vocal/efective members of that generation.

Silence is consent. No one gives you a space, you take it. It is clear to us that we are the authors of our destinies, and only we will determine how history will judge the impact our generation in reshaping our societies for the better.

opinions Image: garethsmit.com

6

God’s tardiness reaches Biblical proportions Alex Searle

Thou shalt not imbibe liquor on the Sabbath Sajjad Karamsi

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ecause we overwhelmingly voted them in, the City of Cape Town has assumed authority to be our enforcers of religion. hey decide what we can or cannot do on Sunday, obviously considering what’s best for us. In line with this, they are deeply concerned that too much alcohol will be consumed on Sunday, thus distracting us from the Biblical concept of a weekly “rest day.” Banning this, they feel, will take us all a step closer to achieving Salvation.

Due to the heady Christian inluence of these blue laws, some are raging against this blatant religious discrimination. Jewish folk and Muslim men (the Muslim women were forced to remain at home by religious “fundamentalists”) are furious that despite the huge Muslim and Jewish populations in the city, they don’t get a “rest day” on their respective Sabbaths. hey have suggested that an elongated weekend run from Friday to Sunday with no work allowed on any day, to combat these discriminatory practices and appease all the religious souls.

However, adherents of Jediism

and the Wiccan faith are now disillusioned and want to propose a resolution to also recognize Tuesday and hursday as their respective Sabbath, and propose no work, and no alcohol be sold on those days as well. Atheists and Agnostics, always wanting to prove a point, have started a petition to get Wednesday instated as their “rest day,” stating it’s not fair that religion always has the upper hand.

I’d enforce a modern Prohibition and ban alcohol all seven days of the week.

he City of Cape Town responded to all these claims stating that they just wanted one day of the week where wife beatings by drunken husbands would greatly reduce. Furious at this statement, the Association of Battered Husbands responded by saying that husbands only get beaten up on Fridays, when they fail to turn up with their wage packets. hey have thus proposed both Friday and Sunday as “alcohol-free” days, to enable them to bring their entire

wage packets home and not drink it all up on Friday evenings. he DA-led Council also added they wanted one day when there would be fewer accidents on the road caused by drunken driving. In immediate retaliation, the ANCYL called a press conference suggesting that this was a “racist policy” and that “only white people are responsible for drunken driving because they have all the cars.” hey demand that this law now apply only to people who need SPF-50 sunscreen when they go to the beach, and not to dark-skinned folk.

If it were up to me, I’d enforce a modern Prohibition and ban alcohol all seven days of the week.

Frankly, the City’s measures stink of concession to past relics. If they really cared about the binge-drinking, the alcohol poisoning, and the wives and children battered by drunken men in this city, they would implement stricter measures.

If they cared about drunken driving and rowdy alcohol-induced hooliganism, they would make it impossible to purchase alcohol anywhere. hey don’t. Ater all, they have to mollify SAB-Miller with their huge sponsorship cheques and their even larger tax ones.

5:55PM SATURDAY. Reaching up to the sky with the Bible underneath her arm and iveund year-old Tommy holding on, Miss yea Tina McCray believes she is one of the 144 000 to be swept up to the heavens this evening. A brilliant ray of light will lash across the horizon, parting the clouds as a thunderous roar announces the Mighty Hand of Salvation. It will transport her boyfriend Billy Ray, Tommy, and herself up to the heavens in their bright red caravan. he dog has disappeared in the valley littered with trailers, cars, and mobile homes. Tommy lets go of his mother’s clammy grasp to search for his dog while Tina, oblivious, raises another hand in the direction of paradise.

5:59PM. his is it. he 15 000strong crowd goes silent. Radios and hi-is are killed. Everyone ixes their eyes on the shapeless vapours dancing in the endless blue. he valley is spellbound. Any minute now. A chilling wind passes through. A phone rings somewhere in the distance. “Any minute now,” comes another reassuring whisper.

Tina checks her watch. Sure, it’s past 6PM but maybe our watches are wrong. “hose folks on FOX forget we’re an hour behind,” someone says. Nothing can shake her faith. he Lord is coming. Billy Ray takes a sip of his Budweiser.

6:25PM. Mouths are dry.

Eyeballs ache. Some of the older men sit in their camping chairs, using the old “college football injury” excuse. he sun disappears behind the mountains. Pockets of people begin to talk. Weren’t the calculations supposed to be right this time? Someone offers to phone Camping’s toll-free line but the number no longer exists. “Maybe it’s Eastern time,” someone says. he commotion leads to more questions than answers.

6:49PM. Tommy inds his dog under an old Ford truck far from the caravan and attaches a leash. A sea of Christians surrounds them with shouting and chaos. No one offers help. He might be able to ind his way back if there weren’t so many people making so much noise. He wishes he knew what they were going crazy about. Tears well in his eyes. Where is Mommy? ***** he valley is almost empty. A handful of true believers remain, dozing in their trucks to hushed radio voices. Far off in the darkness, a statue, its head tilted skyward, stands alone. he bright red caravan is gone along with Billy Ray. Tina’s hands remain numbly lited towards the black dome of stars, where God continues to hide.

11:13PM. Tina hasn’t seen Tommy for hours. But it’s okay, because any minute now, they’ll all be in heaven. Nothing can shake her faith. he Lord is coming.

I am what I wear, not what I bare Matthew van der Westhuizen

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ou see a woman like her every day. She walks down the street wearing nothing but a small top, a mini-skirt and pumps. he irst thought that passes through your mind is that she is trying to gain the attention of her male counterparts which, in some way or the other, makes her a slut. his does not, however, mean that she deserves to be raped. Or does it? According to the Toronto Police it does. Ater women were being raped because of wearing clothing that was considered a bit provocative, the Toronto Police released a statement that said women should avoid wearing clothing that was revealing. Does this not restrict women’s rights as human beings?

SlutWalk was the response to this issue as protestors marched the streets proclaiming the rights of women to wear whatever clothing they desired to wear. he women around the world who participate in SlutWalk aim to get this message across. Women should be allowed to wear what they want without being criticised or seen as an objects of a male’s sexual fantasy.

Some people, both men and women, still do not understand why some women dress in what is seen as a provocative manner. here are various reasons for women dressing in this manner. One of the most obvious reasons is the inluence of celebrities and the images that the media – in advertising, for example – portray of women. One just has to look at celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Rihanna to understand why women want to dress this way. here are women who dress provocatively because, as sad as it may sound, they are trying to gain the attention of their male counterparts. his usually pertains to a woman’s self-esteem. Women with low self-esteem will expose themselves because it helps to increase their levels of conidence. his is the inluence of society and its concepts of gendered ideologies. his “society” is male-dominated and places women at lower levels in comparison to men and therefore, some women think that the best way for them to express themselves is through the use of their physical attributes. Feminists see this as a degradation of the female body and what it stands for. All this still, however, does not give anyone the right to rape a woman because she is

Image: michael.currin.co.za trying to gain attention for the way she is dressed.

Whether a woman wants to dress like her favourite celebrity or whether she is trying to gain the attention of men, there is nothing in this equation that says she is looking to be raped. SlutWalk presents this issue loud and clear through its protests for the equality of women in society without the prosecution for the way that they dress. Sisters are doing it for themselves and brothers should be standing with them in support!

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

Letters to the editor need to be kept to a maximum of 350 words and can be sent to:

opinions@varsitynewspaper.co.za

opinions

7

Cheer or Jeer?

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et’s begin by putting our best foot forward and make it clear that both males and females have to endure the walk of shame ater a random hook-up. here is, however, a negative stigma attached to girls who get with someone and then have to leave the scene of the crime in a great mess with a hangover like an anchor and a physical appearance that shows that they have been properly serviced.

When leaving ater a steamy evening, girls are more generally frowned upon, as if they had done something wrong, illegal, or something that they should be ashamed of.

However, when guys hook up, although they have to also undergo the walk of shame, they are received by their friends to the sound of applause and cheers, almost as if the guy has found a solution to end world hunger. So then, if a guy is cheered ater his hook-up, is it fair that a girl be jeered ater hers? he simple answer is yes! It all starts at the beginning of the girls’ night. hey dress up trying to look better than their girlfriends. he

club is pumping beyond expectation and the dance floor is hot. he alcohol is even better because the more girls drink the sexier they seem to believe they become. For a guy, alcohol makes even that ugly friend look like a hook-up that is an absolute necessity.

you should be proud to be a slut because it’s awesome… for guys So, ladies, you get up the next morning trying to remember and reconcile the events that unfolded the previous night. he grace and beauty with which you presented yourself at the beginning of the night has now been tarnished. Your make-up is in a mess, your hair is sticking out in all directions and your knickers are in a twist – if you can ind them.

You walk out across the corridor/ grass/street to the sound of heckles from the guys. You were once an object of beauty, but now you are just damaged goods. You have momentarily lost respect for yourself, respect which you once deserved.

You are not treated in the manner

Image: Erin Solerjed

Kishan Chokkappan

that a girl should have been treated, with chivalry and respect, by a guy who should at least be willing to drive you home the next morning.

Ater having momentarily defaced yourselves, the jeering now seems like a necessity because it reminds you that while you claim guys to be disgusting at times it goes to show that you have strayed very far from those angel-like qualities yourselves.

While I seem to support the notion

that girls should respect themselves more than they believe they are entitled to, I should just remember that a hook-up is just merely that. A hook-up. Everyone should be treated equally when undergoing the walk of shame. So imagine for a minute we’re all for equality and treating everyone the same regardless of race, ethnicity or gender, then surely there should be no reason why a girl should be frowned upon ater hooking up.

R E E R A C R YOU OPERATIONS MANAGER VARSITY speaks to RULISHA CHETTY – Digital Learning Materials Designer at The Centre for Educational Technology, UCT - BA (Film & Media Production, Media & Writing) How did you find your niche in your current area of work?

I started at CET as in intern as part of their one-year Internship programme. It was during my valuable internship that I discovered the great demand for online interactive material by academic staff and the need to pass on technical skills to lecturers who have embraced interactive media. Within an educational context, in today’s digital environment it’s not enough to passively consume online media but also to understand how it’s made and to learn skills to help you make these things yourself. Having these skills saves money and puts you in control of your own work as well as allowing the academic to enrich their curriculum for students.

Which factors ignited your interest in this position/organisation?

As I was part of the UCT student market, I know all too well the importance that online media resources play in researching essay topics. In addition to print materials, I utilised online media resources such as electronic journals and respected web sites to cover all aspects of the research topic. These online resources became all the more important when print materials surrounding the topic were scarce. I also found Vula incredibly useful as a platform which allowed me to retrieve important lecture material. It also served as a helpful communication line in which I could discuss topics with both lecturers and students.

I appreciated using resources such as online interactive tutorials and educational videos to learn. It was during this time that I gained an appreciation for Educational Technology. I’m a firm believer in online media and lover of technology which is why I was interested in working at CET. I consider the work being done at CET to be of great value to students and staff at UCT. Describe some of your day-to-day responsibilities/experiences.

My daily activities vary depending on the projects I’m working on so I’ll give you an idea of some my duties: Participating in projects related to digital material production such as screencasts, podcasts and videos.

Meeting with academics to discuss the design, development and implementation of these materials; Concentrating on staff development by teaching workshops on production skills such as screencasting, video editing and digital storytelling; Training CET interns in multimedia skills; Gathering project data for evaluation and research purposes.

What challenges have you encountered?

Working in an academic environment is different to the corporate world. I’ve had to adapt and learn how to engage with academics, seeing them as clients, and understanding their specific needs when it comes to the design and

implementation of online resources. There is also a challenge to make the material interesting and exciting for students. Every curriculum is different so you have to be creative and flexible.

As I am the only person in the department who does this kind of work, I often have to work autonomously. I therefore had to improve on my time-management and decision-making skills by taking charge of my tasks and prioritising to make sure I meet deadlines without overwhelming myself by taking on too much.

In retrospect, what advice can you give to students?

I would recommend you try to do internships or job shadow during long holidays whilst you are studying. The UCT careers website is a great resource to check for part-time jobs (That’s how I found out about the CET Internship!). I also think no matter how inexperienced or experienced you are, you must have a willingness to learn new things. The work environment is constantly changing and you should always be willing to learn a new skill or have the openness to grown and change. I strive to continue to learn and develop in my career because the digital world around me is constantly changing and I know it’s beneficial for me to keep exploring new things.

ices v r e S s r e e r Ca o p p o rt u n it ie a d vi ce • in fo rm a ti o n •

ED UC AT IO N R HI GH ER CE NT RE FO

DE VE LO PM EN

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Alas, we do not live in a perfect world, for it only exists in books and movies. It is for this reason that I say it is perfectly ine for a girl to hook up and do the walk of shame as many times as she desires just as long as she is ready to be accredited with the name, Slut. So the next time you submit yourself to the walk of shame remember that you should be proud to be a slut because it’s awesome… for guys.

CAREERS CALENDAR AUGUST Career Talks All talks take place from 13h00 – 13h45.

CVs & Cover Letters 24 August LT1, Hoerikwaggo 29 August LT1, Hoerikwaggo 5 Sept LT1, Hoerikwaggo (11h00 - 12h30) *Come and pick up a copy of our brand new CVs and COVER LETTERS book!

Preparing for Interviews 23 August LT1, Hoerikwaggo 31 August LT1, Hoerikwaggo 6 Sept LT1, Hoerikwaggo (11h00 - 12h30) 8 Sept LT1, Hoerikwaggo Researching Careers: where to begin 25 August New Chemical Engineering Seminar Room 6 Sept LT1, Hoerikwaggo Rethinking your Degree 25 August New Chemical Engineering Seminar Room 6 Sept LT1, Hoerikwaggo *Download the second semester’s schedule of Career Talks on www.careers.uct.ac.za

Opportunities Company Showcase Kramer Quad 10h00 - 15h00 23 August - Norton Rose

General Career Fair 14 September: 09h00 – 15h00 in Jameson Hall

Presentations Please refer to the Career Service Graduate Handbook Looking for a bursary/scholarship, vacation or graduate opportunity?

www.careers.uct.ac.za • 021 650 2497 • Ground floor, Hoerikwaggo, North Lane

Visit www.careers.uct.ac.za/reg

m in support of this protest against rape because being a ut isn’t about what you wear, a slut sleeps with people.”

“We know it is deinitely not about what women wear it is about men’s attitude. If it is about what women wear then we question: what about babies, what about women wearing their Muslim clothes? They are also being raped. In the boardroom when women are wearing revealing outits, men don’t jump across the table and rape them, they control themselves. Therefore, rape has nothing to do with clothes.”

Evelyn Moses

Amy Brusator

“I’m very against rape! No one deserves to be raped and the fact that they will rape you and blame the clothes you wear is ridiculous.”

Tamala Norris

SlutWalk Roxanne Jones & Funeka Dumbisa On Saturday 20 August, hundreds of people turned in their numbers to participate in South Africa’s irst “SlutWalk.” The protest took place in Green Point as part of an anti-rape awareness campaign. Protesters came dressed in skimpy and lesh-baring outits to draw attention to the growing tendency amongst police oicers and the general public that the rape of a woman can be justiied or blamed on “promiscuous” appearance or outits and thus this is a justiication for sexual assault.

(To read the full article and view images of the event, visit varsitynewspaper. co.za)

“Words speak louder than actions – the way we dress does not mean we should be violated and subjected to all kinds of abuse.”

Amanda “Doing SlutWalk is important to women as it helps them embrace their power.”

Tracy-Lee Rosslind “I don’t think what women wear makes them sluts, some women just want to look beautiful.”

Tara Keen

“I like looking at women and appreciating what they’ve got.”

Rudey Novem

“After seeing the big national debate that it sparked we realised how important SlutWalk is for a country like South Africa, which is the rape capital of the world. It is not going to change things in a day but we’ve got people talking.”

“A woman could never ask to be sexually assaulted and if we want to be free women in South Africa we must be able to dress how we chose, conduct your sexual life however we chose and not be branded as asking for sexual violence.”

Lindiwe Mazibuko DA Party Spokesperson

Umeshree Govender an organiser of SlutWalk Cape Town

“I’m doing SlutWalk for all my friends and anyone out there that is going through this. It is very important that people realise you are not doing this for yourself but for everyone else. To be raped is deinitely the biggest shock no matter who you are or how you live.”

Images: michael.currin.co.za

Mojo McDonald

“I saw it on Facebook and I thought it is a good cause. I’m pleased to see so many men here.”

Thandi Swiel

“It is a prevalent issue at the moment and if you go look at the Facebook page you can see the comments people make. It is disgusting that people equate women to cellular phones by saying if you walk in the road and lash your BlackBerry and it gets stolen it is your own fault; the same applies for women and the clothes they wear.”

Michael Clark

“Society thinks that people who dress a certain way are sluts. A slut was never made a bad word, society made it a bad word therefore we say: Society se gat.”

Eleanor Williams Rape Crisis Centre “I think we should respect women and what they wear shouldn’t be governed by men’s actions.”

Nicole Ferreira

“Girls can wear whatever they want to wear, freedom of expression.”

Michael Currie

10

features

REVIEWS

Restaurant review: Mr Pickwicks

Bookmark

by Alex Karp & Nyasha Kadandara

‘The Bro Code’ by Barney Stinson

Nick Corbett 

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hen someone says to you, “Let’s go for a milkshake,” you have two options: One, you say, “No thank you, I’m giving the gym a chance;” or two, “Let’s hit Mr Pickwicks.”

Found right in the middle of Long Street, the décor of the establishment smacks of Bohemian ‘70s street kitsch. he downstairs area features rows of high stools and bars to eat at, while being surrounded by bright pastel colours and Tretchikofinspired prints on the walls. A narrow wooden staircase leads up to the upper loor, holding an array of mismatched antique armchairs around vintage tables upon an exquisite wooden loor. What adds an extra special punch is the classical artwork elaborately framed and hung in amongst the otherwise contemporary street art graitied on the walls. he upstairs also has a quaint balcony with benches and tables to allow for an excellent vantage point of Long Street shenanigans.

Many know Mr Pickwicks as the home of the world famous Mouthwatering Mars Bars milkshake.

It ofers the most incredible assortment of lavours, including Martian Marshmallows, Turkish Delight and Original Oreo varieties. he restaurant doesn’t stop there; it presents an extensive menu from breakfasts to tapas, soups to desserts, foot-long sandwiches to gourmet toasties and everything in between.

Accessible via the Hiddingh Jammie and, let’s face it, not the most unpleasant walk, Mr Pickwicks ofers a fantastic assortment of recommendations that take into account a typical student budget. here is a special ofer of a beef, chicken or veggie burger, served with a generous portion of chips and a side salad for R25, R23, and R24 respectively. he restaurant has also presented a clear winner if you aren’t looking to break the bank; a three course meal of your selection for R55. Stop by on Mondays for Trivia Night, Tuesdays for Movie Night and Wednesdays and Saturdays for karaoke, all kicking of between 7pm and 8pm.

From the kitschy artistic 70s burger-bar feel, to the triple-thick delicious shakes, the experience is one not to be missed out on, so throw on that lowered headband and head to marvellous Mr Pickwicks for a bit of fun.

We assume that people go about governing their daily lives by some form of internal code of conduct, whether it is your neighbouring senior citizen across the hall taking his oversized rat for a walk, or simply your friend’s brother vegetating in front of the television (overloading on carbs, emitting illegal gases into our precious atmosphere, and cracking inappropriate jokes at the most inappropriate of times).

Matt Kuhn (writer of the ever popular series How I Met Your Mother), drops approximately 150 bombs on what it truly means to be a man. While the male population of the world may consider this to represent the Holy Grail to their existence, a bible in the name of

‘The Fear’ by Peter Godwin I have dreaded buying this book for quite sometime, but after my light home got cancelled indeinitely, I had no choice.

As I predicted this book would force me to face the reality of the atrocities of the 2008 genocide in Zimbabwe. Godwin transforms the stories of victims of the postelection violence onto the pages of he Fear. He gives a very detailed history of what led to the events of 2008, by scribing memoirs of many expatriates from as far back as the 1950s.

Born and bred in what was

Fall out of winter, spring into summer Mohamed Mollagee

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any of you might consider fashion a commercial power that objectiies people by letting others judge them on their appearance. In part, this is what fashion is about, but it is also a whole lot more. I believe in the personal power of interpretation, a power that should be used when one deciphers how and if to wear some of 2011/2012’s coolest Spring/Summer trends. Don’t waste too much time thinking; with sunny days around the corner, you wouldn’t want to be caught dead in last season’s trends.

Accentuating curves and playing with femininity is what full skirts are for. Popular for this season are highwaisted and below-the-knee skirts, or, for the more daring, longerlength (and sometimes sheer) skirts, best worn with killer heels at night,

or comfy wedges for a Jammie hursday. Sheer, lowing loor-length skirts are being worn over shorter slips, unless you prefer some fresh air down under. here’s no need to worry; skinnies will not be retired anytime soon. here has, however, been an abundance of wide-legged and lared styles all over runways last year and in European street style recently.

Drawing on all things ‘70s, the key to looking modern in these pants (although many of them are highwaisted) is to create a proportioned look, either by wearing a itted top or clinching a belt in at the waist. his trend is quite diferent from the 90’s lare leg, so don’t even think about taking out those lared jeans you still have from your high-school days.

If there’s one thing that’s in for both sexes, it’s bright bursts of colour. You might shriek at the idea of abandoning the go-to’s – black

manhood if you will, their female counterparts may use this as a lesson in anticipating and understanding future male companions and their (ever-questionable) actions.

Kuhn has managed to transcribe what was possibly once oral tradition (passed on from ancient generations), giving birth to this sacred document as a guide to achieving ultimate Bro-dom.

A quick read (which is most deinitely recommended) of this list of dos and don’ts sends you on a well-received journey of shits and giggles. Although some of its content is questionable and might send only the entire female population on a killing spree, I urge reading it with a pinch of salt and an ice-cold beer. his book will deinitely grow on you.

and grey – colour has the potential to completely change your look. If you’re conservative and you’re afraid of having your outit being mistaken for a costume, the trick is to have a focal point and to build from there.

Add a neutral garment if need be to pull everything together. Colour can be incorporated in small measures too, for example by clashing a tie and golf shirt or socks and shorts.

Now gentlemen, when it comes to preppy I know you’re thinking bow ties and stufy shirts, but this look takes a more subtle appearance with rolled up sleeves and tailored shorts this season. You can increase the level of preppiness by adding accessories like framed spectacles, messenger bags, striped socks or bold-coloured garments, but these are not necessary for the minimalist preppy look. he best value-for-money items for men this spring/summer are faded, pastel and washed garments.

Create a neutral palette and keep it basic or use it as a canvas to carry a strong bold item: a striped shirt or diferent-textured pants worn with a vest/shirt/jacket of a contrasting material.

Take cues from Craig Native and Viyella and use washes and pastels in menswear, as a take on the trend which many still associate with women. Basics such as t-shirts and shorts can be found in a variety of pastel shades too.

then Rhodesia, he reminisces about his childhood, one that is similar to any Zimbabwean; you will instantly be reminded of the lucky red beans we played with, the Jaracandas in January, and the coloured maphuti we were all fond of eating.

While the book often made me cry about how cruel humans can be, Godwin did what not many journalists can: remain objective while interviewing a variety of people from diferent political, religious and racial backgrounds. If you have ever had a love afair with Zimbabwe, read it!

Movie Review: Horrible Bosses Tanya Wagner  I’m sure all of you are familiar with those movie trailers that contain all the best parts, with the rest of the movie is “blah” at best?

Like pretty much every other Jack Black movie? Well this movie is not one of them! You will laugh from start to inish, although the gag reel is not as funny as some reviewers will make it seem.

Horrible Bosses continues in the comedy tradition of casting leading men that make you laugh just by looking at them – Colin Farrell is a prime example of such men. Jamie Foxx returns to his

comedy roots and Jennifer Aniston is hilarious! She plays the role of Dr Julia Harris, a man-eating dentist. he movie frequently refers to human anatomy. No surprises there — what was surprising was the audience’s responses to it. he word “vagina”, and some variations, had many a movie-goer choking on their popcorn and spluttering into their Coke! So be warned, the language used in this movie is not for the faint-hearted.

Overall, a solid movie that delivers on its promises. Oh, and the movie is educational too.

Forget what Wikipedia says — once you’ve watched this movie, you’ll know the real meaning of the term “wet work!”

features

CURRENT AFFAIRS

11

Starvation and death grip East Africa Lucy Wileman

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ore than 29 000 children under the age of 5 have died in the last 90 days in Southern Somalia alone as a result of the devastating famine ravaging East Africa.

Countries in the Horn of Africa continue to sufer through the worst drought the region has experienced since 1951, and with the next rainfall only expected in October, the famine looks set to worsen.

Drought has caused food prices to rise beyond the reach of most families, resulting in starvation, disease, and death for millions of people in the region.

Despite attempts to provide relief by multiple countries and businesses, the delivery of basic services and aid has failed to meet the needs of those sufering. he droughts, which are occurring more frequently and lasting for longer periods of time, have rendered the land useless and unable to support its people. With government warnings that 10 million people are at risk of starvation this year, the United Nations has called for $2.5 billion in humanitarian relief. he UN has oicially declared famine in ive areas of Southern Somalia and this, coupled with ongoing civil war, has resulted in thousands of refugees crossing the border into Kenya and Ethiopia daily.

Image: Oxfam/wikicommons

Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, originally built to accommodate 90 000 civil war refugees, now sees over 1 000 new arrivals daily, adding to the 440 000 people already housed there — making it the largest refugee camp in the world.

Similarly, the Dollo Ado camp in Ethiopia has had 54 000 new arrivals this year, with 50% of its children sufering from malnutrition. he war has only intensiied the dire situation in Somalia. “Wars don’t kill many people directly but can kill millions through the way they render

them totally vulnerable to the kinds of problems they should be able to cope with,” says Simon Levin of the Overseas Development Institute.

Al-Shabab, the Islamic militant group in control of most of Somalia’s famine-struck regions, has made providing aid to its starving citizens an almost impossible task. AlShabab, which has links to alQaeda, is iercely anti-Western and, as a result, up until July this year had refused to accommodate nonMuslim humanitarian workers.

With at least 10 people previously killed in gunights between aid distributers and al-Shabab ighters, 8 August marked the irst time in ive years that the UN refugee agency was able to fly aid into the country.

Adding to Somalia’s problems is the onslaught of disease. Al-Shabab started banning immunization a few years ago, claiming that it was a Western plot to kill Somali children. Consequently, the refugee camps have become breeding grounds for diseases such as measles and cholera.

Despite the vast number of people afected by this humanitarian disaster, foreign support and humanitarian aid has been slow to materialise. Money donated to tackle the crisis in East Africa has been considerably less than what was raised for the 2004 Asian tsunami, the earthquake in Haiti, or last year’s floods in Pakistan. his is partly attributed to the lack of strong images in the media; Somalia has been inaccessible to international media, being deemed the “deadliest country in Africa for journalists” by Reporters Without Borders.

News of the famine has also been overshadowed by other big stories in the media, such as the Norway killings, investigations into Rupert Murdoch, and the newly independent South Sudan.

South Africa has responded to the crisis with the donation of both monetary and humanitarian aid. he organisation Git of the Givers has contributed over 94 tons of relief to date with plans to deliver a further 500 tons in the near future.

“Kenyans for Kenya,” a citizenled relief fund, has raised over $5.3 million through mobile money transfers, more than the combined relief contributions made by France, Ireland, Belgium and Russia.

However, the UN states that $1.4 billion is still needed to combat the crisis and help the 10 million people who are starving, more than half of them children.

Swazi inancial crisis: South Africa’s problem?

Sibahle Melane

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t comes as no surprise that our neighbouring country, Swaziland, is engulfed in poverty.

Recent estimates are that 69% of the population lives in poverty.

Conversely, when looking at the leader, King Mswati III, and his lavish lifestyle, it becomes almost impossible to conceive how pervasive poverty is among ordinary people. his sharp contrast of his lifestyle compared to that of ordinary citizens is reminiscent of most politicians in Southern African countries. While in the midst of poverty, the royals are indeed living like royals. In the South African context, the example of Julius Malema comes to mind.

He oten speaks about the crushing poverty among blacks while he lives a lavish life in Sandton.

It has been reported that South Africa has agreed to lend Swaziland a whopping R2.4 billion. his followed ater Swazi residents and unions protested against the government’s proposal of a 4.5% salary cut for public workers. he riots erupted earlier this year ater the Swazi government announced their intention to freeze annual salary increases in an efort to reduce their bill by 5%.

What does this mean for South African citizens who are sufocated by unemployment, poverty, and have lived in shacks for all their lives? In addition, South Africa is still faced

with burning issues of service delivery and unemployment, to name a few.

For South African citizens, this means that the government has the resources to help another country but deserts its own people. Clearly there is money to help the poor, and address the people’s grievances over service delivery.

However, it is hoped that the money is put into good use and everything goes back to normal; the advantage is that South Africa may expect fewer refugees from Swaziland.

Also, the relationship between the two countries would be maintained on good terms. Nonetheless, if the situation still does not change, we may be faced with a large number of Swazis seeking a better life here, thus putting South Africa under further economic strain.

Where in the midst of poverty, the royals are indeed living like royals In his annual budget speech held in the Swazi Parliament in February, Swaziland’s inance minister Majozi Sithole admitted that their government is losing $11 million every month due to corruption — underlining the fact that the leadership is to blame for the inancial crisis. Even the residents are hinting towards rebellion, for they will not pay for their government’s

Image: Lucky Nxumalo

reckless management of inances. It is apparent that while the politicians were enjoying the fruits of the taxpayers’ money, they were oblivious to the repercussions of their actions.

Such ill treatment of the people is no encouragement for any country to lend a helping hand. he money that

South Africa gave to Swaziland is not guaranteed to help the people. he Swazi government has not proved to be responsible and considerate of the people and their state. Is there assurance that the money will be put to good use? Or will the money further increase perks for politicians?

he King has not been shy about living his extravagant life, throwing his wealth in the face of his poor people. here have been reports that an annual R600 million is budgeted for the royal family, which is spent on fast cars and regular shopping sprees overseas.

12

features

7 ways to ight the winter lab Res4Res: identities were faced, mixed and berried Damian Phillip Smith

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e’re right in the thick of winter and all the binge-eating and 14-hour couch stints seem to be adding up. December is only a few months away, and you don’t want to be the guy at the beach getting arrested for indecent exposure when removing his shirt. Ater a great deal of research, I’ve been able to sellessly come up with seven ways to make sure you get skinny fast, and stay that way.

Take up smoking.

Smoking cigarettes has been known to reduce appetite and food cravings. Be it the oral ixation, the temporary lulling of your sense of taste or just the substitution of one addiction for another – this method appears to work. All you cheapskates out there will also be glad to hear that research (conducted by me) shows that smoking can even be a cheaper habit than regular snacking - so light up. (Note that cannabis has the opposite efect.)

Stop drinking beer.

Diicult, I know; unfortunately, beer is loaded with calories. Don’t be too sad, though, there’s always hard liquor. If avoiding beer proves too diicult, try the next option.

Talk is cheap — tik is cheaper.

Like other hardcore drugs, addiction to tik is known to reduce food cravings. Who’s got time to make a sandwich when he’s being chased by 12-legged pixies with horns, right? his method involves operation on the fringes of the law, but you may have to risk it to avoid craving the biscuit. As an added bonus, you selling your family’s pots and plates to buy tik may encourage them to ditch overeating. Or they may throw you out of the house; hopefully the former.

Transfer to the humanities faculty. his is an investment in your future. A degree from the humanities faculty will ensure a future illed with poverty and starvation, a must-have for those who want to stay thin in the long-term.

Use the bathrooms at Leo Marquard.

It may not feel pleasant, but cholera keeps people skinny.

Regular visits to the disease-ridden Marquard lavatories will have you there in no time. Cleaning doesn’t occur during weekends, so I’d recommend Sundays.

Take a holiday in a North Korean forced-labour camp.

Starvation guaranteed. Just ly over to North Korea armed with a video camera and the Media Police will escort you to your all-expensespaid accommodation.

Sign up for tutorials at Middle Campus.

Exercise is always a great way to stay in shape and Middle Campus tuts will have you walking more than a drunk Stellenbosch student.

HUFFING AND PUFFING Nicotine will make you slimmer before it kills you.

BREAKING LEGS - Glen Res (left) and Clarinus (right), give performances worthy of Broadway.

Thandokazi Hlwatika heatre perennially holds an eminent place in South African society, used in many instances as a platform to challenge societal norms or as an unrestricted arena for activism.

The case at UCT is no different.

So what do you get when you have ten casts all from different residences writing, acting, and directing their own plays? Ten dedicated directors and a team of efficient organisers who will stop at nothing to get the show on the road.

The long-awaited Res4Res Theatre and Production Festival had its opening night on Tuesday 9 August. The entrance of Hiddingh’s Little. This year’s festival theme consisted of a wordplay that has social network overtones, “Identity – Mxit, Face It, Berry It.” The different residences incorporated the theme into their performances

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in order to render their distinct interpretation.

Tugwell Hall was the winner of this year’s festival with their play Ellipsis, which explored and challenged the many of the social constructs and negative connotations associated with being a woman. Through the experiences

Tugwell Hall was the winner of this year’s festival of six women the audience went on an empowering journey as the movements and poetry presented reiterated the message that women should rise up and be proud of their identity. A relevant production, considering it is Women’s Month.

There can never be a festival without a bit of comedy, and Marquard’s production was a fusion of an episode of The Bold and the Beautiful, Zone 14, and

Intersections. It explored the journey of university graduates and whether their lives had worked out the way they thought they would ten years later. Although it was funny and had audiences gasping during provocative scenes, it needed more movement and realism for it to qualify better in the genre of theatre.

Overall, all of the residences performed really well. Most shows kept props to a bare minimum and this meant an increased focus for the casts to rely more on their performance and movements, rather than props.

A few minor mistakes occurred when there was a discrepancy in the timing for lights and sound that could have taken away from the performances, but the actors quickly recovered.

The Res4Res 2011 Theatre and Production Festival lived up to its good reputation. As the curtain draws on this one, we anticipate it opening again in 2012.

“2011 grade 3/6 marking” In October the Schools Development Unit (SDU) in the School of Education at UCT will be administering mathematics and language tests to all Grade 3 and 6 learners in the province.

The SDU is seeking to employ suitable postgraduate students in a short-term basis between 12 and 28 October 2011 to assist in the marking of these tests.

Remuneration will be based on the number of scripts marked.

Requirements: Minimum second year pass in Mathematics or Language (either English, Afrikaans, or isiXhosa)

Please provide contact details (including name of tertiary institution at which you are enrolled) to: Hayley.eyssen@uct.ac.za, who can be contacted at 0216505874/3850 for further information.

Development Agencies Sub-Council Presents The Change Campaign Find out more about what Developmental Agencies at UCT.

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HAWCO Health co-ordinates six evening clinics which operate on a weekly basis, and twice-monthly Saturday morning paediatric clinics.

Annually, over 800 student volunteers run around 250 clinics, providing care to over 5000 patients. SHAWCO relies on volunteer doctors, medical and allied health science students in all years of study to ensure that these clinics continue to be delivered.

We provide a primary health care

service, diagnosing and managing conditions like respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted infections and musculoskeletal ailments. We also provide screening for prevalent diseases which include tuberculosis, HIV, diabetes, hypertension and pregnancy testing.

During clinics, patients are seen by health science students under the supervision of a qualified doctor who verifies diagnoses, providing advice and teaching.

Junior medical students (1st to 3rd year) are responsible for clerking,

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HAWCO Education is a dynamic, innovative and passionate student-run NGO based at the University of Cape Town, constantly striving to improve the quality of life for individuals in developing communities within the Cape Metropolitan area.

SHAWCO was founded in 1943 by a medical student who was moved to action by the need which he saw in the impoverished communities of Cape Town. What started of as a one-man initiative quickly grew

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CT Radio started of as a pirate radio station in 1975 amongst the student riots of the time. In the early 1990s we obtained our license from ICASA to broadcast on the 104.5fm signal to the UCT community.

Thirty years on from our humble beginnings we are still a vibrant community radio station, using our airwaves not only to entertain our community with our music shows, but also to educate them through our talk shows. We allow students to get real experience working at

examination, treatment and health promotional education of patients, under the guidance of senior clinical students.

Some other reasons why you should volunteer: t To help disadvantaged communities by increasing their access to quality primary health care. t To learn things that cannot be learnt in textbooks, and acquire clinical skills that you would normally only learn in later years. t We have our own pharmacy! t Because it’s more fun than House, Scrubs or Greys!

YOU are the doctor.

Transport to the clinics leaves from the Health Sciences campus at 6pm, Monday to Wednesday, and 9am on Saturdays - Attendance is free and there is no long-term commitment or sign-up.

To find out more about the SHAWCO Health clinics, visit the website www.shawco.org, send an email to health@shawco.org or join the “SHAWCO Health” Facebook group.

into one of the country’s largest student volunteer organisations, now boasting over 1200 volunteers running 18 health and education projects in 5 SHAWCO centres as well as other locations around the Cape Metropolitan area.

SHAWCO Education consists of 12 student-run projects in Khayelitsha, Manenberg, Nyanga and Kensington. We facilitate tutoring in various subjects and areas such as arts, sports, entrepreneurship and law studies for school learners and young adults in these communities.

Through our fun and interactive curriculum and the enthusiasm of our volunteers, we aim to enrich our

participants’ education and love for learning, as well as equip them with crucial life-skills and improve their access to further education.

SHAWCO is a highly passionate organisation with a diverse range of programs, so whatever your interests or inclinations, there’s bound to be a project for you at SHAWCO. It’s an experience that will not only enrich your own life, but will also enrich the lives of many others. So if you want to make a diference and have a lot of fun doing it, come pay us a visit. SHAWCO Education5th Floor Steve Biko Building (Upper Campus).

a fully functioning radio station, whether it is on-air presenting or news-reading. We also offer offair work experience like working with the marketing, advertising or music and production teams.

We also offer non-UCT students from the community to chance to participate and shadow during the vacation periods.

UCT Radio is not all just about parties; we also give back to the community. We have worked with LoveLife, given a school tour educating children about the media

industry, and worked with other charities giving them exposure and our own time contributing to their efforts. Many big players of the media industry, such as Randall Abrahams, Mark Gillman, Suga, Diggy Bongz, Nigel Pierce and DJ Lloyd (Hectic Nine9), started off at our radio station, and there are many more still to come.

Unfortunately, we only take in new on-air staff at the beginning of semesters and vacation periods, but we are always looking for helping hands with off-air portfolios.

Contact natalie@uctradio.co.za or call 021 686 1870. We are situated on the 3rd floor of the Leslie Social Sciences building. Our signal is 104.5fm, and you can also stream audio on our website: www. uctradio.co.za

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bunye is a community development project operating in the townships of Cape Town. Our organisation aims to centre on the needs of the learners with whom we work. Ubunye aims not only to equip the learners with greater academic knowledge and educational resources, but also to foster a sense of value and appreciation for the knowledge and resources that we impart.

Ubunye wishes to foster a spirit

of participation and leadership in our learners, helping them to develop their communities.

Ubunye endeavours to provide them with every opportunity to utilize and improve their abilities so that learners might be empowered.

Through consistent and committed interaction, Ubunye aims to create an open and engaging environment for learners to develop new skills.

By focusing on all aspects of the learners’ development, Ubunye facilitates the growth of confident and capable learners, and through continued support and guidance, we aspire to instil in our learners a sense of achievement and direction for the future.

Ubunye runs three projects within the townships of Cape Town,

aimed at holistic development of the learners who are part of our organisation: Inkanyezi helps learners to develop concrete post-school plans through facilitating mentorship sessions, running CVbuilding workshops and sourcing information on tertiary level educational opportunities and financial aid options.

TeachOut assists learners in improving their academic performance by hosting weekly workshops and holiday programmes on school-based subjects.

The Township Debating League provides the youth of Cape Town with opportunities to develop critical thinking and debating skills through regular training and tournaments, encouraging them to become confident, independent and socially aware young leaders.

Ubunye seeks to build an organisation that not only develops the learners involved in our projects, but also gives our volunteers a fulfilling experience.

It is our aim to develop the skills our volunteers and to provide them with opportunities to lead and to give back to their community.

For more information contact: info@ubunye.org.za

14

sports

UCT 7 – 1 Stellenbosch Women’s soccer team wallops Maties; Men’s team manages draw Sajjad Karamsi

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n an extremely one-sided game last Wednesday, the UCT Women’s soccer team established their dominance in the USSA League, thrashing the Stellenbosch’s Maroon Mensies 7-1.

Playing at the world-class Kopano Astroturf ields, the women overpowered their rivals in a classical display of commitment and good technique. hey looked better prepared than the Maties women, and their teamwork and discipline shone through.

UCT had an explosive start with Niita Ashivudhi scoring two early goals, the Maties trailing by three goals at half-time. he second half was equally unbalanced, with UCT scoring another four goals, and Ashivudhi completing her hat-trick.

Although the visitors managed to pull back a good consolation goal late in the game, the inal outcome

was never in doubt. he women’s team now lie second in the USSA Western Cape League. he top two teams from each provincial league qualify for the USSA National Championships in December and UCT look almost certain to qualify, lying comfortably above their closest challengers.

They looked better prepared than the Maties women

he UCT Men’s team, playing immediately ater the women, struggled to a competitive 1-1 draw against the Maties Men’s team.

Lying in fourth place in the qualifying league, UCT needed an outright win to compete for qualiication for the nationals.

Leading by a single goal at the end

of the irst half, they conceded an unfortunate penalty midway through the second half. Although goalkeeper David Frankel managed to save the penalty, Stellies scored on the rebound, tying the score. An exciting last few minutes saw both teams desperately attacking and trying to get the win, but the game eventually ended at 1-1. he team still lies fourth in its qualifying group and faces a tough task to make it to the inals.

While soccer is quite popular at UCT, the UCT Soccer team sadly doesn’t manage to garner the home support that rugby enjoys. To try and remedy this, UCT Rugby’s Ikey Tigers came to the game to show their support and encourage students to come and join in as well. he Kopano Astro ield is centrally located, and close to most residences, so there should be no excuse for students not to come out in support of their UCT brethren.

Undefeated Lions roar to the top

Image: Candice Land EYES ON THE PRIZE - UCT’s women never lost sight of bagging a win.

Big names, big moves Alex Nagel

contract, Chelsea, Man City, Real Madrird and Barcelona are said to be in the market for him. But why s the transfer window should Barça worry about Rooney draws to a close, managers when Fabregas has just been signed from across the football spectrum for €35 million? are battling it out for players to make Fabregas’ ability to assist others the move. With Barcelona adopting when he is not scoring goals himself a fellow Spaniard, Rooney’s complements with his excellent setrumoured future move and Man pieces, which is precisely why Barça City’s money scheme, we could say welcomed him to Camp Nou. He is things are heated as usual during the familiar with his new teammates “silly season.” already as most of them make up Man City manager Mancini is Spain’s national squad and should in desperate need of a full team for further enrich Barça’s game. the start of the League. “We need We could say that Arsene to complete our team,” Mancini Wenger is in a bit of a jam, with allegedly told Sporting Life. “We one of his major attacking players hope we can do that very quickly lost and the other perhaps soon to because we need more players.” be. At least he still has the likes of Mancini is very Andrey Arshavin, quick to pay for new Robin Van Persie, players like Nasri Arsene Wenger is in heo Walcott and a because he “needs to new young player, a bit of a jam complete [his] team” Alex Oxladeeven though bigChamberlain, named and talented fresh from the ones like Toure, Wright-Phillips, Gunners academy, to complete the Silva and Tevez are all wearing Man attacking front.

City’s jerseys already.

Among all this, Man United With Liverpool spending over has been a little quiet, only 100 million pounds, fans will hope signing goalkeeper David de Gea this will improve their game from in July. Ater Edwin Van der Sar’s last season. Stewart Downing, retirement, Sir Alex saw it it to add Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson, another keeper to the team and Alexander Doni and now Jose who better than Athletico’s de Gea? Enrique are all expected to score He is young and it and Man United their way to winning the club some can mould him, as they have many silverware. Perhaps if King Kenny other youths, into the absolute best. widened his scope to players like If I were Sir Alex, I would also keep Carlos Tevez, he could give the club a close eye on Karim Benzema the spike that it so badly desires. and Hernanes who are the top two Whoever gets their hands wanted young players right now. on Manchester United’s Wayne A new season beckons with Rooney will surely have a guarantee an opportunity for new talent to of silverware in their cabinet, some shine and rise to the top, and for would say. Despite the fact that established players to re-establish he still has three years let on his their dominance.

Image: Lee Warren/Gallo Images

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CHEETAH TACKLE - Coenie Oosthuizen tackles Elton Jantjies during the Absa Currie Cup match between MTN Golden Lions and Toyota Free State Cheetahs at Coca Cola Park on August 13, 2011 in Johannesburg.

Langa Sigodi

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he 2011 currie Cup is notable at this stage for the rare sight of the Lions on top of the log, but it is once again the big money unions who are most likely to make up the semi-inal places. Griquas in recent times have looked to be the most likely of the “smaller” unions to upset the big-money cavalry that traditionally makes up the semi-inalists, but this season they have been too inconsistent to be serious challengers. he Sharks, Western Province and the Cheetahs are expected to join the Lions in the semis. he major issue this year, raised again by SARU, is the seemingly ageold topic of transformation. Sides this year have again been taken to task, in particular the Cheetahs and the Sharks, who have not always

ielded a multiracial team. Given that 23 Springboks were “injured” for the away leg of the Tri Nations and a further 27 travelling Down Under, one would think that this year’s Currie Cup would present a chance for the unions to showcase more of the younger players of colour who may be coming through the system, but this has, sadly, not always been the case.

However, the Springboks’ absence has allowed other fringe players to showcase their talents. Western Province have been at the forefront of this, ielding many players who have played Varsity Cup rugby recently. UCT’s Demetri Catrakilis has been a star playing as ly-half, and his second half performance against the Sharks showed maturity beyond his years. his was especially evident when he was up against an experienced side spearheaded by one of international rugby’s best lyhalves, Frederik Michalak.

Michalak’s performances this season have been phenomenal and it will be interesting to see whether France ignores his performances when they pick their inal World Cup squad. his year the Lions are undoubtedly beneitting from the tactical mastery of former New Zealand coach John Mitchell. Defence has been their Achilles’ heel the past few years, but their gigantic efort to ix this has led to better performances, especially against a very talented Cheetahs side in their 17-8 victory. Captain and Number Eight Joshua Strauss has been instrumental, improving weekly and being dominant on the ground. he Lions have had little disruption to their side with regards to Bok call-ups, a situation expected to carry on for the rest of this year’s edition. his continuity may be the advantage they need to inally add a trophy to their cabinet.

sports

15

UCT sports overview Nicole Beale & Sajjad Karamsi Netball Internal League ends he UCT Internal Netball League winded up its season last weekend with a total of 13 teams participating this year, in weekly Sunday games.

Spearheaded by Lerato Kotelo and UCT Netball, the league organizers seeked to identify talent and provide more netball players with opportunities to compete. he residence teams certainly proved to be outstanding this season, with Forest Hill G-Block, Varietas and Tugwell One topping the League.

While waiting for the next season to start, teams are gearing to compete in various other tournaments soon.

On the 27th of August, three teams will compete in an intervarsity tournament at CPUT Cape Town Campus. Five other teams will also participate in a competition sponsored by Southern Sun Garden Court on the 3rd of September.

UCT Ultimate Frisbee launches internal league UCT’s Ultimate Frisbee Club is launching an Internal League at the end of the month. he League will allow more students to be exposed

to the game and will run on a “hat” basis, meaning players will be picked from a hat to make up teams. he Club recently hosted its second Annual Indoor Tournament, in which 50 players from all over the Western Cape took part. Six co-ed teams were created randomly and put up against each other. Ater a round robin, the four top teams competed in two very exciting semiinals and an even more thrilling inal. he victorious team of the competition was the “Bee’s Knees,” which consisted of UCT irst and second team players, some visiting American students and some very promising new players. his League and its hat format gives new players a chance to learn from more experienced players while promoting the spirit of the game and allowing new players to meet and socialise with diferent people.

UCT Ballroom dance to victory Earlier this month, the UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society took part in their biggest event of the year – the Intervarsity Ballroom and Latin Dancing Competition, held at the DF Malan Hall in Stellenbosch. he Championship saw UCT, Stellenbosch, Rhodes, Tuks, Wits and NMMU competing against each other. he UCT team, made

up of 76 dancers, took part in 19 sections, ranging from beginnerslevel ballroom and Latin dancing, through to Viennese, Mambo and Paso Doble sections.

UCT dominated the competition coming home with the Spirit, Team Dance and Formation trophies and emerged as the overall winners of the day. With 12 gold medals, 4 Silver and 9 Bronze medals, UCT came irst ahead of Stellenbosch and Tuks. his Championship has been one of the most successful in this society’s history.

Nadoes Favourites in Internal League he Steinhof Internal Rugby League concluded their inal group of round robin games last week, as teams raced to qualify for the quarter inals. A very physical Panthers team faced of against the Turtles, and ater a poor run regained their form in a three-try victory, liting them to the top of their group. Steinhof Cobras also topped their group ater a fourtry victory against the Spanners. he quarter-inals take place this Wednesday, with favourites Nadoes drawn against whipping-boys Cats.

Nadoes stormed through the group stages unbeaten, with the best record in the competition. he Cobras face of the other stragglers Ubumbo,

Image: Lee Warren/Gallo Images

Zimbabwe returns to test cricket

TEST CRICKET BECKONS - Can Zimbabwe Cricket manage a successful return to test cricket and overcome administrative inadequacies?

Meli Ncube

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ight years ago, batsman Andy Flower and fast bowler Henry Olonga wore black armbands during Zimbabwe’s opening game of the World Cup against Namibia. he two players were protesting the “death of democracy” in Zimbabwe, and issued a statement stating they could not ignore what was going on in their country. he statement acknowledged that many “patriotic Zimbabweans” believed they should not have played in the 2003 Cricket World Cup in solidarity with the “millions of our compatriots who were starving, unemployed, and oppressed.” he next few years they, along with several more leading players, went into exile and Zimbabwe cricket virtually collapsed beyond repair, leading to the team’s withdrawal from the test arena.

Fast-forward to today, and the

same faces run the country’s cricket governing body, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC). Managing Director Ozias Bvute and Chairman Peter Chingoka have been in place for years now, and have been accused of running ZC inefficiently. he country’s most experienced player today, wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu, launched a stinging attack on them for allegedly not paying the players their match fees since August last year, and not signing a single player on contract.

Further concerns were raised when it came to light that ZC reportedly paid Brian Lara US$30,000 to make guest appearances in the domestic Twenty20 competition a few months ago – extraordinary amounts for a retired player.

Nevertheless, there is still light at the end of the tunnel.

Under the guidance of the Minister for Education, Culture and Sport, Senator David Coltart, ZC recently introduced a franchise

system at domestic level that has rejuvenated the sport.

Coltart has spoken frankly of his “legitimate concerns” about the allegations of corruption and racism in the governing of the sport. his transformation has led to a return to test cricket for Zimbabwe.

It’s also been quite heartening to see the return of several of the men who helped make Zimbabwean cricket what it once was. hree former test captains, Alistair Campbell, Heath Streak and Dave Houghton, have taken on roles within the governing body, bringing their accumulated knowledge and expertise to the task of reviving the sport.

Campbell has been appointed Chairman of the Cricket Committee, while Heath Streak is expected to take a coaching position. Houghton is the new Director of Coaching.

In their irst game against fellow minnows Bangladesh, Zimbabwe were expected to struggle. hey however produced a superb performance winning the one-of Test by 130 runs.

Zimbabwe’s return also paved the way for new talent in the form of new-ball bowling attack Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis, two debutants who were outstanding. Vitori has in almost all sections of the media been described as “ambitious, conident and resolute,” encapsulating everything that is shiny and new about Zimbabwean cricket.

With a strong blend of youth and experience, and stalwarts like Ray Price and Taibu providing a competitive edge, Zimbabwe could be able to pull of a few upsets.

Hopefully Zimbabwe can rise from the ashes to its former glory.

Image: Gareth Smit

DANCING TO VICTORY - Anique Kruger and Bryce Van De Laar dance away, as UCT Ballroom dominate at Intervarsity Championships.

in what’s expected to be a relatively easy game for them. All residence teams, except Clarendon, are playing in the Plate Section, with Smuts, Marquard and Kopano also playing

on Wednesday. Marquard inished last in their group, and will have to considerably up their game to regain some vestige of pride. hey play against Shebeen Boys.

UCT Internal Soccer League Michael Fitt

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n any good Sunday during the semester, while the average student nurses themselves back to full vigour, the avid soccer lovers gear themselves up for a full day of Internal League soccer. he Internal League is open to all students and is dominated largely by residence teams.

Managed by Peter Buckton of UCT Sport and Recreation it is comprised of 48 teams competing in four diferent divisions. Teams are well structured, with 15 registered players and oten an ex-player as a coach to lead them through practices and inspirational haltime speeches.

New teams starting in the league will play their football or be kicked senseless by the fun teams like Jollaz FC and Screaming Orgasms in the lower leagues. But it’s not all fun and games; progression up the table and into higher leagues will result in players being tested (embarrassed) against the almost professionals in the Super League, with teams like Rondebosch United and Afghan FC who specialize in pace and passing shibobos.

Other impressive teams include Smuts Hall, the penalty shootout specialists; All Stars, the Zim Juggernauts; and Groote Schuur Residence, he Legends. Going up against any of these teams on the coveted Kopano Astro Field will always result in an entertaining ixture of skill and oten blood, especially if you’re playing All Stars. his year sees a dramatic turn of events within the Super League

as the usually strong residence teams of Kopano, University House and Leo Marquard struggle to contend with other teams. Already past the halfway stage, Kopano and Marquard look destined for a long relegation battle while Rondebosch and Barbarians – newcomers to the league – are outpacing the rest at the top, dropping but a few points. his may be because residence teams have to recycle their players as students leave the residence system, eventually getting replaced by irst-years, while other teams can keep their players for their entire university career.

Exemplary Internal League players oten ind themselves part of the UCT First Team but end up sitting on the bench as their lamboyant style is frowned upon in the more rigorously structured game that the First Team plays. he Internal League is all about entertainment and players tend to enjoy the more relaxed and entertaining game within the quick, skilful Super League. he true honours of the league, however, go to the referees. hough many teams and players will complain at their lack of efort, these young men give time out of their student schedule to be at Rhodes Fields every Friday, Sunday and oten Wednesdays as well to ensure the games are played and well run. Oten on a Sunday a referee will administrate ive games or more for a small remittance. he players, coaches and referees live up to the quote by Bill Shankly: “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.”

Sport VARSITY

FIXTURES Internal Hockey League

Internal Rugby League

FOREST HILL HOCKEY ASTRO

GREEN MILE

26 August, 6.30pm

24 August, 5.30pm

Ladies Finals & Mens Finals

Smuts vs CVU Vikings Turtles vs Kopano Clarendon vs Magic Lions Shebeen Boys vs Marquard

UCT Maverick, Ahoy!

SPORTS BITES

UCT Yacht Club have high hopes as the regatta approaches

CRICKET- Waqar Younis resigns as Pakistan Coach.

SOCCER - Chelsea sign World Cup winner Juan Mata.

RUGBY - UCT’s Demetri Catrakilis kicks Western Province to victory over Lions.

Image: Neil Malan WINDS OF CHANGE - The UCT Yacht Club will look to improve on last year’s performances in the prestigious Lipton Cup.

Alex Nagel

T

he UCT Yacht Club will be participating in one of South Africa’s favourite regattas, the Lipton Cup, from the 19th to the 26th of August. he club will be up against 19 other teams from across the country including last year’s champions, the Knysna Yacht Club, who will attempt to defend the Cup in a newlyappointed venue – Mossel Bay. Geoffrey Kilpin, UCT Yacht Club’s Commodore, suggests how the club might have some advantage over the other participants. “he new venue should add some interesting dynamics to the competition,” says Kilpin, “and there will be very few teams with local knowledge of the conditions.” he UCT Yacht Club is the only student team in the

competition that participates on a regular basis and ranks amongst the competition’s top teams.

With regards to the club’s previous successes and his expectations for this year’s team competing in the

The UCT Yacht Club is the only student team in the competition that participates on a regular basis regatta, Kilpin says, “Last year we inished 4th in a leet of 25 boats and this year [we] hope to do better.

In my opinion, our participation is fantastic as it indicates that our club caters from beginners right through to top sailors.”

Leading the club’s team this year

is captain is Neil Malan, who handles upwind trim and tactics on the yacht and is one of the club’s top sailors.

Malan performed outstandingly in international events at the TwentyNiners Class and coached the South African team for the ISAF (Youth World Championships), which was held in Croatia recently.

Another notable sailor in the Lipton Cup team is irst year student Matthew Shaw. Shaw came second in the Raidal division at the Laser Class National Championships earlier this year and has been “excelling at local and international dinghy sailing for years,” explains Kilpin.

Additional UCT helmsmen include Andrew James, Simon Henstra and Oliver Hobson. he actual Lipton Cup as a trophy has been around since 1909 and was donated by Sir homas Lipton himself. his regatta is particularly

unique because yachts have to sail older courses, such as the “rectangle,” “triangle” and the “sausage,” instead of present-day Olympic routes.

Another differing aspect of the regatta is that it only allows clubs to compete, restricting each club to a single entry. he Lipton Cup has become “one of the top regattas on the South African sailing calendar,” Kilpin adds, “attracting some of the best sailors and teams and a lot of rivalry amongst the various yacht clubs.” he UCT Yacht Club had their last training session last Sunday at Mossel Bay to familiarise themselves with the courses and the weather conditions. he club will be riding the waves to victory on Maverick, UCT’s yacht, now registered as UCT Maverick for the regatta, with a strong team acting as the powerful wind behind them.

SAILING - UCT Yacht Club suffer minor scare as boat falls over on way to Lipton Cup.

RUGBY - UCT Rugby edge past Hamiltons 25-23 in terse encounter.

Images: Gallo, football365, Neil Malan, michael.currin.co.za, wikipedia