THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
28 April 2015
VOLUME 74: EDITION 5
varsitynewspaper.co.za
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Speak Up, Speak Out
varsitynewspaper
IN THIS ISSUE
Reporting Sexual Assault and Harassment on Campus
New Jammie System PAGE 2
Afrophobia
PAGE 3
Period for Change
PAGE 6
Days of our Years
CENTRE
Image: Megon Venter
Nadijah Campbell tudents have raised concerns that there are not adequate systems in place to deal with sexual harassment and abuse at the University. The Discrimination and Harassment Office (DISCHO) is set up to address these issues, however, there have been questions about the effectiveness of their methods. Dela Gwala, a UCT student and feminist writer, has been speaking out about the issues at hand and calling for the silence to be broken around sexual assault, sexual harassment and discrimination on campus. Gwala has been vocal about sexism on various platforms, including on social media and also making an appearance on UCTRadio to talk about the insufficient intervention taken against sexism at the University. At the ‘50 Shades of Power’ event hosted on March 11th, during Transformation Month, Gwala spoke briefly about a friend who had dealt with sexual harassment on campus a few years before. “I was sitting in a room at Graça Machel when a good friend of mine let me know that a lecturer was calling her at all hours of the day and making inappropriate advances towards her,” explained Gwala. These advances included unwarranted messages, phone calls and visits to the student’s office, where she worked as a tutor. Gwala said the harassment happened over a period of a month before her friend, who wishes to remain unnamed, decided to contact DISCHO. After approaching DISCHO, Gwala’s friend chose to deal with the situation through the method of
S
mediation. The process entailed the friend talking to the perpetrator about the issue, while a third party facilitated the meeting. She was also required to sign a confidentiality agreement stating that she would not speak about what was said in the course of the proceedings. During this process she found out that this was a repeat offense, although the other student had decided to withdraw her complaint. In another case told to Gwala, a postgraduate student was similarly harassed by a person in her class who would not stop emailing her, despite her requests for him to leave her alone. After she did not reply he proceeded to send her angry and hateful messages. She took her case to DISCHO and opted to follow the disciplinary process rather than mediation. The perpetrator was told to refrain from contacting her and to send a letter of apology through DISCHO. However, he refused to send this apology and instead wrote an aggressive message where he stated that he had a right to contact her unless she spoke to him in person. It was revealed that this was also a second offence. Gwala commented that the fact that both situations included repeat offenders indicated that cases were not being dealt with adequately. Additionally, she questioned why the other complainants had withdrawn their cases, and what this reflected about the system. Speaking about the University’s response to sexual assault and harassment, Gwala maintained that management should provide information about the number of incidents and she criticised the policy of keeping the information concealed. She further stated that it would be
better for prospective and current students if these statistics were readily available on UCT’s website. There has been no concrete action by UCT administration to address this issue and Gwala highlighted this as a problem. She commented that if management needs evidence for the cases to be taken seriously, she will provide it. “I have started an email account where people can share their stories. My plan is to publish them online so that the University can acknowledge them.” Gwala said she has collected four stories thus far and is still gathering information about similar issues of harassment and discrimination on campus. Her current plan is to publish these stories on a blog. The blog URL is uctsurvivor.wordpress.com and Gwala is working to fix this up and make it a platform for students to tell their stories anonymously or otherwise. According to representatives from DISCHO, UCT had 18 sexual harassment reports and ten rape, attempted rape and sexual assault reports in 2014. As of March 3rd, 2015, DISCHO received three sexual harassment reports and one rape was also reported. DISCHO’s job is to assist with cases involving discrimination, domestic violence and rape with the help of advisors and support groups comprised of the student body. Sexual abuse reports can be filed in person or by calling, texting, or emailing and can be done by the victim or a third party. The person who files the report decides how they would like to proceed with the case. Using an informal approach there can be mediation, a warning or a letter of apology.
If the student chooses the formal route, the case goes to the student tribunal to decide on the outcome. If the respondent is found guilty, they will face expulsion. According to DISCHO Director Francois Botha, there are various support services provided by DISCHO to victims of sexual abuse, including crisis counselling, medical services and legal assistance. Botha commented that some of the major challenges faced by DISCHO include understaffing and lack of official support. “Our application for a full-time post was not granted due to overall UCT financial constraints,” said Botha. He noted that this factor has cost DISCHO due to an excess of time spent on administrative tasks rather than development work. Commenting on DISCHO’s role, Gwala stated that the office is not completely to blame and she agreed that management needs to take a more active role in dealing with these cases. The major issues, according to Gwala, include those of policy, underfunding and understaffing of the office. “This University has shown that it will only move on issues once you embarrass it or threaten its brand. It has a lack of will to change unless you expose all of the things [they] do not want [the public] to see,” commented Gwala. Students who have a story to report can send these to uctsurvivor@gmail. com, and if they wish to report the incidents anonymously they can use the email address and password provided in the ‘About’ section of Gwala’s blog. VARSITY will be conducting a follow up article with continued investigation and comments from management.
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Ritalin Uncovered
Ikeys vs. Maties
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News
V74 E5 – 28 APRIL 2015
The New Jammie Shuttle System NEWS BITES Parusha Naidoo McDonald’s against deforestation
Barcelona - McDonald's said on Tuesday, April 21st, that it will be taking steps to end deforestation by avoiding the purchasing of products from suppliers that are responsible for decimating primary forest areas and other territories with conservation value. Specific products of the supply chain that will be targeted include beef, coffee, palm oil, poultry and packaging. It is believed that the move, spurred by criticism from environmental and human rights activists against McDonald’s, will result in the industry setting improved environmental standards. - Reuters
Eskom not bankrupt
Cape Town – The new acting chief executive of Eskom, Brian Molefe, reported to parliament on Wednesday, April 22nd, that the state-owned utility is not bankrupt despite facing a liquidity crunch. Currently holding a funding gap of R200-billion that is projected to extend till 2018, the parastatal is said to be receiving R23-billion from the government this year. Regular power cuts have taken place to avoid the grid from being overwhelmed and the construction of two vital coal-fired power plants, Medupi and Kusile, have been delayed further by one to two years. - ENCA
Justice for Jayde
Port Elizabeth – On Tuesday, April 21st, Jayde Panayiotou, 22, was abducted outside her home in Kabega Park, Port Elizabeth. After a wide-spread search by members of the public and the police, Panayiotou’s body was found on Wednesday morning in a remote area close to KwaNobuhle Township in Uitenhage. It has been reported that there is a potential link between suspects of a hijacking that took place last month and those responsible for Panayiotou's murder. The news of the death sparked wide social media coverage and a special police task team has been devised to uncover Panayiotou's killers. - IOL News
Brown family to sue Ferguson
Clayton - On Thursday, April 23rd, it was reported that the family of slain teenager Michael Brown filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Ferguson under the state of Missouri's "wrongful death statute”. Taking place in August 2014, the shooting of the unarmed black teenager by a white police officer led to protests against the use of deadly force by police, specifically towards minorities, in the United States. In addition to the city of Ferguson, the suit has named Brown’s killer, Officer Darren Wilson, and former police chief Thomas Jackson as defendants. - CNN
Yogi Shoba
T
he UCT Jammie Shuttle Service has undergone several changes since the closure of South Stop on March 23rd to make way for the current construction of the New Lecture Theatre (NLT).
due to issues of demand and supply
Many of the changes that have been made to the system are due to issues of demand and supply, time efficiency and cost reduction. Mr Clive Lippert, newly appointed UCT Transport Manager, gives the example that residence buses such as the Forest Hill and Liesbeeck shuttles previously bypassed the Tugwell stop in the mornings, despite the buses being half empty. However, in order to reduce the long lines in the morning and get students and staff to Upper Campus in good time, a change was implemented where these residence buses now pick up students from the Tugwell stop. Students and staff are now also required to present their student cards to the regulators or drivers when boarding shuttles. According to SRC Labour and Services Chair Sechaba Nkitseng, “There had been a lot of theft on campus due to outsiders boarding the Jammies undetected; hence, for safety purposes, student cards must now be shown.” This system was initially facilitated through the closure of the back doors on the Jammies, however this disrupted the flow of passengers and caused time delays. Due to this, the SRC, along with Mr Lippert successfully motivated that the back
doors be reopened. New boards have also been erected at each of the Jammie stops indicating which buses arrive and depart from that particular stop. The new boards help to facilitate students and staff to line up before boarding Jammies. This process was set up in an attempt to limit confusion and chaos when boarding a shuttle. The pilot programme, which was tested from September 8th to 30th last year, will come into effect in the second semester of this year. This pilot programme will also see the closure of West Stop and a restructuring of Jammie routes. The project aims to reduce fuel consumption, reduce the time taken to complete trips, and will decrease traffic at Madiba Circle during peak hours.
New boards have also been erected at each of the Jammie stops Nkitseng said, “The logic behind that is if you have a Jammie Shuttle going to South Stop and turning immediately back, or going to North Stop and doing the same instead of travelling from North all the way to South Stop, it saved [sic] quite a lot of costs in terms of fuel, maintenance and time.” Both Inspectors, employed by G4S, and Regulators, employed by Sibanye (the company from whom the service is subcontracted) closely monitor the system. Monitoring sheets are made use of to keep track of driver duties, arrival, and departure times, the number of passengers on board a Jammie for a particular trip, as well as the number of people left behind due to the Jammie being full. These monitoring sheets are then delivered to Mr Lippert, who reviews the
efficiency of each route and deals with any problem areas. If a bus fails to arrive at a stop, there is the possibility that Sibanye will be fined for this transgression if they cannot come up with a plausible explanation for the incident. “At the end of the day, it definitely hits their pocket if they don’t operate the trip,” says Lippert. There is a possibility of the shuttle service being outsourced by another provider in 2016, and, with this, a new fleet of buses will be purchased. The new buses will be more fuel efficient and quieter due to the positioning of the engine at the back rather than the front of the bus. There are also plans to go digital and expand on the existing c-track monitoring device in the buses to help students and staff locate jammies via their devices and see when buses are arriving or departing. An application is already in use called Findmyway. com, where certain Jammie routes can be detected. Although the system has improved, some students complained that the Clarinus Jammies and the Residence Loop sometimes don’t follow the schedule. Some have voiced concerns over the late night Jammies, as these buses need to arrive on time for safety reasons. A student, who wished to remain anonymous, also said that it would be more convenient if the Claremont Jammies timetable took the train schedules into account. Students are able to voice their concerns to either the SRC or to the Jammie Shuttle office. However, Nkitseng noted that problems with services will affect student fees, but the SRC and shuttle office “try to negotiate in such a way where students aren’t disadvantaged at all and they still get an efficient Jammie Shuttle service.” There are currently only three operational Jammie stops on upper
Image: Sarah Catherine
possibility of the shuttle service being outsourced campus: North Stop, West Stop and the Stop & Drop South. The Clarinus, Rochester, Obz Res and Liesbeeck buses depart from North Stop; the Tugwell, Forest Hill, Claremont and Medical School buses depart from West Stop; and the Sandown and Hiddingh campus buses depart from the Stop & Drop area. The closure of South Stop has only impacted on the routes of the Hiddingh and Tugwell buses.
Parking costs: where does the money go? Dean Horwitz
with additional research by Pieter du Plessis The cost of a UCT parking disc rises exponentially each year and is currently sitting at R910 for unmarked bays. This year UCT issued 4295 parking discs for the 2239 unmarked bays that are available on campus. This was done according to their policy of not limiting the amount of discs they sell, leaving a large number of students frustrated by the lack of available parking for disc holders. Lillian Mboyi, the Communications Manager of Properties and Services, spoke to VARSITY about what happens to the money for parking discs and fines and in what ways UCT is using the money to fix the parking situation. According to Mboyi, UCT is “continuously looking for ways in which [the university] can increase the number of parking bays available on campus to accommodate as many cars as possible”. These efforts include improving the access to parking on campus which she acknowledged has become increasingly difficult with the increase in traffic and the
limited space for expansion due to the layout of the campus. Since the cost of the discs increases each year, UCT has an ever increasing revenue stream from parking bays. This money feeds back into the general budget for Properties and Services and contributes towards the costs of campus security, ground and gardens and access control. The budget is tightly controlled and governed by a set of policies and procedures which mandate its use. The cost of the discs is based on the budget for the year and, according to Mboyi, it has been increased by no more than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for a number of years. The costs are agreed to by all staff unions and approved as part of the university-wide budgeting process. According to Sechaba Nkitseng,
the SRC Chair of Labour and Services, the SRC has proposed that “all bays on campus should be made equal and that anyone with a valid disc has access to them on a first come, first serve basis”. When questioned about the SRC’s priorities in terms of parking Nkitseng remarked that they are focused on three areas, namely the allocation of parking bays, the Jammie Shuttle and carpooling. The University of Stellenbosch allocates parking based on type of parking, offering students and staff the option of reserved parking under shade netting or a roof, uncovered reserved parking, unreserved parking outside the buildings and unreserved parking on the periphery of the campus. The cheapest parking option starts at R288 a year with the most expensive costing R1320, for
which you are guaranteed a spot. Students at UCT have expressed discontent about the current situation and have aired their views on numerous occasions. With the lack of adequate security on the periphery of campus this is becoming a safety issue as much as a convenience issue. Students are particularly frustrated with the fact that they have to get to campus before 7am to get a parking, with one individual remarking that “there’s parking at Sports Centre until 8am but if you want parking near Leslie Social you have to be there before 7am". In addition students are not happy with the way UCT overallocates discs and argue that it should be a first-come-first-serve system whereas the current system, one student remarked, is a “moneymaking scheme”.
Image: Amina Ebrahim
News
V74 E5 - 28 APRIL 2015
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Afrophobia: African migrants unsafe on South African soil Primrose Z.J Bimha and Aisha Abdool Karim
O
n Friday, April 24th, President Jacob Zuma told Parliament that 338 soldiers – belonging to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) – would be deployed in KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng and other areas where the police need assistance in curbing the recent xenophobic attacks. These attacks began in KwaZulu-Natal at the beginning of April.
at least 1000 African foreign nationals have been displaced On Tuesday, April 21st, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said SANDF soldiers would be sent to Alexandra, a township in Johannesburg where Mozambican national Emmanuel Sithole was stabbed and killed on April 18th. Sithole was one of the seven people who have died thus far as a result of the increasing number of xenophobic attacks in Johannesburg and parts of KwaZulu-Natal. These attacks have consisted of looting, torching, public beatings, stoning, and stabbing – occurrences reminiscent of attacks on foreigners in 2008. This resurgence of xenophobia has been categorised as a result of ‘Afrophobia’, since the nature of the attacks is largely black South Africans targeting black foreigners from other African countries, including Zimbabwe, Somalia, Mozambique
and Malawi. Thus far at least 1 000 African foreign nationals have been displaced from townships in South Africa. The most affected area is KwaZulu-Natal, where four security-protected refugee camps have been set up to accommodate destitute foreigners. Furthermore, governments of the countries whose nationals have been targeted have made plans to ensure the safe repatriation of those who wish to leave South Africa. President Zuma, government officials, religious and community leaders, local celebrities, student groups and members of the public have condemned xenophobic violence. King Goodwill Zwelithini also held an anti-xenophobia imbizo in Durban on Monday, April 20th, to denounce the attacks and ask the Zulu population to protect foreign nationals in South Africa. Additionally, the government has sent police into affected areas to stop the violence and arrest culprits.
he saw police harrass other students around him At least 40 students from the Rhodes Must Fall (RMF) movement at UCT marched from Hiddingh campus to Parliament, where they held a peaceful protest against Afrophobia on Thursday, April 16th. The students did not have a permit for the protest and were consequently told by police to disperse. The students’ refusal to leave led to the use of stun grenades
Image: UCTRhodesMustFall-Facebook.com
by the police in order to disrupt the gathering. Ezra Mokgope, a student involved in the RMF movement, was sent to hospital after a stun grenade went off next to him, leaving him severely disoriented and bursting his eardrum in two places. Mokgope noted that he saw police harass other students around him. One student was put into a police van; however, no arrests were made. Ru Slayen, organiser of the march and protest, said the students encountered problems with the police once they reached Parliament. “Police suddenly got out and cordoned off a ring around us and started pushing
students away from Parliament,” explained Slayen. In addition to RMF protest action, UCT students from the Southern African Liaison Office held a film screening and discussion on xenophobia on Wednesday, April 15th. Participants at the forum highlighted the need for South Africans to end Afrophobic sentiments and avoid negative stereotyping of foreigners. An African unity meeting on xenophobia was also held on April 15th amongst UCT’s different countrybased societies, as well as any other individuals who wished to speak on the issue. At the meeting it was agreed
that students needed to promote unity in diversity rather than individually hosting talks and demonstrations. A group of South African students, some of whom are part of RMF, pledged to lend their support by going into townships to advocate on behalf of foreign nationals. The recent upsurge in attacks has been blamed on a speech given by King Zwelithini in Pongola on March 15th, where he allegedly stated that “foreigners must pack their bags and go home”. Zwelethini says that the comment was misinterpreted and referred to the deportation of illegal immigrants.
Nationwide protests against colonial symbols Hannah Roodt Protests against colonial-era monuments and symbolism spread throughout South Africa in March and early April this year. These protests followed the establishment of the Rhodes Must Fall (RMF) at UCT, a movement focused on issues of transformation at the university. The campaign became influential on a national level and has led to the defacing of national monuments as well as dissatisfaction at other universities over policies and symbols. Campuses affected by protests include the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Rhodes University, the University of the Witwatersrand and Stellenbosch University.
to spark debate about racism and transformation Students at Rhodes University expressed their solidarity with the RMF movement and initiated protests on their own campus. On March 17th a group assembled on the front lawns of
the university to call for the name of the institution to be changed. According to Vice Chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela, the name of the university will not be up for debate at this time or ever. Rhodes students also initiated a social media phenomenon, using #RhodesSoWhite, to spark debate about racism and transformation at the university. Following these incidents, the statue of King George V at the University of KwaZulu-Natal was defaced by protesters. The statue, situated at the foreground of Howard College, was splashed with white paint and draped with a banner bearing the words ‘End White Privilege’. According to students, the statue is a symbol of South Africa’s colonial past. On April 3rd a group of students from the University of Pretoria marched to the Union Buildings demanding the removal of the statue of Nelson Mandela, chanting that “the traitor must go”. Protesters then proceeded to cover the statue with black refuse bags. The leader of the protest, Thoko Tsetste, explained that Mandela “sold our people when he negotiated with the whites”. Protesters spray painted slogans across the base of the statue and chanted that they must first take down
the statue of Mandela and then the one of Shaka. The statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi Square, central Johannesburg, was similarly vandalized with people throwing white paint at the statue as well as at the commemorative plaque found nearby. Protesters accused Gandhi of being racist due to his use of derogatory language referring to black people. Additionally, they criticized him for aiding the British in promoting segregationist policies. According to a witness, the group of protesters were aligned with the African National Congress (ANC) and wore ANC regalia. However, ANC spokesperson Keith Khoza stated that the party does not condone the attacks and maintained that ANC members would not have been involved in the incident. Furthermore, Stellenbosch University also joined in the call for transformation and raised similar concerns that had been brought up at their campus. A mass discussion was held at the university on April 15th to address the language policy and cases of exclusion at the university. Wiaan Visser, a Stellenbosch University student, commented that the campaign has led to an awakening on campus,
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making students more aware of the wider issues facing the country. Students at the University of the Witwatersrand were likewise engaged
on the topic, and echoed sentiments expressed by the RMF movement, calling for the Eurocentric structure of education to be altered.
Image: Morema Moloisi
Image: digboston@flickr.com
Online This Week...
TEDxUCT talk Robyn Ausmeier
Immigration Crisis Boils over in Europe Adam Kleinschmidt
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Editorial
V74 E5 - 28 APRIL 2015
2015 Collective editor-in-chief Parusha Naidoo
editorial@varsitynewspaper.co.za
Editorial
deputy Editor Jena Ascough
editorial@varsitynewspaper.co.za
managing Editor Gape Masole
managingeditor@varsitynewspaper. co.za
Copy Editor Courtney Hope
copyed@varsitynewspaper.co.za
Online editor Shannon Krausey
online@varsitynewspaper.co.za
Online content editor Ali Findlay
online@varsitynewspaper.co.za
Social Media Correspondent Khanya Ntsulumbana
socialmedia@varsitynewspaper.co.za
Videographers Amy-Leigh Braff, Sarah Summers & Amy Rinquest video@varsitynewspaper.co.za
news Aisha Abdool Karim & Robyn Ausmeier
T
here’s a constant flow of questions that go through my mind every fortnight on a Sunday when I sit with my editorial team to finalise each edition of VARSITY. Will we get sued? Is this in the interest of students? Are we pushing boundaries? Are we being too conservative? Will this offend anyone? And above all else, is this ethical?
opinions Sandisiwe Shoba & Adam Kleinschmidt
opinions@varsitynewspaper.co.za
features Busang Senne & Anna Insam
features@varsitynewspaper.co.za
sportS Dean Horwitz
sports@varsitynewspaper.co.za
centrespread@varsitynewspaper. co.za
Editor-in-chief
Behind the Pen and the Lens
Along this path alarms might be set off or I may have a blind spot and fail to be fully cognisant of a potential problem, letting it slip through to print. In most instances I am quickly made aware when readers and my peers (justified in their anger) notify me of ethical blind spots and offensive rhetoric. I interrogate articles, images, headlines, by-lines and pull-quotes while donning on the lenses of different students. This is done in an attempt to interpret how our peers may or may not respond to the content we deliver and the sensitivities attached to our dynamic yet highly fragmented student body. So when I picked up a copy of the Sunday Times published on April 19th and was confronted with images documenting the murder of Emmanuel Sithole, my instant reaction was not one of shock. Instead I scanned the front page trying to comprehend the decision made by the newspaper to publish the images for a national audience that is also highly fragmented.
I attempted to imagine how the person behind the lens, James Oatway, made sense of the 28 seconds he captured. Unaware of how severly injured the man he was photographing was, Oatway continued doing his job while also calling on his colleagues to bring a car so they could take Sithole to a clinic for medical assistance. The images of Sithole fed into the wider debate on the role of media in documenting the xenophobic attacks that have ensued over the past two weeks. On one end, political leadership has criticised media for playing a divisive role by publishing footage of the violence. On the opposite end is the belief that the publishing of such images was important to bring attention to blatant killings and carnage and also led to the arrests of the men responsible for Sithole’s death. Ethical issues and sensitivities with the images of Sithole have raised questions of the dignity of both the deceased and their family, how we narrate black lives in
What’s Your Name Again?
news@varsitynewspaper.co.za
centrespread Michaela Findeis
Parusha Naidoo
Jena Ascough Deputy Editor
It always starts the same way: you’re standing alone in a crowd in feeling super awkward, when suddenly you hear someone next to you say, “Are you also feeling really out of place right now?” and boom – a friendship is formed. You start chatting about where you’re from, what you’re studying, your deepest darkest secrets and you go home feeling like you’ve found someone in this world of students who finally understands you. The next time you see them it’s the same story: you ask about their parents, how their brother’s school paper worked out, and they’re asking you if you’ve finally decided to try out
that gym routine you were chatting about last time. You talk and laugh and enjoy each other’s company. All things considered, this is a match made in heaven. By the third encounter you’ve realised you’ve made a terrible mistake. You realise you have forgotten the crucial requirement of any introductory encounter, and it’s too late to turn back: you never asked for their name. You know their family history, their life story, you feel you know them better than you know yourself, and you don’t even know their name. And it’s way too late to ask. So what do you do? You can’t ask them now: asking them for their name
images Morema Moloisi, Nicole Arend, Jian Yi Sang, &Megon Venter
mainstream media and portrayals of violence. But the work of media and journalists cannot be reduced to a simple good or bad. As any person with a Media or Journalism major, I’ve received the ethics sermon on objectivity, impartiality and fairness. The true test of these practices is not reciting their definitions in an exam, instead it comes with practical experience when grey areas are not easily discernible and you are told to “go with your gut”. The publishing of these and other images of xenophobia have put a face and name to both the perpetrators and victims of xenophobia who have previously gone nameless and faceless. More importantly we have been forced to view victims and perpetrators not as distant subjects but as people like you and me who are susceptible to being an agent or target of senseless brutality. Ethical or not, this confrontation is unsettling, not because of the content of the images we see but for the raw truth that it represents. now would take your friendship back to acquaintance status and you don’t want that. So what’s the solution? After eavesdropping around campus (yes, that’s what I do to get inspiration) it seems the most effective solution is simply to hand them your phone and ask them to put their number in your contact list and hope they add their name. However, because it’s now clear that I’m not the only one this has happened to, we could also just admit that sometimes this happens and we can make a communal decision that we will not be offended if someone admits they don’t know our name; because I guarantee the same thing will happen to you one day.
On Campus this week
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Rural Suppor t Network:
Design Mari Mombers
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web Julius Stopforth & Bayanda Gumbi web@varsitynewspaper.co.za
App Developer Nikhil Gilbert Finance manager Lauren Van Haught
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Ads manager Thamsanqa Moyo
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Marketing Manager Elveena Yessoo
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TELEPHONE: 021-650 3543 Level 5, Steve Biko Students’ Union
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Gape Masole
Newsgathering Tuesday April 28th, 1pm – 1.50pm Venue: Herikwaggo 3B Check Out Twitter and facebook for more information Contributors Sub-Editors Ashley Gardiner & Rachelle Immelman
Managing Editor
Event: Run For Rural Date & Time: May 1st at 8am (signups on the day from 7.15am) Venue: Faculty of Health Sciences, Anzio Road, Obser vator y (run star ts and ends here). Contac t: Rober t Cloete (Chairman) at rsn.uc t@gmail.com, cloete@gmail.com or 0825590368 Nalisu Mazubane (Head of Run For Rural) at nalisu.mazubane07@gmail. com or 0796557447 All Africa Games: Date & Time: May 1st at 9am Venue: UC T Spor ts Centre 1 Registration fee: R20 per player Free entr y for spec tators so ever yone is welcome
Opinions
V74 E5–28 APRIL 2015
The Piracy of Privacy Articulate
5
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How protected are our online selves? Saara Mowlana We heavily inhale and exhale technology and social media in the air around us, but is this cyber space safe? With a swish of a finger and a click of a button we can digitise our lives instantaneously. This poses a risk regarding the protection of our personal information. Nearly all social media sites ask for various personal information bits and pieces when signing up. We tend to toss this information into the interweb, with an air of nonchalance, ignoring the possibility of a lurking spider awaiting to prey upon it.
We inhale and exhale constant technology … social media We do this in an attempt to get the formalities over with so that we can start uploading hipster images of our pets and food ASAP. Who reads the terms and conditions anyway, right? Beneath a plethora of looping terminology could lie a warning that’s detrimental to your online life. Hackers are not just reserved for the Caleb Rivers of Rosewood where they always seem to be tackling a ‘Mission Impossible’ scenario. They exist in reality too. We have seen how many celebrities’ nudes and
‘news’ have been so easily hacked, leaked and shared on this internet thing for billions to see. Yet, we still feel disconnected from these threats, because surely that’s exclusive for the lavish fictional lifestyle. However, everyday people’s webcams have been hacked before. You still don’t believe me? Well let me paint a picture. You’re on skype with one of your foreign or abroad friends or family and with a satisfied smile log out. What you don’t know is that a remote administrative tool (RAT) aided a creeper to hack your webcam. You have logged out, but their spying show has just begun. This invasion and perversion of privacy does not just stop with distant spying. It opens a platform for the hacker to actually control your computer allowing them to operate your computer from wherever they are situated.
With … a click of a button we can digitize our lives You could be typing an assignment or watching Netflix and out of nowhere a wild disc drive opens by itself or everything mysteriously closes. If you are a conspiracy theory addict like me or just plain paranoid you might be calculating various mental scenarios
of what’s going on. Some hackers use this to taunt and prank their hacked ‘slaves’ as one hacker put it in Nate Anderson’s article titled Meet the men who spy on women through their webcams: The Remote Administration Tool is the revolver of the Internet's Wild West. You are the butt end of the ‘creepers anonymous’ joke.
We tend to toss this information into the interweb How safe are we really on social media? We download protection software on the regular but how useful are they? We need to take responsibility in being careful with how we use this interweb of unknown danger. We should be wary with the personal information we share and always be digitally vigilant as you would be in reality in a dark alleyway. Yes software and protection spyware can be helpful, but unless you are willing to pay for the best version of it, you could be a future hacked ‘slave’. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so let us not disregard the reality of our digital dangers. Limit your personal information online. Would you give that information out to those promotional offers handed out on the street?
Between a Block and a Hard Place Adam Kleinschmidt The scene is set: your desk, a neat clutter of notes, textbooks, a water bottle and your laptop. The Microsoft Word document is open, the white page a clean plain of nothingness. Your topic in mind, your plagiarism declaration ready, you begin... or do you? Five minutes later, you’re on YouTube, going from 1980s commercials about McDonalds to movie reviews to videos of cats dancing to ‘(Jump) For My Love’. Half an hour later, you’re on your second carton of strawberry yoghurt as the detailed exploits of Westeros play out on your VLC player.
trying to pull a politics essay together This isn’t procrastination in the real sense. Sure, trawling Buzzfeed like a wayward fisherman looking for the best catch of the day isn’t exactly “work” but the issue of having a writer’s block goes further than the inability to put pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard. As an amateur – currently stuck on an unfinished novel – writer, I know the feeling of joy and nervous energy when I assemble sentences and words in size 12 Times New Roman on a page. Whether its fact or fiction, the feeling of pride when I see my work emailed to the judging force is quite something, hence the reason I do it.
Image: Drew Coffman-flickr.com
Getting there, however, is not easy. Take this article for example: like many I’ve written, I’ve sat behind my desk, music playing from my iTunes into my ears as I try to wrestle something interesting onto a page. Everybody wants to write something for the sake of it being read, and this is very much the case. It’s even worse when I’ve got to do coursework: aside from trying to make DP, I like to think that I’m at one of the best universities in Africa for a reason. So here I sit, trying to pull a politics essay together while I know that I’m out of ideas. How do I possibly write a 550 word article – “3-4 sentences per paragraph” – when I know the topics I wanted to cover are overdone? There’s a clear plotline here, but getting to the action scene is killing me: how do I characterise the hero and heroine in my novel? I’m sure I’m not the only one with
this problem in my life. I’ve seen more than a few stressed individuals in the library and computer labs during my (short) time here at UCT. The look of desperation as people resort to Wikipedia in order to understand the question is commonplace. The realisation that JSTOR doesn’t have relevant sources is of pure terror. And then the pin drops. Like rain from a heavy cloud, words spill out. The fingers fly across the keyboard as the ideas flow thick and fast. You’ve broken it, the writer’s block, the devil in the fingers of many a student, journalist, novelist and poet. You hit your optimal speed, the written piece reaching conclusion in due time. When you finally submit it, you feel that wonderful rush. You’re gonna be fine. Until next time. When your lecturer decides to throw a curveball at you.
Yogi Shoba Opinions Editor
Xenophobia: A Double-Edged Panga
S
outh Africans seem to have an elitist opinion of themselves. We must be some golden statue at the tip of the African continent that cannot be touched by the filthy hands of foreigners, soiled with poverty and desperation. Yet, let me clarify. I don’t mean our Western visitors with their firstworld hand sanitisers and colonial blood-money. No, I’m talking about the ‘Africans’ (how we describe them) who crossed South African borders to find refuge, but have now hurdled back home in a similar quest. I cannot pretend to be some expert on the intricacies of xenophobia, nor can I testify to being a frontline witness to its brutality, but I certainly don’t navigate society with my eyes sealed shut. Firstly, I would like to make clear that I am not subscribing to the Western premise that ‘African’ is synonymous with ‘poverty’. Navigating the UCT campus with its myriad of nationalities and economic markings is enough proof to flout that idea. But for the purposes of this argument; we must acknowledge that xenophobia has mainly affected the poorer, more disadvantaged members of our society. I bring to light the issue of our elitist self-opinion through the recent murder of Mozambican immigrant, Emmanuel Sithole in Alexandra Township. Scrolling through the Sunday Times images of the attack, I was struck by two things: Firstly, the similarities between both Sithole’s clothing, and that of his killers, and secondly, the rubbish and filth that they fought and struggled in, during the attack. If it was a premeditated decision to kill him and possibly leave his body in the trash to send some kind of a message, I heard it loud and clear. With the subsequent arrests of the four suspects and the death of Sithole at a nearby hospital due to the severity of his wounds, they were all defeated by the cycle of poverty. Not coming from an impoverished background automatically makes me sound arrogant and self-righteous in my observations and self-inclusive language; however, I will risk that accusation to make a point. I am questioning what qualifies our South African pain as more important than that of our brethren who came to our
country in a state of both desperation and hope? At the end of the day, we are all victims in one way or another of a brutal colonial past and are in the process of healing from it. South Africa has the ironic, privilege of not being war-torn or having widespread famine, even our public structures and facilities are somewhat better than those of our neighbours, so does our opinion stem from that knowledge, that we can dangle an ‘I’m better than you’ carrot in their faces and then starve them of ever sharing in our privilege by taking their lives? Should perhaps, the government be to blame, for not addressing issues of unemployment and job creation which has led to the current situation? The elitist opinion possibly lies with the powers that be. The members of the government and other powerful figures have been under scrutiny for the way in which their language has seemingly incited xenophobia. The attacks were apparently fuelled by the comments made by King Goodwill Zwelethini stating, “We urge all foreigners to pack their bags and leave.” Zuma allegedly told media that the publicising of Emmanuel Sithole’s death made South Africa ‘look bad’, as if public image is more important than making people aware of the issue of xenophobia or even dealing with it. Yet, there’s a possibility that these comments are just a reflection of the society in which we live. Our vocabulary is littered with xenophobic terms: refugees, foreigners; these words are not inclusive. It’s even worse in Bantu and Nguni languages where derogatory terms such as –makwerekwere and shangaan are used. I have also found it increasingly difficult to find the politically correct way to address our ‘neighbours’. The progressive dampening of my bitter tone begs the question whether it really is an elitist opinion or just a grim learned culture. I have avoided the question of race, because if we claim to be a rainbow nation then we should all take responsibility for the incidence of xenophobia in some way, through an attempt at sympathy, empathy or action with regards to xenophobia not an indictment of the brutal killings, but the historical disease that led to them. Lastly, perhaps xenophobia is just a means to reinstate our dignity. Maybe we’re just sick of living in 1 to 2 room homes, using long drop toilets and being forced to feed more mouths than we can count. Perhaps it brings us too much pain to have to fight even harder to stay afloat because ‘foreigners’ are taking what we could’ve had. I guess we forget that they’re just trying to do the same, except in their home countries, they never stood a chance.
Disclaimer The VARSITY Opinions section is a vehicle for expression on any topic by members of the university community or other interested parties. The opinions within this section are not necessarily those of the VARSITY Collective or its advertisers. Letters to the Editor need to be kept to a maximum of 300 words and can be sent to:
opinions@varsitynewspaper.co.za
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Opinions
V74 E5–28 APRIL 2015
Robyn Ausmeier
Period for Change
D
espite claims that we live in the age of progress and that ‘times are changing’, there are still ongoing efforts to monitor the way in which women behave and express themselves. The female body is a site of reconstruction and contradiction; both hypersexualised and fragile. When you speak to women about their perceptions of the female body, most maintain that it is ‘strong’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘independent’, yet everyday actions and conversations seem to sing a different tune. There is still a feeling of shame attached to female bodies and women are made to believe that their bodily processes are humiliating and impure. This is most obvious in the general reaction to menstruation. When someone drops a tampon on the floor there is a furious scurry by the offending party to hide the evidence as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, any innocent bystanders turn the other way, blushing profusely. The secret is out: women menstruate every month. Yet, the only time that periods are mentioned is when a woman is upset and someone says “she must be on her period” or asks if it’s “that time of the month”. There is no willingness to discuss,
Image: Morema Moloisi
and any protests against this are quickly attributed to PMS and raging hormones. A recent culprit in the regulation of women’s bodies is none other than Instagram. Rupi Kaur – a spoken word poet from Toronto – posted a photo to the social networking site, of a woman lying on a bed, back faced to the camera, with a period mark on her pants and sheets. Shock – horror – evidence of a woman undergoing a process not socially sanctioned (albeit perfectly natural). Needless to say, Instagram quickly removed it from their site; not once, but twice. It appears that ‘natural’ doesn’t translate into ‘what society wants’. While hate speech and the objectification of women are accepted, the thought of a woman on her period is still intolerable.
a feeling of shame attached to female bodies At UCT, the campus is never short of contentious debate and social campaigns. If you’ve walked around the University lately, you may have seen some strange white objects stuck on surfaces. No, these are not fliers for tutoring help, but rather the dreaded sanitary pads. In
the centre of each pad were the words ‘Imagine if men were as disgusted with rape as they are with periods’. I overheard one student exclaim that it was gross and ‘just unnecessary’. Ironically, his comment showed just how necessary the campaign really is. People argue that female menstruation should not be spoken about because it is a personal thing and bodily fluids need to remain a private affair. However, this
The secret is out: women menstruate every month. convention doesn’t seem to apply to men. Men regularly urinate in public and discuss their bowel movements openly. Blood is also not a big deal if it’s gushing from someone on Game of Thrones, yet if it’s a real-life
female, everything changes. With women, blood is demonised and bodily fluids are simply not a thing. Unless we start to acknowledge the complexity of the female body and to speak about periods as an unashamed process, nothing will change. It’s time for women’s issues to be brought into the public sphere and for us to re-imagine the female self as something powerful and unrestrained.
A Pirate’s Life for Me! Grant O’Beirne
I think it is fair to say that the quality of television shows currently being released are the best they have ever been. Shows like Breaking Bad, True Detective, The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones have elevated television to a position previously monopolised by the feature film. We are now living in the “Golden Age” of television, but we are abusing it. Unfortunately, TV costs money and financial issues have always plagued students. However, entertainment plays a very necessary role in the life of a student as a way to escape the bleak reality of essays, tests and exams, which are forever piling up.
It’s become second nature for many of us, but how do our pirate tendencies impact the entertainment industry?
Piracy is slowly eating away at ... the entertainment industry
We are now living in the “Golden Age” of television Thankfully, we have found piracy! I am talking about ‘internet piracy’, not ‘drinking rum all day and looking for booty’ piracy (although this is common in Claremont). Internet piracy has emerged fairly recently within youth culture as a popular way to access movies and TV shows without having to pay a cent. It is a godsend for most but for television companies it is
and movies are becoming more and more likely to be ‘leaked’ early which means more security and a lock-out of public participation in the industry.
Image: Morema Moloisi an absolute nightmare. The launch of websites such as ‘Piratebay’ and ‘Kickass Torrents’ has created a youth movement which is quickly gaining momentum and is threatening the future of entertainment. Piracy has become second nature for us and with every torrent we successfully download, the likelihood of us ever giving money to the entertainment industry dwindles. But why do we refuse to
support an industry that we love so much? The thinking behind it seems to be that, as an individual, how much am I actually taking? The answer to this is unclear and until we see real personal consequences it seems unlikely that this indifferent attitude will ever change, and why should it? I’ll tell you why: piracy is slowly eating away at the heart of the entertainment industry. The entertainment world blames
Internet Piracy has emerged fairly recently within youth culture us because we download a few torrents here and there. An estimated 750,000 jobs and 250 billion dollars have been lost in the last 15 years as a direct result of online piracy. In addition, shows
The sad thing about this is that huge television companies like HBO and FOX are not going to be affected as much as the small independent companies that put out great content. By pirating we are not affecting big shows like Game of Thrones or Mad Men but are killing off low-budget productions that would otherwise give aspiring actors, writers and directors a platform from which they could launch their careers. We are limiting the continuation of the industry. However, in South Africa, streaming services like ‘HBO Now’, ‘Netflix’ and ‘Spotify’ are unavailable and we are left with very few alternatives to piracy. I would love to support the entertainment industry and keep it going for as long as possible, but it is almost impossible in this country. Or maybe it is not impossible, but definitely inconvenient. So until it is easy and affordable for me to access content legally, I guess it has to be a pirate’s life that I lead.
Opinions
V74 E5 - 28 APRIL 2015
Can You Handle the Truth? Claudia Harrison
A
t the bookstore I used to work in, conspiracy theorists were almost as abundant as the actual books. Therefore, I thought that this customer was just another person talking about the Illuminati or some vegetable that can cure cancer. He, on the other hand, made me aware of the possibility that the Afrikaner Broederbond (AB) could still be in operation. As I am from Afrikaans ancestry myself, I was intrigued by this. The AB, founded in 1918, is an organisation that aims to advance Afrikaner interests, such as gaining control of the country and spreading the Afrikaans language. In the ‘60s, an exposé, entitled The Super-Afrikaners:
inside the Afrikaner Broederbond, publicly exposed members and their families, including almost all members of the NP government. The speculation that they still exist, however, is mere conspiracy.
The speculation that they still exist, however, is mere conspiracy Researching the AB got me thinking about whether other right wing organisations still exist. A few Google searches later and my tabs read, in no particular order, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), the Neo-Nazi Party (NNP) and the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB). Their websites have many similarities in layout as they
contain their mission statements, a sign up option and online shopping for their merchandise. The two American organisations had shocking pages, with the NNP’s page offering me “Racial Greetings.” I initially laughed at the fact that you can purchase Eugène Terre’Blanche’s funeral DVD. While the websites state as politely as possible (despite being unbelievably racist) that “People of colour need not apply”, I felt surprised that organisations which so bluntly advocate racism are still allowed to exist. You may wonder how any of this is relevant to UCT students.
...not be tolerated any longer, as attitudes lead to action.
Why Did the Chicken Indeed? Nadia Ghumra Traffic can be a bear in Cape Town, resulting in angry drivers producing a slew of vulgarities and making obscene gestures not only to other drivers, but to us pedestrians as well. Completing most of my errands on foot has gotten me into trouble more times than I can remember because drivers have no sympathy for pedestrians. I must admit, I’m not the smartest of chickens when it comes to crossing the road, but it’s not entirely my fault. There have been times when I cross at a designated pedestrian crossing, only to have a moody 40-something year-old come at me because she has things to do and places to be. Well, let me tell you, 40-something year-old woman, I have things to do too and would much rather do them with all parts of my body in good working condition. I have noticed that I am not in this battle alone. Most students will get off the shuttle, for example at Claremont, and casually walk towards the traffic lights. However, when at the traffic lights, we band together to form some sort of human shield because we all have
that inner fear of being slammed into by a crazy person. These crazy people need to realise that they are not the only ones on the road and that pedestrians are indeed allowed to walk across the road. In actual fact, pedestrians often have right of way, but we are constantly being denied this right. Instead, we are offered a telling-off and a racing heartbeat from escaping near death. Some drivers find it amusing to watch people scramble around and try to get from the safety of one pavement to the next. I see them fighting back the urge to burst out laughing as they make us involuntary tributes in their road games. They rev their engines and inch forward, not realising that if they do in fact gives us ample time to cross, we would be out of their ways in a moment. Instead, they make it more difficult for themselves when we have to weave behind one car in order to dodge another. That being said, I have come across drivers with manners. There are indeed some polite people who do stop and display compassion. They kindly give you an empathetic nod and a
Image: Morema Moloisi wave to indicate that you may safely continue living your life. These are the kinds of people that we need more of on the road. Drivers must realise that they aren’t the only ones who make use of the tar. They do not own the roads and should therefore realise that their driving privileges can be revoked if they pose a threat to public safety.
Well, I think that both South Africa and the USA advocate how much they value freedom and diversity. Yet one is often blind to the reality that freedom is granted to persons irrespective of where their beliefs fall on the political spectrum.
you can purchase Eugène Terre’Blanche’s funeral DVD. I respect that people have constitutional rights; freedom of speech, thought and opinion. Despite this, I do not think that extremism in any form is correct, especially when it attacks the rights of the majority of South Africans. The racism advocated by these groups
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should also not be tolerated any longer, as attitudes lead to action. The NNP, for example, firmly states that they do not partake in any public activism or action. Nevertheless, if one’s whole social structure (family and work life) is dominated by fellow members, it can take over one’s whole life. Almost every discussion will revolve around the topic and the irrational mind might lash out, even on an innocent person. It needs to be evaluated if it is morally correct for these groups to still be in existence. A student newspaper on the southern tip of Africa may be a small voice, but if one does not know the truth, one will never be free. We need to remove prejudice by not tolerating these attitudes or any groups that advocate negative attitudes.
The Days of our Years F inally, our favourite part of April
has arrived! Everybody knows this time, where all of those public holidays come around and we are blessed with long weekends. Some of us go home, some run away to festivals and road-trips. Others use them to catch up on a social life that has suffered during the term, whilst some opt to just sleep. However you use them, none of us can deny the relief that arrives when the public holiday does. What happens when they are gone? Should we just let our days return to normal week days, slipping away under the same routine? I say not! Take a look at some of these odd international days you can celebrate throughout the year. Like sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our years here at UCT, so lets make the most of them!
January (Brainteaser Month) • • • • •
1st - Commitment Day. You can make that New Year’s resolution and you do have the will power to stick to it! 18th - Thesaurus Day. Spice up your vocabulary today, use some words you normally wouldn’t. 19th - Popcorn Day. Not only can you eat popcorn the entire day today, you have an excuse to watch a movie as well. What’s popcorn without a movie? 21st - Squirrel Appreciation Day. Just look at how cute those little critters are! 30th - Chocolate Cake Day. This day needs no explanation.
February (Bake For Fun Month) • • • • •
3rd - World Wetlands Day. Take a moment to appreciate all of the Earth’s beauty, even these boggy ecosystems that are a vital part of nature. 5th - Weatherman’s Day. Even though we all hate them because more often than not their predictions are ENTIRELY wrong, let’s remember their dedication to their craft. 11th - Satisfied Staying Single Day. The antidote to Valentine’s day, this day is about living life in the moment. It’s also refreshingly uncommercial. 17th - World Human Spirit Day. This day acknowledges the fact that what we know about our world is limited. Marvel at our achievements on this planets, and consider the unlimited possibilities that we have. 21st - International Mother Language Day. This day celebrates cultural diversity, as well as commemorating the ‘language Martyr’ students of Bangladesh, 1952.
March (Cheerleading Safety Month) • • • • •
2nd - Dr. Seuss Day. Grab your favourite Dr. Seuss book and reminisce on your childhood. 6th - Day of Unplugging. Unplug your phone, stay off of Facebook and actually meet up with the person you’ve been Whatsapping. 13th - Open an Umbrella Indoors Day. Take a deep breath, steady yourself, break your superstition! 15th - True Confessions Day. Find your crush and tell them how you feel. Tell somebody that secret you’ve been carrying for too long. 22nd - As Young as You Feel Day. Lose your inhibitions, go climb a tree and build a pillow fort! Alternatively, have that sophisticated wine and cheese evening you’ve been planning.
April (Garden Month) • • • • •
3rd - World Party Day. This day is based on the idea that the opposite of war is party, and this day aims to join everyone worldwide in celebration. 5th - Go For Broke Day. Today, give it all you’ve got. Strive for that achievement. 11th - Pet Day. Give your pet some extra love and attention today. Don’t have one? Spoil somebody else’s! 23rd - Talk Like Shakespeare day. Be silly and use some old insults today. 30th - Poem in Your Pocket Day. Recite your favourite line of poetry to someone today.
May (Get Caught Reading Month) •
•
2nd - Free Comic Book Day. This day celebrates the graphic novels, with comic book stores giving away free comic books. • 9th - Lost Sock memorial Day. Take a moment to remember and mourn the socks that just didn’t make it out of the washing machine. • 15th - Pizza Part Day. Grab your friends. Grab some Pizza. Have a party. •to the 25th - Towel Day. This day is a tribute late Douglas Adams. Author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Carry your towel with you today and DON’T PANIC. Take comfort in your trusty towel. 29th - Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day. This dates back to a tradition of the 1920s. People would put cloth in their larder once a year to bring them good luck. Try out this modern day version and see if Lady Luck will favour you.
August (Golf Month) •not2ndexactly - Ice Cream Sandwich Day. It’s the middle of summer,
• •
but brave the cold and grab an icecream sandwich. •Day.8thFounded - Happiness Happens by the Secret Society of Happy People, this day aims to get everyone to look on the bright side of life. • 17th - Thrift Shop Day. Go shopping on the cheap today. For those of you who have never been, second hand store shopping is like looking through a treasure chest. 26th - Dog Day. Take some time to appreciate man’s best friend today. 30th - Toasted Marshmallow Day. Sit around a fire, grab a stick and a packet of marshmallows and relive some childhood memories. Just remember to be safe around fires.
June (Candy Month)
September
• •
•
• • •
3rd - Repeat Day. Use today to recreate and relive your most favourite experience. 8th - Best Friend Day. Today, celebrate your best friend. Let them know how much you love them. 18th - International Picnic Day. It may be the middle of winter, but have a picnic. Take over somebody’s lounge and move it indoors. 25th - Global Beatles Day. Quote their songs, dress up like them and spend the day listening their music. Use today to celebrate the influence they had on the music industry. 30th - Chocolate Pudding Day. Eat chocolate pudding. Just do it.
July (Cellphone Courtesy Month) • • • • •
1st - International Joke Day. Release your inner comedian, make someone smile today. 7th - Global Forgiveness Day. Use today to put aside old differences and let go of that grudge you’ve been holding onto. You’ll feel much better for it. 19th - Pandemonium Day. Do something crazy today. Embrace the chaos and unexpectedness of life. 21st - Junk Food Day. Go ahead. Satisfy that craving you’ve been running away from all week. 29th - International Tiger Day. There are only around 3000 wild tigers still alive. This day aims to bring attention to these beautiful creatures and stop their decline in numbers.
November (World Vegan Month) • • • • •
(Chicken Month)
• • •
4th - Bring Your Manners to Work Day. Today was created to remind people about the importance of being polite and friendly at work, as well maintaining good relationships with your colleagues (fellow students). 9th - Wonderful Weirdos Day. Celebrate the weirdos present in your life and celebrate your own weirdness! There is nothing as dull as being normal. 13th - Programmer’s Day. For every clever bit of software available, there is a programmer (usually a whole team) behind it. Take a moment to appreciate these unsung heroes of technology. 26th - International Rabbit Day. Although it is about celebrating the fluffiness of these adorable creatures, today is also about creating awareness of the suffering that rabbits endure through cosmetic testing and fur farming.
October (Pizza Month) • • •
• 2nd - Name Your Car Day. For those of you lucky enough to have a car, you know how much you rely on it. But have you given it a name? Show your appreciation today by giving it a name. 8th - World Sight Day. This day is to focus on blindness and vision impairment, and was created by the World Health Organisation. 13th - Face Your Fears Day. How different would your life be if you overcame one of your fears? Why not use today to give it a try? 26th - Howl at the Moon Day. Release your inner wild side and give the moon a good howl. Just watch out for werewolves.
3rd - Cliché Day. We all know and love clichés (there’s a reason they are clichés). Today, use all of the ones you know and annoy everybody, just for fun. 4th - Use Your Common Sense Day. Apply your common sense today, and encourage others to do the same. As we all know, common sense isn’t that common. 13th - World Kindness Day. Today is about spreading kindness and love. It doesn’t need to be a grand gesture. Hold the door open for someone, smile at a stranger. 27th - Buy Nothing Day. Today is about protesting consumerism that rules society, as well as saving money. 30th - Stay Home Because You’re Well Day. Take a day off when you’re well enough to enjoy it. Take some time to recharge.
December (HumanRights Month) •
• •
3rd - Make a Gift Day. Take gift giving one step further this month and hand-make something quirky and personal for a loved one. • 8th - Pretend to be a Time Traveller Day. Grab a group of friends, pretend to be someone from the past or future and head out to a public space. Marvel at the oddities around you and ask passers by what year it is. • 16th - Chocolate Covered Anything Day. Everything can be improved with chocolate, so cover everything with chocolate today. 26th - Thank You Note Day. Remember to thank everyone who has made your holiday special. Take the time to write them a note and show them you appreciate them. 30th - Bacon Day. Celebrate everything bacon. Perhaps visit the bacon bar on Bree Street?
Each day of the year has its own special dedication, some of them even have more than one. To find out more about each day, visit: www.daysoftheyear.com
Compiled by Michaela Findeis
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Features
V74 E5 – 28 APRIL 2015
The Buzz from the library to the club:
The underground trading of Ritalin at UCT Laura Pirjol & Tumi Molefe
R
italin and Concerta have earned a reputation amongst students as being the go-to wonder drugs for the preparation of any test, exam or assignment. These prescribed drugs provide students with almost supernatural abilities to fight procrastination and ward off unwanted distractions, such as this week’s new episode of Game of Thrones. Thus, it is no wonder that the demand for such drugs sparked the underground trade of Concerta and Ritalin at UCT. Their popularity is, however not limited to the library – these drugs have also managed to find a new home in clubs around Cape Town. Methylphenidate, the active ingredient in Ritalin and Concerta, was first patented in 1954 and used to treat the psychoneurosis and psychosis of patients suffering from depression and narcolepsy. Methylphenidate is now considered the go-to drug for doctors when treating ADHD. When taken orally, methylphenidate stimulates the
release of dopamine and inhibits impulsivity, thus allowing people with ADHD to focus. When taken without a prescription and careful monitoring, users are at risk of becoming dependent on the drug for studying and may also experience tremors, agitation, a rapid heartbeat, and hypertension.
Dealers can face a prison sentence of up to 15 years When taken intra-nasally, the drug produces a similar high to cocaine, MDMA and amphetamines. This is achieved by crushing the medication into a fine powder and then snorting it through a till slip or bank note. The effects of the drug are almost immediate; feelings of euphoria and high energy levels are common, and some users also experience heightened levels of aggression and anger. Prolonged abuse can result in psychotic episodes, hallucinations, paranoia
and insomnia. Despite the effects associated with the recreational use of methylphenidate and its classification as an amphetamine, one may be surprised to find that the procurement of such a drug is fairly simple. Prescribed Ritalin and Concerta users are selling their pills and prescription pads to others for academic and/or recreational reasons. Obtaining a dealer is an exercise that amounts to no more than asking fellow peers if they know of anyone. Unlike cocaine and other illegal amphetamines, the dealing and abuse of methylphenidate is deemed casual in comparison. However, like cocaine and other illegal amphetamines, the consequences of possessing and abusing such drugs without a prescription are just as severe. Dealers can face a prison sentence
of up to 15 years, whereas users without a prescription can face a sentence of up to two years, along with a hefty fine. Even ‘helping out a friend’ free of charge is punishable by law – prescribed medication is meant for individuals, and you’re risking the safety of friends by handing out your pills out like Smarties. We interviewed a UCT student to explain their first experience taking Ritalin and Concerta recreationally: "I bought some pills from a friend of a friend; the deal was casual and I paid about R40. Sometimes they charge more but my guy was pretty cheap. “I crushed some with a credit card and snorted it… it may have been the best high of my life. I felt like I was… in control. My friends and I decided to go clubbing that night and I needed a rush. I was tired and I had heard that Ritalin wakes you up, and it's true. It gives you so much energy but it's a weird energy; I felt like I could either do all my coursework in one sitting or have the craziest night of my life... and I did
It is surprising how many stories similar to this are circulating around campus and, despite the consequences and side-effects of methylphenidate abuse, the underground Ritalin and Concerta trade continues to thrive. Unfortunately, the continued distribution of methylphenidate by doctors to treat ADHD will ensure that both users and dealers will never be in short supply.
content includes: pornography, nudity or sexually suggestive content involving minors, minors engaged in activities that are physically dangerous and harmful, and invasions of privacy. Jafeel posts some racy party pictures, among
these being in honor of (the pretty self-explanatory) #mondaymovienight, #tittytuesday and #thongthursday. Furthermore, their snaps generally involve drugs and alcohol. Snapchat deemed Jafeel a distributer of inappropriate content and sent them to the naughty corner. But, despite being banned, Jafeel keeps returning to Snapchat under various different Snapchat names, gaining their following back within seconds. This leads to the inevitable question: Why Snapchat?
Jafeel, as the self-proclaimed promoters of what we as South Africans deem “the jol,” targets mostly young adults who want everything instantly. This is why Snapchat is the perfect platform – it delivers instant content anytime and anywhere. An added benefit for this brand is that it lives off the shock factor, which this generation seems to thrive on. With the general “I’m so bored with everything” stance, the shock factor is exactly what young adults need to snap them (excuse the pun) out of banality.
the go-to wonder drugs
Ja feel me? When good Snapchats go bad Nicole Arends “Forbidden fruits taste the sweetest.” Firstly, there is sneaky little Eve who essentially doublecrosses the whole human race just to take a bite out of one forbidden apple. Then, there’s everyone’s favourite star-crossed lovers – Romeo and Juliet – who get themselves killed in honour of their forbidden love. Flash forward to 2015 and we have Jafeel, an Australian clothing company that sells festival and clubbing clothing, who have not let anything (even being banned five times) stop them from posting their racy, forbidden content on the social networking app, Snapchat. Their motto is simple: “We are a party foundation.” They are for the movers and the shakers. They’re for those who drink the vodka straight from the bottle; for those who have pre-predrinks before they go to actual pre-drinks. They’re for the nights you can’t remember, with the people you can’t forget. So, of course, when Jafeel decided to create handpicked, fan-submitted Snapchat stories – it became the Holy Grail for every true party animal. As Twitter user @ elbosque tweets: “Made it on Jafeel. Told my mom to stop doing the dishes – we don't have to live like this anymore.” Snapchat is a free app that allows users to send pictures
and videos that disappear after a few seconds. Although it allows users the freedom to post almost anything, they do have certain regulations, which result in possible suspension or being banned from Snapchat. Banned
the latter. “The Ritalin made me dance harder than I’ve ever danced before but it also has some pretty nasty side effects. I couldn’t sleep until four in the morning and at one point I was paranoid about dying; that's the worst part of it, you want to sleep, you know you’re exhausted but you just can’t, at least until the Ritalin wears off."
The drug produces a similar high to cocaine
Features
Raw and Roxy R
Anna Insam
Stove-free and vegan, this Woodstock café is a flavour fiesta and everything but ordinary Cuisine: Raw, vegan and vegetarian Perfect for: Meat-free Mondays and lunch dates Price range: R30 - R90 Location: 300 Albert Road, Woodstock Image: Lexi Bird
aw and Roxy prides itself on introducing people to the concept of veganism by providing food that is delicious, healthy and nutritionally dense, and also, as far as possible, free of cruelty to sentient beings. I think anybody who eats animal products will see their menu as exotic – I mean, lasagna made minus a stove, with raw zucchini strips, and cashew nut sauce is enough to have a dedicated meat eater clawing at the doors in sheer panic. Cooking destroys many nutrients and food products, and a raw food diet is said to increase energy levels, aid weight loss, and improve skin and overall health. As a steak lover myself, I attest this menu will have your eyes bulging in amazement at the flavoursome creations. Yes, the food sounds down-right weird, but it blows my mind - every time!
lasagna made minus a stove Located on the same road as the Biscuit Mill, the rustic charm of Woodstock hugs itself around this patisserie. White walls, high
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ceilings, and wooden tables allow the bright sunflowers at the front counter to bring the airy space to life. The blissful environment always houses light chatter and has only 4 employees, so the service is sometimes slow – it’s best to order ahead for takeaways.
Try their replica of a Magnum ice-cream
Behind the counter you’ll find without fail Beatrice Holst, founder of this health-haven. “A lot of people are put off by the idea of vegan food ... they’re worried it’ll taste like someone peed on grass,” says the charismatic Beatrice. “But it’s possible to make it interesting and cool.” Having worked from LA to Switzerland, this chef is one you should certainly entrust your taste buds to, because she gives veganism the best name in Cape Town. The café knows no bland dish; try the crunchy Asian salad with red cabbage, raisins, dates, cashew nuts, pink salt, and lemon juice or the zucchini pasta which really tastes like alfredo pasta. Your best bet? The R70 medium ‘Tapas plate,’ which allows for the best of all worlds. Freshly squeezed juices, or their famous ‘rocket fuel’ smoothie,
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made with raw cocao, maca powder, coconut oil and superthrive (I don’t know that ingredient from a bar of soap if I’m honest) are up for grabs too. Dig into bliss balls, red velvet cupcakes, chocolate ganache tarts or macaroons for dessert – common ingredients include cashews, desiccated coconut, raw cacao and even beetroot. Try their replica of a magnum ice-cream or their kale chips, which are hands-down the best I have had in SA – I tend to leave with multiple packets every time. Expect an exciting and surprising journey for your taste buds, where all your prior misconceptions of feeling restricted with veganism are flung away. The farming of animals and grains is regarded as having a greater ecological impact than any other human activity on our planet, so this ethical and delicious restaurant is my go-to for meat-free Mondays and to leave my eco-footprint well served. They provide bamboo takeaway straws, steering clear of plastic, and all takeaway packaging is compostable. They even have returnable glass jars for takeaway customers. With many tourists coming from far and wide to appreciate their food, they provide compostable takeaway cups too. They have reduced their waste to landfill to less than two refuse bags a week – for a restaurant open six days a week, that leaves me beyond impressed!
All Grown-Up: Tips for passing as an adult Nkhensani Manabe
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he time to be a serious grownup is around the corner, but the thought of having to handle bills, living arrangements and a miscellany of daunting legal tasks all by myself sends me into a flat spin. This is the general feeling among my peers too, but the truth is, whether we like it or not, adulthood is real. So, in the interest of at least looking like we know what we’re doing, let’s all write the following down on some post-its.
who demand payment before any negotiations or show houses have taken place – these are the ones most likely to run away with your cash. Don’t skimp on car maintenance. Familiarise yourself with your car’s service plan, and also start building a relationship with a mechanic at a reputable dealership, one you feel you can trust. Insist on detailed invoices, so you can avoid being swindled into paying for things you don’t need and didn’t ask for. Keep a strict record of all maintenance
done, so you have a handle on your car’s service history when it’s time to part ways with it.
Be wary of landlords who demand payment before any negotiations Find yourself a good doctor. Ask neighbours, colleagues and pharmacists for recommendations before settling on a GP. Go in to
the surgery to verify the doctor’s qualifications for yourself, and make sure they don’t have a reputation for making patients come unnecessarily for minor medical issues. Write your will. Okay. Put your coffee down and pay attention. It is a scary thought, but we can agree it is important to prepare for all eventualities. Who gets your vintage leather jacket, your sneaker collection, or your colour-coded notes? Who will take responsibility for your pets? See an attorney as soon as possible to nominate an
executor (the person who will be in charge of carrying out your last wishes). Name your beneficiaries, and detail what you bequeath to each of them. Doing this means no matter what happens in this crazy life, you will be ready. It’s about having peace of mind. These are a few starting points. To check if you’ve covered all your bases, consult Kelly Williams Brown’s book Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps. Good luck out there!
Insist on detailed invoices, so you can avoid being swindled Take control of your finances. Set up a bank account that doesn’t include the word “junior” or “student” in its name – or your favourite childhood toy or band. Speak to consultants and be clear about your banking needs, then weigh options from different banks. Know what the contracts say about charges and limits on transactions before signing anything.
it is important to prepare for all eventualities Understand your lease agreement back to front. What does the rent cover and what will you have to sort out on your own? What are the rules regarding termination of the lease? Be wary of landlords
Image: flickr.com/paulinkles
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Features
V74 E5 – 28 APRIL 2015
The Dummy’s Guide to Wining Adam Kleinschmidt
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tanding before the racks at my local liquor store, I freeze. Numerous bottles stand before me, a myriad of colourful labels plastered to each container. As I begin to reach forward, I realise I haven’t the faintest clue what the difference between a Shiraz and Merlot is. In this article, however, I’m going to clear up the potholes of your basic wine knowledge. With this guide in hand and a nice bottle of wine, you’ll be off to a classy good time. The first distinction you’ll need to make is what you’re drinking. Red, white and rosé are the three choices you get. The colour – and a number of other important characteristics – is based on what colour grape skin is used in the production. White wine is made from white-skinned grapes, and red wine from redskinned grapes. Rosé is made from red grapes, but with little contact with the skin. Three important factors are used in determining a good wine. The first, the presentation of the wine, is very helpful: aside from checking whether it has bits in it (the horror), you can also determine the quality and type. “Legs,” as they are commonly called, are part of this. Simply twirl the glass before allowing it to settle: if strands of wine take a while to settle down, it has legs. Second, the smell of the wine: place your nose over the rim of the
glass and enjoy the aromas of say, blackberry and chocolate. Finally, the fun part: the taste. Sip slowly, and feel the explosion on your tongue as the hard labours of viticulture tease your taste buds. But how do I know what it is I’m drinking? I still don’t know what these types are. Have no fear: the distinction is quite simple to understand. In terms of white wine, there are three main types a student should know: chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. Chenin is a light, dry wine that does not have legs. Sauvignon is the everyman’s white wine that is commonly the house wine at most restaurants. It tends to be quite acidic. Chardonnay is the serious wine; a dry, woody tasting wine that is commonly matured in oak barrels. Red wine begins easily with merlot, a full-bodied and gentle wine – it is also commonly the house wine at restaurants. Shiraz, with definite notes of pepper, isn’t too far away from merlot but has a little more depth. Cabernet sauvignon is dry and acidic, and is for the more serious wine drinker. Finally, there is pinotage, a lighter, easier wine. Rosé is the middle ground between red and white: the acidity of white with the mood of red. So you’ve got a good glass of red wine: what now? Pick up your steak knife, because the best buddy a glass of merlot will ever have is a nice steak or piece of cheese. White
Image: UCT Wine society wine is the constant companion for any fish or chicken dish, or even a light salad. A final recommendation I’ll make is on some vino you ought to get yourself for the weekend.
The Man Bun:
Anna Insam Meet the sexy, seemingly effortless little bobble that has taken men’s tresses to the next level and has made many women weak at the knees at its very sight – yes, I am one of those women. It seems that the pony-tailed men your mom swooned over back in her day, have been replaced with ones sporting the modern long-haired style. A mun (not sure if that nickname will stick) or top-knot, is when hair is scraped straight back and secured with a pony tail into a bun, just below the crown of the head. Don’t confuse it with a ‘Sikh topknot’, which is the look where men with a barley-there bun resemble pineapples. So, to whom do we owe our gratitude for bringing this trend into the 20th century, making suitedup men on red carpets just that much sexier? It is in fact a hairstyle that the ancient Buddha himself has been rocking for centuries. Indeed, the Buddha’s secondary physical characteristic is his topknot. Clearly, Buddhists have their priorities straight with solidifying such an aesthetically pleasing hairstyle on their figure of worship. I may contemplate changing religions because of this. In the 1070s Bayeux Tapestry figures were see sporting helmets that resemble a man bun. In the 1970s we had George Harrison
from The Beatles dishing up some man bun porn for us. In the 2000s we had David Beckham tying up his mane while playing soccer (why do you think I started taking a fancy to this sport?) and Samurai Jack splashed across our cartoon channels. If anything, the trend has been brewing for years and has chosen 2015 as the year to really shine.
under R60 – and the Alto Rouge – under R70. So grab a glass, twist the cap on a nice bottle of wine and settle into a drink that has made the Cape world famous.
The tale of how it began and what it says about the man behind it.
we understand the struggle. I’ll tell you why women like myself find them so appealing. We know and understand the effort that goes into growing out your hair, agonizing over product choice and putting effort into your appearance. You’re telling me that you can set a goal, not give up, and nurture something that needs care – you are a resilient warrior who can withstand the pain-staking times
Buddha’s secondary physical characteristic is his top-knot Imagine my delight when I started watching Nightcrawler the other night, and Jake Gyllenhaal whips out a pony and voila! A top-knot is born. I was immediately going to add this to my Snapchat story, but I thought my heart rate had spiked enough with my excitement and that I needed to not have a heart attack first. Yes, my high praises of the movie have one hundred percent been influenced by this addition to it. As if he couldn’t get any hotter. It is rumoured that top-knots have become popular as men need to grow their hair out for film roles and need a taming strategy while doing so - as us ladies know, hair flailing into your mouth with the Cape Town winds is far from pleasant, so
If cheap and good is what you’re looking for, the Stonedale Chenin is under R30 and the Ribshack Red shiraz blend is under R40; both are easy on the palate. For gifts, look for the Pecan Stream Sauvignon Blanc –
Image: pinterest.com/nonissuperfresh/
where you just want to shave it all off. Your character traits are proudly displayed as a shining halo around your man bun. When I meet a man with a topknot, I am meeting more than just a man. I am meeting someone who has something to show for his immense effort in the leading-up months to this very day. I’m saying hi to a man who understands patience, personal-hygiene and style. A lot
can be said about the man who can achieve the majestic top-knot. The best thing about dating a man with a top-knot is that it’s a fun couple activity to help him with the artistry of his hair – hello new common interest and fun pastime activity! He relies on you to make his top-knot game strong, so the woman beside a man with a topknot deserves some cred too. All hail the top-knot!
Features
V74 E5 - 28 APRIL 2015
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I found God on LSD Can religion and drugs go hand in hand? Kirsty Macnab
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hile in Durban over December break, I met Sheldon: a 30-something-yearold man who is the CEO of a high profile company and who believes he has achieved everything he wants in life. He puts his success down to his belief in Christianity, but he did not find God the conventional way; “I did not find God in Church. I did not find God by praying. I found God on LSD.”
“I did not find God by praying.” Religion, like sexuality, has become a very fluid concept today. After meeting Sheldon, I became particularly interested in the connection between drugs and religion. Many denominations under the umbrella term “religion” have sparked to life all over the world. You can no longer put people in a box, as there are so many interpretations of religion. Who is to say taking drugs and worshipping cannot be yet another religious denomination?
LSD, commonly known as acid, is a hallucinogenic drug. When taking LSD, your senses are ignited and you can see, hear, taste, feel and smell more. This helps to make current and past experiences that much more real and animated. How is religion, something that is deemed to be unequivocally moral, connected to an illegal substance that can have detrimental effects on the human body? When I questioned Sheldon, he explained that he had tried everything. He would go to church and enviously look around him as the congregation fully embodied God. He could not let his mind go, but LSD allowed him to do just that. It encouraged all his senses to come alive and work towards encapsulating a belief. It also made the experience more real. Past experiences often gain more meaning when taking LSD and after taking the drug, it is common to have flashbacks of what is known as your “trip”. This allows you truly to let go in the moment.
Religion, like sexuality, has become a very fluid concept today.
of
There is a new sector Christianity growing in
DO NOT USE EARBUDS!
Jena Ascough The irony is in the name. ‘Earbuds’. Surely something you use for your ears, right? Wrong. Use them to fix your make-up, to tidy your manicure, to clean between the keys of your laptop’s keyboard, but you need to keep earbuds as far away from your ears as possible. At this point you might be saying, “But why? My mom always told me to keep my ears clean.”
Love them and appreciate what they do for you So here’s the deal: your ear canal is bent curving upwards, kind of like a teaspoon facing down. At the end of the canal you have your eardrum. What happens when you use earbuds is you’re actually pushing wax further into your ear past the
curve – so while you may end up with some wax on the cotton wool of the earbud, most of it is actually going deeper inside your ear, which can cause some issues.
The irony is in the name ‘Earbuds’ And that’s for those of you who are timid in their earbud use. For those who are a bit more assertive in their ear-cleaning endeavours and push the earbud far into the ear, you are actually at risk of puncturing your eardrum which can lead to infections, hearing loss and all sorts of other problems. So now you might be saying, “Okay fine, earbuds are a bad idea, but how do I keep my ears clean then?” Well that’s the beautiful thing about our ears: they keep themselves clean through the magic of….wax! That’s right, the very thing you’re trying so hard to get rid of is actually what
Image: Mila Vasquez
Minneapolis, which hosts the greatest concentration of drug addicts and churches in America. Brandon Barthrop, a former meth addict, now runs Red Letter Ministries. At the “crackhouse”, their church, people appear to be completely inebriated and high off the power of God himself. They spend their days sniffing “diamond oil” and other natural incenses while dancing to Christian trance music and listening to Brandon preach.
Brandon claims that this mode of preaching appeals to the youth of today, and in a city where drug addiction is prominent, drunken glory is helping those to overcome their addiction by
keeps your ears clean! Much like tears in your eyes and snot in your nose, wax helps to catch bacteria and other things that could potentially harm your eardrum and makes its way out of your ear all by itself. Removing this wax unnecessarily by forceful means such as earbud use could lead
to infections that could affect more than just your ears – these kind of infections can lead to high fevers, nausea and, if it gets really bad and spreads to your inner ear, can cause you to lose balace easily and suffer from feelings of vertigo. To get rid of excess wax just take a warm, damp facecloth,
“Drink the Godka, smoke Jehovahjuana”
promoting wholly natural highs on God. It appears that for some people, drugs and religion can be in a dialectic relationship. Some believe that God is the drug, while others see taking drugs as the pathway to accessing God’s presence. As society progresses, religion is quickly veering away from traditional worship. In the words of Brandon- “drink the Godka, smoke Jehovahjuana”. place it over your pinky finger and scoop out some wax, BUT THAT IS AS FAR INTO THE EAR AS YOU ARE ALLOWED TO GO. Your ears are amazing. Love them and appreciate what they do for you and please, please KEEP THEM FAR AWAY FROM EARBUDS!
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Sport
V74 E5 –28 APRIL 2015
Gettin’ Wheysted 24/7 Adam Kleinschmidt
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Awe bra, laik, it’s time to get pumped. Nobody misses leg day,” drawled the muscular fellow, his brow already beaded with sweat. Donning a wifebeater and revealing – too revealing – running shorts, with a back-to-front Monster cap, the Weights Jock is a wild creature only sighted near large columns of iron and metal bars.
you get a chance to observe the local wildlife
The above example of an athletic junkie is one of many who can be found at gymnasiums across the world. Typically, this muscular denizen can be found in among the pack, their strength in the biceps and their pack as they prowl the weights section of any standard
gym floor, USN water bottle in hand. Often found to be dosing themselves with supplements and talking about “that one cheat day”, this type of gym dweller is the reviled lion of the air-conditioned jungle. I’m not much of a gymgoer, preferring more to do long-distance running outside. However, this is Cape Town we’re talking about and I’m often forced to spend an hour or two at the gym thanks to seasonal precipitation. Every time, guaranteed, I am exposed to a variety of gym typecasts that perpetuate themselves again
“Nobody misses leg day”
and again. The Look-At-Me Runner is another colourful and widespread example. Typically a moderately
fit individual, this creature uses the step-machine or treadmill to great effect as a site for public displays of grunting, hairwhipping and arm flailing. No, they’re not having a heart attack: they just want you to see them as they try to “break that personal best” at some race that probably doesn’t exist. If you’re lucky, you might just hear their battle chorus, a selection of remixes by Meghan Trainor or Iggy Azalea badly compiled together on their iPod. The scene is set: the water dispenser is surrounded by way too much expensive New Balance or Adidas attire that looks barely used. The clink of gold bangles and the swish of running “fanny-packs” fill the air. The aspiring Spinning Mafia make their presence known as they gabble away at the latest slice of hot gossip about “that woman Meryl”. With no intention of doing much exercise beyond the half hour with André – the cute one, not the one with the mole
– these ladies of the social elite have nothing else to do until the school run.
the reviled lion of the air-conditioned jungle.
There are a variety of others, but I think I’ve made my point. Forget going to a mall or a park to people-watch: the gym is the place to be. The gym is a wild and untamed jungle where every old person has the potential to tell you about the old days when they used to run for the Defence Force, or where you can get life lessons from a person shovelling whey protein down their gullet. Aside from improving your health – it’s a real option when surrounded by bicycles, weights and a heated swimming pool – you get the chance to observe the local wildlife.
Image: Mari Mombers
My First Time at Zumba Catherine Fulton As part of my daily ritual, every day at 5.30pm I would head down to UCT’s gym, until one day I missed the 5.30pm Taebo class and had to go to the next class at 6.30pm. I had not put much thought into it – I assumed that it would just be a repeat of the previous class. I confidently bounced my way into gym, until I noticed that there was a different instructor, and about five students that I hadn’t seen before. Thinking that this felt unfamiliar, I turned to the schedule, which read “18:30: Zumba class”.
it was a dance fitness class
My face fell and I slumped into the corner of the room. I had never done Zumba before. I did not know
much about it, except that it was a dance fitness class, and I know for a fact that I have no rhythm! However, being relatively fit, I decided I would take part anyway, thinking it would be easy… except for the rhythm part. I was so wrong. After five minutes of dancing I had almost buckled to the floor, huffing and puffing with sweat dripping down my face, while the cheerful instructor said “Good warm up girls, let’s move on to the dances!” That was only a warm-up? I had suddenly gained a newfound respect for dancers. After the warm-up a series of different dances followed, some working on muscle tone while others were bursts of cardio fitness routines. Learning the dances was only part of the challenge. Who knew that balance depended so much on your core muscles? The set dance moves that were taught consisted of various movements, including twists, turns, jumps and stretches. While some movements were very fast, others were slow and required you to hold
From the Bench Dean Horwitz
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tereotypes form an important part of how we see and process the world, and nowhere is this more evident than in the sports industry. We expect all men to play certain sports and women to play others, and we expect all sportsmen and women to look the same. In the same vein we expect sports fans to fit into a certain image, and sports writers and journalists to fall somewhere in-between all of this. Here at VARSITY Newspaper we turned the stereotype inside out when I was chosen as the Sports Editor and Fanie van Zijl as my Deputy. Neither of us play any form of sport, nor do we look the part; I look more like a competitive eater, Fanie looks more like an indie rock star about to make it big time. However, we brought a love and passion of all things sport into our roles and have created a section of which I am incredibly proud. Unfortunately, this past week Fanie resigned as my Deputy, and I would like to thank him for his brilliant contribution to the newspaper and the Sports section. Over the past year he has built up his writing skills and increased his commitment while making an incredible contribution to the vision of a campus newspaper that delivers campus news - particularly in the Sports section. Go well Fanie, we cannot wait to read your Namibian sports report in the next few months.
Image: Mari Mombers
the position you were in, which I found much harder to do since my balance and muscles were not so welldeveloped. Some of the dance moves were easy, but at one point I just stood there with a blank look on my face and waved bye-bye to my coordination, which had decided to abandon me. Despite the muscular pain and
thinking it would be easy
being out of breath, I thoroughly enjoyed it. What you can get from Zumba is more than the average class: it is a fun workout, plus you get some basic dancing lessons to impress others on the dance floor the next time you’re “up in the club”. I also found that, over time, it improves flexibility, and I can proudly say that I am now finally able to touch my toes without bending my knees. The great part about Zumba is that
even though you may feel awkward or embarrassed about not dancing, you’re not alone. You are part of a whole class of students, some in the same situation. I found the instructor to be enthusiastic, motivating and
a dance party, while burning calories!
patient, which immediately put me at ease. Zumba incorporates different types of dance combined with aerobics, giving you the benefits of learning many dance styles such as latin, hip hop and mambo – all while toning your whole body. It is one of the most fun fitness classes I have ever experienced. Just imagine: what would be a better way to work out than a dance party, while burning calories!
Sport
Sports Bites Dean Horwitz UCT Sports wrap-up UCT Table Tennis gets off to a smashing start
The UCT table tennis team played their first match of the season, after being promoted to the 4th league at the end of last year, against a young Liv-Ken D side. Liv-Ken had some very promising players, but the UCT team’s experience gave them the advantage and they won 9-1 to start the league on a very high note. Ikey Tigers gain early advantage in the league
Ikey Tigers start off the season on a high.
The Ikey Tigers kicked off their Super-League fixtures with backto-back victories against Tygerberg on the Green Mile and SA Club Rugby Champions Durbanville in Durbanville. The Tigers are sitting in 4th place on the log going into the 3rd round of fixtures.
UCT Basketball embraces Africa and is on its way to USSA
UCT Basketball will be holding its annual All Africa Games on May 1st in the UCT Sports Centre. The event will feature UCT internal league teams who will choose an African country and play as that country for the duration of the tournament. Despite losing to CPUT in both the men’s and ladies’ USSA qualifiers, UCT Basketball managed to qualify for the USSA tournament in Durban later this year thanks to an excellent run of results leading up to the CPUT match. Both teams, alongside CPUT, will represent Western Province at the tournament.
Local and International Sports wrap-up $1 billion payout plan for concussed NFL players
A judge has approved a plan worth $1 billion (£665 million) to compensate former American football players with head injuries. Multiple lawsuits have been filed against the National Football League (NFL) in which it was alleged that the league hid knowledge of concussion risks. The average individual pay-out would be $190 000, with younger men receiving awards between $1 million and $5 million. The deal could cost the league more than $1 billion over 65 years. -bbc.co.uk/sport
Mayweather-Pacquiao: Tickets could fetch more than R1.22 million
Tickets for next week's fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio are expected to cost £60 000 (R1.22 million) on the resale market. The MGM Grand in Las Vegas has a capacity of 16 500 but only about 1 000 seats can be bought by the public. The rest will go to the fighters, the casino, sponsors and promoters. The cheapest ticket for the May 2nd bout will cost $1 500 (R18 290), rising to around $10 000 (R121 910). The MGM also announced the sale of thousands of closed circuit seats at its various properties at $150 (R1829) apiece. -bbc.co.uk/sport
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Destiny of the Derby
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Zuko-Thando Madodonke
El Clasico, The Ashes, The Rumble in the Jungle, Thrilla in Manila and Springboks vs All Blacks. Fierce sporting rivalries are abundant. The matches are publicised well in advance and player statistics are closely analysed. Many supporters might miss the whole season due to their busy schedules, but as the Irish say, “come the day and come the hour” the tickets are in order and the beverages are flowing. The team that goes out on the day has been picked a hundred times over by the coach and a hundred times over by you. What actually makes for a fierce sporting rivalry? Well, a lot of the derbies that are enriched by tradition are because of intracity rivalry. For example, there are the Merseyside, Soweto and Paris derbies. These derbies divide cities and sometimes not only the city, but the whole country gets involved because of how big the teams are. This is the case with the Soweto Derby where Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs are the two powerhouses that go head to head in a sold out FNB Stadium that can hold 94 736 screaming fans.
Fierce sporting rivalries are abundant Other rivalries are fuelled by the winning history of both teams; for example, the Manchester UnitedLiverpool affair. This rivalry is so intense that in a documentary
Image: wikipedia.com/World Telegram staff photographer
where Liverpool legend, Steven Gerrard, shows off his collection of jerseys he has swapped with opposing players, he outlines the fact that he doesn't have a Man United one because he “wouldn't want one in his house”. Sir Alex Ferguson – who propelled Man United to football greatness – was quoted saying, "My greatest challenge is not what's happening at the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their f*****g perch (sic). And you can print that.” Between them, the two clubs have 38 league trophies, with United holding 20 of those and Liverpool 18. Boxing matches tend to be "nicknamed" and never was the nickname more befitting than when Muhammad Ali took on Joe Frazier in what was dubbed the "Fight of the Century". Before the fight, Ali and Frazier were both unbeaten. It
was a title fight of the highest order between two unbeaten industrious heavyweight boxers renowned for their power and speed. No wonder it went on for a couple more years, gifting us with Ali-Frazier II and the “Thrilla in Manila”.
derbies divide cities... because of how big the teams are The El Clasico is one of those derbies that incorporates almost every single sporting rivalry. First of all, contrary to popular belief, the derby stems from the fact that Real Madrid is seen as a representative of Spanish nationalism and Barcelona as a representative of Catalan nationalism. The clubs spend big
money, not only on players, but on facilities as well. The list of great footballers who have played in the El Clasico is endless. In a league like the La Liga, it is especially important to win the El Clasico as those three points on offer could make all the difference in the long run. In a rare display of mutual respect we saw Real Madrid fans applaud Ronaldinho after the Brazilian destroyed Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. Losing to your rival will sting a little more than losing to any other team. For some managers it can define their season, as we saw a few weeks ago with Man United fans singing “He’s sacked in the morning” to Manuel Pellegrini. Even so, these rivalries make sport what it is. Don’t forget to watch the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight on May 3rd, as it will be a testament to sports rivalries all around the world!
The Ultimate rivalry – Ikeys vs. Maties Gordon Dodge
T
he official return of one of the oldest sports rivalries in South Africa – the University of Cape Town (UCT) vs. University of Stellenbosch (US) Intervarsity weekend – is one week away and the anticipation among the UCT Sports Clubs couldn’t be higher. Founded in 1911, this will be the 114th year of the Intervarsity rugby game, which was first held between the then South African College and Victoria College. It is also the third year of the newly revived full multi-sport Intervarsity and it promises to be something for the history books. The Intervarsity has really taken off between the two universities, with UCT’s nail biting win in 2013 and Maties coming back strong to level the score board (unofficially) in 2014, all is to play for this year. Points are allocated to team performances in order to find an overall winner of Intervarsity by combining the results of all the sporting codes. Two points are allocated per team win and one point for a draw. All points are then tallied up per code and the winning sports code receives two points towards the overall trophy. With 28 sporting codes, over 70
Image: Anton Jordaan teams partaking and the tally being square, there is no room for error if either university wishes to claim victory for Intervarsity 2015 and ensure bragging rights as they take the lead. The Intervarsity Steering Committee has been planning the event for a couple of months now, with a big focus being on the social aspect of the tournament. For that reason all of the clubs that have bars will be open during their own individual events. Following the completion of Friday, the Tennis Club will remain open, and following the close on Saturday the
Rugby Club will be remaining open. After classes on Friday, May 8th, Intervarsity will begin not only at the UCT Tennis Courts, but also the Indoor Rowing Centre, the Sports Centre and the Football Astro Turf. There will be demos from the capoeira club as well as First Team performances from the likes of the basketball, football, tennis and rowing teams, along with others. Saturday will see clubs such as Ultimate Frisbee, hockey, and cricket battle it out on both Upper and Lower Campuses with all the Sports Centre Halls filled with competition all day. Then finally, following hot
on the heels of the recent Varsity Cup campaign which saw the UCT vs. Stellenbosch game end in a draw, the two rugby clubs will definitely be out looking for glory when the two close the Intervarsity competition on Saturday night on the Green Mile. To conclude the event, a short prize giving will then be held to announce the overall winner of Intervarsity 2015, in which vice-chancellors from both universities will be attending to show their support for the Intervarsity tournament. The rugby club will then be staying open for everyone to celebrate as only students know how.
Sport VARSITY
What to Watch April 30th & May 1st – Keith Granger Memorial Squash Open Semi-finals and final – Sports Centre May 1st – All Africa Basketball Tournament – Sports Centre May 3rd – UCT 10KM Memorial Run – UCT Oval May 8th and 9th – Inter-Varsity – UCT – Various venues
The Grandest in the West Dean Horwitz
E
xtreme Fighting Championship (EFC) Worldwide is a mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation which was founded as EFC Africa at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg in 2009 and has since expanded into a worldwide organisation showcasing 120 of the greatest fighters on the planet. The organisation produces ten live events every year at sold out arenas in every major city in South Africa. The next event will be happening at Grand West on May 7th. The core of EFC lies in its live productions, which take place every six weeks and rotate between Durban ICC, Grand West in Cape Town and Carnival City in Johannesburg. Each fight is carefully put together by EFC matchmaker Graeme Cartmell who selects the match-ups based on a variety of factors including fight records and which fights he thinks would be most exciting for the fans to watch. The EFC Fighters are a rare breed. These athletes are incredibly strong and disciplined and have to be experts in several different forms of martial arts. In order to compete in an EFC event you have to start right at the bottom and work your way up. Most fighters start off their careers fighting in amateur MMA bouts. If they are successful in these fights they can
Image:wikipedia.com/Lee Brimelow
then apply for their professional MMA licence which allows them to fight in EFC. First, however, they have to attract Graeme’s attention as someone who fans would like to watch and someone who has the ability to beat the best and win one of the titles on offer. In EFC, fighters compete in several categories based on their weight classification. The lightest
category is Bantamweight while the heaviest category is Heavyweight. Each category has a title holder, and the title fights are usually the main events at each EFC production. Some of the highlights over the years include the first Heavyweight title fight between Norman Wessels and Bernardo Mkixi and the Lightweight title fight at EFC 20 between Don
Madge and Costa Ioannou. Norman Wessels currently holds the Light Heavyweight title, while Brendon Groenewald holds the Heavyweight title and Leon Mynhardt holds the Lightweight title. Fans attending the EFC spectacle at Grand West next month can expect some incredibly fierce battles, including the
headline fight between Brendon Groenewald and Andrew van Zyl in the Heavyweight category. The event will also see former champions Gideon Drotschie and Don Madge fighting in must-win battles in their respective weight categories. Drotschie will take on Tumelo ‘The Truck’ Maphuta who is known for his knock-out power while Madge will take on Regis Muyambo. Both fighters will be looking to turn their careers around. The Grand West fight will also see foreign fighters for the first time since EFC went global, with England’s undefeated Yannick Bahati coming up against the undefeated champion Dalcha in a catchweight fight of epic proportions. The winner of the bout is most likely to get a chance to compete for the championship belt in their respective weight division. Fans can also look forward to another Englishman in the form of the undefeated Joe Cummins, who is a stablemate of Bahati. Whether you are a regular at EFC events or have only watched it on TV, mark May 7th on your calendars and book your tickets now for an event that will change the way you view sports entertainment. For those who are unable to attend the event at Grand West, catch the main fights on Supersport or at selected cinemas around South Africa.
Surfing a Wave of Success at UCT Amy Bosworth
UCT Surfing Club is a sports and social club that accommodates a variety of students who are actively involved in the ocean. We give our members many different opportunities to get involved throughout the year. What is unique about the club is that there is not only a focus on the strong abilities of the surfing team but also on other aspects that bring joy through the sport of surfing, which include teaching beginners and surfing outreach. UCT has received recognition for being one of the top Universities in the world to surf at, so we try to provide a platform for locals and internationals to connect and surf together. Whether it’s a surfing
movie premiere or entering local surfing competitions as a team, there’s something for everyone. Cape Town offers a unique surfing environment, making opportunities for members endless; two peninsulas scattered with world-class surf breaks, as well as Muizenberg beach, an ideal beginners’ surfing spot just around the corner. This year, we have hosted two Fun Days. The Fun Days involve UCT advanced surfers teaching beginner club members the basics of the sport, with surf equipment hired by the club. It has introduced many international students and other ocean lovers to surfing and also formed an environment to meet new like-minded people. Everyone enjoyed pizzas and drinks
afterwards at a new vibey restaurant in Muizenberg called Tiger’s Milk. We are in the process of selecting the UCT surfing team for the National Intervarsity Champs in June. The team is chosen through three trials. We have been lucky with great weather and waves for our first two trials, which were held on the Southern Peninsula at Witsands and Longbeach. The competition was fierce and from the results we have selected a team to compete in the annual varsity competition against Stellenbosch. The team includes Anna Notten, Nikita Kekana, Nina Woermann and Amy Bosworth for the girls and Daniel Wilson, Tom Nathan, Cameron Neubert, Nic Notten, Rob Tweddle, Luke Colvin, Jonothan Looman and Cameron McKenzie
for the guys. UCT are hosting it this year and the committee has been hard at work organizing the event, which will be held on May 9th. We are very excited to run a fun event, where we plan to regain our title against Stellies. Apart from the competitive surfing, the club’s weekly outreach programme at Surfshack Outreach Centre in Muizenberg has been a great success this year. The Outreach Centre accommodates children from underprivileged backgrounds and focuses on introducing them to the surfing lifestyle. Every week, our outreach representatives Anna Notten and Clare Acheson design learningbased activities that follow a specific theme, which will stimulate their school education. This year
the activities have followed the theme ‘me’, which involved creating an understanding about how we all have differences but inside we are all the same. Habitat for Humanity has also approached us, and every Saturday they build a table and cupboard for each child. An improvement this year is the focus on standardising the club. We have a logo, which we plan to use in the future, ultimately making the club more of a brand. During Plaza Week, the first 170 sign-ups received a free t-shirt with the logo on it. We continue to grow each year and have had a record of 312 members sign up so far. The rest of the year holds more exciting events, such as the University Champs in June at Victoria Bay, and the Elands Bay surf trip in September.
Image: Julian Culverhouse