Activate - Edition 7, 2013

Activate

Edition 7, 16 August 2013

Rhodes University’s Independent Student Newspaper

Est. 1947

INSIDE 2013 Elections go electronic Page 3

Exclusive interview with SRC President Page 5

Is Turnitin really worth all the fuss?

Page 7

Young Directors Season 2013 Page 11

Contraceptives: Pros and Cons Page 12

Piping Pollution Page 13

Rhodes revolts against water outage Page 2

2 News

16 August 2013

Activate Editor-in-Chief: Xand Venturas Deputy Editor: Sarisha Dhaya Chief Copy Editor: Matthew Kynaston Online Editor-in-chief : Megan Ellis Webmaster: Brad de Klerk Online Content Editor: Nina McFall Chief Media Supervisor: Hancu Louw

Rhodes students and members of staff took to the streets to express their outrage at not having water for nine days, Wednesday 14 August. The march started at the Bell Tower and took protestors down High Street to City Hall to meet with Mayor Zamuxolo Peter. Among those who gathered were Dr Saleem Badat, Dr Vivian de Klerk and many lecturers. Dr Badat gave an address in which he said that the University is on the brink of closing down due to the water outages. Make sure to visit activateonline.co.za for video footage of both Dr Saleem Badat and Mayor Zamuxolo Peter speaking at the protest. Pic: Niamh Walsh-Vorster.

Activate under new leadership

By Staff Writer

The new Activate Executive team from left to right: David Mann (Online Content Editor), Rhea MacDonald (Deputy Editor), Matthew Kynaston (Editor-In-Chief) and Leah Solomon (Print Content Editor).

From the Editor

It is with a heavy heart that I write my final Editor’s letter. However, although I am sad to be leaving, I am incredibly confident that the new team will build on the progress made during my time as Editor and take Activate to new heights.

I could not be leaving Activate to a more competent and creative group of individuals in Matt, Rhea, Dave and Leah.

I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the team that worked with me throughout my time as Editor of Activate. My most sincere thanks have to go to my Deputy Editor, Sarisha. She constantly went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that Activate continued to thrive and progress and I can honestly say that, without her, Activate would not have functioned as efficiently as it has this past year.

Activate’s progress this year has been hampered somewhat by the fact that our funding has been cut every year, while our costs have consistently got higher. My mandate at the beginning of my tenure was to leave Activate in a better financial position than I found it in and to further the aesthetic and editorial quality of the organisation.

With that in mind, I can leave with my head held high and my conscience intact. Activate is in a far superior position financially than it has been for many

Activate is pleased to announce the new executive team for 2013-2014. The positions that have been filled are Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor, Managing Editor, Print Content Editor and Online Editor.

Matthew Kynaston, a third-year writing and editing student replaces Xand Venturas as Editor-in-Chief.

Rhea MacDonald, a second-year Journalism and Media Studies student takes Sarisha Dhaya’s place as Deputy Editor. Dhaya will be filling the role of Managing Editor until the end of the year.

Activate’s focus is shifting slightly more towards online content so the position of Online Editor-inChief has been adapted to Online Content Editor.

This position, paired with Print Content Editor, forms the content editing team. Leah Solomon, who was previously Online Arts and Entertainment editor, is the new Print Content Editor and David Mann, who previously was the Print Arts and Entertainment Editor, takes the position of Online Content Editor.

Designers: Kuvaniah Moodley Cindy Archillies Tinika King Nuen Chief Pics Editor: Niamh Walsh- Vorster Assistant Pics Editor: Sibulele Mabusela Multimedia Editor: Tebo Ramosili News Editor: Brenda Sekgota Politics Editor: Andrew Blane Business Editor: Njabulo Nkosil A & E Print Editor: David Mann A & E Online Editor: Leah Solomon Lifestyle Editor: Rhea MacDonald Environmental Editor: Jane Berg Sports Editor: Bridgette Hall Online Sports Editor: Ashleigh Morris Distribution Manager: Fezekile Cokile Editorial Consultant: Marc Davies Contacts: Editor: activate.editor@gmail.com Deputy Editor: activate.deputy@gmail.com Marketing Manager & CE Rep: Dilim Oranye Printed by Paarlcoldset, Port Elizabeth

On the cover: years, and I believe the quality of the content being produced and the way it is presented is as good as it has ever been.

I’m not leaving Activate entirely. Until the end of the year, I will be the special projects manager. This will entail me taking on certain tasks that I had desired to achieve during my time as Editor, but that I did not have the time to give a significant amount of thought to. Without giving anything away, there are a couple of really cool projects in the pipeline that I look forward to revealing in the near future.

With the new executive team comes a new editorial team, and you can be part of it. Check out the positions available at activateonline.co.za or the advert on page seven.

Lastly, this edition has a ton of content that relates to the SRC, because of the fact that it is SRC election time. There are columns, news articles, interviews and features which should all give you a little more insight into the workings of the SRC and the value of making your vote count.

Rhodes University Vice Chancellor and So, for the final time, I hope you enjoy the paper. @XandVenturas

Grahamstown mayor Zamuxolo Peter at the Water Protest on 14 August.

Pic: Vanessa Knight

Edition 7

News

2013 elections go electronic

By Brenda Sekgota SRC elections are just around the corner. On 20 August you will be able to choose who will represent you and your university, but this year, things are being done slightly differently.

The voting system is being set up so that residence students can’t vote online, but Oppidan students can. “It is only fair to open the option for voting online for Oppidan students because there are other students, like postgraduates, who don’t eat in the dining hall,” said Brad Bense, Vice-President of the SRC. Bense also said that the postgraduates are part of a small number of students who are deprived of opportunities to fully participate in the elections. Online voting will give a better reflection of the will of the student body and will decrease the chances of not reaching quorum, which has been a recurring issue for the elections.

“We as the SRC want to play the representative role and give the

students a platform to raise their complaints regarding the elections,” said Sakhe Badi, President of the SRC. The process has been changing over the years and this year, the online voting system will be checked by just one person. This is done to ensure the results are impartially counted.

In previous years the SRC elections were run solely by the SRC board. Last year the SRC collaborated with The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), which is an independent body that oversees free and fair elections in South Africa.

The SRC decided to collaborate with the IEC because of the number of complaints the SRC has received from students regarding the elections.

The system worked well last year.

Students who took part in the elections felt that it was a strategic initiative which limited possible manipulations. “In previous years I felt that elections were not transparent and were prone to manipulations,” said Boitumelo Moima, a student from Rhodes University.

Oppidan Bus service closure incites protest Student’s toyi-toying in outrage of news that the Oppidan Buses are no longer going to be of service, Wednesday, 7 August. SRC representatives and students met at the Steve Biko Union building to sign a petition asking for transportation to stay in place. Protestors sang and danced through campus to meet with the Deputy Vice Chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela at The Clocktower to hand over the petition.

Pic: Niamh Walsh-Vorster.

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3

4 News

16 August 2013

Students march against closure of Rhodes shuttle services

By Sinazo Nakupi & Chanelle Prins

of the SRC, “They advised us as the students to approach private transport institutions and strike Oppidans and res students marched from the Steve a deal with them. Other universities such as UCT, Biko building to the Clock Tower on Wednesday 7 NMMU and TUT have centralised transport systems August to meet the Vice-Chancellor and hand over for their students and Rhodes University should also a petition against the possible termination of the be responsible for the safe transportation of their shuttle service. students.”

They decided on the spontaneous march after the The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University, Dr SRC called an emergency meeting to discuss the Size Mabizela, accepted the petition on behalf of University’s decision to stop the transport system the Vice-Chancellor and reassured the students that due to lack of funds. management is looking into the issue.

Of the two buses which run from 5pm until 11pm “The majority of students affected by this happen every night, only one bus is provided for by the to be black students who live in the remote areas of Oppidan Union and has been the only one in Grahamstown,” said Mthobisi Buthelezi, a Regional operation since Monday 12 August.

Executive Committee member of the South African The SRC bus has ceased operation altogether and Student’s Congress (SASCO). “They are now put with RhodeTrip having recently closed down, more in a compromising position because they have to and more students are dependent on these buses as choose between getting home safely and their a means of transportation. The result is overloading academics.” of the buses, which have a maximum capacity of 18 Onke Luzipho, a resident of Stanley Kidd House, passengers. is one of many students not directly affected by this Passengers who were boarding the bus at the situation, but she is in solidarity with Oppidans. time of the march were forcefully removed by the “What steps are we taking if we do not get a positive protesters. Oppidan Chairperson, Darren Wolhuter, response from management?” he asked. “We refuse apologised to these students, acknowledging that to sit down and watch our fellow students suffer. their removal was a violation of their rights.

We should stand together as students and have one The lack of a bus service affects a number of voice.”

Oppidan students, especially those who live in Students requested a seven-day notice so they the remote parts of Grahamstown such as Joza. can arrange alternative transport. The SRC promised “Management claims to not be financially capable to meet with the students after management has Students protested about the termination of the Oppidan Bus services on Wednesday, 7 August. of providing transport,” said Sakhe Badi, President reached a consensus.

Pic: Niamh Walsh-Vorster

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Politics

Edition 7

5

Your vote, your SRC, your choice

By Andrew Blane

SRC President Sakhe Badi and Vice-President Bradley Bense sat down for an exclusive interview with Activate, in which they reviewed their work over the last year. Pic: Megan Ellis

SRC gets retrospective

By Matthew Kynaston

There have been several flashpoints for the student body this term, and with Intervarsity and the SRC elections coming up, the SRC is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Activate sat down with Sakhe Badi, the President, and Bradley Bense, the VicePresident, and asked them about how their term of office has gone so far.

The recent student march in protest against the closure of several student transport options was at the forefront of Badi’s mind. “It’s something we’re greatly focused on as a Council,” he said. “Our plea [sic] is that there is inadequate transport at Rhodes.” He said that there are currently more than 1 000 students who use the student transport, but that the problems cannot be solved immediately.

“The buses are actually worn out,” he said. “They are an accident waiting to happen. So what we are demanding is a facility that is adequate to transport our students.”

Bense agreed, saying that the SRC bus is very old and cannot continue to be used. “It was donated to us in 2005 and we spent a lot of money

Why Shouldn’t you trust the University administration?

repairing it,” he said. “So that ate into our budget.

We are looking at ways of making it run for a couple of weeks longer – maybe even to the end of the year.”

Moving on to what the SRC has achieved this year, Badi said that most of what they do happens in the background. “We’re often involved in negotiations for things like the re-marking system,” he said. “That’s still an ongoing debate. Should students be charged for it or shouldn’t they be?”

There is also the issue of exclusion on academic

and financial grounds, which Badi was proud to talk about. “When students are excluded they come for representation from the SRC,” he said.

“Most of those students are actually returned to the institution. We’ve got a very good return rate.

These might be seen as menial things, but they go a long way. They impact not only the student but the student’s family and generations to come.”

Turning to the upcoming SRC elections and how the new SRC will function, Bense said there are some things that he had to learn on the job, like the fact that the SRC bus does not belong to the University but rather to the SRC itself. “After being told by the University administration that we didn’t own the bus, you trust them. Why shouldn’t you trust the University administration?” he said. “But we found out that it was donated to the SRC and that it belongs to the SRC, so we could have gone ahead with our plan to sell it. There are a lot of things we’re still learning.”

Reaching quorum has been a problem during elections for many years and Rhodes has earned a name for itself as having an apathetic student body.

Badi said that they were hopeful about this year’s process. “We’ve made a few changes,” he said.

“We have an independent electoral board now.

We have a policy strictly dedicated to elections and the regulation of the election process, and ensuring that it’s just a smooth process throughout.

It’s a board of nine people, totally independent from the SRC. They’re very objective and we have faith in them.”

Regarding the SRC members who will take office in a few weeks, Bense said that there is a formal system of handing over responsibilities. “We do have a training session, and then the new Council is supposed to shadow us for the last term,” he said.

“Our powers only end in December, thanks to a Constitutional amendment that happened last year.

It was amended because Councillors would ‘book out’ after third term.”

Instead, new roles have been created to make the process smoother. The new President is designated the Incoming President, and Badi will be their advisor. The same is true for the VicePresident. “There are also Alumni still at Rhodes

that will continue to advise,” said Bense.

The conversation turned to Badi and Bense as individuals and how they have balanced being on the SRC with their studies “I become an SRC member by day and a student by night,” said Badi.

“It’s quite hard. It’s a challenge.”

Bense agreed and said that they spend a lot of time with SRC matters. “We don’t get much extra time,” he said. “But you become it. If you make provision for it, it’s not impossible.” There have been members of previous SRC groups who have failed subjects because of the strain on their time, but Bense said that there is no one on this year’s

It’s a very thankless job

Council who is having academic problems.

When asked about what legacy he would like to leave behind, Badi was coy, saying that that would only be determined once he had left office.

“It’s not something you can speak of whilst you are in office,” he said. He and Bense agreed that they should be thought of collectively, and Bense stressed that they don’t go around looking for plaudits. “It’s a very thankless job,” he said. “Until you accept that, things like legacies are not a major thing.”

The best part of the job, according to Badi, was solving problems for students and seeing them return to their studies. “It’s when you are able to resolve things for students and the injustices that you see within the institution,” he said. “It’s rewarding to see a student smile. When they find out that they are academically excluded and they come back to the institution, and they come back and say thank you. For me that’s rewarding, because you know you’ve not only helped that student; you’ve helped the entire generation.”

It has come that time of year again where new SRC representatives need to be voted into office in order to serve the students of Rhodes University. However, as many of the older generations have learnt, the election process seems to come in two waves every year due to the lack of voter turnout.

If a certain percentage of the student body does not vote, the elections cannot be considered as fully representative and quorum will not have been reached.

New elections would then take place to meet the required standard of voter participation.

The poor voter turnout is viewed by many on campus as an indication of lazy or disinterested students who aren’t bothered about what the SRC does. And I believe that this isn’t an entirely inaccurate assumption, as a lot of students will openly admit their unwillingness to vote and their disinterest in the elections. Many claim that other than the field party, they aren’t entirely sure what the SRC does for them.

At a first glance one could be ashamed of such an attitude. But I think that a second explanation for a low voter turnout exists.

Unless students are actively engaged with the work of the SRC or are directly benefitting from it, they do not see the importance of the work done by the SRC or even what it stands for and what it has achieved. Therefore, to some, the SRC may be seen as nothing more than another society or club, and a poor voter turnout can be seen as a lack of interest in the ‘club’ or even students’ lack of faith in the SRC. Admittedly, this is not the view of all students, but I think it is worth looking into. An opposing view may be that there is a general satisfaction with the SRC and that regardless of voting students have faith in those running for the SRC position.

Or students may even approach SRC elections the same way as many approach group assignments, where the social loafers rely on those who are interested in the SRC to make the right choice.

I don’t believe that these questions can be answered in one perfect answer and I am sure everyone will have their own view on the SRC. However I do believe that it is important to vote, and by voting that you will consider each candidate on his or her merits and not their marketing styles. The SRC has the opportunity to do a lot of good for the university and is our most important if not only real voice as students to the university. The current SRC representatives have brought new concepts and ways of aiding students this year, which in my opinion have really made a significant impact. The Give Five programme has helped to allow a greater sense of equality to emerge among students. The SRC Bailout Fund has also helped offer students a way out in difficult situations where finance just isn’t available.

6 Business Young entrepreneurs: what is your value proposition?

16 August 2013

Passion for coffee at the Provost Cafe

By Owen Skae

By Njabulo Nkosi

There has been a lot of talk on the radio recently about the state of entrepreneurship in South Africa and especially what young people need to do to be self-employed. A lot of this discussion has been triggered by the R34.1 million loan given to Khanyi Dhlomo by the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) for her luxury store, Luminance.

Many people have questioned why somebody who is already successful should have been lent such a huge amount of money for a boutique selling luxury goods, especially when many small businesses might have benefitted from the R34.1 million being split between them, much less entirely given to one of them. Accusations of political connections and hand-outs have been made.

I must confess that initially my reaction to this was similar to most other people.

But then listening to Allon Raiz of Raizcorp talk about it on the radio, I quickly learnt that I shouldn’t jump to conclusions without gathering the facts.

Allon was adamant that Khanyi Dhlomo was fully entitled to this loan.

His argument was that there is nothing wrong in lending money to successful entrepreneurs. He gave many reasons why, starting with the fact that they need to grow their businesses too. Khanyi is establishing a business in a space dominated by traditional businesses, and South Africa needs role models.

Competition to the existing businesses is healthy. Most importantly, Khanyi Dhlomo has put R15 million of her own money into the venture, so she had made a big commitment herself. In short, she has put her money where her mouth is.

This was no hand-out or donation; it was a loan. Interest has to be paid and the loan obligations met.

It is often lamented that there is no money available for entrepreneurs.

Allon pointed out that Khanyi Dhlomo’s example showed that there was plenty of money available. What is lacking in other start-up companies is ‘bankable proposals’. This in effect means that too many entrepreneurs haven’t make a compelling enough case as to why anybody would want to buy their product or service. In other words, they have not stated clearly what their value proposition is.

I for one hope that the story of Khanyi Dhlomo and the R34.1 million loan will inspire young people to become entrepreneurs, irrespective of whether you believe she deserves the loan or not.

In this regard, it would be useful for any budding entrepreneur to have a look at Raizcorp’s website www.raizcorp.com Starting a business isn’t easy; nobody ever said that it was. Where it starts, though, is you determining your value proposition and answering this question: why would anybody want to do business with you?

Provost Café, run by John Luck and Attila Csik, is a coffee shop and Grahamstown monument right here on campus. The setting of the old gaol provides a secluded and even secretive feeling, with the cosy upstairs area offering hours of chatting time and a panoramic view.

Luck and Csik have 30 years of hospitality experience between them and started the café 8 May 2013. “Our first passion is fine coffee in all its forms and Italianstyle coffee in particular,” reads their website, www.provostcafe. co.za. They also serve tea and cold beverages, sweet and savoury treat, and light meals.

Some of their most popular menu

Professor Owen Skae is the Director of the Rhodes Business School.

items are the over-sized chocolate chip cookie, which sells for R15, and the chocolate croissants, which are R16. Cappuccino is always a hit and their latte is also quite popular. They sell for R16 and R18 respectively.

The café is located just up the road from Eden Grove, close to the entrance to the Botanical Gardens. Because of its proximity to campus, most of Provost’s business comes from students during the week, although this changes a bit over the weekend when everyone has time for a cup of coffee.

With Wi-Fi being installed in the near future and coffee served in tall glasses, Provost is the ideal spot to take a break from your day.

Market Indicators: Exchange rates: R/USD: 9.97 R/BP: 15.46 R/Euro: 13.22

“As people as a whole, we need to go back to basics...we need civic education and to get young people to learn what it means to be a citizen.”

– Mamphela Ramphele

Business Round up: Vodacom has launched the new Vodafone Smart Mini, a value-for-money android phone now available at Vodacom World in Gauteng and several other outlets.

The University of Johannesburg has suspended a security guard and an 18 year-old first-year student has been arrested after a 23 year-old student was kidnapped and robbed last week.

South Africa’s construction industry in numbers Words by Njabulo Nkosi The construction industry contributed 3% to South Africa’s GDP in Q1 of 2013. Mining and quarrying contributed 4.8% and manufacturing 15.4%.

A collective fine of R1.4 billion was levied on 15 major construction firms for collusion of stadiums for the 2010 world cup.

The construction industry had a profit margin of 2.8%, compared with 16.5% in mining & quarrying and 12.1% in finance, real estate and business services.

1.2 million people are employed in the industry. Of these, 734 000 are employed in the formal sector – up from 483 651 in 2011.

The total expenditure incurred by the industry was R267 billion.

291 000 unemployed people have worked in the construction industry in the past five years.

There was a 3.4% increase year-onyear in the industry’s employment in Q1 of 2013. This is after 41 000 jobs were shed in the previous quarter.

Sources: Stats SA, Construction 2025, CIBD, Fiancial Mail

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Features

Edition 7

7

It’s that time of year again

By Sarah Ward

The Turnitin system may not be as trustworthy on spotting plagiarism as we think. Pic: Supplied.

Why Turnitin may not be worth the fuss

By Nicole Milne Rhodes University is one of the most elite tertiary institutions in South Africa and is known for its outstanding academic achievements. Rhodes takes its academics very seriously and, as our lecturers are at pains to remind us, does not tolerate any form of plagiarism.

One of the main reasons for students losing their Dually Performed certificate, or DP for short, is because of plagiarism, which can take the form of incorrect referencing. Rhodes uses Turnitin as a plagiarism checker when students have to submit term assignments and essays. Although Turnitin is world renowned many students question its effectiveness and whether or not it is really that accurate.

Turnitin was founded in 1996 by John Barrie who was a Neurobiology graduate student at the time. The domain was first named plagiarism. org and was created because Barrie was tired of students he taught constantly plagiarising. According to the Turnitin website, “1 million active instructors, 20 million licensed students and 10 000 educational institutions” use Turnitin.

Although Turnitin is one of the most popular plagiarism checkers in the world, it is not without its flaws. A common complaint is that the results often state that work was plagiarised

when it wasn’t. This is because of how the programme works: it searches the web scholarly articles for strings of words and phrases that are in the assignment in question, and if there are any matches, the count is notched up. Seeing that a high percentage of your work is apparently copied is the worst feeling when there is a deadline looming.

Daniel Orsmond, a first-year student, decided to test whether or not the programme was correct in how it processed documents and searched for similarities on the web. Orsmond downloaded the Turnitin software and submitted a document with a full page of text, copied verbatim from Wikipedia. The system said that Daniel had not plagiarised and that there was 0% similarity to any of the work on Turnitin’s domain. Orsmond’s findings make it hard to believe that Turnitin is accurate at all and that students have indeed plagiarised every time its results say they have.

To drive another nail into the coffin, there are ways to cheat the Turnitin system without getting caught. One of the ways to do so is to submit an assignment without any punctuation, especially full stops. This method confuses the Turnitin system and the domain will give the student a receipt of 0% similarity. Another way that students usually get past the system is by submitting the work without any

quotation marks because it confuses the domain and in some cases the domain does not pick up that the quote actually belongs to another person.

Another negative aspect that has come up with the Turnitin system is the fact that once a student submits an assignment on the Turnitin domain, the system stores the student’s assignment without any form of compensation.

This seems to be a huge problem among universities and students. Some students believe that if a corporation is going to keep their work they should at least be paid for it. Halifax did a study on what some students from different Universities in America thought about the Turnitin system. Some of the feedback amounted to complaints about loss of intellectual copyright and potential loss of future business opportunities.

There are ways to improve the system and eliminate plagiarism. One suggestion is to have two systems checking students’ work. The two systems could compare percentages of plagiarism in order to get a more accurate outcome. Otherwise, the severity with which the University treats plagiarism is without methodological accountability. One needs to ensure the system on which one bases such accusations is fully reliable. Only then can a student be said to be guilty of cheating and be punished accordingly.

Posters are popping up on every wall on campus and cheesy slogans have found their way into the chatter at Kaif. Dining halls and lectures have been graced by the bright faces of the enthusiastic candidates, interrupting meals and shortening lectures. It can only be election time for the Student Representative Council.

The value of the Rhodes SRC can often be overlooked. There is no denying that the SRC is often at the heart of the Rhodent ‘gees’ that we all love. Bradley Bense, the Vice-President of the Council, says the SRC spends huge amounts of time and effort in coordinating events to keep the Rhodent spirit alive. The SRC is responsible for almost everything that takes place during O-Week. The Great Field Party and RU Jamming are two huge events full of tradition and are key attractions for our buzzing student life.

Purple Thursdays happen every week and are designed to stand for unification against homophobia and discrimination of all forms, and for upholding the spirit of the most liberal and free-thinking university in the country.

The candidates currently asking for your vote are not simply eager faces

on posters: they are hardworking students who dedicate 20 hours a week to ensure that the rest of us have the best university experience possible.

The SRC is a machine that never stops working in continuous attempts to improve communication between students and faculty members. It only takes five minutes to email one of the portfolio representatives and receive an informed and timely reply.

At the start of the year the council was able to save more than 80 students from academic exclusion. Sarah Price-Jones, former Head of Media, explains that an SRC candidate must be willing to put the students first. Their desire should be to help students in all aspects of life, regardless of who they are. They must also be willing to sacrifice their time and energy which takes a lot of dedication and discipline.

As stated on the SRC page on StudentZone, “The SRC is founded by the students, for the students, with a developmental consideration of the functional needs of the University student.”

The SRC is the active voice of the student body, but they can only do their job if we vote them into the right positions. It is time to make your vote count. Let us empower them so that they may empower us.

House Committee elections to commence soon

By Katleho Ramafalo Elections for house committee members are coming up soon and as everyone who lives in res knows, they are a time to decide how your life is run for the coming year. The transition from high school to tertiary education is never easy and next year’s first-year students will be guided by the people you elect.

Doctor Rosa Klein, Allan Gray house warden, says that “the house has to live with their choices because everything is all purely based on votes.” Their voting period runs for 24 hours and anyone in the house can run for a position. Klein also mentions that there are no academic requirements to be a candidate, but she strongly advises student with poor results not to run, as the job places constraints on students’ time and may impact their results.

The warden of Milner House, Ruth Jackson, describes an election process that differs from Allan Gray’s. She says that their election period runs for 48 hours and that they have a strict set of criteria for applicants, including strong academic performance. The one thing that both Klein and Jackson have in common is that they both believe that the house’s voice must be heard and that everyone is selected based only on votes.

At the end of the day, house comm members are the ones who are always there to give advice, organise events that unite the res and basically make sure things continue to run smoothly.

Klein advises students to use the rest of this term to “learn how to vote intelligently”, because it is the strength of the house committee that determines how well the residence will run next year.

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8 Photo Story

16 August 2013

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Everything works in its chaos

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They’ve been asked if they’re lovers or twins, they’ve travelled to the thickest bush in Botswana and are the daughters of a Methodist minister. You have probably bought a gwaai or a breakfast bar from their shop called Under the Arch, or had a gander at the arts and crafts that are on sale. The sisters recently took over ownership of the shop and through commissions and selling various items they’re able to support themselves. Despite opposing personalities, the sisters are a real working pair. Their energies fit well together. Nadine is calm, patient, and thoughtful. Debra is boisterous and busy. Together, everything works in its chaos. Nadine and Debra Stein are two sisters with an authentic story.

Words and Pictures by Niamh Walsh-Vorster

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1.Nadine Stein helping a customer at her shop by the Drostdy Lawns, otherwise known as Under the Arch. The shop is owned by Nadine and her sister, Debra. Tere is where they make their living and what many people know them for.

2.Nadine walks through the pathway to the entrance of her home. Nadine lives with her 9 year old son, Khoi-Sen and her sister Debra, in the Park Homes in Grahamstown.

3.Debra Stein’s artwork painted onto ostrich eggs with acrylic paints are on display in the Steins’ living room. Debra loves to paint and has never attended art school. Her inspiration is drawn from images which she re-shapes into her own work. The painting of the child’s face is from a book Debra illustrated.

4. The Stein sisters head banging to metal in their living room. The sisters are Christians but practice religion and spirituality in a less orthodox way and say that their relationship with God is not influenced by the stigma of metal music.

Edition 7

Photo Story

5

6 5.A silly Stein Family portrait. Khoi-Sen, Nades and Debbie together.

6.Nadine’s bedroom wall is covered in images of Native American Chiefs and leaders. The way of life and thinking of the Native American people resides closely to Nadine’s personal life philosophy.

7.The back garden of the Stein’s home is lit by the setting Grahamstown sun. The back part of the house was once used as a braai and fire place. The sisters hope to work on the back part for friends to come over and to bring drum circles to the space during warmer Grahamstown seasons.

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10 Arts & Entertainment

16 August 2013

Campus of the Undead

Another round of HVZ hit the Rhodes campus last week. The game, a more modern version of tag, sees humans try to ward off zombies using socks and vigilant tactics. Pic: Supplied

By Sebastian Burger A week ago our charming university campus was swarmed by bandana-wearing students furiously dashing from lecture to lecture and pelting each other with rolled-up socks.

These students were playing the live-action game Humans vs Zombies (HvZ), a high stress game consisting of stealth, strategy and severe paranoia. The rules mimic every nerd’s wet dream of a zombie apocalypse. Everybody involved starts out as a human (designated by wearing a bandana on their arm) and one or two players

are selected to be zombies (bandana on head).

It’s their job to ‘infect’ human players by tagging them, turning them into zombies and allowing them too to spread the infection. The humans’ only line of defense is throwing socks, which stun zombies and prevent them from tagging anyone for 15 minutes.

The day-to-day rules are complimented by nightly missions such as capture the flag and escort the VIP, in which both sides can score bonuses such as extra safe zones or sock limits if they win. This is where the truly dedicated players reveal themselves, often brandishing home-made

sock bandoleers and holsters slung across their bodies in order to fight the horde.

The game is controlled via an online system which keeps track of every player’s zombie status and kills. Teams are able to chat and co-ordinate with each other, warning each other of potential hotspots and sharing sneaky safe routes.

HvZ isn’t limited to Rhodes University. The game is played in universities, neighborhoods and military bases worldwide. It was started at Goucher College in the United States in 2005 by two students and is now played at over 1 000 institutions across six continents. Some

universities have banned the game due to its perceived violent nature.

Another game worth mentioning that has yet to grace our university is the even greater paranoia-inducing Assassin, in which every player is assigned one target to “assassinate” using anything from nerf guns, water guns or even by putting hot sauce in their meals.

So if you crave a little more excitement and running around in your day-to-day university life, make sure you sign up next year at www. hvzsource.com and monitor the website for any other games that might start in your area.

Bigger Better Boatraces Simply Broadway’s big break

By Ruan Scheepers September marks one of the few times of year when Eastern Cape residents can smile a little about the climate. The annual Boatrace Festival is approaching and is calling on everyone to get out to the banks of the Kowie River in Port Alfred.

The well-known rowing event takes place on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 September.

Three universities – Fort Hare, NMMU and Rhodes – will battle it out over the two days to be crowned this year’s National Universities Boat Race champions.

The event is also known This year’s Boat Race Festival promises to be bigger and for its live music acts and better than ever before, as featured artists include Das this year looks like they’ll Kapital and DJ Freshamong many others. have the best line up yet.

Pic: Supplied The organisers have roped together some of South Africa’s leading electronic artists for a four-way jam consisting of Das Kapital, Guns ‘n Lazers, P.H.fat, and of course a vibe from 5FM’s DJ Fresh.

For P.H.fat, Boatrace will be the official launch party of their new album Happiness Machines on the Eastern coast. Backing these guys will be Das Kapital whose hit single BrainBang has recently been voted 5FM’s hottest track.

Guns ‘n Lazers will definitely be ready for a party. They have been on a roll in recent times and describe themselves as “an audio-visceral experience” that is “the soundtrack for a neo-cultural renaissance on the East Coast”. And to top it all off, DJ Fresh will be taking to the stage and will undoubtedly make use of every last watt from that boom box.

Tickets are on sale for R220 each. For more information check out the 2013 Boatrace Festival Facebook page.

By David Mann

she says. “Simply Broadway is Jacques and Brett’s brainchild and last year Brett approached me, asking The Rhodes Music Department is known to produce me to feature in his production. Because our singing some amazing talent and many of its graduates styles are so similar, we became the perfect duet have found success in the world of music and the partners and I became a full time cast member. I’ve arts. Simply Broadway may be the next big thing: known that this is what I’ve wanted to do since I was they have performed sold-out shows for the second 18 and now that I’m getting to do it, it’s such a great year running at National Arts Festival (NAF) and feeling, I can’t even describe it.” were subsequently invited to take the performance Mosiane performed in the show for the first time outside of Grahamstown. at this year’s National Arts Festival and says that the Starring Jacques Du Plessis, Kay Mosiane and performances went extremely well, with a huge Brett de Groot, Simply Broadway is a musical audience turnout for each show. “All of our shows performance that pays tribute to all of the great were sold out and we received amazing reviews and musicals and Broadway productions throughout compliments from so many people,” she says. “It history. The show includes performances of various was such a great performance.” musical numbers from CATS, Chicago and Phantom The show started gaining success with its debut of the Opera. at NAF last year, leading to the festival organisers After an immensely successful run at NAF this year, offering Simply Broadway a spot on the main the cast was approached by four different theatre programme, but the cast decided to stick to the producers to take the show to Johannesburg and Fringe programme so as to keep the original Cape Town. With offers to perform at The Mask concept of the show.

Theatre in Cape Town and The Market Theatre in “I never considered putting the show on again Johannesburg in 2014, director of the show Brett de after 2012,” says de Groot. “But after the offer for Groot, decided to keep the ball rolling after NAF the main programme, I decided to bring it to fest and take up the Johannesburg Civic Theatre’s offer in 2013, but on the Fringe and instead, developed which will see them performing there later this year. the show instead of scrapping it and doing it again “Obviously the biggest shock was being entirely.” approached by the Johannesburg Civic Theatre,” If you haven’t seen the proudly Rhodent show says de Groot. “They are basically the theatre to before, make sure you catch Simply Broadway’s perform in along with the Teatro in Montecasino and upcoming show in Johannesburg this year and their it’s impossible to comprehend that we’re going from shows in both Johannesburg and Cape Town next the festival to this massive professional platform.” year.

Kay Mosaine, who is majoring in musical theatre, Or you could even catch it next year at Fest. “I talks about her love for performing and how she think we have one more NAF left in us where we can came to be part of the show that everyone’s talking experiment with new material for the show again about. before we take it elsewhere,” says de Groot. “The “I wasn’t even supposed to be a full-time member,” future is looking bright.”

Arts & Entertainment 11

Edition 7

A Season for Directing

By David Mann

The Young Directors Season starts 21 August and will be showcasing some of the honours students’ works. Pic: Jess Poulos

Third term sees the drama department hit the ground running after National Arts Festival as they prepare to put on the annual theatre event, ‘Young Directors Season’.

The season aims to showcase the talents of the Rhodes Drama Department’s young directors of the honours class. Rhodes University Drama Department administrator, Robert Haxton explains that ‘Young Directors Season’ has been taking place for a while now, gaining a reputation as an event that provides high quality theatre that is only getting better.

“The season has been taking place since 2000 when directing became a course specialisation, it’s essentially an examination process for the honours students within the drama department,” says Haxton, “it goes through phases of high and low turnout, but it’s ultimately up to how the directors themselves market their shows. Last year there were six directors which was quite stressful, but this year there are only four and all of them look to be very promising and are getting a good start with marketing, so keep an eye out for the posters.”

The four directors, Jade Manicom, Maude Sandham, Daniel Whitehorn and Simona Mazza aim to produce pieces that portray their individual style, vision, passion and most importantly, their directing skills.

Each piece ranges in style, genre and experimental theatre as well as aims to widen their audience reach here in Grahamstown. Simona Mazza speaks of how the young directors are looking at garnering a larger audience this year with each production. “We want to reach a larger audience this year by promoting theatre as a collaborative endeavour that reaches beyond the theatre space and creates a loyal audience of enthusiastic theatre goers” says Mazza.

This year, the season also hopes to get local performance enthusiasts involved by collaborating with the Rhodes University Community Engagement programes as well as involving post production events such as film and photography exhibitions of the pieces

by Journalism and Media Studies students.

‘Young Directors Season’ will be taking place at the Rhodes Theatre from Wednesday 21 to Saturday 24 August with tickets being R40 to the public and R30 to students. Below is a list of each director and their individual production.

Rabbit Hole Written by David Lindsay- Abaire Directed by Maude Sandham

Debris Written by Dennis Kelly Directed by Daniel Whitehorn

Red Written by John Logan Directed by Jade Manicom

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Written by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephens Directed by Simona Mazza

Visit activateonline.com for individual profiles of the plays.

Ten minutes with Jet Black Camaro

By David Mann If you’re into some good old fashioned bluesy rock ‘n roll – I mean the kind that’s played in low-lit rooms where the air is smoky, the whiskey goes down smooth and the tunes even smoother – then you have to see Jet Black Camaro.

Activate took some time to look under the hood of this fine-tuned blues machine to find out what makes it run.

In a local live music scene that seems to be overrun with indie, electronica and typically ‘hip’ music, you guys are a breath of fresh air. What inspired the unique style of rock, blues and gospel that you play?

Authenticity is really important to us, to find your own groove, create your own voodoo about the rock-blues-gospel blend.

Living on a continent familiar with gospel of power and the blues of oppression, I guess it starts to rub off after a while.

Can you tell us about the origins of Jet Black Camaro? How did it all start?

The current five piece started out as a two piece - think The Black Keys meets Queens of the Stone Age with Loedi Van Renen on Guitar/lead vocals and Fano Du Plessis on drums/backing vocals.

Unfortunately the two founding members aren’t in the band

anymore, but if I had to speak on their behalf I would say they just wanted to make good old rock ‘n roll, flavour it with a bit of whiskey, pour it in a gospel glass, drink it in a smoky bar. It’s laid back and stripped down, just giving people a good time.

Tell us a little about your self-titled debut album.

Well we had heard of this producer who stays in the Klein Karoo and looks after nine wild horses, so we drove 14 hours to go record our first album with Jo Ellis at Blu Room Studios in Ladismith. We felt we had to make it official that we are a band. Somehow recording an album makes it feel more legit than just playing shows. We felt we wanted to give birth to something that was inside of us.

You set out to record this 14 track album in nine days, that’s a tight schedule. How’d you pull it off?

Initially we were just aiming for 13 tracks. The 14th was a bonus, a surprise that just happened somewhere in between, 100% spontaneous. About the tight schedule, we finished the drums, bass and guitars in five days. Not bad. To be honest we didn’t have a choice really, work was calling. Gotta make a living.

You also chose to record live. How do you think this added to the overall sound and feel of the album and do you plan on doing this for all your albums?

The less produced one’s album is, the better. If we can we’d like to

record on analogue and print to vinyl to get that warm vintage old school feeling. It’s very real and honest and sincere and makes one connect with the music more, like lighting a small fire. It creates a beautiful inviting hospitable atmosphere like making yourself at home. We would always want to record live and spend even less time in studio in the future. At the moment we feel we’d like to only spend a day or two in studio, even live track the vocals like we did with 14 hours.

How would you say your live performances differ from other artists?

Visually you’ll see a cow hide, burning incense, a Native American chief, ammunition cases, but these things just set the scene. We generally don’t limit ourselves to just the set list. Sometimes a new song happens so we try stay open to that. We feel the music.

Tell us something that we can’t read on your Facebook profile.

We believe in stars. We believe in rocks. We don’t believe in rockstars.

And just because everyone will want to know, where does the name come from?

The name is not for us to name, it is for us to tell, about a road with different gas stations and a car married to the tar.

12 Lifestyle

16 August 2013

Down Shift Uncapped Expense

By Ruan Scheepers

Oral Contraceptives or as it is more commonly known “the pill.” Pic: Rhea MacDonald

Contraceptive methods: Pros and Cons

By Rhea MacDonald As much as parents like to think that their little girl or boy will remain a virgin until marriage, the fact is that many young adults choose to explore their sexuality before the big wedding day. It is important, however, to remember to go about these activities in a safe and responsible way. You, and the person you are involved with, probably don’t want to be changing diapers in nine months, and you certainly don’t want to transmit an infection that changes your life. Condoms should always be used to prevent the spread of STIs, but it is smart to use a backup method of birth control as well. Here’s the lowdown on what contraceptives are available at the Health Care Centre and the pros and cons of each one.

Oral Contraceptives (The pill) Pros: The pill is easy to use, and there are many different kinds to choose from, so you can find the right one for you and your body. If taken at the same time each day, the pill is approximately 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. Many oral contraceptive pills offer other benefits such as regulating your period, lessoning menstrual cramps, and improving acne.

Cons: There is a heightened risk of blood clots developing, especially if you are a smoker. So if you want to go on the pill, kick the cigarettes first. There are some studies that show weight gain from oral contraceptive pills and others that show no evidence of weight gain. Whether you do or not

depends on your body’s reaction to the hormones. Some studies have shown decreased sex drive from oral contraceptives. The hormones in oral contraceptive pills can cause side effects such as nausea, headaches, breast tenderness, mood swings and bleeding between periods. These symptoms will most likely disappear after a few months, but if they persist, it’s a sign you should try switching to a different pill. Available at the Health Care Centre: Trigestrel, Triphasal, Oral-Con, and Nordette.

body hair. Available at the Health Care Centre: Nuristerate, Petogen and Depo-Provera.

Morning After Pill Pros: Prevents pregnancy if your birth control fails, such as the condom breaking, or you haven’t used any. The morning after pill is approximately 95% effective in preventing pregnancy if taken within 24 hours of intercourse. Alleviates the stress and panic of wondering if you The Injection are pregnant for a few weeks.

Pros: Contraceptive injections are approximately It is only taken one time in two high potency doses.

99% effective.

Cons: It is hard on your body to receive the high You only have to receive the injection every two or amount of hormones at once so you may experience three months, so it is convenient and you don’t have nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, irregular to be worried about missing a dose like with the pill. bleeding, and breast tenderness.

There is evidence that the injection helps prevent Increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy, when an endometrial and ovarian cancers, as well as reducing embryo develops in the fallopian tubes. Ectopic the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy can be fatal if undetected so it is important pregnancy. to take a pregnancy test a few weeks after taking the Cons: The injection can cause you to have irregular morning after pill if other symptoms are present. spotting during your cycle or can cease menstruation The morning after pill is not meant as a constant altogether. form of birth control. The high amount of hormones Prolonged use of the injection can lead to decrease wreak havoc on your menstrual cycle. Some in bone density, which may not be reversible after evidence has linked constant use of the morning after you stop taking it. It is advisable to ensure proper pill with decreased fertility in the future. consumption through food/supplements of calcium Available at the Health Care Centre: Ovral. and vitamin D to help decrease this effect. Less common side effect that you may experience Make an appointment at the Health Care are: headaches, nervousness, depression, dizziness, Centre to discuss the right birth control method acne, weight gain, and excessive growth of facial and for you. Call 046 603 8523.

Ramadan: The Blessed Holy Month

Rhodes student praying as Ramadan comes to an end. Pic: Sara Steiniger

By Nonhle Skosana With winter nearing its end, Muslims all over the world celebrate the end of their 30 days of sacred fasting. Ramadan is an annual religious festival that seeks to cleanse all impurities and revive and deepen connection with Allah. Starting on the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Ramadan honours the month in

which the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed.

Ramadan is described in the Qur’an in the reading of Surah 2, Ayah 185. “The month of Ramadan…in which was revealed the Qur’an, guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.”

During this month, Muslims partake in fasting known as Sawm, which happens from sunrise until sunset. The day is begins before sunrise with a family prayer or salat. No eating, drinking, smoking or sexual relations are permitted until the sun sets and prayer and reading of the Qur’an have taken place. When breaking the fast, one must consume dates and water as an indication that the day has ended and that the prayers have been recited. The month is a very special time for families, as one of the main focuses is togetherness and outward generosity.

Many Muslims join together to eat supper, which is encouraged by the Qur’an. “The more you share your food, the bigger the blessing,” said Ra-eesah Mohammed, a first-year journalism student. Mohammed, who had to break her fast due to womanly causes, emphasises the importance of sharing in all forms during this month.

Ramadan ends with the sight of the new moon, which starts the holiday of Eid ul-Fitr or Feast of Breaking the Fast. A grand feast is held in the Muslim community with all sorts of delicious foods and treats, making up for the 30 days of fasting.

Gifts are often exchanged between family members and intimate friends. Eid ul-Fitr is also marked by encouragement to overcome differences with others and forgive people for mistakes of the past year.

Activate would like to wish all of our Muslim readers a peaceful Ramadan

Are you a student thinking about buying a car or do you already have your own? Well, as you’re studying at Rhodes, chances are that you have in fact been blessed with a brain. Your ball of grey matter is going to tell you that with a litre of petrol now costing more than a Captain and Cola mix, you need to find ways of cutting down on motoring expenditure.

Bad news, folks. Owning a car is seriously expensive. With last week’s fuel price hike of 30 cents per litre, it’s now more viable to breed some donkeys and buy a tow rope. And that’s only the beginning.

Naturally, low fuel consumption will save you money. What may come as a shock to many, however, is that motoring expenses do not stop with fuel. A car consists of a billion components which are all created with the ability to go wrong. So, if you thought of cutting corners, sorry to burst your bubble.

If the dealer or your car itself is not sending you a friendly message reminding you that your vehicle is due for service, this does not mean that no servicing needs to be done.

Depending on the age, mileage and make of car, service intervals should be range between 10 000km and 20 000km. These services can be done at the respective dealers or at accredited technicians. The latter will cost you a lot less, but if possible larger repairs and services should be done through authorised dealers.

Then, of course, the sticky situation of tyres. Without doubt these are one of the most important components on a vehicle. Take care of them by having your wheel alignment, balancing and tyre rotation done every 1 000km. If you have hit a pothole or obstacle with enough force to make your teeth jar, you should consider having the car looked at by guys at HiQ or Wessons Dunlop.

As for everyday driving around town, make sure that your vehicle is roadworthy. There should be at least 1.6mm of thread on all tyres, number plates must be attached and licence discs must be updated according to their expiry date. Also, remember to strap in yourself and your passengers.

We are blessed with enthusiastic traffic police in Grahamstown.

When you see old guys at the garage peering under their bonnets for no apparent reason, take note!

The reason their cars are running is because whenever they get the chance, they check the basics such as oil and coolant levels, as well as brake fluid (which is also the reason they’re not wrapped around a tree).

It’s a simple case of take care of your car and it will take care of you.

Unfortunately, like most things in life, it’s not a free lunch.

Environment 13

Edition 7

Representing the environment

By Jane Berg

SRC Environmental Representative, Luke Cadden. Pic: Sibulele Mabusela

Of the various positions up for grabs in this year’s SRC elections, Environmental Councillor might require the most initiative and patience to promote change. Here’s what current and previous environmental councillors have to say about their role.

Both Luke Cadden, the SRC’s current environment councillor, and his predecessor Ruth Kruger, state that the job is vaguely defined and largely depends on initiative of whoever is filling the position.

Kruger described the mandate as a matter of, “trying to make students and faculty members more active. Informing staff members of what the university’s policies are and trying to make the university greener.”

“It’s not really about just representing

the converted but about converting more people,” said Kruger. Cadden agreed, saying that because of this ambiguity, what they put in is what they can expect to get out.

But he stressed his responsibilities are the same as the any councillor’s.

These range from administration duties, assisting councillors in their endeavours and engaging with students in public platforms.

The councillor is allocated money for events hosted under their name, for student proposals such as Allen Webb Earth Hour, and towards causes and events.

“I have been involved with the Green Fund Run, residential environmental representatives’ activities, environmental week, purple Thursdays, O-week activities, RU Green – I could go on for ages!” said Cadden.

Cadden said that there is much to be done if Rhodes is going to live up to its potential as a green university, and that environmental meetings should be held more frequently in order to accelerate change.

“It seems to move frustratingly slow,” said Cadden. “Luckily we have wonderful staff and students who take the initiative to do good work that makes our university ‘Green’”.

Cadden said he is not planning to run for the SRC again this year. “The SRC is an intense experience,” he said. “It tests your emotional and social character and can often leave you feeling a sense of sheer emptiness and quite honestly, contempt for the students. However, I remind myself that it is indeed nothing more than student service and I look forward to different and more exciting leadership positions next year.”

Shifting the power

By Jane Berg Environmental society RU Green is calling for students to join their new movement, the Global Power Shift.

The Global Power Shift (GPS) is an initiative started by the international climate organisation 350.org, emerging out of frustration with climate change negotiations not seeming to enact change. The idea is to move power from corporations and governments back to the people. The initiative aims to unite a global network of people working for sustainability at a local level.

In June this year, RU Green committee member Ruth Kruger took part in the first Global Power Shift conference, which saw 500 environmentalists meet in Istanbul, Turkey to debate environmental strategies for their respective countries.

The representatives for South Africa centred discussion on possible ways to transform what Kruger believes is SA’s most important environmental challenge: energy production.

“The government needs to move away from coal in very real terms” said Kruger, speaking at a power shift talk held by RU Green last week.

“But not as Zuma has said towards natural gas – which means Fracking.”

“It’s also a sector where if you can make change you can have a direct impact on carbon emissions,” said Kruger.

The Global Power Shift team for South Africa

(which has groups working in Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Johannesburg) are now ready to embark on phase two of the power shift and have created a five-step plan towards their ultimate goal which is policy change.

The plan involves research and workshops in order to establish a knowledge base on energy in South Africa and possible alternative energy sources. This will be followed by a process of information sharing and non-violent action and protests, all of which should culminate in a march on parliament to present the movement’s policy suggestions.

“Realistically I know that we can’t see a change overnight. It’s going to be a project that will take a little while,” said Kruger. “The key is gathering information and getting people mobilised. It’s about gaining knowledge and then being vocal about it.”

For Kruger, the mobilisation starts with Rhodes.

“We can’t sail off into the sunset yet, this is when the work begins and we need people to actually make it happen, said Kruger.

RU Green has collaborated previously with international organisations such as The BlueBuck Network and Greenpeace, “but I don’t think we’ve ever done anything that’s quite as involved as this,” said Kruger. “The conference showed me just how many other people there are who care about climate change and are working in these sectors and, so I really so think it’s possible.”

Water reservoir for Rhodes

By Youlendree Appasamy Recently, water shortages and outages have plagued the Grahamstown community. One of Grahamstown’s proportionally largest consumers of water, Rhodes University, is planning on making these water outages an issue of the past by building their own water reservoir.

Presently the operational plans are tentative but a statement from the university asserts that Rhodes is planning on a long-term solution to the water outages. It is estimated by the University that the reservoir will cost more than R65 million to construct and will hold a capacity of 7.25 million litres of water, enough for five

days of regular university water consumption.

When water shortages occur at Rhodes just the use of disposable cutlery and crockery and the transport and delivery of water for sanitation purposes cost an estimated to be R115, 000 per day.

Rhodes University takes a dim view on the water outages and acknowledges the Makana Municipality’s ineptitude at dealing with the situation. “The Municipality has failed, despite undertakings made in this regard, to provide a solution to the (water outage) problem” a University press release stated.

Senior Makana Municipal officials were unavailable for comment.

Sewage leakages due to pipe problems still an on-going issue in Grahamstown. Pic: Sara Steiniger

Grahamstown’s sewage situation

By Alizwa Mnyatheli

out,” said Emma Bray, a Rhodes student who lives near the site. She’s glad the leak has now been The Makana Municipality was warned last month by closed up. “I mean, who wants to live in a stinking the National Department of Water Affairs (DWA) to environment?” she said. produce a plan to deal with the extensive sewage In Grahamstown, collapsing tar roads and leakage in Grahamstown. However, their 26 July cracking clay pipes are some of the many things deadline passed without any action taken. which a Makana Supervisor attributes to sudden Recently, Grocott’s Mail reported sewage outflow leaking. still occurring around the town’s sewage pump “Even penetrating tree roots cause this to station. Specifically, at Thatha Location in Extension happen,” he said. He added that the municipality 1 there is sewage pouring into a graveyard, as mends the old clay piping using PVC pipes when a well as in front of houses in Zolani Location and in pipe burst occurs.

Lingelihle.

Grounds and Gardens Manager Mark Hazell Millions of litres of sewage flow every year into has raised concerns over the impact sewage leaks South African rivers and dams. This is shocking might have on the water quality of downstream considering that South Africa has water losses of water pipes and the health risks to anyone near.

R5/kilolitre, costing R7 billion a year.

Fortunately, sewage pipe bursts do not interfere Currently five tons per cubic kilometre of water with the irrigation system on campus since Rhodes in South Africa is polluted, making us the 11thUniversity uses borehole water for its irrigation. worst country out of the 69 countries tested in Boreholes are different from the old clay pipes used this regard. Furthermore, water availability is across town in that they are made of steel and are threatened since 70% of untreated and industrial sealed on top, covering the manhole. waste flows into usable water supplies.

Hazell said that on campus there have been a Rhodes students however recently experienced few leaks in the past, near Jan Smuts Hall and the a taste of the broader problem resulting from the Botanical Gardens, although he said that Health sewage leak outside College House on Rhodes and Safety officials and the KCC are looking into the Avenue. “Well you just kind of have to stick it matter more closely.

Sport 15

Edition 7

Sports Admin found wanting

By Ashleigh Morris and Bridgette Hall It is no secret that students often find Rhodes Sports Admin wanting. It is simple, easy and ‘convenient’ to blame any faults on them. Activate sat down with head of Sports Admin, Mandla Gagayi, to try and clear up a number of these issues.

One question which students often ask is what exactly they pay for at sign-up. With a simple signature, students can sign away up to R1 000 without really knowing where their money is going.

Gagayi explained that every year, sport societies are expected to submit a budget request form outlining the needs of the clubs and the estimated costs. After Sports Admin has been given their budget, they take into consideration all the wants of the clubs and cover what they can. Anything not covered by Sports Admin is expected to be covered by sign up fees.

“Clubs should let students know what they are paying for, but obviously some are better at doing this than others”, Gagayi said.

Candice Ryan, Chairperson of the Students Sports Council, explained that they are also monitoring the spending of clubs. “We have tried to implement an auditing process for the clubs and committees to help ensure they are running their clubs

appropriately in terms of funds, communication with members, and team selection etc,” she said.

When it comes to the organisation of sport, due to the small size of Rhodes University, sports officers have to deal with roughly triple the amount of admin compared to other universities. Rhodes sports officers each oversee ten clubs, compared with an average of three at other institutions.

“Things tend to fall through the cracks because of the number of clubs they look after,” said Gagayi.

A strategy plan is being drawn up in order to facilitate changes within sports admin over the next few years. “It takes time to change mentality,” said Gagayi. “Sport must not suffer because we are trying to raise leaders.”

Ryan expressed thoughts along similar lines. “I feel there are members at Rhodes that do not acknowledge that sport is an integral part of the student experience,” she said, “I don't disagree that students are at Rhodes to get a degree and pursue academics first, but I do feel that sport participation is vital. It could help if sport was higher on the Universities priorities list as far as facilities and finances are concerned.”

As far as facilities go, Gagayi explained that due to the growing number of students, the priority lies in building new residences. “Facilities have not

changed since 2002,” he said. “The university is aware of the problems but have different priorities.”

With regards to changes, Ryan explained that the needs of sport need to be taken into consideration.

“There is a move to high performance sport and participation in Varsity Sports and Shield,” she said.

“If we want to do this we need to consider what is needed to get us to that point including finances, upgrades of the facilities as well as more investment in coaches and trainers.”

Ryan went on to say that, once again, change needs to not only come from the university but from students as well. “Students also need to change – to be more committed to their sporting code if they want to progress and see their sport move forward,” she said.

However, there are some changes coming which will benefit students. “We are in the process of setting up a bursary programme for Rhodes students who are involved in sport at Rhodes who require financial assistance,” said Ryan.

She explained how clubs will be encouraged to contribute financially and the money would be put into the students account to help with academic financial needs. “We hope to be able to award the first candidate at the Sports Awards evening at the end of this year,” she said.

Rhodent runs to gold

By Ashleigh Morris Natalie Ross, the current Rhodes Sportswoman of the Year, made both her country and her university proud when she won gold at the World Duathlon Championships on Saturday 10 August.

Duathlon consists of running and cycling various distances. The competition was held in Canada from 8 to 10 August. Ross finished with a time of 2 hours, 13 minutes and 55 seconds – five minutes ahead of her closest rival, Britain’s Samantha Aplin.

Ross competed in the age group for 20-24 year-olds and was the only South African to win gold at the Championships. Brandon Schlebusch was the only other South African to win a medal. He won bronze in the men’s 18-19 year-old group.

I’ll drink to that

By Julia Fish As a true sports fan I get pretty pumped up about practically any sport. During the dry season (no pun intended for those without water this week) between masters, majors and opens, I find myself getting amped about reruns of things like the curling championships. I will watch just about anything.

Keeping this in mind, I find it very difficult to get behind some of the contests scheduled for Intervarsity this weekend. The mental image of the Rhodes cheerleaders pulling out their pom-poms to cheer on the Rhodes Moot court team had me giggling for hours.

Sure, the arguments will be fierce and the competition stiff, as most lawyers usually are – but is this sport?

Forgive my ignorance but I have never quite understood what toastmasters is.

I imagine a bunch of people repeatedly raising a glass of wine shouting “to us”! If I can get excited about a sport as ridiculous as curling, I should not find it hard to rally behind the toastmasters’ obscurity.

I love the all-inclusive nature of the games, but are we just handing out childhood participation certificates to our societies by letting them compete?

How much early morning training are we subjecting our law students to? I would like to see their workout regime and preparation schedules.

In the spirit of the strange and wonderful I stumbled across one of the best obscure sports events in our funny little town. The City of Saints never ceases to amaze me in its diversity and I was joyfully surprised by the inaugural Grahamstown Bodybuilding Championships which recently took place at the Recreation Hall. Men and women strutted their stuff in the tiniest of swimsuits that looked woefully inadequate against their buffed-up biceps. The makers of Vaseline will be happy with the injection the event gave to their revenue as the competitors positively glistened in front of the packed to capacity hall.

In other words, who am I to judge what gets crowds going? Some pretty random things pull in supporters in the name of sport. To those flying down the N2 this weekend so we can “fight on the beaches… fight on the landing grounds… fight in the fields and in the streets” – do not surrender! Someone will be there to toast to your success.

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Sports Admin found wanting Page 15

Edition 7, 16 August 2013

Fixtures Intervarsity Friday 16 August Golf NMMU vs RU vs UFH Foursomes - 07:30 Singles - 11:30 Hockey RU vs NMMU (women) - 18:00 RU vs NMMU (men) - 19:30 Squash RU vs UFH - 14:00 The Rhodes Basketball team played a friendly match on Saturday, 10 August in Alec Mullins Hall. The team was divided into South African and Zimbabwean sides. Pic: Sara Steiniger

South Africa and Zimbabwe share the spoils in basketball friendly

By Tebo Ramosili The annual Zimbabwe versus South Africa basketball event was held on Saturday, 10 August, and saw the South African women and Zimbabwean men make their sides proud. The event was held in Alec Mullins and although it started late, the crowd and the players enjoyed the games.

The ladies were the first to compete. The South African women were represented as the ‘home’ team on the digital score board, and the Zimbabwean ladies were the ‘guest’ team.

The ladies match was played for 13 minutes in two halves, as opposed to the traditional 10 minutes per quarter.

The Zimbabwean ladies soon took the lead with 12 points to South Africa’s 2 points. They managed to maintain their lead until the last 5 minutes of the game, when the SA side accomplished successful field goals, which saw the SA women win the match with a final score of 14 to 13.

Sphiue Radebe, one of the South African ladies, expressed her delight with the final score. “It was a hard game, but we came back,” she said. “It was also a lot of fun and we worked really well together.”

The men’s match followed, and didn’t fail to live up to the excitement from the game before.

The Zimbabwean men dominated the score

board in the first two quarters, with a score of 20 to South Africa’s 8 points. However, the last quarter of the game saw the SA side climb to 14 points to Zim’s 23 points, and after the timeout session, SA took better control of the game by intensifying their defence.

Towards the end of the game the score was 24 points to SA and 28 to Zim.Despite this final push, Zim maintained their strong lead and beat SA 32 points to 25. Arnold Mlandeli, the Zimbabwean base player, congratulated the SA team on their efforts while humbly celebrating Zim’s success. “It was a fair game,” he said.

“They really did give us a good game. I’m happy with the result.”

Football Ru vs WSU - 14:00

Saturday 17 August Surfing RU vs NMMU - 08:30 Table Tennis RU vs NMMU (men) - 09:00 RU vs UFH (women) - 10:30 Football RU vs WSU (men) - 09:00 Rugby RU vs UFH (U/21) - 10:00 RU vs UFH (Snr) - 14:00