Hola
MaHighSchool Volume 9, Issue 10, October 2020
l l e It
? s d i k y m
50 0 2 n i o 20 d 0 2 t n a i h a n W out Coro Ab
Personal!
Writers stories
FEBRUARY SCI-BONO 01 - 28 COMPETITION: First Tech Challenge
D I S C O V E R Y C E NGrade T R8-12 E
EVENTS CALENDAR
2020
11 INTERNATIONAL DAY: Women and Girls in Science Public & Learners 13 CAREER CENTRE: Careers in Manufacturing Focus Day Grades 9 - 12
MARCH 09 - 13 / FOCUS WEEK: 16-20 Water Week Grades 5 - 9 21 - 29 HOLIDAY PROGRAMME: Plant Health Holiday programme Public & Orphanages 22 INTERNATIONAL DAY: World Water Day Public & Learners 23 - 27 SPECIAL PROGRAMME: Amateur Rocketry Course Grades 11
APRIL SCHOOL TERMS TERM 1: (13) 15 Jan - 20 Mar WEEKS: DAYS: PUBLIC HOLIDAYS: SCHOOL DAYS:
10 48 (50) 0 48 (50)
TERM 2: 31 Mar – 12 Jun WEEKS: DAYS: PUBLIC HOLIDAYS: SCHOOL DAYS:
11 54 4 50
TERM 3: 7 Jul – 18 Sep WEEKS: DAYS: PUBLIC HOLIDAYS: SCHOOL DAYS:
11 54 1 53
TERM 4: 29 Sep – 2 (4) Dec WEEKS: DAYS: PUBLIC HOLIDAYS: SCHOOL DAYS:
10 47 (49) 0 47 (49)
TOTALS WEEKS: DAYS: PUBLIC HOLIDAYS: SCHOOL DAYS:
42 203 (207) 5 198 (202)
15 - 16 CAREER CENTRE: Industry site visits - Automotive Grades 9 - 11 15 - 21 EXTERNAL EXPO: Sci-Fest 19 - 28 EXTERNAL EXPO: Randshow 28 - 29 CAREER CENTRE: Campus tours Grade 9
MAY 04 FOCUS WEEK: ICT Grades 8 - 12 09 EXTERNAL EXPO: Yebo Gogga 11 - 15 CAREER CENTRE: Grade 10 Presentations and workshops Grade 10 13 EXTERNAL EXPO: Zulu Fest 17 - 28 CAREER CENTRE: Grade 12 Presentations and workshops Grade 12 18 - 22 CAREER CENTRE: Grade 11 Presentations and workshops Grade 11
JUNE
13 JUN - HOLIDAY PROG 5 JUL Theme TBC Public & Orpha
22 - 26 SPECIAL PROG Amateur Rock Grade 11
29 JUN - SPECIAL PROG 03 JUL Amateur Rock Grade 11
JULY
29 JUN - SPECIAL PRO 03 JUL Amateur Rock Grade 11
14 - 15 CAREER CEN Gateway to th Digital Career Grade 9
18 INTERNATION Sci-Bono Nels Public & Lear
TBC FOCUS WEEK (JUL/AUG) National Scien
AUGUST
03 - 07 CAREER CEN Grade 8 Prese Grade 8
10 CAREER CEN Careers in Ag Grades 9 - 11
13 - 14 CAREER CEN Girl Learner P Grades 9 - 11
17 - 21 EXTERNAL EX Sasol TechnoX
TBC FOCUS WEEK (JUL/AUG) National Scien
SEPTEM
01 CAREER CEN Careers in Ma Grades 9 - 11
04 CAREER CEN RCLs & Youth Debates Grades 9 - 12
19 - 27 HOLIDAY PRO Space Holiday Public & Orph
21 - 25 SPECIAL PRO Amateur Rock Grade 11
28 EXTERNAL EX Scopex
GRAMME:
anages
GRAMME: ketry Course
GRAMME: ketry Course
OGRAMME: ketry Course
NTRE: he Future rs in 4IR
NAL DAY: son Mandela Day rners
K: nce Week
NTRE: entations and workshops
NTRE: griculture Focus Day
NTRE: Programme
XPO: X
K: nce Week
MBER
NTRE: anufacturing Focus Day
NTRE: h Roundtable Dialogues and
OGRAMME: y Programme hanages
OGRAMME: ketry Course
XPO:
OCTOBER 02 CAREER CENTRE: National Careers Dress Up Day Science Fair Grade 7 05 - 09 FOCUS WEEK: Transport Grades 4 - 11 09 CAREER CENTRE: Grade 7 Presentations and workshops Grade 7 12 - 13 CAREER CENTRE: Industry site visits Steel & Manufacturing Grades 9 - 11 TBC COMPETITION: (OCT/NOV) Mental Maths Grade 3
NOVEMBER 02 - 06 FOCUS WEEK: Early Explorers Week Grade R - 3 10 INTERNATIONAL DAY: World Science Day Public & Learners TBC COMPETITION: (OCT/NOV) Mental Maths Grade 3
DECEMBER 05 DEC - HOLIDAY PROGRAMME: 10 JAN THEME TBC 2021 Public & Orphanages
JANUARY 2021 05 DEC - HOLIDAY PROGRAMME: 10 JAN THEME TBC 2021 Public & Orphanages
FEBRUARY 2021 04 - 28 FOCUS WEEK: Enquiring Minds Programme Grades 1 - 3
QUARTERLY SPECIAL PROGRAMME: Speak to a Scientist Public
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR LABORATORY: Dow Chemistry Lab All Grades LABORATORY: Festo Lab All Grades LABORATORY: Life Sciences Lab All Grades LABORATORY: MST Shows All Grades LABORATORY: MST Workshops All Grades LABORATORY: Birthday Parties All Grades LABORATORY: Team Buildings All Grades SPECIAL PROGRAMME: Electronics Club Grades 10 - 11 COMPETITION: First Lego League Grades 5 - 7 CAREER CENTRE: Grade 9 Presentations and workshops Grade 9 CAREER CENTRE: Psychometric assessments By appointment only CAREER CENTRE: Therapy and counselling By appointment only CAREER CENTRE: External expos By invitation EXTERNAL EXPO: Jerk - Wheel Way Project - GDAARD
ONGOING EXTERNAL EXPO: SAASTA/DST outreach programmes
e t n o C e l b Ta of
Editor’s Letter
06
Contributors
10
Holler at us
11
What to tell ...
12
Poem - Post Covid
13
What to tell
Predicting the future
14
Interview with Sybil
16
ent
October - 2020
Science fiction or ?
22
Bennu the Asteroid 24 What to tell - Masiziba 28 Bamboo - a weed?
34
Month of November Movies in November
36 38
Music - old? New?
40
Locusts in Africa
42
We need writers!
44
Next issue
46
Sybil Otterstrom Editor and CEO
Time to take stock! 2020 was a different and difficult time. You have by now (probably) got more tips about exams and things than anything. Overload! Not us! not this time! We have asked our writers to project themselves into the future (30 years only) and then try to explain what 2020 meant to their kids. How did your parents explain earthshattering events? How will you do it in 2050? Just to get us all thinking, really But we do have the ususal: music, fun, international, conspiracy and so on. Good read and stay safe until next time.
Sybil
Tshwane South Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Do you youhave havea aGrade Grade 9 certificate or higher? Have decided Do 9 certificate orEducation higher? Have you you decided College operating under the Department of Higher and which career path to follow? Training thepath fourthto largest TVET College in terms of enrolwhichbecame career follow? ments in 2018. Over and above that thethe College managed to attainVocational - NC (V) and Well choose National Certificate Well don’t don’tlook lookany anyfurther further choose the National Certificate Vocational - NC(V) the fifth rank in the 2019 T119 national results. The College was also start studying for your career path? and start studying for your career path.for the fields of Meselected as one of the Centres of Specialisation chanical Fitter, and Fitting and Turning, Electrician, Boilermaking and What is National Certificate Vocational NC(V)? Millwright 2017. What isinNational Certificate Vocational (NCV)?
TheNational NationalCertificate Certificate Vocational NC(V) is aand new and modern qualification The Vocational (NCV) is a new modern qualification offered
Employing ±470 staff TVET members, theTVET College aims to2007. equip students offered at Tshwane South College since offered at Tshwane South College since January It isJanuary offered at2007. LevelsIt2,is3 and 4 with the skills required by the job market and has Alumni that work of National Framework are equivalent to Grades 10, 11 and at the Levels 2, 3Qualifications and 4 of the Nationalwhich Qualifications Framework which are for renowned Engineering companies like WBHO, to name but a few.
12. It is regarded as one of quality andas high knowledge pro- skills, equivalent to Grades 10,the 11high andskills, 12. Ithigh is regarded one of the high grammes that provides experience of the workplace environment and is intended toof high quality and high knowledge programmes that provides experience Under the auspices of Department of Higher Education Training, the directly respond to the priority. This qualification will also provide you an opportunithe workplace environment and is intended to 9directly College targets learners who have completed their Grade to 11 forrespond to the priority. ty to be admitted higher studies is subject appropriate NC (V) courses as wellatas learners who haveyou completed their Gradetoto 12be This qualification will alsoeducation provide an that opportunity admitted subject at higher combination. for NATED/Report 191 programmes. education studies that is subject to appropriate subject combination.
Duration of the qualification: The College offers Report 191 programmes N1 to N6 in Mechanical, Duration of the qualification: Civil and Electrical Engineering, N4 to N6 Management Assistant, FiNCV isManagement aisthree yearyear qualification offered at 2, 3inand Each4.level takes a full NC(V) a three qualification offered Levels 2, 4. 3 and Each level takes nancial and Hospitality Studies. NCLevels (V)atL2-L4 Electrical year of study. A student is issued with a certificate on the successful completion of a full year Construction, of study. A Engineering student isand issued with a certificate Infrastructure Related Design, Informa- on the successful each level of of study. tion Technology, Tourism, Officeof Administration, Civil Construction and completion each level study. Hospitality. Learnerships are also offered at the College. At TSC TVET we offer the following NC(V) programmes: At TSC TVET we offer the following NC (V) programmes:
Tshwane South TVET Currently comprises of the following Campuses: Atteridgeville, Centurion, •• Finance, Finance, Economicsand andAccounting Accounting Economics Odi and Pretoria West.
•• Office Office Administration Administration • Information Technology Computer Scienceskills of its Hospitality students The College’s campus in Centurion isand famed for the Science culinary • Information Technology and Computer •• Civil Civil Engineering Building Construction and for having the best machinery for practical engineering training workshops. Atteridgeville Engineering & &Building Construction •• Electrical Electrical Infrastructure Construction Campus is known for its Civil Engineering. Pretoria Infrastructure Construction West is offering Engineering for both Report 191 and Engineering NC (V) andand hasand been identified as an Engineering Report 191 and for Engineering and IT •• Engineering Related Design Related Design courses. The Odi campus, in Mabopane, is acclaimed for its NC (V) Tourism Programme. •• Hospitality Hospitality •• Tourism Tourism
Want to be part of the fourth industrial revolution let TSC TVET assist you to achieve the future! LIL\17619086
COURSES OFFERED AT TSHWANE SOUTH TVET COLLEGE NATIONAL CERTIFICATE VOCATIONAL *L2 - L4 : • • • • • • • •
Tourism Hospitality Information Technology & Computer Science Civil Engineering & Building Construction Electrical Infrastructure Construction Engineering & Related Design Office Administration Finance Economics & Accounting
PRE LEARNING PROGRAMME • PLP – Pre Learning Programme (NEW)
REPORT 191: GENERAL STUDIES *N4 - N6 : • Intro Business Studies N4 • Intro Catering services N4 • Management Assistant • Financial Management • Hospitality Studies
REPORT 191: NATURAL SCIENCE (ENGENEERING STUDIES)
*N4 - N6 :
• Electrical, Mechanical & Civil Engineering
SKILLS PROGRAMME • • • •
Clothing Production Artisan Training Gandhi – Mandela Centre of Specialisation for Artisan Skills (NEW) Centre of Specialisation for tting & turning (NEW)
LEARNERSHIP • Early Childhood Development • Community House Building • Building and Civil Construction CAMPUS CONTACT DETAILS:
General Enquiries: 012 401 5000 Atteridgeville: 012 373 1200 Centurion: 012 660 8500/1 Pretoria West: 012 380 5000 Odi: 012 725 1800
Tshwane South TVET College has been selected as one of the Centres of Specialisation for the elds of Mechanical Fitter and Fitter & Turning.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT : www.tsc.edu.za
FOLLOW US: @OfficialTshwaneSouthCollege/ @tsc_tvet @tsc_tvet
Meet our contributors Masiziba Hadebe is a final year Agricultural Economics student at the University of the Free State (UFS). She is driven to make a change and is a passionate volunteer for community projects. She loves reading and writing about science, agriculture and anything in between. She believes you can wear a smile whatever the weather! My name is Marcia Ramodike a 22 year young lady from Limpopo Tzaneen at lenyenye. Besides being a student at the university of the free state i am also an author. I am passionate about writing and i live to give hope and wish to change the world. I love reading and in most of my time i write my favourite book is ‘Her Mothers Hope by Francine Rivers and favourite quote is when the caterpillar thought it was the end of the world it turned into a butterfly Lesly Malose Mahapa is a singer/writer/poet. He started writing at the age of 14 and has since been on a journey to pursue his music and writing career. Lesly is currently working with an indie group ‘MozSouth’ based in Ivory park, Midrand. Lesly is also a brand ambassador for a local clothing line “Boi Boi apparel”
HOLLER AT US MaHigh-School The stuff we need to mention:
Website www.romele.co.za
Editor & Publisher Sybil Otterstrom sybil@romele.co.za Advertising sales Next level Management services cc 011 614 5046 076 360 1792 sybil@next-level.co.za Publlishing Romele Publications cc 32 Eleanor street Troyeville 2094 011 614 5046/076 360 1792
facebook.com/ holamahigh
Enquiries Romele Publications cc 32 Eleanor Street Troyeville 2094 Production and Art Direction Ivan Otterstrom ivan@romele.co.za
Twitter.com/ high_hola
What do I tell them? This time we will be very scientific. We have asked our writers to look into the future! Of course Corona is still with us and it is something that has transformed our entire world. As we know it is always hard to evaluate what it is all about when we are in the midst of it all. Now here is the have been describing could tell 30 years
idea: our writers tasked with what they their kids from now.
Imagine you be say Imagine as 50. you think looks like? change (at years back in
yourself: could 20 now. yourself What do the world How did it that time) 30 time?
See how intricate this can be! I also read somewhere that predicting the near future is hard. Predicting something thousands of years into the future is easy. Anything goes. But 30 years? That means the world will look more or less like it is now. We still live in houses and dress in clothes from Pep. Read on and think about it all!
Let me live again! It has been too long! The mask is too tight The people are too far Covid-19! It is too close
It is not fun to be 20 in 2020 2020 v2.0 – but not possible 2021 please arrive Because… … I need a hug
Let it be said. 30 years from now will not dramatically change anything. Go back 30 years and see how it looked. The year 1990 is not so different. There were still cars and some of them are still around. We dressed in ‘normal’ clothes and so on. But of course there were changes happening. So let us go to year 2050. And not wasting time on thinking we are in space suits (or Star-trek uniforms). The cloud: we will be interacting in the cloud. We might not really have a ‘device’, but rather call up what we want as a HUD in front of us. That should be possible as wherever we are, we are ‘recognised’ and forever ‘logged on’. It means that we have access to all info and all apps. We need only state what we want. Energy: There might still be coal-fired plants around, but they will be the exception. The world is powered by wind and solar as the base load and having a small fleet of next-gen atomic power stations (remember it takes something like 10-15 years – or more – to build a nuclear plant). The fast-breeder technology will actually ‘eat’ the nuclear waste from the old stations.
Transport: driver-less cars – all electric – will be the norm. Housing: we will be so many more people in the world. We will live closer to each other. Right now, Asia accounts for 30% of the world area but for 60% of the population. That will intensify. Food: We are all vegetarians. Animals will not be eaten. School: It will be recognised that learning is also a social thing. Therefore, classes will still be there, but it will focus on activities requiring participants. The usual learning of subjects will be driven by AI engines, and will be for the individual via the cloud. Going ‘to school’ will be for social interaction where ‘learning’ will be in the home. Immersive classrooms will be the norm. Like being in a 3D game and no need for VR-goggles. What to learn will be driven by the desire of the individual and past learning and all governed by AI. Music and film: Of course we will enjoy these things. Will never go away, will they? Fashion, shoes and the rest: still there! This is the world we might look at and which our writers will take as the baseline.
What Interv
We also tried to have our editor to g her kids, but rather the grandkids. So, here goes:
Gran, tell us a bit about when the wo
world. Thabo and I were only like 5 and 7 so it is hard for us to really know wh and they will start to ask.
Let me tell you a few things then. First of all, it was a world based on physical and political rallies and public transport. No masks? But gran, we are all using Yes, now it is weird, but remember, after covid-19, when we all it was the new G4 EA H1N1 swine flu. It was more of a scare we were prepared, so it was back with the face masks. Gran, tell us about physical contact. It is difficult as it is now We were just used to rubbing shoulders with each other. cheek-to-cheek with the neighbour table was never a problem.
But you know what the biggest changes were? Physical contact and being clo ness. And as much as we have online video and immersive VR, we still need p
That little fact is the root cause of a lot of global frustrations. We saw it in Jap thought it an off-shoot of humanity. Now it is reality. Wow gran, so we need to create a world where we can touch and feel again?
t do I tell them? view with Sybil
gaze 30 years into the future. Well, it would not be what she would tell
orld changed as you have said so many times. When the Covid-19 hit the
hat it was before. Admittedly, we are now 35 and 37 with kids of our own
contact. We never used face masks and we had crowds at a soccer match g face masks outside. We hardly ever see a person without one. Weird, gran. got used to the onset of virus, we had the follow-on. In 2023 than anything, just like the SARS one back in 2004. This time with a world population of nearly 10 billion. We did not think about it. Going to a restaurant and sitting
ose to people are both so ingrained in being a human. We crave the nearpeople next to us.
panese societies prior to Covid. We studied it as a new phenomenon and
PROGRAMMES OFFERED DHET TVET College Bursary Scheme (Terms and Conditions apply)
PRE-VOCATIONAL LEARNING PROGRAMME (PLP) Duration: 1 year Entry Requirements: Passed Grade 9 (did not pass placement evaluation test)
OFFERED AT SPRINGS CAMPUS ONLY • • • •
Foundational English Foundational Mathematics Foundational Science Foundational Life Skills
NCV NQF LEVEL (2-4)
KWA-THEMA CAMPUS
BRAKPAN CAMPUS
Requirements:Completed & Passed Grade 9, 10 or 11 Duration 1yr per level
•
Electrical Infrastructure
•
Financial Management
Construction
•
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Engineering and Related Design
•
Management Assistant
BENONI CAMPUS •
Management (Wholesale & Retail)
•
Office Administration
•
(Mechanical) •
Process Plant Operations
SPRINGS CAMPUS
ARTISANS & SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
•
Finance, Economics & Accounting
•
•
Marketing
•
Construction (NQF Level 2-4)
Information Technology &
•
Computer Science •
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•
Hospitality
Civil Engineering & Building
•
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•
Marketing Management
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Tourism
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Hospitality
Learnerships, Skills Programmes &
DAVEYTON CAMPUS
Projects
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Electrical Engineering
REPORT 191 (N4 – N6)
DAVEYTON CAMPUS CENTRE OF SPECIALISATION IN BOILERMAKING
SPRINGS CAMPUS
Requirements: Completed & Passed Grade 12 Duration Trimester/Semester
BENONI CAMPUS
KWA-THEMA CAMPUS •
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ICT OPEN LEARNING SPRINGS CAMPUS
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Design (Mechanical)
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MS Digital Literacy
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CISCO IT Essentials
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COMP TIA N+
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PROGRAMMES OFFERED DHET TVET College Bursary Scheme (Terms and Conditions apply)
STUDY FULL TIME OR PART TIME
ENGINEERING SCHOOL BENONI CAMPUS N1-N3 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING N1-N3 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
KWA-THEMA CAMPUS N4-N6 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING N4-N6 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING N4-N6 CIVIL ENGINEERING
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PROGRAMMES OFFERED DHET TVET College Bursary Scheme (Terms and Conditions apply)
STUDY FULL TIME OR PART TIME
BUSINESS SCHOOL - N4-N6 FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (BENONI, BRAKPAN, SPRINGS) - N4-N6 MARKETING MANAGEMENT (BENONI, BRAKPAN, SPRINGS) - N4-N6 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (BENONI) - N4-N6 MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT (BENONI, BRAKPAN)
SCHOOL OF CREATIVE & SOCIAL SERVICES (N4-N6 FULL TIME) - N4-N6 TOURISM (SPRINGS ONLY) - N4-N6 HOSPITALITY (SPRINGS ONLY)
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higher education & training Department: Higher Education and Training REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
SCH OO L F O EERING GIN EN DAVEYTON CAMPUS
ENGINEERING STUDIES
OL OF ENGINE HO ER SC IN
G
KWA-THEMA CAMPUS
N3
SS NE SI
BU
SPRINGS CAMPUS
O SCHO L | SCH OO L
F O
S CE VI
Trimester 3 registration starts: Classes commence:
17 August 2020 07 September 2020
22 June 2020 13 July 2020
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
ESS SCHOOL SIN BU
BRAKPAN CAMPUS
20 April 2020 11 May 2020
Semester 2 registration starts: Classes commence:
ENGINEERIN G OF N1 OL HO
BENONI CAMPUS
Trimester 2 registration starts: Classes commence:
BUSINESS SCHOOL SCHOOL OF CREATIVE & SOCIAL SCIENCES
SC
IVE & SOCI EAT AL CR SE R
SCHOOL ESS SIN U B
REGISTRATION DATES...
1. Student ID certified copy (x3) 2. Parent(s) / Guardian ID certified copy (x3) 3. Proof of address (x3) i.e The student's home address and not a box number. If a student comes from KZN, Limpopo, Soshanguve, etc the address must be from he/she comes from. Proof of address could be: 3.1 Certified Letter from the Local Municipality bearing the Municipality logo 3.2 Municipality bills receipt certified 3.3 Any retail shops certified statement such as Edgars as an example but not a bank statement 3.4 A letter from the traditional leader if coming from a village. The letter must bear the signature of the traditional leader and a stamp from the tradition leader. 4. Certified proof of income of parent(s) /Guardian (x1) 5. Student's bank statement (x1) 6. Lease agreement (x1) signed by both the student and the property owner 7. Certified Parent(s) Death Certificates (x1) 8. Certified student's results (x3) NB: ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BEAR A CERTIFICATION STAMP NOT OLDER THAN 3 MONTHS TO APPLY ONLINE:
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Guessing the Future
The case for Sci-Fi It is a hard task to ‘guess’ what will happen 30 years from now. Typically I am not a big reader of science fiction books, but here we are not into major differences. One of the few science fiction books I have is ‘Earth’ by David Brin. The afterword is rather instructive. It points out that guessing some 30-50 years into the future is not even predictions. Here we look at extrapolations. In essence, we have the things we look at right now. Cars may be slightly different (remember it typically takes some 10 years to design a brandnew car). So, we have driver-less cars that are emerging now. 30 years from now? Probably the norm. The 5G network promises nearly unlimited bandwidth, but let us be honest: 30 years from now it will surely not be enough to drive the ‘cloud’ we are only now starting to conceptualise. We are already starting to mention 7G and 8G networks. And 10G networks are starting to be ‘guessed at’
What it all means is that we can extrapolate what we have, but it is not realistic to invent something totally new. We will still have normal clothes. It is not going to be ‘Startrek’ jumpsuits for all. The real ‘fun’ side of it is that we ought not to look just at technology. Although it is fun to imagine a world with gadgets, we could also look at how we may develop as humans. Will we be different? Will we be better humans? More tolerant? Or will we start more wars?
That question might be the one we cannot answer easily. Has humanity evolved in the last thousand years? That is hard to answer. Surely we do not carry swords and chop off people’s heads, but are we really different? So, our writers have had a difficult task. Trying to imagine a slightly different world, but still within realistic expectations. … but also something that changed in 2020 – very dramatic change at that!
Bennu the Asteroid
and the hoover We have to admire the world of science and especially scientists. Sometimes, we get to remember that nothing beats common sense. Not saying that scientists don’t have common sense, but just sometimes… Here goes: OSIRIS-Rex! This is a space probe designed to get to an asteroid and collect a sample before returning to Earth. It is not a simple process after all. Oh yes: Cost? About $1 bn. Give and take. So a nice asteroid got identified. One of those carbon-rich ones that might be harbouring the elements of life. Bennu the Asteroid is old. Long before the formation of Earth so it will tell us a lot about how life formed and how the universe came together. The problem is that there is no gravity so anything might just bounce off and be lost forever. The clever people came up with the solution. Don’t ‘land’ in the classical sense. Just get close enough to high-five Bennu and sink a probe down in the surface. The probe is a great device. It resembles the head of an industrial hoover. The theory is that this one will just touch the surface (mostly just dust and sand), fire a jet of air from the rim which the ‘hoover’ can then suck up. Just some 60 g is fine and more is a bonus. But nothing beats reality…
OSIRIS-Rex launched in September 2016 and made contact with Benny the Asteroid a few days ago. Everything went according to plan, and then some… The hoover touched the surface for some 5 seconds. The jets of air fired and lifted material up in the air, but…. The jets were so powerful that they created a small crater and the hoover head went in. nearly ½ meter down. It gobbled a sample of not 60g, not 100g, not 200g, but 400g of dust, sand and pebbles. Success! Except, some of the pebbles now blocked the suction from the hoover and blocked the flap that should close the container where the samples (and the hoover head) are contained.
Now some of the samples are leaking out in space. Hold thumbs that when it comes back in 2023 there will still be some of the sample left. Nobody could have guessed, but we could have asked the cleaner about how the hoover works….
TRANSPORT PROGRAMME CELEBRATING TRANSPORT MONTH
26 OCTOBER - 1 NOVEMBER 2020
10:30 -11:30
MONDAY 26 OCTOBER
TUESDAY 27 OCTOBER
WEDNESDAY 28 OCTOBER
Parachute
Firing Up Fuel Cells
Build a Bridge
13:00 -14:00 14:30 -15:30
SCIENCE SHOW Water Bottle Rocket
10:30 -11:30
Road Safety Quiz
Paddle Boat
FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER
SATURDAY 31 OCTOBER
Paddle Boat
Balloon Powered Car SCIENCE SHOW
13:00 -14:00 Build a Bridge
14:30 -15:30
Water Bottle Rocket
SCIENCE SHOW
FLOOR ACTI
TALE OF COMBUSTION AND MOTION
AGE
COST
WIND CAR
Transportation became one of the best invention of all times, let us look at the dynamics behind transformation of combustion to motion, be thrilled and entertained as we explore this human achievement.
ALL
FREE
Energy is transferred from one form to an to Potential energy or vice versa, which m energy, the Mechanical energy. Come join u wind rubber band car.
ROBOTICS
When talking about autonomous cars, it is a to discuss artificial intelligence. AI (artificia to enable cars to navigate through traffic situations. Come learn how to program a cameras and sensors in car works.
WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES
THURSDAY 29 OCTOBER Road Safety Quiz
Parachute SUNDAY 1 NOVEMBER Fueling the Future
Solar Car
IVITIES
nother, namely Kinetic makes a total sum of us and make your own
almost impossible not al intelligence) is used and handle complex a robotic to see how
BUILD-A-BRIDGE
AGE
COST
Have you ever asked yourself how bridges work? Why they don’t collapse? How much weight they can carry? Turn this fascination into a learning activity. Join us with your family as we challenge you to build a bridge and work together to create the lightest possible bridge.
6+
R10
PARACHUTE
AGE
COST
Have you ever wondered why if you throw any object up in the air, it falls back to the ground? That’s because Earth pulls everything towards it with a force called gravity. Come join us as we build a parachute and launch it.
7+
R15
FIRING UP FUEL CELLS
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Fuel cells appear to be the perfect way to generate clean, green electricity by combining oxygen and hydrogen to produce water with a release of energy. In this workshop, we will look at what Fuel Cell technology is, how it works and how it may develop in the future while building a model hydrogen fuel cell car.
5+
R5
ROAD SAFETY QUIZ
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How well do you understand road signs? How safe are you on the road? Come join us for road safety awereness with a twist.
8+
R5
PADDLE BOAT
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Have you ever wondered why boats are able to move over or across water irrespective of their weight? Come let us show you why.
6+
R10
BALLOON POWERED CAR
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Newton’s third Law of Motion, “ For every Action There is A Reaction” has led to the advancement of humanity enabling myriad discoveries over the past century. From the invention of cars, aero planes, helicopters, this theory is amazing. Join us as we build our own balloon powered car.
5+
R15
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COST
FUELING THE FUTURE
AGE
COST
7+
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With the world running low on fossil fuels, it is time we find alternative sources of energy. Join us this transport week as we explore ways to fuel the future.
6+
R5
WATER BOTTLE ROCKET
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COST
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COST
7+
FREE
ALL
FREE
Rockets are definitely marvels of engineering. These amazing gravitydefying machines have lifted test material, people, and even animals into space. But how are rockets able to travel so high up? What propels them and what is the science behind it all? Find out this as we launch rockets using water.
SOLAR CAR
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COST
Solar cells are devices that can generate electricity directly from the sun’s light. Find out how these cells are able to do this while exploring solar power and use this energy from the sun to power up a miniature car.
8+
R5
NB: KINDLY NOTE THAT ALL ACTIVITIES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE.
011 639 8400 | www.sci-bono.co.za | Corner of Miriam Makeba & Helen Joseph Streets | Newtown
What to tell my childre
How COVID-19 transfo
The year 2020 will be the climax for many story tellers. In particular, for us who are interested in telling our descendants what really happened especially with strong reference to our experiences. Now, in my previous article I mentioned that the higher education sector was transformed due to COVID-19. My research has discovered that the e-learning approach has resulted in the dynamic change within the education sector and reinforcing other aspects of the country. If you consider the inequality that is prevalent in South Africa, e-learning becomes complex, in terms of access and opportunity. To measure inequality, Economists use the Gini coefficient. South Africa has one of the highest inequality rates in the world, with a Gini coefficient of 67.8 in 2015 (Denmark’s is 27.5). As it is well documented, Education remains one of the tools to ensure that inequality is solved. However, with the e-learning process, many people have been excluded because of inequality. To give you a practical example, I had an e-tutor class and most people struggled to join mainly because they had no access or were in areas that were completely underdeveloped. What does this mean?
The aspects that were out of their hands suddenly hindered their ability to participate in the education system. As mentioned in the previous
en 30 years from now:
ormed higher education
article, although scientists had predicted some sort of pandemic (not one to this extent), universities were minimally prepared. Because, in all honesty, when we signed up for the long distance approach preCOVID-19, it was based on the fact that we knew what we were signing up for: We had to have good network coverage/ data, access to the laptop, valid courier address etc. The latter, however, has resulted in other students who were already well on the way to be thrust into a situation where they had no access. Of course, Universities and the Department of Higher Education had to adapt and acknowledge the existence of such students. Not everything was as easy as saying ‘the long-distance approach’. Internet data bundles had to be provided to these students. Laptops had to be provided. Telephonic assistance had to be integrated into the learning process. All because not everyone could have access to all the tools required. All of this also calls for student financing institutions to look into their financing models in order to provide students with what they need to be successful.
What to tell - 30 years from now (continued)
In essence, we were the first ones to experience e-learning. We had to all of a sudden rely on it especially if we were eager to acquire the qualifications we needed.
conditions we were finding ourselves in.
It was a new process that opened us up to using specific programs and understanding the need for technology to proceed with our academic lives. In addition, it meant using these tools to excel and survive against the unfavourable
Besides being part of the group that was only allowed social interaction in class Pre-Covid-19, we became the students that raised our hands in a classroom with an icon Post Covid-19. Sending a message in a chat box to the lecturer and literally being in the same WhatsApp group with the lecturer. We were the first generation to be given the platform to hide behind our screens and for some, this meant opening up. While for others, it meant more screen time. We became the students that needed to rest our eyes, buy more expensive data, gain more soft skills and set alarms for class in our sitting room. We became part of a time where the technology that was considered a want suddenly became a necessity. If you had no access to technology, it meant you had higher chances of dropping out.
Masiziba Hadebe
Coronavirus
Protect yourself
Wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds How long is 20 seconds? Hum the first verse of our national anthem: Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika
thebreadcrumbs.co.za
More info: www.health.gov.za
CLEAN HANDS SAFER LANDS
What is NSFAS?
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is a government entity under the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)
What does NSFAS do? Supports access to and success in, higher education and training for students from poor and working-class families who would otherwise not be able to afford the cost of studies at a public university or Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college. • Provides financial aid to eligible students who are studying or plan to study at any of the 50 TVET colleges or the 26 public universities in South Africa • Identifies students who qualify for the bursary • Provides bursaries to students
Who qualifies for NSFAS funding? • All South African citizens • All SASSA grant recipients • Applicants whose combined household income is not more than R350 000 per annum • Persons with disabilities with a combined household income of not more than R600 000 per annum • Students who started studying at a university before 2018 and whose household income is not more than R122 000 per annum
What does the NSFAS bursary cover?
• Registration • Tuition • Book allowance • Accommodation allowance • Transport allowance • Food allowance • Personal care allowance
Does the NSFAS bursary offer any additional support for students with disabilities? Yes, NSFAS further supports funded students with disabilities through an additional allowance that covers: • Medical assessments • Assistive devices • Human support to cover for the cost of a caregiver, guide dog, scribe or tutor.
How, where and when can one apply for NSFAS? The 2021 application season will be communicated through media, social media and the NSFAS website www.nsfas.org.za. Applications are submitted online through the NSFAS website: www.nsfas.org.za
To apply for NSFAS funding students must have a registered myNSFAS account. If you plan to study in 2021 and require support from NSFAS, you may open your myNSFAS account now to keep updated with the latest funding information.
Connect with us using the following channels: National Student Financial Aid Scheme
myNSFAS
myNSFAS
NSFAS Connect: www.nsfas.org.za and log into your myNSFAS account NSFAS Connect gives you access to quick facts and frequently asked questions. Applicants and students can also submit and track a query for further assistance.
Bamboo in Africa Are bamboo plants a significant part of the bioeconomy? A bioeconomy as defined by EU, comprises of those parts of the economy that use renewable biological resources from land and sea – such as crops, forest, animals, and micro-organisms – to produce food, materials and energy. It is clear that from this definition that plants are included. To be more particular, the bamboo plant is popularly referenced. In fact, Bamboo is a name for over 1,400 species of giant grasses in 115 different genera. All bamboos have wood-like stems. Bamboo can grow anywhere. And that is where the challenges are. Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth, which can be up to 1 m in a day. However, the growth rate is dependent on local soil and climatic conditions, as well as species. A more typical growth rate for many commonly cultivated bamboos in temperate climates is in the range of 3–10 centimetres per day during the growing period. With this information, an initiative called AFR-100 spearheaded and led by African Nations aims to use Bamboo plants to achieve landscape restoration. Reason being that the integration of bamboo plants in these degraded lands is expected to be a tool for positive economic development while reversing environmental degradation and climate change across the continent. Although bamboos are successful in reversing environmental
a: weed or savior? degradation, some species show an invasive behaviour. When bamboos become dominant, they outcompete other plant species, particularly trees, decreasing its density and species diversity.
ring native tree saplings.
With the AFR-100 initiative, there is little information on what exact species of the Bamboo will be used. If so, is that species invasive on African climate and local soil conditions? This is important to know because in degraded forests with relatively low tree canopy cover, bamboos rapidly colonize open areas and limit co-occur-
Although the land area occupied by bamboo has increased significantly over the last two decades, bamboo is still cultivated in many countries and remains a forest resource that serves as an excellent substitute for timber products and provides a multitude of food and non-food uses, hence forming an integral part of the bioeconomy. This societal and economic significance has led to increased bamboo cultivation globally. However, there is significant evidence of the rapid expansion of bamboo hectarage, both intentional and by encroachment, in native and non-native countries which has to be taken into account when introducing it for reversal environmental degradation. Pros and cons it is called!
Masiziba Hadebe
Locust? Like in the Bible? This is really serious and is a very real threat to the food supply in Africa. It is a potential disaster we are looking at. See what Harward says here: “A plague of locusts has descended on East Africa, devouring crops, trees, and pasture as they move. The first generation, which emerged at the end of last year, numbered in the hundreds of billions. Left unchecked, a factor of 20 per cording to the UN ture Organization that the second took flight in March in the trillions.
locusts multiply by generation, acFood and Agricul(FAO), meaning generation that and April numbered
Now in July, a third generation is set to take off, paving the way for potentially calamitous food shortages in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Swarms can cover many square miles (sometimes areas as big as cities), move up to 100 miles a day, and eat their weight daily”. This is what FAO says: “FAO: Desert Locust situation update 5 October 2020
“Winter breeding by swarms started several months earlier than normal along the Red Sea coast, which could allow an extra generation of breeding this season and cause substantial increases in locusts�. Why now? They lay their eggs in wet soil and Africa had heavy rainfall also out of season. That meant trillions (or even more) locusts being hatched. And then they swarm to get to a food source. But how to control it? Very hard! A lot of birds (and other animals) eat locusts. If we spray against locust we kill of their natural predators. Some areas in Africa where the swarms are, are no-go areas due to conflicts. Do we give up? We should never give up, but the underlying problem is climate change. We are creating excellent conditions for the swarms due to increased rainfall, higher temperatures in general and deserts are growing. Look at some of the pics and be amazed.
Many good things happening in November. But here is one that might be overlooked: Children’s day The end of WWI saw misery on a global scale. The defeated nations (Germany and Austria-Hungary) were especially hit. As usual, the most vulnerable will suffer the most and that will be the children. This lead Eglantyne Jebb to formulate the first declaration of Children’s Rights. Now Ms. Jebb was not just anyone. She was the founder of Save the Children Fund. That one is still active and having a profound impact. It must have been a battle but she managed to get the League of Nations (the forerunner for UN) to adopt the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1924. This was the first human rights document ever to be approved by several nations. The five carrying points were: • The child must be given the means requisite for its normal development, both materially and
spiritually. • The child that is hungry must be fed, the child that is sick must be nursed, the child that is backward must be helped, the delinquent child must be reclaimed, and the orphan and the waif must be sheltered and succoured. • The child must be the first to receive relief in times of distress. • The child must be put in a position to earn a livelihood, and must be protected against every form of exploitation. • The child must be brought up in the consciousness that its talents must be devoted to the service of its fellow men. Did it just die thereafter? Not at all! 20 November 1959 saw the UN adopting the declaration with a few additions. 1989 saw the UN issue the declaration as a convention. A convention is one where the member states are obliged to adhere. Wiki says: “The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. The Convention defines a child as any human being under the age of eighteen, unless the age of majority is attained earlier under national legislation. Nations that ratify this convention are bound to it by international law. Compliance is monitored by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which is composed of 18 independent experts. And that is why I think it is worth celebrating and commemorating on 20 November.
It’s mov
IWe are in business - I think real announcements and poste and video and so much more. Lootcase Nandan Kumar, a middle class, family man, finds a suitcase with 10 crores in a lonely, desolate market on the way back from his night shift. He hides it from his morally upright wife, Lata, and his little son, Ayush. He now believes the suitcase is the divine answer to all his lower-middle-class problems. He starts talking to the suitcase—as if it were his long-lost pal. Meanwhile, the suitcase’s dark past catches up with him. With absolutely no special skills or talent, he has to make a choice: Does he fight or does he take flight for survival? Screening: 9 October 2020
vie time!
k. At least there are now ers and trailers and music November!!! Freaky 17-year-old Millie Kessler is just trying to survive the bloodthirsty halls of Blissfield High and the cruelty of the popular crowd. But, when she becomes the newest target of The Butcher, her town’s infamous serial killer, her senior year becomes the least of her worries. When The Butcher’s mystical ancient dagger causes him and Millie to wake up in each other’s bodies, Millie learns that she has just 24 hours to get her body back before the switch becomes permanent and she’s trapped in the form of a middle-aged maniac forever. Screening: November 13
Music is a lot of THINGS! So we thought that music was a lot about instruments and video and things? Let us look at something else. Weird examples really! Gregorian chant Wiki says: “Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe during the 9th and 10th centuries. Gregorian melodies are traditionally written using neumes, an early form of musical notation from which the modern four-line and five-line staff developed. Gregorian chant was traditionally sung by choirs of men and boys in churches, or by men and women of religious orders in their chapels. Although Gregorian chant is no longer obligatory, the Roman Catholic Church still officially considers it the music most suitable for worship. During the 20th century, Gregorian chant underwent a musicological and popular resurgence.
Inuit Throat singing This not rap! Says wiki: “nuit throat singing, or katajjaq, is a form of musical performance uniquely found among the Inuit. The traditional form consists of two women who sing duets in a close face-to-face formation with no instrumental accompaniment, in an entertaining contest to see who can outlast the other. However, one of the genre’s most famous practitioners, Tanya Tagaq, performs as a solo artist. Several groups, including Tudjaat, The Jerry Cans, Quantum Tangle and Silla + Rise, also now blend traditional throat singing with mainstream musical genres such as pop, folk, rock and dance music. An analogous form called rekuhkara was once practiced among the Ainu of Hokkaidō, Japan Oh, by the way: throat singing is not only Inuit! It is thought that the art of overtone singing originated in southwestern Mongolia in today’s Khovd Province and Govi Altai region. Nowadays, overtone singing is found throughout the country and Mongolia is often considered the most active center of overtone singing in the world. The most commonly practiced style, Khöömii (written in Mongolian Cyrillic). So we are into Siberia? We are indeed. And it sounds like this:
We need writers! Hola MaHigh-School is YOUR magazine. That is why we would love to see students writing for students about student life and everything of importance to a student in any grade10-12 across the country. What is required? That is easy: You have to be in grade 10-12 somewhere Impeccable in your preferred language-and that might not be English. We try to be more than just English. Passionate about your topic of choice - no dull articles here. Do you get anything out of it? Well, not money, sorrry. BUT if we publish your articles you will have: Your bio in a commercial magazine A photo of yourself You can put it all on your CV you can use us as a reference
Is it important? YES it is. Look what Rofhiwa said: My name is Rofhiwa and I love to write. I have used my skills to express my thoughts on international dealings of the world which have been published in Hola MaHigh-School. It has paid off, not only is my work printed for young people in the country to read, but it also contributed to me gettng a bursary from CNBC-Africa to do my post-graduate studies. Would be a lot harder to get by if I didn’t have a platform like Hola MaHigh-School.
What me on
to do?
ivan@ ro name mele.co.za : Cell n u m b e E-ma r i ... and l address we wi ll talk !
Next Issue Next issue is it for 2020. This has been a very strange year and has taught us a lot good and bad. We need to gear up for 2021, but I think we all need a break. The question is: how? We try to come up with ideas, but it is difficult to do surfing with facemask or ‘langarm’ dancing and social distance - LOL let us see what we come up with. Look forward.
Sybil