2015: Edition 3

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN

24 March 2015

VOLUME 74: EDITION 3

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The Transformation (R)evolution

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IN THIS ISSUE

The “UCT: Rhodes Must Fall” movement officially began on Thursday, March 12th sparked by the actions of a student at the Cecil John Rhodes statue on Monday, March 9th. The movement aims to address institutional racism at UCT and the issue of transformation.

Image: Amina Ebrahim

Aisha Abdool Karim, Robyn Ausmeier & Yogi Shoba Institutional Racism

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he central issue that has been raised by students in recent protests is that of institutional racism, and the concern that UCT perpetuates a system of racial inequality and deep-seated prejudice against black students. Students have stated that their voices are not being heard by the university and that the discourse needs to deepen around the topic of race.

When talking to students involved in the protests, it has been emphasised that the movement is in reaction to an experience, black pain, and is not limited to a single incident. According to Masixole Mlandu, a UCT student, “Black pain stems from the deep frustration of black students around where they find themselves in this institution”.

In an interview with VARSITY, Mlandu noted that it is important to understand the culture of the institution, and how this culture “perpetuates black assimilation to whiteness”. Due to the structure and makeup of the institution, Mlandu argues that black people feel that they have to behave, dress and speak in a certain way in order to be included in the university culture.

Mlandu further stated that the Rhodes statue represents a catalyst which speaks to broader issues around race

and transformation. He stressed that although history cannot be changed, it is possible to choose which symbols represent nation building in the country.

“That statue and all of the buildings represent a very psychological effect on black students,” Mlandu notes.

Another student, Ezra Mokgope, contends that by preserving a particular history, the university is putting forward a certain message to the students – that not everyone’s history is welcome.

Mokgope commented that the institution needs to enhance and embrace a dialogue around black pain. Additionally, he stressed that management should be more accessible to students and should be willing to take part in the conversation. Mokgope also noted that it is important for students to educate themselves on the issues at hand and to ask questions around the legacy that is being put forward at UCT. During an event organised by management on heritage, signage and symbolism, Ramabina Mahapa, SRC President, spoke about the issue of institutional symbolism, questioning whose heritage is being preserved by the university.

Mahapa commented that UCT’s institutional culture is “centred around a white, westernised, middle-class, heterosexual male experience” and called for the university to make changes.

Linked to discussions on black pain is

the concept of white privilege – referring to the benefits that white people are afforded on the basis of their race and how this manifests itself in the structural oppression of other race groups. On Wednesday, March 18th a group of students hosted the White Privilege Project, an open dialogue event which provided a space for white students to educate other white students about the role they have played in oppression.

Explaining white privilege, Nick Fitzhenry noted that “One does not have to be an explicit racist in order to benefit from and perpetuate white privilege”.

He commented that white individuals often assume that their experiences are universal, and therefore cast the experiences of others as the exception to the norm.

Another speaker, Jessica Breakey, explained how an institution can perpetuate a system of inequality that is based on race, and stated that at UCT a white person is made to feel more comfortable than a black person because of the structure and norms in the university.

In addition, Dan Corder, one of the organisers, brought up the issue of white people speaking on behalf of black people, arguing that one cannot begin to speak for someone else’s experiences.

“By telling black people what it is like to be black, and telling them how they should feel and act, you rob them of their

voices and you belittle their experiences,” commented Corder.

Leadership of Movement The movement calling for transformation at UCT is decentralised and led by students. There is no one leader or organiser of the movement, but rather students are able to address issues which are relevant to them. Students are encouraged to organise their own events, but to date all events are organised by specific members within the movement.

Kgotsi Chikane, a member of the movement, said that keeping it decentralised allows “people to express themselves, the way they want to express themselves”. He said that appointing a spokesperson at the beginning of the movement means that one individual might impose their own views on things rather than representing everyone’s views fairly. Chikane said that previous movements had attempted a centralised approach but it “failed to galvanise students” in a way that this movement is able to do.

There are no plans to appoint a specific leader and a member said that there were no plans to appoint a spokesperson as it would detract from the decentralised nature of the movement.

There are a number of subcommittees within the movement, one of which deals with media.

Continued on Page 3

UCT History

PAGE 2

Parking Discs

PAGE 4

Where My Gays At

PAGE 7

UCT Buildings

Centre

Shock Factor

PAGE 14

My First Rugby Match

PAGE 19

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

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News

V74 E3 – 24 MARCH 2015

UCT Timeline Aisha Abdool Karim, Robyn Ausmeier, Amina Ebrahim, Nabeel Allie Assistance and images provided by the UCT Library special collections

1829:

South African College (SAC) opened in an orphanage on Long Street and began as a combined primary and secondary school. The college then moved into an abandoned zoo and slave lodge before relocating in 1831 after the first building, Hiddingh Hall, was completed.

[The SAC was started for the children of colonial elites and the majority of the professors at the college were expatriates. The College was attended by white, middle class men.]

1886:

Women were admitted to SAC on an ‘experimental basis’ as degree students.

1887:

The first residence, College House, is built on Breda Street.

The first SRC is elected and Centlivres (Vice-Chancellor The first women are admitted to SAC 1950-1967) was a member.

[Ms Minnie E Buchanan was one of first women admitted to SAC. She later married EB Fuller (Chair of UCT Council 193745) and Fuller residence is named after her] Hope Mills Women’s Hostel is purchased by SAC as the first women’s residence and is demolished in 1951 The University of Cape Town Act gains Royal Assent, but this only becomes effective in 1918.

1906:

1914:

1916:

1918:

The College gains University status and John Carruthers Beattie is the first ViceChancellor. The College is then bequeathed a new site of land on Devil’s Peak by Cecil John Rhodes and receives £50 000 from Alfred Beit.

[Rhodes’ will does not specifically mention that the land was bequeathed for a university, but rather leaves the land to his trustees with the instruction that it should be given to the government.]

1923:

Margaret Mitchell becomes the first female DSc graduate from UCT.

1925:

Black students are admitted into the university.

1920:

The School for African Life and Languages was established at UCT and became operational in 1921. It was renamed in the 1930s to become the School of African Studies and in 1976 to the Centre for African Studies.

[The Centre for African Studies is the oldest institution of its kind in the world]

1924:

Construction of Upper Campus begins and is finished in 1930.

National Union of South African Students founded by Leo Marquad.

Enid Patterson is the first woman to graduate with a medical degree from UCT. [JM Solomon was the architect who designed the buildings on Upper Campus. The central vertical axis of the university lines up with Devil’s Peak, Jameson Hall and the Summer House (currently located on Middle Campus) in order to set the university up as a “temple on the hill”]

1927: 1933: Women comprise 1/3 of the SRC, which was unusual as they usually made up less than 20% of body’s members.

[During this era, the only women in the SRC Executive were those elected in terms of constitutional requirement that one of the six executive officers be female]

1939:

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Sax Appeal, the first RAG magazine, is published. It contains risqué illustrations and adverts, one of which featured a naked woman.

[In 1942, Sax Appeal is labelled as “pornographic” and banned by University authorities] Cissie Gool is the first coloured woman to graduate MA from UCT. [She is referred to as the “Joan of Arc” of non-whites]

1938: The Women’s Student Association is set up to promote active participation in student life by women.

1943:

Women’s residence started Coy-Ed, a magazine calling for equality between men and women.

SHAWCO is founded by Graham Ducasse, a fourth [In 1940, the magazine’s editor persuaded the SRC to abolish the separate election for a head year medical student. woman student as it was deemed to patronise women] The Rhodes statue, which was gifted to UCT, is moved from to its current location due The first non-white member, RA Lawrence, is elected to construction of the freeway. onto SRC.

1944:

1946:

AC Jordan is the first black student awarded a PhD at UCT (in African Languages) [He left the country in 1961 without a passport when offered a job in the US as there were no positions available in South Africa]

1945: -

VARSITY Newspaper is founded AJ Lawrence, M Samy-Padiachy, AJ Raar and CR Sail are the first black students to graduate from UCT’s Medical Archie Mafeje is appointed as a senior lecturer (in Social Anthropology) by UCT Faculty.

Council, but his appointment is later withdrawn due to government pressure.

1968:

1971: 1976:

The SRC withdrew recognition of intervarsity (rugby) because of racial segregation.

1981:

The first black students are admitted into residence.

1987:

Richard Luyt (Vice-Chancellor at the time) negotiates an integrated intervarsity at Newlands which UCT wins.

1984:

Development of Middle Campus begins.

1989:

The disability unit is established with Kathy Jagoe as Liesbeeck Gardens is purchased in order to address the shortage of black accommodation the first director. on campus.

1991: 1992:

Thulani Khanyile is the first black SRC president elected.

1996:

Mamphela Ramphele becomes the first black ViceChancellor (she was previously Deputy Vice-Chancellor 19912000).

1998:

All Africa House is completed on Middle Campus and is funded by Rhodes Trust.

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Jammie Shuttle services between Lower and Upper Campus are introduced and the routes are later expanded to residences.

1997:

UCT’s mission statement changed to “an outstanding, teaching and research university, educating for life & addressing challenges facing our society” [The previous mission statement from 1965 was “non-racialism, non-sexism and freedom of speech”] Senate membership is extended to admin and support staff.

2001: 1999:

UCT achieves a 50:50, black to white student ratio, with students Graça Machel becomes the first black, female from over 70 countries. Chancellor of UCT.

2014: A new admissions policy is approved which incorporates race, and other factors, in order to assess the historic disadvantage of the applicant.

News Continued from Page 1 Curriculum Another issue raised by the movement is the Euro-centric focus of the curriculum. Students feel that the courses need to diversify their material in order to reflect the legacies and heritage of all the people in the university.

It is felt that the curriculum should include more courses focused on Africa, in both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Some students feel that although UCT is the top African university, there are other institutions which have a more Afro-centric curriculum. There are existing courses in the university which incorporate an African perspective therefore it is a feasible option for the curriculum to be altered.

Another issue raised is that the nature of the material being taught is not relatable to students. The examples and questioned asked in tests and exams are based on experiences which are not applicable to all students. Alex Hotz, a member of the SRC, said that material should be “more inclusive of everyone’s experiences”, beyond just using different names.

Academic Staff The issue of transformation with regards to academic staff at the university is not new as it was raised last year, and again in January this year when Dr Siona O’Connell published a column in the Cape Argus about transformation at the university.

Professor Xolela Mangcu, an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, has also written extensively on the topic of transformation. Whilst Mangcu is not knowledgeable on the application process for filling vacant academic positions he said that he it

Aisha Abdool Karim n Monday, March 16th the university hosted a discussion entitled “Heritage, Signage and Symbolism” as part of a planned series of talks on transformation, which were planned last year.

During the introduction given by Professor Crain Soudien, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chair of the discussion, students requested that the order of speakers be rearranged so that Ramabina Mahapa, SRC President, could present

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doesn’t seem “like there is a plan of targeting the black academics”.

According to Mangcu the university’s response to the lack of transformation and black academics is “that it will take 20 years for people to become black professors or that UCT will not lower standards to get black people into the professoriate, as if there is a connection between blackness and standards”.

Mangcu said that there are black qualified professors whom he met while at Harvard University last year. He said that he met black academics who had received postgraduate degrees overseas and were in high level positions at Ivy League Universities, all of whom are potential candidates for UCT to hire.

Whilst it is normally procedural to only accept applications for vacancies, Mangcu believes that, when there is a need for transformation, the university needs “to go on a proactive drive” to specifically recruit qualified black academics.

At the moment there are only five black professors at UCT and Mangcu believes that “until people see the abnormality of it, it will remain like that.” He also said that you can’t separate student and academic issues, and academics need to use “their knowledge to help students articulate their demands”. Whilst the solutions for transforming the institution can be separated and tailored to meet the needs of each group at the end, the cause of transformation affects both groups.

Workers The call for transformation through the student movement is not exclusively looking at student demands, but also tries to incorporate the needs and demands of students, academics, staff, and workers.

The workers at UCT created their

own mandate, which was presented at the “Towards Transformation” talk by a workers’ representative. The mandate was compiled by the UCT Workers Forum and UCT Workers Solidarity Committee. The demands include a R10 000 per month minimum wage and the end of outsourcing, while retaining all workers. They also demanded that workers be allowed to support and participate in protest action, refuse to act against protesters, and be able to refuse hazardous work, without facing any repercussions or penalties.

After the mandate was presented, other workers shared their experiences of how they faced systematic discrimination. One worker said, “We feel the pain as workers at UCT” and another added that “UCT, in my eyes, it seems like an oppressor”.

The workers also said they felt as though the university tried to separate workers and students, but now they are asking students to support them and their demands, as they don’t feel as though they are getting what they need.

Hotz commented that “people don’t see [workers] and their experiences”.

She also raised the photograph posted on UCT Pictorial of workers who cleaned the Rhodes statue on Monday, March 9th, saying that many people used the photograph opportunistically.

Hotz said that workers need to be “valued beyond the work they do because they are human”, and that their needs also need to be addressed within the movement for transformation.

Intersectional Approach Kealeboga Ramaru, a member of the movement, stressed the necessity of adopting an intersectional outlook on issues of transformation – considering how different identities intersect with each other. Ramaru stated that the

v74 e3 - 24 March 2015

movement has aimed to include a united voice, appealing to all people who have not been represented in the university’s culture.

Building on the issue of intersectionality, Caitlin Spring, a speaker at the White Privilege talk, noted that all components of your identity influence how you experience the world and how you are treated in society. She commented that race is not the only determining factor of a person’s privilege, although being white is a privileged racial identity.

“It is essential to be cognisant of the historical oppression these aspects of identity carry. It is vital to check your privilege,” commented Spring.

SRC Involvement In a statement, released after the initial protest, the SRC stated that they support a move to take down the statue, as well as to address the issues around institutional racism and cultural symbolism at UCT. However, they made it clear that none of their members were organisers of the protest.

“Transformation should be felt in all aspects of the university, from the curriculum, to the diversity of students and staff and to the symbolism it reflects,” noted the SRC statement.

When asked about the SRC role in the race-related discussions,Thato Pule, Chair of Transformation and Social Responsiveness, remarked that the events were all organised independently of the SRC, although the SRC supports the students as this is a cause they believe in. Pule stated that what has been happening at the university is what should happen with transformation – students leading dialogue around important social issues. She further commented that the SRC’s position is to broaden the discussion and take it to new areas.

Setting a Date Image: Amina Ebrahim

At a talk held on Thursday, March 19th a concern was raised that having the SRC in a leadership compromises the movement as it might mean that the student movement will have to negotiate with management on their terms, given that this is how the SRC is designed to operate.

Management Response Two demands were given by the movement. The first was that a date be given for the removal of the statue, the second was that charges against Chumani Maxwele be dropped. Dr Max Price, Vice-Chancellor, responded to the first demand by saying that a special council meeting had been called on April 15th where the Council will make a decision on whether or not the statue will be removed and on Friday, March 20th at the Occupy Bremner march, Price said that the Executive would not press charges against Maxwele.

Management has commented by saying that this a new issue being raised, despite students, academics and workers saying that they have previously raised the issue. A series of discussions has been proposed to engage with students before the council meeting is held. However, a criticism raised is that these discussions are scheduled close to exam time and students have demanded more immediate action.

In reply to a question about management’s response, Ramaru remarked that the university was not interested in listening to the students and was only willing to start a discussion when the media became involved.

“There has been a clear message from management that [they are] more concerned with the institutional image and the image of UCT rather than the voice of students,” commented Ramaru.

is important, the ultimate decision to remove the statue will depend on the research done into the issue and “It will still rest on the recommendation of the heritage impact assessment”.

Titlestad also raised the example of the Cenotaph war memorial

“difficult to provide an exact timeline”

the university would still not be able to provide a date his response first.

The request was granted and after Mahapa delivered his speech he, along with the majority of those present, left the room demanding that a date be set for when the statue would be removed. After the floor was opened to comments of whether or not the discussion should continue, it was decided that the discussion should be closed.

Sally Titlestad, Spatial Historian and Heritage Management Consultant, commented that, should the decision be made to remove the statue, the university would still not be able to provide a date for the removal.

Titlestad noted the complexity of the issue and said that regardless of what the institution’s decision is, there will first need to be a “heritage impact assessment for the removal

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full heritage impact assessment will need to be conducted of a protected piece of property involving full public participation”.

She then elaborated by saying that whilst this was procedure not always required, in this particular case it was made necessary “because there are so many stakeholders.

Titlestad said stakeholders such as funders, alumni, current students and staff, would all need to be consulted and participate in the process as they “care so much about the brand of UCT”. The large number of people who are required to have a say in the final decision of what happens to the statue means that a full heritage impact assessment will need to be conducted. Titlestad also said that people could be charged if they failed to follow that process.

Considering the process that

needs to be followed Titlestad said that a date could not be set, even provisionally, as the time taken to conduct these assessments varies.

She raised the point that there are long waiting periods where “you put out notices and everyone gets a chance to comment back”. Those comments are then compiled and brought back, which is what makes it difficult to provide an exact timeline for when the statue will be removed.

Titlestad emphasised that although stakeholder engagement

which was moved from Adderley Street, where it had been located since 1924, due to the addition of a MyCiti bus station. The process failed to consult stakeholders and this caused a delay in moving the memorial. Titlestad said that whether it is a demolition or relocation of the statue, it is still necessary to first conduct a heritage impact assessment.

After the discussion ended Dr Max Price, Vice-Chancellor, said that he could not provide a date for the statue’s removal as that decision had to be taken by the Council.

Price said that a special council meeting would be called on May 20th in which a decision would be made on whether or not the statue would be removed, as well as other issues of transformation. However, on March 18th an e-mail was sent out stating that the meeting had been moved to April 15th. Price stated that the program to address transformation at UCT had been accelerated due to the student protests which have taken place since March 9th.

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News

v74 e3 – 24 March 2015

Parking Spaces at UCT Image: Luke Bell

News Bites Tebogo Bore and Aisha Abdool Karim Medical first for South Africa

South Africa – The world’s first successful penile transplant was a nine hour operation conducted by doctors from the University of Stellenbosch’s faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. The procedure took place at Tygerberg Hospital on December 11th 2014, but was not announced until March when the patient had made a full recovery. The patient’s penis was amputated after serious complications arose during traditional circumcision, a common occurrence in South Africa.

– News24

Cyclone Pam strikes Vanuatu

New Zealand – At least 3 300 people were displaced and 16 people killed as a result of Tropical Cyclone Pam. The cyclone formed near the Solomon Islands on March 6th and was at peak strength when it hit the island of Vanuatu on March 13th with wind speeds reported to have reached 160 miles an hour.

The cyclone remains active and aid agencies are providing relief in the area.

– Wall Street Journal

SABC crew robbed on camera

South Africa – An SABC crew was robbed at gunpoint outside Milpark Hospital on March 10th while reporting on the arrival of Zambian President, Edgar Lungu, at the hospital for treatment. The incident, during which the crew was robbed of a few cell phones, was caught on camera. Four suspects were arrested on March 12th. Two of the suspects were charged with robbery and the other two were accused of purchasing stolen possessions.

– Mail and Guardian

Sierra Leone VP seeks asylum

Sierra Leone – Sam Sumana, vice-president of Sierra Leone, is requesting asylum at the US Embassy following invasion of armed soldiers into his residence on March 14th. Sumana was warned of the invasion and went into hiding with his wife, but made a public appearance on March 16th outside his residence, stating that he was safe. Ernest Koroma, Sierra Leone president, removed Sumana from his role as vice-president for seeking asylum from a foreign country.

– BBC News

Maths sum leads to wedding disruption

India – An Indian bride tested her fiancé’s math skills by asking him to solve a basic math question. He was asked what was the sum of six and 15. After answering incorrectly, the bride left the ceremony. The bride and her family refused to return to the ceremony, as the groom’s family had been dishonest about his intelligence and education.

– New York daily news

Robyn Ausmeier number of students have raised the issue of insufficient parking on campus due to the limited parking areas available and overselling of discs. Parking discs are purchased from the Traffic Department, although having a disc does not guarantee access to a parking space.

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The allocation of parking discs varies as they allow different privileges for different groups of people. Parking bays are subsequently designated in line with the grouping in which the car is registered.

According to the UCT Parking Policy, the issues have arisen as a result of an increase in the student population and a larger number of people using cars and students spending longer hours on campus.

However, this year, the number of staff parking bays has increased, further decreasing the spaces available to the majority of students.

The parking spaces are mainly divided into red, yellow and unmarked bays. Red bays are offered to academic staff ranked as senior lecturers or above, staff and students with disabilities, and University Council members. Yellow bays are available to all other staff members as well as students who are employed by the university and earn a minimum of R9500 per month. Unmarked bays are allocated for blue disc holders, which are available to all students with the exception of those registered for their first year of undergraduate studies. In addition to this there are separate parking discs on offer to Masters/PhD students, students in Smuts or Fuller Hall, visitors and people driving motorcycles. There are a limited number of red bays sold in order to allow for greater availability of this parking, while there is no limit to the overselling of student bays.

Sechaba Nkitseng, SRC Chair of Labour and Services, commented that he is aware of the parking challenges faced by students and that the SRC is currently working

on a proposal to introduce a fairer system. Nkitseng noted that “[a] lot of parking preference is given to the staff at the institution, whereby instead of increasing the student parking, every year the student parking continues to decrease”.

Nkitseng encouraged students to also take their own initiative when it comes to parking, and said that the situation can be improved if there is a collaborative effort. In this regard, he urged more students to make use of a carpool system and to get to know other students living in the same area as them. He noted that this is a more cost-effective system, as well as being more environmentally friendly.

Furthermore, he encouraged students to utilise the Jammie Shuttle Service, and to park by one of the shuttle stops and catch a Jammie, rather than parking on Upper Campus. Although Nkitseng acknowledges that parking on campus is a problem, and that the prices are steep for students, he also mentioned that the University subsidises parking costs and that parking anywhere else would require a much larger fee.

The Traffic Department did not respond to VARSITY’s questions about parking in time for the publication of this article.

Read the full article online at www.varsitynewspaper.co.za

Security in UCT Residences Dean Horwitz with additional research by Tanya Magaisa and Andrea George Security at UCT residences is in theory extremely well controlled.

Each residence has a warden who lives on site while some of the larger residences have assistant wardens.

The warden’s responsibilities include ensuring the safety and comfort of students as well as ensuring that the rules of the University are observed. Additional measures employed by UCT to maintain safety include CCTV cameras, CPS security guards at entrances, G4S patrols as well as access control at the entrance to each residence. UCT also has a set of rules about the signing in and out of guests; however these rules are different for each residence and left up to the discretion of the warden.

According to Lilian Mboyi, Communications Coordinator for Properties and Services, UCT ensures safety through access control, perimeter fencing, training programmes, awareness programmes and CPS patrols. CPS officers are strategically placed in and around the larger residences while other residences have periodical patrols.

CPS also actively monitors security and is on standby 24/7 to respond to all reported incidents.

UCT works closely with the South African Police as well as the Groote Schuur Central Improvement District (a body that works with role players to create a safe and clean community) who patrol some of the public areas around the residences.

Another key element of the UCT residence security policy is the education of students living in the residence as well as the students who are employed as sub-wardens.

Sub-wardens undergo a training

programme at the beginning of each year to ensure that they are properly equipped to deal with issues that may arise. Additionally, all firstyear students are taken through an awareness program by CPS during their orientation week. CPS also visits residences periodically to host resident specific talks regarding safety.

Image: Pieter du Plessis

UCT ensures safety through access control, ... awareness programs and CPS patrols SRC Residences Coordinator, Ndondo Nzama, stated that there have been security concerns regarding the fact that there [are not] a variety of ATMs on Lower Campus and that there is no tuck shop at Liesbeeck Gardens. This requires students to walk to Main Road for these amenities and this is not considered safe, especially after hours. Nzama believes that residence safety is effective to some extent and that there is “a general feeling that security measures are more effective on lower campus than in residences that are off campus”.

Speaking to first-year residence students, the general consensus was that they felt safe in residence owing to the strict rules.

Each student is responsible for the safety of his or her own belongings and is encouraged to buy padlocks to ensure that their rooms are securely locked and that their belongings are safe at all times. Students are also responsible for any guests that they wish to bring into the residence and this is controlled through a sign-in and sign-out sheet. However, this system falls under the discretion of each residence as to how strictly they enforce it.

Kopano sub-warden Christopher Zaayman commented that he does not think safety is a big problem

faced in Kopano since they have not had many incidents. However, he did say that while CCTV cameras are in place they are only in the reception area which results in them relying on word of mouth.

there [are not] a variety of ATMs on Lower Campus One of the biggest problems they face at Kopano, according to Zaayman, is students not properly securing their rooms, which makes them easy to break into.

Seipati Tshabalala, sub-warden at Baxter Hall, echoed Zaayman’s

feelings. Although she feels safe at Baxter, Tshabalala commented that the security situation is less than ideal as a result of student negligence.

Security in female residences is commonly more stringent than in male residences, and Tshabalala stated that Baxter has strict protocols in place to ensure that visitors are properly signed in and accounted for. She also mentions that they have created a culture of “relational trust” within the res where everyone looks out for each other, obeys the rules and keeps an eye on visitors.

With regards to CPS, Tshabalala is concerned about their often slow response time, despite being on Lower Campus, and says that the fact that everything has to go through them is a concern.

News

Pulsecheck for UCT

Yogi Shoba

ulsecheck is a service that is soon to be implemented at UCT; however, engineering graduate and founder Louis Buys does not have a direct timeline of when the service will be operational.

Pulsecheck relies on a system of high-quality cameras, which will be positioned at different locations on campus. Students will then be able to access near-live images of the various locations to garner information which should assist in routine decision-making.

Buys explained that Pulsecheck is meant to allow users to gain control over their active, academic and social lives. He believes that Pulsecheck achieves this by acting as a ‘thirdeye’ that observes places the user

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plans to be at but cannot physically occupy at that particular time.

Through this, users can eliminate the element of surprise and plan ahead of time, and thus be able to manage their lives better.

Pulsecheck relies on a system of high-quality cameras Pulsecheck with UCT plans to roll out seven feeds at different locations on campus. These include: the UCT gym, Jammie plaza, the food court and the ATM lines during peak times, such as Meridian. There was a pilot-feed at the Lower Campus Jammie stop; however, it was taken down due to technical difficulties

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Image: Pulse Check

but should soon be re-instated, assures Buys.

The company has been in talks with Properties and Services as well as the SRC to gauge how Pulsecheck should be incorporated into the University’s infrastructure for the benefit of the student body. One of the features discussed with SRC is the possible use of the application as a means of security, through the potential introduction of night-time feeds in areas such as Lovers Walk.

Users can eliminate the element of surprise

Buys also plans to implement a parking spot counter system to

regulate the current parking issue on campus. “We aim to have an interface of all the parking lots on campus. It is going to count how many free bays are in each parking lot so that when somebody gets to campus and wants to park, they don’t have to drive around campus looking for a bay,” explains Buys.

One concern raised over the feeds was that it might infringe upon students’ privacy, however Buys insists that this is not the case as the cameras have a facial-blurring feature. Furthermore, the service does not offer a live video stream, but displays images of the venue offered at specific time intervals. Buys also said, “As a precaution, we do not keep more than five images at a time. We cannot hand images over to a third party for legal use, etc.”

According to Buys, UCT is one of

Pulsecheck’s largest target markets because “UCT represents a bunch of people who are in touch with technology and are poised to be the early up-takers of any new service.”

It is going to count how many free bays are in each parking lot The service is already operational in different locations around Cape Town, such as Truth Coffee, the Great Wizoo and Stones.

Pulsecheck can be accessed at: www.pulsecheck.co.za and “platform specific” apps will be launched before mid-year. At the time of going to print neither Properties and Services nor the SRC could be reached for comment.

Transformation Month at UCT Megon Venter and Nadijah Campbell Transformation Month, an initiative introduced by the SRC in association with student societies, began at UCT on Monday, March 9th and will run until March 29th. Thato Pule, SRC Chair of Transformation and Social Responsiveness, has worked as the co-ordinator of events.

The campaign places a focus on gender, sexuality and disability as key issues of transformation, with each of the three weeks looking specifically at one of these areas. Transformation Month is made up of a range of events hosted on different UCT campuses as well as in the residences.

Issues such as race have...caused many important subjects to be side-lined.

The aim of Transformation Month is to address three aspects that Pule feels are often neglected by the UCT community, and to increase student dialogue around these areas.

She noted that the transformation ideas she wishes to implement at the University cannot work unless the students reassess their understandings of gender, sexuality and disability.

“You cannot focus on transforming the institution while no one is transforming students, it does not make any sense,” states Pule.

She believes that this initiative will provide a constructive space where

students can represent their own constituencies but also be brought together “to compromise for the greater good”.

Through collaborations with societies such as Rainbow UCT, the Debating Union and UCT Radio as well as initiatives like The Young Women’s Leadership Project, The Transformation and Social Responsiveness Committee aims to create a cohesive movement to address issues of transformation.

Building on this, Pule remarked that “[t]his month is about putting these various structures that are dedicated to transformation out there and creating an audience”.

Issues such as race have been a forceful presence in transformation debates at UCT and Pule argues that this has caused many important subjects to be side-lined. However, she states that students will see a lot about the intersectionality of race which goes hand in hand with the issues that the campaign has laid out.

She remarked that she felt it necessary to concentrate on specific issues, although she encourages students to engage in discussions on all areas of transformation.

discussions on transformation are necessary in order to generate ideas On March 9th, Gender Week began with the first event, Part 1 of the “Let Me Define Myself Campaign”, taking place in Molly Blackburn Hall. The “Let Me Define Myself Campaign” will be held each

Image: UCT SRC 2015 Image: Amina Ebrahim week as a common thread to tie in the themes, and includes a series of videos and discussions around personal identification.

In addition to the campaign, UCT Radio discussions and Soap Box Friday are also repeated each week in Transformation Month. Soap Box Friday is a public debate on different topics, such as Gender Week’s ‘Black Feminism: Is it a foreign concept?’.

The first Soap Box debate was held on the Jammie Plaza, with students gathering to speak freely on the chosen topic.

Another event was the “50 Shades of Power” open dialogue hosted by the Young Women’s Leadership

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Project. This event included addresses by three student panellists, after which the discussion on gendered power dynamics was opened up to the audience.

Sexuality Week started with a UCT Radio discussion focused on the intersection of sexuality and gender and a Student Leaders’ Seminar Series on transformation in student governance regarding disability.

Furthermore, there was a photo voice exhibition project run by the Psychology Department, RainbowUCT’s Gender Bending Campaign – where students were encouraged to dress in a gender nonconforming way, challenging what is viewed as masculine and feminine – as well as a Bed Campaign.

The Bed Campaign was a two day campaign where students were invited to approach one of the beds on Upper Campus, labelled sexuality/gender, disability or race and write messages or questions on the topic. The beds created a discussion in themselves, with the written contributions leading to other comments and questions, sparking conversations amongst people passing by.

Transformation Fun Day, in conjunction with Human Rights Day, was held on Saturday, March 21st. This event was organised in partnership with development agencies SHAWCO, Ubunye and The Youth Empowerment Project and centred on the theme ‘indigenous games’.

Disability Week, beginning March 23rd, will continue to focus on the broad area of transformation, looking at ways in which the disabled are viewed and treated in society. This week will include an art exhibition and performance on Hiddingh Campus, a Disability Sports Day on Medical Campus, an awareness event and other discussions around the topic.

Students have expressed considerable interest in the topics at hand. Third year student Anna MacDonald commented that discussions on transformation are necessary in order to generate ideas for changing inequalities.

“If you surround yourself by people who only think the way you do you are not going to get an actual understanding of the complexities of the issues,” remarked MacDonald.

6

Editorial

v74 e3 - 24 March 2015

2015 Collective editor-in-chief Parusha Naidoo

Editorial

Parusha Naidoo Editor-in-chief

Trouble in (fake) Paradise

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t was the Monday before the second edition was due to come out. I had just finished a newsroom session with editors to plan for edition three. Just as the meeting finished, my News editor received a message notifying her that something was happening at the Rhodes Statue and within a few minutes our phones were buzzing with images and messages that

I

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awakened a deep sentiment of isolation and disillusionment that students share.

Personally, it has given me a promise that as a black student I was never alone in feeling isolated and prejudiced and that some of my experiences have been shared by so many other black students.

I have struggled to comprehend how it is possible that countless indivduals fail to understand the legitimacy of a movement that resonates within so many of their peers. The unconcealed disregard is observed by students who do not identify with the struggles of their peers and have felt it was their entitlement to say (in the most blatant manner) “Get over it, your movement is stupid and there are more important things to worry about”.

We have come to the painful realisation that the reality we had willingly and eagerly accepted when we entered UCT, is in fact artificial and flawed.

Instead, it is a construct accepted by those before us and an ideal questioned by very few.

We cannot provide comment and analysis

Introverts are People Too

features Busang Senne & Anna Insam

images Amina Ebrahim & Morema Moloisi

would lead to debates for weeks to come.

Within two weeks we have heard and seen things that have left us feeling angered, discomforted, confused or indifferent. The action of one student has reverberated across every UCT campus and has gone further to create a movement of staff and students.

I previoulsy speculated with cynicism on whether the majority of UCT students could be stirred from their cushy lives to protest over the issue of transport.

This past weekend saw a movement that was not only willing to march to Bremner building but also to occupy it in protest, on a matter that challenges the core of our institution.

At the time of going to print for edition two, it seemed that complaining about Jammies, food vendors and parking was the only struggles of UCT students. But on closer inspection those were the only struggles we chose to voice and the only struggles we chose to hear. This movement has brought to the forefront discussions we only had within our social circles. It has

Jena Ascough Deputy Editor

Remember those Facebook quizzes back in the day? What is Your South American Spirit Animal? If You Were a Lipstick Colour, Which Would You Be? They’d ask you all these random questions like your favourite colour, favourite place to go on holiday and your dream pet – all of which apparently represented some obscure part of your personality. But there was one question all these quizzes had in common: Would you rather spend your free time… a) Out partying with friends? Or b) Cuddled up by the fire reading a book?

For me, the answer to that question was always a no-brainer – I would choose a book over people any day of the week; but at university, where socialising is basically a DP requirement, this answer is not always well-received.

Picture your typical 22-year-old university student. They’re usually upbeat, carefree, fun-loving people who recharge by going out to Tiger or Forries on a Friday night, right? So where do the introverts fit in? The students, like me, who need alone time to recharge after a busy week of socialising at varsity.

socialising is basically a DP requirement

UCT at the moment is so caught up with racial discrimination, but what about the students who feel like they suffer from some kind of pathology

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For more information on the awesomeness of introversion, I recommend Quiet by Susan Cain.

Tuesday, March 23rd John Day Zoology Building, Lecture Room 3 1pm – 1.50pm

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because they don’t want to go clubbing every weekend?

My dear introverts, I’m here to tell you it’s not a problem. Go to the library, read books, listen to music, do puzzles – whatever floats your boat – because research has shown that people who like to spend time alone, the majority of whom are introverts, are more likely to become the experts in their prospective fields because they spend more time pushing the boundaries of their own knowledge. You know that whole ‘it takes 10 thousand hours to master something’ spiel? Ya, introverts are far more likely to get there.

Don’t believe me? Go look up names like Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, Eleanor Roosevelt, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Wozniak, and many, many, many more and see for yourself.

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on inequalities when we have not grappled with the injustices that our own institution is perpetuating. No matter which side of the statue you find yourself – left, right or centre – there is a sense of tangible animosity.

Why now? This animosity has always been there. It took the actions of one student for us to recognise that we were always just teetering on the edge of something bigger.

Our false sense of paradise has been ruined and the cracks are beginning to show, that we once thought we could cover up with elusive terms like “Afropolitan niche” and “transformation trajectory” .

It is clear that some students feel discomforted and angered at the prospect of changes to the perfect world they thought was paradise, while there are those of us who feel discomforted and angered at the fact that change has not yet occurred and that the paradise we were sold was never ours to keep.

Nic Cullinan, Donna Herr, Rebecca Houliston, Lebo Maragelo, Mmatseleng Mphanya, Sue Nyamnjoh, Daniela Savoia & Elizabeth Visser

Bhakti Yoga Society Event: Sunset Mantra Meditation Date: March 24th 6.30pm – 8pm & 26 March 6.30pm – 8pm Venue: Lawns outside Arts Block, next to Jammie stairs Contact: bhaktiyoga@myuct.ac.za ZIMSOC (Zimbabwe Society) Event: Black Out, annual party Dress code: all black with an accessory of any colour from the national flag Date: March 28th Venue: Imperial on Long Street.

Buses leave Lower Campus at 9pm.

Opinions

v74 e3 –24 march 2015

7

Where My Gays At? Articulate w

Yogi Shoba

Adam Kleinschmidt

“He’s almost too gay to function.”

This line from the popular film ‘Mean Girls’ sets the tone for what I’m trying to get across here today. Because despite the increased presence of open non-heterosexual identities and the constitutional (at least in South Africa) allowances for sexual identity, the deeper prejudices live on.

UCT is probably the most liberal university in South Africa. Owing to us being in Cape Town (again, one of the more accepting and cosmopolitan cities) we can claim some diversity prestige. Or can we? Is the hubris of being in a progressive environment helping us to build an ivory tower?

heteronormative ideals can turn ugly very quickly If you were, on any Thursday night, to enter a club in Claremont, you would undoubtedly see hordes of young people cavorting, drinking and generally having a good time.

Wait, let me change that: heterosexual young people. I’ve been to ‘Mont’ a few times and I’ve yet to see any part of the LGBT+ community being expressed in the hedonism that ensues.

It doesn’t only come down to the twilight hours under the influence of cheap brandies and Coke. It also comes down to the attitudes we see and express from day to day. It’s an ongoing argument but the number of times I’ve heard the word “gay” used to

Opinions Editor

Why Hair Matters Image: Morema Moloisi describe something bad or unpleasant is beyond count. It doesn’t just stop there however.

“He’s wearing a shirt like that?”

Insert obligatory homophobic slur.

“She’s far too good at rugby.” Insert condemnation about being lesbian.

“Damn, wouldn’t it be k** if you made out with a cross-dresser? They probably know how to put on makeup better than my girlfriend.”

I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point clear. Just like racism and sexism rears its ugly head, heteronormative ideals can turn ugly very quickly. Sure, we haven’t had gaybashing and homophobic incidences at local bars and clubs but (as some will tell you willingly) social exclusion is a real thing.

So what do we do? Hold a talk or debate about transformation?

Put up posters and spend a month campaigning for inclusivity and happiness and sing Kumbaya at the end? Do you honestly think this makes up for the gross inequalities the nonhetero community has faced? This is the same group of people condemned

by religions and governments across the world and blamed for everything from bushveld fires to HIV/AIDS. It’s time to shift the status quo a little. We can embrace gay civil unions and like the Facebook posts as much as we want but actual change is long overdue. I’m talking about actual engagement mentally and socially from all members of the UCT community: students, staff, service providers, families, everyone. It’s not a case of making “that one (token) gay friend who just loves my outfit”, like the token black guy or token female committee member.

It’s about engaging with the internal and external prejudices. Just like you shouldn’t discriminate based on a person’s skin colour or whether they have curves “in all the right places” you shouldn’t hold something against a guy who wears heels and make-up or a woman who likes to date other women.

Surely, as a self-declared Afropolitan university and the best-ranked university in Africa, UCT should set the benchmark for the acceptance of the LGBT+ community?

The Spotlight Turned In the Right Direction Zoë Wells

I’m not exactly sure where I was the day #TheDress turned the world on its head, just as I am not sure where I was when Khloe Kardashian and Amber Rose had their little twitter feud a few weeks back. But in both instances I do remember, with much clarity, my feelings towards the whole debacle.

And they were not pleasant.

The debate that started on Tumblr

The Salvation Army had given us something actually worth talking about about whether or not a simple dress was blue and black or white and gold was everywhere. Everywhere. You couldn’t open Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or even turn on the news without being bombarded with questions regarding this dress.

Suddenly people were questioning their ability to see colour. Strange memes with dress-wearing llamas were popping up and Taylor Swift was having somewhat of a mental breakdown on twitter before inevitably ‘fainting’. Meanwhile I had managed to restrain myself from commenting on some highly enthusiastic Facebook statuses when all I wanted to do was hike up Table Mountain and sincerely ask the world ‘Why do we even care’?

where black girls and black women would rather don synthetic fibres for such extended periods of time that eventually the only thing visible on their heads are woven tracks and multi-coloured fluff balls attached to slivers of plastic ‘hair’. That is deemed beautiful.

I remember looking at old pictures of my mother with her thick, glossy afro. But, at 56, all she has now is a thin petroleum-licked ponytail of relaxed hair, coupled with a receding hairline. This is

Yet, it was unmistakably clear that we did care.

To our admiration, the Southern African Territory Division of the Salvation Army noticed, and at the end of the week just before #TheDress debate died down, their powerful domestic violence advertisements breathed new life into the controversial black and blue dress. The Salvation Army’s domestic violence against women advertisements featured a woman dressed in the white and gold version of the dress with her body covered in bruises. The caption on the advertisement read; “Why is it so hard to see black and blue? The only illusion is you think it was her choice. One in every six women is a victim of abuse.

Stop abuse against women.” When I saw the image for the first time, I thought to myself, finally, The Salvation Army has given us something actually worth talking about.

The debate that started on Tumblr about whether or not a simple dress was blue and black or white and gold The advertisement spread like wild fire after it was first posted by The Salvation Army on twitter. It opened up a whole new conversation as we all saw the dress in a new light. People were retweeting and sharing like it was nobody’s business. Some were praising

the advertisement for the impact it was making while others criticized the Salvation Army’s motives behind the use of the dress. Suddenly the adverts were supposedly sexualising domestic violence, promoting The Salvation Army’s second hand clothing and trivializing domestic abuse by its association with the dress. Although these ideas were not the dominant view surrounding the advertisement, it did make some people think - only they were missing the point!

It opened up a whole new conversation as we all saw the dress in a new light The ad campaign was a smart move in terms of creating awareness of a problem that has been grotesquely overlooked. The amount of exposure popular culture achieves pales in comparison to the exposure world issues do, so why not jump on board with what people are interested in and turn it into something they should be more conscious of? The campaign can be criticised, poked and prodded for all it’s worth but at the end of the day it does what it was created to do: start up a global conversation that otherwise would have been muted by the trivial.

I’m sure that we can all agree that the victims of domestic abuse are more important than the colour of a dress, wouldn’t you?

HIRTY minutes. That’s how much time I have been forced to add to my morning prep routine.

Thirty minutes, with my afro comb in hand, fighting an apocalyptic battle with my thick natural hair.

After about 5-10 minutes of trying to even out my thick mass of miniature curls, I stare dystopically into the mirror and ask myself why I decided to remove my braids in the first place!

T

an apocalyptic battle with my thick natural hair My next option is to use a hairdryer to make the process a little less painful, but that involves using hair moisturisers and oils to protect my hair from drying out. These products, however, will cause the side-effect of greasy hair, and that won’t be too impressive either.

Eventually, I give up and slide a woollen hat over my mop of shame.

I take a final look in the mirror, tug at the fine curls upfront, to hide my abused hairline, and head out the door, accepting that there’s not much more I can change.

This is an anecdote I am ashamed to share. It points out that I have absolutely no clue how to handle my natural hair. I am so steeped in the narrative of foulsmelling relaxer creams that burn and butcher my scalp, long twisted braids that eat away at my hairline, hot plastic weaves that reek of Eurocentric assimilation and finally, the old black female adage that I must “suffer for beauty.”

It is a shame that I do not look in the mirror at my ‘natural self ’ and see beauty. I come from a town

black girls and black women would rather don synthetic fibres not beauty.

These preconceived standards of ‘unblack’ hair being acceptable hair have been stapled into my psyche.

Indeed I would never pass a pencil test but the question is: should there be a wrong or right answer for how the pencil behaves? What makes dark, curly, and puffy grounds for failure?

Time and time again I have been forced to ice my hair with Dark and Lovely and Soft n’ Free to rectify my ‘ethnic’ hair - whatever ethnic is suppose to mean. I have watched my jet-black hair be tinted copper hues as the keratin was stripped from each strand. I’ve had tears run down my face as hot blow dryers smoked my locks and vacated my follicles. This is not beauty.

to rectify my ‘ethnic’ hair - whatever ethnic is suppose to mean Thirty minutes. That is how much time I spend trying to convince myself that I look ‘Ok’. Thirty minutes, the amount of time I spend trying to make up excuses for why my natural hair isn’t impressively long or astonishingly smooth. A full 30 minutes is the time I spend flipping through mental images of black girls on campus who walk around proudly with their thick mass of miniature curls.

Thirty minutes. The amount of time I could eliminate each morning if I just had the courage to accept that “I look ok.”

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8

Opinions

v74 e3 – 24 March 2015

Must Rhodes Fall?

Mikhail Moosa

ast week was an important one for UCT. The recent protests advocating for the removal of the Cecil John Rhodes statue by several individuals on Monday, March 9th, reignited a seemingly dormant discussion. While many agree that the manner in which the initial protest was carried out was in bad taste, several thousands have stood in solidarity with its sentiments.

Subsequent discussions on various online platforms eventually culminated in last Thursday’s ‘Open Air Dialogue’. However, I’ve noticed that the discourse surrounding this issue is overwhelmingly and disappointingly one-sided. Those who wish to speak against the loud majority are baselessly labeled ‘ignorant’ or told that ‘Biko would be disappointed’. This sort of antagonism toward genuine dialogue is detrimental to understanding the complexities of the situation. I’ve experienced intolerance and racism on both sides of this issue, so why can’t one acknowledge the other?

I believe that both sides have valid points and, as such, both should be examined.

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The statue is not the central issue The statue is not the central issue – you don’t have to be a humanities student to see that.

Do the protestors want the statue removed? Yes, but they’re calling for an acknowledgement of ‘white arrogance’ and for greater transformation at the University.

This example of black anger is completely justified. Many people do not acknowledge inherent white privilege and many more do not understand the difficulties that previously disadvantaged people continue to face today. But would the removal of the statue achieve the goals, or even act as a stepping-stone, for the protestors?

I argue not.

Image: Amina Ebrahim

we cannot blind ourselves because it makes us feel uncomfortable Firstly, statues serve as important mementos of our country’s unfair past. One online commentator remarked about the protest; “Rhodes must be rolling around in his grave”.

Never mind the fact that UCT has been admitting black students for decades, openly supports homosexuality, and that interracial couples can walk past and marvel at the depravity of nineteenth-century imperialists. What better reason to keep a reminder of Rhodes than to confront his perverted, colonialist ideals with the secular, liberal ones of our own? UCT is not endorsing his actions or celebrating his achievements, but rather showing how much our country has changed in a century. Racism is not over and we can’t be complacent about further changes that need to occur.

But are these issues going be solved by covering the statue in faeces or bed linen?

Removing the statue means that we will not be confronted with Rhodes or his legacy. What does this solve? Our history is a complicated one and we cannot

blind ourselves because it makes us feel uncomfortable. Placating angry members of the student body will not help us to come to terms with the harsh realities of our past.

Secondly, there is the issue of consistency. I believe that this mass-support for the removal of the statue is down to the fact that UCT acts as a microcosm for freethinking, outspoken, liberal young people. For this, I am proud to be a UCT student. I don’t have to agree with the sentiments shared by fellow students to commend their efforts in expressing their opinions and actively participating in an important discourse. But what happens after the statue is removed, hypothetically? Is the Rhodes statue the last physical remnant of imperialism? Certainly not, there is an impressive memorial just up the road and a certain university in Grahamstown. What about other racists; do we demand that statues

Beyond the Statue

Image: Yogi Shoba

of Jan Smuts or van Riebeeck be removed? If the protestors believe that the only way to acknowledge the need for transformation is to tear down statues, where do we draw the line between rewriting history and the rather facile process of removing things that we don’t like?

the initial protest was merely meant to get people talking and raise awareness Overall, I’m extremely ambivalent. On the one hand, it’s exciting to see so many young people dedicated to transformation and voicing their opinions. The scenes I’ve witnessed and the conversations I’ve had in the last week are a complete contrast to the stereotype of social and political figure of Rhodes is merely a symbolic significance. It is thus ironic to note that in our post-colonial and postapartheid society, such a statue, and all other memorials of Rhodes remain untouched, intact and visible.

Rhodes successes were based on the use of black labour

Kerusha Govender This is not an article about whether the Cecil John Rhodes statue should or should not be taken down, for the debate is not so simple. The issue at hand, rather, is the recognition of the university’s historical context and how it comes into play in current affairs. The fundamental

reality is that the University of Cape Town was not an institution built for black students, let alone be conducive to their success in any way.

Cecil John Rhodes is portrayed in two contrasting images – Rhodes the man that laid the foundations of apartheid and Rhodes the man to whom we credit as having stimulated the growth of South Africa’s economy and integrated it into the

global system. Many people today fail to take into consideration that the glories we associate with Rhodes’ name has nothing to do with black people and everything to do with the promotion and perpetuation of white privilege. Rather, Rhodes’ successes were based on the use of black labour; hence the issue of black pain and white privilege provide the context of the statue. This is the real issue at hand, of which the statue and

Found at the Rhodes Memorial is the quote: “The immense and brooding spirit still shall quicken and control living he was the land and dead his soul shall be her soul”.

This quote is a clear indication that the prevailing power of the legacy of Rhodes and all that he and others of his time stood for, did not die when he did, but has in fact persisted throughout history and is embedded not just in the physical land he ‘donated’, but in the very institutions, culture and structures that have been built on it. This one man is merely a representation and a reminder of the manifestation of white privilege and the structural subjugation of black people. Only when we understand these deeper intricacies, can we begin to engage in a meaningful dialogue about what transformation

apathy that our generation is all too frequently associated with. But on the other hand, the pragmatist within can’t help but think that there must be a better way of dealing with these problems; one which doesn’t involve the removal of an important, albeit grim, reminder of the Cape’s past. Perhaps the initial protest was merely meant to get people talking and raise awareness about an issue that thousands of people are clearly concerned about. It was not a publicity stunt, it was an extreme action meant to provoke thought and dialogue – and it succeeded.

However, instead of encouraging a partisan divide, an environment of right and wrong or even a mob mentality, the subsequent discourse should be geared towards elucidating the intricacies of an ever-prevalent, multifaceted issue and acknowledging that a differing opinion might actually be of some worth. means in the university. This is only possible if we acknowledge and open a discourse on what white privilege is and how it is perpetuated.

Richard Turner wrote that it is not only blacks that are victims.

Whites “are responsible victims, who exercise coercive power to keep the structure in existence. But to forget that they are also victims would be to accept their own valuesystem, to accept that to be like a white South African – rich, greedy, and frightened of all others – is the ideal way for humans to be.” Hence, regardless of the colour of our skins, we all have a social responsibility as conscious intellectuals to meaningfully, constructively and respectfully engage in this discourse of which we are all inextricably a part of.

This one man is merely a representation and a reminder of... of white privilege Let us as the student body grow conscious of our historical context (whatever our position in it is) and not merely move with the trending waves of protests that so often characterise activism in this day and age.

Opinions

v74 e3 - 24 march 2015

9

The Lion, the Puma and the Squirrel Pieter Du Plessis Image: Megon Venter t’s O-week. The sense of anticipation and excitement about the new year at varsity is tangible. Hordes of students hustle and bustle between the various campuses as they try to find their way in this exhilarating new world of campus life. While the different faculties battle it out “to be the best” with colourful t-shirts and chanting on Jammie plaza, it seems that at the male residences this chanting has a different and rather sinister meaning.

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lyrics made vulgar references to sex with women Chants and war-cries originate from wars and significant events in which the men fighting in battle made up songs to instil a sense of pride and brotherhood among themselves. Although the battle cries we hear today are no longer war-like, the style and lyrics have retained a common element of promoting brotherhood. This is not only a tradition at UCT male residences but at universities across South Africa.

While walking past male residences on Main Road during O-Week one hears the echoes of roaring male voices as if they are preparing for “battle”. It is easy to simply pass by these groups of men but if you listen closely to the words, they speak of the patriarchy in which we live today. Some of the best examples include “drinking songs” and “men of steel” chants.

However, it wasn’t these lyrics

or words that bothered me. As a brother to three sisters, it was the amount of sexism and the objectification of women that really affected me. Many of the lyrics made vulgar references to sex with women and in some cases even rape. With lyrics like “and when she says no, f*** her anyway”, these war cries have become unacceptable and have passed their sell-by dates if they're being seen in the context of simply keeping tradition alive.

these war-cries are against the UCT discrimination and harassment policy Year after year these war-cries have been ignored and played down because “men are stupid”. What should occur to students and the administration is that their silence encourages young male students in ways that might have horrific consequences. I believe that these songs make men think that they are entitled to speak about and treat women in any way they choose.

Even more alarming is that these lyrics suggest that to rape a woman or degrade a woman’s body as an object to fulfil a man’s desires is perfectly fine.

war-cries continue to be the norm and women continue to live in constant fear One could argue that the lyrics of these war-cries are against the UCT

discrimination and harassment policy as well as the founding principles of our constitution. How can we still tolerate this form of “free speech”? A serious investigation should be conducted not only to remove these offensive and sexist war-cries from male residences, but to also hold to account the wardens and students who set a poor example towards the respect of other human beings.

I do not see a brighter future for our students, and broader society, if these war-cries continue to be the norm and women continue to live in constant fear and are reduced to objects. With the rape statistics suggesting that the rape of a female takes place every three minutes, UCT male residences should think twice about their role in society and the impact that these seemingly harmless songs can have.

Whose Privilege is it Anyway?

Image: Morema Moloisi

Claudia Harrison Like any ex-model C high school, mine had some richer students and some poorer students, but the overwhelming majority of us were from the same financial background. This caused us to become comfortable enough to not notice the gaps in wealth that did exist among us.

a paradigm shift needs to occur in the minds of students However, within my first week at UCT I noticed a marked difference between those that have and those that do not. The ‘haves’ were the easiest to notice. They sashayed across Jammie Plaza in name-brand clothing, made notes on iPads in lectures and went to Clifton on a whim (usually in a car given to them as a present from their parents).

Whether they were actually judging me or not, did not matter.

I felt inadequate in my Mr Price clothes, eating packed lunch and arriving on campus disheveled after the overcrowded train journey to get there.

I am not saying that I absolutely fit into the category of ‘have-nots’ I would rather describe my situation as ‘have-less’, by having (for example) five outfits instead of 25. The struggle of the real ‘have-nots’ is not properly acknowledged by fellow students, even though the university’s financial aid programs are widely advertised.

When a student wishes to apply for or do any administration regarding financial aid, there is often

an element of shyness. This is due to the unnecessarily negative stigma associated with receiving scholarships or bursaries. Why do wealthier students look down upon those who are not as privileged as them?

The answer is simple: entitlement is privilege’s twin. There is often a sense that wealthier students think they deserve to have everything handed to them on a 1000 carat gold platter, university included. They don’t want to share ‘their’ campus with people who are not of the same status as them.

Of course this does not apply to all wealthy students. However, it is also important that those who differ from the above description do not obtain a “some-of-my-best-friendsare-financial-aid-students” attitude.

The same applies to those who extend this view into community service – it is possible to help the community without posting pictures of your good deeds online. Yes, this is a real thing!

The privileged student approach is not only part of one’s personality while at university, but transcends into one’s whole life. Alumni fund quite a large portion of financial aid. If you would like to one day do the same, I implore you to resist the temptation to develop a savior complex. While your money (and the education it pays for) is appreciated, bragging about it is not good form.

The gap between rich and poor students may cause you to have a hopeless feeling, but there are remedies. First and foremost, a paradigm shift needs to occur in the minds of all students alike. Rich, poor or somewhere in between; it is important that we keep in mind that we are all here to receive an education, not to judge one another.

he names of buildings form part of the broader dialogue currently taking place at UCT on institutional symbolism. Many of us are not aware of how buildings and spaces at UCT were named and who the people behind the names are.

Here’s a quick historical catch-up on some of the buildings and names that form part of our everyday lives at UCT.

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NB: It is important to note that the information used to compile this spread is purely based on information accessed through historical accounts.

That said, we are aware that history is shaped and narrated according to the very people that many of the buildings are named after - white, wealthy and able-bodied males. This leaves for a baised account of both people and events.

We therefore encourage students to go further and investigate the nature of the people, principles and beliefs they stood for in order to truly understand the history of our institution and the current dialogue taking place.

Institutional Symbolism Chancellor Oppenheimer Library:

Women of UCT’s history:

R.W. James:

John Day Zoology Building: Named after: John H Osborne Day (1909 – 1989)

Fuller :

Beattie:

From 1946 until he retired in 1974, he was Professor and head of the department of Zoology. He named 156 new species, and was a marine biologist, international ecologist and an authority in marine biology.

He had an innovative approach to research which led to the department receiving international recognition.

His interest in ornithology, which was taken up by the department after his retirement, and his marine research are today still strong areas of research within the department.

Named after: Harry Frederick Oppenheimer (1908 – 2000)

Named after: Sir John Carruthers (Jock) Beattie (1866 – 1946) During the Anglo-Boer war, Beattie worked on the application of wireless telegraphy technology, as well as the effects of X-rays, UV light and uranium rays on the electrical conductivity of gases.

He took a leading part in the movement in 1904 which began to obtain a charter for a University of Cape Town. When these acts were adopted in 1916, he was appointed a member of the Commission which was responsible for drawing up the statute for the university. Alfred Beit had left a sizeable donation for the establishment of a university in Johannesburg, which was the catalyst for implementing Rhodes’ desire for a campus on the mountainside. Beattie persuaded the Beit trustees to support the construction of a Cape Town University. He became principal in 1917, Vice-Chancellor in 1918 and was responsible for the construction of a campus on the mountain, as well as the increase in student numbers.

He was a prominent South African businessman. He was voted 60th in SABC 3’s greatest South Africans in 2004. The Oppenheimers were an assimilated Jewish family of German origin residing in Kimberly, and he lived most of his life in Johannesburg. He was the Chairman of Anglo American Corporation for 25 years and of De Beers Consolidated Mines for 27 years.

From 1948 to 1957 he was a Member of Parliament for Kimberly and the opposition spokesman for economics, constitutional affairs and finance. He financed the anti-apartheid Progressive Federal Party (now known as the DA), and did not hide his opposition to apartheid. From 1967 to 1996 he was the Chancellor of UCT, and UCT honours him as both Chancellor and activist.

Michaelis Building:

P.D Hahn:

Named after: Reginald William James

Named after: Maria Emmeline Fuller (1867 – 1957)

Fuller hall was originally known as Women’s residence and was renamed in 1950 in recognition of Fuller’s pioneering work in the cause for women at UCT. In 1912, Fuller established the first hostel for women students in a house in the UCT Gardens. She was a member of the SAC/UCT council and succeeded in convincing the council to pay its female lecturers the same rate as male lecturers. This made UCT the only University in the country to do this at the time. She was in the class of the first women students at UCT in 1886/87. She was one of only two women on the new University council.

He acted as the principal and Vice-Chancellor during T.B Davie’s absence in 1953 and 1955, and after his death, from 1956-1957. He was the Professor of Physics from 1937 to 1956. His reputation for producing great work in X-ray crystallography came with him to UCT in 1937 and this became the focus of the physics department.

He became the Dean of Science in 1948. He was instrumental in producing three Nobel Prize winners and six physics professors through his focus on postgraduate research and investigative physics. This promoted the reputation of the department, and made him an important figure in UCT’s history.

Smuts Hall:

It was opened in 1928 and originally known as Men’s residence. It was renamed in 1950 to commemorate Smut’s tenure as the Chancellor of UCT, which ran from 1937 to 1950.

He led commandos in the second Boer War and led South African armies in occupying German South West Africa during World War 1. He was Deputy Prime Minister under the coalition of J.B.M Hertzog and later served as the Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa. This, at the time, led him to being the popular choice for the position of Chancellor.

(1852 – 1932)

He was born in Germany and arrived in South Africa in 1876. He joined the gold rush and, through connections made here in South Africa, he restructured the Cape Diamond Company and became the manager of the Central Mining and Investment Corporation in Johannesburg. He left for London but returned under advisement of General Smuts with the outbreak of World War 1. He presented the Union with a collection of Flemish and Dutch old master paintings. These later formed the Michaelis collection. He also made a financial contribution of £20 000 to the University and endowed the Chair of Fine Arts at UCT in 1920.

Jameson Hall:

In 1876, he was the appointed Jamieson Professor of Experimental Physics and Practical Chemistry. In 1893, he was appointed as the Professor of Chemistry. He retained this chair until his death. He was described as a teacher at heart and concerned with the moral and personal well-being of all students who passed through his department. Women were permitted to study Chemistry through his request and perseverance.

He was a Professor at the South African College and a member of the council at the old university. Through these positions, he did much to promote systematic study in the direction of mining, engineering, medicine and agriculture. His ‘old world courtesy’ and dignity caused him to be loved and respected by those who knew him.

Snape:

Named after: Alfred Ernest Snape.

Named after: Field Marshal Jan C. Smuts (1870–1950)

Named after: Sir Maximillian Michaelis

(1849 – 1918)

How are the buildings named?

Who decides on the name?

Named after: Graca Machel Born in 1945

(1881 – 1946)

Named after: Sir Leander Starr Jameson

He was appointed to the Cape Town Corporation Chair of Civil Engineering in 1910, at the age of 29. He served as the Professor of the Corporation until his death. It was due to his technical teaching ability that a future for professional engineering training in South Africa was established.

He was trained as a medical doctor in London, but due to health issues from overwork, he immigrated to South Africa and set up a practice in Kimberly. His reputation brought him into contact with Cecil Rhodes, which lead him to leave his practice and pursue a political career. He became leader of the progressive party, which saw him becoming Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1904-1908. In 1918, Friends of Jameson made a proposal to the University to raise money for a central assembly hall as a tribute to his memory. The University accepted and they raised £100 000. His name was deemed appropriate for the hall due to his strong influence in the Cape.

(1853-1917)

Jagger Library:

(1891 – 1964)

Graca Machel :

Named after: Paul Daniel Hahn

Created by: Michaela Findeis and Parusha Naidoo Information supplied by: Marius Lund and Jessica Breakey More information on all of the buildings on campus can be found in the Register of Building names, available at www.uct.ac.za Images: Michaela Findeis

In 1975 she married Samora Machel, the first president of the newly independent Mozambique. She was the minister of Education and Culture from 1975 to 1989. She worked to implement Frelimo’s goal of universal education for all Mozambicans, and managed to increase the number of children in schools from 400 000 to 1.5 million. She became the chairperson of the National Organization of Children of Mozambique, an organisation that places orphans in village homes and reinforces the role of family and community in the healing process of the effects of the war. From 1975-1985, the number of students in primary and secondary schools rose from about 40% to 90% in males and 75% for females. She and her friends founded the Foundation for Community Development, a foundation that offered technical help and funds to help build local schools and clinics. This is noted as one of her most successful efforts. From 1998-2013 she was married to the late Nelson Mandela.

She was elected as chancellor of UCT in 1999 for a ten year term of office.

She holds honorary doctorates from UCT, UWC, RAU and the University of Essex, and she is honoured for her dedication to educating the people of Mozambique, as well as her leadership in the organisations committed to helping the children of her country.

The Naming of Buildings Committee (NOBC) is made up of a total of 13 members that include both students and staff members of UCT. The breakdown of the committee is as follows: • The Vice-Chancellor or nominee • Two members of the Council appointed by the Council • Two members of the academic staff nominated by Senate (one of whom must be a professor) • One member of the non-professonial academic staff nominated by the Academics Union • One member of the professional administrative, support and service staff (PASS) nominated by the Institutional Forum • Three Students nominated by the Students Representative Council (SRC) • The President of Convocation • A member of convocation nominated by the Alumni Advisory Board • The Executive Director, Development & Alumni Affairs (assessor member)

Who can submit names?

Proposals for names can be submitted by anyone – this includes all students.

Named after J.W Jagger (1859 – 1930)

He was the former Minister of Railways and a leading Cape Town businessman. He had an interest in promoting and funding various educational initiatives and was a generous benefactor to the UCT Main Library. During his lifetime, he donated £57 000 to the University and formed a trust in his will which left another £107 500 to the institution. He sat on the Cape School Board for several years, and was the chairman of UCT’s finance committee for many years. In 1928, in accordance with his will, the J. W. Jagger Scholarships were founded for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

How does it work?

The Naming of Buildings Committee (NOBC) has the duty of identifying names for buildings, open spaces, lecture halls and rooms. The NOBC is a Council Committee and makes recommendations to Council. The following process takes place: • the NOBC consults staff and student members of the University, particularly those who occupy the buildings, rooms or lecture theatres under review • consulting takes places through issuing a call for proposals, to staff and students, and a directed call for proposals to the (future) occupants of the building (where applicable) • proposals are assessed according to the stipulated criteria and a shortlist is published, or where possible a recommended name, for comment in a second phase • the comments made are received and examined before placing a recommendation to Council who makes the final decision.

Criteria:

• Names of people, in one or more of the following subcategories: o Chancellors – e.g. Smuts Hall, Graca Machel Residence o Role Models – e.g. Leo Marquard Hall, Cissie Gool Plaza o Significance for transformation – e.g. Steve Biko o Distinguished service to UCT – e.g. Leslie Building, RW James Building o Testators (bequests) – e.g.

Kramer Building, Baxter Theatre o Former (deceased) Vice-Chancellors – e.g. Beattie Building, JP Duminy Court, TB Davie Court • Names describing the (dominant) use or users of the building for example MCB Building, Computer Science Building etc, • Names that describe a concept and/or transformation – e.g. Kopano, Hlanganani, All Africa House.

• With the exception of the Chancellor, and the possible exception of a major donor/ benefactor, proposals for names of living people will not be considered

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Vox Pops

v74 e3 – 24 March 2015

“It is like a strong current; when it is on your side, it is hard to notice, as you feel as though you can swim incredibly well. It is only when it works against you that you can truly feel and understand its strength to inhibit your progress. It means being expected to shorten your name for other people to be more comfortable and being told to forget the history of your oppression because it is no longer relevant, despite it affecting you every single day. By virtue of being white, I cannot experience it and therefore cannot completely understand the effects of institutional racism; the current will always be on my side. But by being willing to listen to black peers, I can see that it is there and needs to be stopped.” – Colin

“Symbols are so important because they are representations. The Rhodes statue to me as a black woman is a representation of this institution being happy to use me as proof of transformation and diversity and yet not transforming and diversifying the space. I know that my interrupted history is laden with oppression, poverty, and death, but can the university at least have the decency to not hoist symbols that shove this symbolically violent history in my face and expect me to sit and smile?

You want to use me to represent transformation, then you must transform UCT. “ – Nomaliqhwa

“It is when one culture is adopted in the institution and the system forces you to also adopt that culture. Non-white students are forced to assimilate whiteness in order to prosper in this institute. It is so extreme that a person having a “black” accent is seen as being less intelligent. Lecturer and tutors put effort into pronouncing Latin and European names, but don’t try at all to pronounce native names, but instead ask for our nicknames.

Furthermore, there are very few black professors and black HODs at UCT. This is shows the extent of institutional racism within UCT.” - Kabelo

“It’s the fact that as a black student you feel as though your opinions are less valid and discounted because you are not white. It’s the challenge to adapt to another language because the system you live in doesn’t recognise your language as adequate. It’s the lack of black professorship - and resistance to said professorship. It’s the fact that the curriculum we study tells us our own history from the views of the coloniser. Institutional racism is more than just a statue - it’s the very foundation of this university.” – Ryan

“UCT is furnished with embedded oppressive symbolism from the meaning of the crest; countless notorious building names, such as the ‘Oppenheimer’ library, where the legacy of these men will be reduced and focused only on their monetary contribution to society. This oppressive clutter evoking communal segregation, only make the conscious black feel like “visitors” on a campus heavily furnished with monuments and glorification of a colonisers legacy. It would be ignorant to feel as though symbols and monuments will remove the named challenges and institutional racism. However the tip of the iceberg must fall.” - Zuko

Disclaimer The VARSITY Vox Pops 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 300 words and can be sent to:

opinions@varsitynewspaper.co.za

“It is a systemic structure that is designed specifically to favour one socially constructed race group over another. The term “racism” was invented specifically to describe white people’s subjugation of black people. Consequently, institutional racism refers to institutions which are designed to value and prioritise white individuals and their narrative over black individuals and their narrative. As a white student, I have never, and will never, experience institutional racism, and therefore I cannot speak about how black students experience it because that would be enormously arrogant of me.” Vivian

“UCT perpetuates institutional racism. It is not an academic institution that is inclusive to people from diverse backgrounds, but rather, it reinforces white arrogance and white privilege. Examples of institutional racism are seen when a black student’s act of throwing excrement to protest an oppressive symbol is seen as “barbaric” but when white students participate in 6x7s - an event where students get drunk, chase and chunder on each other on a cricket field - is seen as a tradition of brotherhood.” – Susan

“Institutional Racism at UCT is something that is no longer an invisible concept that students just refrain from talking about. The problem lies in the fact that UCT Management has the arrogance to undermine the student body/staff and workers on campus, into thinking that they are not aware of Institutional Racism that they must digest and is imposed on them every day. Black students will no longer be silenced by any use of symbolism and names. By virtue of the fact that black students are still getting financially excluded not based on academic standing but rather on the inability to pay fees showcases how the system does not recognise black students who are in this problem. ” – Tabisa “Elements of the institutions we have inherited from our past, derives from them having been constituted to benefit the few: in this setting, that means the white elite (although granting that, at one time, white women would not be included in the category).

When one (at least in a formal sense) opens these spaces up to all without restructuring some of their infrastructural elements (language, curriculum, aesthetics), the result is an institution which leaves white people feeling more comfortable than people of colour. It is the prejudicial ability to slip into a state of lesser observation because one’s surroundings seem familiar and like a reflection of oneself.” –Kyla

“One is constantly reminded through symbolism (statues), language, and culture that they do not belong and are constantly singled out for not fitting the criteria. And that you should feel privileged for being allowed into their space. On campus there is not much for black students to identify with for one. Buildings names identify with and seem to glorify the oppressor. Lectures are predominantly white and cleaners are black, which classifies you.

Because you are black it is already assumed that you belong to the EDU programme.”

– Sino

Compiled by Parusha Naidoo

“My accent and heritage does not fit into the hegemonic culture of UCT. My background and class is largely distant from the ethos of the University. I experience isolation and alienation in an institution that was not initially erected for my race, class and background. Institutional racism at UCT is a practice whereby a certain culture and ethos, is aligned to some form of Whiteness. Whiteness is not based on the colour of someone’s skin, but on a system. A system that is characterised by Western Civilisation. My upbringing, background, and life experience, does not identify with the hegemonic culture at UCT.” – Monique

Financial News

v74 e3 - 14 March 2015

13

Education Doctorate or Bust? at a Cost Tsepo Ngwenyama and Sinoxolo Mbayi

Tumi Molefe South Africa is currently in an economic slump - at least that’s what everyone says. Every day new statistics are pouring in telling us that we are on the verge of financial collapse, and at the heart of the problem is youth unemployment.

South Africa currently has the third highest unemployment rate in the world among people aged 15-24 at a whopping 50%, meaning half of us millennials don’t have jobs.

But this statistic is probably the reason most of us are at university.

The unemployment rate for graduate students lies at 6%. This is pretty good considering that the unemployment rate faced by individuals with a diploma is 16%.

However, the unemployment rate is projected to increase.

the answer probably lies in self-employment and entrepreneurship This may be due to the fact that more and more students are flocking to university. The necessity of a university education to put you at a competitive advantage in the job market is a recent phenomenon which has resulted in a university bubble.

More and more people are going to university to compete for a limited number of jobs and the economy simply isn’t growing fast enough to keep up. The solution is obvious then: the economy needs to be revitalised and growth needs to increase.

The government has been working tirelessly, I assume, to increase growth in the economy, but there’s only so much it can do. The government simply cannot generate enough growth to compensate for the increasing number of graduate students. That’s why the answer probably lies in self-employment and entrepreneurship.

It’s time for us to finally step up to the plate and start creating jobs, an obstacle that is certainly insurmountable from my position, largely because I simply have no

interest in entrepreneurship. This belief isn’t uncommon for our generation - as millennials we have access to information like never before. Thanks to the internet, social media, and the hyper liberalisation of society, people are freer than ever to share ideas and criticise institutions.

One need look no further than the recent controversy surrounding yours and my favourite benefactor Cecil John Rhodes − or rather his statue.

more and more students are flocking to university

We are angry because having the statue doesn’t meet the ideals we have and thus we antagonise those in authority, i.e. the council. This is just an example of what’s happening everywhere. The youth have ideals which we demand to be met, however the world simply isn’t built on ideals and when we are challenged by the pragmatism of the world we either accept it or reject it. Thanks to the internet and the widespread liberalism in society, the idea of rejecting authority is appealing – it also helps that our free South Africa came from rejecting the authority of its time.

These factors have created a generation of youths who struggle to trust authority and, as such, some of us struggle with the idea of being authority figures. Entrepreneurship isn’t appealing to me because being an entrepreneur would make me a part of the established authority which I have, to some extent, been conditioned to question and mistrust.

youth have ideas which we demand to be met, however the world...isn’t built on ideals However, we aren’t all a bunch of nihilistic adolescents who base their life philosophy on Fight Club.

The truth is that economies work in cycles and once enough pressure for change is applied, change will happen - hopefully for the best.

Our government pledges that “the doors of learning and education shall be opened” as a basic human right; yet when one scrutinises the cost of higher education in South Africa, it can be argued that higher education is a privilege.

South African students who come from a middle-class background are ineligible for NSFAS funding because of its low threshold. Thus, many students who are categorised in this socioeconomic bracket have no option but to take out hefty student loans to realise a “basic human right”.

This consequence is even greater for the financial aid student. NSFAS advocates that it offers fixed low-fee interest rate loans with up to a 40% bursary conversion of the loan’s total amount. However, this is conditional to you graduating within the alotted time of the degree.

A study conducted by the Centre for Higher Education and Training found that only one in four working-class students graduate within the regulated time. This means that the great majority that is funded by NSFAS have to pay back the full loan, including interest.

It should be noted that this article does not go against the principle of paying back the loan, but rather seeks to interrogate the financial implications of NSFAS loans on working-class students.

The greatest consequence of this loan is the implicit transfer of debt to students by virtue of being on financial aid. I remember, when signing my first NSFAS contract, being struck by the realisation that by the time I graduate I will have accumulated a debt of over half a million rand. For many financial aid students this impedes on any kind of upward social mobility which is further exacerbated by a job market that has a high unemployment rate.

I will have accumulated a debt of over half a million rand Graduates are not only subjected to this debt in the face of unemployability, they are also burdened with implicit social and cultural obligations. Socially, most UCT graduates are expected to conform to a certain lifestyle which adheres to the public perception of a UCT graduate. First generation graduates are usually expected to provide financial and material support to their parents, siblings and at times extended family members.

When one considers these financial burdens that NSFAS funded students are confronted by, it is clear that any form of upward mobility is almost unachievable.

Thus, we maintain the already-existing income inequalities within South African society.

It is considered that policy makers ought to think of a way in which higher education could be universalised through systematic restructuring of university tuition fees in order to mitigate the entrenched inequalities which our current state of higher education and funding yields.

Bank on That

Dean Horwitz

anks in South Africa have some of the best marketing and business strategies at their disposal and they use these very wisely to entice and encourage consumers to join their banks. One of these strategies is the segmentation of the market into groups of consumers and then the targeting of products at these diverse groups.

Banks in South Africa have products aimed at Muslims, graduates, professionals, new families and pensioners. One of the most successful examples of this is student banking, with every bank in South Africa targets this demographic and ensures that they offer a unique and often incentive driven suite of products to this young and ever-growing group.

Students are a lucrative market for banks because while many students are currently living day-to-day and month-to-month there will come a time (usually after graduation) where these students will start earning real money and will be looking to spend and invest it. Once you enter this phase of your life banks will begin introducing you to some of their more lucrative products such as credit cards, home loans and the like. Loyalty is a key selling point and many people will stick with one bank for the duration of their adult lives, provided that they are satisfied with the service that they receive.

It would seem then that student bank accounts are a win-win for both parties. Banks gain access to new emerging consumers and students gain access to freebies, loyalty points and other incentives.

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students will start earning real money and will be looking to spend However, as with everything in life, there are catches and students should be wary of these. Often banks will try and sell you products which may seem

attractive right now but could hurt you in the long run. The constant battle we, as students, face is that we need money right now and figure that in the future we will be able to pay it back.

When it comes to choosing a student bank account don’t choose the one that offers you free ice-cream on Jammie Plaza or the one that offers you incentives that you are never going to use but rather do your research into each bank and what they offer.

Important things to consider include the ability to access your money easily and at a good rate, the bank’s fees, useful incentives and ease of use.

Being a student ... presents some great opportunities.

As students we often need to access our money or make transactions at a moment’s notice and therefore it is important to ask the bank how much they charge for withdrawals, for swiping your card and for using other banks’ ATMs. It is also important to find out how much they are going to charge you per month and what that monthly fee includes. You should also enquire as to the locations of the bank’s ATMS and ensure that they are in student hotspots and on campus.

Being a student comes with several challenges, but it also presents some great opportunities. Often both of these present themselves simultaneously and you find yourself needing money or needing to pay for something and cannot access a bank, the internet or an ATM. In cases like these it is important that your bank offers you an alternative to traditional banking such as a mobile app or a mobile payment system.

The incentives that most banks offer are always a nice cherry on top, especially when they offer you free petrol and discounts on useful and important things but banking is the one thing that you do not want to make a quick decision on and should always consider all the options before signing on the dotted line.

14

Features

v74 e3 – 24 march 2015

But First, THE Coffee!

SHOCK FACTOR

Nicole Arends

Image: Jade Rolene Aspeling

Many things in life are crazy. The fact that Hannah Montana turned out to be a twerking extraordinaire is crazy. The fact that the entire world was sent into an existential panic over the colour of a dress is crazy. The fact that Harry Styles is my future husband, but has not yet met me, is pretty crazy.

However, the following body modifications are so risqué and unorthodox that they’ll reembody (see what I did there?) craziness and leave even the biggest hipsters gasping in awe…

Arm ears allow you to hear from your arm

Katelyn Mostert ired of working on campus?

Looking for a new place to burn the midnight oil that serves great coffee and has free WiFi? I went exploring to find the hidden gem near you. Here are some of the places that I found:

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OBSERVATORY – Hello Sailor Bistro – 4/5 • WiFi – 4/5 Unlimited; Download speed 2.4 Mbps • Coffee – Filter coffee 2/5 Cappuccino 4/5 The coffee tasted a bit sour but it was most likely a once-off thing.

• Table space – 5/5 with plug points!

Just across the road from Obz café, Hello Sailor has friendly staff and a decent (although slightly expensive) menu. All sorts of quirky details make the bistro a delightful space to sit and work or just observe people passing by. The place is open from 8.30am-2am.

P.S. They also sell craft beers.

TOWN - The Company’s Garden 3/5 • WiFi -4/5 100mb/1 hour (can use anywhere in the gardens); 3.08Mbps • Coffee – 4/5 Small cup but very good quality • Table space 4/5 The tables are a bit wobbly and there are no plug points but there is enough space to spread out a few things.

Situated in the beautiful Company Gardens, this coffee shop is a lovely place but not ideal for working long hours. It is perfect if you’d like to catch up on a few emails or check Vula.

While there are some tables

inside, most are outside, so take a jacket if you plan on staying for a while. It would be a great place for a date, especially if you bring your student card and take advantage of the free access your card provides to any Iziko museum on Fridays afterwards.

It’s open from 7am-6pm, seven days a week.

WOODSTOCK – Woodstock Exchange – Field Office 5/5 • WiFi – 4/5 Unlimited; 1.8 Mbps (the speed is affected by the number of people using it) • Coffee – 6/5 Excellent coffee, and they have loyalty cards!

• Table space – 5/5 Big tables with plug points.

This coffee shop is also much quieter than any of the others.

A few blocks down from the Old Biscuit Mill, the Woodstock Exchange is a mini mall and towards the back you will find Field Office. The staff here are super friendly and you can get well-priced toasted sandwiches and other light meals if you get hungry from all your hard work.

CLAREMONT – Cavendish Mugg ‘n Bean 4/5 • WiFi – 4/5 50Mb/30 mins; 264.87 Mbps • Coffee – 4/5 Bottomless! And you can choose which blend you like most.

• Table space 4/5 Not bad but not much space and no plug points.

The primary draw card here is the bottomless coffee. You can work for hours and get as many refills as you like without paying any extra. The restaurant is split into two levels, one of which is near the banks so it’s very quiet, making it a perfect place to work.

ARM EARS Do you remember the infamous line your mum used to whip out when she got home and you hadn’t listened, and had forgotten to take the chicken out of the freezer: “Are your ears ornaments?” Well, now they can be! Yes, you heard me. A new body modification is on the rise where stem cells are used to grow an ear in labs, which can – in a rigorous medical procedure - be implanted under the skin on your arm. Furthermore, a microphone is attached to this ear, which essentially allows you to hear from

your arm!

Oh, what a time to be alive!

CORSET PIERCINGS Everyone knows someone who is a Game of Thrones fan. Now, instead of these fans having to find ways to bring it up in random conversation or spontaneously bellowing something along the (eloquently phrased) lines of: “WINTER IS COMING!” they can sport the ultimate sign of their loyalty to the medieval world with corset piercings! This process consists of acquiring multiple ring piercings in two symmetrical rows on your back.

These piercings are then laced with ribbon, rope, lace… any cord of your fancy! Corset piercings are especially susceptible to infection though, and need to be entered into with extreme caution and care.

However, if done correctly, yours can be a truly fabulous avant-garde fashion statement. In the words of Coco Chanel…“I don’t do fashion, I am fashion.”

Extra-ocular implants are basically eye jewellery EXTRA-OCULAR IMPLANT The eyes are the windows to soul, they say, so why not don some fancy curtains? Extra-ocular implants are basically decorations – “eye

Inspired by – you guessed it – a bagel bread jewellery” – which involve having a piece of platinum alloy moulded into a shape of your choice, and implanted underneath your cornea by a licensed ophthalmologist.

Unfortunately, these implants are currently going for over R10 000, and you’ll have to fly to the Netherlands to have the procedure done. But rest assured that, with extra-ocular implants, that twinkle in your eye will never shine brighter.

BAGEL HEADS We all know Japan to be innovative and hi-tech, and therefore it comes as no surprise that this trend has its origins rooted there. Inspired by – you guessed it – a bagel bread, the process involves having saline (salt water) injected into the forehead, which causes the forehead to swell up. Then, to add the final touch, the centre of the swollen area is pressed in by your thumb! Your body will soon absorb the saline though, so this treatment will wear off after only 16-24 hours, making it perfect if you’re feeling a whim of spontaneity, but aren’t too keen for too-big a commitment.

There are many things in life that are crazy.

Enough said.

Image: flickr.com/Roberto Rizzato

Features

v74 e3 - 24 march 2015

SWAP THIS, FOR THAT

15

Calorie-conscious alternatives that are so close to your favourite foods, you’ll barely notice the difference.

Anna Insam orget abandoning the flavours your taste buds dance for – the following swaps are readily available alongside your usuals, and are ways to be more calorieconscious.

These alternatives are just for you if the health bug is gnawing at you but you’re not quite ready to go to town on the whole craze. A healthier you is only five food swaps away!

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1) Dried Mango for fresh Mango Dried Mango – Woolworths 125g bag: 374 calories, 89g carbs (62g sugar), 0g fat, and 1g protein Fresh Mango – 125g: 75 calories, 19g carbs (18g sugar), 1g fat, and 1g protein

Calories saved: 299 Dried fruit can lead to a major sugar overload if you don’t stick to small portions.

Get the most out of your mango, and keep your sugar intake at bay by eating them fresh. Same goes for all fruits!

2) Swap Big Mac Burger for Cheese Burger Big Mac: 530 calories, 27g fat, 47g carbs, 24g protein, and 960mg sodium Cheese Burger: 290 calories, 11g fat, 33g carbs, 15g protein, and 680mg sodium Calories saved: 240 You’re heading home from campus, its 11pm and the thought of cooking after all those exhausting hours spent grafting in the library is unfathomable. This calls for a

Maccy Dee’s drive through dinner; just make sure to pick the Cheese Burger to get almost half the calories you would do with a Big Mac. Tada, your grumbling tummy poststudy problems have been solved.

the health bug is gnawing at you but you’re not quite ready 3) Swap Coke for Coke Zero Coke: 140 calories, 0g fat, 39g carbs, and 0g protein Coke Zero: 0 calories Calories saved: 140 Um, really? All this swap needs is an extra ‘zero’ when ordering your soda at lunch. Be guarded against the artificial ingredients

that make up this lighter fizzy drink, and alternate with water to stay hydrated.

4) Albany White Bread for Albany Seeded Brown Bread White bread – 1 slice: 96 calories, 1.3g fat, 19g carbs, and 4g protein Seeded brown bread – 1 slice: 83 calories, 1.4g fat, 10g carbs, and 4g protein Calories saved: 13 Cut 50% of the carbs and gobble some more fiber to stay fuller for longer, by switching your slice-ofnice to Seeded Brown Bread.

5) Act II Microwave Popcorn Butter for air-popped popcorn kernels Act II Microwave Popcorn Butter – 1 bag/6.5 cups: 420 calories, 20g fat, 52g carbs, and 6g protein

Air Popped Popcorn – 6.5 cups: 200 calories, 2g fat, 41g carbs, and 6g protein Calories saved: 220 6.5 cups of buttery popcorn is what one can expect from these microwavable bags, and as much as you think you’ll stick to the much smaller serving size, it’s as if the whole bag has vanished before your movie has even begun!

DIY your popcorn indulgences by using popcorn kernels in an air popping microwavable dish.

Halve the serving of a bag so you’re digging into 3 cups of yumminess, saving 20g fat and munching on only a ¼ of the calories you would have otherwise.

A lighter version of foods, and you, is simply a shelf ’s reach away.

Happy chewing, foodies!

Image: Amina Ebrahim

DID WE LOVE SUMMER? Jessica Latham Yes, yes we did! I mean, what was not to love? Unreal venue and people, great weather, drinks flowing all day long… yes, the We Love Summer team did well with their final chapter, closing this summer with a bang.

To give you an idea, when I arrived at Blue Rock at around 3pm, it was already pumping. Although every party naturally has its negatives, We Love Summer definitely had more positives. Here are a few that stood out:

Food and Drinks: One of my main concerns at outdoor parties like this is the chance that the food and the alcohol may run out. However, there was more than enough, the service was great and there were enough bars that the queuing process never had to be likened to the one at home affairs! Sometime during my evening, I indulged in a pizza which really hit the spot; plus, I didn't even have to wait too long as the kitchen seemed to have done a lot of prepping. Ideal!

Entertainment: People took full advantage of the incredible weather and spent the event swimming, tanning and wakeboarding. The We

Love Summer team managed to create an incredible vibe with a well planned out area, which included clothing shops, various bars, dance floors and chill zones. There was even an insane bonfire and flamethrowers for entertainment throughout the evening. The only complaint was that, despite it being crazy hot, the dance floor had no marquee of any sorts...so I’m pretty surprised I didn't come back looking like a lobster!

set after him, may just have stolen the spotlight. There was also a lot of buzz around Yeti's closing set, which was apparently mind-blowing.

Music: Unbelievable!!! The day started off pretty chilled with a bit of deep house, which turned into some serious deep-tech. The main event was Boogie-Vice…and he killed it!

However, Lamageier, who played the

Transport and Parking: Besides a few grumbles about some people’s pre-organised shuttles arriving late, they generally seemed to run pretty smoothly and ensured a ride there and home, for only R120. On top of

the...team did well ... closing this summer with a bang

that, a pretty rad deal was arranged with regards to parking, wherein the more people you had in your car, the less you paid! What's more is that all the money raised from the parking is to be donated to the charity Sustainable Brothers & Sisters. The We Love Summer team partnered up with them and helped to raise funds for them in any way they could; including through selling a "green ticket", from which a portion of the profits made went to the charity.

All in all, the party was well worth the R260 – the good vibes at this ultra-successful music event no doubt had all its goers (me included) buzzing over their post-hangoverbrekkie the next morning!

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Features

v74 e3 – 24 March 2015

Gentrification of Woodstock and Observatory Havens for hipsters, but necropolises for residents Amy Mihelich hether it be Observatory on a Monday night or an early Saturday morning in Woodstock, Capetonians can’t help but be drawn to the vintage clothing markets, pop-up art shows and trendy live-music venues in their midst. The chilled vibes, artistic presence and delicious food are certified ingredients for a good time. But are these bohemian developments the makings of a hipster haven or of a deeper underlying problem?

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are these bohemian developments the making of a hipster haven...?

Gentrification is a controversial term associated with urban planning. When economically challenged urban spaces are developed, wealthier people wanting to move into that area often displace current residents. As the value of businesses and homes increase, the distribution of affluence within the area becomes shifted.

Woodstock, South Africa’s first suburb, struggles to find balance in this time of renewal and relocation. It was one of

the only areas to evade the 1950 Group Areas Act; therefore, historically, its residents have been more diverse than many other areas of Cape Town.

As parts of the suburb thrive off new developments, lower income areas lurk behind. Often these revamped spaces become too expensive for the original inhabitants of the city to enjoy.

The highly fashionable Old Biscuit Mill is a prime example of such wealth discrepancy.

Businesses that sell “vintage” (used) clothing; “rustic” (worn) house décor and “authentic” (overpriced) crafts do not benefit the entire suburb, but rather a handful of artisans. While some of the business owners are local residents, others commute every Saturday to reap the benefits of the “neighborhood” (looselydefined) market.

Gentrification is a controversial term

Affordable housing is also becoming an issue in Woodstock.

The average sale price of houses has doubled over the past ten years, which has simultaneously benefited the well-to-do landowners and displaced long-

Image: Patrice Madurai

time residents.

Although outsiders may see renovations to buildings as improvements, many residents struggle to remain in their homes after reconstruction. Families have been evicted because they can no longer afford their homes, as was the case with the residents of Gympie Street who got evicted prior to the 2010 World Cup. Observatory has faced similar challenges. In November 2014, Rawson Developers announced plans to construct a multi-level, privately owned residence in Observatory. The Paragon, as they have named it, will provide housing for university students and young professionals.

In December 2014, many community members began protesting the construction of the building, claiming that the nine story building will “cast a shadow well past Lower Main Road in the afternoon.” Additionally, they were concerned that the influx of residents to fill the 188 units will overcrowd the city and cause traffic issues.

City residents were frustrated that they were not consulted about the construction of the building and began a petition which gained over 1300 signatures.

Urban development can raise the value of property and attract tourists. However, change

that will benefit the whole community requires community input on internally developed and executed projects.

Often these revamped spaces are too expensive

Suburbs such as Woodstock and Observatory illustrate that what may seem a hideaway from the mainstream main road may actually be a necropolis for long-time residents if the urban revamping remains intrusive and exclusive.

Faculty Specific Study Secrets Image: Hyder Lallmamode

is mostly about numbers, therefore finding solutions to different problems everyday helps you to stay focused and sharp.”

Tasimba urges students to do practical internships in order to gain exposure in different aspects of their aspired industries and to learn about responsibilities of practicing engineers at various levels.

Tankiso Mamabolo, Theatre and Performance student: “Academic and practical work are both important. The practical aspects are a mere extension of the academic, therefore it is imperative to nurture both aspects of your studies.

As a Performing Arts student, your body is your greatest tool, so it is important that you keep it healthy and energised by taking regular breaks that consist of activities that have nothing to do with your work in order to lower your stress levels.”

Primrose Bimha Developing effective work management and studying skills presently will make us better prepared to handle academic pressure and to excel in our assessments. Studious students spill their study secrets: We are all familiar with standard study tips such as eating healthy, getting enough sleep, keeping up with the pace of the course material

“In medicine and sciences you learn by doing” and attending lectures together with tutorials.

However, I consulted students to share faculty specific study tips from different academic disciplines within UCT in order to enhance our studying strategies. The following is what they had this to say:

Emmanuel Nwosu, Postgraduate Medical Sciences student: “Students need to get a lot of hands-on practical experience through vacation training, internships and attending as many practical sessions as they can because in medicine and sciences you learn by doing.”

Khotsofalang Nqhoaki & Tasimba Chirindo, Engineering students: Khotsofalang says, “Engineering

“As a Performing Arts student your body is your greatest tool” Gloria Chikaonda, Postgraduate Law student: “It helps to keep a case book or file with a summary of cases and the crucial principles that are supposed to be derived from those cases so that when you have tests or exams you will not have to reread whole

cases. It is also important to note that some concepts in Law require definition learning because a lot of the rules are ‘set in stone’ so to speak, and you just have to know them off by heart.”

“Students need to compile their own sets of notes” Natasha Makoni, Commerce student: “Understanding key principles and practicing them with lecturers’ examples is vital for Accounting, Tax and Finance courses.”

Natasha also highlighted the importance of quality revision “which entails revising one’s work in advance rather than quantity revision, which is more stressful and occurs when students leave things until the last minute.”

Primrose Bimha, Postgraduate Humanities student: “As a humanities student I have learned that students need to compile their own sets of notes from lectures, tutorial sessions, course readings and handouts.

During this note taking process, you need to highlight key concepts, think them through and write short analytical points which you will use as points of reference for essays, tests and examinations.”

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18

Sport

v74 e3 – 24 march 2015

Interview with Ryan Maron: “My Journey with Afghanistan”

From the Bench

Image: Ryan Maron

Dean Horwitz

Tumi Malatji

cannot believe that this is the 3rd edition of VARSITY Newspaper for 2015. We have had a fantastic first two editions and are working hard to ensure that we bring you the best local and international sport content. In this edition we introduce two new aspects to the Sports section which I hope will become regular features.

Jena, our wonderful Deputy Editor, has written an informative piece on how she got started in gymnastics at the beginning of the semester. We also feature two exciting interviews with UCT coaches who are doing some incredible work.

The one thing I have learnt in my first few months as Sports Editor is that sport does not revolve around the traditional and that UCT is in fact filled with fun, exciting and interesting sporting activities that one can get involved in. If you have recently taken up a new sport, do get in touch with us; we would love you to write about your experience.

We are also looking for exciting sportsmen and women across UCT who we could interview – if you know of anyone or would like to nominate yourself please also get in touch.

On a final note, the UCT Ikey Tigers played their final home game of the season on the Green Mile on Monday, March 23rd. Myself and the whole VARSITY Newspaper team were there supporting the boys – we hope you were too.

Ryan Maron is a former Western Province cricketer, Head Coach of UCT Cricket, and fielding coach of the Afghanistan national cricket team.

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Over and out, Dean

VARSITY: Afghanistan’s first international victory was an emphatic one. How did you feel as a coach watching your team succeed?

Ryan Maron: It was Afghanistan’s first World Cup and the first One Day International competition so it was massively rewarding. It was a very tight game but the coaching staff thought that the players, mentally and technically, did very well to finish the game off. After all the hard work that the players and coaches have been putting into preparation for the past several months for the World Cup, I think it was well deserved.

V: How does the Afghanistan cricket culture differ from cricket cultures around the world, and specifically the South African cricket culture?

RM: There has been massive support for the Afghanistan team throughout Australia and New Zealand. In every country we’ve been to they have organised a celebratory evening to welcome the players with Afghani food, music, dancing, etcetera.

I heard a story that when the boys didn’t play particularly well the Afghani people were so upset that they were throwing their TVs around. But when they were winning, I heard that in Kabul and all over Afghanistan AK-47s were fired into the air in celebration.

I love learning new things.

Unfortunately, this has led to an unusual predicament – I’m running out of things to learn. Fortunately, however, at UCT there is never a shortage of societies where one can to develop a new skill. This year I have decided to join the wonder that is the Gymnastics Society in the hopes of becoming the next South African gold medallist – or at least to be able to do a handstand.

So far, the society has not been at all what I expected. I pictured walking into the gym and seeing tiny Russian-looking girls in sparkly leotards doing quadruple flips off the beam while muscly Russianlooking guys spun themselves round on pommel horses. Instead, I saw a bunch of really chilled UCT students (shocking, I know) getting to know one another before class. However, even though they

aren’t Russian gymnasts, the regular attendees are really good and I felt quite intimidated – that is, until we actually started.

The first class I attended started with an obstacle course as a warm-up – climbing over bars, jumping over low and high beams and jumping on the trampoline. We then split into guys and girls, and were further split up into three groups: never done gymnastics before, somewhat coordinated and previously experienced in gymnastics. Because of my background in karate and ballet I opted for the second group thinking I’d be more than okay with anything that would be thrown at me. I was wrong.

So, it turns out that walking in a straight line is really hard, even while you’re sober. I learnt this very quickly with the first exercise that was simply walking across the beam, and then later walking on your toes.

This part was my favourite. Every time I jumped off the other end of

By Dean Horwitz and Fanie van Zijl UCT Sports wrap-up

The Flying Tigers are on a Roll

The UCT Ultimate Frisbee team have won their last two games in the Cape Town Summer League, beating Salusa45 and Catch-22 Ultimate. After eight games of the season the Flying Tigers top the log, having won six games and lost two.

Western Province Junior and U23 Championships V: Which is very different from the South African culture where we braai and paint our faces?

RM: I’ve learnt a lot about the Afghani culture through mixing and getting to know the guys. Culturally it’s obviously quite different from the Western world.

The country has really pulled together. It’s a country full of horrific wars, killings, bombings and so on but the World Cup has really put them on the cricketing map, and pulled the country together, if I can put it that way.

It’s been an awesome experience working with boys, who are former refugees, playing for their country and trying their best to perform for their country, to make the people back home come together and make them happy.

V: How did you cope with the adjustment from coaching in Cape Town with UCT students to coaching the Afghanistan team?

RM: I tried my best to get to know more about their culture. I’d spent time with the players when I was in Dubai at the training camp, before the World Cup. I spent time with

First Time at the Jena Ascough

Sports Bites

them in their rooms, ate with them, sitting on the floor, taking shoes off, and eating with your right hand. I tried to spend time with them to show respect for their culture and religion. I think I’ve gained a lot of respect for that- getting to know the guys. It’s been a massive eye-opener but it’s also been great to see how these guys live and how they are brought up and their culture.

“all over Afghanistan AK-47s were fired... in celebration” V: How important do you think sport is for developing Afghani people?

RM: Sjoe, for the Afghani boys cricket has given them massive opportunities in life, not only to get out of a war-ridden country, but to experience life outside of Afghanistan. It has also been a massive opportunity to take their passion and love for the game and turn it into a full-time job.

Image: Mari Mombers

The Western Province Junior and U23 Championships were held in Bellville on March 7th. UCT athletes Rejoice Katjitae (100m Women U23), Zane Weir (U23 Men’s Shot Put) and Mpumelelo Mhlongo U23 Men’s Triple and Long Jump) all won gold medals while Rejoice and Mpumelelo won Bronze medals for the Women’s U23 200m and the High Jump respectively.

Ikey’s Young Guns on the Comeback Trail

After a faltering start to the season the UCT Ikey Young Guns have resurrected their campaign. After beating CUT Young Guns 34-24 on March 2nd the Young Guns went on to record a historic 2615 victory over the Maties Young Guns on March 9th. The team now sits in 4th place on the log heading into the final round of games where they will play 5th place Pukke Young Guns.

Local and International Sports wrap-up

Proteas Clear First Hurdle En-Route to World Cup Victory

The Proteas defeated Sri Lanka in convincing fashion in the Cricket World Cup quarter-final to ensure their progression to the semi-finals of the tournament. The Sri Lankans won the toss and elected to bat but were quickly bungled out for 133 thanks to a JP Duminy hattrick. The Proteas chased down the total in just 18 overs to record a comprehensive victory thanks to a brilliant 78 not-out from the under fire Quinton de Kock. The Proteas will now play the winner of New Zealand and West Indies.

Bulls Trio Extend Contracts

the beam I had to refrain myself from throwing my hands into the air shouting “Aaaaaaand dismount!”

Next we went to the bar and learnt the correct technique on how to hold yourself up, bring your leg over and do a somersault round. Next we learnt to ‘cast’. This is a must-have in a gymnast’s arsenal and probably the most confusing movement I’ve ever done. It starts with shrugging your shoulders but keeping your arms straight. Then you push away from the bar while making sure your body

stays in one straight line. It’s quite a thing. You should try it some time.

Since this first class, a few short weeks ago, I feel like I have already improved. My upper body is getting stronger and I’m becoming braver and trying make my body do things I’d never normally try, like a backbend – scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life.

And now I’m totally hooked. I am so excited to push myself, to learn and to do more with the help of the gymnastics committee and coaches.

The Blue Bulls have confirmed that prop Dayan van der Westhuizen and flyhalf Dean Greyling have signed contract extensions running until 2017. All three have come through the youth structures at The Bulls and attended local schools in Pretoria.

– Supersport.co.za

Odesnik Handed 15-year Ban for Second Doping Offence

American tennis player Wayne Odesnik has been banned from the sport for 15 years after being found guilty of the second doping violation of his career. In 2010 he was suspended for two years, reduced to one on appeal after admitting to importing human growth hormone into Australia.

– skysports.com

Sport

v74 e3 - 24 march 2015

19

American Sports: Fun in theory, boring in practice Saadiq Samodien ah. the good ol’ United States of America. The country that South Africans supposedly imitate in the way that we dress, in the food that we eat and the movies and series we watch. In many ways this is true.

One area of our lives that seems

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unscathed by Americanisation is the sports we watch and play, and I think it may be because “American Sports” are boring.

Something just doesn’t seem right if you picture a couple of passionate supporters at Loftus Versfeld on a Saturday Afternoon watching a stopstart game of American Football.

Neither can I imagine a group of

My First Rugby Match

Image: Mari Mombers

Ben Silverman The first time I ever attended a live rugby match was the Ikeys and Maties match about a month ago. I thought that by watching this game I would understand why rugby is so popular in South Africa, but I still don’t quite understand why it is. So here are the things I have learned about the game of rugby so far.

it is quite graceful how the players can rhythmically pass the ball down the line The game starts with one team kicking the ball to the other team.

That seems simple enough. What happens next is that the team with the ball breaks out into a line and, by passing the ball backward, tries to get the ball forward and through the line of approaching defenders. Heads are smashed together, teammates reach between each other’s legs to retrieve the ball, and if the ball goes out of bounds, you must lift your teammate into the air to grab it.

the men must decide between withstanding a hit or passing the ball aside Rugby is sort of like a ‘group dance performance meets a wrestling match’. One moment, men are moving their feet in unison during

a scrum and the next moment, someone is knocked out because the players on the other team decided to throw some elbows or shoulders (there’s really no difference to these guys) to beat that player to the ground. Play then continues when the player regains consciousness and passes the ball back. Yet again, it is quite graceful how the players can rhythmically pass the ball down the line, each of them taking steps forward, to move the ball closer to the goal.

Rugby is a routine. Essentially, the men must decide between withstanding a hit or passing the ball aside to a teammate within seconds because there is no stopping of play.

Subsequently, the next guy is forced to make the same decision. The most exciting part of the game comes when they find themselves at the try line and they send teammate after teammate to torpedo themselves in for the try like a battering ram. If it doesn’t work the first time, who’s to say it won’t work the third, fourth, or fifth time?

they send teammate after teammate to torpedo themselves in for the try like a battering ram In the end, the comeback by the Ikeys in this match was quite exciting.

However, ending the game in a draw will never leave me feeling good about my team. I guess it doesn’t matter much when there is a beer tent that is within ten metres of the field to go to drink away your confusion.

vuvuzela-blowing fans filling the Moses Mabhida Stadium to watch a game of baseball. As a massive sports fan, I would love to watch these socalled American sports, but it’s just not palatable. Let’s take a look the most popular sports in America and why I have this view: Football Without a doubt, American Football is the most popular sport in the USA. While it is called “football”, there’s not much contact between the foot and ball, which is the first puzzling aspect of this sport. Then consider this: the average NFL (National Football league) game has about 15 penalties. There are commercials played after every single change of possession, instant replay and substitution. That amounts to about 11 minutes of game time in a three-hour NFL broadcast. In addition, a typical American Football Coaching Association manual is 400 pages long and has up to 1000 plays.

Put all these factors together, and it seems you have more of an academic exercise than a sport. To a South African, American Football seems like a milder and inferior version of rugby, but I could be wrong.

about 11 minutes of game time in a threehour NFL broadcast Baseball Next, let’s consider America’s second most loved sport: baseball.

In the movies, it seems pretty basic.

Three strikes and you’re out. Try and make as many runs as possible, and

Image: Mari Mombers

commentators know the most irrelevant statistical information go for the home run. It’s fun in theory, but tedious in practice. After doing some research, I’ve found that each baseball game has approximately 12 386 344 possible plays. In addition, a typical MLB (Major League Baseball) season consists of 162 games played over 180 days for each of the 30 teams in the National Leagues. That is a total of 2430 games in a season. The old adage stays true: “Too much of a good thing can make you sick”. It also may explain why Baseball is slowly dying out in America - it’s just too much!

To me as a South African, baseball just seems like an inferior form of cricket, but I could be wrong again.

Basketball Then there’s basketball, which proves to be far more universal than the two mentioned above.

Multichoice has even purchased

the rights to screen the NBA on SuperSport due to its popularity in Africa. Unlike football, it is fast paced and does not have a stop-start nature.

Unlike baseball, your team plays once or twice a week. It is however, a statistic crazy sport. One feels like the commentators are giving a stats lecture, rather than commentating on the game. Like Trevor Noah once said, commentators know the most irrelevant statistical information: “That was the first time a black man scored with his left hand over a mixed race Indian since 1967 when the Oklahoma…”.

more of an academic exercise than a sport

While I can appreciate “American sports”, I doubt it is something that will ever catch on in South Africa.

It seems South Africa and the world has not embraced “American sports” because quite frankly, they are boring. But then again, I might be wrong.

Sport VARSITY

What to Watch UCT Saturday March 28th Cricket 1st vs. Rondebosch 11am UCT Oval Monday March 30th Varsity Cup Semi-Finals 4.30pm/7pm (Supersport)

Local/International Sport Sunday March 29th Cricket World Cup Final 4.30am Friday March 27th HSBC Hong Kong Sevens SA vs. Argentina 2pm SA vs. Japan 6.18am (Sat 28th)

Rugby is for boys, Netball is for girls girls’ soccer or girls’ rugby (possibly a mother’s worst nightmare). These sports are so male-orientated that you have to add the word “girls” to diffeentiate them. You wouldn’t have to do this with hockey or swimming.

Girls are driven to doing athletics,

Image: Morema Moloisi

Zuko-Thando Madodonke

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f I mention soccer, rugby, cricket and boxing the chances of your mind jumping to sport sensations such as Marta, Mandisa Williams, Mignon Du Preez and Laila Ali are very slim. You might say that’s because Lionel Messi has four Fifa World Player of the Year awards. Well, Marta has five. You might say Floyd Mayweather Jr. is unbeaten, but so is Laila Ali. As for Mandisa and Mignon they are South African captains in rugby and cricket respectively.

These women are playing sports that are normally associated with

men. This may be for many reasons but what we would like to look at is if women who stick to the so-called “fairer” sports do so because of stereotypical views.

Playing rugby involves gaining weight Pink is for girls and blue is for boys. That’s my summary of a stereotype. We see this at a very young age. So let’s translate it into the different sporting codes. From their primary school years, girls are almost completely excluded from the ‘manlier’ sports. Many primary schools don’t have girls’ cricket,

women are playing sports that are normally associated with men swimming, cheerleading, hockey or netball. Why? It is definitely not a question of competitive edge because if you watch any netball game you can sense the tension and feel the intensity from the bleachers.

To an extent, in primary school I would think that the reason for not picking a sport like soccer is because not many girls want to play a sport where there may only be one team whilst their best friends are playing netball.

As people get older they rarely deviate from the sports they have grown up playing unless they are forced into that situation. There are many boys who attend traditional all-boys’ schools and begin playing rugby or hockey, simply because most traditional all-boys’ schools

don’t offer soccer. That being said, in high school a broader range of sports are offered to girls, thereby giving them more freedom to play a diverse range of sports. A lot more girls adventure into cricket and soccer at this stage of their lives and they find out that they do actually enjoy such sports much more than the conventional ‘girl’ sports such as netball and hockey.

Let’s leave that there for a while and move on to the stigma attached to women who play ‘man’ sports.

Think of women who play rugby.

Stereotypes abound when it comes to these ladies, and these are always based on the traditional (and outdated) ideals of masculinity and femininity. Women are supposed to be soft, delicate flowers, while men are made of rocks and barbed wire and eat glass for breakfast. Therefore, when a woman is able to bring down a man in a spectacular sweep, people lose their minds and resort to namecalling. Women are also put off because, you know, women shouldn’t have muscles. Playing rugby involves gaining weight, gymming and dieting to create a body that can cope with the physical demands of the game.

Girls are generally more comfortable conforming to the gender stereotype because of the

way people perceive them, and ‘feminine’ sports are more likely to give us bodies that are socially acceptable. The girls who do indulge in the manlier sports do so because they really enjoy the sport and in a lot of cases it goes a bit deeper than that. For example, Laila Ali is the daughter of the great Muhammad Ali. Marta plays soccer, which is played religiously in her home country, Brazil.

It is definitely not a question of competitive edge

Minister of sport Fikile Mbalula is taking the correct steps in trying to grow these sports, with initiatives like KFC mini-cricket involving both girls and boys. There are now interprovincial weeks for women’s sports, ranging from basketball through to rugby. This does take away the stigma a little bit because it makes it more of a ‘norm’. So next time you see the boys playing a bit of backyard cricket just tag along because you never know, you might be the next Mignon Du Preez, who hit a double century in a 40 over game at the age of 12.

Kevin Musikanth: The Varsity Cup Kingmaker Fanie van Zijl

Image: Melanie Salo

Q: What is the biggest lesson you learned from last year’s season and final?

we have some really good junior structures

A: The biggest lesson is never to give up. The guys need to play right until the end and no matter what the situation is they need to believe that the outcome will be positive.

Replicating last season will not win us the Varsity Cup step closer.

Q: How confident is the team of defending the Varsity Cup? A: Well you can’t really talk about defending the Varsity Cup because you first have to make the final and that is a stage-by-stage thing, and we are really nicely placed at the moment, so we have got to look at our match against Shimlas and if we somehow manage to beat them away from home and produce a good performance like we did against Pukke we will be in the semi-finals, which is one

for the new season and what has stayed the same?

Q: How easy is it to motivate the players to replicate last season’s effort?

A: Well, replicating last season will not win us The Varsity Cup because at the end we had seven minutes of mayhem. We can’t replicate that, that was a once-off.

We need to be well prepared and this year’s team is very, very rugbybased. They are a gifted bunch of guys, they are very easy to motivate.

They really want it.

Q: What changes have you made

A: We pretty much believe “don’t fix something unless it’s broke”. We have pretty much stayed the same in terms of the way we prepare, we obviously have the match day on a Monday. Tuesday is for rest, Wednesday we do self-analysis, Thursday we do opposition analysis. On Wednesday we train to improve ourselves and on Thursday we train as if we are playing against the opposition. Friday is a mental performance block, with field training and the leadership taking over. Saturday is rest day, Sunday is Captain’s run, Monday is obviously the match again, and we do the jersey handover on the Sunday with a special guest.

Q: After taking only a draw from the first two matches, what would you say you did to

improve so quickly?

A: Well you do not become a bad team in two games, and before 2014, UCT had only ever beaten Stellenbosch once, so the first two games were really tough.

Stellenbosch and Tukkies are both top sides and are two of the tournament’s most successful teams.

The fact that we drew against Stellenbosch and narrowly lost to Tukkies away from home did not mean we had a bad start.

the guys really stuck to the plan and were really inspired It just meant we really needed to focus on the next two games, which were both at home, and we managed to win those. And the sort of “crunch match”, which was a repeat of the final, in the pool stages, was in Potchefstroom and we knew it would be a hell of a tough game. I must say the guys really stuck to the plan and were really inspired and what a great performance and we ended up winning it as you know.

That was hopefully a massive, massive key point in the campaign.

Before 2014, UCT had only ever beaten Stellenbosch once Q: Do you have any particular goals for the year?

A: Well obviously our goal is to retain our title as Varsity Cup champions, which is a key goal but sometimes those things are not 100% in your control. I think if they were we would not have been champions to start with, so there are things that happen that assist along the way, but that is our primary goal. Then the other goal is to strengthen the club and our young guns, we recruited really nicely and we have got some really good junior structures and our young guns went out and beat Maties young guns for the first time in The Varsity Cup at the Dannie Craven stadium on Monday. So that is part-and-parcel of our plan, to strengthen UCT Rugby in general and be competitive at all levels.