Die Matie - 28 Augustus 2019

DieMATIE WENNER VAN DIE ATKV-MEDIAVEERTJIE VIR BESTE KAMPUSKOER ANT

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WOENSDAG 28 AUGUSTUS 2019

NEGE-EN-SEWENTIGSTE JAARGANG | NO 2

ACA-AWESOME Meet this year’s finalists. Pictured is Eendrag men’s residence who made it to finals with Wilgenhof, Simonsberg and Huis Visser. The women’s finalists are Aristea, Irene Nemesia and Sonop. Photo: Edó Photography

LLL Village to have last laugh? CATHARINA VAN DER MESCHT

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esidents of the Listen, Live & Learn (LLL) Village and supporters of the initiative have contested the decision made by Stellenbosch University management to convert the LLL Village into a senior residence in 2020. This comes after Enos Lekala, the LLL coordinator, and Pieter Kloppers, Director at the Centre for Student Communities, informed the current LLL villagers of the University’s decision to remove the village from the LLL program and to transform this living space into a senior residence On Wednesday 21 August at 11:05, a group of roughly 30 student protesters marched from the Van der Sterr building to the Centre for Student Communities (CSC) to hand over a Memorandum of Grievance to Kloppers. Upon arrival at the CSC the protesting students chanted, “Down with programs of Pieter Kloppers! Down!”. This was repeated several times. Kloppers appeared and Zizo Vokwana, SASCO chairperson, stepped forward to address the crowd.“…it’s an exclusion issue. LLL is a black space [and] we will not allow it to be destabilized. That is our space and black students apply there because it is our home,” Vokwana said. She added that, “It is very important for white students to have their own culture, to us as well it is very important to have our own culture on this campus,” said Vokwana. Luke Waltham, chairperson of the Stellenbosch Chapter of UNASA, read out loud the memorandum composed by the People’s Movement and current grieved LLL village residents. “Our fundamental problem with this decision

PEOPLE MOVING LLL and allies protest in the streets of Stellenbosch. Photo: Carla Visagie is that LLL is a programme and a space of transformation where people of colour have been able to live comfortably and feel included,” read Waltham. According to the memorandum, those involved reject management’s decision “wholeheartedly on administrative and humanitarian grounds.” It further reads: “We believe that there was not enough communication from management, and this lack of consultation has resulted in an administrative error and lack of oversight from their side.” The three-page memorandum also states that “the comments stated by[sic] Martin Viljoen, spokesperson of the university, in MatieMedia were not factually correct, and misled the public.” In an article published by MatieMedia on 17 August 2019, Martin Viljoen, SU spokesperson, said that a growing need for accommodation for senior students led to Management’s decision. He is quoted saying, “The LLL Programme is an experiential learning platform and the stand-alone houses provide us [with] the best

chance of managing both success and failure at any given time. “Not only is this attributable to them being the foundation of LLL as initially conceived, but also because their spatial design and structure allow us to break the houses into easily manageable hosts,” said Viljoen. After Waltham finished reading the memorandum, Kloppers received a copy and asked if it would be possible to receive a smaller group of names with which management could have an initial discussion regarding the demands. This was met with resistance as the protestors demanded the suspense of management’s decision before any further engagements could take place. Keitumese Lebesa, a third year LLB student and one of the protestors, stepped forward. “What we are requesting is [for you] to scrape the decision that was made without due process, without consultative governance, without communication. Let us start from a point of departure where both sides are willing to engage, so that we can both

come to a decision, open mindedly[sic] so, without any ulterior solutions on the side,” he said. The protest ended with Kloppers agreeing to postpone the decision until a meeting with the proposed group of representatives had taken place. When asked about what exactly the LLL initiative is and how the LLL village links into the program Kloppers answered, “The LLL programme was designed to prepare students as agents of change in society where they [can] help to build and support thriving communities and to contribute to the building of social cohesion amongst our students and to have a similar lasting impact wider than the University.” “LLL is thus seen as a unique growth opportunity and not merely accommodation. For this reason, students apply or reapply for the programme annually. Students are well aware that they have to contribute to the programme to make it successful. The LLL Village is purposefully built to support such a programme and is designed in such a way that each unit would represent a ‘house’.” “The LLL pro-

gramme overall has struggled in the last two years to get the desired numbers to run the programme successfully for the roughly 200 students that form part of the programme.[…] In other words, there are not enough applicants that meet the qualifying LLL standards to make sure that the programme starts the year in a way that can ensure success,” Kloppers said. According to Kloppers, the result was that senior students who were uninterested in participating in the LLL programme, and who had not applied for LLL, were allocated to LLL living spaces. “This dilutes the focus of the houses. To make the programme successful, the numbers must thus be reduced. It also became clear that it would be more sensible to use the freestanding houses as the base for the programme. Flowing from this, the current LLL village can be converted into a senior residence for which there is also a real need.” Klopper’s said there are about 1 000 applicants for senior student housing annually and only around 200 places are available. He added that if the Village is converted to a senior residence it could add about 110 places. “The CSC hopes to be fair to all, to those that currently live in the Village and applied for a place to stay for next year, as well as all other students that applied for senior residences for 2020. Constructive conversation with the students currently in the village, including those that handed over the memorandum, will lead us in the process,” he said. At the time of writing, a list of LLL representatives was sent to management so that the procedure of student consultation could begin. This is a developing story.

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NEWS

Chief Justice: Religion and politics? TOM LEE & AMBER PAYNTER

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hief Justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng, was invited by Shofar Student’s Society to speak at an event held on 23 August in the Conservatorium. Sias Le Roux, a pastor at Shofar Stellenbosch, first met Mogoeng Mogoeng at the ‘It’s Time’ event in Bloemfontein in 2017, a mass gathering that was attended by citizens and various political leaders to pray for South Africa. Shofar church leaders were again reconnected with Chief Justice during a prayer gathering in parliament where different churches came together at the end of 2018. Roux said that the event was organised by the Shofar Student Society, which is a registered student society at Stellenbosch University (SU). “The society was established in 1991, which makes us one of the oldest societies on campus. We want to encourage students who have a Christian perspective to be involved in social justice and leadership. We encourage leaders of tomorrow to stand up and to have a dream,” Le Roux said. Mogoeng was invited to address students about having hope for South Africa. During his adress, Chief Justice encouraged his audience to strive to be ambassadors of love, justice and forgiveness. He told students that they are

CHIEF JUSTICE Honorouble Chief Justice Moegoeng Mogoeng was fired with difficult questions at the talk hosted by Shofar Student Society Stellenbosch. Photo: Lydia Muller members of the bigger South African family and that there is no place for discrimination or hatred in our society. “Once you begin to add hatred into our way of life, you are going to toxify society. We need to build a society that is based on love,” Mogoeng said. In addressing the youth that plan to leave the country out of fear, the Chief Justice urged them to remain and become part of the solution.“[If you leave the country], you are betraying yourself un-

necessarily and you are legitimising the notion that you are not a real South African citizen. Why do we allow ourselves to be terrified by what’s happening around us? Have we forgotten the resilience of the South African people?” said Mogoeng. Rather than focusing on the mistakes and wrong-doings of people, Mogoeng maintains that the citizens of this country should focus on the good that can be gathered from them. In promoting an attitude of

HTB: Die naskokke ANNERINE SNYMAN

DIE vuur wat op die aand aand van 12 Augustus in een van die kamers op Huis ten Bosch (HtB) se derde vloer uitgebreek het, het ál 164 inwoners tydelik sonder blyplek gelaat. In ’n verklaring, net meer as ’n week ná dié insident, het prof. Arnold Schoonwinkel, Viserektor: Leer en Onderrig, bevestig “alle studente het blyplek”. Hy bedank die inwoners van HtB vir hulle samewerking en sê dat die “belangrikste mylpaal”, naamlik om vir alle inwoners blyplek vir die res van die semester te vind, bereik is. Hy verduidelik verder dat die versekeraars ná hul ondersoeke vasgestel het dat die “gebou weens aansienlike brand- en waterskade aan meer as net die derde vloer, nie veilig vir bewoning sou wees vir die res van die semester terwyl herstelwerk gedoen word nie”. Volgens Martin Viljoen, die Universiteit Stellenbosch (US) se woordvoerder, is Marsh die universiteit se “formeel-aangestelde korttermyn versekeringsmakelaar”. Viljoen verduidelik ook verder dat die universiteit se versekeraars, in oorleg met Marsh, die forensiese ondersoek op die perseel sal behartig. Studente is volgens Viljoen self vir die versekering van hul persoonlike bates verantwoordelik en die US sal “nie daarvoor kan instaan nie”. “Die US het wel as

DONASIES BY DOSYNE Huis ten Bosch het donasies vanaf alle oorde ontvang. Foto:René Esterhuyse ’n gebaar van welwillendheid ’n ex gratia-betaling gedoen uit eie fondse vir die direk-geaffekteerde 14 studente. Voorts is ’n hulpfonds gestig waar skenkings inbetaal word,” het Viljoen bygevoeg. Die oorsaak van die brand is egter steeds nie bekend nie en Viljoen sê dat dit nog te vroeg is om mening te gee oor of enige student daarvoor aanspreeklik gehou sal word, indien dit deur ’n student veroorsaak is. Volgens Ella van Rensburg, HtB se prim vanaf 1 September, is dit ’n uitdaging dat die HtB-inwoners tans oor verskeie plekke versprei is. “Dit is ’n groot aanpassing vir meeste van die HtB-inwoners wat, soos ek, daaraan gewoond is om bekende gesigte om elke draai in die koshuis raak te loop,” sê sy. Sy het egter moed dat die band wat in hulle gemeenskap gevorm

is, hulle deur dié aanpassing sal help. “Ons het baie karakter en die uitdagings wat die aand van 12 Augustus ons nou laat is net nog ’n fase waardeur ons gemeenskap versterk sal word en ons karakter bou,” meen Van Rensburg. Van Rensburg sê ook dat sy weet die vuur se skade sal vir ’n lang tydperk ’n impak op menigte fasette van die koshuis hê. Inwoners word nie in die koshuis toegelaat nie en Viljoen sê daar sal van die konstruksiemaatskappy versoek word om die gebou in fases op te bou, indien dit moontlik is. Die doel hiervan is om gedeeltes van die koshuis in 2020 in fases oop te stel. “Die konstruksieskedule sal teen die einde van September beskikbaar wees vir verdere beplanning met die oog op 2020,” sê hy.

striving to move forward, Mogoeng said what a “privilege and call to service” it is to be a leader. “South Africa, now more than ever before, requires men and women of integrity.” Whilst the event was mostly attended by Shofar Church members, the event did have a few people not affiliated to Shofar in attendance. The event according to these individuals, was not what they were expecting to experience. Nicholé Taljaard, fourth-year law student, believed that the advert promoting the event was misleading and convoluted. "The advertisement was super misleading and irritated a lot of my peers and me. We were expecting to listen to Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng in his capacity as a member of the Judiciary, not to be influenced by the church and the church proceedings that occurred,” Taljaard says. Taljaard and her peers felt as if the interests of the Shofar Church were carried out instead of taking into consideration other religions and cultural backgrounds that were present, as well as those who had the understanding that they were going to listen to the Chief Justice in his capacity as a member of the Judiciary of South Africa. Paul Twekye, an Economic Sciences honours student said, “The frustration was felt before the event even began. We were given pamphlets that promoted Shofar,

instead of the actual Chief Justice and the frustration only got worse when worship song began.” The Constitution requires that the members of the judiciary remain impartial and states, according to section 165(6), that the Chief Justice, the head of the judiciary, exercises responsibility over the establishment and monitoring of norms and standards for exercising of the judicial functions of all courts. The law necessitates that the Chief Justice regulates the relationship between his role as the Chief Justice and his role as a Pastor. Professor Bradley Slade, a professor in Constitutional Law at SU, gave some insight into the matter. “I don’t think there is anything automatically untoward about Shofar inviting Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to speak and there is nothing problematic with him saying things not in conflict with the Constitution, but there is a danger, however, if he does say something in conflict with the Constitution. He has made it clear in the past that his role as a pastor does not affect his ability to Judge and to be impartial.” “It becomes dangerous within society when the Chief Justice is perceived as pro-Christian. This may allow for people to perceive that such religious affiliations may have an impact on judgements regarding the constitutional principles,” Slade said.

Student gesteek by koshuis DANÉ DOOGE

’N STUDENT van die Universiteit Stellenbosch (US) is Sondagoggend omstreeks 2:30 met ’n mes gesteek. Volgens Alexander Korsten, Wilgenhof-inwoner en vyfdejaar-BRekLLB-student, het hy “mense buite gehoor, maar het homself aanvanklik nie daaraan gesteur nie” want hy het “aangeneem [dit was] dronk studente,”. Korsten bly in die Ou Bachelors-deel van die koshuis waar twee jong mans om hulp kom vra het. “Daar was ‘n verskriklike geskreeu en geslaan aan vensters en die elektriese hek wat binne na die koshuis toe lei. Iemand het om hulp geskreeu waarna ek, my kamermaat en my vriendin dade-

lik gaan kyk het wat aangaan.” Korsten het egter bevestig dat dit nie een van die Wilgenhof-inwoners was nie. Volgens 'n bron naby aan die leierskapstrukture van Wilgenhof, het die geval nie op die terrein plaasgevind nie, maar tussen hul koshuis en die kuierplekke. Daar is ook bevestig dat die jong man tans in ‘n beter toestand is. Sy vriende wou nie verder oor die voorval uitbrei nie. Kampussekuriteit was op die toneel om te help met die geval. Volgens kaptein Natalie Martin, woordvoerder van die Stellenbosse polisiestasie, is die polisie nie na die toneel ontbied nie en daar is ook tot dusver geen saak oopgemaak nie. Teen Maandag het die man se bebloede hemp steeds op Wilgenhof se gras gelê.

NUUS

28 Augustus 2019

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Eye in sky is changing agriculture LOLITA DE ABREU

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ormer Stellenbosch student Devin Osborne, who is now working with AGTech company, Aerobotics, gave a talk on 21 August in Lombardi 3001 about the future of agriculture under the assistance of Aerobotics. Osborn studied a BSc in Soil Science and Viticulture, completed his MSc in Soil Science, and is now the head of agronomy at Aerobotics. He worked with the company during his masters when they were just starting up and got involved with them once his masters was completed. Aerobotics is an AGTech company based in Cape Town City Center that, “Help[s] farmers better manage risk on their farms,” says Osborne. Through artificial intelligence and drone images, Aerobotics is able to identify early-on pests and diseases amongst fruit and nut crops. “We offer this through end-to-end monitoring solution that is guided by drone and satellite imagery,” explained Osborne. Cameron Muir, first year Viticulture and Oenology student,

IS IT A BIRD? This “bird” can help farmers to make agricultural practices easier by helping them reach places humans cannot. Photo: Devin Osborne says, “This is a very well thought who are farming very large areas, out idea and can be extremely use- to walk through all their orchards ful as it can give access to hard to and blocks every day or week to reach areas on the farm.” monitor how their trees are doAerobotics own their own ing. So we act as their eye in the drones, and employ a network sky and monitor every tree on the of pilots across the globe who fly farm,” Osborne says. Their tree them and collect the imagery that census involves identifying the Aerobotics utilizes. tree’s volume, height, chlorophyll “We know how difficult it is levels and canopy area. for farmers, especially for [those] Farmers can plan their own

flights by simply choosing the speed and height they desire, and the drone will be sent on an automated flight. The drone imagery is uploaded onto the application and sewn together in order to make one clear image. Everything is done automatically and electronically. Upon signing up, Aerobotics offers two years of historical satellite data for the fields. Although their technology is unable to tell the difference between citrus varieties at the moment, the data provided from their application assists farmers by monitoring and colour coding the performance of crops, identifying weak areas, identifying pest and disease, and picking up wavelengths unknown to the naked eye such as identifying trees that are under stress and possible threats based on this information. All of this is made possible by low-resolution weekly satellite imagery, high-resolution drone imagery, and multispectral imagery. Peter Norvig, head of research at Google, has praised their data annotation skills. Joshua Youldon, first year Viticulture and Oenology student,

said, “The technology would be very helpful in the wine industry and possibly help farmers produce world-class grapes. Aerobotics has put themselves in an ideal position between new technologies and well established farming systems. [They] bridge the gaps that farmers have encountered for years.” Farmers can go years back into their data and compare the state of their farm with previous years. They can also take their data into the field with them and collect their own data offline using the Aeroview Scout app offered by the company. Aerobotics is currently working on a new yield estimate tool. Osborne explained that this includes drone snapshots that the application will use to count fruits as well as estimate size and quality. “The future of agriculture will no doubt be changed by the use and implementation of drone and estimation technology. It allows for farmers to possibly save on hours of manually checking their crops and save on manpower needed to tend to the crop, as they will be able to locate the specific areas that need the most help,” Youldon said.

SU honours women on the Rooiplein AMBER PAYNTER & LARA VAN HEERDEN

COINCIDING with Women’s Month, an art piece celebrating the vibrancy and leadership of South African women was inaugurated on the Stellenbosch University (SU) campus. On 26 August, an opening event was held to launch the art installation, after which the launch attendees were invited to take a walking tour of the various Visual Redress pieces around campus, including installations at the SU Library, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Adam Small Theatre. “The Circle”, a now familiar bronze art installation on the Rooiplein grass, features 11 prominent female figures, forms part of this Visual Redress. Curator of the collaborative project, Stephané Conradie of SU’s Department of Visual Arts,

said the idea of a circle was born from an image of indigenous Khoi people conversing amongst themselves. She shared that while she was a SU student, groups would congregate on the grass and engage in conversation. “The idea came that if everyone could sit down in a circle and humble themselves and talk, then maybe we could move forward,” Conradie said. “The project foregrounds women who have contributed to our society but whose histories have been erased or overlooked in the past, as well as women who currently have a voice and are engaging in current issues. “We hope it is a space for students to sit and engage. This was not supposed to be an imposition but was supposed to blend in with what’s already happening on this patch of grass.”

CIRCLE OF INFLUENTIAL WOMEN Maties ladies basking in the legacy left by the powerful South African women before them. Photo: Amber Paynter The draft for the policy has been opened for comments since 2 August and will close for comments on 2 September. The final approv-

al of the policy will happen on 2 December 2019 at the last Council meeting of the year. Prof Wim de Villiers, SU Rec-

tor and Vice Chancellor, said the policy is an endeavour to replace offensive visual symbols with new ones comes in the wake of SU’s Transformation Plan and their contribution towards excluding voices in the past. “What we see here tonight is an expression of our commitment. We want symbols, names and artworks that heal and unite and help us move forward together,” De Villiers said at the launch event. According to Prof Elmarie Constandius, Senior Director: Social Impact and Transformation from the Department of Visual Arts (SU), the policy is an attempt to “[remedy] the harm that visual symbols [from previous and current social injustices] have caused by creating new African centred symbols that will be inclusive of a wide array of histories and identities.”

My Brew goes to ICU NICOLE NASSON

My Brew , one of Stellenbosch University’s (SU) most popular coffee roasteries, are on their way to the SU Tygerberg Medical Campus. Freddie Kruger, the owner of the My Brew franchise, exclusively told Die Matie of the expansion set to open in October this year. My Brew, originally based in Somerset West, opened its first kiosk in 2015 in the Neelsie Student Centre. Now Kruger plans to open a kiosk on the medical campus. “The people we call customers are becoming our friends and it’s nice to establish a brand where people can enjoy our company and our coffee,” said Kruger.

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Battle of the SU societies BRYNLEY VAN AARDT

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ith two new political societies on campus that have opposing views, Stellenbosch University (SU) has become slightly more decorated with various posters put up by both Progress SA and Students for a Democratic Society. Paul Joubert, a founding member of Students for a Democratic Society who put up the second set of posters, said, “We didn’t react per poster because that’s adding to the yelling match. We just restated positions in a way that is very moderate and granted there are a few posters that we couldn’t really resist being a bit spicy but mostly we tried to reiterate positions that are very moderate.” Tariq Khan from Progress SA said the posters by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) responds to a “distorted and false” version of the arguments put forward by Progress. “It’s both manipulative and misleading to students. As usual the left finds itself showcasing its obsession with intellectual dishonesty,” said Khan. Progress held their first event last Monday, inviting Gwen Ngwenya to give a talk about South Africa’s prospects without BEE and Affirmative Action which saw both students and lecturers turning up to listen to what she had to say. The event covered various racial stigmas in South Africa and was followed by a Q&A session afterwards. Tami Jackson, a co-founder, said that this is just the first of many events. On the other hand, SDS is planning their first “unofficial” event for the next term which will most

GWEN NGWENYA Progress SA had their first event at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences building where Gwen Ngwenya spoke about the touchy subject of race and diversity in South Africa. Photo: Progress SA Twitter likely be a discussion on either, “something Progress SA has provoked or whatever is relevant at the time,” said Joubert. Their official opening event will, however, only be in the new year once they have been officially registered as a society at Stellenbosch University. “It’s weird what is going on around campus and what it really is, is two groups who want to work to a better future and don’t know how to get there. I’m not defending Progress or attacking SDS, but if they’re calling for the censorship of people’s opinions because they aren’t as lsiberal as theirs then they’re just as bad as the people they are against,” said Vehan Landman, a second year BA(PPE) student and ex-DASO SU

executive member. Confidence Moseki, the SASCO SU secretary, said, “We go by the values of non-racialism, non-sexism and the society we envisage is one where everyone has a voice. It goes over our heads as SASCO that the university has given Progress the platform to express hateful comments that are undoing the work of actors who have tried to bring transformation on our campus. While we can champion freedom of speech because it is a democratic right, freedom of speech ends where hate speech begins.” Both political societies are currently in the process of becoming registered as official societies of Stellenbosch University, however, this needs to go through student court first.

Koukuskaskenades DIE STUDENTERAAD (SR) se eerste amptelike koukus het op die aand van Dinsdag 12 Augustus plaasgevind. Die koukus se tema was kampusleierskap en die vraag aan die kandidate was: “Dink jy daar is ’n leierskapkrisis op kampus?” Volgens Jonty Stokes, derdejaar-BA(Sosiale Dinamika)-kandidaat, is die leierskapsprobleem ‘n gebrek aan kommunikasie. Die enigste Tygerbergkampus-kandidaat, Wamahlubi Ngoma, het ook hierdie probleem uitgelig. “Studente word gegee wat leierskapsfigure dink hulle wil hê, terwyl die leierskap nie eintlik omgee of vra wat studente werklik nodig het nie.”

Volgens Jeff Ngobeni, nagraadse Teologiestudent, is die leierskapskrisis weens “studenteleiers wat verwaarloos word. Dit maak dit baie moeilik om te lei.” Kandidate het ook die akkommodasiekrisis op kampus aangespreek. Lwasi Phakade, ’n kandidaat en voormalige SR-voorsitter het voorgestel dat die “geografiese ligging [sic] deel van die koshuisplasing-kriteria behoort te wees”. Toe Ngobeni gevra is oor dié onderwerp het hy gesê dat die “armes [behoort] in koshuise geplaas te word en die rykes [behoort] uitgehaal te word.” Die SR word vanaand aangekondig. -Catharina van der Mescht

Mental health caucus THE STELLENBOSCH University (SU) Student Representative Council (SRC) had a caucus last week Monday revolving around the issue of mental health on campus. According to Lwazi Phakade, a SRC candidate, mental health issues are not unique to Stellenbosch and therefore is not only an issue for the SRC to solve. “The SRC cannot solely deal with issues of mental health, and they must work with different stakeholders of the university to come up with solutions,” Phakade said. Jonty Stokes, another candidate, said that problems do not arise through the lack of information but rather the channels of communication used. An-

other candidate, Sifiso Zungu said that some cultures feel excluded because the validity of traditional healers’ services are sometimes brought into question. Zungu said that some students do not cope because they “had a spiritual calling”. “They end up [being] academically excluded because the people who read their appeals are not able to relate to those problems,” Zungu said. Zungu mentioned that he will aim to make Campus Health services free. “In South Africa matters of health is some sort of a right if you check the constitution. I think I am in a good position to remind the university about that,” Zungu said. – Zahlé Eloff

Book club becomes SDS BRYNLEY VAN AARDT

TWO DAYS SUCCEEDING the Progress SA posters that marked Stellenbosch University campus, new posters with counter-arguments were seen in their place. These posters were put up by a new political society called Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Originally a reading group, interested in academic leftist literature, a group of 18 students realised they were struggling to understand the literature they were reading. This led to political discussions becoming the norm during their meetings. After thinking about becoming an official society for a while, when they saw the Progress posters put up around campus, they used the opportunity to become public with their beliefs. Paul Joubert, a founding member, said, “Someone needs to do something about the posters. I wanted to put up posters as well and I realised I am part of this new society, why not do it in the name of this society.” “It was an opportunity. We saw it. This was just a good way to get our voices out there and to make

ANTI-PROGRESS POSTERS The Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) made their campus debut with posters engaging with the Progress SA posters put up two days prior. Photo: Paul Joubert an impression in a constructive way,” Jurgens Pieterse, another founding member, said. “We’re still in the infancy stage and we’re busy writing our constitution,” Joubert said. “We believe in progressive projects and in creating a place where people can talk about it in good faith meaning you are willing to listen to their story”. With a belief that debate is not constructive and more of a performance, SDS looks to have panel discussions and invite guest speakers. They also want to make academic political literature more

readily available and understandable to students. When asked about sharing the name of the radical and sometimes violent Students for a Democratic Society prominent in anti- war protests in 1960s America, Joubert said, “We believe that we are also radical, but radical in the original sense of the word meaning going to the root of the problem. We share nothing else with them except the name. A more verbose name would have been Students for a Truly Democratic and Free Society but that’s not as catchy”.

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STUDENTELEWE

Students make rock-solid businesses GABRIELA VILJOEN

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alancing your academics, social life and health is a tall order for most students, yet a small group of students manage to achieve the extraordinary: run their own business in Stellenbosch. Caroli Burger and Jessa-Lyn Matthews, two Metal and Jewellery Design students, are two of these inspiring individuals. Both have a keen eye and passion for design and started designing for their friends and family. As best friends, they decided to merge and start a little business together to help promote each other’s work, and so Indi Cacti was born in July of this year. As avid festival goers and nature lovers, the name of their business and brand is a perfect match to their personalities and friendship. “Our logo came about from merging our illustrations together and we feel it represents us as people and how we would like to present our work,” said Caroli Burger, co-owner of Indi Cacti. Indi Cacti designs are largely inspired by nature. They work with natural materials, crystals and gemstones and focus on highlighting nature through the use of these beautiful materials. The owners said, “We want people to feel positive, confident and radiant, something we feel jewellery has done for us.” Their class schedules are extremely busy and intensive, but they work on their business after hours and on weekends. “We feel time management has been a key role in maintaining our business,”says Burger. As we all know,

“Meraki is the basic white b*tch vir die lewe.” – Hipster “No one needs you to be a teen mom right now, you are not Kylie Jenner.” – Frustrated friend “I can take you out of Dischem, but I can’t take the Dischem out of you.” - Student talking to a shopaholic friend “Dit is wat Stellenbosch aan jou doen. Jy sal enige iets vry.” - Concerned girl “The only thing you learn through having siblings, is to not react when they’re trying to irritate you.” - Student with siblings “I have so little upper body strength that I can’t even lift my arm to wave.” - Confused student THE LADIES BEHIND THE BUSINESS Caroli Burger and Jessa-Lyn Matthews are bringing local jewellery designs to campus with their new student business Indi Cacti. Photo: Supplied

“Ek het so lekker gevibe met hom. Maar toe maak hy sy mond oop en praat.” - Disappointed student

time management might just be every student’s biggest struggle, but doing something in your free time you love makes it worth it every time.“Our goal for the business is to spread good energy,

“You will never see me wearing this again.” - Student wearing Stellies gear

make people smile and appreciate nature, as well as produce good quality, hand-made pieces that can be appreciated as artworks.” Their business is still very new, but these two are extremely driven, excited

to grow their business and spread their positive energy through nature and good design. You can check out and order their designs on their Instagram page indi_cacti.

A day in the life of a lecturer ZAHLÉ ELOFF

LECTURES can be quite tedious some days. Especially those 08:00. classes after a long night – be it from jolling, studying, or simply binge watching. The lectures late in the afternoon aren’t any more appealing. It’s in those lectures where paying attention, if you manage to show up, is most taxing. Usually, when concentrating extra hard, paying extra attention, and staring maybe a little too much at your lecturer, a sneaky thought might make an untimely appearance. What does s/he do outside of this class? “I have to take at least two hours to get ready in the mornings. It’s more the coffee and my cigarettes to get me started in the morning, and answering emails,” Dr Chet Fransch, a lecturer in the Department of History, says. Setting time aside in the mornings to deal with some emails allows for better time management and less distractions during the day. A day which already seems to be jam packed if emails are one of the first things to be scratched off Francsh’s daily to-do list. “At least by the time I get to work, the emails are done, I’m awake as a human being, and then I get ready for whatever the day is going to present.” Assuming he has an 08:00 lecture, his day starts as early as 05:30

K

KAMPUS QUOTES

DR IN ACTION Chet enthusiastically lecturing his third year History class during the graveyard shift. Photo: Kesia Abrahams because traffic can be quite hectic even though he lives in Stellenbosch. He says he hates commuting and would rather pay a little extra to avoid the inconvenience. But getting to class and teaching might not be the hardest part of his job. “Sometimes I think the perception is that it’s just the classes you have to teach, but unfortunately it’s not. More and more responsibility is shifted on to the teaching staff because we’re in that middle between management and students. “A lot of the issues you have to deal with require you to act as ne-

gotiator, and you have to balance all this out.” Aside from mediating between management and students, and giving class, lecturers are expected to do research and deal with a lot of admin. Dr Fransch is the Employment Equity Officer of the Arts and Social Sciences faculty, meaning that for every appointments and promotions committee, he must sit among the advisory committee for the vice rector for transformation. In addition to all this, he must also find time to oversee a number of postgrads, read in preparation for lectures, and deal with mark-

ing. All this put together would certainly make for a busy day. “It’s a lot that one has to fit in a day and one has to have a clear head when you’re doing all of that. There is a lot of admin stuff you need to do behind the scenes. Lecturing is actually a small part of your role,” Fransch says. He is currently busy with a few research projects including the Kayamandi Armed History Research Project. He is spending a week at the end of the year with a research group in the UK in relation to his PhD on the history of rape in the Cape and is taking a Masters student to do their own research on missionary and colonial conquest in Malawi. Dr Fransch has been invited to give a seminar in Basel, Switzerland. He is also the co-editor for Historia, the internationally accredited journal of the Historical Association of South Africa. All these responsibilities are time consuming and eat up the hours of the day quickly. It is very easy for people to fall into a pattern of work, work, and more work. Fransch says that he usually leaves campus at around 18:00 or 19:00. “I will always go home and cook because it’s the only way that I actually do switch off, and watching reruns of old comedies like Friends. I could even tell you the words.”

“Alles werk uit...of jy gaan dood.” - Sinies-optimistiese honneursstudent “Kissing her is like making out with a stick of butter.” - First year student on the excessive use of lip balm “I’m literally just here for gees. I’m gonna nap.” - Tired student walking into a lecture “He smells so good. He smells like a boyfriend.” - Loveless student “The only thing that has a hangover is my wallet.” - Broke student “I spilled redbull on my laptop now my keys are crunchy.” - Student having a mild panic attack in the bib “Eva was verlei deur die slang, want Adam het nie mooi geweet hoe om syne te gebruik nie.” - Filsofie-student “I might just get personal with a lecturer to have secure parking.” - Student discussing SU’s parking problem “I could do it. I could catch one of these mf with my hands.” - Student walking behind a slow pigeon on

DAG & NAG

28 Augustus 2019 The Mosquitoes performed at the Berg River Brewery Festival last weekend, read all about it online.

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Dag & Nag

Magic at ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’ W KATHRYN VAN DEN BERG

hen the name Shakespeare is brought up, reactions will be mixed depending on your experience with the Bard. Regardless of your opinion of Shakespeare, watching the Stellenbosch University (SU) drama department’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will leave you in awe. Mareli Hattingh Pretorius, a senior lecturer (Voice and Speech) and current Chair of the Drama Department, says that students should not be sceptical of seeing the production because it is a play by Shakespeare. As the director of the play, she explained how “this production is also aiming to delight young and old”. “Shakespeare wrote for the masses – his plays were considered popular entertainment way back when. The themes Shakespeare addresses in his plays are universal and have stood the test of time, and I do believe them to be as relevant today as it was more than four hundred years ago. And that is amazing. “Theatre can be, and should be,

very many things. Entertaining, subversive, educational, challenging, healing, experimental, informative, to name a few. This production is pure fun,” Pretorius said. Andrea Hofmeyr, third-year BA (Drama and Theatre Stage Management) student, agreed that this play is something special. Hofmeyr is the Head of Department (HOD) of Wardrobe. She is responsible for coordinating costumes, make-up and styling for the show. When asked how she tackled the challenge of creating costumes for Shakespeare’s play, Hofmeyr said that “usually most of our costumes come from our wardrobe but for this particular period we needed the help and collaboration of Cape Town Opera”. “[The costume] says a lot about a particular character, so for me it is exciting to see how the costuming helps to bring the work of the actor to life, as well as the work of the set designer,” Hofmeyr explained. She advised that the audience pay special attention to the “dresses of our female characters” because “there’s so much detail in their costuming – the luxury of

THOUGH CREAM FACED LOONS Shall go whatch ‘A Mid Summer Nights’ dream, a production by the SU Drama faculty. Photo: Marquerite de Waal some materials and small details do really zone in on the typical styles of the time”. Like Hofmeyr, Alexander Brits, a third-year BA (Drama and Theatre studies) student, is instrumental in the smooth running of the play. Brits is the stage manager for the production and is responsible for running the show after

the rehearsal process. “The role of the stage manager is to help with scheduling, act as a liaison between the various departments (like decor or lighting) and the director,” Brits explained. “The best part of the job is seeing the curtain call at the end of each show. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment,” he said.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an amalgamation of talent, dedication, perseverance, creativity and, like Pretorius said, “just plain fun”. The show also “has a few surprises up its sleeve regarding moving technical parts,” promised Brits. “But if you want to see the magic, you will have to come and watch the show”.

LIT MATIE LitMatie is a platform that is new to Die Matie where we publish poems that are written by students. If you are a keen poet, feel free to send your poems through to us (p. 12). This week’s poem is written by Maria Stallmann.

Show your valid student card and receive 10% off

The tide ebbs and reveals the evening, glistening on the cooling sand, the sun like a large egg yolk cracked on the horizon. The sea fog crawls onto the beach and brings with it memories, so many beautiful memories that, like fish from a milky, slumbering depth, come up for a gulp, a bite of fresh air. We speak and sit in silence and speak and sit in silence. Your smile is a breath in the dark as the sun is snuffed out.

24hr Security - Monthly Contracts - Various sizes - Vehicle & Personal - Packaging Material

Nicole Abrahams

The Coffee Break

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KOFFIE

The really good coffees AMBER PAYNTER

three different brands: Terbodore, a darker roast with a stronger taste; Hazz, an easy-drinker with a medium roast; or Deluxe Coffee, a lighter roast. What’s more, their baristas are well-trained to bring you a quality cup of Joe. Only silky milk here.

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hether you’re a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur or a beginner being weaned off babyccinos, there is something for everyone’s palate in the Neelsie. For the sake of student sanity, below is a comprehensive study (not peer-reviewed) on the fine coffee establishments in the Neelsie.

MyBrew The coffee retailer with a concentration on African brew and authentically local beans. Their claim to fame is that they are the only shop in the Neelsie that roasts their own coffee, meaning their beans are fresh every day. MyBrew’s baristas are arguably the friendliest people on campus, so if you’re in a slump, let their caffeine and cheerful staff perk you up. The up-and-coming star on the menu is their caramel coffee, which is not too sweet since it’s balanced with Himalayan salt. Pro-tip: enjoy these last winter days indulging in a warm Melktart pancake.

Tamaties This charming coffee shop churns out cappuccinos made with their unique beans, Africana, which are especially blended for them. Apart from their medium roast coffee, Tamaties has some innovative snacks on offer, such as their very popular vegan brownies and their Nutella ‘cruffins’. They have a loyal following since they value listening to their

DCM A firm student favourite. While their coffee can be on the weaker side, they have an impressive selection of beans from around the globe, so you can take your taste buds on a cheap holiday to Italy, Kenya – you name it. Although the line is often long, don’t let that chase you away because their staff are quick to take orders. The Arabic roast is their bestseller – pair it with their popular Bar One muffin and you’ve got the perfect mid-morning snack.

FOOD FOR THE SOUL Unathi Fayindlala is the Front of House manager of Tamaties, in the Neelsie. customers’ needs. Chances are, if you have a ‘usual’ order here, the servers will remember – it’s all about that personal experience. Sit in their outdoor area and escape the chaos of the Neelsie during lunch time, where you can experience the wonderful outdoor creatures crawling the Rooiplein.

Double Shot Espresso Bar It’s in the name: double shots. Plus, they’re open late for those after-hour cramming sessions. If you’re going to buy coffee without using funds from your student account (also known as COB), you might as well spend money on premium coffee. Choose your weapon from a selection of

Roman’s Pizza Don’t be fooled by the unorthodox combination of coffee and pizza. The coffee bar is separated from the pizza grease and showcases four quality brands of beans, each with varying intensities. Ranging from dark to light roasts, there is Coffee Boom, Lavazza, Bootlegger and Deluxe. As we head into warmer days, be sure to try their coffee milkshake made with soft-serve ice cream. As an added bonus, you can watch those spoof videos on their TV screen as you wait (if you’re into that calibre of humour). Now is the time to be adventurous and explore all the options. If you’re excited, it is only the caffeine in your system.

“Sorry, I am not a functioning human yet. I haven’t had a cup of coffee.” – Distracted student apologising to friend “I make food, you make coffee.” – A man after braaing “There is an explosion of coffee shops in the Neelsie.” - Matie alumni visiting campus “Latté val waar hy wil.” - ’n Plaasjapie “The only relationship I need is the one with caffeine and milk.” - Single girl in the Neelsie “I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon.” - Student who stole it from Ronald Regan “If it weren’t for coffee, first year would be the best three years of my life.” - Overtired, overworked, stressed out student studying for a semester test “Koffie smaak na A, dis die waarheid my bra”. - ’n Uiterse flou student

Op ’n heerlike koppie koshuis–koffie LISA DE CLERCQ

AS ’n mens die inhoud van die Universitiet Stellenbosch (US) biblioteek se asblikke in ag neem, is dit seker veilig om te sê dat ’n groot meerderheid van die US se studente koffieverslaafdes is. As jy een van hierdie boon- en skuimmelk-misbruikers is, weet jy seker ook wat die effek daarvan is – elke barista in die Neelsie groet jou op jou naam en natuurlik het jy min geld in jou bankrekening. Volgende keer as jy ’n skielike begeerte vir C8H10N402 kry, spaar jou saldo ’n verdere skok en gaan maak eerder ’n lekker koppie koshuis-koffie. Al sal jou tuisgemaakte koffie seker nooit presies soos daardie lekker cappuccino by jou gunstelingkoffiehuis smaak nie, is daar wel metodes wat jy kan volg om dit so na as moontlik daaraan te kry.

Plunger of poeier Om hierdie besluit te neem, gaan dit natuurlik oor die konteks waarin jy jou koffie drink. Is jy besig om dit soos Lara Stander, ’n US-student wat al vir sewe jaar in die koshuis is, vinnig voor jou 8:00 klas af te sluk of sit jy rustig en

drink dit na ’n lang dag? Die omstandighede bepaal natuurlik die tyd wat jy gaan hê om jou koffie te maak, asook hoe lank jy bereid gaan wees om aan die opwasproses te spandeer. Plunger-koffie word oor die algemeen deur koffie-snobiste as lekkerder beskou. As jy jouself wil bederf, is dit seker ’n lekker opsie. Jy gaan egter nie meer só bederf voel wanneer jy die aftreksel na die tyd uit jou plunger en wasbak en van jou kombuisarea en elmboë af moet was nie. Die fyn, nat poeier het ’n manier om op vreemde plekke te beland. Jy kan egter die hele plunger-koffieproses soos Hanri Jacobs, derdejaar koshuis-inwoner, as ’n spesiale ritueel beskou. Wat kom eerste? Die metode van jou koffiemaakproses dra natuurlik ook grootliks by tot die uiteindelike aromas wat jy gaan kry. Om seker te maak dat die koffiekorrels nie totaal en al geskroei word nie, sit eers soos Charnay Vorster, derdejaar koshuis-inwoner, koue water, melk of selfs ys by voordat jy die kookwater ingooi. Reynard Marx, derdejaar koshuis-inwoner stem saam dat dit ’n wenresep

is en sê dat dit werklik die geure van die koffie laat floreer. “Las die plungers en vergeet van die gesoute-karamel almond milk cappuccini, hierdie is die nuwe espresso,” het hy gesê. As jy die melk eerste in die koppie gooi, hoef jy nie te skat hoeveel plek jy in die koppie gaan moet los wanneer jy die kookwater ingooi nie. As jy plunger-koffie maak, is twee tot drie minute, volgens Taneka Siegruhn, wat vir haar derde jaar die koshuislewe geniet, die regte hoeveelheid tyd vir die koffie om tot perfektheid te brou. Maak dit spesiaal Soos met baie dinge gaan dit nie oor wat dit is nie, maar eerder oor saam met wie dit gedoen word. Ongeag wat die kwaliteit van jou bone is, die kwaliteit van jou geselskap maak alles meer smaaklik. Nooi dus vriende saam om ’n koppie Ricoffy in jou kamer te geniet of gaan drink jou koffie in jou koshuis se gemeenskaplike kombuis of sitkamer. Dalk knoop jy in die proses ’n nuwe vriendskap aan. As jy egter die ekstra myl wil stap, kan jy soos Taneka Siegruhn, verskillende geure en sterktes koffie probeer.

’N KOPPIE KOFFIE VIR DIE SIEL Lara Stander weet hoe om koshuis-koffie aan die gang te kry met min moeite.

BYLAAG 9

28 Augustus 2019

The snacks students prefer Most people at SU love to eat a little snack when drinking a hot beverage. Kesia Abrahams asked students what their favourite snacks are.

Henry Knowlton BA History and Theatre studies

“There’s shortbread scones that I get from Checkers and they’re really good.

Lynne-Leigh Lloyd BCom Industrial Psychology

Gael Pendy BSc Geo Informatics

Alexander Velissariou BCom Management Sciences

Nina Howell BA Development and Environment

“I literally took an 85% Lindt dark chocolate and dipped it into my coffee, it was so good”

“I don’t know what you call it in English but in French it is nougat, I think it is the same.”

“With coffee or tea. You can’t ruin coffee with a snack, I drink my coffee black.”

“I don’t know if I should advertise DCM’s donuts but those are definitely a favourite”

SALIGHEID Sakura Yamaguchi ontspan saam met ’n interessante boek en tee. So rustig maakLIKHÂ jou siel. Foto: Catharina van der Mescht

LEKKER KOFFIES Shôn Fourie en Marnus Wahl lewer kwaliteit koffie met ’n breë glimlag by LIKHÂ koffiewinkel. Foto: Catharina van der Mescht

Studentebesighede vir die koffie kop(pie) CATHARINA VAN DER MESCHT

MENSE kan sê dat Stellenbsoch-studente nie bloed in hulle are het nie, maar eintlik koffie. Dit is daarom geen verrassing dat verskeie vindingryke studente koffie-verwante besighede op kampus het. Van ’n mobiele koffiewinkel, persoonlikgeroosterde koffiebone tot ’n weggesteekte diamant. Hierdie drie studente-koffiebesighede sal enige koffieliefhebber se hartsnare aanraak. Lucky Dice Coffee Co. Boeretroos op wiele, dít is wat Lucky Dice Coffee Co. vir die studente van Stellenbosch bied. Lucky Dice Coffee Co. is ’n losstaande mobiele koffiesleepwa waaruit eienaar Chris Green smaaklike koffie-konkoksies bedien. Enigiets van ’n iced latte tot ’n caffè mocha met amandelmelk. Die idee vir Lucky Dice Coffee Co. is Julie verlede jaar gedurende die universiteitsvakansie deur Green uitgedink. “Om geld te maak as ’n student hoef nie vervelig en uitputtend te wees nie,”

meen hy. Met geld wat hy as kelner verdien het, het hy die mobiele koffietrok van die grond af opgebou. “Ek is mal oor koffie en ek het gewonder hoekom die good stuff net by onbereikbare koffie-instansies gevind kan word,” is Chris se antwoord op waarom hy juis koffie as produk gekies het. Lucky Dice Coffee Co. se filosofie is dat hulle lekker koffie maak vir lekkerder mense. “Ons visie is om mense weer en weer te laat terugkom vir die produk, want ons glo ons het die beste koffie en selfs beter banter. Dit is vir ons ’n prioriteit om elke kliënt se naam te onthou, want jy is nie net ’n kliënt nie, maar ook ’n vriend,” sê Green. Dié mobiele koffiewinkel was geparkeer in Soeteweidestraat, maar is onlangs deur die munisipaliteit gevra om te skuif. Volgens Green is hulle tans besig om met die munisipaliteit te onderhandel om terug te keer. Tans is hulle ligging ’n geheim, maar ’n leidraad is op hulle Instagram-blad @luckydicecoffee beskikbaar. Gaan lê gerus ’n besoek af op die blad.

CoffeeMM Wat is kitskoffie nou as selfs studente vars geroosterde koffiebone soek? As jy een van diegene is wat jou neus vir kitskoffie optrek en eerder jou eie koffiebone wil aanskaf, hoef jy nie verder as CoffeeMM te kyk nie. Mhlengi Ngcobo, vierdejaar-BEng (Siviele Ingenieurswese)-student, het CoffeeMM gestig toe hy die groeiende aanvraag vir kwaliteit koffie raakgesien het. Volgens Ngcobo is daar ’n negatiewe stigma aan koffie geheg en hy meen dat natuurlike koffie eintlik ’n baie gesonde drankie is. Ngcobo wil met sy besigheid daardie stigma afbreek. CoffeeMM is ’n koffieroostery wat die kliënt die mag gee om self die roosterprofiel van die koffiebone wat hulle koop, te kies. Dit beteken die kliënt kan kies hoe die bone gerooster moet word en of hulle dit as bone, koffiegronde (gemaalde koffiebone) of espressogronde wil aanskaf. “Anders as gewone koffiekleinhandelaars lewer CoffeeMM jou persoonlike koffie vir jou af in die gemak van jou eie huis of kantoor,”sê Ngcobo.

Volgens Ngcobo is CoffeeMM aan die voorpunt van Afrika se koffiehandel. “Die visie vir CoffeeMM is om ’n voetspoor op die Afrika-vasteland te los waar ons landbou-opleiding, bemagtiging van gemeenskappe en regverdige handelsgeleenthede vir ontwikkelende koffiegemeenskappe kan skep,” sê Ngcobo. CoffeeMM gaan by die Homemakers Expo in die Kaapstad Internasionale Konferensiesentrum van 29 Augustus tot 1 September vanjaar wees. LIKHÂ ’n Gunstelingkoffiewinkel is soos ’n gekoesterde vriend, na aan die hart en vol vreugde. Vir die Stellenbosch-student is daar verskeie opsies om van te kies en vanjaar het ’n nuwe koffiewinkel in Stellenbosch verskyn. LIKHÂ het in Maart vanjaar sy deure oopgemaak. Surita Linde, eienaar en oud-BA (Gemeenskapsontwikkeling)-student, het die koffiewinkel begin na die geleentheid hom voorgedoen het. Linde beskryf haarself as ’n koffie-snob. “As student het ek gereeld nuwe koffieplekke gesoek. Ek mag selfs een of

twee keer klasse gemis het om die Kaapse koffiewinkels te ontdek. So toe my ma vir my gevra het of ek hier in Stellenbosch ’n koffiewinkel wil oopmaak, het ek natuurlik ja gesê,” vertel sy. Die koffiewinkel is klein en gesellig. Dit bied daagliks varsgebakte soetbederfies aan sowel as ’n spyskaart vol southappies en etes. Vir Linde gaan dit oor meer as net ’n koffiewinkel, dit gaan vir haar oor die ervaring wat daarmee gepaard gaan. “Ek wil hê mense moet na die koffiewinkel toe kom en voel asof hulle tuis is. Dit moet ’n safe space vir mense kan wees. As jy wil lees, dan kan jy lees. As jy wil skilder, asseblief kom sit hier en verf,” sê sy. Die naam LIKHÂ beteken om iets te skep of die proses van skepping (soos deur God). Vir Linde is dit wat sy vir haar kliënte wil bied. “Ons almal is geskep met ’n gawe. Ek wil hê mense moet weet jy het nie baie geld nodig om dit uit te leef nie,” sê sy. Maak gerus ’n draai by LIKHÂ by 4 Ryneveld Plaza of sien wat hulle aanvang deur hulle Instagram-blad @likha. stellenbosch te volg.

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KOFFIE

Coffee Benefits I

NICOLE NASSON

f you were to ask a student to name three things that they need to get through the day, coffee is probably listed in their top three. But did you know that there is actual hard core science behind downing a cup of coffee? Listed below are five reasons to pick up your caffeine filled power-up, accompanied by a My Brew drink recommendation to suit your every need.

Coffee is an alarm clock in a cup Surprise, surprise. Coffee wakes you up. All the coffee memes about becoming human once you sip on some coffee is not fake news. For a drink that packs a punch while delivering superb artisanal flavour, try My Brew’s Serious Regmaker or Brewtalizer.

Coffee = good power naps Got a lot of work to do, but want to squeeze in a quick nap before bunking down on all your work? Drink coffee before you nap. This is a good way to ensure you wake up in time to complete your work, instead of continuing to sleep into the night. Scientists recommend drinking coffee before taking a forty winks, which gives you 30 minutes of rest before the caffeine kicks in. Try My Brew’s Africano. The Africano is an Americano…just stronger.

Coffee improves your focus It’s six in the morning. You’re getting ready to go to your 08:00 class. You’re not a morning person so you know staying focused is going to be a challenge. Luckily My Brew has just the drink

for you! Try their legendary hazelnut, vanilla or caramel cappuccinos. The delicious sweet taste with the energy of good ol’ caffeine will keep you up and focused for hours.

Know your coffee

Increase your IQ with a little sip If liquor is liquid courage, then coffee is liquid intelligence. According to the Adenosine, Adenosine Receptors and the Actions of Caffeine study, coffee can “block the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitter, adenosine, and thereby increase neuronal firing in the brain, release neurotransmitters and improve cognitive function”. Long story short: drink coffee to be smarter. Try My Brew’s Café Mocha when you need a few extra brain cells. Kiss stress and depression goodbye Yes, you read correctly. Coffee is a stress AND depression reducer. The aroma alone is enough to do the trick, according to Seoul National University. My Brew’s café latte has the most uplifting aroma, it could just make you forget all your worries and make you smile.

For non-coffee lovers

Honourable mention: Immortality is a sip away (well sort of) Harvard Heath Letter conducted a study that discovered that drinking two cups of cup a day could reduce death by 10-15% as it helps fight against type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart conditions. Grab a cup of My Brew’s Iced coffee, because ditching death tastes better cold. *Sponsored by My Brew

Quality coffee on a student budget

DAG & NAG

28 Augustus 2019

11

Dag & Nag Don’t stop the music, man KATHRYN VAN DEN BERG

AS the end of the Semi-final round of the competition took place on Sunday evening, everyone now impatiently wait for the arrival of the 2019 SU Acapella (SUAC) final round. Only twelve out of the thirty registered ensemble groups have the opportunity to continue to the finals. Being the performers for the last of three evenings in the semi-finals, the ‘mens’ ensemble groups waited for Blain Josephs, the Culture Committee (KuKo) chairperson, to deliver the fate of the 2019 mens’ finalists. Of the six men’s ensembles who performed on Sunday evening, Eendrag, Simonsberg, Huis Visser and Wilgenhof are the finalists who will compete this Sunday. They will be joined by the four finalists from the Girl’s category; Aristea, Irene, Nemesia and Sonop, the two finalists from the ‘Mixed’ category, Hippokrates and Osler, as well as the Overtones and The Buskers who are performing in the newest category to feature at SUAC: the ‘Open’ Category. Van Wyk Venter, who is competing in SUAC and is the Musikultus liaison in KuKo, is also the ensemble coach for The Overtones. “Balancing my responsibilities as a KuKo member with arranging the music and rehearsals for the Overtones was the biggest challenge

for me,” Venter said. On top of balancing his own nerves before his group’s performance, Venter also had to complete his KuKo duties on the night of their performance. He does, however, appease his fellow-competitors that, although he is on KuKo and also competing as a contestant in an independent ensemble, he has “absolutely nothing to do with the judgement of the competition or any of the results.” Brendon van Niekerk, who is a part of the third ‘open category’ ensemble, ‘Blended’, which did not make it through to finals said that “the energy we had as a group before the performance was basically uncontrollable.” Nicholas Wilkinson, who is an avid SUAC supporter and who has also performed in the competition before, said that “it was exciting to see what groups could do with the wider vocal range available in a mixed group”. He also said that he enjoyed the open category, and it was “interesting to see what non-res Acapella groups exist on campus. I’m glad that there’s a platform for independent groups to perform and compete”. Wilkinson, like all the other SUAC fans, wait in anticipation for Sunday evening which, in true SUAC style, promises to give us a show worth a standing ovation.

‘Parallel’ exhibition at the SMAC gallery GABRIELA VILJOEN

A

shley Walters’ current exhibition, Parallel, intrigues and changes perspectives as he employs optical illusion and utopian concepts in his photography and sculpture pieces. The multi-award-winning artist and widely publicised South African artist, inspires next generation artists, by teaching Photography and New Media at Stellenbosch University. Yes, you probably did walk past Mr Walters on Victoria street, riding his bike to class, and no, you didn’t realize a lecturer could be quite this interesting. Walking past the black curtain into the first, dark room of his exhibition, you can’t help but stand in awe of the walls illuminated by a two-channel video playing on a hypnotic loop. The video illustrates a man jumping over a landscape illustrated wall and he explains the concept: “We all live together in a society, but move past each other in a parallel manner, not empathising with, and crossing over into other communities.” His work is a utopian view of society moving beyond societal borders and boundaries, into a space of inclusion and union. Two photographs on display is from a series “Shifting Place, Shifting Home” he shot when staying in Woodstock for three years. The piece called Parallel, a seemingly innocent black box from far, challenges the way we see and perceive, as the box refracts light in

Song Review: High CHRISTOPHER JOUBERT

FORMER Matie, Matt Carstens, has steadily built up a committed following in Stellenbosch and Cape Town. As of yesterday he officially dropped a brand-new banging single. “High” is the first single to be released this year by singer songwriter Matt Carstens. Having been a live feature on his setlist for several months, fans will be happy to hear that Carstens has adapted his live, loop-pedal hit into a brilliant studio hit. Showcasing Carstens’ lyrical prowess through his

distinguished voice, “High” takes the listener through a dynamic 3 minutes. Opening with Carstens’ verses sung over old-school beats and a groovy new-school guitar riff, the listener is captivated and, like clockwork, your foot starts tapping to the beat. The listener is then taken into a smooth melodic chorus that is stacked with sweet harmonies. Carstens reverts back to the skillfully phrased verse before dropping another catchy chorus. He then gradually ups the beat of the song until dropping a minimalist version of the chorus, keeping the listener intrigued,

until going balls to the wall with a beautiful vocal solo over the climax of the song. The song should become a welcome feature on your playlists and has an adaptability to any situation; whether it’s jamming out alone in traffic, upstairs on the Mystics’ dancefloor or even brushing your teeth, “High” will be a worthy track for the occasion. Be sure to check out Matt Carstens on social media for his next Stellenbosch gig. His performances have a reputation of good company, great tunes, and drunk and disorderly behaviour.

ACT NATURAL Ashley Walters caught in front of the camera. The two-channel video from his exhibition can be seen at the top of the page. Photo: Supplied. a unique, inspired way. Simultaneously looking at yourself, while looking through the box, aims to illustrate self-exploration and “taking a moment for yourself” in a fast-paced world. “I don’t try to over explain or provide additional information or context in terms of how one should perceive or view the work.” Walters invites you to explore his work and interpret it in your own capacity, also encouraging a conversation between viewers. The way Walters presents his work, makes you forget where you

are and truly be in the moment. He does an excellent job in striking the balance between seriousness and tongue-in-cheek throughout the exhibition.From America to Europe to SMAC in Stellenbosch, Walters is making his mark on an international scale. It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to enjoy incredible art like this- I would highly recommend taking your lunch break to give SMAC a visit and come back with a new perspective of your surroundings. The exhibition is open until 4 October.

12

REDAKSIONEEL

Protest, by all means

A group of student protesters took to the streets last week to contest a decision by the Stellenbosch University (SU) management to convert the Live, Listen & Learn (LLL) Village into senior accommodation by 2020. Read all about it on the front page. Campus protests like these are always an interesting occurrence, especially for the uninvolved observer. They are lively and loud, and they certainly don’t lack flair. These characteristics are obvious, tangible even, but not what grabs the attention. A protest wouldn’t be half as interesting without the accompanying rhetoric. During the 21 August protest, one of the frontrunners brandished a sign that read: We Have The Right To HOUSING! This seems unwise, if not ill-considered. According to Pieter Kloppers, Director at the Centre for Student Communities, converting the LLL Village to senior student accommodation would add about 110 places to the very limited 200 accommodation spots for senior students at SU. 310 places are considerably more than 200, which means more HOUSING! Especially if one considers that there are about 1 000 applications for senior student housing annually. But let’s assume that Kloppers is not to be believed. The poster would simply be ignorant then. The recent forays of dedicated journalists into the darkest folds of the State Capture serves to highlight this ignorance. Pieter-Louis Myburgh’s bestselling book on the Free State exploits of Ace Magashule does it excep-

tionally well. In Gangster State, Myburgh shows how housing tenders are used by influential politicians to reward friends and punish adversaries. Collapsed government housing, uncompleted hack jobs, and people without roofs over their heads are the grim monuments of this political game. These people have the right to housing. Certainly because they are the victims of corruption and unfulfilled promises. Especially because they will never see a cent of the millions of Rands that now line the pockets of those that claim to be their leaders and protectors. Here is some food for thought. Spaull and Kotze, 2015, and Van der Berg et al., 2016 found that approximately 60 out of 100 South African children who start school will reach and write matric. Only 37 individuals will pass and 12 will go on to university. Out of this number, four will complete an undergraduate degree within six years. Now, statistics always have their drawbacks, but they at least lay a reasonably good foundation. Every student living in the LLL Village is part of a meagre 12 out of 100. If they get their undergraduate degree within six years, or already have it, it’s 4 out of the initial 100. One could argue that this is a position of precious privilege. By holding up a sign that draws direct comparisons to the pleas of people who have no decent housing to speak of, the LLL protesters lay themselves bare to scrutiny. Protest, by all means. It is a democratic right. But one must always be weary of underm.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE AND REPORTING ERRORS Die Matie is onderhewig aan ’n gedragskode wat by die SRlid vir Media beskikbaar is. Alle klagtes word deur ’n regsdosent ondersoek, waarna Die Matie voor die Mediaraad kan verskyn. Klagtes moet volgens die uiteengesette prosedure binne veertien dae ná publikasie aanhangig gemaak word. Die Matie subscribes to the South African Press Code that

HOOFREDAKSIE HOOFREDAKTEUR Lian van Wyk TESOURIER Alexander Carstens BEDRYFSREDAKTEUR Oliver Frew UITLEGREDAKTEUR Heléne Leonard FOTOREDAKTEUR James Smith AANLYNREDAKTEUR Gabriela Viljoen ADVERTENSIEBESTUURDER Nicole Nasson ENGLISH SUB-EDITOR Byron Latham AFRIKAANSE SUBREDAKTEUR Dominique Fuchs NUUS Carla Visagie STUDENTELEWE Kesia Abrahams DAG & NAG Willow-Ruby van der Berg SPORT Lemuel Blignaut

prescribes news that is truthful, accurate, fair and balanced. If we don’t live up to the code, please contact the Ombudsman. Die Matie is accountable to its readers and will correct errors where necessary. Please send any complaints to the paper’s ombudsman/public editor, George Claassen, at gnclaassen@sun.ac.za or 083 543 2471.

KONTAK ONS / CONTACT US E-POSADRES diematie75@gmail.com POSADRES Langenhoven Studentesentrum; Privaatsak X1; Universiteit Stellenbosch; Matieland; 7602 WEBADRES w w w.diematie.com FACEBOOK w w w.facebook.com/ diematie OPLAAG 4 000 VOLGENDE UITGAWE 28/08/2019 SPERDATUM 23/08/2019 ADVERTENSIES Nicole Nasson diematieads@gmail.com ARGIEF Vorige uitgawes van Die Matie is in die biblioteek beskikbaar

MEDEWERKERS TEKSREDIGERING Catharina van der Mescht, Brynley van Aardt, Lisa de Clercq, Zahlé Eloff, Lauren Wesley-Smith DRUKWERK PaarlMedia SPOTPRENT Kesia Abrahams

GORRELKOP ’n Breek in my rooster Gorrel raak skoon lui as Gorrel ’n groot gaping in Gorrel se skedule het. Gorrel bevind dat Gorrel dan na die lange rus nie weer lus het om klas toe terug te keer nie. En Gorrel kan agterkom dat die affêre ’n effek op hulle akademie begin hê.

Fietsryers kyk nie Gorrel hou nou nie juis van fietsryers nie, want Gorrel voel asof die fietsryers nie vir Gorrel in ag neem nie. Die fietsryers dink dat die pad aan hulle behoort, maar Gorrel wil graag dit onder hulle aandag

Die kommentaar waarvoor almal bang is. Gorrel is nie verantwoordelik vir enige ongerief veroorsaak nie.

bring dat geen pad aan fietsryers behoort nie. Karre haat vir Gorrel Gorrel sê al vir jare dat karre regtigwaar vir Gorrel en Gorrel se mede-studente haat. Gorrel verstaan nie hoe ’n kar sommer sal rem as Gorrel oor die straat loop nie. Gorrel kyk altyd baie mooi voordat Gorrel oor die pad loop. En Gorrel kan met eerlikheid sê dat Gorrel nooit voor ’n kar inloop nie, maar as die kar op Gorrel gaan afjaag, gaan Gorrel die kar se tyd dan mors. Iets wat wel net vir Gorrel mal maak is die feit dat Gorrrel voel

dat karre aspris is. En dit werk op Gorrel se senuweees as ’n kar op Gorrel afjaag.

Toetsweek Gorrel hou nou nie meer van al die gespottery oor toetsweek nie. Alhoewel dit vir Gorrel se mede -studente snaaks is dat almal kwansuis toetsweek het, wil Gorrel graag net sê dat toetweek sleg is. En Gorrel het sy innige simpatie met sy mede-studente wat ’n slegte week gaan hê volgende week. Gorrel se raad is wel om nie die stres op Gorrel uit te haal nie. Dit maak slegte vriende vir Gorrel.

OPINIONS

28 Augustus 2019

13

Perspektiewe Faith, religion and reason at SU

CHRISTOPHER JOUBERT

YES, this article is about the existence of a deity (God or gods). Just bear with me for a second because I’m not here to convince anyone of anything. We’re just having a friendly chat. Stellenbosch has a disparity in belief. A good percentage believe in a god(s) of sorts. And a good percentage don’t. This separation has been the fuel for endless feuds and shouting matches where the two sides perpetually disagree. Heaps of us would rather hear people moan about season 8 of Game of Thrones then get caught in another debate. This has been written just so we can finally iron out the differences between theists and atheists. So, we can move on and maybe hold hands underneath a rainbow or something. A theist is defined as one who believes in the existence of a god or gods. An atheist is someone who either disbelieves or lacks belief in a God or gods. Agnostics have the belief that we cannot know whether God exists or not. Anyone who says that they’re agnostic is pretty much sitting on

* Christopher is a 3rd year BA Humanities who likes Bohos, 3 day benders, watching bands and getting barrelled. the fence between the two. But we aren’t here to talk about them, time is precious, and we don’t want to waste any. Religion and the lack of religion is an incredibly sensitive topic. And it goes both ways. We’ve all had an outraged, misinformed atheist tell us that religion doesn’t make sense and spew out a stupid argument they heard on a Netflix comedy special. And we’ve all had a self-congratulatory theist condemning us to eternal damnation for questioning God while screaming Bible quotes at us. No one wants to hear that they’re going to purgatory. It’s unsettling, even for

nonbelievers. I interviewed two people for this article. Firstly, Dr. Eddie Orsmond of SU’s Department of Theology. Dr. Orsmond, a Dutch Reformist Minister, has a PhD and specializes in Old Testament studies. Then, Fabio Tollon, MA philosophy currently doing his thesis. The two have polar views on the existence of a higher power. They’ve also spent an insurmountable amount of time going over this topic. They’re qualified. The fundamental differences come from how either side makes their arguments. An atheist uses arguments of empiricism (experience-based knowledge) while a theist uses arguments of meaning. Someone who does not believe in a god, would argue something like: I cannot believe in God because of the empirical evidence that suggests that we cannot know whether or not there is a God. Then, they would give reasons to back their claim. Whereas, a theist would use a different type of argument. They would, for example, say: “I believe in the existence of a high-

Institutional contempt and LLL PAUL JOUBERT

A general sentiment I have noted among progressive activists on campus is hopelessness. I myself am becoming weary of trying to effect institutional change at an institution that seems adamant to oppose their students at every opportunity. I find it interesting that such a large number of students at Stellenbosch University holds their management in contempt, and would leave at the first possible opportunity, kept here only by material conditions. I wonder if this is the case at other universities as well. This institutional opposition to “transformation” manifests itself in a number of ways, probably becoming the clearest in the time of Prof. Russel Botman, the previous vice-chancellor of SU. Back then, Prof. Botman received extremely critical backlash for even instituting such a thing as a “Transformation Office”. This Office is among several departments at the University that are doing great work in transformation and decolonisation, especially in a number of academic departments in the Social Sciences Faculty. However, they seem to be prevented from having any influence whatsoever outside of academia or perhaps a few critical engagements. A more current example is how extremely keen the University seems for “visual redress”. Most students have seen the metal silhouettes on the Rooiplein grass or noticed the multilingual phrases on the benches. Just recently, new boards went up outside the Library, probably with the purpose of encouraging interaction with the larger Stellenbosch communi-

ty. However, despite all this apparent fervour, the Wilcocks building still carries the name of the person who supervised Hendrik Verwoerd’s thesis first introducing the concept of “apartheid”. Further, the naming of the Equality Unit’s building as “Simon Nkoli House” contravenes explicit call from Nkoli’s family to not name any buildings after him or host events in his name, stating that the University has offended him and his legacy. The most recent controversial decision by the University was to take away the LLL(Perhaps write out the acronym for LLL for those who are not aware of it) Village from the LLL program, making it a senior residence. Technically, LLL is a “senior residence”, but works very differently from other resses; most importantly, it has a thorough application process that does not take HEMIS into account, but rather relies on interviews and critical engagement with social issues. The loss of the Village makes it much more difficult to be accepted into the program, since about 120 places — about 60% of the current capacity — is being taken away. LLL has long been a hub for progressive activism, and a safe space for students of colour and other marginalised student groups, making this seem like a politically motivated decision. The “switch-over” might not have been a problem in itself, but the CSC’s conduct in this process has been quite infantilising, expecting students to just accept a bureaucratic decision by some unknown committee, without ever engaging with those people who would be affected by their decision (contra-

er power because God has given me guidance and meaning in my life. Despite empirical evidence, I have faith and belief in his existence and his plan for me.” There it is boys and girls: the difference is faith versus reason. By no means is this an attack on intelligence; it’s simply a difference in values. Both sides have the same ability to reason, there’s just a divergence in that a believer will choose to have faith in God. And be undeterred by opposing reasons because the existence of God gives meaning. A theist will achieve meaning from their relationship with their God/gods and also, the purpose that higher power has given them. When I spoke to Dr. Orsmond, he spoke of the experience of being vulnerable and how important a personal relationship with God is and the guidance he gets from his faith. Dr. Orsmond also spoke of how “[empirical] reason subsides and that trust and belief…is the other kind of reasoning…a kind of wisdom to take into consideration”. Meaning comes from the relationship with God. So, what

about those without a God or gods? How can an atheist solve the dilemma of meaning in life? Where can we find meaning in life? This is the pesky question. Half of us have had existential crises because of it and the other half are about to. In my interview with Fabio, he told me that “the realisation that one is an atheist and there is no meaning beyond this life is actually the ultimate cause for meaning in this life”. Our time is limited and precious, and each experience we have is special. Essentially, the frugality of life is where meaning comes from. One could say that life is similar to supply and demand. It’s valuable because there is a low supply of it. To draw this to a close, we can walk away knowing a little more about each other. To the atheists: it’s not about an inability to reason with empiricism, it’s about choosing to trust and have faith in a God regardless of contrary reasons. And to the theists: people can find meaning in life without a higher-power or greater purpose.

Surviving SA TAMUNODEIN PRINCEWILL

*Paul is currently a third year student. He is a founding contributor to iLizwi.co.za, host of the upcoming PRAXIS podcast (praxis.tk), founding member of Students for a Democratic Society, and outgoing vice-chair of QueerUS. ry to what the University Spokesperson told MatieMedia). Further, this decision was only announced after senior res applications have closed, preventing students from applying for other residences. There has been an opportunity given to apply to be considered for the Village, but reportedly only 18 students that are not placed in LLL will be placed in the Village. Add to this the 74 remaining LLL positions in the freestanding houses, and the total number of students not displaced from student housing becomes 92, which is still a significant drop from the almost 200 students LLL is housing this year. This is even more stark when taking into account that some reapplications will be unsuccessful so that new residents can be accepted — this means that more than a hundred students are effectively being displaced. It is completely understandable that students are upset, but for many this is just one more way the University seems to actively antagonise and infantilise its students.

THE 9th of August is celebrated nation-wide as Women’s day. In commemorating the tenacity of the women that helped shape current day South Africa, it dawned on me that the strength of these women lay in their self-assertiveness. Before you can impact any change in others you need to ensure that you have the strength within you to perform such a task. For the black girl this means that you need to emancipate yourself from any physical, psychological or social notions that restrict your strength. Emancipation is a dual act; you first need to recognize what is tying you down. Then you need to free yourself from it. I have noticed along the years that the biggest problem amongst fellow black girls is that we have yet to be free within our own skin. By this I am referring to the unnecessary beauty pressures we place upon ourselves and the ones we allow the world to place on us. It is virtually impossible for you to truly embody strength in all forms if you see yourself as a lesser being. The reason the march to the Union Buildings was highly successful was because these women did not see themselves as subjects that could be restricted by pass laws. They knew their strength and power, and most importantly demanded that this strength be recognized.

*Tamunodein is a third-year student at SU, studying a BA in International Studies. Her passion is transforming words into experiences and her blog, Surviving South Africa: a black girl’s guide, discusses the black female experience. In turn the black girl needs to recognize the power she holds so that she can transfer this strength unto others. However, before your strength can be actualized you need to be comfortable in the skin that this strength will need to ooze from. There is a cliché saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, once you realize that the beholder you speak of is actually you then you will know that you are enough. You will know that the only opinions that should matter to you are your own. You will know that you are an unstoppable force compounded with an immeasurable strength.

14

CANVAS

Definitely not your everyday (Muis)ie

I

Nicole Nasson spoke to Muis Maleka, a budding philanthropist, about building a brand, her charity work and not being able to sleep

nnovator, pageant winner, ambassador, radio presenter and motivator. These are just a few of the words used to describe Masake ‘Muis’ Maleka. Muis, as she is affectionately called, is a multiple title-holder, with multiple awards and achievements under her belt. This third-year BA Humanities student is a force of nature and not only does she not plan on stopping any time soon, Muis aims for world domination (well kind of). Muis’ journey first started with an anti-bullying campaign she launched at her high school. This was a project close to her heart as she herself was bullied at school. “I would go home and cry hysterically, but I [had] to be the change I [wanted] to see and go to the schools and actually talk about these things and not be an internal victim,” Muis said. Muis also saw a need for sanitary towels in underprivileged schools. Upon visiting a village school, Muis overheard a conversation between two girls in the bathroom where the one expressed her issues about coming to school while menstruation. “I started working with [this girl] and she helped me identify children who actually needed [these sanitary towels],” Muis said. This led Muis to establish

DAPPER MUIS The one and only Muis Maleka on the set of Afternoon Express. Photo: Afternoon Express Photographer her foundation, Meisie Muis Motivates (MMM), which was only officially founded in her first year at Stellenbosch University, in 2017. MMM collects and distributes sanitary towels to those in need and hosts motivational talks about menstruation and bullying at primary schools. Muis received the Matric Achiever of the Year award from her district for her work with

MMM. Muis received her trademark nickname by accident. “My hockey coach said waar’s daai meisie, but [my teammates] misheard and thought she said muis instead of meisie,” Muis said. Muis liked the name and it eventually stuck, especially since it’s such a fitting description of her: small, but busy. Muis even liked it so much that she incorporated it into her brand.

After MMM’s establishment, Muis set her sights on another goal: pageantry. Against a lot of naysay, Muis won the Miss Teen Commonwealth Charity 2017 Pageant. Muis notes that this was one of her most noteworthy achievements thus far as she was somewhat of an underdog. “I’m not tall, number one, I don’t have a certain face…there are requirement, [but] I went there [because] the main thing I was pushing was beauty with a purpose, beauty and beauty with brains“, she explained. Muis soon realised she needed to brand herself. She reached out to a mutual friend who advised on taking this step. “Before Ponds brands you, before Revlon brand you, brand yourself so that they know who they are working with,” Muis advised. Muis’ win and work with MMM gained a lot of attention and soon talk shows and magazines reached out to her. At the age of 19, Muis featured in Successful Woman Magazine’s “19 Women To Do Business With” spread alongside big names, like global-award winning singer Nhlanhla Nciza and Dr Charlene Makita, a founder of a moringa based hair care line. Local TV talk shows like Soweto TV, CTTV AND Afternoon Express have all had Muis as a guest on their show. Most recent-

ly, Muis featured in Her Grit Magazine. Glow Nail, a South African Beauty Brand, choose Muis to be their ambassador in 2018. Currently, Muis is also one of the Friday radio host at UCT radio. Her latest achievement was winning the Global Youth Award for Educational Innovation. All this might seem like a lot to the regular joe, but Muis loves her work and believes it’s her destiny. “Have it all, but in chunks’, she said. “Fast forward to this year. As a suggestion, Muis applied to be a delegate at a World Health Organisation conference in Thailand this year and plans to return in November. When asked what else she has in store, Muis screamed, “My dreams are so big that sometimes I can’t sleep!” She joked that her parents occasionally suggest she see a doctor because her ambitions over take her. Ultimately, Muis plans to follow Oprah Winfrey’s footsteps by opening an academy of her own one day. “[I] want to create that domino effect of excellence,” she shared. From a dream a grade 9 pupil had to end bullying at her school to building a brand that motivates girls to find their purpose, Muis says that she can’t stop. “The only thing that settles is dust,” she said.

SPORT

28 Augustus 2019

15

Maties waltzing their way to victory LAUREN WESLEY-SMITH

“This is our only competitive event, so it is very important,” said Khaila Naude, the chairman of MBLDS. According to Naude, the society’s large size is a key factor in its success: while the dance societies in most other universities average approximately 150 members, Stellenbosch University’s society

boasts almost 600 members. Another contributor to Maties’ success is the society’s coach, Gladys Bullock. As the Chairman of the Board of Adjudicators, Bullock is, in accordance with the South African Dance Teachers Association (SADTA) syllabus, the most qualified dance coach in the entirety of South Africa.

In addition to their other achievements, Maties also won the Spirit Cup for the second year in a row, for their enthusiasm and cheering throughout the day. “I’m exceptionally proud of the society winning the Spirit Cup. In my eyes, that’s the most important achievement we could have, simply because it really emanates the attitude we as a society have: one of family, of camaraderie, one of encouragement, and just the joy of dancing. Winning this award highlights how much we enjoy dancing, and how proud we are of our society, and of each other in all our accomplishments,” Naude said. According to Herman Van Staden, a Maties finalist in the beginner Latin category, the support from the sidelines was a definite boon, “I believe the support we got from all of the dancers and the few people that came to support us from Maties helped some of our

nator of esports at the university explains, “Uniquely, because the sports departments are pushing it, you’ll start with sport-based gaming. As [the competition] grows, it will expand to other titles.” In 2016, SU came to recognise gaming or esports as an official sport at the university. This was in order to meet the demands of an entire community of students that traditional sports could not cater for. Even though the push towards

gaming as a varsity sport was initially met with many reservations, the university eventually went on to become a national trendsetter by being the first university to have successfully launched an esports initiative of this kind and scale. In order to qualify for the tournament, competing teams of each institution must make their way to the top of their respective provincial trials. The Western Cape trials will be held at the MWEB M-Cave

in N1 City on 7 September. The top four teams of SU will be competing against the Univerity of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape and Cape Peninsula University of Technology at the provincial tournament. SU’s top competitors were determined by the qualifier round held on the 16th, in the VV hall in the Neelsie. Twenty-five teams of two (50 individuals) participated in the hopes of getting a chance to repre-

L

AST Saturday saw the Maties Ballroom and Latin Dance Society (MBLDS) dance their way to victory at this year’s Intervarsity (IV) Ballroom and Latin Dance competition. This year, Stellenbosch competed against the University of Cape Town (UCT), Nelson Mandela University (NMU), and the University of Pretoria (TUKS) at UCT’s Sports complex. The event was comprised of 22 categories, with levels ranging from beginner to championship; as well as several categories open to all levels, a team category, and a formation category. Maties were crowned overall victors for the second year in a row, with UCT as runner-up. MBLDS placed second in the team event, second in the Formation event, as well as winning gold, silver, and bronze medals across many categories.

WALTZING TO VICTORY Maties dancers at the Intervarsity competition on 17 August. Photo: Arran Graham

more apt dancers, resulting in us winning – which was awesome!” Overall, this year’s Intervarsity appears to have been a success for MBLDS, “I think the only thing I could say is I’m exceptionally proud of all of our dancers. They’ve been training so hard over the last few weeks to work on their technique, to work on their showmanship, and I feel like the spirit on the day was absolutely lovely. So I’m very proud of everything everyone’s put in to make it possible, and for our participation in Intervarsity.” concluded Naude. “Maties will definitely keep competing in Intervarsity: it is an exceptional experience, something our dancers thoroughly enjoy, something we can work towards every year, and something that helps maintain and ensure that we dance with a competitive standard, so we want to definitely keep doing that.”

sent SU in this historical event. Stellenbosch University’s top competitors, Shane Maartens (BSc Financial Mathematics) and Bradley D’Eramo (BAcc) seem enthusiastic for the upcoming provincial tournament, but not being part of Maties’ traditional gaming community, are unsure of what to expect. “We weren’t a part of the gaming society, we just kind of rocked up,” Maartens said.

I sport, you sport, we all play esports DOMINIQUE VERSTER

UNIVERSITY Sports South Africa (USSA) will be hosting a national intervarsity esports competition for the first time this year. Twelve institutions will gather at Coetzenberg centre on 20 September to compete for the title of Fifa 2019 champion. Kiran Maharaj, manager of Stellenbosch University’s (SU) active lifestyle unit and co-ordi-

MATIE WOENSDAG 28 AUGUSTUS 2019 | GR ATIS KOELKOP KAPTEIN Nicholé Taljaard in aksie met Maties se eerste wedstryd vir vanjaar se Varsity Netbal-seisoen. Photo: Kevin Sawyer

Varsity-goud is Maties se doel ANNERINE SNYMAN

M

aties Netbal het vanjaar se Varsity Netbal-seisoen met ’n groot oorwinning begin. Die span het die NWU-Pukke Maandagaand van die baan afgespeel en ’n 54–38 oorwinning behaal. Dít is volgens Nicholé Taljaard, Maties-kaptein, nie hoe dit vir die spelers op die baan gevoel het nie. “Die telling weerspieël nie die stryd wat dit geverg het om te wen nie. Hulle is ’n baie sterk span. Dit is ook maar net die begin van die seisoen en ons moes beslis hard

werk daarvoor,” sê sy. Maties het gedurende die wedstryd minder ongedwonge foute as hulle Potchefstroomse opponente gemaak, maar Zanele Mdodana, Maties-afrigter, meen dat hulle in toekomstige wedstryde daarop moet fokus om nog minder foute te maak. “Ons het dit reggekry om vanaand al 12 spelers te laat speel en sommige van hierdie kombinasies het nie so glad verloop soos wat ons dit sou wou hê nie,” verduidelik sy. “Ons moet aanhou klinies speel, selfs wanneer ons voorloop.” Maties se verdedigers was ver-

al ook ’n steunpilaar vir die span se wenpoging en het grootliks tot hulle sukses bygedra toe die doelgemiddelde ongeveer gelyk was. Uitstaande spelers sluit Jo Prins (senter), Sasha-Lee Petersen (VV), Khomotso Mamburu (HV), Stephanie Brandt (V) en Adri Uys (AV) in. Maties, wat teen Pukke in die USSA-eindstryd in Julie die knie gebuig het en met die silwer medalje Johannesburg verlaat het, het Maandag die hare op hul tande gewys. Taljaard prys haar span se poging en het hulle met die oorwinning gelukgewens. Sy beklemtoon

egter dat dit belangrik is om vorentoe te kyk. “Elke speler het hard gewerk en het speeltyd gekry en bewys waarom hulle vir die span gekies is,” sê sy. “Noudat die wedstryd klaar is, moet ons daarvan vergeet, ons fokus op die volgende wedstryd plaas en voorberei, aangesien elke span anders is. Ons sal ons wedstrydplan daarvolgens moet aanpas.” Mdodana het ook gesê dat daar nog ’n lang pad vir die span voorlê en dat hulle seker weer teen Pukke in die semi-finaal sal speel. “Vanaand is ons dankbaar vir die wen. Ek is trots op die meisies.”

Charmaine Baard, oud-Ma­ tiespeler, meen dat die span ’n goeie vertoning gelewer het, maar dat daar wel sekere aspekte is wat kan verbeter. “Vir ’n eerste wedstryd, en veral teen Pukke, is dit ’n groot oorwinning. Dit is ook ’n groot hupstoot vir die span se selfvertoue en ek glo dat daar ’n goeie seisoen vir die span voorlê,” sê sy. Maties speel 2 September teen Tshwane Universiteit van Tegnologie (TUT) in die Coetzenburg-sentrum om 19:00. Dié wedstryd sal op DSTV kanaal 209 uitgesaai word.

Row, row, rowing straight to World Champs

GITA FOURIE

TWO years ago, Inès Mars, a final year BAcc LLB-student, browsed around the Societies fair on the Rooiplein and decided to put her skills to the test on the rowing machine. She had no prior rowing experience. Today she is part of the provisional squad that qualified for the World University Championships in Croatia next year. But Mars does not consider herself to be more gifted or special than anyone else. She ascribes her success to her self-discipline and motivation and says, “Anyone can do it!” Gita Fourie had a chat with Mars about her training, time management and how it feels to be one of the few women representatives for a sport like rowing. What does your daily schedule look like regarding your training? In season I’ll train anything between two and six hours a day. Because we are so far away from water, it also takes a lot of my time to drive to our training spaces. Most of the time we train at Elgin Grabouw Country Club, but in these months when you train with the crew you will train at Misverstanddam which is a two-hour drive. Mostly I’ll train from Monday to Thursday on the indoor rower and in the gym and in the weekends, I

READY TO RUMBLE Inès Mars just before her race at the South African National Championships 2019 at Roodeplaat dam in Pretoria.Photo: Supplied mostly go train on the water. With such an intense schedule, how do you manage your time to maintain a balanced lifestyle? My dad taught me that your life is like a “driepoot,” if one of the legs aren’t there your “potjie” is going to fall over. These three legs are your physical health, emotional and social health and academic

health. Each of these legs should take up a third of your life. It’s quite interesting being a student athlete, though. You’re never going to train as hard as someone who isn’t a student and you’re never going to be able to study as hard as someone who is just a student. What do you consider to be the most difficult aspect of rowing?

The most difficult part of rowing by yourself is actually showing up. It’s not difficult to show up for a team. You definitely need mental toughness. It was especially difficult for me, because I didn’t have a coach this whole year. So there is no one who is going to check up on you if you missed a training session. You constantly have to be

motivated while training. What advice would you give to people considering this as a professional sport? Rowing isn’t one of those sports where you had to go to the best school for rowing or had to have training in rowing from the age of five. If you look at the Olympic rowers, there are people there who started rowing two years ago. Rowing does not require too much talent; it just requires grit. How do you deal with being a woman in a male-dominated sport? It’s difficult because you don’t have a lot of people around you that you can look up to. I’ve trained with the boys this whole time, although it is tough at times, they push you and support you a lot. It gives you a competitive edge. You know what they say? If you can’t beat them, join them. Mars hopes to be able to wear the green and gold one day. She wants to be a representative for the sport and become someone other aspiring female rowers can look up to. She encourages others to give the sport a chance as well. She says that people should stop limiting themselves to highly publicized sports like rugby and cricket and maybe consider making waves somewhere else.