2013: Edition 2

Varsity

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1942

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN

26 February 2013

VOLUME 72: EDITION 2

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To South Africa: enough is enough!

Cai Nebe & Lynne Marie Fraser

T

housands of students and staff members abandoned lecture theatres on Wednesday February 20th to join hands in a protest march against the uncontrolled levels of crime and violence against women and children in South Africa.

Most lecturers wore academic gowns and students wore symbolic black arm-bands for the walk from the university’s middle campus to the foot of the iconic Jameson Hall.

“We say enough!” was the repeated chant and the words on many placards and t-shirts.

The President of the SRC, Lorne Hallendorff, was one of three speakers who addressed the crowd.

“We are here today to say that the legacy of standing up for what is right lives on at this university,” said Hallendorff. “Let it be said that after the UCT protest action of 2013, the vigil, the cancelling of classes, the march to Jammie plaza, let it be said that UCT students will never be silent again!”

Many students expressed their outrage at the level of violence and abuse against vulnerable groups in South Africa.

Fourth-year student Lissa Zirema

Price appealed to male students to avoid “pushing boundaries just because you can”

WE SAY ENOUGH: UCT marched in unison to raise awareness against crime and violence towards women.

Price, said only in exceptional circumstances did UCT cancel academic commitments, but it was “essential to protest to understand the pain, to share the outrage and show solidarity with victims.”

“We must preserve our own humanity,” Price said. “We have become numb to all this violence.”

He added: “We aim to establish a different norm.”

Price appealed to male students to avoid “pushing boundaries just because you can” and to speak out against people using physical coercion.

Price also called on government to show its concern by increasing the training of social workers and supplying urgent and stable funding to civil organisations that

support victims.

SRC Communications Coordinator Tarryn Naude said the student leadership will continue to create awareness about gender-based crime.

“Later this year our "It's Not Okay" campaign will address date rape and coerced sex and abusive relationships,” Naude says.

UCT’s Media Liaison Nasiphi Fazi said that about 3000 people participated in the march, making it one of the biggest protest gatherings in UCT history.

As the crowd started climbing Jammie Steps, Ruben Govender - a senior lecturer in the mechanical engineering department said that it was important for students, as future leaders, to take a coherent stand.

“You can see looking around, every demographic is represented, and they are saying that a violent solution is no solution at all. This makes me proud,” Govender said.

UCT’s Safety and Violence Institute (SaVI) is using research from universities throughout South Africa to understand the causes of and the possible solutions to the crime problem.

In his address Price said SaVi will also mobilise research into how UCT can work more closely with local organisations.

Naude said the SRC wanted to create a platform for the students to voice their anger about violent crime: “I’d say a bit of student apathy died at the march.”

She added the SRC wanted to

break that façade between itself and the student body and promoting social consciousness was in its mission statement.

“Don’t expect a dip. We want to break student apathy and restore faith in the student community,” Naude said.

Fine art postgraduates Nicole Shaer and Cathy Layzell were still wearing studio aprons, but had made the journey from Hiddingh Campus to join the protest. Both were brandishing painted placards at the end of the march, even while the crowds dissipated.

“I think the SRC president’s call to join civil society organisations was great. It plants a seed for us to make a difference,” said Layzell.

IN THIS ISSUE

said she found it frightening to live in such an unsafe environment.

“As an international student from Zimbabwe, where this kind of thing is not this common, it’s actually scary! I don’t really feel safe,” Zirema said.

Another fourth-year student, Deepshika Beeknoo, commented: “It hurts me because I know these bad things are happening to men and women [that are] my own age. I think this protest is a good beginning – people will hear us in South Africa!”

UCT’s Vice-Chancellor, Max

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news

V72 E2 – 26 FEBRUARY 2013

NEWS BITES Pistorius gets bail PRETORIA – Athlete Oscar Pistorius was released on bail on Friday, February 22nd.

Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair set bail at R1 million, and ordered Pistorius to hand over his passports, turn in any guns he owns and keep away from his home in a gated community in Pretoria, which is now a crime scene. His murder trial is set for June 4th.

— Mail & Guardian

A democratic Zim? ZIMBABWE – The European Union has partially lifted its economic sanctions against Zimbabwe following signs of steady progress towards free and fair elections in the African state.

— Daily Maverick

Boucher announces resignation CAPE TOWN – South African Cricketer Mark Boucher announced his official retirement from the competitive cricket scene on Wednesday February 16th. His resignation is due to an injury he suffered in 2012 when a goofy ball hit him in the eye.

— sowetanlive.co.za

Crippled Gaga cancels shows UNITED STATES – Lady Gaga cancelled several of her shows on her tour in the USA following an injury to her hip.

After the cancellation, Gaga tweeted, “I did not want to disappoint my fans, but after last night’s performance I could not walk and still can’t.”

— The Independent

Meteor shakes Russia RUSSIA– A meteor streaked through the skies above Russia’s Urals region on Friday February 15th. The meteor’s explosion, which shattered glass in buildings, is said to have created a blast equivalent to 300,000 tons of TNT. —BBC News

Fire destroys homes LANGA– Three hundred Langa residents were left homeless after a fire destroyed their homes in the informal settlement on Monday 18 Feb. The Cape Town Disaster Risk Management Center said that by the time firefighters managed to extinguish the flames, the fire had already destroyed 83 wooden and iron structures. No injuries were reported.

—IOL

Chris van der Westhuyzen

North Korea flexes nuclear muscle Simone Oosthuizen

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orth Korea conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday February 12th, despite persistent warnings of increasing sanctions from the international community.

On Monday February 11th, North Korea informed China and the United States of its plans to test the nuclear bomb. This information caused a wave of panic, and resulted in an emergency conference between the countries’ leaders.

North Korea’s nuclear bomb had been miniaturised and made lighter in order to be more suitable to use as a missile. Despite its reduced size, the device also had increased explosive capacity. The new design of the bomb made certain countries, such as the USA, feel threatened as they have no way to prevent or protect themselves from an air attack.

This nuclear test by North Korea seriously undermines the peace and security of Northeast Asia.

“This nuclear test by North Korea is totally unacceptable,” said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “It seriously undermines the peace and security of Northeast Asia.”

The nuclear testing has caused many states to call for increased

Image: flickr.com

NUCLEAR TESTING: North Korea causes international panic with new weaponary testing. international sanctions against North Korea. Analysts, however, are concerned that the decision to further isolate North Korea might not be the best option, as there is no guarantee that it will abandon its nuclear ambitions as the result of the sanctions. Some analysts have said a scenario more dangerous than North Korea with nuclear weapons would be a nuclear-armed North Korea with whom the United States

and other major countries have no meaningful relationship.

The third nuclear test was a repercussion of more sanctions being placed on Korea after the rocket launch in December last year. The test was an attempt by North Korea’s leader, Kim Jongun, to establish North Korea’s power.

Neighbouring countries like China and Japan have been very

vocal in their criticism against North Korea, although these states are less likely to call for harsher economic sanctions due to long-term cross-border trade deals between them and North Korea.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it accused North Korea of being “heedless of widespread international opposition”.

The ‘First Year Experience’ project Hannah Gauss

T

he University of Cape Town presents the new ‘First Year Experience’ (FYE) project, a social and academic supportive cooperation between the University’s faculties, departments, facilities and mentorships for first-year students.

It is aimed to decrease high dropout rates and academic failure.

In 2010 the UCT Academic Year Report showed that only 25.2% of total enrolled UCT undergraduate students successfully completed a degree or diploma at the University.

In 2012 The Star published an article reporting that 50% of South African students drop out of university before completing their studies.

Professor Rochelle Kapp, initiator of the FYE says that reasons to quit are various, but are mainly to be found within the first year of studying. She continues, “Some of those reasons are academic, but a lot of those reasons are social, psychosocial, and material issues. We want students to know we have got the support structures.”

FYE runs as a project to assist firstyear students in their social initiation and academic performance during their first year. Kapp states, “There isn’t one program. It is really much initiated work alongside with my colleagues in the faculties, to ensure that the work happens. The frame is the sense of belonging to a faculty.”

The main source of information

and space to ask for help is the UCT Vula tab, which each first-year student has been signed up for. Kapp explains that “The Vula site has all the information you need, but it is also an interactive base where people can ask questions.”

students who are at risk of academic failure can be assisted according to their needs The second step of assistance that the FYE provides is the “Student’s First Year Guide”, which is accessible via the Vula tab. It comes as a PDF file covering first-year needs such as signing up for tutorials or how to write an essay. Besides for academic help the outlet gives tips about balanced diets, sleeping patterns and advice for social lives.

The individual mentorship program provides personal mentoring for each student. “Older students can play a role in the sense of belonging [to UCT]. It is easier to ask an older student what to do.

Engineering gives us an excellent example”, says Kapp. Although, with 1 000 newly signed up students in the Humanities department; this remains problematic as not every fresher has a mentor. Kapp admits, “We are not there yet.”

To improve the University’s dropout rates the department has invented an early warning system

that provides each student with a provisional average mark in their 6th week of studies. Therefore, students who are at risk of academic failure can be assisted according to their needs.

“When the student fails two or three courses they will get called in. They will get counseled and get referred appropriately. Either it is an academic issue, psychological issue or financial aid”, states Kapp. The early warning system aims to prevent failure and provide assistance before exams in June or at the end of the year.

Even though a Vula site has been

provided, most first-year students do not recognise the service yet. “I haven’t heard about the First Year Experience yet, I didn’t know that there is a Vula tab”, admits fresher Lauren Roode.

Other difficulties are that even if students - many being top students at their high schools - recognise the tab, most of them are too proud to ask for help. Professor Kapp concludes, “Keeping up, not falling behind is the crucial point.

And asking for help, that is the big message (of FYE). It is cool to ask for help. The clever people ask.”

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V72 E2 - 26 FEBRUARY 2013

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Project tackles homophobic bullying Stefanie Busch

A

midst a month that can easily be associated with violence and sexual bigotry, the launch of ‘It Gets Better South Africa’ at the Cape Town Holocaust Centre on Wednesday February 20th provided a beacon of hope. This local project was produced

by UCT student, Andrew Barry, and it aims to discourage discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities by inviting the public to contribute videos that promote tolerance of gender differences.

In 2011, the ‘It Gets Better Cape Town’ video channel was launched.

Videos from UCT students were posted, including a message from the 2011 Ikey’s Captain Nick Fenton-Wells. High-profile South Africans also participated, such as Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who pleaded with the public to support sexual minorities as “an act of true Ubuntu.”

“We’ve got to take a stand against everyone out there who has so much to say about us, and who looks down on us.”

The project launched six additional videos from prominent South Africans, such as strugglehero Ahmed Kathrada, model Kerry McKregor and actor Charlie Keegan.

“We’ve got to stand together as LGBT,” said presenter Sade Giliberti in her video message. “We’ve got to take a stand against everyone out there who has so much to say about

us, and who looks down on us.”

When asked about the significance of this launch, Barry commented: “From my experience there is a culture of silence surrounding homophobic bullying, and this event is to help make some noise.”

Barry said that he chose to include the voices of both gay and straight people in the video in order to highlight the fact that homophobia is a societal issue, and not one that merely concerns the LGBT community.

The video launch also featured a message from Sonwabiso Ngowa, a UCT student. Ngowa said there was a big difference in the way sexual minorities were treated at UCT compared to the Masiphumelele Township where he stays.

“UCT students are more understanding of a person’s freedom of sexuality due to the liberal education they receive on campus,” said Ngowa.

The ‘It Gets Better South Africa’ launch coincided with the debut of the book Challenging Homophobia: Teaching about Sexual Diversity, written by Lutz van Wijk, as well as a panel discussion with four guest speakers. The multifaceted audience was able to discuss various issues with the panel, including the life-threatening homophobic bullying occurring in African countries.

“Corrective rape and assaults on homosexuals have become prevalent in our society. Understanding and tolerance is needed in order to fulfil the constitutional promise of freedom of sexuality,” concluded Richard Freedman, the Director of the Holocaust Centre.

Image: Jessica Breakey

Van Schaik launches interactive e-Textbook Zakiyah Ebrahim

L

aunched at the beginning of February 2013 by Van Schaik, and using Ingram’s VitalSource Bookshelf platform, the electronic academic textbook – known as the e-Textbook – is a direct response to students’ evolving needs and is selling beyond the business’s expectations.

Van Schaik felt a need to ensure that they have e-Textbook alternatives to the “dead-tree” printed textbook. “Our e-Textbooks can integrate with Vula for even more functionality in order to make teaching effective,” says Melvin Kaabwe, Digital Manager of Van Schaik Bookstores.

All one requires to read an e-Textbook is hardware that can

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connect to the internet and the free VitalSource Bookshelf App available for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS if one wants to access it offline.

The e-Texts allow for multiple functionalities, such as highlighting, inserting notes, searching texts and sharing notes with friends. You can subscribe to your friends and lecturers, and "follow" them as they make their own notes and highlights.

Students are able to access their e-Textbook and notes anywhere using their ‘myVanSchaikBookshelf ’ Vitalsource account. Therefore, students are not limited to reading their e-Textbook on the PC or device that they originally downloaded it on.

Second-year medical student at Stellenbosch University, Aafreen Hoosain, is all praise for purchasing an e-Textbook: “My bag will be lighter, I’ll get to view 3D images of the human body, and I have a friend at UCT who I can study with by swapping notes when online, albeit not being in the same region. It’s a win-win situation, really.”

Despite the advantages of the e-Textbook, pricing of the e-Text may not always live up to students’ expectations. “While most of the e-books we currently sell are cheaper than the print versions and

some are on par, some are also more expensive", says Kaabwe.

Managing Director of Van Schaik Bookstores, Stephan Erasmus, also explains that because the e-Textbook is linked to the username and password of a person, and can only be accessed by that person, it cannot be sold second-hand.

While some students may be optimistic about the e-Textbook, others remain loyal to the oldfashioned print copy. “I definitely don’t prefer the e-Textbook [over the printed textbook] because I don’t like sitting and reading off a tablet or PC – the glare that the screen generates harms my eyes. Plus, I always sell my textbooks the following year, and if I purchase the e-Textbook, I’ll most likely lose out”, says UCT mechanical engineering student, Zubair Adams.

With the e-book industries making it seem like print copies are on the verge of fading into history, the e-Textbook has made the chance ever more plausible. With the e-Textbook available in 17 languages and with more than 1.5 million users on 6 000 campuses worldwide, the initiative seems a successful one thus far, and is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. Pricing of the e-Text may not always live up to students’ expectations.

editorial Editorial

Editor-in-Chief

Is it enough?

W

hat we human beings do to each other I sometimes cannot understand. To physically lift a hand to another of your kind (and “kind” here not refferring to one’s self as a UCT student, not as a South African citizen even, but merely as a human being) in the most callous way possible makes me want to rip their eyes out so that such people will not have the pleasure of looking upon the world ever again.

From the overly-sensationalised tabloid tale of Oscar Pristorius and his ‘Valentine’s Day slaughter’ to Anene Booysen’s grotesque passing, when do we, as human beings, stop? Does it take such events and violence for everyone to make an excessive display of protests and uprisings? What about the other thousands of people who get murdered just as inhumanely on the many street corners of cities from around the world? Where are their night vigils and protest marches?

Well on Wednesday February 20th, I did march and protest.

But not simply for Dominic Giddy and Anene Booysen. Not simply for the nation to see that a couple hundred elitist university students care to walk up a road and stand for 40 minutes, in the boiling sun for those who have passed on, a violent crime as their toll on the stairway to heaven.

With the SRC up there on Jameson steps next to the Vice Chancellor and other academics in a showcase, the main question that rippled through the crowd was ”what if this happened to

Deputy Editor

W

eirdly enough, FOMO (fear of missing out) didn’t hit me hard enough in first year. Yes, I had my fair share of going out, slacking on my varsity work, and

Theresa Scott Copy Editor

Mitch Prinsloo

Andrew Montandon

Online Editor

Managing Editor

Letter to the Editor: The elephant in the Beattie Building Rehana Odendaal You have it wrong, my dear Watson!

Luke Watson’s The ‘Bugger All’ degree in the last edition is something I can’t let slide.

Firstly, yes, there are other facultydropouts and pseudo-intellectuals among us, but there are also a few thousand Humanities Students that aren’t part of that “unholy alliance”. What about the social workers, psychologists, teachers and diplomats in training? Nobody ever talks about the students who CHOSE a BA or BSocSci OVER commerce or engineering or medicine - not because they didn’t get in, but because some people prefer to

engage with the world through people and events rather than numbers or covalent bonds. The key to Humanities is interdisciplinarythinking that allows us to address the complexities of the real world.

Before we complain about how all a BA gives us is pop-culture references, vague theories and UCT bragging rights, I urge my fellow Humanities students to think about the very real and transfferable skills that we learn. Things like social research, ethics, communication, record keeping, the ability to think analytically and adapt to diverse views, cultures and contexts is something we must not allow anyone, including ourselves, to

undermine. The increasing levels of violence, competition over resources and damaged identities (to name just a few of our social ills) shows that now more than ever, society needs people who understand people and social context - and many of them are Humanities graduates.

Awkward silences exist in lectures across faculties and going to second years for deep philosophical insight might not always yield the best results – but there is nothing fundamentally wrong with Humanities or the way it is taught. In a world full of pizza jokes, it is our responsibility to engage with the knowledge we are presented with and appreciate the value of our contributions. If we don’t, how can anyone else?

Level 5, Steve Biko Students’ Union

@varsitynewspaper.co.za

2013 Collective

do everything that you have only the slightest intention of doing and forbids you from sitting at home watching series with the Famdam on a Friday night. Sound a bit scary?

It’s great.

Someone told me a while back that the money you make as a student is nothing compared to what you’ll earn when you get your degree (I seriously hope so). Aligning myself with this attitude, I say: don’t save where you could rather have an incredible experience. It’s all about opportunity cost, says Ecos. FOMO knows where your priorities should lie.

Peace, Bex

w eb im ag e de s sig n ad s fin an ce hr

ria co l py ed on lin e ne w s op in io fe ns at ur es sp or ts ce

ito ed

Rebecca Dallas

doing nothing, but that tingly, antsy symptom of FOMO never came my way ... until now.

When I started bartending during the holidays, I realised that the more I earn, the more I spend. This year is jam-packed with concerts and festivals: Skrillex on Friday, RAMfest the following weekend and some suspicious rumours of Mumford and Sons later in the year.

The money flies out of my purse and before I know it, I’m there – front row at the concert or in the middle of the mosh-pit. I can’t help thinking, “How did I land up here?”

FOMO is an intense, impatient, impulsive disease. It urges you to satisfy your wants, pushes you to

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4

The FOMO-Monster comes creeping in...

Alexandra Nagel

someone you know?”

As if this kind of thing does not happen, or even supposed to happen, to people of our stature (our stature being the pupils who have the privilege to set foot in the number-one scholarly institution in Africa).

I marched for my media-made memories of Reeva Steenkamp and Anene Booysen, yes, but mainly for another reason too.

I walked (rather than marched) with goose bumps trailing up my arms and neck at the thought of me ever having the smallest seed of violence grow inside of me.

Growing and swirling in the fertile soil of South Africa into a pulsating womping-willow with the will to strike another. What could possibly possess me to believe that I had the right to snatch the breath from someone else? To take, what isn’t mine, at a time in their life that I decide is right for them to leave this earth.

Someone was once even so bold as to say to me on a glorious sunny morning, that if he could, he would kill me only because he loves me. Can the world become so potent with fumes of hate that the only way to truly show love to someone else is to free them from this toxic atmosphere that so easily clouds our hearts sometimes?

Maybe it is because I am a timid little female who is not allowed to have any form of agency, even down to what I wear. As is the case in Namibia. Apparently wearing a mini-skirt should be made illegal because it is somehow our fault that the male species can’t keep it in their pants (like that is even something I can control). Despite physical attributes, what only makes me any different from all of you, boys, is that I am a male with the prefix “fe”. And in this society, in this so- called civilisation, that makes the world of difference.

I ask these questions and make such comments not only as the Editor of VARSITY, but also as a UCT student, a sister, a daughter, a South African citizen and as a human being. I, Alexandra Nagel say that I have had enough!

V72 E2 - 26 FEBRUARY 2013

editor-in-chief Alexandra Nagel deputy Editor Rebecca Dallas managing Editor Andrew Montandon Copy Editor Theresa Scott online editor Mitch Prinsloo Online chief subber Laurie Scarborough news Krysia Gaweda & Chris van der Westhuyzen opinions Katy Scott & Uthman Quick features Daniël Geldenhuys & Lynne Marie Fraser sportS Rob Byrne & Megan Kinnaird centrespread Zarmeen Ghoor images Tebesethu Nkambule, Elelwani Netshifhire, Siyanda Ralane & Jessica Breakey Design Julien Speyer web Stephen Hulme, Robin Mukanganise & Peter Maluge advertising & Finance Imaad Isaacs & Salman Ghoor marketing Vikash Gajjar human resources Tanyaradzwa Dzumbunu & Kudzai Tabaziba sub-editors Marike Watson, Beverly Ochieng’, Hannah Gauss, Jena Ascough, Diana Fletcher & Sajjad Karamsi

Newsgathering Leslie Social 1C Tuesday 26 Februar y 1pm

opinions

V72 E2 – 26 FEBRUARY 2013

5

The blacker the Berry, the sweeter the Apple Anna Insam

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ith the release of the Blackberry 10 looming, the question being raised yet again is, Blackberry or iPhone?

The question itself has been heard more than Justin Bieber’s “baby baby baby ohhh,” but now that Blackberry users will need to purchase standard data bundles like those of IOS, Android and Windows phones, a whole new dimension has been added to the debate.

During O-week my friend tragically (or stupidly- take your pick) let her Berry take a dive into the Baxter toilets. Needless to say, the Berry works, just not the camera.

Moral of the story - the durability of a Berry is what has allowed it to stay so current. Personally, I believe it’s the most attractive quality of a Blackberry. Oh, and of course those ‘recent updates’ that satisfy the inner stalker in all of us.

Blackberry used to hold a firm position in the market owing to how much cheaper it was to run than the iPhone, but since Blackberry users will now have to purchase data

bundles, the phones are now on an even playing field.

When the iPhone competes against the Berry under these new circumstances, I see the iPhone as the five-course, gourmet meal with the Berry being like MacDonald’s – tasty and tempting yet nowhere near as good as the latter quality-wise.

Taking a dive into the nerd box, the latest iPhone boasts a four inch retina display, eight megapixel iSight camera, HD video recording, A6 chip… and the list goes on.

Some might say that the Berry can satisfy their needs, but I like a phone that goes above and beyond your average Joe. I’m especially fond of Siri, yes, we’ve become rather close these past few months. She is there whenever I push the home button, always at my beck and call, eagerly awaiting my next question which she then googles and provides me with an answer. Now, now blackberry users, don’t shed a tear, there is hope for you all.

Furthermore, iPhone internet costs can be cut if one is sneaky and smart.

Last time I checked it wasn’t illegal to connect to someone’s wifi as long as it has no password. Quite frankly, we could be teaching them a valuable life lesson in which to protect their personal items rather than leave them available for us wifi prowlers.

One can also become an avid shopping mall creeper as free wifi is often provided in the malls. A less creepy approach would be to sit on Jammie stairs along with a hundred or so other students, silently browsing away making use of the free UCT wifi. Then again, when is the easy way ever the most entertaining way? Happy prowling, friends!

BBM is a far less attractive quality of the Berry now, without the internet costs included. Whatsapp has always been hot on the tails of BBM in terms of serving the same function, there is nothing keeping Berry-users on their side any longer.

From the perspective of an iPhone user and ex-Berry owner, I can tell you with absolute surety that yes, the grass is greener on the iPhone side.

Blackberry (and soon iPhone) userscue happy dance. Finally, a legitimate reason to invest in an iPhone.

Image: Jessica Breakey

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

Respect, just a little bit

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Image: Jessica Breakey

Parusha Naidoo There’s a loud clanging of metal against plastic. I look up and take a split second to assess the situation.

The seat next to me is no longer occupied by a jock and his Macbook Pro. Instead I’m left looking at a seat flapping against its back rest.

“We’ll see you next year, when you repeat the course”, the words of my lecturer are lost to the sound of double doors banging. A thought crossed my mind at that moment: perhaps he was the real life Batman and had to save the world which explains his abrupt exit.

entering university can lead to a laissez-faire attitude I suppose it’s better that he left, who else was going to protect us from mad scientists and penguin villains? Although, I doubt he was

a superhero of any sort. He would probably use the time to improve his vitamin D intake by soaking up the sun on Jammie steps.

Some may argue that there's nothing wrong with leaving a lecture early or even stumbling in late, for that matter. I believe these actions are just two of the ways some UCT students disrespect lecturers, tutors and other staff members.

The said jock mentioned earlier is one of our many peers at UCT that bless us with cameo performances.

These entail students leaving a lecture before it even reaches the halfway mark. Sometimes silent and swift: a student leaves without being seen or heard.

However, most times their exits are boisterous and unnecessary, with the packing up of laptops; convincing a row of people to stand up to allow your exit and then managing to trip over a step, before finally leaving the doors swinging loudly. These are always painful to watch.

So why do some of our peers find the need to back-chat or disregard the presence of those that provide us with invaluable knowledge and skills?

The new found freedom that comes with entering university can lead to a laissez-faire attitude towards anything or everything resembling the once compulsory old order of authority obeyed for 12 years of schooling.

Perhaps we feel a sense of entitlement because of the green paper and plastic cards that pay our entry into an exclusive and elite institution. The idea to do as we please because of the exorbitant fees paid to attend UCT is subtle yet evident amongst some students.

However, the absence of regulations and abundance of freedom should not equate to students forgetting common decency and etiquette. Similarly, writing out a big cheque with daddy's signature does not justify disrespecting anyone.

George Herbert said: “He that respects not is not respected”. Simply put, in the process of disrespecting others we lose our own dignity.

So ask yourself if leaving a lecture early because you hate the power point slides is really worth looking like a douchebag?

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opinions

V72 E2 – 26 FEBRUARY 2013

Scotty Does Know

Katy Scott Opinions Editor

Sweet little lies stroll into the 24-hour library one morning at 3am. If you don't see students barking or clumps of hair littering the floor you'll believe that they have it all under control, right? Nobody is that calm at 3 in the morning.

They have fooled themselves into believing that they are as composed as ever, the person next to them believes it, you believe it, and watch they will probably pull 'm going to be honest with through until dawn. you…I'm not an honest person.

Think of the gems that have Niceties and euphemisms gush passed through your mind recently. from my mouth whilst gritted I know that on Wednesday, I teeth hold back a dangerous, fooled myself out of feeling guilty lashing tongue. for missing a tutorial test because Now, apart from 'nice' being I reckoned there are still 7 more the most uninspiring word one for me to ace. On Thursday I ate a could use to describe a person, disgustingly huge amount of sushi I'm actually rather proud of this under the pretense that it was a quality I posses. Because quite ‘healthy pig-out’. And finally on honestly, if I were to comment on Friday I rolled out of bed, threw on that monstrous the most hideous protrusion of assortment We are quite literally pus-making of clothes, deceiving on a daily home between and walked the overgrown basis to further our own around like I creatures had been asked survival. shading your to model that eyes, or the fact abomination. that I die a little every time your The cognitive flexibility of our breath welcomes itself into my minds is astounding. Just as one nostrils, we wouldn't be friends instinctively puts a hand out before and you wouldn't be commenting they fall, so our animal instinct on my niceness, now would you? has found a way for us to combat The other day I came across this all the bitterness in the world by theory called the ‘Tinkerbell Rule’, selling sugared little delusions to whereby if you can get two people ourselves and those around us. to believe your lie, it becomes a We are quite literally deceiving 'truth'. In chewing this over I was on a daily basis to further our own rather chuffed to discover that survival. Ever looked around and all the subtleties and stories I tell wandered where Darwin went in avoidance of the truth aren't wrong and why the world is still technically lies. In fact, every sweet saturated with incompetent idiots? story that slips from my lips is not That's because the more unfit for a lie, but potentially a future truth. survival one is, the bigger one's In times where anti-depressants illusions of superiority are. Take are dished out by the dozen, failure the majority of politicians by way is a standardised norm and the of instance. mirror reflects a vast array of So now every time I catch uglies, living in a little illusionary myself telling a whopper I'm world seems to me like the most satisfied in thinking that I'm effective solution to a stable mental not lying per se, but rather I health. am creating potential futureIf you don't believe me, take a truthing.

I

A series of sexual events Anima McBrown

S

-E-X. Sexy. Sex me. What’s your ultimate sexual fantasy? Forget the candles and slow music; dim the lights so that you do not even have to see the expression on my face as I close my eyes...gasp for air...and scream: “Get your damn head out of the gutter!”.

In a world where almost every song, movie, magazine article or television series prompts you to do more, say more, be more – to sex more, is it really okay to accept that sex has become some commodity that you ought to be experimenting broadly with as the ‘young, wild and free’ 21st century pioneer of ‘swag’ that you are?

Could it be because Rihanna feels the need to sprawl naked across a furry waterbed while what seems like a half-man, half-beast spanks her with a leather whip? Or perhaps it is in every haunting episode of Spartacus which consists of 60% pornography, 30% bad acting and 10% confusion.

Facebook makes its contribution with a ‘free and fair’ space for rating, where 12-year-old’s obtain Top Awards for ‘Nicest Pair of Those just can’t be real – seriously though what

Almost everything has a sexual undertone to it are they eating these days?’

The point: whether in your face or subliminal, the highly sexualised images and messages being conveyed through mass media cannot be denied or ignored.

In a society that remains submissive towards the powerful hold sex and sexualisation has on the way we think, act and conceptualise the world around us – it has to bother us that we have become so passive in accepting that men will use derogatory terms to refer to women, who continue to wear less clothing all in the name of “fashion”.

Almost everything has a sexual

Image: Sofia Gilli undertone to it.

The desensitisation surrounding this is worrying. It’s not enough to scrawl a catchy slogan across a poster and march for half a kilometre once a year in response to child experiencing a brutal, sex crime. The unshakeable disgust and shock that comes with the way sex is portrayed in our everyday lives and the consequences of every spinoff, needs to prompt more than just a day of wearing black in show of solidarity.

We need to ask why it is necessary

to allow sex to spew its evil in a world already so fragile and tarnished. More importantly, we need to ask what value we could uncover in subverting some of this sex-crazed madness.

Look at the outfit you have on today, read the last message you sent to your partner, other lover, curious friend or February fling. Go through your playlist, look at your wallpapers and screensavers and think twice about the meme you just forwarded to a class mate. Are you really aware of what they harbour beyond the funny, fun or flirtatious?

Busang Senne

I

like to think of Facebook as a modern-day Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A social wonderland where we’re free to frolic the waves of the web and ‘poke’ to our heart’s content. Unfortunately, not all of us make it out on the other side.

Facebook is the golden ticket filled with our very own Veruca Salts and Augustus Gloops, doomed to fall into the trap of the abuse of power and privilege.

I may be giving Facebook a little bit more credit than it actually deserves. There’s hardly anything as awesome as Oompa-Loompa’s and three-course meal chewing gum, but

as a former member of the occult of the ‘Book’, it is a fairly accurate description.

Fundamentally, I can’t actually see any real issues with Facebook. Sure, it’s nosy, noisy, and in my opinion, grossly irrelevant (#teamTwitter), but if I think about what Facebook used to be like, it truly was Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory in all its glory.

But of course the slaves of social media had to go contaminate our ‘chocolate river’ of communication, because that’s what kids in a candy store do - greedily devour all the good stuff until only the ugly remains.

The invasion of privacy has nothing to do with the settings, but the loopholes within them. You can

Image: Flickr.com

A personal book of faces change them and decide you don’t want the whole world knowing what you got up to last Friday night. End of story. Reputation saved.

Your ‘friends’ however, certainly make sure every single person in the world (including your mother) knows, as they take advantage of your Wine Soc. drunken stupor and post about ‘just how much fun’ you had.

Facebook, once an everlasting gobstopper of possibilities is now a conglomerate of cringe-worthy photos, unsavory comments, cyber

stalking and bullying alike.

What’s really upsetting is that we were given this tool of communication, a golden ticket to contacting and interacting with people on a global scale in a quick, efficient way and we just went and bit the hand that fed us.

Facebook was an entire confectionery of new information and instead of doing what Charlie would do, using it as a way to do something really great, it’s become a breeding ground for hate and intrusion.

Where did it all go wrong? Is it

the inability for people as young as twelve years old to filter or realize the power or extent of their words? Or are we all simply ‘bad nuts,’ destined for the garbage chute no matter what platform we choose?

I think we’re all Willy Wonka’s deep down; movers, thinkers and shakers in one way or another. We wouldn’t be in the best university in Africa if we weren’t.

Freedom of speech? Yes. Going on a page long rant about the loveoctagon you are currently in? I doubt Grandpa Joe would approve.

opinions

V72 E2 - 26 FEBRUARY 2013

7

A man with a gun Spoonfed students Uthman Quick

Richard McLean

W

hether you believe Oscar “The Blade Runner” Pistorius, is guilty of premeditated murder or of simply being an unbelievably reckless gun-owner who fired four rounds into his own bathroom door without knowing who was behind it – the point that should not be lost is that another woman has fallen victim to the epidemic of femicide plaguing this country.

Eerily, not too long before she was killed, Reeva Steenkamp (in response to the brutal rape and murder of Anene Booysen) tweeted about the fact that too many women in this country simply do not feel safe in their own homes.

Guns have never and will never solve the problem of violence in a society However, there was a marked difference in the way the accused in each case have been portrayed.

On one hand, the men charged with the killing of Booysen were labelled monsters while some in the press have been fawning over the gentle and sensitive Pistorius.

At the same time, most tabloids (one of the only sectors of the newspaper industry that is still growing) have chosen to use this tragedy to showcase Steenkamp's bikini portfolio and I remember seeing a tabloid poster that screamed “Anene was drunk”.

How on earth are we going to stop violence against women if those in the media (which includes women)

Image: globalvoicesonline.org

NO MORE SILENCE: violence against women needs to stop. refuse to stop blaming them for the violence they suffer and continue to sexualise them even after they have passed away?

The fact is that there is a crisis of masculinity in this country and wearing pink T-shirts on Fridays unfortunately will not change anything. Promoting awareness to men who are already aware is simply pointless. This country needs men and women, who know better, to stand up and act in defence of the women of this country.

I say this without the intention of pointing to hiding pistols under our beds. Guns have never and will never solve the problem of violence in a society – just ask the families of the children massacred with legal fire arms at Sandy Hook primary school.

I'm talking about men educating and then demanding that their fellow men respect women in all situations – even if perhaps that woman is not respecting herself. Statistics that say a woman is raped every 17 seconds or that three women are murdered by their partners everyday in South Africa is a disgrace that all men in this country share in and must endeavour to change.

My hope is that before the death of Reeva Steenkamp disintegrates completely – people in this country and especially men – will begin to realise the gravity of the situation.

And no matter what your opinions on innocence, guilt or the final outcome, one must always remember Reeva Steenkamp was killed by a man with a gun.

UCT Graduates ready for the working world?

Image: Flickr.com

Kishan Chokkappan

I

n the literal sense, quite simply put: UCT graduates are not ready for the working world. There are many aspects to the working world, but the aspects that are most prevalent to graduates are practical application of the theory learnt, soft skills and salary.

While UCT may have provided all the theoretical knowledge, different organisations will require different types of output from their employees. One way a student can become more informed about what employers require from them would be to do some vacation work.

Soft skills on the other hand are those interpersonal skills that cannot truly be taught. Soft skills can only be gained through experience, a

lot of which will only happen once graduates are employed.

The most prominent point of why graduates are not always prepared for the working world is due to the fact that writing an exam on a particular subject is not the same as performing the job. Writing an exam on ethics and being involved in a situation that tests you ethically are completely different.

When writing an exam on ethics, you know what the right thing should be and you write that down on the paper, but when you are involved in a situation that tests you ethically, there are many other factors that may affect your judgement.

This is just an example of the gap between knowing something theoretically and actually performing the practical aspect of the same matter.

A graduate will never truly be prepared for work and that is perfectly fine. UCT will do what it can to adequately prepare its students for future employment, by providing the necessary foundation on which to build on. Most of the learning for a job will happen once graduates are actually employed.

There may also be a little bit of fear for graduates who are uncertain if the degree they have is enough and so decide to study further.

It is important to remember that having a degree does not necessarily guarantee a job. It just means that graduates will get an interview, just like matric falls away once scholars become students at university. Once students become employed, it’s really all about what you do rather than what you have on your CV, that truly counts.

agree that they are a necessary supplement to buying textbooks.

Furthermore, how would the Aside from the gourmet cuisine library or bookshop cope with of Fedics, the main thing that extremely high demand for all the strikes the average first year various items of literature needed as the semester starts is how for each individual course? Can different university life is from you imagine what the crush would his or her previous academic and be like if 430 English Students all home-life experiences. Classes, queued in the UCT store to buy detention and ‘lights out’ have now Dubliners? transformed into lectures, DPR Of course, one can't discuss and ‘responsibility’. spoon feeding without mentioning Despite everything we hear, it residence life. A few weeks into seems that UCT continues to baby the start of the year, I was told us - yes, I'm referring to freshers that anyone who did not attend in particular here. Should we not house meetings would be sent to rather be given the opportunity a disciplinary committee. Initially, to stand properly on our own two this seemed to be a glaring feet? inconsistency between ‘nothing is Perhaps, this would mean that compulsory’ and the requirements all those rugby-types who breezed of the residence powers-that-be. through Matric On closer on money and examination, I “UCT spoon feeds us steroids would realised that the by supplying course head to Tuks or reason for this Stellies to study discrepancy is that readers” a “Bachelor of the University is Rugby” when they only responsible realise that they can't make the for our academic success, whereas grade at a legitimate academic each residence is responsible institution. for the mental, emotional Unfortunately, the above and physical well-being of mentioned jocks would not be approximately 600 students. the only ones affected by such a As a result, they are forced to system. Those from disadvantaged employ slightly more ‘draconian’ backgrounds would also be measures. affected. One needs to remember In fact, many students that UCT pays for a substantial have said that the University portion of its own fees. As such, is ‘uncaring’ in its nature. Of it does not make sense financially course this is a different extreme, for a large percentage of students and I'm sure that any second year to drop out at the start of the year. could direct a student making It has been suggested that such a claim to one of the many UCT spoon feeds us by supplying academic support structures. At course readers, when we should be the end of the day, it seems we are sourcing such materials ourselves. the only ones truly responsible However, most students seem to for our academic success.

Some Stats 2008

Champions: Maties Runners-up: Ikey Tigers Tries scored: 218 Top point scorer: Ryno Luus (94) Top try scorer: Matthew Turner (9)

Many of you might find this strange, but there do exist amongst us, UCT students who manage to make it to final year without knowing that much about the sensational Varsity Cup (don’t believe me?

Ask any engineering student).

This, special people, is for you - and the faithful ardent fans of course.

2009

Champions: Maties Runners-up: Pukke Tries scored: 164 Top point scorer: Donald Stevens (105) Top try scorer: Therlow Pietersen (6)

2010

Champions: Maties Runners-up: Ikey Tigers Tries scored: 227 Top point scorer: Theuns KotzĂŠ (77) Top try scorer: Boom Prinsloo & Lolo Waka (9)

2011

Champions: Ikey Tigers Runners-up: Tuks Tries scored: 166 Top point scorer: Demetri Catrakilis (136) Top try scorer: Therlow Pietersen (7)

2012

Champions: Tuks Runners-up: Maties Tries scored: 234 Top point scorer: Wesley Dunlop (83) Top try scorer: Chrysander Botha & Andrew van Wyk (9) :orFs 'esign =armeen *Joor 5esearEJ SJamee\ 3ateN

Origins T Varsity Cup tournament was established The in 2008 and features the top eight university rugby teams in the country. The first eight universities chosen to compete were UCT, u Stellenbosch, NMMU, North West, Free State, St Pretoria, Tshwane Tech (TUT) and UJ. At the same time, a residence tournament dubbed the Koshuis Rugby Championship was launched, where each of the 8 universities were represented by the residence team that won their Internal Residence League.

In 2011 a second division league called the Varsity Shield was launched. This tournament consists of rugby teams from 5 other universities. The TUT Vikings were relegated to the Shield last year, an event that presented Wits with the opportunity to participate in the Varsity Cup this season for the first time.

201 7($0 35O),/(S ,Me[ 7igers

SJimNas

University: University of Cape Town (UCT) Stadium: UCT ‘s Green Mile Times participated in Varsity Cup: 6

University: University sitty of the Free State Stadium: Xerox Shimla Park Times participated d in Varsity Cup: 6

Maties

7WMs

University: University of Stellenbosch Stadium: Craven Stadium Times participated in Varsity Cup: 6

University: University rsity of Pretora Stadium: Tuks Rugby gby Stadium d Times participated in Varsity Cup: 6

0aFiDa\

UJ

University: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan n University (NMMU) MU Stadium: Xerox NMMU Stadium Times participated in Varsity Cup: 6

University: Universityy of Johannesburg (UJ)) Stadium: UJ Stadium,, Westdene Times participated in Varsity Cup: 6

3WMMe

Wits

University: North West University Stadium: Fanie du Toit Stadium Times participated in Varsity Cup: 6

University: University of Witswatersrand Stadium: Wits Rugby Stadium Times participated in Varsity Cup: 1

10

features

V72 E2 – 26 FEBRUARY 2013

Freaky Friday: Faculty Switch Jade Kriel

2nd year Course: Construction Studies Faculty: Engineering and the Built Environment.

Barbara Fourie

2nd year Majors: Media and Writing, English Literature Faculty: Humanities

I

am sure that there are a lot of

students who have wondered if the ivy is greener on the other side of campus, or have just been curious as to what the other courses at UCT have to offer. Varsity decided to investigate and asked two students to swap classes for a day. Here, follow their faculty switch testimonies:

Which class did you attend?

Images: Elelwani Netshifhire

J: Writing and Editing in the Media B: Business Law

BA class mates and unique lecturers.

After the class swop, would you want to change faculties?

What happened at the lecture you attended?

J: Although I found the media class interesting, I’m more of a practical person and therefore the built environment is the right place for me – and Media does not fit into my future plans.

B: While attending the law class I definitely had a Legally Blonde moment; I was literally the only one wearing pink in a room full of blues and greys. Being in a completely different environment for the day made me appreciate my colourful

J: I can remember that it started with what news is (just remember this was an 8am lecture; my focus was low). We looked at the most recent news headlines and did a fun quiz to test our knowledge on the latest news.

B: We discussed a case where a disabled boy wanted to hold his mother’s gynecologist liable for his life’s expenses. The son assumes that if the doctor told his mother that he was going to be disabled,

HOW TO:

she would have aborted him.

This was the interesting part, the technical part - not so much.

taking part in many class discussions.

I would love to see that more in my classes.

Are there any remarkable differences/similarities between how your own classes and the ones you attended are conducted?

What was the best and worst part about swapping classes for the day?

J: In the Media class a lot of news articles were used to present the practical aspect of media, whereas we’d literally visit building sites.

There is definitely a difference concerning the way practical aspects are presented.

B: I was amazed at how interactive the class was; they were

J: Being at varsity at 8am was the worst. My favorite part was that I enjoyed the lecture: it was well presented and I like to read the newspaper to be on top of the latest news.

B: The worst part was the overcrowded lecture theatre. The best part was feeling like a real lawyer for 40 minutes. Admit it; we all have a Suits fantasy.

Visit www.varsitynewspaper. co.za/features to follow our new Lecture Roulette column where writers will be walking into random lectures that have nothing to do with their studies.

Want more?

Visit v a r s i t y n e w s p a p e r. c o. z a / features for Post-Valentine’s Day survival stories, the raging debate on Samsung vs iPhone, everything you need to know about the next mega book trend and much more.

Get back into the study mind-set

Ryan Bird

A

fter a long break, jam-packed with parties and good times, getting back to the books could be one of the most challenging obstacles in a student’s life. The sudden mindshift from play-time to work is enough to drive anyone crazy. Here are a few tips in preparation for the storm that is coming.

Photo of the week by Sofia Gilla officers. Don’t follow this tip? Good luck bud.

Sort out the admin.

There’s nothing worse than working your butt off and then realising that you’re flying under the radar on your department’s records.

Before you put 100% (rough estimate) in, make sure that you are signed up for the correct courses, tutorials etc. Finalise res and renew the parking discs to avoid being attacked by the ninja parking

concerned faces. Jammie steps is a good place to chill – the view helps you find your inner brainchild.

Talk to yourself.

Adjustments are difficult and sometimes your mind needs some motivation. Do some yoga, meditation, introspection or even the ever-popular mirror pep talk (whatever floats your boat, we’re all unique). Just don’t preach to yourself in a packed Jammie, as it might attract an uncomfortable amount of

This will definitely help your quest towards academic glory. Short-term goals make the all-important long term goal seem less daunting.

Baby steps...

At the beginning of the year it’s better to make short, manageable goals to get back into the swing of achieving. Maybe something like: “Today I shall wake up early to avoid the back row of NSLT, so I won’t be ignored by the lecturer and doomed if the sound system isn’t working.”

Hug the right things Say goodbye to regular hugging sessions with the “alternative forms of hydration” and hello to book hugging. Oppenheimer should be visited more than Jagermeister, and The Secret Garden should be avoided along with its forbidden fruits. Party

time should be in regulation and the “good times” in moderation. If you know your “special friend” is going to take up too much of your study time this semester, it’s probably time for a final hug.

Many students ignore this mental shift and only wake up at the DPR stage. So look after yourself and look after each other. The sacrifices made now will be worth it when you ace your tests and own your final exams.

Now make your move.

features Mninawa’s journey to undergrad

V72 E2 - 26 FEBRUARY 2013

“Bombing” down Kloof Nek Cassidy Nydahl

Image: Tarryn Naude MNINAWA NTSHONGWANA: passionate UCT student.

Jessica Breakey

W

e’ve all stood in enough lines at UCT to have eavesdropped on the stories of numerous students.

The story of Mninawa Ntshongwana was not overheard in line, but it’s one of those fantastic jewels you can tell your friends (or even a stranger in line) and they’re guaranteed to be captivated.

The story begins in 1993, when Mninawa Ntshongwana matriculated from high school in his hometown of Umtata. Mninawa worked as a petrol attendant throughout his school career and continued with this until deciding to study Law at the University of the Transkei.

Initially, Mninawa wanted to study law because he wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. After a few months he realised it was not the right path for him to follow and dropped out to become a student assistant in Health Science Faculty for the next four years.

In 1997, Mninawa once again found himself as a petrol attendant at the same garage. Although his position at the garage had been upgraded from petrol attendant to forecourt supervisor; he soon began to feel as though the Eastern Cape could no longer bear fruit for him. So he decided to migrate to Cape Town.

In June 2000, Mninawa Ntshongwana first stepped onto the UCT campus, not as a member of the student body but as a member of the Supercare cleaning staff. He worked night shifts in Leslie Social and Menzies alongside his friend Doris, who is still employed by Supercare.

When Mninawa left Supercare in

2001, he had no idea that the UCT chapter of his story was far from over.

After three years, as a trainee surveyor for the South African Maritime Safety Authority; he once again retreated to his self-named “spring boat”: the petrol station.

Four years later, he was back in Cape Town and on UCT soil as a Jammie Shuttle driver. He credits his time spent with Sibanye (Jammie shuttle company) for his knowledge of South African labour laws and his passion for workers rights. He joined the UCT Faculty of Health Science as a driver and then a quality controller at the clinic in Gugulethu.

In 2012, Mninawa went back to school after being denied a promotional post at the department of labour law because; although he met all the other inherent requirements, he “lacked a three year qualification”.

Finally, he was a UCT student.

While studying Social Work, he is also a Subwarden in Obs Square and the chairperson of the Subwardens Association. He is involved in student activism and makes an effort to advise UCT workers on labour law.

Mninawa believes the UCT Admissions Policy played a central role in his story, with the Recognition of the Prior Learning Program allowing mature students to study even if they have not received matric exemption; recognising the role these students have held within their working environments. He believes the Admissions Policy made it easier for people like him to gain acceptance into UCT. Mninawa has never failed a course at UCT and is confident he will graduate next year.

After graduation he will return to George and commit his degree to

the upliftment of both his family and the community in an effort to ignite a culture of responsibility and active citizenship.

Mninawa, like me, is in third year now. I’m sure our paths have crossed many times over the years without me realising the social significance of his story. I’ll definitely be sharing this one next time I’m in a long line.

11

authorities are coming from.

While Lourenco considers himself a professional, there are IT STARTS WITH the crooning the occasional reckless amateurs of “Sail” by AWOLNATION. It’s who attempt this feat, only to be the crack of dawn, and the edges met with serious consequences. of the horizon are just starting In March 2012, an amateur to turn pink as a figure, tiny in longboarder from Johannesburg comparison to the wide road and was only going about 50 km per steep hill that is Kloof Nek Road, hour when he collided with a casually steps out and gracefully truck after taking a sharp bend hops onto his longboard, slipping on Franschhoek Pass and was down the hill. instantly killed.

You’re on So then what The National Skate the edge of drives these your seat as Collective are frustrated bold thrillthat they are limited you watch him seekers to pursue from practicing their gain break-neck adrenalinesport. speed, leaning p u m p i n g towards the line sports like that tentatively separates him from longboarding? Lourenco and the oncoming traffic. He wobbles his friend, Andre Roux, talk on a bit from the speed, even does a another YouTube video, “The few sideways slides, inches from official backstory” about how the looming headlights. As quickly skating “helps turn off that as he started, he cuts in front of incessant internal monologue” in the traffic and exits down a side their heads, allowing one to live road; having reached a speed of life in the moment.

110 km per hour. In a 60 km per The National Skate Collective, hour zone! a growing community, are I’m talking about “Spoofing the frustrated that they are limited Traffic Camera – Longboarding from practising their sport. While without Limits”, the YouTube certain groups organise regular video posted on February 7th competition events, an athlete of daredevil Decio Lourenco, a has to have a place to practice.

24-year-old advertising student When questioned about the in Cape Town. He is in deep danger of their sport, Lourenco trouble with the City of Cape and his friend emphasise that Town authorities, who intend to they did not intend for “little approach the National Prosecuting kids” to try and replicate what Authority to prosecute him they had filmed, without for reckless and negligent road experience. In keeping with this, behaviour, without the option of a they intend to make a video about fine. Seeing as just skateboarding how to maintain safety while on public roads is illegal and J.P. doing downhill longboarding.

Smith, Cape Town official for Let’s hope it encourages all the Safety and Security, “[wants] impressionable young kids to him arrested”, his chances aren’t think twice before they replicate looking too good. their hero.

You can see where the

12

features

V72 E2 – 26 FEBRUARY 2013

Relax, bake it easy: and affordably The ridiculously easy recipes to make on a ridiculously low budget (that taste ridiculously good) Smoothie muffins

Shannon Krausey Most of us have fond memories of the smell of baking biscuits wafting through the air at home, our tummies grumbling as we wait for them to be taken out of the oven. Unfortunately for those of us who aren't Cape Town locals, we haven't been able to enjoy such pleasures while being away from home. You're probably snowed under with Ecos and French work and don't have the time, are nowhere near as good of a baker as your mom was, or you live in res and don't have access to an oven.

It's time to stop snacking on the mediocre biscuits you get on special at Pick 'n Pay. If you're going to get fresher spread, you should do it properly. These recipes are simple, quick to make and will fit into your student budget. The peanut butter biscuits are scrumptiously crunchy, the scones are surprisingly light and fluffy when warm out the oven, and the muffins are delightfully fruity.

It’s time to stop dreaming about the past and beg your friends in digs to let you use their kitchen—it's totally worth it, that’s a promise.

Recipes from: huiskok.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/ grondboontjiebotterkoekies-virongelowige-thomas/,frikkieawesome. blogspot.com/2011/08/sprite-sconeswith-strawberries-and.html and http://kommonerkraft.blogspot. com/2011/12/smoothie-muffins

Peanut butter biscuits

Sprite scones

Images: Shannon Krausey Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

½ cup sugar 2 cups self-raising flour For the smoothie: 1 banana ¾tin peaches ½ cup strawberries (optional) ¾ cup yoghurt (plain or fruity—your choice)

1 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth 1 cup white sugar 1 egg, beaten

500g self-raising flour 1 cup cream 1 can of Sprite 1 teaspoon salt

Method:

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Blend the smoothie ingredients together or mash them with a potato masher. Add the sugar and flour, and mix together. Scoop into greased/lined muffin trays and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix all the ingredients together. Roll the dough into 24 balls and space them out evenly on a greased baking tray. Lightly press down on the balls with a fork.

Put the tray in the oven and leave the biscuits to bake for 10 minutes. Let the biscuits cool on a cooling rack to crisp up. When cool, sprinkle with Maldon salt – it may sound odd, but this amps the flavour up by a thousand watts.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon.

Scoop the mixture into a greased muffin pan.

Bake in the middle shelf of the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are lightly golden and a toothpick poked into the middle of a scone comes out clean. Cool the scones for about five minutes and then serve with strawberry jam and cream.

Tips:

Tips:

Tips:

Use a small Kauai Strawberry Stinger/Gem/ Breakfast smoothie instead of making your own, and add ½ cup extra yoghurt.

Drizzle honey on the muffins as they come out of the oven.

Put the tray in the middle shelf of the oven, away from the element to make sure they don't burn.

Melt a slab of chocolate in the microwave and dip half the biscuit into the chocolate.

Add ½ cup chocolate chips and ¼ cup nuts to the batter for a yummy alternative.

Add 1 cup grated cheese and 2 tablespoons dried herbs to the scones, and then serve them with savoury topping such as cheese, tomato and rocket.

Method:

Lucky number thirteen

Baa baa RAMFest

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Hannah MacMillan

here was once a girl named Sandy Flanders. Sandy did not like dinner parties with undisclosed seating plans. Sandy did not like movie theatres or tall buildings or leaving her cashier to chance. Heck, Sandy Flanders didn’t even like her name. Sandy Flanders was terrified of the number thirteen.

Unlucky 13 is the number bound to the entire year ahead Triskaidekaphobia has many origins. Some people believe that Judas Iscariot claimed the thirteenth seat at the Last Supper, which foreshadowed the events that followed. Norse legend tells that Loki was the thirteenth (and uninvited) god to arrive at a Viking feast which led to war.

Thirteen steps once led up to the Gallows; thirteen is The-DifficultAge; and hundreds of tragic events have taken place on Fridays that have supposedly fallen on the thirteenth day of various months on various calendars throughout world history.

Fate? Or coincidence…

Image: Flickr Something you might have realised between shouting “Happy New Year” and passing out is that this number traditionally believed to bring bad luck is a number bound to the entire year ahead. But people tend to find what they are looking for, so let’s flip this coin and see what we find on the lucky side.

According to the Chinese zodiac, this is the year of the snake. Western tradition tends to render snakes as detestable creatures, but Ancient Chinese wisdom says a snake in the house is a good omen. This is to be a year of transformation and, just as the snake sheds its skin, 2013 offers a new start.

We attach meaning to the elements that make up our lives.

Our connotations are, therefore, in our own hands. Learn from Taylor Swift. Born on December 13th she could have chosen to live life as a hermit in the American countryside, but no - she dons thirteen as

her lucky number and faces the world, fearless.

And speaking of fearless individuals…

This year, between the release of Baz Luhrmann’s take on “The Great Gatsby” and Pixar’s “Monsters University” (prequel to “Monsters Inc.”), Superman will take to the big screen in “Man of Steel”. This film will be starring Henry Cavill – also known as The Unluckiest Man in Hollywood. I bet Cavill has no qualms about the thirteen in 2013.

As citizens of this day and age, I think we can safely say that worrying about numbers is futile.

I repeat: people tend to find what they are looking for. If thirteen is on your mind you are going to see it everywhere. If you must find a scapegoat among numbers, pick on an even number. Eight, for example, is way creepier.

Would you look at that. It’s just turned 08h00.

Alexandra Nagel

The RAM’s heart begins to pump in sync with that of the Red Heart Rum main stage, which will be aa baa RAM sheep, have you filled with the presence of both any thrills? local and international artists.

Yes sir, yes sir, three days full.

Bring Me The Horizon, Jack One for the Electrolites, one for Parrow and Van Coke Kartel are the insane. just the tip of the ram’s horn for And one for the rockers who this set. headbang in the rain.

International electro band, I can hear the soft pattering of Pendulum, accompanied by local RAMFest ram’s rampant hooves artists such as PH Fat, Blush n on the horizon. Brace yourselves Bass, Hyphen and Niskerone will everybody, this be soaking up the not-so-sheepish Olmega Tequila weekend is going Electronic stage.

Let your inner ram to make you And all the other roam free want to howl at ram-worthy acts the moon. may be stalked on With Rise their website.

Against performing for the first After being nicknamed a time in South Africa, it’s no satanic ritual, Fourie was proud wonder there’s a sudden demand to announce that the festival’s for more asthma pumps at Cape seventh year running should not Town pharmacies. be perceived as a devil-like cult “We’ve been trying for four because of the alternative music years to get them to perform,” selection. He emphasised how says Dawid Fourie, RAMFest’s “old ladies in Bloemfontien” are organiser. This is all thanks the ones most likely speaking to RAMFest’s “promoters about things which they know with balls”. nothing about.

The line-up for this “feisty RAMFest is the Real Alternative little fest” has some memorable Music Festival that South African artists in store for you so make souls crave. Let your inner sure you are “running and ram roam free on 7-10 March kicking all over the show like a through the Riviersonderend. ram” for those tickets.

Let the nursery rhyme begin!

features

V72 E2 - 26 FEBRUARY 2013

A starry cinema experience Ryno Nortje & Lynne Marie Fraser he cold breeze writhes its way through your blanket as you gaze up at the big screen. It’s not coming from an aircon, but instead is the breath of Mother Nature. It’s only the bug that tickles your leg and the stars above your head that remind you that you’re not in a cinema.

You still have the surround sound, the giant screen and the popcorn, but you also have the grass beneath your bottom and the mountain as a backdrop.

Through the lesser known Gate Two into the Kirstenbosch Gardens you will find the Galileo Open Air Cinema. It’s best to book online to save your limited student funds and enjoy the comfort of the chairs included in the deal.

A smiling face hands you a ticket and you head down the path that leads to an open lawn nestled in the botanical gardens. Arriving early is crucial since you’re not allocated seats, but rather pick a spot in front of the inflatable big screen, munching on a complimentary Swiss chocolate.

Soon there is a bustle of hundreds of people having their picnics, sharing wine or waiting in queue for a healthy meal from the vendors at the back of the lawn. The stalls with homemade pesto and fresh seafood paella create that market-place feel, a welcome change from the popcorn and slushi combo deals exhausted at Ster Kinekor.

Long-time friends Heunu Solsona and Tom Brauer are the co-founders of this unique venture.

Their enthusiastic involvement at the screening is easy-going and comfortable, reflecting the charm

Image: minimalexposure.blogspot.com

Image : Ryno Nortje and intimacy of the experience.

To ensure there is something for everyone’s taste, the themes of the films range from classic to adventure sports to documentaries.

You certainly do feel a sense

The problem with February 14th is not the incessant waft of roses or the plague of gooey-eyed couples and the over-bearing heat of about a hundred candles at restaurant tables. It is the fact that none of that happens anymore.

I remember a time seeing “Will you marry me?� signs on shiny red plastic strewn across the sky; when elaborate schemes involving pumpkin-sized carriages drawn by pink horses; and holding boomboxes in the dead of night outside your amour’s window (okay, so this happened in a movie, but I’d like to believe someone actually did this).

Where did it all go? Surely all the romantics haven’t turned into accountants.

After years of The Non-Believers acting so dramatically nauseated at everything that so much as hints at the four-letter word, rolling their eyes and going on a middleclass rant about “the farce of it all,� they’ve finally won. Romance is six-feet under, with only a wilting bouquet at a rundown florist to remember it by.

Or in actual fact, scrap that‌ maybe it’s just me. Although this Valentine’s Day I didn’t see anyone

stop traffic with a daring spectacle of undying passion, a boy did let me share the toasted cheese machine in the dining hall with him, our pieces of bread almost touching under the weight of the aluminium foil. That’s about as sexy as it got.

That’s about as sexy as it always gets for me. For a 20-somethingyear-old, boys are just too hipster, too cool and too evolved for such a bourgeois concept as chivalry or romance, and so the best I can hope for is an ironic mix-tape.

Or perhaps it is actually because I’m ‘#foreveralone’ and nobody should be obligated to buy me dinner. Fair enough.

What I will say for certain is that maybe Valentine’s Day isn’t supposed to be about grandeur at all. Maybe it’s about those moments when all of your other ‘#foreveralone’ friends take you out for nachos and somehow you reach the conclusion that there are more important things in life.

Plus, my mother is a thousand kilometres away in Johannesburg, but phoned me to tell me she loved me and I should have a great day and buy myself flowers or something. Maybe that’s what it’s all about. But what do I know? I’m only a fresher.

of embodying Galileo’s position beneath the sky as the film ends and the starlight eases you back into reality. The fresh night air clings to you as you leave behind a union of film and nature.

rothko

I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen Busang Senne

R1 in the ground = R2 in the hand into the financing of some presidential home – it is the safest form of investment with almost no risk. How it works is that you What’s the best way to spend invest a once-off amount, say 500 bucks? Buying new sneakers? R1 000, at the end of a two-to-five Having dinner with your other year term, you get your money half, or an unforgettable night back plus interest! on Long Street? Maybe the best What would be cooler than way to spend 500 bucks is not to looking at a Vodacom logo with spend it at all. Instead, bury it in pride and saying “I own a piece the ground and watch it grow! of that�? Online share trading Not literally of course, but as any services from all of the ‘Big BBusSci student will jump to Four’ banks make it super easy explain, saving or investing is the to trade shares of the JSE-listed key to making the aforementioned companies from your laptop. metaphor a reality. Whether it’s All you need is a bank account to kick-start - no suit and your dream tie required of becoming (sorry JT) ... trade shares of the a high-profile There is a tradeJSE-listed companies businessperson off however, from your laptop. or just so you as Dr Sure can say “I’ve Mataramvura got a couple of from the UCT shares in Absa�, creating wealth Actuarial Science Department from your money is the most explains, “With the high lucrative action you can take. And returns of stock trading, there it’s easier than you think. is a lot of risk involved�. This Why not leave your money in simply means you may wake a bank account and earn about up one day with nothing – so 5% on what you have every year? proceed with caution, and listen R100 gets R5; R2000 gets R100 to the experts. and so on, depending on the rate.

Jessica Hallenhoff would The simplest and easiest way of rather invest in something more growing your money is‌ you tangible, maybe it’s because she’s guessed it (hopefully), a savings a psychology student. If you’re account! Reaping the benefits will like Jessica then you may like to require patience and discipline, invest in Kruger Rands. These so it’s useful to keep your savings are gold coins you can trade in a separate account to ensure online that will make returns you don’t ‘accidentally’ swipe off based on when you sell and how your entire six months’ worth of much gold is worth at that time. savings at Mr Price.

These options highlight If you care about making South the main types of saving and Africa a better place, you can invest investment strategies from a wide directly into our government with range. Whatever route you take, Retail Savings Bonds. Don’t worry you’ll find that maybe money about your money disappearing really does grow on trees.

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13

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14

sport

V72 E2 – 26 FEBRUARY 2013

SPORTS BITES Eight-year-old centurion “I told my Dad, I was going to be Jesse Ryder.” Those were the words of eight-year-old New Zealander Louie Chandulal, who smashed an unbelievable 104 not-out off five overs including eight consecutive sixes. The future Black Caps’ hopeful hit the knock during a Saturday morning game for Parnell Cricket Club’s Grade Four side, comprising a run of eight sixes (there were 12 altogether), and five boundaries.

He scored the fastest 50 possible in his first nine balls, smashing eight sixes and a four. Louie’s prize for player of the day?

A Crunchie bar.

- nzherald.co.nz

Dalai Lama backing Bradford In the last edition, we mentioned the amazing story of Bradford City reaching the Capital One Cup final. It now seems that they may have had a helping hand from a higher force. It emerged that none other than His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, is a fan. He wrote to the club offering the ‘... whole team of players for Bradford City, huge congratulations on [their] incredible success.” Friends of Bradford City Chairman Mark Neale could barely believe it, adding that his wife, a season ticket holder, “might become a Buddhist.”

- metro.co.uk

It’s you or the dog When Major League Baseball star Mark Buehrle was transferred to Toronto as part of a payroll purge by his club Miami Marlins, you would assume that his family - wife Jamie, five-year-old son Braden, and three-year-old daughter Brooklyn would follow.

However, they chose to stay in the US because one of his dogs, of pit bull lineage, is banned in Ontario. “He’s an awesome dog,” said Buerhrle. “We are going to deal with it . It’s going to be tough at the beginning not seeing your kids, but people deal with it and we’ll make it work.”

- metro.co.uk

Running into a brick wall He’s an opponent you wouldn’t want to come across on the rugby field. If reports are to be believed, players in Wales’ nonleague WRU Division 3 West will face a formidable opponent this season, none other than former World’s Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski. The Pole has reportedly signed for Amman United RFC for the upcoming season. He held the Strongest Man title on five separate occasions between 2002 and 2008, and will bring his massive six-foot-one, 300lb frame into the team for 2013.

- Mirror.co.uk

Rob Byrne

Cease fiery blows on Oscar Joe Simon

I

t couldn’t be true. This had to be one giant misunderstanding. This was our Oscar, our golden boy, our champion.

Even the most casual South African sports fan could not help but be swept up in the media frenzy that surrounded that fateful night that ended in the tragic death of Pistorius’ girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

These last few weeks have seen more twists and turns than a game of “Achtung” (Engineering students will get the reference). The events of that evening have swung from Pistorius mistaking Steenkamp for a burglar, to, depending what publication you follow, him bashing her head in with a cricket bat (I kid you not).

What cannot be disputed is that this does not bode well for Pistorius, a man who, until recently, was the poster-boy for South African Athletics, a global sporting icon, and above all else, a hero to so many young, budding athletes.

What shocked me most was that this was not an isolated incident in which Pistorious’ temper got the best of him. In 2009 he was charged with assaulting his neighbour (an incident which saw him spend time in police custody).

He has also been involved in a drunk-and-driving incident in the past. This is a man with vices like any other, but that Valentine’s evening was his nadir.

The Pistorious case, like the Armstrong, Woods, and OJ Simpson cases in the past, serves to prove how the emotional attachment to a worldfamous sports star can turn even the most timid of us into ranting and raving lunatics.

All of a sudden we are the experts on a case we actually know little

Image: flickr.com/ 79026556@N05

HAPPIER TIMES – Pistorius was the darling of the London Olympics, now he faces incarceration. about. Local media publications have certainly played their part, feeding us little snippets to whet our appetite and to fuel the public outrage even further.

As Pistorious awaits his fate, an extensive analysis of his character is sure to take place. He remains, for all his achievements in the world of athletics, a deeply troubled soul.

His defence team have painted him as remorseful and deeply apologetic yet this doesn’t change the fact he put four bullets in his girlfriend.

That being said, I would implore

all South Africans to resist the temptation to play judge, jury, and executioner around the dinner table and condemn Pistorius as a ‘monster’.

At this stage of the case, these labels are as futile as they are premature and only serve as an illustration of how a trial of this magnitude can be warped when played out in the public domain.

Don’t get me wrong...having an opinion is important and speculation makes for great conversation, but the ability to have a thoughtful,

intelligent debate is what defines us as human beings. It is precisely this ability that threatens to be abused by those unable to reign in their emotions when they know little about the case.

Until the verdict is read, we will have to face the sad, somewhat unavoidable truth that we are as in the dark as every other Tom, Dick, or Harry in South Africa.

This surreal event should be remembered as much for the tragic loss of life of Reeva Steenkamp as it is about the loss of our Golden Boy.

How our mighty heroes have fallen Saadiq Samodien Crimes of passion, drug-doping, and match-fixing are just a few of the acts which have caused the fall of some of our favourite sporting heroes. Despite the recent Pistorius debacle shocking the nation, he is certainly not the first sports star to fall from grace. We take a look at some of the most memorable stories:

Marion Jones

Jones won five medals during the 2000 Sydney Olympics and was an instant favourite with the crowd and America. In 2007, however, she was stripped of all medals after confessing to having used performance-enhancing drugs before the tournament.

Tiger Woods

In 2009, fourteen times major championship-winner, Woods admitted to a string of adulterous affairs that destroyed his marriage.

It also resulted in him losing major sponsorships and slathering his reputation in disgrace. His game has

taken a major dip since the spate of events in 2009, and only recently is he beginning to regain some form.

Hansie Cronje

Hansie is a classic example of how greed and temptation can ruin the career of an excellent leader. In April 2000, Cronje was charged with match-fixing in the Protea’s ODI series against India (at the peak of his career). He later confessed to underperforming and also asking teammates to underperform in return for financial incentives.

OJ Simpson

In 1994, one of the most celebrated American Football players of all time, OJ Simpson, was accused of

the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Controversially, he was acquitted of the murder, but life was never the same for OJ. Years later, legal and financial troubles pushed him into a life of crime and in 2007 he was arrested for leading an armed robbery in Las Vegas and was subsequently sentenced to 33 years in prison.

Mike Tyson

Probably the fiercest boxer of his generation, Mike Tyson took a knockout blow when he was found guilty of rape, a conviction that landed him jail time. In 1991, he was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting the 18-year-old winner

of Miss Black Rhode Island. He was sentenced to six years in prison followed by four years of probation.

His career was also marred by controversy when he bit a chunk off Evander Holyfield’s ear, resulting in disqualification.

Lance Armstrong

Seven Tour de France titles stripped, a 2000 Olympic cycling time trial bronze medal removed, a ban from professional cycling for life; Lance Armstrong has certainly taken a fall. His career was initially glittered by the inspiring story of his fight against cancer, but the recent doping scandal has tarnished not only his career, but an entire sport.

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sport SPORTS SHORTS VARSITY’s roundup of UCT sports clubs

Netball

Surfing Over 50 students gathered in Muizenberg on February 17th as UCT Surf Club held their first Open Fun Day for 2013. Surf boards, wetsuits and waves were in abundance and it wasn’t long before the more experienced surfers had our novices geared up and riding waves with beaming smiles plastered on their faces. Salty and sun-soaked, the surfers headed to Brass Bell to fill their empty bellies with pizza and bubbly refreshments. The Surf Club will be hosting their first trial on March the 3rd.

Ultimate UCT’s Flying Tigers continued their good Summer League form with a 15-0 thrashing of Maties last Monday. Playing a fast paced offensive game, UCT was ruthless on Academic Mentoring Academic reading, research and writing made easy for all university & college students, mature students,also students who have been out of research and writing for a while

White line fever

Image: UCT Volleyball Club LIFE’S A BEACH: Chrissy von Hirschfeld and Cassie Toogood faced tough competition in Plettenberg Bay.

the counter attack, playing in a calm and calculated manner that often resulted in a score. The 2nds also had a well-deserved 12-10 win over Northern Lights (a Tygerberg based side) in what was a very spirited game. Northern Lights gave it their all until the end, however a resilient and slightly more experienced UCT team managed to break away for an exciting win, their first of the season.

UCT will battle it out against other club teams from Cape Town and South Africa on March 1st here in Cape Town at Villagers, Claremont.

Volleyball UCT was represented by Chrissy von Hirschfeld and Cassie Toogood at the Varsity Sport Beach Volleyball Tournament in Plettenberg Bay and Margate (November the 22nd December the 1st). The pair achieved a fourth place finish in the first leg of the tournament, unable to play their 3rd/4th play-off due to the inclement

weather. On overall points UCT came out third in the tournament, an excellent achievement considering the minimal amount of training time they had. The pair also had the opportunity to be trained by Shauna Mullins, who competed in the 2012 London Olympics for the Great Britain Beach Volleyball team.

Athletics The competitive athletics year started off with a bang. The weekend of February the 16th saw the first WPA Track & Field events in Parow and the Cape Peninsula Marathon and Half Marathon. The club was well represented in Parow, with seven athletes on show, including Nolan Steele who clocked 1.57 in the 800m and Michael McLaggen who ran 4.17.6 in the 1500m.

With contributions from Simone Peter, Eleanor Shadwell, Jessica Lee, Christine von Hirschfeld, and Corlia Meyer.

Tai Chi Hits Camps Bay Beach

Aditi Hunma UCT Tai Chi

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Rob Byrne Sports Editor

D

isbelief. That’s what I, and the majority of South Africans felt when they first heard that Oscar Pistorius could be responsible for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Disbelief that this man, a proud South African, symbolic of the nation’s triumph over adversity, and poster boy nonetheless of last year’s London Olympics, could be capable of such an act.

He was an athlete at the height of his powers. Now, the public has seen him sobbing in a Pretoria Court Room, a shadow of the cocky, good looking young man a nation admired.

Undoubtedly, the rest of the world will never look at him the same way again. Mud sticks, after all.

But to South Africans at least, no strangers to reconciliation, there will be those who stick by Pistorius, even if he is found guilty.

The admiration for disgraced sports stars doesn’t always go away overnight. I saw this in the initial reluctance of a news broadcast to report the incident as anything but a “tragic accident,” even when other news sources were reporting murder allegations.

If a sports personality is so gargantuan in their own field, human instinct is always to deny whatever allegations are against them. Consider how long Lance Armstrong rode this sentiment before being caught. We are wrapped up in their story, and refuse to believe that they are anything other than a legend.

The story of Hansie Cronje provides some hope for Pistorius, whatever the outcome. Despite undoubtedly being a morally corrupt individual who abused his captaincy of the Proteas to matchfix, a great deal of South Africans felt the need to forgive him for his transgressions.

Was he unfairly held up as the embodiment of match-fixing evil in cricket? Possibly. Did South Africans chose to remember him

Image: Sarah Jones

One on one consulting and workshops on writing for academic purposes:

15

Pistorius: a peculiarly South African tale

Rob Byrne

Things are looking up for UCT Netball in 2013, with the club attracting 90 members in total. The club, which is ranked tenth out of 30 Universities in South Africa, has a new committee in place and new coaches Theo Moletsane and Stephanie Duursema on hand. This year also sees the introduction of Action Netball, with UCT’s finest already showing an aptitude for the format by winning all three games so far this season. Simone Peters, of UCT Netball, was positive about the year ahead, “We also aim to have more girls in WP Netball. Last year three of our girls made it, but this year we are hoping for at least five.”

V72 E2 - 26 FEBRUARY 2013

Club kept up their annual tradition of taking their fluid, wave-like movements from campus to Camps Bay at the start of this term.

As per the teachings of the ancient Master Lao Tzu, members gathered in the serene setting, getting into pairs and ‘pushing hands’, sensing each other’s chi or without confronting or resisting one another.

A strenuous “dragon walk” followed all the way to the shore as well as some Tai Chi forms including Chi Gong, known worldwide for its ability to lead one into a state of complete balance and equipoise.

Tai Chi Chairperson Sarah Jones was enthusiastic about the event. “At times it was almost as if the group was connected to the environment, moving with the waves, the sand and the palm trees. She went on to say, “It was like the group had a giant bubble of peacefulness around them....and so many passers-by stopped to watch and take it in.”

After sunset, the group scurried to a shelter in the rocks for a pizza feast, drum beating and storytelling.

The event enabled new members to experience the physical and spiritual offerings of Tai Chi and how closely it was linked to the elements.

Club members are now looking forward to the next event, the UCT Tai Chi Camp, scheduled for the second weekend of March at the Geelbeck West Coast National Park.

VIEWPOINTS:

for his achievements as a worldclass cricketer and leader, rather than a match-fixer? For the most part, yes.

We only have to consider the words of current Protea coach Gary Kirsten, who on Cronje’s passing, mourned the loss of “a great cricketer, a great performer and a great on-field leader”, not a man who brought the integrity of the sport into question.

If South Africans were willing to forgive an individual who betrayed the trust of an entire nation, then surely an alleged accidental shooting, in a society that fears violent crime, is not too much of a stretch.

As I understand, this is part of what his defence will hinge on, drawing on cases of accidental shootings of family members that have been mistaken for home intruders.

With Pistorius already being a victim of crime in a city where another high-profile sports star, Heavyweight Boxer Corrie Sanders was recently shot and killed by robbers, countless South Africans (of whom many are victims of home intrusions) will empathise with the line of defence.

Whatever the outcome of the trial, which has been promised within a year, it has emerged that Pistorius may not entirely be the hero we made him out to be. Stories have emanated about his jealous and violent behaviour, previous altercations, and even a fascination with firearms, all contributing to the painting of a ‘dark side’ that was previously unseen.

Despite the unravelling of Pistorius’ character in the media, South Africans will be reluctant to give up on their fallen hero. As we have seen in the past it’s not in their nature to do so.

The Pistorius Trial

“I didn’t have my prosthetic legs on. I felt vulnerable.”

Pistorius defends his actions in the courtroom.

“Nel: “He fired four shots, not one shot. The only reason you fire four shots is to kill. On his own version, he’s bound to be convicted.” @SmithInAfrica quotes Chief Prosecutor Gerrie Nel. “You want to protect her, but you don’t even look at her. You don’t even ask: Reeva, are you all right?”

Gerrie Nel probes Pistorius account of events.

“When there’s something strange, in your neighbourhood. Who you gonna call? Not Hilton Botha.” @ShellsPembroke following the revelation that now former Chief Investigator Hilton Botha is facing seven charges of attempted murder.

“I’ve tried to stay cool & not be like errbody on Twitter, but I can’t any more... The #OscarPistorius trial is so f*cking intense!” @AntonTaylor provides some insightful analysis on the trial.

Sport VARSITY

FIXTURES UCT Martial Arts Clubs Joint Social

Varsity Cup Rugby

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH, 7.30PM

MONDAY, MARCH 4TH, 4.45PM

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THE GREEN MILE

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Ikeys Vs Maties

UCT Rowers impress in East London Jenna Bleloch

Image: Backslash South Africa

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CT placed an impressive 3rd place at the Buffalo Regatta in East London on the weekend of February 16th.

Despite strong headwinds and fast currents on the day of the race, rowing clubs from around South Africa fiercely competed in one of the first Regattas of the 2013 Sprint Season.

UCT’s Women’s Coxless Four, stroked by Cath Stark, came first in the A division final, collecting a trophy that hasn’t been won by UCT in 11 years.

Evan Jackson and Will Cahill cleaned up in the men’s B division single sculls, taking first and second place respectively.

The winning streak of the men’s B Eight (stroked by Jono Van Rensburg) continued as they crossed the finish line in just 53 seconds, wining yet another gold.

The much-anticipated Grand Challenge saw UCT’s Lightweight Men’s Coxless Four (the team that represented South Africa at Student World’s in Kazan, Russia) come second in a hard fought race against Tuks, who boasted two Olympic Champions in their boat.

The men’s A Eight final concluded the Regatta and is usually the race to watch with top rowing crews battling it out on the water. The UCT Men’s A Eight, stroked by Leo Davis, came fourth, beating UJ. In other results, the Men’s B

Image: AN EXCITING SEASON AHEAD: Men’s first VIII rowing team Coxed Four placed second to Rhodes University while the Men’s B Coxless Four came in third behind UJ and Old Edwardians Rowing Club.

Not to be outdone, Kim Joscelyne and Alex Scheepbouwer did UCT proud by taking silver in the Women’s B Division Double.

With all these results in place, the 26-hour trip to East London and back proved to be a worthwhile and successful one.

Back on home waters, the Rowing club is preparing for the upcoming USSA-R Sprints and SA Championships, where the club will face stiff competition and the challenge of defending their titles.

With some new recruits, up-andcoming youngsters, the return of old faces, and a significant intake of novices, the UCT Rowing Club can expect great things for the season ahead.

UCT Swimming Club’s USSA team YOUR UCT SPORT

Image: UCT Swimming Club Front: (Left to Right) KEELYN – ironwoman; CLARE – breast is best; SARAH – the musician; NICOLE – the boss; JONO – false starter; DOM – top swimmer and an academic; SWEENEY – being #1 is tough Middle: HODGES – the polo player; DARON – the organised one (and author); KIM – late Zimbo; NAOMI & ANDY – understated, don’t be fooled; COACH LEE – always honours a bet; KAYLA – tiny dynamite Back : DYL -forget about my knee, it’s for the team; TRAV - I work during the day

Tigers struggle to follow through Megan Kinnaird

an impressive 18-13 lead over UJ at the break, the Ikeys looked about as powerful as they have been thus he Ikey Tigers suffered yet far in the season. another defeat in their second This show of dominance was home game of the Varsity Cup, this short-lived as UJ winger, JR time at the hands of an impressive Esterhuizen, soon started the University of Johannesburg (UJ) half off with a try, far in the right side. While the scoreboard finally corner. Van Zyl, not particularly read 26-42, the huge difference in on song that night, missed the points did not reflect how strongly seemingly crucial conversion and contested the game actually was. brought the score up to 18-18.

The home side drew first Not ready to take this show of blood, getting down the first try strength lying down, UCT struck of the match shortly before the back with regular try scorer, David strategy break. A clumsy line-out Ambunya, going over between the loss was quickly recovered, which posts and allowing Jones-Davies to allowed Ikeys’ swiftly convert.

Much to their dismay, At this stage hooker, Michael however, the Tigers Willemse, to dot 26-18 was not down the ball. allowed the game to get looking too bad Fly-half, Ross all, and many away from them in the at Jon e s - D av i e s , of the fans began final 20 minutes was up to the to see the light task on a night at the end of the when the Cape Town wind was tunnel. surprisingly tame. Just a few Much to their dismay, however, minutes later, Jones-Davies added the Tigers allowed the game another three in the form of a to get away from them in the penalty against UJ to make the final 20 minutes, illustrating a score 10-0. distressful inability to finish an UJ swiftly embarked upon a exhausted defence. counter-attack, with their hooker, Levelled at 26-26 after the Malcolm Marx, also scoring first final quarter break, UCT saw points for the side. Although their chance of claiming their fly-half, Divan Van Zyl, failed to first win of the season eroded convert, he soon got another shot with converted tries by UJ’s Luan at the posts as a perfectly timed Steenkamp and skipper Justin chip forward by winger, Crysander Wheeler; they provided the final Botha, allowed him to crash over stamp of disapproval for the Ikeys. the line in spectacular fashion.

Despite the game slipping from This brought the overall points in their grasp, the Tigers have shown UJ’s favour at 13-10. much improvement from last Just before half time, a week’s defeat in Pretoria. While formidable UCT attacking scrum the scoreboard may not have forced a penalty try to be awarded reflected this, the promising firstto the home side, which Jones- half showing is hopefully a pointer Davies made sure to convert. With towards better things to come.

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