tyd vir Liefde by die Dam

Dag & Nag

Bietjie Liefde by die Dam

Liefde by die Dam is terug in die Kaap vir die tweede

keer. Dominique Fuchs praat oor wat verwag

Liefde by die Dam 2.0 maak op 16 November weer ’n verskyning in die Kaap by Meerendal Wynplaas. Die show is vernoem na Valiant Swart se trefferliedjie en moet magical wees, want verlede jaar het iemand propose op die verhoog. The Voice SA-wenner, Tasché Burger, gaan vir die eerste keer hier optree saam met ander bekendes soos Die Heuwels Fantaties, Francois van Coke, Early B, Majozi en Loki Rothman. Die legendariese Arno Carstens gaan ook vir die eerste keer optree by die Liefde by die Dam-reeks en gaan meestal liedjies van sy album Die Aandblom 13 en ’n paar van sy wêreldbekende liedjies speel.

Schalk Bezuidenhout, die geliefde komediant, sal die event interessant hou deur die gasheer te wees. Bezuidenhout het ook gesê dat mens meer liefde kan gee vir ander: “deur te reply! Niks wys ’n gebrek aan liefde soos geen antwoord op WhatsApp nie, of dit nou jou meisie of jou ma is. Die mense met die koudste harte in hierdie wêreld is die mense wat jou boodskap lees en jou los met twee blou ticks en ’n gebroke hart.” Lukraaketaar, ’n akoestiese musiekduo wat na 11 jaar weer terug

kan word hierdie jaar.

is op Suid-Afrika se musiek-scene, gaan ook te siene wees. Dié duo bestaan uit die gesoute Pierre Greeff, geliefde voorsanger van Die Heuwels Fantasties, en Alwyn Kotzé. Nes vele ander musiekgroepe het hul reis in die geliefde Bos begin.

Pierre Greeff, een van die organiseerders van Liefde by die Dam sê:

“Meerendal met die wynlande en berge as prentjiemooi agtergrond is die ideale venue vir ons Kaapse konsert. Hierdie jaar maak ons meer spasie vir konsertgangers en daar sal ook meer kroeg-fasiliteite wees. Kom kuier saam!”

Soos die meeste jongmense hoop ek van harte dat daar minder ouer garde by hierdie jaar se Liefde by die Dam sal wees nadat ek laasjaar een van my hoërskoolonderwysers raakgeloop het.

Verlede jaar was ’n stowwerige affêre met sand wat óral vasgesit het. Liefde by die Dam is effens misleidend, want ’n mens kan nie daarin swem om van die sanderigheid ontslae te raak nie. Berei jouself voor op die afgryslike Kaapse wind, afgryslike duur drankpryse, ’n afgryslike verkeersopeenhoping, maar een moerse jol. Maak gereed vir “Dagdronk”,

DAARSY BOYS Francois van Coke verlede jaar by Liefde by die Dam. Foto: Verskaf

want by Liefde by die Dam is dit nie net ’n liedjie in die agtergrond nie, maar ’n realiteit vir lede van die gehoor.

Geen vloeistowwe mag ingeneem word nie en kaartjies is steeds beskikbaar op Howler teen R195. Dit begin om 9:00 en sal 18:00 eindig. Die event is kontantloos en geld kan voor die tyd op ’n Howler-armbandjie gelaai word. Vir die kosvrate sal daar ’n verskeidenheid kostrokke beskikbaar wees om hul cravings te demp.

Liefde Wen samel na die afloop van die konsert komberse in vir minderbevoorregtes. Greeff sê: “Ons help graag ander, bring jou kombers en los dit na die konsert. Liefde Wen sal seker maak dit kry die regte huis.”

How to get your scare on this Halloween

CHRISTOPHER JOUBERT

LET this be your guide to some of the best Halloween festivities to get you ready for scary season in Stellenbosch.

Halloween season has already begun in Stellenbosch with festivities such as the Pulp Cinema Club’s screening of Carrie and dress-up party on 17 October.

Also, last Friday Happy Oak hosted the Halloween Edition of Drakefest. If you have not been able to attend any of these functions then fear not, because there will be a large variety of Halloween festivities tailored to you. The Monsters Ball takes place this Friday at Aandklas and is the annual monstrous dress-up event with a R1000 cash prize to the best dressed person. There are going to be some scary drink specials spilling around the bar and some creepy décor for what is promised to be one of the craziest Halloween parties on offer at Stellenbosch.

The University of Stellenbosch Wine Culture Society (USWCS) will be hosting their closing function at the Neelsie on 25 October. The party is called Terror in the Woods and will be “the culmination of every dark twisted fairytale that was never meant to be a Disney hit, but rather the original Brothers’ Grimm vision”. Tickets are currently on sale, with R50 for members, R100 for non-members and R120 at the door. This will include unlimited wine, the USWCS infamous punch and some pizza!

The Halloween Forest Night Run at Muratie Wine Farm is on Thursday 31 October. This is for those whom are willing to brave the dark forest and run either a five or ten kilometre single track with a prize for the best Halloween costume. The evening will be a lot of fun for anyone with an interest in running and who enjoys Halloween festivities.

For those wanting to get out of town for the night, the Hey Joe Brewing Company will be throwing a Halloween party on 1 November at La Brasserie farm in Franschhoek. With tunes supplied by DJ Charl van Zyl and prizes for the best dressed, this event is going to be a lot of fun.

Also, The Hey Joe Brewing Company will give you a free beer if you dress up. And free beer is the best type of beer out there!

Cape Town is also hosting a number of Halloween parties all around town. With events at Wonderland Club this Friday, Evol on 1 November, Mercury Live on 2 November and plenty more. This Halloween promises to be a party!

Ernst van der Wal’s solo exhibition is currently showing at SMAC Gallery. Alexander Brand spoke to him about his inspiration behind it.

Something has invaded SMAC Gallery and it has us transfixed. Ernst van der Wal, acclaimed writer, practicing artist, researcher and lecturer gives us an in depth view of his solo exhibition – invasion. It is both intriguing and aesthetically pleasing and warrants a closer look. According to Van der Wal, a senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University’s Visual Arts Department, invasion was triggered by a miniscule photograph he found in a medical journal after which he proceeded to enlarge through the use of Indian ink and graphite, capturing the technology of mid20th century ink printing.

He was fascinated by the factual nature of the photograph, but equally fascinated by how it also comes across as very intimate. As he was still a novice in this particular technique, it took him almost three years to complete.

The exhibition includes a variety of different disciplines, ranging from Indian ink and graphite on Fabriano paper to wood, ash and imitlin sculpture work. A few of the pieces were completed in advance, before Van der Wal decided on assembling the pieces for exhibition in February. invasion deals with how we currently view and previously viewed science. Since the majority of the photographs were taken from the 1930s, 1940s, where people (especially in our country) had a very distinct view of science and humans, it is very applicable to our current environment. This all links to the title, invasion, because it takes an investigative look at the past and how certain things were seen as fact, but looking back now it might seem absurd. It takes a deeper look at how we, as humans, perceive these bewildering environments we experience around us, but also within us. From the

UP-CLOSE Ernst van der Wal posing with one of his art pieces from ‘invasion’ at SMAC gallery. Photo: Hugo Ubisse

more factual pieces, he moves into much more abstract ones that “speaks more to our contemporary understanding of invasion.”

Van der Wal is very successful in this and uses circular pieces that represent bacterial forms, but also takes on a moonlike image. These can also be interpreted as lenses, either being seen as microscopic lenses looking within or telescopic lenses looking at the sky.

Van der Wal is also captivated by the entire exhibition dealing with environments that we cannot fully grasp, and that this causes fear, but also pinpoints that unde

niable human curiosity.

As someone who regularly deals with topics regarding the LBGTQ+ community, as seen in his previous works as well as his doctoral thesis, he says he enjoys that the exhibition deals with aspects that are applicable to the queer community, but can also be applied to the rest of humanity.

Older medical journals and textbooks, such as the ones he used, show clearly just how many prejudices humans had concerning race, sexuality and gender. Because of this, Van der Wal wants the viewer to leave his

exhibition knowing that science is a process and not an end result and that we constantly need to look back and reevaluate our current beliefs.

It is not every day that we have the opportunity to experience and appreciate incredible artwork like this, and furthermore artwork created by one of our own alumni. So in your next study break, swing by SMAC gallery and pay invasion a visit.

The exhibition is open until 16 November and definitely worth making a trip down to Church Street.

Dag

drome in

Suburbia

DOMINIQUE FUCHS LEMUEL BLIGNAUT

Francois van Coke het op 18 Oktober sy derde solo-album, Dagdrome in Suburbia, vrygestel by die uitverkoopte Sun Arena in Pretoria.

Op die dag wat dit vrygestel is, was die album eerste op iTunes en dit is tans landswyd vyfde op Apple Music.

Die liedjie met dieselfde titel is ’n collaboration tussen Spoegwolf en Van Coke. Spoegwolf leen hul unieke klank aan die liedjie en Danie se stem sorg vir hoendervleis.

Met “Bomskok” keer Van Coke weer terug na sy rock-wortels en jy tik onbewustelik saam op die maat van “tikkende tikkende tikkende tydbom”.

“Daarsy Boys” feature Hunter Kennedy, kitaarspeler van Fokofpolisiekar en Die Heuwels Fantasties, en is ’n feel-good tune. “Dis asof ons die punk dads van die burbs is wat ons kinders Spur toe vat. Ons het die liedjie toevallig geskryf nadat ons twee se families saam Spur toe is.

Die laaste liedjie op die album, “Hey Babe,” is ’n liefdesbrief wat Van Coke aan sy vrou Lauren geskryf het. Die lied vertel hoe Van Coke en sy vrou ontmoet het.

Hierdie duet saam met Tasché Burger, The Voice SA-wenner van 2019, is nostalgies en emosiebelaaid.

Die album is beskikbaar op Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Music en YouTube.

LIT MATIE

’n Platvorm waar ons gedigte deur studente publiseer. Stuur jou gedig na willowbrg@gmail.com. Dié week se gedig is deur Cara Range geskryf. Donker Kamertjie

Dis my laat aand trane

My oop toe oë krane

Ek fluister geheime vir my donker kamer

READ ONLINE...

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Ifyou have a South African university qualification, you're exactly what we're looking for! Travel Money Culture

GET PSYCHED The Endless Daze Festival is back and bigger than ever with world class talent hitting the stage this year like Night Beats and Holy Wave from the United States; local talent like Elle E, Yndian Mynah, PXLS and many more. The festival takes place 1-3 November at the Silwerstroom Resort and you can read all about it on our website at www.diematie.com. A lucky reader also stands a chance to win a ticket to this year’s festivities. For more information on this you can check out our Facebook and Instagram pages. Photo: Pierre Rommelaere M e d i c a l a i d A i r l i n e t i c k e t P a i d v a c a t i o n s A c c o m m o d a t i o n S e v e r a n c e p a y S a l a r y o f R 2 5 0 0 0 p m

Voor jy jou oë kon uitvee, het ons nog ’n jaar kafgedraf. En dit was ’n goeie een vir Die Matie. Deur al die stories, struwelinge en laataande het ’n hele span toegewyde mense baie van hulself en mekaar geleer.

Soos dit maar gaan, was daar baie frustrasie en naelbyt-oomblikke, maar die gevoel van vervulling wat ons ervaar as ons op ’n Woensdagoggend seweuur Die Matie in ons hande hou, is ’n sensasie soos min. Dié gevoel maak dat ons die volgende uitgawe najaag met alles wat ons het. In die nuwe jaar is ons terug vir nog. Hierdie is egter nie totsiens nie. Dit sal nooit wees nie. Hoewel ons nou by ons mede-studente moet aansluit en die eksamens moet aandurf, sal ons ore en oë altyd oopbly.

Ons kan onsself nie help nie. Die Matie het ons al baie dinge geleer. Ons kan sinne in paragrawe verander en al die regte vrae in ’n onderhoud vra, maar as die koring van die kaf geskei moet word, is dit nie ons belangrikste eienskappe nie.

Ons koerant, die Universiteit Stellenbosch se amptelike studentekoerant, het by ons ’n

GORRELKOP

Die kommentaar waarvoor almal bang is en nooit wil sê nie. Gorrel is nie verantwoordelik vir enige ongerief veroorsaak nie.

Eksamen GORREL wonder hoekom die universiteit besluit het om al die take, toetse en eksamens vir hierdie week te los.

Gorrel dink nie die univeristeit het al gehoor van beplanning nie.

Lui-fever GORREL dink dat die Stellenbosse atmosfeer so sleg is.

Niemand wil werk nie, niemand wil glimlag nie en niemand wil eksamen skryf nie. Al die Gorrels en Gorrelinas kla net die heeltyd oor hulle slegte eksamenrooster en lewens. Dit is nie lekker vir Gorrel nie en maak vir Gorrel ook negatief.

Tennis-troubles GORREL sien uit na ’n lekker vakansie. Gorrel gaan sy skoene uitskop, op die strand lê en vir Gorrelina vir lang stappies in die maanlig vat.

Gorrel sien beslis ook uit na ’n paar lekker potjies tennis op Hartenbos se tennisbane. Enigiets is beter as Stellenbosch se uitgemergelde tennisbane.

Wie weet, as Gorrel hard genoeg oor Kersfees wens, lyk die situasie dalk volgende jaar beter.

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 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.

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 AFRIKAANS–SUBREDAKTEUR Dominique Fuchs NUUS Carla Visagie STUDENTELEWE Kesia Abrahams DAG & NAG Willow-Ruby van der Berg SPORT Lemuel Blignaut

KONTAK ONS / CONTACT US

E-POSADRES diematie75@gmail.com POSADRES Langenhoven Studentesentrum; Privaatsak X1; Universiteit Stellenbosch; Matieland; 7602 WEBADRES www.diematie.com FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/ diematie INSTAGRAM @diematie OPLAAG 4 000 VOLGENDE UITGAWE Januarie 2020 ADVERTENSIE diematieads@gmail. com ARGIEF Vorige uitgawes van Die Matie is in die biblioteek beskikbaar

In ’n oogwink

voorliefde vir waarheid, demokrasie en deursigtigheid gekweek en in 2020 is ons terug om ons vir hierdie waardes te beywer.

As ons volgende jaar terug is, wil ons weet wie ons verteenwoordigers is. Die 2018/2019 SR het lankal reeds die stokkie aan hul opvolgers oorhandig en daar is nog geen duidelikheid oor wie die hoogste uitvoerende posisies in die SR vir 2019/2020 gaan beklee nie.

Dit is, om eenvoudige taal te gebruik, chaos. As een van die strukture wat orde in die studentegemeenskap moet bevorder disfunksioneel is, moet daar ernstige introspeksie gedoen word. Niemand kla oor ’n gesonde dosis chaos nie, maar wanneer orde na die agtersitplek geskuif word, sit ons met ’n probleem.

Verder hoop ons om toenemende deursigtigheid te sien waar dit die universiteit en sy interne sake aangaan.

Wanneer komitees of individue daarvoor verantwoordelik is om enige vorm van wangedrag by die universiteit te ondersoek, wil ons kennis dra van so ’n ondersoek se metodologie en bevindinge. Die waarde van geregtigheid lê daarin dat almal daarvan kennis kan dra. Wanneer ’n saak aan die lig kom, is dit daar vir almal om te verwerk, of hulle gelukkig is met die uitkoms of nie.

Wanneer dit egter in donkerte gehul bly, skep dit die geleentheid vir woede en kwaadwilligheid om te broei. Wanneer 2020 afskop, sal ons reeds op ons voete wees, reg om die krane van waardevolle inligting oop te hou.

Vir nou sien ons eers uit na ’n blaaskans, en ons wens ons lesers ook ’n bietjie rus en vrede toe. Hou jul oë op Die Matie. Ons voer altyd iets in die mou.

kESIA ABRAHAMS

A SCENE any Stellenbosch student is familiar with: the outdoor, concrete, campus bins – always occurring in trios – all perpetually filled with coffee and iced-drink cups. In my time here I’ve had trouble understanding why university students, who one would conclude to be somewhat educated, can’t understand the dire climate situation we are in. Single-use plastics are continuously used, yet people still put them in THE WRONG BIN. Slowly over the past year a sad truth has dawned upon me: people simply don’t care (enough). At least, people don’t care when it's inconvenient. The “ditch the straw” movement starting in 2017 is one such example. People actively made changes because it was trendy (and hence convenient), and suddenly, a vast range of reusable straws made from a variety of different materials were available everywhere. The change made in this was incredible.

But what about all the other single-use plastics? Do they not kill turtles? Only 9% of plastics are being recycled worldwide, while the rest eventually end up in the sea – most of the time via rivers – breaking down into microplastics which are consumed by sea life, and yes, eaten by us through the consumption of sea life. Not to mention the breakdown of plastic has highly toxic effects on the ocean as a whole, including phytoplankton, which is estimated to produce at least half of the oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere.

Now, I’m not here to preach to you why the lifestyle you’re living is wrong. Everyone has reasons as to why they choose to live the way they do. I’m simply here to remind you to question these reasons. As we are currently in a climate crisis, our present actions will irreversibly determine the course of human life to come. So what can you do? Here I list three tips, all equally important.

Keep yourself informed. We are in an age when knowledge is more accessible than ever, so make proper use of it. This will ultimately lead you to care more about your actions involving sustainability, leading you to act as such.

Use your voice to challenge producers of greenhouse gas emissions. This is where we find the greatest escalation in our impending climate doom – in 2017 a study showed that 100 companies were responsible for 71% of carbon emissions since 1998 (as shown in the Carbon Majors Report by CDP). Be mindful of ways that waste interacts with your life, and make necessary changes. You’ve heard it before, and I’ll say it again. Get a reusable water bottle, shopping bag and cup (chances are if you can afford a to-go coffee, you can afford a R100 cup), and actively make use of them where you can. Cut out unnecessary waste from your life, and dispose of it responsibly (the three bin system is pretty straight-forward).

In the long run, many of your practices pay themselves off, saving you money thereafter – the menstrual cup I bought two years ago paid for itself in six months. These kind of waste-efficient practices aren’t hard to do. Most people simply just can’t make the extra effort, or they don’t find them to be convenient. You might have to dig deep here, but you need to remind yourself that your laziness and/ or inconvenience is a small price to pay for the recovery of a world in crisis. After practicing these efforts, they become second nature. No one’s asking you to go fullon zero-waste or vegan (although I would be wildly supportive), I'm here to ask you to continually grow and challenge your sustainability, in whatever small steps work for you. As the saying goes: we don’t need a handful of people doing sustainability perfectly, we need everyone doing it imperfectly. NINA STEVENSON A sustainable lifestyle, we just don’t care enough *Nina is a final year BA Music student , who loves writing and Roots Vegan Bar.

Faith is not bad: critical response

SEBASTIAN UYS wrote in the previous edition of Die Matie to explain that atheism is also a belief – just as believing in a deity is a belief. There are some flaws along the road to reaching the conclusion of his argument that lead to misunderstandings. I am going to attempt to address some of these. One of the greatest misunderstandings, I have noticed, at Stellenbosch University is a flawed understanding of the scientific process. Sebastian claims that “we can all agree that a fact is either a) something that is self-evident to everyone (e.g. there is a rock in the road) or b) something that is not self-evident to the senses, but can be proven scientifically. Any other position that is held that can’t be demonstrated in any of these two ways is one that includes some degree of faith”. This is a grave oversimplification of something that has been theorised extensively in the philosophic literature.

So, what does science do? Science tries to establish general rules from specific observations. This is done by setting up a hypothesis, which is then tested against specific empirical observations.

An example would be the hypothesis that “all metals expand when heated” – a classic example from prof. Smit’s philosophy of science class. This hypothesis, if it were a universal truth, would mean that all metal would expand at any time – past, present or future – when heated. Science cannot prove that the hypothesis is true because that would mean that every piece of metal in all of time would have to be tested to prove the hypothesis. What happens with every empirical observation that aligns with the hypothesis, is that the hypothesis becomes more likely to be true, however, if an empirical observation contradicts the hypothesis, the hypothesis is to be rejected.

A famous example that is regularly used is that of the black swan. The story goes that there was a point in history where the statement “all swans are white” was thought to be a universal truth. Then one day black swans were discovered – disproving the statement that “all swans are white.”

The power of science lies in its scepticism and its adaptability. The difference between science and the belief in a deity is that science sets out the conditions under which it would reject a hypothesis and religion doesn’t. Science can propose that if any metal is heated at any time and it doesn’t expand then the theory that “metal expands when heated” would be rejected. Religion doesn’t do the same – by, for example, stipulating that if a person prays and their prayer isn’t realised that the god they prayed to doesn’t exist. Instead, it is explained away by, for example, saying that it wasn’t God’s will.

To believe in gravity and to believe in a deity both rely on faith, but the reasoning behind the two beliefs are fundamentally different. When Sebastian states that “there is no fundamental difference in how either side makes their arguments” I cannot agree with him. It would seem that his argument relies on discrediting atheism by showing that it relies on faith – this is pretty ironic to me (using faith as a discrediting mechanism). Af*Tivan Leak is a BCom (hons.) Economics student who attended prof. J.P. Smit’s second year Philosophy of Science class.

ter establishing that both rely on faith, he concludes that there is no fundamental difference in the way the sides make their arguments. This is simply not the case.

Believing that all metals expand when heated requires faith – it means that the person holding this belief has faith that all metals that can ever be heated, will expand. This belief is based, to a large extent, on empirical observations that are objective in the sense that anyone who conducts the experiment should come to the same conclusion when using the same method.

Believing that there is an entity that created the universe and that presides in another realm also requires faith, but it cannot be investigated as a scientific hypothesis. It is placed safely where no one could prove it false even if it was. I believe that this piece has demonstrated that faith is not something that necessarily discredits someone’s position. Also, that there are different types of beliefs – those that are falsifiable and those that are unfalsifiable. Scientific hypotheses are falsifiable. Religious beliefs are unfalsifiable – even if they are false.

How to handle harrasment and obsessive people at Stellenbosch University

LAUREN WESLEY-SMITH

When harassment starts in your own life, it can be imperceptible. Two years ago, I would never have dreamt that my new friend would become my stalker. Though I’m no professional, nor is my own case over yet, there were a number of red flags that have become clear in retrospect. Alone, these instances might not constitute harassment, but the more they pile up the more carefully you should consider your situation.

One of the first signs was the encroaching of space. It’s natural to see a lot of someone when they’re in your department, but when they’re always around you it can be a bit much – especially if they’re an ex-partner. There’s ALWAYS an excuse though. In my experience, he started attending my classes, waiting around my stuff, and would follow me around the department and to my locker.

A similar boundary problem can happen with friends. It’s not fun asking people to take sides, but it can be necessary. Even after we broke up, though I didn’t see much of his friends, he still felt entitled to all of mine: I had no-one to turn to without him being there. He became so dominant in conversations, often talking over me, that it became a choice of bickering with him about it, making everyone uncomfortable, or keeping silent and shrinking into myself.

The difficulty with establishing boundaries is that you can seem rude, and can feel like you’re overreacting or being controlling. Even if you discuss it with the person and their behavior improves slightly, it can still feel like your boundaries are constantly being pushed.

The major red flag was when he began using my friends against me. One day he told me a slew of damning things my friends had said: I was the toxic one, but he defended me against them ‒ but maybe they had a point and I should be nicer, or we shouldn’t be friends. I was gutted – it wasn’t easy being friends with an ex, but I had tried! It was only when talking to someone external that the situation became clearer – he was isolating me from my friends, positioning himself as my savior while using their words as a weapon.

Upon talking to these friends, I discovered he’d twisted or even fabricated their words. I realised I’d been the only one compromising while he invaded my life, so I took his advice and ended the friendship.

From there the toxicity began to manifest in an uglier, indirect manner. He made a scene about leaving the room if I entered, scrambling, run

*Lauren is a fourth year BMus student, specialising in cello performance.

ning, leaping into bushes, and parkouring over Neelsie walls. From others, I heard about the name-calling and the mean things he said. He fretted loudly about not wanting me to hear, but it was just a tactic to shift the blame from him onto the friends who told me.

All of his misconduct against me and friends caught in the crossfire was blamed on the emotions I triggered in him, and yet any friend who put their foot down was treated to the same melodramatic exits.

Next, he began spreading malicious rumours. It was mortifying, and took me some time to start speaking about it – if I brought it up, surely it would create doubt that it was true? However, this was not the case at all – only by opening up did I begin to feel valid in my concerns, and with that support behind me I became confident to take it as a harassment case to the Equality Unit. The final incident solved my indecision between an informal or formal complaint. On a public desk, someone found his handwritten list detailing every time he’d seen me since I ended the friendship six months prior ‒ including the time, date, place, who I was with, and how it fitted into my schedule, along with a rating of how much trauma the sighting induced.

It also noted when I began seeing someone new, and on exactly which day I blocked him on social media, through which he’d already been cyber-stalking me. This convinced me to take it up as a formal harassment complaint.

My case isn’t over yet. However, I’ve learnt that the most important thing is not to stay silent ‒ it only gives them more power. Although not everyone may feel comfortable initially discussing it with the Equality Unit or their department, it’s vital to have a confidante you can talk to, whose judgement you can trust if they suggest you take it further.

As a final year student, I wanted nothing more than to ignore it and focus on graduating. But harassment is no small matter, and what could happen next? Don’t give them that power – speak out, and end the silence.

Willow-Ruby van der Berg spoke to James Smith about his business, Amano, which makes appealing and Amano: one for the books

affordable environmentally-friendly notebooks. “Of course I could have made more money by using unsustainable materials, but caring for the environment has been the core of Amano from the beginning, and always will be.” GO GREEN Amano’s owner, James Smith, sitting with one of their hard cover notebooks on campus. Photo: Willow-Ruby van der Berg E co-anxiety is starting to take over our lives with the majority of the news that we consume featuring the ever increasing temperatures, threatened ecosystems and dreadful reports about the Amazon. Internationally, school children and university students have put their education on hold in order to stand up against this tragic environmental problem that faces us all.

A final-year BA Humanities student from Stellenbosch University, James Smith, is also taking a stance against this problem and inspires hope through his notebook business called Amano. Amano was launched last year and sells notebooks that are 100% sustainable and affordable.

“Last year I hand bound a notebook as a gift for a friend. I really enjoyed the whole process and started to experiment with different binds and materials. I decided that it would be a really fun way to make some extra cash so I built a website and started selling the notebooks online and people were really interested from the start. I was very conscious about the negative environmental stigma around paper notebooks, so I sourced 100% recycled paper to ensure that the notebooks were as environmentally friendly as possible. Of course I could have made more money by using unsustainable materials, but caring for the environment has been the core of Amano from the beginning, and always will be. I want to show people that environmentally friendly products can be beautiful and affordable,” explained Smith.

Many are under the impression that environmentally-friendly products are more expensive and not neccessarily as aesthetically pleasing, but Smith has shown us that it is possible to have notebooks that are affordable, sustainable and apealing.

A new addition to his range are notebooks that have cover pages made from Bier Paper, which is made from old beer labels, is already a favourite amongst many students on campus.

Smith has some Italian and Maltese heritage and this shows in the name Amano which is a contraction of the Italian phrase “a mano” which means “by hand”.

“I was in Italy when I decided that I really wanted to make a business out of my bookbinding so it just made sense at the time. Amano doesn’t hand bind the notebooks anymore as I simply couldn’t keep up with the demand, but the legacy of being handmade and personal remains. The name means a lot to me as it shows how far the business has come in such a short time,” Smith elaborated.

Smith also mentioned how Amano has grown over the past year. “It has gone from a hobby that made me a little bit of extra cash to a fully fledged business. These days we produce both softcovers and hardcovers that are both as environmentally friendly. The notebook style has changed and I am loving the new look with rounded corners and neat stitching. Amano launched a new website last week, all of our books are available for online purchase using card payments and we ship the notebooks to your door anywhere in the country. I see Amano as a totally new company than what it was earlier this year, but the mission of environmental sustainability has remained. It has been amazing to see the support for eco-friendly products recently, I am glad Amano has risen to the occasion and is now more eco-friendly than ever before.”

Amano is an innovative local business that focuses on sustainability and also supports other local businesses throughout its production line. By doing so it not only makes use of environmentally-friendly materials but it also reduces carbon emissions. Smith also gave us a breakdown of exactly how Amano is sustainable and making a difference.

To Smith’s knowledge Amano notebooks are the most environmentally friendly notebooks available in South Africa, and possibly in the world. All their writing paper is 100% recycled and is certified by Blue Angel, FSC and Eu Ecolabel as being environmentally sustainable. Their cover papers are each eco-friendly in their own right and range from produced using 100% post-consumer waste to paper made using only wind-power and old beer labels.

The thread that is used to bind the notebooks is made in Cape Town by a carbon offset factory that runs on 30% solar power.

“Our books are bound in Cape Town by a fully black-owned business that meets the Empowerment Index prescribed by the South African Department of Labour. Every consideration has been taken into account to ensure that Amano notebooks are as environmentally and socially sustainable as possible, and this will always be the case,”said Smith.

Amano has managed to produce these eco-friendly notebooks, whilst keeping their prices affordable for students as well as drastically lower than their competitors in the luxury notebook industry. “I want to prove that environmentally friendly products can be better quality and more affordable than their environmentally damaging competitors’, currently we are achieving this and it will only get better from here,” said Smith.

It also does not stop here for Smith as he plans to take Amano even further. James has plans to make the notebooks a globally recognised eco-friendly product. He is in the process of making the books available for purchase internationally, which should be organised by Christmas this year.

Locally, James is in discussions with Shop Zero in Cape Town and the online store Faithful to Nature – Amano notebooks will be available on their shelves soon.

“I am also going to start a publishing division of Amano next year, this will work as a platform for local writers and artists to get their work published in an environmentally ethical way, and without the red-tape of going through a corporate publishing house. I hope this will especially encourage South African students to share their writing and tackle environmental and social themes,” said Smith.

Like Smith, each of us is responsible and able to make a difference in order to help our environment. Smith believes that if we do it out of a place of love then we will be able to make the changes that are neccessary to help reduce the negative impact on our environment.

Smith elaborates on this point by stressing that we need to think of the bigger picture when it comes to environmentalism.

“There are many big and small things we can all do to curb the environmental crisis. I believe that the best eco-tip is just think. We need to just think about our actions and the greater impact they have on the environment, as we often forget the choices we have in our daily lives. It shouldn’t be a case of “do Nike or Adidas have more sustainable shoes” it should be “do I really need a new pair of shoes? Could I simply get mine repaired?”

“I also think that eating more vegetarian meals is a great way to be environmentally conscious. We need to eat everyday, so ensuring that we eat a few meatless meals every week has a positive long-term environmental impact, and it’s easy to find delicious vegetarian meals online.” This goes to show that there is no need to lose hope in this battle. Smith is truly making a difference one notebook at a time. Check out their website at www.amanobooks.org.

Jo Prins has made 2019 her year. The Stellenbosch student qualified for the under-21 South African Netball team, joined the Protea squad and she was recently awarded the Cape Winelands Netball Player of the Year. According to Prins, however, the Maties Sport’s Sportswoman of the Year nomination came as a surprise.

“I rocked up at Maties Sports Awards and I looked at the sports pamphlet and on the last page I saw a picture of myself, by Sportswoman of the Year and then I was like, ‘I am so honoured. It is so cool to be nominated’, and by the end of the evening they called my name, announcing the Sportswoman of the year, and I was so shook.”

However, a win is a win. Prins’ netball journey has been a long one. She was just five years old when she first picked up the ball, but she sealed the deal in grade four when she decided that she wanted to be a Protea netball player.

“I kind of always knew that this was something I was passionate about and that it was something I wanted to do,'' Prins said.

Due to her exceptional sportsKESIA ABRAHAMS HELÉNE LEONARD

manship, Prins received ample bursary offers from universities all over South Africa, but she decided on Stellenbosch University (SU) because she felt it would strengthen her netball career. SU also offered her the best bursary out of all the institutions. On top of that, she just likes the town and its people. “I love Stellenbosch, it’s a great town. My friends are here and it’s pretty.”

Prins is currently decompressing after a tiring, yet a phenomenally successful season.

She joked about using her Maties Sports Awards winnings, a whopping R 10 000, to register for Maties Netball next year, but after being a member for six years, she is unsure of her future with the club. “I love this club, the club has been good to me, but what does the future hold?” Prins said.

The development of Maties Sports was a big talking point at this year’s Maties Sports Awards, which took place on 16 October, and according to Prins, many discussions were about how much the club has grown, especially with regards to the increasing involvement of women at the club.

She, however, says that she would like to see the club improve even further, especially where bursary equality between the sportsmen and sportswomen is concerned.

“Equality and bridging the gap of getting the same amount would be great. Just a little bit more money into women's sports would be great,” Prins said.

Although Prins has been a big feature at Maties Sport for a long time, that is not where she spends all her time. She is a final year education student who has a love for children and would ideally like to teach grade five.

But teaching is apparently not her first choice. Prins aims to use her platform to pursue a career in the fashion industry and she signed with a modelling agency called The Management on 11 October.

This, however, doesn’t seem to be the end of her netball journey. “I am finishing my studies this year, so I am branching out. But I will definitely still play netball. The goal is to try and make the World Cup 2023 team.”

This year’s World Cup team inspired Prins and she feels that netball has come a long way in South Africa. In the previous World Cups, according to Prins, the Proteas would end up in fifth place, but this year’s semi-final playoffs

PRINCESS Jo Prins at Maties Sport’s glamour event where she won the Sportswoman of the Year award. Photo: Francois Lombard

against Australia was a big step for the team and South African netball in general. She says that the interest in netball has grown tremendously since the Proteas’ stellar efforts in Liverpool.

“People would come to me and say like, ‘oh my word netball is so cool’, and then I would say, yeah, that’s why I do it. Sponsors are actually waking up and seeing that it

is a sport to get involved with.”

Prins seems excited about this shift in netball’s fortunes and sees herself playing a part in it. For her, every person’s journey is different, and she strives to inspire young girls to always try to be the best version of themselves.

“Never compete with the person next to you but rather with the person you were yesterday.”

Maties Gimnastiek: Flink, fiks, fantasties

DIE MATIES GIMNASTE het sakkevol indrukwekkende truuks. Dit weet enigeen wat onlangs hul video op die groot skerm in die Neelsie gesien het.

Dit is moeilik om dié aanloklike kombinasie van spronge, bollemakiesies en lawwigheid mis te kyk. Figure op ’n skerm bly ongelukkig nou maar eenmaal buite bereik, maar soos dit nuuskierige joernaliste betaam, het Die Matie by die groep tuimeltowenaars gaan aanklop om uit te vind waarmee hulle hulself besig hou.

Volgens Patrick Moerkhe, Maties Gimnastiek se tesourier vir 2018/2019, was dié klub, afgesien van sy ryk geskiedenis en top gehalte afrigting, nog altyd ’n plek waar studente van hulle stres ontslae kon raak.

“Studente kan hul lywe oefen terwyl hulle deel raak van ’n gemeenskap waar ’n gedeelde liefde vir gimnastiek bande van vriendskap smee.”

Oor hierdie punt blyk daar geen struweling onder die gimnaste te wees nie. Danial De Gouveia, ’n komiteelid en natuurlik ook ’n gimnas, sê dat Maties Gimnastiek soos ’n familie is.

“In my drie gimnastiekgevulde jare hier op Stellenbosch het ek nog nêrens anders meer tuis gevoel nie.

“Hier by Maties Gimnastiek het ek ongelooflike vriende gemaak en van die beste oomblikke in my lewe ervaar, of dit nou met gimnastiek te doen gehad het of nie. Hierdie gevoel bly my jaar na jaar by, al vang party van die gimnaste graad of trek weg. Maties Gimnastiek se vibe lê diep en dit smeer op elke lid, nuut of ervare, af.”

Elke familie het tog ’n gom wat

TUIMELTOWENAARS Klublede gun vir Pokkel die eer van ’n foto by Varsity Cup. Foto: Verskaf

dit bymekaar hou en die Maties Gimnastiek-familie is geen uitsondering nie.

Die klub is in die vroeë 1980’s deur Fred en Jenny Roebuck op die been gebring en is op die Van der Stel Sportgronde geleë. Dit het begin met slegs drie lede, maar het veelvoudig uitgebrei en word vandag deur ’n uitvoerende komitee van studente bestuur, wat in die 2018/2019 termyn deur Tommie van Eeden, die voorsitter, en Mari van der Westhuizen, die ondervoorsitter, gelei is.

Lede betaal ’n jaarlikse of half-jaarlikse fooi, wat volgens Van der Westhuizen vir die onderhoud van die klub se fasiliteite, afrigters se salarisse en ander bedryfskostes gebruik word. Sy sê die klub is nie slegs vir studente nie en dat dit werkende mense en studente van ander instellings verwelkom.

Die gimnaste word deur vier afrigters afgerig, almal onder toesig van Noko Dalisiko, die klub se sportbestuurder. Oloff Bergh is die hoofafrigter, Maia Rawlins is verantwoordelik vir die vroue, David Carmichael-Green vir die mans en Amy Marais rig ritmiese gimnastiek af. Die span oefen regdeur die jaar, eksamens en vakansies ingesluit, en dit blyk nie sonder rede te wees nie.

Moerkhe sê die span neem elke jaar in Junie aan die USSA-gimnastiekkompetisie deel waar hulle teen die NWU, UK, Tukkies en Wits kompeteer. Hulle is ook betrokke by ’n jaarlikse vriendskaplike Intervarsity-kompetisie teen die UK. Individue het die geleentheid om aan die Wes-Kaap proewe deel te neem en as hulle goed genoeg

vaar, kan hulle aan die nasionale kompetisie deelneem.

Ernstige kompetisie is egter nie altyd aan die orde van die dag by Maties Gimnastiek nie en die klub bied iets vir elkeen van sy lede.

“Ons het iets vir alle gimnaste, of hulle nou sopas begin het of gevorderd is in die sport. Niemand behoort te dink dat hulle nie goed genoeg is om by Maties Gimnastiek aan te sluit nie,” sê Van der Westhuizen.

Matthias Reich, ’n voormalige Maties-gimnas, beaam hierdie stelling.

“Die hele besigheid is ’n lekker mengsel van toewyding en pure pret. Party mense kom een keer ’n week om net rond te bons en ander is nogal toegewyd, alhoewel hulle ook partykeer net rond bons.”

Oefeninge vind Maandae tot

Donderdae plaas en met ’n wye reeks dissiplines wat ritmiese en artistiese gimnastiek, trampoliene en ’n oneindige reeks tuimelinge insluit, is daar vir die lede van dié klub te kies en te keur. Dit klink egter nie asof hulle hulself heeltyd in die gimnasium afsloof nie. “Die banter by die klub is iets om te beleef. Ek het al telkemale meer gelag as wat ek geoefen het,” sê Reandie Fick, ’n komiteelid. Dit is egter nie net banter waarna voornemende Maties-gimnaste kan uitsien nie. Die klub speel pool en kry mekaar vir sushi. Kampe en staptoere in die omliggende area is ook deel van die sosiale kalender.

Hierdie aktiwiteite mag dalk studentegerig klink, maar volgens Mariska Smithers, een van die lede van die klub wat nie meer studeer nie, is dit glad nie die geval nie.

“Ek het baie meer by die klub gevind as waarvoor ek gehoop het. Met die aanmoediging van die komiteelede en deur die oop harte van elke Maties-gimnas het ek baie gou soos ’n lid van die familie gevoel. Ek is dalk nie meer ’n student nie, maar ek word altyd by die pret ingesluit, selfs buite die gimnasium,” sê Smithers.

Dit is dan ’n klein deeltjie van die Maties Gimnastiek-storie. Dié wat daarby betrokke is, is toegewyd aan hul sport en hul klub en dit is lekker om te sien. Van der Westhuizen vat dit mooi saam:

“Kom loer by Maties Gimnastiek in. Jy sal nie daaroor spyt wees nie. Ons is regtig een groot familie en ons ken almal mekaar. Ons sweet en lag saam en ons deel ons uitdagings en suksesse. Op die ou end bring ons die beste in mekaar uit. Die klub is ’n plek waar ons saam ons grense toets en waar ons vriende maak wat ons die res van ons lewe sal bybly.”

WOENSDAG 23 OKTOBER | GRATIS

Huis Visser krag(te)loos teen Mediese masjien KLINIES KORREK Medies Mans kon darem hul oorwinning oor Huis Visser in die manshokkiefinaal vier, al moes hulle deur donker tye struwel in die proses. Foto: Francois Lombard

CATHARINA VAN DER MESCHT

Die koshuishokkie-winterliga het die afgelope week tot ’n dramatiese einde gekom toe die Medies-spanne Donderdagaand as die kampioene van beide die mans- en vroueliga gekroon is.

Die vroueliga-finaal het tussen Medies Vroue en Oudstudente afgespeel. Medies het die wedstryd met ’n eindtelling van 1-0 gewen nadat Erica van Rooyen, Medies-hokkiespeler, die enigste doel van die wedstryd in die eerste helfte aangeteken het.

Die Oudstudente het hul bes probeer om op te vang, maar Medies se onwrikbare verdediging het verseker dat die trofee in hul hande beland het. Medies het ook die Oudstudente se doelwagter op haar tone gehou en sy moes menigte male keer vir lewe en dood om die bal uit die doelhok te hou. Volgens Gretchen Zwiegers, Oudstudent-speler, was die wedstryd maar rof en onbeskof soos dit ’n goeie hokkiekragmeting betaam, juis omdat beide spanne hul alles gegee het.

“Ek wil nie iemand uitsonder nie, maar ons doelwagter was regtig vir my uitstekend,” het sy gesê. Sy het bygevoeg dat haar span steeds trots kan voel oor hul veggees en die gehalte van hul spel, al het hulle verloor.

TWEEKUNS Medies Vroue het ook van hulle laat hoor en hul wedstryd ook gewen. Foto: Francois Lombard

’n Skare toeskouers het die vrouespanne kom ondersteun tydens hul taai geveg op die baan. Emja Langeveldt, Medies-hokkiespeler, sê haar gunstelingoomblik van die liga was toe Medies Vroue en Medies Mans albei die finale gewen het, boonop “met ’n pawiljoen vol ondersteuners al die pad vanaf Tygerberg”.

In die mansliga-finaal het Medies net-net vir Huis Visser met 2-1 geklop. Huis Visser het in die eerste helfte ’n doel aangeteken, maar hul momentum was vinnig daarna deur ’n geelkaart onderbreek. Hulle het egter teen halftyd 1-0 voorgeloop. Binne die eerste vier minute van die tweede helfte het Pieter Mienie, Medies-speler, ’n skitterende doel aangeteken. ’n Groenkaart is kort daarna as waarskuwing aan Medies toegeken, maar die span het kopgehou en nie toegelaat dat dit hulle keer nie. Met 20 minute op die horlosie oor, het Mienie weer ’n doel aangeteken.

Eskom het ook ’n onverwagse invloed op die wedstryd gehad toe die krag om 20:15 afgegaan het en die baan in donkerte gehul was. Die spelers moes tot 20:23 wag vir die krag om weer aan te gaan.

“Die tydsberekening kon nie slegter gewees het nie. Ons was besig om baie druk op hulle [Medies Mans] te plaas op daardie punt en dit het gelyk asof dit als weggeval het toe die wedstryd weer begin het. Dankie Eskom,” het Gareth Simmonds, Huis Visser-speler, gesê. Simmonds beweer wel dat sy span hul beste gegee het en ’n goeie wedstryd gespeel het. “Medies was ’n baie sterk span en ons het ’n goeie geveg opgesit, maar daar gaan altyd ʼn wenner en ’n verloorder in sport wees. Ons was net dié keer die verloorder.”

William Gardiner, Medies-hokkiespeler, het gesê dat sport oor baie meer as net “die uur op die veld” gaan.

“As mens die sport eerbaar kan beoefen, dink ek jy het regtig sukses daarin bereik. In die jare wat kom, sal ons aanhou streef na goeie gehalte hokkie en om dit met ’n gesindheid, wat beide onsself en ons opposisie respekteer, te beoefen.”

In die plaatafdeling van die koshuishokkieliga was die manswenners Olympus en die vroueplaatwenners Academia.