2009: Edition 1

Inter Campus

African Politics

page 5

page 6

Fear of a black planet

Varsity Cup

page 12

page 16

17 February 2009 · Volume 68, Number 1 · 021 650 3543 · varsitynewspaper@gmail.com

Out with the orange in with the red Nicole Jonklass and Zerene Haddad FEDICS has been awarded the contract to provide catering in UCT residence dining halls. This comes after Royal Sechaba Food Services’ contract with UCT expired at the end of last year. All of Royal Sechaba’s UCT staff continue to work in residence kitchens, but are now employed by Fedics.

Fedics has been operating in residences since 1 January, providing catering at Clarinus during Vacation Accommodation before commencing operations in other catering residences in the first week of February.

Maureen Stringer, the Quality Manager and Student Liaison Officer for Fedics at UCT, told VARSITY that so far catering at UCT has been “very challenging”, with one of the main challenges being trying to determine students’ preferences. “It’s not like if we were here [last year] and we could pick up the trends of last year’s students.”.

Stringer said that during Orientation Week it was “difficult for us because there’s so much going on.

But hopefully after [this past] Sunday it’s going to be back to normal because we’ll have some structure and routine.” She said that Fedics had not yet fully settled in to UCT residence kitchens and that there were still many things with which they were experimenting, such as their menu.

Responses from students re-

garding Fedics were mixed. Third year student Buhle Gumede, a self-described “squatter” who has eaten at Kopano said: “What I had yesterday and the day before was pretty decent... Although I heard from other students that the portions are smaller compared to what Sechaba had.”

A first year Tugwell resident said the staff at her residence are very friendly and the food tastes very good. Contrastingly, a fresher from Leo Marquard expressed his distaste, “the food sucks, basically.

It’s too dry and it lacks flavour.”

Sara Reith, the SRC Residences Coordinator, said that, “In terms of how Fedics is running now as an operation, we have to be cognisant that there are still some growing pains…”

Complaints Stringer confirmed that Fedics had received complaints from students regarding portion sizes.

After asking UCT Management for permission, they [Fedics] increased some of their protein portions by 20g per meal. The University provides the specifications for the weight of meal portions. Fedics will be conducting a survey amongst residence students regarding the newly-implemented automated coffee machines, about which they have also received Photo by Simone Millward complaints. Stringer said that Fedics had also made improvements to their décor, providing heaven-sent - A Table Mountain National Parks helicopter collecting water from the UCT Dam to drop new salad and cereal bars. over the Rhodes Estate in order to extinguish a fire last Friday. Approximately 50 fire fighters struggled for at least two hours to bring the fire under control. continued on pg 5...

New SRC starts year without two members Nicole Jonklass TWO MEMBERS of the 2008/9 Student Representative Council (SRC) will not be able to complete their terms in office due to academic reasons.

SRC Deputy-Secretary General, Sabelo Mcinziba, and Health, Safety and Security Coordinator, Babongile Mandela, were not accepted into their desired postgraduate programmes at UCT and have since entered academic programmes at other institutions.

In a press statement issued to VARSITY on Wednesday 11 February, SRC President Chris Ryall states that he “has yet to receive an official letter of resignation from either member; however their pending resignations have been confirmed.”

In an interview with VARSITY, Ryall said that Mandela had told him in person that he would not be returning to UCT. When contacted, Mandela told VARSITY that he had entered into a Masters Programme at a European university. When asked if he planned to submit a formal letter of resignation he said, “I suppose at some

stage I will have to.”

According to Ryall, Mcinziba had been “unreachable for about two months for personal reasons”, but had confirmed with the Manager of Student Governance and Leadership, Jerome September, that he would not be returning to UCT. According to Ryall, Mcinziba received an offer to continue his studies from the University of the Western Cape.

VARSITY was unable to reach Mcinziba to confirm this.

Ryall said that because Mandela and Mcinziba had a choice between staying on the SRC and doing the degree of their choice, he felt that he had to support their decisions. “For them it probably is the best decision to do the degree that they needed to do,” said Ryall.

Although he views Mandela and Mcinziba’s absence from the SRC as “unfortunate”, he did not feel that it was a cause for alarm. “[T]he fact of the matter is that we as an SRC have actually been operating with 13 members for the last three months during a very busy vac and we’ve delegated their responsibilities fine and it’s

actually worked absolutely fine.”

The current SRC was constituted on 15 October 2008 and started their training on 12 November*.

According to Ryall, Mandela and Mcinziba were present for SRC training and attended the Strategic Planning sessions held during the December vacation. He said that they did not return to UCT for the second ‘bloc’ of vacation which commenced on 5 January.

Ryall said that he only communicated Mandela and Mcinziba’s pending resignations to the SRC last week Tuesday because “[o]ut of respect, I wanted to give him [Mcinziba] the opportunity to come and resign to me. But because, essentially, the SRC goes into full operation on Monday [yesterday], I need the SRC to know what’s going on.”

Possible Replacement?

With regards to the issue of whether or not Mandela and Mcinziba would be replaced, Ryall pointed out that the SRC had three options: “You could have a bielection, you could co-opt, or you could just leave it.” That is, con-

tinue operating with 13 members.

The SRC Constitution places no specific obligation on the SRC to replace Mandela and Mcinziba.

Ryall said that he was awaiting a document from September that would provide information on past precedent. According to Ryall, past precedent “essentially says that within [consultation] of Student Assembly, you’ve got to decide what’s best for your team.”

Last year’s SRC functioned with 14 members and the 2006/7 SRC ended their term in office with 12 members.

The SRC were scheduled to meet last week Friday to discuss the issue of replacing Mandela and Mcinziba. The Zimbabwe Response Assembly that took place during Friday Meridian, however prevented all SRC members from attending. Ryall told VARSITY that the matter has been referred to the next SRC meeting which he hoped would take place before the end of the week.

Any decision the SRC makes regarding the matter must be passed through the Constitutional Committee and by Student Assembly before it becomes final.

Varsity, the official student newspaper since 1942, is committed to the principles of equality and democracy

The 2008 election results suggest that, should the SRC decide to co-opt two members, Mandela and Mcinziba will most likely be replaced by Mashingita ‘Singi’ Makhubela and Tende Makofane.

These two candidates received the 16th and 17th most votes in last years elections and both contested the election under the banner of the South African Student Congress (SASCO). Co-opting these two members would have no affect on the party make-up of the SRC, as Mandela and Mcinziba also contested the election under the SASCO banner. If the SRC, however, continues to operate with thirteen members, the majority that the Democratic Alliance Students’ Organisation (DASO) hold in the SRC would be strengthened, as the SRC would then consist of seven DASO members, three independent members and three SASCO members.

*For more information on the new SRC and each member’s portfolio, see pg 2.

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news

Volume 68 Number 1

SJC March to Parliament Photo by Simone Millward

2009 SRC Portfolios

armed with a cause - Members of the Social Justice Coalition join hands en route to Parliament.

Olivia Walton and to “see firsthand how people enforced by blocking the stretch live.” of Roeland Street leading up to STUDENTS and staff marched to He expressed concern at stu- parliament’s gates. Protestors were Parliament on Friday 6 February dents’ political apathy, a feeling also instructed to occupy only one under the banner of the Social shared by Liat Davis, provincial lane on one block of Roeland Justice Coalition (SJC) demand- co-ordinator for the SJC. Davis Street. This was enforced by red ing a judicial inquiry into the suggested that under apartheid, tape surrounding the protestors. arms deal. The march coincided injustice affected students’ daily These limitations prevented the with the opening of Parliament in lives, whereas today when there SJC from taking their memorana bid to draw the attention of all is “no direct threat to their lives, dum to the gates of Parliament, as politicians present. The SJC stated they don’t feel an obligation to be had been their intention. clearly at the march that they are active”. Both Davis and Dr Price The SJC had intended to presnot against any party or person, felt that students have a duty to be ent a memorandum of demands but that voters have a right to politically active and hold govern- to the Speaker of Parliament, Ms demand an inquiry. ment accountable.

Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde. At a Speaking at the protest were Paul Holden informed the press briefing on 4 February the UCT Vice-Chancellor Dr Max crowd of the issues surround- SJC explained that the MahlanguPrice, Paul Holden, author of The ing the arms deal, stating that it Nkabinde had at first agreed to Arms Deal in Your Pocket, and was expected to cost R29.9 bil- accept this memorandum, but Anele Wondo, Angy Peter, Gilad lion when first proposed in 1999, later had contacted the SJC statIsaacs, and Kira Schlesinger of but by 2011 will have cost an ing that she would be unable to the SJC. estimated R70 billion. The SJC collect it as Parliament would be Peter, an SJC co-ordinator stated at the press briefing that in session. in Khayelitsha, expressed how the Constitution outlines that any Despite being unable to present the people there are “too poor to government expenditure over the memorandum, Davis felt that be heard”, saying that “they cry R80 million must go through the march had been a success as it before they die”. She stated that Parliament. The arms deal did not had mobilised people and ensured the government “is too high and go through Parliament, despite that the arms deal issue “is now too rich to listen to the people its proposed cost of R30 billion. on their minds”. Furthermore, she of Khayelitsha”. Her speech was Holden estimates that the money felt Parliament’s refusal to collect punctuated with cries of “Amandla could instead have built 3 million the memorandum highlighted the awethu!” as she demanded that the RDP houses, employed 60 000 fact that Parliament “excludes” government listen to the people. policemen every year since 1999, the people.

Dr Max Price called on South or created 100 000 jobs every year Neither the President nor Africans to back the cause of the for six years.

Parliament has responded to or SJC as citizens, stating that it is The SJC was told by police attempted to contact the SJC, “disgraceful that we can’t go to that the march must be limited to other than to deny the collection our own parliament”. Talking to 1000 people, down from a previ- of the memorandum.

VARSITY Newspaper, he encour- ous limit of 2000. A police officer aged UCT students to become who formed part of the group To contact the SJC or find out involved, not just through protest, of police assigned to the march more, go to www.socialjusticecobut also through active work in estimated that about 500 people alition.org or email Liat Davis on the community. He stated that attended. However, the SJC esti- liat_davis@hotmail.com or 083 involvement with organisations mates the figure to be closer to 299 9718. such as SHAWCO is in fact more 1000. Protestors were banned important as it allows students from coming within 500 metres to see the “extent of inequality” of Parliament, a safety measure

Nicole Jonklass The 2008/9 Student Representative Council (SRC) was constituted on 15 October 2008. At a meeting held the day before and overseen by election officers, each SRC member was allocated a specific portfolio.

SRC members from the Democratic Alliance Students Organisation (DASO) hold four of seven Executive positions, with Chris Ryall serving as president of the SRC. Independent candidate Portia Gama is the SecretaryGeneral of the SRC while South African Students Congress (SASCO) member Ahmad Bana completes the Executive as SRC Treasurer. (The Deputy-Secretary General, Sabelo Mcinziba, also a SASCO member, will not be able to complete his term in office, as reported on page 1.)

Independent candidates Sara Reith and Anton Taylor serve as Residences Coordinator and Entertainment and Fundraising Coordinator, respectively. Reith and Taylor received the highest and second-highest number of votes in the 2008 SRC election.

According to SRC President Chris Ryall, two independent candidates were affiliated to the seven DASO members in the SRC at the time when portfolios were allocated. Ryall said that DASO, with these independent candidates, had a “clear majority” and that DASO candidates had secured all the positions they wanted.

He stated that the allocation of positions stalled as “SASCO seemed to get upset because the allocation of the presidencies hadn’t gone according to how they wanted it to. I kept nominating them [SASCO members] for positions and they started to decline those positions,’ said Ryall.

According to Ryall, the SRC excused the election officers and

The 2008/9 SRC

Chris Ryall Amanda Ngwenya Shannon Bernhardt Portia Gama Sabelo Mcinziba

Dylan van Vuuren Ahmad Bana Mzwa Kweyama Sara Reith Trevor McArthur Michelle Davy

Anton Taylor

Nevena Kostic

Ayanda Dhladhla Babongile Mandela

then had “three hours of discussion and negotiation and talking and persuading and compromising” that dealt mainly with the allocation of Executive positions, apart from the three presidential positions that had already been allocated. He said that all 15 SRC members came up with a list of how positions would be allocated.

“It was a fantastic way to start the year,” said Ryall about the agreement reached over the allocation of positions, “because, for me, it was a show of unity; it was a show that we’re all here for the same reason. It was a show that we just want to get the job done.”

Ryall told VARSITY that SRC training had been “severely curtailed” and that usually the handover from the previous SRC would start in September, with each new member shadowing a former SRC member with the relevant portfolio for about a month.

“We had a four-day handover,” said Ryall, adding that the new SRC started their hand-over the day after the November exam period ended, had three days of meeting with various stakeholders, then embarked on the annual SRC Strategic Planning trip.

The SRC’s handover was delayed, as the provisional results for the 2008 election were only declared final on 10 October, despite the election being held from 18 to 22 August. The SRC Elections Committee had received three objections to the provisional results, one of which was referred to the 2007/8 SRC. After this SRC ruled on the objection, three appeals to their ruling were submitted to Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price on 19 September 2008. Dr Price appointed deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Thandabantu Nhlapo to oversee the appeals, after which the final results were declared.

President Vice-President External Vice-President Internal Secretary-General Deputy Secretary-General (resigna- tion pending) Chair: Academics Treasurer Transformation Coordinator Residences Coordinator Societies Coordinator Sports Coordinator Entertainment and Fundraising Coordinator Media and Communications Coordinator Dayhouses Coordinator Health, Safety and Security Coordinator (resignation pending)

Needy students assisted, as student fees increase by 13,2 % Tonbara Ekiyor THE UCT COUNCIL has decided to increase student fees for 2009 by an average of 13,2%, with increases for individual students ranging from 10% to 14%. The increase is substantially greater than that of previous years when fees were increased by 8.8%, 7.7% and 7.76% in 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Students were informed of the fees increase in the Monday Paper Inside story, a newsletter posted to students during the December vacation. In the newsletter, ViceChancellor, Dr Max Price, states that the fee increase will be used to “assist more needy students with financial support”, which he called a “transformation impera-

tive”. He also states that the increase will “effect a once-off catch-up following three successive years of lower fee increases”, adding that last year’s inflation rate “far exceeded [the 2008] fee increase, so there is also a catchup required for 2009.”

The Council, according to the UCT Fees handbook reserves the right to revise fees without notice.

They [Council] agreed on the fee increase during a sitting on 5 November 2008. All members were present at the sitting, including former SRC president Thulani Madinginye. Madinginye could not be reached for comment.

Under the new fees model, students from families whose gross income is less than R400,000 are now eligible for financial aid, as

opposed to the previous amount of R200,000.

For international students, “the local portion of fees will be subject to the average fee increase of 13.2%”. Despite the fact that the international portion has not been increased, international student Carla De Sousa feels “that the general increase to international fees is unnecessary because, notwithstanding the economic crisis which affects international students adversely, international fees are already exorbitant”.

There, however, is a silver lining for Zimbabwean students. In an interview with VARSITY, current SRC president Chris Ryall disclosed that the VC would be making a portion of his discretionary funds available to the SRC to

assist Zimbabwean students with fees, as they cannot receive funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

The new fees model states that: “No student on financial aid will have to pay more in 2009 than they would have in 2008.”

However, according to Film Studies postgraduate student, Lutho Somdyala, “the fee increase does not necessarily assist students on scholarships or bursaries because the amount they are being given [from bursars] is fixed, therefore, an increase in the fees would lead to an increase in the difference they have to pay”.

Fees for doctoral students will rise by 14%, while those of honours students will rise by only 10% in the hope that more stu-

dents would “take up further study after completing a first degree,” according to the Monday Paper.

Ryall said that a group of postgraduate students had complained to him that despite the new fees model, postgraduate funding seems to have decreased.

When asked to comment on the fee increase, he said that “high fees are not desirable at any time, but the fact is we’ve got this increase and I’m glad that they’ve used the extra money to pump into financial aid.”

VARSITY contacted UCT Management for comment, but was referred to the Monday Paper Inside story excerpt.

ON THURSDAY 12 February, hundreds of scantily-clad UCT students at almost 78 intersections across Cape Town appealed to motorists to buy the 76th edition of SAX Appeal. The satirical magazine is produced annually by RAG and sold by student volunteers to raise money for SHAWCO. Each year, student-sellers, most of whom are traditionally first year residence students, are encouraged to dress up to a theme to attract motorists’ attention. This year’s theme, ‘SAX Education’, saw many students arriving at the sales depots in modified school uniforms with shortened skirts, ties tied around the head, cropped school shirts, and the like.

Magazine sales are coordinated

by RAG. Tina Braz, who formed part of the SAX Appeal marketing team, told VARSITY that the depot managers were well organised. “We made sure that everyone was safe and having a good time.

One guy was wearing stockings, an apron and a poster for SAX on his back, and even though he was drunk and most likely dehydrated, he just kept going.”

SAX Appeal Project Manager Aliyah Allie praised the teamwork involved in the event. “The team [this year] was absolutely incredible… Usually it is manic, but this year it ran beautifully.”

SAX Appeal was produced over the December holiday by a team of student volunteers. Maciek Dubla, editor of SAX Appeal, insists he never had a holiday. “It was a lot of

Clockwise from top left: SAX Appeal’s Deputy Editor Brian Muller and Editor Maciek Dubla; Various SAXXY Sellers strut their stuff on the streets of the City.

Photo courtesy of RAG Media

fun but a lot of work.” Despite the notoriety of previous editions, he maintains that they were “not trying to be controversial for the sake of being controversial”. Some articles have, however, pushed some buttons, with RAG receiving a few complaints regarding the content of the magazine. Articles in this year’s magazine include “Top 10 retorts for Fundamentalist Christians” and “The Idiot’s Guide to Recruiting Al-Qaeda Terrorists in the Modern Age”.

SHAWCO Education President Jon Hodgson told VARSITY that the money raised through SAX Appeal “is more valuable as SHAWCO can use it at its own discretion.” He said that, “Nobody sponsors admin costs and the transport costs necessary to run such a large organisation,” and that the money raised through SAX Appeal is used for SHAWCO’s central operating costs.

As many as 35 000 copies of SAX Appeal were sold on Thursday. The remaining magazines are being sold at UCT Campus Store and the RAG Office at a discounted price. SAX Appeal is also available at Pick ‘n Pay for R20.

Photo by Simone Millward

Sales SAXess Kerryn Warren

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news

Photo by Simone Millward

Varsity

4

opinions

Charity for change LIFE is nothing but a string of random events. You’re one in a sea of over six and a half billion other insignificant people. You are where you are not because you did anything in particular to deserve it, but because, in the lottery that is life, you got lucky.

Maybe you clawed your way up from a squatter camp, or maybe you settled for UCT after Harvard turned you down. Either way (or anything in between), you can imagine how different your life could be if almost anything had been different.

I’ve met a few people who argue against charity: apparently if you give something to someone for nothing, they’ll become dependent. They will no longer need to look for a job, or become self-sufficient. Maybe that’s true.

I’m sure there are people who are genuinely happy to live parasitically, but what about the 26% of South Africans eager for work, but unable to find it? Can you blame a person for being unemployed if every teacher who taught them was unqualified or if they were forced to drop out of school? If

we accept that we are lucky, can we, in good conscience, refuse to help those to whom life was not so kind?

I’m an idealist: I truly believe that each of us wants the world to be better; that none of us want children to go to bed hungry, or for the elderly to eat cat food. To that end, I have compiled a short list of suggestions of small and large ways to help others.

Become a SHAWCO volunteer, or help raise money for SHAWCO by joining RAG. If none of that appeals to you, support RAG by attending every party they throw this year!

You can start a clothing collection in your res for refugee aid organisations, volunteer to type CVs for refugees, sponsor a training program, or buy ‘starter packs’ for new arrivals with nothing (contact the Adonis Musati Project on 076 230 7617).

Join Tugwell in collecting sanitary pads for Zimbabwean girl orphans, so they don’t have to miss days of school every month (contact me on jrvemm001@uct. ac.za for further info).

Make healthy sandwiches and distribute them to the homeless.

If you party regularly, once a month, instead of going out, have your friends come over to hang out and play board games, and donate the money you would have spent on taxis, cover charges and drinks to a charity instead.

If you play sport, arrange for the team to help Habitat for Humanity and build a house for a day.

Campaign for the funds raised by your residence’s event, such as the formal after-party, to go to a charity – many of the larger residences spend over R100 000 on this single night.

If you don’t have the time to help now, when will you? Right now, today, choose a charity that you think does something worthwhile and call them up. A perfect world might be an unattainable dream, but if we all aimed for one anyway, we would definitely get a whole lot closer. In the words of Mother Teresa, “If you cannot feed a hundred, feed one.”

IT HAS become absolutely disgusting, in a time when presentation, social and corporate etiquette have been sharpened to the point that it would make a shark’s dentist begin to weep at the sight of such pointy splendour, that so few people are even aware of information etiquette.

We are thrust along the seconds and minutes of the 21st century by a continuous flurry of information. We need to know, we want to know, and we want to know it now. The newly diagnosed “discomgooglation” – the syndrome of anxiety one feels when they are disconnected from the internet, - is indicative of the urgency and immediacy of our need for infor-

mation.

But there are things, ladies and gentlemen, which I am not prepared or willing to know just quite yet - knowledge with which I must implore you to not burden me. We must begin to accept that information is no longer simply for the sake of information. Amidst the plethora of information out there, there is some which is pertinent to relay – news, events, progress reports, and some information which is pointless to relay, like what Julius Malema has just said.

Then there is information that individuals would like to acquire through their own investigation – like having acquired a Venereal Disease (Valentine’s Day having

only recently deluded the populous, perhaps you should look into what new little itching friends you have acquired), or the storylines of television series and movies.

We must begin to become more sensitive to the different paces at which we all discover and are able to pirate new episodes of series. We must respect, uphold and celebrate this individuality of discovery in popular culture. And we must learn just when to shut the hell up.

P.S. Isn’t it awesome how Jin is alive in LOST Season 5?

Emma Jarvis

The art of spoiler

Mohammed Irfaan Imamdin

The ides of summer Tara Leverton IN THESE hot days is the mad blood stirring. Romeo is a taxi river, and Juliet’s family are bus drivers who get petrol-bombed by Romeo’s family. Two houses, both alike in dignity, setting the city alight.

In addition to vendettas and plumes of smoke gently rising up the mountain, summer is a good time for rot. Heat does not inspire the best in anyone. To wit; politicians and the filthy media aside, racists, like certain bacterium, multiply in the heat. They seem to crop up everywhere, even in the most inauspicious of circumstances. One may be having a perfectly amiable chat with a dashing young blade, only to discover that he is the sort of person who would make the AWB edge backwards.

One may be buying groceries, while two Guys in the Back of a Bakkie™ lambaste the security guard for being a foreigner and taking all our jobs (although they weren’t doing anything in the Back of a Bakkie besides sleeping, so what jobs they thought he was taking I couldn’t tell you.) One may be trying to buy chow mein at Simply Asia when the freshfaced young Aryan thing behind the counter leans over and begins warning you about ‘currrrrymuncherrrrrs’- the irony escaping

him entirely.

One wonders why they have to be so candid about it. If one has a rash, or an ingrown toenail, one does not proudly present it to the wide world. One may nurse it in the privacy of one’s home.

If eliminating racism altogether is impossible, could we at least promote basic social etiquette and hate one another in private?

Worse by far is when this happens when one is in conversation with a dear friend one has known for years. Should one then disregard everything one has ever learned from them, upon realising how flawed their philosophy is? Should one attempt to change their minds, however futile the task may be - and risk alienating them at the same time? Should one decide that it could only be a good thing to alienate such people, even if you know they have qualities that compensate for their failings?

Should one stare at one’s nails when the subject comes up, and know in one’s heart that one is a dirty moral coward?

Then there’s the other side of the coin, where you find those people who say, “But I am not a racist! I don’t even notice race! I am colourblind!” I recently read an interesting opinion, venturing into the squalid squalidness of the Internet. It said that pretending racial-cultural/economical differ-

ences do not exist in the name of promoting harmony between people is not only an impractical position to take, but an insulting one.

Now, that seemed sensible. It is not sufficient to say “black, white, Jew, Muslim, gay, straight, who cares? Ultimately, we are all people!” Well, yes. Ultimately, we are all carbon-based life forms, but I wouldn’t use that piece of information as the basis for social interaction with other carbon based-life forms. I’m sure Mr Zuma and I have breathing air and taking showers in common, but that’s no reason for us to be friends.

One should not, in acknowledging these differences, automatically accept that all of them are right and diverse and lovely and that we live in a world of sunshine and bunny rabbits, because that is Cultural Relativism, and Professor Benatar thinks it’s a silly philosophy. One should just acknowledge that they are there, for better or worse. Some people drive taxis, some people drive buses. Some people could, perhaps, find more diplomatic solutions to their beef than chucking petrol bombs at innocent passengers.

Welcome to UCT, first years.

Try the soup, and be good to one another.

Volume 68 Number 1

Editorial I don’t like America. There I said it; everybody has been thinking it, but I felt the overwhelming urge to splurt it out. To be completely honest, I don’t like Americans either. I find them abrasive, arrogant and a lot of the time, completely ignorant about the world they live in.

I do not deny that these are complete stereotypes and generalisations and that it is wrong to pigeonhole an entire nation (but I’m going to do it anyway.)

The point of my little anti-American rant is that despite my feelings for them and their leaders, I can’t help but feel an enormous amount of respect for the professional manner in which they carried out their elections over the past few months. Admittedly, I kept an eye on the USA’s proceedings with South Africa’s own political scenario playing at the back of my head. While the various parties did not hold back when trying to defeat their opponents, they never resorted to calling the judiciary counter-revolutionary or threaten anybody who opposed them with death.

Imagine if Barack Obama had referred to John Mcain as a “dog that should be chased out of town”, or a “snake”, or a “cockroach”, or if one of Obama’s aides said that he was willing to “kill” for his leader.

Furthermore, imagine if Obama was facing charges of fraud and corruption…how the mind can wonder. As much as it pains me to say it, the democratic model of the United States is one that countries can aspire to. South Africa appears to be falling worryingly short.

That aside, when sitting in my Friday introductory lectures I realised that I could barely remember how to spell my name, nevermind attempting to recall the various theories and writers that my lecturer was asking about. So if we forget the material content that we knew so well 2 or 3 months ago, then what on earth are we doing at university? The answer would be very different for each and every student on campus, but when I gave it some thought I came up with a pretty good answer. University has taught me that the leaders in our society, be they presidents of the republic or CEOs of multinational corporations, are as human as the rest of us. They make mistakes; they get stressed and engulfed by their short-comings; just like the rest of us.

As much as this sounds like common sense, I grew up under the impression that those people who had risen to the top were guardians of positions that were unattainable to mere mortals such as myself.

UCT stripped me of this naivety and taught me that they are just as average and human as everybody else is.

Basically, whether you are in your first year or the final year of your PhD, don’t forget to pay attention to the life-lessons outside of the lecture halls as they transpire over the year; it would appear that they are the ones that really matter.

Enjoy the edition, Seamus

newsgathering next newsgathering Thursday meridian, 19 February 2009 in LS2C

2009 collective editor Seamus Duggan deputy editor Zerene Haddad chief sub editor Maciek Dubla sub editors Cayleigh Bright, David McLennan, Jackie Zvoutete, Louise Ferreira dtp editor Wei Mao dtp assistant Tiisetso Mngomezulu operations manager Tina Swigelaar images Simone Millward photographer Anita Buramu news Nicole Jonklass opinions Tatenda Goredema features Remy Ngamije & Tara Leverton sport Daniel Freund & William Clerke finance & advertising team Megan Lyons & Nadia Read marketing & brand manager John-Ross Hugo & Celeste Adonis IT managers Irfaan M Imamdin & Michael Dube staff writers Olivia Walton, Tonbara Ekiyor, Kerryn Warren, Moss Matheolane, Calvin Scholtz external contributors Alexei Du Bois, Fungai Makawa, Mogola Segooa, Taruziwa Madangombe

erratum In the last edition, VARSITY incorrectly stated that Pule Hlahane, of the Student Assembly Management committee, was a member of SASCO. He is an independent. tel 021 650 3543 fax 021 650 2904 email varsitynewspaper@gmail.com location 5th Floor, Steve Biko Student Union Building, Upper Campus advertising email Megan Lyons on megan@meganlyons.co.za or fax her on 021 650 2904. Rates and other information available upon request.

disclaimer The Varsity Opinions section is a vehicle for expression on any topic by members of the University or other interested parties. The opinions within this section are not necessarily those of the Varsity Collective. The Opinions Editor reserves the right to edit or shorten letters. Letters should include the name and telephone number of the writer, and must be received by 5pm on the Wednesday before publication. They should not exceed 350 words, and will not be published under a pseudonym, or anonymously.

Varsity

“if something is happening to our neighbours, silence is complicity. We owe a deep debt to Zimbabwe for the solidarity shown to us during Apartheid.”

His impassioned speech was well received by the audience.

Others present at the assembly who spoke briefly were Professor Brian Raftopolous; Vice-chancellor, Dr Max Price; Deputy Vice-chancellor, Professor Thandabantu Nhlapo; SRC president, Chris Ryall and Faith Chirinda from the International Students Forum and Zimsoc.

Chirinda said that, as Secretary of Zimsoc, she intends to encourage the society to become more active and outspoken on campus.

The society has remained staunchly “apolitical” in previous years, due to the political affiliations of some members.

Gasa, who is the Chairperson for the South African Commission for Gender Equality, said she is fasting to accompany the men, women and children of Zimbabwe and emphasized the need for South Africans to show solidarity with the suffering of Zimbabweans Desmond Tutu and other reli gious leaders are also participating in the campaign by fasting every Wednesday. Naidoo spoke to VARSITY and said that anyone can register online at www.savezimbabwenow.com and take part in whichever way suits them best.

Photo courtesy of www.nanima.co.za

LAST FRIDAY UCT hosted the Zimbabwe Response Assembly in conjunction with the Save Zimbabwe Now campaign.

The campaign is intended as an expression of solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe. Dr Kumi Naidoo of CIVICUS (World Alliance for Citizen Participation) had just completed his three week fast and addressed students and staff in Jammie Hall before handing over the baton to Nomboniso Gasa who will fast for the next 21 days.

The campaign was launched on 21 January 2009 and will last for three months, after which time those involved will re-evaluate the situation in Zimbabwe. The four demands of the campaign are: the release of those Zimbabweans who have been illegally abducted by Mugabe’s regime; for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the country on a massive scale; the repeal of two laws- the Access to Information and Privacy Act (IAPA), which prohibits journalists from entering Zimbabwe and the Public Order and Safety Act (POSA), which prohibits civilians from gathering together. The fourth demand is that Zimbabwean civilians should be allowed a space to monitor the recent agreement and it should not only be left to SADC leaders.

Naidoo told those gathered that, as a South African he believes

Now

Photo by Simone Millward

save Zimbabwe comes to campus Zerene Haddad

5

NEWS

where’s your skirts, boys? - The Dirty Skirts were a crowd pleaser at RAG’s Big Bash held at Ratanga Junction last Friday which drew over 5500 party-goers. Other performers included Goldfish, Euphonik and aKing. The concert, as ever, proved to be a successful fundraiser for SHAWCO with no incidents save someone dislocating their shoulder on the dance floor. Brendon Jacobs, project manager of Big Bash told VARSITY, “the RAG committee would like to thank all who came through to party with us on Friday!”

Teething problems with new caterers ...continued from pg 1 Same staff Tariq Desai of the UCT Student Worker Alliance (UCTSWA), who work with outsourced workers at UCT, told VARSITY that his society had talked to Fedics staff about their working conditions since the changeover.

“They say they have lost five days annual leave and some days of their family responsibility leave,” said Desai. When VARSITY spoke to Fedics Management, they were unable to comment on contractual benefits. Desai stated

that, “the changing service conditions including the details of their employment benefits have not been properly explained to them.”

According to Desai, when UCTSWA spoke to Fedics workers, “some workers had been working for almost a month but did not yet know what would happen with their bonuses, sick leave or provident fund payments, nor do they know what sort of pay deductions Fedics was likely to make.”

“They have also complained that it felt to them as if Fedics did not want to continue employing the workers from RoyalSechaba,”

said Desai, adding that, they have not been given a copy of thier contracts.

A former RoyalSechaba employee told VARSITY that “Many of the staff are unhappy about this but they [Fedics] don’t want us to speak to the students.”

She said that workers were “still negotiating with them [Fedics] about all that we want.”

Student Housing and Residence Life were not able to respond to VARSITY’s queries at the time of going to print.

Inter Campus

Maties roof on fire

TUT comes to standstill

A FIRE WHICH started in the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve near Stellenbosch resulted in the roof of the University of Stellenbosch’s Sport Science Centre catching fire two weeks ago. A strong SouthEasterly wind encouraged the fire and drove it swiftly down the Stellenbosch mountainside and in the direction of the University’s Coetzenburg sports grounds.

Students were evacuated from the Sports Centre by 7pm, an hour before its roof caught fire.

Speaking to Die Burger, Leon Morta, the head of Stellenbosch Municipality’s fire brigade, said that by 9pm the entire sports complex, including the Danie Craven stadium and the DF Malan building, was under threat. He said that fire fighters were able to bring the fire in the Sports Centre roof under control by 9.30 pm.

Willem Buys, a BAcc Honours student residing in Stellenbosch’s Huis Marais, told Die Burger that students were initially chased away from the Coetzenburg grounds. Fifteen of his housemates worked to put out flames in the veld with branches before

THE TSHWANE UNIVERSITY of Technology (TUT) remains closed, following Management’s decision to suspend all normal activities at the institution last Tuesday, a day after lectures had started.

TUT spokesperson Willa de Ruyter said in a statement that the University had made the decision because of the intimidation of non-striking staff members by some members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) and the National Union of Tertiary Employees of SA (Nutesa).

Members of Nehawa and Nutesa have been on strike since 24 January over a wages dispute. De Ruyter stated that the University’s decision was also influenced by vandalism and violence witnessed during the strike.

Striking workers together with some TUT students have also held protests on the University grounds.

These protests continued on the Wednesday after classes were suspended, with protestors taunting police officers who were manning the main gate of the Pretoria campus, pelting them with stones.

Police retaliated by firing rub-

Nicole Jonklass

helping to put out the fire in the Sports Centre.

By 10.30pm, Morta announced that the worst of the fire had passed and that it was moving in the direction of Brandwacht, a suburb adjoining the mountain.

Earlier that Wednesday, the fire burning in the mountains surrounding Stellenbosch saw the first test between the South African women’s hockey team and Germany being cancelled.

The match was scheduled to be played at Coetzenburg, but officials called it off for fears of players inhaling smoke. The match was eventually contested the following day.

The fire in Stellenbosch was one of dozens raging through parts of the Western- and Southern Cape during the first week of February.

Fire fighters worked throughout the week to bring most of the fires under control. They were able to take a brief break when a rain shower fell over large parts of the Peninsula the weekend before last.

Sources: News24.com, www.iol.co.za, www.sabcnews.com

Nicole Jonklass

ber bullets into the crowd of hundreds, hitting numerous protestors and a Pretoria News journalist who was shot three times in the back and in the head. Emergency services ambulance staff treated some injured protesters on the premises.

After police had stopped firing bullets, the protest continued with staff and students dancing and singing revolutionary songs.

Protestors swore at police who remained at the scene, with one TUT employee saying: “You are a black man, how can you shoot another black man? Even worse, these are children fighting for their rights.”

Tebogo Rakana, leader of the Pan African Student Movement of Azania, told Pretoria News that he and other protesters had been on campus for five hours before police took action. “Yes, we had stones but they waited for us to put them down and then started shooting for no reason,” said Rakana.

A police spokesperson told Pretoria News that police fired on protestors because they did not disperse when they were told to do so. She added that, although they did not have the authority to be on the closed campus, police

had allowed protestors to enter on the condition that they behave.

Earlier that Wednesday, while speaking at TUT’s Pretoria Campus, ANC Youth League President Julius Malema criticised National Education Minister Naledi Pandor for not acting to resolve the wages dispute. Malema told staff and students that, “She must use her fake accent to address our problems,”.

Malema has since sent a letter of apology to Pandor.

On Thursday, the situation was calm on Pretoria campus, with security guards and police patrolling the premises. A few remaining students who live in campus residences told Pretoria News that they were worried that their academic activities would be disrupted if the strike continued.

Residence student Gugu Khoza said that, “By the time the strike is over we will (face) pressure because of our workload.”

According to the TUT website, Nehawu and University Management met on Friday in an attempt to resolve the current deadlock between the concerned parties.

Sources: www.iol.co.za

6

opinions

Comrade, Cadre, Chief Seamus Duggan

Photo courtesy of cache.daylife.com

THERE was a time when the word ‘comrade’ was used by the heroes of the struggle to create a sense of camaraderie and unbreakable solidarity. The word warmed some hearts and struck fear into others.

To the hearts it warmed, it was an ever-present reminder that noone fighting for democracy would stand alone against the tyranny of Apartheid. To the hearts that feared, it presented the unmistakable vision of the future and the inevitable fall of the regime.

Growing up in South Africa post-1994, to hear people use the word “comrade” continued to fuel the fires of patriotic passion. We were still not alone and on the whole, South Africa stood as one nation with one objective – to grow, develop and attract respect not only from our fellow South Africans, but also from the international community.

It is a shame that in recent years the word has lost some of its previous magic. The followers of various leaders may use it in an attempt to remind us that we stand together, but instead the soured utterance sows division amongst the people of the republic. Word association can be a cruel thing and when you come to associate ‘comrade’ with one leader, ‘chief’ with another, and cadre with yet another, we are no longer standing together as one.

As a nation, we must remind ourselves who our comrades are.

Our true brothers, and the people for whom so many gave their lives, are not the handful of individuals that occupy the peak of the

pyramid, but rather the everyday South Africans that continue to starve, suffer from disease and become victims of crime. The true comrades are those people who cannot afford an education and cannot find a job. It is for these people that the nation once stood together and it is for these people that we must pave the way out of the current political climate to fight once more.

No longer can we afford to allow the happenings surrounding a few leaders to hamper the progress of millions. If a leader is facing legal inquiry, then for the good of the nation he must be allowed to stand and the energies focused on defending him by those in positions of power should be focused on the real strifes facing the nation. Without a doubt, the African National Congress is using its resources to defend its president, Jacob Zuma. Let Zuma use his own resources to prove his innocence or guilt. The ANC would do better allocating the full capacity of its resources to the people, not one person.

It is not only the ruling party that has lost its way. The opposition parties spend just as much time harping on about Jacob Zuma and his followers. Let the judiciary pass judgement on any infringements of the law. As politicians, none are fit to play judge.

The nation yearns for comrades to rise up once more against the system that has betrayed its people. Instead we are getting a group of divided politicians who focus more energy on one man than they should.

Volume 68 Number 1

Reasonable Doubt

An unholy alliance Tatenda Goredema ROMAN historian Tacitus once wrote of the Roman Empire, “they made a desert and they called it peace.” The recent military intervention in Gaza by Israel was one of the most atrocious and vicious acts of heavy-handed violence committed by a nation and fills out what Tacitus articulated centuries ago.

The timing of the attack on Gaza and the ruthlessness with which it was carried out was appalling to say the least. The attacks came after the Israelis had closed access to Gaza for weeks, denying aid and food to be delivered to the area in light of the continued rocket attacks launched

by Hamas into Israel.

While the actions of Hamas prior to the military intervention

by Israel were repugnant, deplorable and deserving of punishment, Israel’s response was disproportionate and will almost certainly result in further instability in the region that may encourage increased terrorist activities.

The United Nations Security Council issued a cease-fire declaration and the international community, along with some conscionable Jewish people, strongly condemned Israel’s actions.

Israel promptly ignored the criticism and rejected the cease-fire, choosing instead to continue with its actions, and later declaring a unilateral cease-fire.

Perhaps one of the reasons that Israel feels it is immune to international criticism and UN declarations is because of its enduring and long-standing relationship with the United States - a relationship that has permitted Israel to do as it pleased in the past.

In May 2008, George W. Bush proudly proclaimed in a speech

to the Israeli Knesset, “America is proud to be Israel’s closest ally and best friend in the world.”

He stated a view that has been prevalent since 1948 when David Ben-Gurion declared Israel’s independence and President Harry Truman was the first head of state to recognise Israel.

Bush went on to say of the Israeli people, “you have forged a free and modern society based on the love of liberty, a passion for justice, and a respect for human dignity. You have worked tirelessly for peace. You have fought valiantly for freedom,” a show of America’s refusal to acknowledge some of Israel’s obvious shortcomings with respect to its treatment of some of its Palestinian neighbours.

On 8 January 2009, the US Senate endorsed a non-binding resolution that supported Israel’s actions in Gaza, once again reaffirming the United State’s undying and unquestionable support for Israel. A week later, the lower House of Representatives passed a harsh bill designed to restrict aid to Palestine known as the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act by a lopsided margin of 361 representatives to 37.

Why would they ignore the obvious facts that they have at their disposal, documenting human suffering in Gaza? The answer lies in the fact that special interest groups have a lot of power in Washington. A group such as the American Israel Public Interest Group (AIPAC) has a lot of clout and provides indirect funding and support to many Senators and Representatives of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Thus, when a vote on an Act or Bill that has direct reflection on Israel comes up, these politicians - who are beholden to their con-

tributors - will ensure they are in Washington to vote, and will vote in favour of Israel.

In fact, the new US President addressed AIPAC in June of last year and used some strong rhetoric to attempt to sway the Jewish lobby group which had some doubts about his intentions for Israel. He stated, ‘our alliance is based on shared interests and shared values.

Those who threaten Israel threaten us. Israel has always faced these threats on the frontlines. And I will bring to the White House an unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security.’ He even went so far as to guarantee Israel an undivided Jerusalem, a highly controversial and ill-advised statement.

Guaranteeing Israel’s security is euphemistic talk in Washington for keeping Israel happy and doing whatever is necessary to ensure the Jewish vote is secure, in fact this is believed to be one of the reasons Harry Truman acknowledged Israel in 1948, against the wishes of his Secretary of State General George Marshall. Richard Nixon faced the same pressure as he tried to avoid uproar at Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger’s initial refusal to assist Israel with military supplies during the Yom Kippur war of 1973.

With tacit American support, Israel has expanded its illegal settlements and has effectively prevented Palestine from having a contiguous state, whilst preaching about a two state solution. This is one of the reasons lasting peace has been unattanaible.

The only thing that sustains Israel’s intransigence is, America, its dearest friend. William Butler Yeats once wrote, ‘Think where man’s glory begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends’. How apt that is today for Israel.

Fungai Makawa

IT’S GOOD to hear that somewhere in Africa; something’s been done right for a change. Not perfectly, not seamlessly, but right nevertheless. In the glowering light of Grace Mugabe’s shopping sprees, Zuma’s never-ending effort to not get his day in court, and the Captain Barbossa wannabes in the horn of Africa it’s refreshing to see that Ghana has managed the unthinkable: democracy.

The Gold Coast is in the habit of doing things first: first PanAfrican movements, first to independence and now, quite fittingly, first on the way to a truly functional democratic African state. Don’t get me wrong, there are countries with cleaner records, and more consistent examples of good governance. In Botswana, the ruling party faced no serious opposition, but elections were conducted free and fairly.

Somehow, Ghana has managed to transcend its regional problems

and begin something that the rest of Africa could well look up to.

For a time viewed Nigeria as the beginning of the future of Africa, but when Obasanjo tried to get a third term, the resounding feeling was that of déjà vu: it was happening all over again.

What makes Ghana’s elections so special is that despite a small margin of victory (50.23% - 49.27%); despite the fact that the eventual loser of the run-off, Nana Akufo-Addo, had won the most votes in the first election; and despite cries from both sides about irregularities, both parties have allowed the result to stand.

That requires a level of maturity that Africa rarely has. As a result, we can proudly say that John Atta Mills is the new president of Ghana.

There were many other firsts in this election. Firstly, the Ghanaian Electoral Commission remained independent and rose above the squabbling and did what is right,unlike in Zimbabwe, where results

Photo courtesy of ghanaweb.biz

Ghana and the state of african politics and elections

were withheld for five weeks to give Uncle Bob ample opportunity to marshal his troops. Secondly, the ruling party did not try to use state apparatus to influence the result or impose their will onto the

outcome. The fact that the whole process has happened peacefully is an added bonus, but this in itself is worrying: that peaceful elections are a boon and not a prerequisite.

Most observers of these elections watched with bated breath, hoping that Ghana wouldn’t follow in the footsteps of Sudan, DRC, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

The fact that it didn’t is quite impressive really, considering its neighbours’ history. The margin itself was so small that most in Africa would have chosen to use it as evidence for irregularities and start an uprising a la Kenya.

Most African countries, as was the case with Kenya, wouldn’t think twice about destroying everything in their wake and killing anywhere between a few thousand and a few million people. It seem to be deemed worth it, as long as your man is at the top. But the question is, what’s next? After all that, how do you go about telling the broken, the wounded, and the dead

that through their suffering you achieved victory for the greater good? What greater good, when all they see is destruction? The general idea is that the end justify the means.

All we end up doing is sowing the seeds for the next conflict.

However small the dispute is we’ll end up raising arms again. Ghana has shown us the way out of such a repetitive and destructive path. For this election, it began with President Kufour relinquishing power after two terms. Then, when the run-off was about to turn ugly, he came out and instead of choosing a side stayed neutral and tried to make peace. With Kufour and his party having delivered a free and fair election to hand over power to the opposition, they have set a high standard which few African countries can achieve.

He did not merely talk the talk; he walked it, leading Ghana and Africa to a future that will hopefully be brighter.

Varsity

7

opinions

“Where’s your id?” - The youth of the 21st century face new barriers.

Mogola Segooa WHEN I was applying to universities, the main differentiating factor for me was the education that I would get from outside the lecture halls. This is where I believed that Cape Town would be my teacher due to the amalgamation of cultures and student-friendly environment. As a student of UCT, one of the many places that enrich my knowledge of life and the city is within the stifling night spots that I frequently visit.

Unfortunately, the first few lessons that I learned were that discrimination was still rife in the city by the sea. In Economics, I learned of barriers to entry and ironically, the social scene of Cape Town in which I regularly partake has many a barrier to entry.

The further you go through these entrances, the higher the barriers become: the colour of your skin, your socio-economic background.

It becomes obvious when you’re

trying to get a drink from the barman who hasn’t seen you, or even someone you’ve been trying to chat up for a while only to realise that person’s preference is a superficial trait that shouldn’t hold bearing on the attraction – and that you don’t possess anyway. This could happen anywhere in the city: Chevelle in Harrington Street, Hemisphere, which apparently implemented racial quotas in 2008, or Tiger Tiger in Claremont.

However, there is something that you can do to make the change that I believe is needed. The first thing I learned in Science is that for every action there is a reaction. If you arrive somewhere and they won’t let your friend or fellow student in, take a stand and boycott the place. Throughout history we have seen students taking a stand against the unchallenged norms and win, such as white students at Wits and UCT taking up the struggle with their black coun-

terparts for more equality during our brutal past. It even happens when McHarry’s has yet another non-inflation-related price rise to which students respond with boycotts.

Lastly, keep in mind that generations are remembered by the things that they have done to change the course of history and our generation has just as much to fight for, if not more, than previous generations. It may be the ongoing conflict in the MiddleEast, the dire situation that our neighbours in Zimbabwe find themselves in or the constant discrimination that is plaguing our beautiful country, which was evident in last year’s xenophobic attacks. In Matric, South African History taught me that the 1970s symbolised the era in which students fought for our democracy.

Now let’s take the baton from the past generations and make an impact on future generations.

Daniel Freund THE election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States electrified and energised not only the citizens of America, but large sections of the rest of the world. Now as the dust settles and Obama gets down to work in the White House, the sheer magnitude of the task ahead is more acutely in focus.

The most pressing task is the economic stimulus package which has just recently been passed. This will be an historic bill and warranted careful consideration and deliberation. Obama spoke at length during his campaign and then during the transition period about the importance of bipartisan co-operation between Democrats and Republicans. It was not only Obama who recognised the importance of working together; prominent Republicans have also acknowledged the perils that could befall the U.S. if decisive action was not taken to combat the severe economic downturn. However, despite his efforts, Obama struggled to get Republicans to agree to the stimulus bill.

The package would inject approximately $789 billion into the American economy. Mostly, this would be achieved by the creation of jobs – Obama has stated that he hopes to create or save 2.5 million jobs by the end of 2011.

However, amounts would also be contributed by tax cuts. Initially, this was intended to be a relatively small part of the package, but under pressure from conservatives, the significance of tax cuts in the bill has increased.

This is a problem: prominent economists have stressed the need for dramatic spending to support the ailing economy. Many felt that the original proposals (which were far more spending-orientated) were already too ineffective to combat the crisis.

Republicans are uneasy about such large scale influence by the government and although they generally accept the necessity of the bill, their insistence on the prevalence of tax cuts in the bill may seriously undermine its impact. Consequently, it is appropriate to question whether Obama’s emphasis on bipartisan feeling may be a serious weakness. American politics is some of the most bitter in the world; one only needs to witness the constant stream of negativity and innuendo throughout the campaign season to realise that.

This is a country where identity politics dominate and practi-

Photo courtesy of sethapartner.com

Photo courtesy of fearandloafing.com

Day & night, black & white... let’s jam? Obama’s potential Waterloo

cal solutions to real problems are often swept aside by the surge of emotion on issues with limited relevance to a candidate. Obama’s soaring rhetoric is undeniably inspiring, but it is possible that he has failed to comprehend the depth of ill-feeling between the two parties. Granted, Obama has much to gain by harnessing the many talents and skills by those on the Republican right, but this cannot come at the expense of policies he believes are appropriate and helpful. Obama has won a strong mandate for change from the American public and it is his vision that citizens want to see implemented.

If he is unable to do so, Obama may find support waning in his passionate base, and through these particularly grim times, he needs all the assistance and strength he can get. Obama, however, has other issues facing him besides the somewhat overwhelming spectre of the financial crisis.

He has already signed an executive order which states that the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison is to be terminated by no later than January 2010. This is an admirable gesture, but finding states and foreign countries willing to house suspected or convicted terrorists will prove tricky. He also needs to address matters of climate change immediately and he will certainly come under fervent pressure to do so.

Currently, he has tied this project into his economic stimulus bill which he hopes will redesign the way America uses its energy, but do not expect this be a straightforward task. Add to this an inadequate healthcare system, failing state education and delicate foreign policy stances, and it appears as if President Obama will definitely be up to his eyeballs in difficult but profoundly crucial decisions.

8

opinions

Volume 68 Number 1

Russia’s cult personality Photo courtesy of alinaselyukh.files.wordpress.com

Alexei Du Bois THERE is a popular joke in Russia that goes; if you shake hands with Putin you will be taken to heaven alive.

In modern Russia, school text books recall the year 1952 as the year the father of modern Russia was born. A judo and sambo champion, a sharp shooting spy, an artist, the antithesis of corruption, and a devoted party cadre – he represented everything people aspired to be in Soviet Russia.

Today, he serves as the ideal for millions of Russians who have no hope of reaching the millions of dollars available to the select few who form the country’s silent elite.

Vladimir Putin, former President of the Russian Federation, now Prime Minister, serves as the moral and de facto political leader of Russia.

In Russia, the cult of personality has particular historical relevance.

From the idolisation of Lenin and Stalin to the popularisation of the ‘great’ Nikita Khrushchev, Putin had firm ideological backing upon which to build. A Russian public accustomed to public displays of idolisation and mass rallies were thus not surprised that upon being questioned about his political manifesto, he replied, “I won’t tell you”. Unbelievable as it sounds, this arrogance stems from the fact that his election was guaranteed.

His popularity as a candidate was such that even though his election campaign spent millions of Rubles more than his closest competitor, monopolised state television, and used the influence and direct support of the then president, Boris Yeltsin; his election could simply be attributed to the image he represents. Following the USSR, he was as close to a communist as one could be without needing to pledge allegiance to the party and conversely employed liberal economists which meant further support from the Russian oligarchy.

Nonetheless, populist statements such as “Russia doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, It destroys them” served his purpose.

It reinforced his image as someone strong, someone who says what they do. Indeed, a spy thriller,

Message from the SRC

RUSSIA’S NEW GODFATHER - Putin is a throwback to the USSR an opera, a calendar and various wealth all suit a ‘strong state pop songs have been spawned democracy’ as it engenders further from this support. Certainly, Putin reliance on the state. In short, his presented a more attractive and stewardship, for that is what it familiar figure than the drunken, seems to be, has presented new corpulent figure of Boris Yeltsin – opportunities for investment as the very image of Western excess. well as a stronger Russian presSimilarly, his protégé and Kremlin ence in former USSR regions hand successor, or subordinate, Dmitry in hand with a society riddled with Medvedev, is an avid skier and corruption and civil violence. represents a continuation of the I buy into the ‘dream of Putin’. same ideal.

When faced with criticism he does It is important to analyse the what any leader, who hopes to effect of this nationwide fer- guarantee results, does and resorts vor. Putin’s presidency and now to violence and cruel acts. His his position as prime minister - heavy handedness has led Russian although his position as a govern- society out of the quagmire of the ment official has changed, he has Yeltsin years and into a new and retained many of his presidential more powerful Russia. It is Putin’s powers and exerts influence on Russia and not Obama’s America the Russian cabinet. He also rep- that should be given attention. resents Russia as its leader in Russia will play an increasing role foreign policy negotiations abroad in global economic production - have been largely successful on – firstly because of their ‘secure certain fronts. oil’, in comparison with the OPEC He has strengthened a falter- region, and secondly because of ing Russian economy, profes- their hold on the former commusionalised the army, reformed the nist bloc. This informal allegiance judiciary somewhat, and reduced of former confederate states is needless Soviet era spending. proving to be more and more Civil liberties, gangsterism, free important in Eurasian global relapress, and equal distribution of tions. Putin and his administration wealth are all failings of the Putin will no doubt use this to Russia’s administration – all of which Putin advantage. claims to be addressing. In reality, a weakened press and selective

The Oscars: The Peoples’ Choice?

Calvin Scholtz

Photo courtesy of blog.nj.com

HANDS up everyone who watched the Oscars ceremony in March 2004 and hands up everyone who whooped and cheered when The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King made a clean sweep, claiming the awards in each of the categories it had been nominated for? Maybe it was just me: maybe it was just because I was such a fan.

However, my Lord of the Rings-obsession aside, what I think we all witnessed on that magical evening nearly five years ago was a rare thing in the movie industry. That is, a film that was

a hit with the public, earning millions of dollars worldwide, as well as being critically acclaimed and a winner at all of the major award shows.

That has not really happened again since then. My hopes were high this time around for The Dark Knight; however the Academy, in its infinite wisdom, has seen fit not to nominate Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece in either the Best Motion Picture or the Best Director categories. Perhaps, once again, they’re waiting for the third film.

At least it appears more than likely that Heath Ledger will receive a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his career-crowning role as the Joker.

I cannot rave enough about his performance, and I heartily disagree with anyone who says that he’s only being recognised for sentimental reasons: it really was the best acting of the year.

And so instead, the Oscar race this year looks set to be a showdown between The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which has received 13 nominations, and Slumdog Millionaire, which has been the surprise winner at both

the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, usually a good indication of how the Oscars will go.

Slumdog is a low-budget adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s novel Q&A, an Indian rags-to-riches story involving a game show and features a cast of relative unknowns. Benjamin Button stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett and is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story about a man who is born 70-years old and ‘grows’ younger.

Unfortunately both of these films will only reach South African cinema screens well after the Oscars have taken place.

Therefore, whatever the Academy decides will no doubt affect which films receive more attention from local cinemagoers. However, it is up to each of us to decide whether the Academy truly represents the peoples’ choice.

The 81st Oscars ceremony will be broadcast live from 03:00 on 23 February on Channel 103 on DSTV. The delayed broadcast will begin at 19:30 on M-Net.

Dear Students, DURING last year’s SRC election campaign I promised to deliver a visible, accessible, and student-led SRC. In keeping with this promise, I will be writing a column in every issue of Varsity newspaper this year. This is an opportunity that I will use to communicate the successes and challenges of the SRC, as well as to comment on issues of particular interest to students.

The SRC has been hard at work since November last year getting ready to lead the UCT student body in 2009, and this hard work has already begun to achieve tangible results. We have represented a substantial number of students on faculty RACs, which deal with academic exclusions. Where appropriate, we made sure that students who were facing exclusion undeservedly were given a second chance. We have also assisted students seeking financial support, and have used the SRC Assistance Fund to help deserving students clear their fee debts. Amanda, the VicePresident External, ensured that the Zimbabwean Fee Concession Policy remained in place this year, helping hundreds of Zimbabwean students return to UCT, despite the current economic crisis facing their country.

Sara, the SRC Residence Co-ordinator, worked tirelessly to ensure that the residence allocation process went as smoothly as possible, and was also able to find off-campus accommodation for many students who were denied residence places.

However, the issue of res overallocation remains a concern and we will be taking this up with Student Housing throughout the year. Sara also arranged for the Jammie Shuttles to pick

up first year students from the bus stop in town, and the SRC was on hand to help them sign in and settle into res life. I’m sure you all enjoyed the festivities on Jammie Plaza last week.

Trevor, our Societies Co-ordinator, organised the whole week, which gave all UCT societies a chance to exhibit and sign up new members.

In addition to what we have already achieved, the SRC also has a number of exciting projects coming up this term. The first of these is a series of round table discussions which we will be hosting every Wednesday evening from 16h00 in the African Studies Gallery. These events form part of the “2009 – An Ignorant-Free Vote” campaign that is being co-ordinated

by Amanda. We will also be hosting an SRC “launch” where we will be presenting the new SRC and its vision to various student leaders.

The successes I have outlined above clearly show that the SRC of 2009 will deliver results, not words or rhetoric.

We will be guided by the objectives that we set ourselves at our Strategic Planning session last year and will work to enhance the learning experience of all UCT students. We were not elected to sit on committees, write long reports and stay in our offices all day. You elected us because you wanted us to serve you, you wanted us to be seen and heard, and you wanted us to make a real difference. I have every confidence that my team will be able to achieve these things and in doing so will show UCT what student governance is all about – the students.

Have a great 2009!

Chris

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Features

Varsity Valkyrie - Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy From the director of the X-men trilogy, this film is not an all-out action movie, as the trailer may have you believe. It’s a serious war movie that focuses on one of the many failed attempts by Nazi soldiers to assassinate Hitler during World War II. Tom Cruise’s antics in the public sphere aside, he’s still a damn good actor. And, if you can get over the fact that almost all the Germans in this film are played by well-known American and British actors who speak perfect English, then you’ll find it to be a gripping emotional drama.

Rock n rolla - Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson

Twilight - Robert Pattinson

QUARANTINE!

Revolutionary road - Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio

Blindness - Mark Ruffalo, Juliane Moore

Freedom - Akon

If you woke up one day and found out that you were blind, what would you do? If you found out that there was no medical explanation for your blindness, what would you do?

If the government tossed all the newly-blind people into a prison to isolate them from society; would you allow it? If you were imprisoned in a place where senses, morality, and any norms that civilisation holds dear counted for absolutely nothing – what would you do? After three days without food, would you ask your wife, sister or mother to sell her body to get food? The answers will shock you. Brilliant.

Sam Mendes’ new film, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet together on screen for the first time since Titanic, tells the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a married couple in 1950s America. As a young couple, Frank and April had been idealists, dreaming of a meaningful and exciting life. Seven years and two children later, they are caught in middle-class suburbia, an office worker and a housewife. The film reflects the lives of millions of people caught in the wrong job – and the wrong life – because of obligations towards their family and society.

Other critics have commented that the film is about the destructiveness of the ego in marriage; I agree, but I also believe that it is about what happens when we don’t listen to one another – or ourselves.

It’s hard to find an album that you can listen to from start to end.

You will not regret spending good money for this one. This is one of those rare albums that is worth the pennies. A complete party album that will be heard in Cape Town clubs soon.

808s & heartbreaks - Kanye West

The man with probably the biggest ego in the music industry returns with his latest offering. Dripping with synthesisers and African drums that are not from Africa, the Talented Mr West could have done better. But it is creative – and that is what he set out to do.

Nobody ‘Bod’ Owens is no ordinary orphan: he is an orphan who lives in a graveyard and who is looked after by ghosts! His education at their hands is an unorthodox one, where he spends time with a witch, learns how to ‘fade’ and visits a haunted kingdom beneath the earth. But the men who killed his family are still looking for him, and their search will lead them to a confrontation with Bod where he will have to use all that he has learned to defeat them. A wonderful story told with the characteristic style and flair of Neil Gaiman (Stardust).

Miriam is a harami, an illegitimate child, who is forced to marry Rasheed when she is only fifteen. Laila is a strong independent young woman who is planning on studying at university when, some years later, she too catches the eye of Rasheed and becomes his second wife.

The story describes how these two women come to depend on and love each other as they unite against Rasheed, who is an abusive and uncaring husband. Heartbreaking and moving, Khaled Hosseini’s second novel is just as good, if not better, than his first, The Kite Runner.

A thousand Million Suns - Snow Patrol

The album is a cocktail of drums, guitars and mesmerising vocals that have you spinning from the first track. Louder and more aggressive than its predecessor, Eyes Open, it has all the wit and creative genius that has propelled Snow Patrol from oblivion to the top of the charts.

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaleid Hosseini

The most memorable part of this film is that it keeps you waiting.

You wait for the comedy, you wait for the action, and you wait for the clever storylines that have made Guy Ritchie the go-to-guy for quirky action flicks. Even after the credits start rolling, you wait – hoping that he has saved the best for last! And two hours later, you walk out and wait for the first asshole to ask you how the film was.

Rating: From Zero to Orgasm Yes! Yes! YESSSSs! Making Money - Terry Pratchett The latest addition to the Discworld series is a hilarious journey into the world of making money. For a person with Alzheimer’s, Pratchett seems more likely to solve the current economic crisis than all the hedge fund managers in the world. With the comic characters that inhabit the Discworld, the sarcastic-yet-eerily-true humour that has made him a fan favourite, Pratchett does not disappoint. Read, laugh, read some more, pee on yourself.

hung like a horse!

Missionary again?

No teeth?

Images courtesy of cduniverse.com reviews by - louise ferreira, calvin scholtz & remy ngamije

Is it in yet?

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Features

The Tempest - review

Money Money Money - The root of all recession.

It is the word we’ve all heard buzzing through the media for the past few months but have never really had to worry about as students. The economic recession that has claimed powerhouse casualties such as the US, Japan, and more recently the UK, may seem like an abstract circumstance of the credit crisis for the average UCT student. With the price of petrol having been significantly reduced, the newly adjusted re-weighted basket of goods now reflecting a lower inflation level than before, as well as the recent 100 basis points (1%) cut in the repo rate by the Reserve Bank may have instilled hope in the domestic economy for some. Unfortunately, that would be the red herring making itself known in this mystery novel. It’s rough times all round and emerging markets are not immune from the far-reaching ripple effects of the credit crisis.

The two main contributors to South Africa’s GDP are the resources and manufacturing sectors. The first casualty of the slowing global demand for goods, resources, took a nose dive in the third quarter of 2008 with both gold and platinum prices falling by more than half the value of their highest levels. More recently, the Investec Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI), which is an indicator of the country’s manufacturing activity, is still sitting below the 50 level at 40.1 for December 2008 (any figure below 50 indicates contraction within the manufacturing industry). Further indication of a slowing domestic economy was the plunge in new motor vehicle sales of 34.5% year-on-year for the month of January, prompting calls for a stimulus package from the Treasury for the automotive industry. The increasing level of global risk aversion, coupled with the threat of protectionism (buoyed by the dire economic conditions in foreign economies) puts a country that is dependent on foreign investment, such as South

Africa, in a precarious situation.

All the exhortations that we as South Africans should be composed and reassured by - the fact that we’re not technically in a recession - are well-meaning but misplaced. The bottom line is that the global economic slowdown has had far-reaching consequences for us: the foreign demand for commodities has slowed, the huge current account deficit we’re faced with is estimated to have weakened the rand by almost 30% to date and predictions for job losses in the formal sector in 2009 have reached as much as a quarter of a million people. Essentially, we can’t export ourselves out of this situation; the short-term answer seems to come in the form of boosting growth via infrastructure development funded by costly capital.

But what does all of this equate to in the life of the average student?

What this crisis has exposed is the monster of consumerism that has enveloped the entire world.

People have for far too long been spending money that they did not have on items they did not need.

The time has come to tighten our belts and really monitor what we’re spending our money on.

Even though the current prime rate or PMI level may not affect your life personally, it would be prudent to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. This adage has never been more fitting considering that the absolute consequences of the credit crisis are still unknown. So before you buy that cup of coffee you could have made at home or swipe that clothing store account card for yet another cute tank top, keep in mind that we are definitely not out of the woods yet. Your life and spending habits may not be affected by the recession in other countries, but semantics aside, the reality is that people in this country are suffering and breadwinners are being retrenched across the board as an indirect consequence. And as we’ve seen over the past 18 months, there is no such thing as immunity.

Louise Ferreira When I was younger and just beginning to learn about theatre, I had never heard of the concept of “interpretation”. I just thought you were supposed to follow the playwright’s directions to the letter, so discovering that this is not, in fact, how things work came as a bit of a surprise. I was especially puzzled by the modernising of Shakespeare’s plays, and I’m still not always sure that it works.

Part of the problem are the names (not to mention the dialogue). If you are the heir of a very large, modern shipping company, would your name be Hamlet? I think not.

I was quite intrigued, then, to

the actors) and I was struck by the performance of the puppeteers.

I was intrigued by Honeyman’s use of props and costumes. Caliban uses two walking sticks, making it seem as though he walks on four limbs; along with the facts that his clothes are of animal skin and that he is kept on a chain, this makes him seem more animal than human. On the other hand, Prospero and his daughter Miranda also wear animal hides, aligning them with the Africans rather than the Europeans. The use of colour was also effective; for the most part, the costumes and décor were in neutral shades, making the occasional bright splashes of colour that much more striking.

The audience clearly appreciated the performance, giving the actors a standing ovation and several minutes of applause. I have to agree; the production will definitely be remembered as one of the highlights of the year.

Antony Sher & Atandwa Kani in The Tempest.

The new hub of human trafficking Jaydene Schwartz AFTER over a decade of change, South Africa may seem like a fruitful place to start over, gain experience and especially, be employed. To those in many neighbouring countries, the idea of a better life becomes the driving force for moving to South Africa.

Some do so willingly whilst others are coerced into working for minimal wage, usually in the sex trade industry or poor conditions of labour. Human trafficking, however, is not a new phenomenon. Historically, it has taken on many forms and new dimensions. The UN Protocol defines trafficking as a crime against humanity, marked by the intent to deceive and exploit.

The trafficking industry has become complex, as it involves multiple stakeholders at the institutional and commercial level.

The industry responds to growing demands for cheap labour and as the sex industry becomes more lucrative, a demand exists especially for women and female children. The reason why human trafficking is difficult to eradicate is because South Africa has no laws outlawing the trafficking of people, and poses a great problem to the International Organisation of Migration (IOM). The organisation’s office in Pretoria claims that human trafficking earned criminal syndicates between R60 000 and about R84 billion a year, thus making it the third most profitable source of income for crime syndicates. The supply and demand factor forms another part of human trafficking. These factors have global resonance, but vary in local emphasis and scale.

With a new democracy comes shifts in attitudes and behaviours, alongside relaxed policing. This has the potential to escalate the supply side of the victims for predatory trafficking business.

Although the activities associated with prostitution are still illegal in South Africa, the policing thereof has become more relaxed. The trap, which many unsuspecting girls fall into, is a result of poor living conditions and general desperation for work and a better life. Along with the migrant populations, exploiters tend to capitalise on their vulnerability ready to satisfy the demands of the diverse and complex “rainbow” society, which may well be turning South Africa into the hub of human trafficking.

The University of Pretoria Centre for Child Law’s (UPCCL’s) Carinna du Toit confirmed that there was an investigation into the case of children being flown into South Africa from a central African country. The problem was made worse by the fact that South Africa’s legal system had not put into force legislation that

deemed human trafficking a crime for which those involved could be prosecuted. However, South Africa has been legally bound to the UN Protocol which compels the national government to develop anti-trafficking laws.

Victims of trafficking are currently being arrested for crimes, which are as a direct result of the life they had been lured into. Trafficked victims are immediately deported to establish whether protective systems are in place in their countries of origin, ensuring that they are not returned to the same circumstances that made them vulnerable to trafficking. This may protect them from further exploitation but as democratic as South Africa feels itself to be, neighbouring countries may perceive this as a windowdressing which is often the reason migrants are so easily lured.

Picture courtesy of api.ning.com

Sentlenyana Sechaba

see Janice Honeyman’s Africanised version of The Tempest, and surprised to realise that aspects of Africa harmonise so well with Shakespeare’s tale. To a great degree, it is because the belief in magic that used to stand central to many African cultures (as it sometimes still does) is such an integral part of the story. The use of African music and symbolism, as well as the translation of some of the dialogue into local languages, resonated remarkably well with the play.

Another important aspect is colonialism. Although the play is very much about Prospero’s revenge, with a little romance thrown in, the underlying story is of a European using cunning (and in this case sorcery) to take a black man’s land. It is complicated by the fact that the African, Caliban, is, to quote Honeyman, “not an innocent or noble character”. Prospero is also full of contradictions; he is certainly not kind to Caliban, but he cannot simply be classified as the cruel European land-grabber either. These categories are in any case much too simple to apply to a complicated character.

For me, part of the attraction of the play was the opportunity to see the legendary Sir Antony Sher and John Kani share a stage. I was not disappointed. The performances really were awe-inspiring, in particular Sir Antony’s portrayal of Prospero. Atandwa Kani as Ariel also impressed (as did many of

Image courtesy of dieburger.com

Image courtesy of dieburger.com

Picture courtesy of presentationresources.net

The R - word

Volume 68 Number 1

TRAFFICKING - What is the price of a human being?

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Features

Varsity

Long walk to registration THE bus stops and I climb off, stretching cramped muscles and haggling with crooked taxi drivers for the cheapest price to my residence. After the exchange of a steep fee, I am dropped off at the door of my residence on Lower Campus. I sniff the warm, humid air – it is good to be back in Cape Town. But I know that this tranquillity will not last; the joy of being back in this fine city will be tested severely over the next two weeks. Without so much as unpacking, I jump into bed. I need to rest and replenish my energy for the task that awaits me tomorrow – international student registration, and if all goes well, faculty registration.

The alarm bell rings. This is the day. Shower, clothes, brush, bag, run – fast, very fast – there are queues to beat at Kramer Building.

I arrive and I am happy to see that there are only ten people ahead of me in the Fee Clearance queue – this could be my lucky day.

But as many UCT students will know, being at the front of any queue at UCT rarely improves your chances of getting through the administrative landmines that seem to be strewn across the Path to Registration. In fact, for the best results, it advised to be the twentieth person in line. The logic is very simple; the first nineteen people are going to be sent away

for not being in the Right Queue, for not having This Paper – giving you a chance to run back to your residence to get That Paper (the Correct Paper) and be in the Right Queue.

The registration procedure in any UCT faculty is well-known to most students. We receive e-mails

You stand in the queue, sweating, hoping that you have everything that is required: passport, proof of payment, medical aid card, acceptance letters, proof of being human, you even bring the little star that they put on your forehead in second grade – you never know, you might need it.

Picture courtesy of masterfile.com

Rémy Ngamije

Back of the line - UCT’s administration wins again. at the end of the year telling us exactly what it is that we are supposed to do but when the moment of truth comes around – you are f*cked. Literally, figuratively, and in this case – administratively.

This is the stamp-on-paper-to-getdegree world of UCT, and anything goes.

The line inches forward and you find yourself face-to-face with your arch nemesis – The Receptionist. You size each other up, looking for cracks in the armour. The Receptionist does not bat an eyelid; she has mastered the art of “Repel Student With Unblinking Stare”. You start to sweat – the unconditioned air in the room is not helping. You hand over all the papers that you think are required and wait. She leafs through them, stamps the first paper, stamps the second – you

are on a roll – and then there is a pause. This is not “a pause”, this is The Pause. For anyone not acquainted with UCT’s administration, The Pause is the advent of an incredible journey across the entire UCT campus for The One Stamp that will override them all.

The Receptionist looks back at you and then back at her screen.

She presses a few buttons and then silently mutters, “Mmmm, we don’t seem to...” - that is the gun announcing the start of the mission, the race that will take you over rolling stairs, across entire rugby fields, through secret corridors and past doors housing the cutting edge of technology wielding the blunt knife of UCT administration.

After The Pause, there is The Slow Walk to The Exit Door. After swearing in languages you did not know you spoke, you begin looking for The Stamp. First you are sent to That Building and then you have to take your piece of paper to The Person in The Building Next To This Building. After another test of patience, you get The Stamp That Is Not The Stamp and are shouldered off to Another Building to see the Dean Of Lord Knows What. But the Dean tells you that you should have asked for the Special Stamp That Is Not The Stamp On This Paper from The Person They Did Not Tell You Was In The Building Next To That Building and now you have been standing in The Wrong Queue for five hours waiting to see The Wrong Person Who You Thought Was The Right Person and you have to start all over again.

After the little marathon around the campus, you return to The Receptionist, tired, sweaty, battered, your entire swear-word vocabulary greatly reduced after the nasty encounter with That Person Who Sent You To The

Wrong Building. The Receptionist looks at you; she vaguely recognises you, but with a whole day spent repelling students with the right papers in the wrong places, you are just another student facing the administrative guillotine. You approach the desk hesitantly, you nervously try to remember any Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans, English, Klingon or Kryptonian words of greeting that may make this encounter less painful than the one earlier in the morning. She asks for your papers – you hand them over, she rifles through them. She ticks some papers, she scrutinises others and her hand moves over some stamps. She selects The Stamp, the one ink mark that will put you out of your misery. It hovers over the page – two inches away from making you a legitimate UCT student for the third year running. The Stamp lowers, slowly. Small beads of sweat start bunching on your eyebrow, the song from Chariots of Fire plays over in your head – this is it, this is where the endless running stops.

Frodo had it easy!

And then The Stamp hits the page – CLACK! The noise is rapturous music to your ears, you swear that you will never drink again (until Friday) and that you will go to church every Sunday (in a parallel universe.) The Stamp clacks again – the sound is more of a turn-on than the drunken moaning of the loose acquaintance you brought home from Tiger Tiger.

The Receptionists hands over the papers reluctantly. She knows she has lost this round – you are the one that got away. You walk out of the room feeling ten feet tall.

It’s going to be a good day; first years, beer, clubs, friends, seeing the Ikeys try to beat Maties – just another day in the life of a UCT student.

UCT wins International Moot Court Competition Moss Matheolane It WAS truly spectacular to see the very adept and talented team of UCT law students in action during the national finals of the International Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Competition which took place at the Cape Town High Court on Friday 30 January.

The team, made up of Emma Webber, Dave Watson and DylanThomas MacDonald with team coach Shingira Masanzu, put on what can only be described as an incredible performance which saw them go on to be the eventual winners of the competition. The competition, celebrating its 15th anniversary, took place at the UCT Law Faculty over a period of three days with three universities participating namely, UCT, Pretoria University (Tuks) and Wits.

Of course one cannot take any credit from the other competitors.

Tuks just never seemed to come together, although they did win one of the round matches. Wits on the other hand was somewhat on a winning rampage, having built momentum in the primary rounds as well as winning best written memorial for both applicant and respondent and best oralist after the finals. In all fairness one can sympathise with Wits, even our own Law Faculty’s Dean, Professor PJ Schwikkard,

admitted that UCT probably won by luck, making Wits feel no better than they did at the time.

In the attempt of promoting the ever elusive value of journalistic “impartiality” I will unashamedly say that some of the proceedings were nothing if not befuddling to the logical mind. There was an element of unpreparedness on the part of the judges on the first day of rounds, a clear contrast to the superb manner in which the whole event was being run by a handful of dedicated individuals who happened to be UCT Law students, of course.

Ironically, UCT was the team with the shoddiest scores for their written memorials, something which makes one think that they either went into the competition with an overly exaggerated sense of self-belief or they truly didn’t have the time to do the necessary editing and formatting which would have put them in a much better position. Regardless of the reason, the manner in which they won and the knowledge and understanding that they displayed puts the UCT Law Faculty in a position that can only be appreciated and admired.

The competition was not without its exciting moments though, with one of the presiding judges breaking her leg when she slipped down a flight of stairs. All was

well eventually when the campus health and safety unit got its act together and arrived on the scene. This of course took them 45 minutes, and considering that the unfortunate victim of fate had a deep cut on her broken leg, one can only wonder what the results of a head injury would have been.

On the lighter side, there were moments of ease and laughter with peculiar human characteristics being exhibited by the presiding Judge President of the competition’s final, Adv. Farhlam. If you have ever heard anything about legal practitioners being intelligently strange people then he takes the prize hands down. The prizegiving function was short and sweet. The most important news, apart from UCT winning, was the fact that they will now be going to Washington, D.C. to represent not just the University but the country at the international rounds and, fingers crossed, the finals. This they will do in front of some of the prominent American judges who can definitely be expected not to hold back. However, with a performance such as that which was given, and all considerations taken regarding the constructive feedback received during the competition itself, there is no doubt that we at UCT will be made even more proud.

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Features

Fear of a black planet

Volume 68 Number 1

ONE would think that this was a radical header, given recent world events. But in fact, it has nothing to do with Barack Obama or the deep-seated fears of the supposed Afrikaner resistance in South Africa. It’s actually the title of an exhibition that I visited in November of last year. When you see something this crazy you just have to share it and hey, now I am sharing.

The exhibition itself was that of Anton Kannemeyer, also known as Joe Dog, the South African creator of the dark, satirical comics published by Bittercomix, co-founded and edited by the man himself.

The title was borrowed from a 1990 album by an American rap group Public Enemy - you might know it depending on which side of the 90s you popped up.

You may ask what made me think of this exhibition. It was the memorable day on which I had two friends of mine verbally square off over the interpretations of the works of Kannemeyer that brought back thoughts of this subject. One of them said it was racist – and that, therefore, the artist himself was racist by virtue of the fact that he not only expresses what he sees and experiences in the world, but hides his own prejudices behind this very notion. The other responded that art is a wide field of experience and that under the

Pictures courtesy of Moss M. Matheolane

Moss Matheolane explores an artist of conflicting opinion

Anton “Joe dog” Kannemeyer - Artist in conflict or artist with conflict? Either way, he ruthlessly explores South Africa’s past. employment of artistic licence at-this turned into a little moot works deal with the tenuous interpretation is always going court finale. relationship between black people to be tricky. He did, however, Back to the exhibition though. and white people (yes, I said it, concede to the probability of the I was initially taken aback by the tenuous) and the history of this artist hiding his own prejudices images, but quickly acclimatised relationship, through the satirical behind his work. And I? Well, I to it, not to mention to the the representation of colonialism and just sat there, dear reader, slightly wine aplenty. Kannemeyer is the consequences thereof. It was amused at how a little take-a-look- an interesting chap indeed. His in his first exhibition in New York,

titled The Haunt of Fears, that his work was praised in the New York Times as being of ‘semiotic sophistication, graphic ingenuity and X-ray political vision’.

Through his work, he investigates the fear and anxiety that underlies society - particularly South African society - where the veneer of the polite white minority is peeled away ever-so-gently, yet with blatant effect. In the Fear of a Black Planet, Kannemeyer employs his usual tools of trade.

One sees, in the piece Lawyer, his commentary on how the same political system that quite simply allowed the few to screw the majority is being used by the “few” beneficiaries of the majority for the same purpose. Included in the exhibition was the alphabet series, each letter assigned to a certain aspect, perception or someone in society and commenting on that very subject. You see this with J is for Jacob and Jesus, inspired by the famous words of the one and only JZ when he said the ANC would rule until you-know-who’s second coming.

You can see more of these images at: www.michaelstevenson. com/artists and see what fanciful interpretations you can summon. If you have no problem with seeing society unmasked this may just be the kicker for you.

Varsity

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Features

What you should know about ATM fraud NECESSITY compels you to so their focus is removed from the visit the ATM to withdraw your withdrawal, and this leaves ample cash for some or other recre- time to scam them. ational activity or just do some Some techniques used in grocery shopping when suddenly ATM fraud involve card swapyour card is ingested by a piece ping, where a customer’s card is of electronic machinery that you swapped without their knowledge firmly believe understands every whilst making a transaction. Card curse word you just uttered. Do jamming is another way crimiyou dash off in a state of shock, nals get hold of cards. An ATM or do you ask assistance from reader is deliberately tampered the first willing patron you see with so that a customer’s card is standing around the ATM? The held in the card reader and cantruth is that you should do nei- not be removed. Criminals will ther. ATM fraud has been around then remove the card once the since ATMs were introduced. It person has left. This is why it is may not be considered the major especially important to notify the form of fraudulent activity, but bank immediately after a card the effects on victims are equally has been lost or ingested by an devastating.

ATM. Frequently when applying At the beginning of a registra- for an ATM card, an additional tion year at university or college, stop card is issued in case of students unwittingly fall prey theft or loss so that the account to these kinds of scams simply may be temporarily frozen. It is because thieves are aware that advisable to withdraw cash from students posses large amounts of inside a bank. Even so, customcash, usually for accommodation ers must be aware of people who or fees. The important thing to loiter outside banks because they remember about ATM fraud is may pose a possible threat. When that to gain access to funds, the withdrawing cash, look for camthief needs an ATM card along eras other than the security camwith a PIN number. This is why eras outside the ATM. This may the two should be kept separate. be another way of obtaining PIN The good news is that there numbers. are easy ways to be protected Although it’s easy for thieves from this kind of theft. The South to gain access to cards either by African Banking Council suggests card swapping, card jamming or that customers should adhere to all mugging, they still need access protective measures to avoid such to a PIN number. This is ususcams. It is advised that cardhold- ally done through a method called ers never reveal their PIN to any- “phishing”, where a scammer one. Criminals often attempt to would send an email representing VANS000078_ONLINE_195x260¤ 1/16/09a 2:38 PM Page distract the ATM user’s attention certain bank1claiming that they

Picture courtesy of daniall.com

As a word of caution, Jaydene Schwartz tells of the many ways people will try to steal your money

aTM fRAUD - Be careful where you withdraw before you get swiped. have incomplete records or that information needs to be updated.

Customers very trustingly click on the link below the email provided and do not end up on the bank’s site but instead get to the scammer’s site. This way, they are able to access funds via online banking. Customers are cautioned never to follow links supposedly

sent by banks. To be safe, always type in the direct address of the bank and then log in to check whether there are any existing updates.

It is important that people remain vigilant of what happens around them and take necessary precautions to protect their money.

Theft might be an inconceivable

idea to some but the truth is, it is a reality. Criminals are not usually hooded or even stereotypically dressed. They look like ordinary citizens. It just takes being alert and responsible to avoid being scammed. If all else fails, we can always go back to keeping our money under a mattress.

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Features

Volume 68 Number 1

The UCT leet guide for noobs The red red dust of

M Irfaan Imamdin teaches some tricks to new and old students alike In your lifetime you’ve mastered Chuck Norris jokes, Google, predictive text and the smorgasbord of social platforms that litter the internet. So you reckon you’re every kind of sorted in handling something as mediocre as campus projects, especially when you’ve just hacked your GPS to show your car as the Batmobile. I wouldn’t be so sure, kid.

The plethora of UCT campuses, faculties and departments, and the different management of each, means there’s a rich diversity in the technologies housed in the university, and it’s easy to miss a trick that could keep you out of the vaguely sardine canreminiscent UCT computer labs.

VARSITY has listed some of the more useful and relevant technologies to keep your pencils sharp.

Google: No, seriously. It’s amazing how people cling to the convenience of their ignorance and spend an era asking everyone about something instead of firing up Google and punching in what they’re looking for. Google is smart too, you can limit searches to specific times, languages and even prices (see: google. com/advanced_search) to filter through searches. Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) provides a simple way to search academic literature, including abstracts and articles, while Google Books (books.google.com) allows you to search through and view books and magazines online, and you can even create your own virtual bookshelf. For commerce students, Google Finance (finance.google.com) allows you to view and track the history of share prices, currencies and financial indicators to the current day, analyse trends, and superimpose news stories with significant changes in trade movement without the clunky

use of iNet Bridge or McGregor.

E-mail: Your UCT e-mail account is a pretty handy tool, but can you remember the web address for it off-hand? Here’s an easy way, just say uct-gee-whack (uctgwacc.uct.ac.za) which stands for UCT GroupWise Account.

Vula: Most UCT courses have a Vula tab (vula.uct.ac.za) from which you can download lecture resources, submit assignments, chat, view your grades, and view an all-inclusive calendar. Vula provides more accessibility than just hosting course material; any person or group of people can create their own Vula space for sharing, publicly or privately, their own resources (including files and a chatroom) – making it an invaluable resource for group projects and collaborative production. The Vula “help” resource has a complete reference to creating and maintaining your own Vula space.

LearnOnline: Not everything needs to be learnt from copied notes you borrowed after falling asleep in lectures. Available from the “home” tab in Vula, LearnOnline is a collection of selftraining courses made available to all UCT students and staff. The courses includes an introduction to computing, training in the Microsoft Office 2007 suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and FrontPage), a guide to using Photoshop for editing images, and a guide to presentation and writing skills.

Netstorage: The personal drive space you get on the UCT network is useful, but what happens when you need to access your F-drive and you’re in Knowledge Commons or at home? Point your browser to UCT Netstorage (netstorage.uct. ac.za) to access your local drive from anywhere on the planet.

Microsoft Office templates: Does your essay need to stop

trying to keep up with the Times, New Roman? Microsoft offers free templates (office.microsoft. com/templates) for reports, presentations, letters and CVs to add some panache to your 1500 word ramble on the gold standard. The website does verify that you have a legal installation of Office, so it’s best to download these templates from a campus PC (not that we doubt your pledge against piracy, yer scurvy!).

Opera Mini Browser: The internet isn’t limited to PCs, and you shouldn’t be, either. Most phones now support Opera Mini, which makes good use of Java technology to simulate web pages on the few square inches of plastic screen of your cellphone. The browser allows you to access your UCT e-mail, Vula, and PeopleSoft (with some limitation), and do Google and Wikipedia searches. If your phone supports Word and PDF Document viewing, you can also download and read attachments.

Video tutorials: Need to learn a new technical or application skill? YouTube (youtube.com) is littered with thousands of video tutorials for everything from Office, to Photoshop, to programming languages. Simply type in and search the type of tutorial you’re looking for. If you want to save a YouTube video onto your PC for viewing later, copy the YouTube URL (internet address) and use Ripzor (ripzor. com) to download the video to your PC. YouTube videos are best viewed in VLC media player.

Blogs: So you’re an emo kid and no one understands you?

Stop spoiling Jammie Steps with your black sullenness and go blog about it to someone who cares.

UCT has its own blogosphere (blogs.uct.ac.za), with many others to choose from (blogger. com, wordpress.com).

Clanwilliam Tara leverton

The first colonisers plopped themselves down in Clanwilliam in 1725, but fossils suggest that the Cederberg has been recognised as a swinging hangout since the days mammoths roamed the earth.

(Although they didn’t do that in Africa; we never had mammoths.)

The Clanwilliam Living Landscape Project is dedicated to the preservation of rock art and educating others about the lives of prehistoric South Africans (they liked graffiti just as much as we do.) Specifically, the life and culture of pre-colonial San peoples – although “San” is only a fuzzy collective phrase for several different tribes of hunter-gatherers.

Sadly, the centre was not open when we arrived, so we boldly set out to investigate the Warmhoek Rock Art trail on our own, sans tour guide.

It is advisable to wear boots.

It is particularly advisable to rent a four-by-four if you are travelling shortly after heavy rains, for the road is untarred and littered with potholes that go down to the very bowels of the earth. You may have the memorable experience of being stuck between two ditches filled with sharp rocks that someone has made a token gesture at filling in with two teaspoons of white sand. You will nearly hit a Cape clawless otter, and you will attract mosquitoes by the thousand, and you will leave coated in a fine red dust.

It would not do to name names, but there is a certain hotel you should avoid like the plague. The bathroom windows open to the hallways, allowing you to hear, graphically, the sound of your neighbours’ ablutions. Sad, but there are plenty of other places to stay, and most of them are much cheaper. (It’s the Clanwilliam Lodge, by the way - but we did not say that.)

There are thousands of paintings scattered over the hills. The trail is well-marked, although you may expect to spend a few anxious minutes playing Spot the Next Arrow. Being pansy-footed and weak, we did not get past the first five - but even if you are unable to make it past the first one, even if you go simply for the view, it is worth it. It is worth every litre of petrol and every minute spent prying red clay out from under your shoes. The air smells fresh, the people do not look at you with the shifty-eyed resentment Capetonians reserve for tourists.

The views from the hills rival anything you will find in Switzerland.

It is an unusually beautiful place in a country already bloated with beautiful places. And it is free.

There are no tourist shops offering to sell you papier-mâché replicas of ochre eland, or giant khaki hats.

There is only a big, old store taht sells veldskoens.

One suspects it cannot last.

Sooner or later, the developers are going to find out about it. Go now.

The VARSITY section is a vehicle for expression. The views expressed in the Humour section are not necessarily those of the advertisers or staff of VARSITY newspaper, or the University of Cape Town.

20 things NOT to do this year!

REMY NGAMIJE, Mngomezulu

Tiisetso

1. GET A WEAVE There are many horses walking without tails because their beautiful tails are on the top of some Lower Campus rat! Save The Horses’ Tails – that would be one kick-ass Facebook group. We know it is not your hair, you know it is not your hair – the poor horse knows that it is not your hair. Really now – it’s like starting your relationship with a lie. Plus, we know what lurks underneath a weave.

2. CHOW & CHILL After eating a meal from our muchchanged catering staff (not!), please take a jog. Do not under any circumstances go and watch Generations, Dirty Sexy Money or Gossip Girl. Chow and run!

It keeps the weight off. Trust us; you do not want to be a third year dealing with first year spread.

3. GO TO TIN ROOF It is a place made for the sole purpose of attracting lost souls who want to lose their soles – no pun intended.

4. F.A.F.Y - F*ck A First Year!

After Big Bash – do not touch them. They are not first years anymore. You look at a first year after Big Bash and you start coughing – Super Aids is real!

5. WATCH BURN AFTER READING It makes you want to study.

6. USE VASELINE AS LIP BALM If you want lip balm, go and buy lip balm. Besides, Vaseline has other “handy” applications.

7. SUPPORT IKEYS After three years of losing to bloody drop goals, you would think they would have learnt their lesson. When the clock strikes 70 minutes – blitz the idiot about to take the drop goal!

8. SUPPORT MATIES Sure they beat us, but deep down, they want to study in a place that does not offer a degree in rugby. Oh, and we have it on good authority that secretly, they all sleep in Ikey pyjamas.

9. Kiss a Betty from Tiger Tiger Super Aids is real!

10. Live in Leo Marquard It is a well-known fact that the gents who do not get into Kopano are transferred to Fuller. The guys who do not get into Fuller are moved to Marquard – true story.

11. Transfer to Smuts Hall. It is one of the oldest female residences on campus.

They have an uncommon fear of loud music - and girls.

12. Have sex WITH a condom They put a hole in the 1000th condom. Think about it – it could be you. Sex is NEVER safe!

13. Get head from Fuller babes They have over-developed canines… grrrrr!

Also, see number 11.

14. Sleep with a babe with a weave See number 1.

15. Sleep with American exchange students They have slept with everyone, except with you. Sex is NEVER safe!

16. Tap a tutor If you do it wrong, there goes your DP! 17. Go to a Tennis Club Party It’s Tin Roof, without a roof.

18. Get Mutton Chops like Anton Taylor. Sex is NEVER SAFE. 19. Chill on the Mound You can catch STDs just by thinking about being there.

THINKING ABOUT SEX IS NEVER SAFE! 20. Drink Black Label Real beer comes in green bottles.

Varsity

15

sports

daniel freund Heading into the final third of the Premiership season, Manchester United lead rivals Liverpool by two points with a game in hand.

The upcoming period is crucial to both clubs as United look to equal Liverpool’s record of 18 League titles.

United are still in the FA Cup and have the League Cup final to look forward to against Tottenham at Wembley in a few weeks. But really, all of these competitions pale in significance when compared to the distinction of this year’s League. Twenty-three years ago, Sir Alex Ferguson arrived from Scottish club Aberdeen at Manchester United. These were not easy times for United; they were perennial mid-table finishers and often looked upon with derision by opponents. By contrast, just down the road was a Liverpool team at the very height of its powers. Ferguson arrived and has since stated that his greatest ambition at the club was “to

knock Liverpool off their f*cking perch”.

Remarkably, now in February 2009, through a combination of boardroom incompetence, complacency on behalf of Liverpool, a brilliant youth system and consistently fantastic football from United, the gap has been closed from 18-4 to 18-17. Many pundits and commentators throughout the years have tried to pay adequate tribute to the greatness of Ferguson, but frankly the figures sum it up!

But enough of the past, what does the future hold for the two biggest clubs in England and possibly the world? United are clear favourites for this year’s league title. Without setting the footballing world alight in the same fashion as Barcelona this year, they have time and again displayed that most fundamental characteristic of Championship-winning sides: the ability to win while not playing at their peak. Edwin Van Der Sar’s record of clean sheets is staggering and the primary reason for

Photo courtesy of eugenechang.com

Title now a two-horse race as fierce rivals slug it out

their position at the summit of the table. In what has been the most closely-contested league in recent memory, the skill of the United defense has elevated them above the rest.

Liverpool has had an interesting season thanks to the most famous characteristic of the great

Liverpool teams of the 70s and 80s: late goals. Liverpool scored 15 goals in the last 10 minutes of league games this season and 6 in injury time. Not for nothing are they often deemed “Lucky Liverpool” by opposition fans but this could not be further from the truth. Their ability to play until

the final whistle and exploit tiring sides is testament to the commitment and determination of Rafa Benitez’s side. There is also real talent in this team. Steven Gerrard is one of the finest midfielders in the world and as a local lad, he has unrivalled passion to bring the League title to Merseyside for the first time in his professional career. The exploits of Fernando Torres are well documented, but arguably Liverpool’s finest player this season has been Xabi Alonso.

His creative passing in the midfield has been the catalyst for all that has been good about Liverpool this season.

With the run-in so close, the game at Old Trafford between the two teams is shaping up to be one of the biggest of all time. A win for United will all but guarantee the title and a draw will leave Liverpool with a lot to do, but if Liverpool can defy recent history and win, then everything will be up for grabs as they slug it out for the right to call themselves the most successful club in Britain.

Will Clerke WHEN Graeme Smith was announced as the next South African captain after the disaster of the 2003 World Cup, many experts were very sceptical and apprehensive about his appointment. As a batsman, Smith’s inclusion in the team was obvious, for he was, as he remains, a master-class at the crease. But his initial approach to captaincy was too “in-your-face”, too loud, brittle and autocratic, devoid of any subtle tactical nuances or even a touch of humility. And as a result, South Africa’s results were disappointing, erratic and inconsistent, dropping the team to, at one stage, as low as sixth in the Test ratings.

2008 has marked a massive change in the personality and captaincy of Smith, and in what cannot be seen as a coincidence, will be remembered forever in the annals of South African cricket history.

After emphatic whitewashes over the West Indies and Bangladesh at the beginning of the year, the Proteas followed this up with a memorable series draw in the brutal conditions of India and then triumphed over the old enemy, England, for the first time in 42 years. And yet, as remarkable as these results were, this season was all about one thing: the tour “Down Under,” simply the toughest challenge in cricket itself.

The first Test in Perth was one of the greatest matches ever to have been played. Set an impossibly unlikely 414 runs to win, a truly memorable innings by AB de Villiers ably supported by debutant JP Duminy and stalwart Jacques Kallis stormed South African to an incredible six-wicket victory, the highest winning run chase against the might of Australia. It was simply “South Africa’s greatest win.”

Player skill, relevance, timing of the victory and its international significance - nothing compared.

Actually, no, plenty of games compare. But none match. The only bigger win available in the next 10, 15 maybe 30 years, would be the second test at the MCG. Few believed Melbourne would even remotely be able to compare to the heroics and sheer magnificence that was the first Test. And yet, after “414 Sunday” in Perth, the Proteas, in another impossibly dire position, produced “Impossible Sunday,” thanks to the incredible efforts of the irre-

Photo courtesy of crivinfo.com

South Africa storm to series win in Australia

pressible Duminy and Dale Steyn.

Towards the end of their rearguard ninth wicket stand of 180, a frustrated Australian vented his feelings at coach Mickey Arthur.

Some Australian cricket fans can be a ruthless lot with a couple of beers inside them but, with a dayful of beers they are shameless. “This f*cking tail-wagging has gone too far,” he thundered at Arthur, “what’d you feed them last night, f*cking dog food?!”

Chasing 180 runs on the last day to cap South Africa’s most impressive achievement as a cricketing nation, Australia, a country that has dominated cricket for an impossibly long period, could not believe what was happening. The nation was gripped. On the final day, the morning weather forecast hit the TV to record viewers.

“Perth, dry and hot with a high of 33, Adelaide partly cloudy, no rain predicted with a high of 30, Melbourne... Yes, it’s still raining and the covers are ON at the ‘G’! Ha!” yelled the weatherman.

Meanwhile, the Herald Sun news-

paper produced the two headlines of the tour so far. The headline on the match report from the previous day was: “Steyn Remover Cleans Up”. A different story highlighted the difficulties of Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden, two players struggling badly for form. The front page had a photograph of a dejected duo, famous for their love of the outdoors, the headline stating, “TIME TO GO FISHING!” Hilarious.

Thankfully, mercifully, the rain cleared, and Neil McKenzie and Hashim Amla effortlessly reached the magical and historic target.

After twenty years of complete Australian domination, South Africa’s victory marks the end of an era, and the changing powers of world cricket. It has been a complete team effort and credit must be attributed to every single team member. Mickey Arthur’s “we are rebuilding” remarks ahead of the series were candid, but clever too.

The team is rebuilding, but by lowering public expectations, he raised the players’ expectations and every single one of them performed like true champions. An article by Andrew Stevenson in the Sydney Morning Herald beautifully summed up the situation.

“Hard but brittle, South Africa was the team I loved to see beaten. But this tour was different. Just when the nationalistic juices began to flow, this young, confident and courageous South African team stilled them - not with a look, not with a moment of luck but over sessions of determined play.

When the game seemed lost and the Australians rightfully poised for victory, the South Africans dug themselves out of trouble, turned the pressure back on the hosts and made them look fallible. A new champion has arrived in world cricket: long may they reign.”

The third test in Sydney, a dead-rubber though it was, was impossibly as dramatic as the previous two. South Africa lost the test match, but as the Sydney Morning Herald yelled the next day, it was “The Day the Losing Captain Won”. Having been hit

by Mitchell Johnson in the first innings, and his finger being painfully broken as a result, it was believed that Smith would play no further part in the match. And yet, when Steyn was trapped leg before, with South Africa desperately trying to save the test match, the world watched as a clearly hurt

but ultimately determined Smith walked out to bat, barely able to hold his own. The Test series has consisted of so many unforgettable moments: “414 Sunday,” De Villiers’s catching, Dale Steyn’s ten wickets and his innings of 76 during a ninth wicket stand of 180 with the brilliant JP Duminy, Mitchell Johnson’s ruthless bowling, and the victory in Melbourne; they will never be forgotten. And yet, when Graeme Smith walked out to bat on the final afternoon in Sydney, time stopped. The noise the crowd made brought a lump to my throat and made the hair stand up on my arms. Australia mocked Smith for three years; he was treated like a buffoon by the unbelievably harsh and sometimes disrespectful crowds around the

country. Yet here they were, on their feet and cheering as if he were one of theirs; the crowning moment of the tour.

It was a Test series for the ages, one that will go down as one of the greatest of all time. If Australian cricket is heading towards a dark cellar, then the door at the top of the stairs has barely been opened.

The residual “attitude” after 15 years of world domination will take a long time to be wiped away. And yet, you have to love Australia’s ‘never-say-die’ spirit.

For over a century it has carried them to sporting greatness. Even in the darkest and bleakest times, they manage to fight back. But it is too early to start worrying about that. The time for celebration is not yet over.

Ikeys’ Varsity Cup season kicks off Taruziwa MADANGOMBE AFTER enjoying a successful 2008 Varsity Cup Tournament, the UCT Ikey Tigers have vowed to get past the emotional defeat they suffered in the final when Morne Jooste of the Maties scored a lastminute try. Rather than remain despondent, the Ikeys have concentrated their efforts on the 2009 campaign.

Bolstered by having a worldclass technical group comprising of John Dobson, Robbie Fleck, Bob Skinstad, Selborne Boome, scrumming expert Paul Day and world cup winning coach, Jake White, the Ikeys look set to better their previous successful campaign. Sheryl Calder, a renowned specialist in vision fitness who worked with the 2003 England Rugby World Cup winning side has also been involved with the Ikeys team during their preseason training. An interview with Ikeys skipper, JJ Gagiano - now a Test player for the US Eagles - revealed how

well-prepared the team is. “We are more prepared than we were last year, thanks to our awesome technical and management team and the Sports Science Institute for making their pre-season training much easier. What is nice about such a management team is that they share their wealth of knowledge and learn from each other at the same time, even outside rugby, hence the mutual understanding of TEAM’S interests.”

The departure of most of the senior players from last year’s team has not affected the squad’s spirit. When asked about the loss of former Ikeys hooker, JP Koster, to Maties, the congenial skipper is quick to respond, “Rugby has become a professional sport and a business, so players are bound to move to greener pastures and so we are still cool about it, no hard feelings at all.”

Losing their first game of the 2009 tournament has not affected the Ikeys camp - they lost their first match last season and went

on to win the remaining matches in the group stages. Talismatic coach Dobbo, who said he was “pleased” with the team’s performance against Maties, admitted that the final result remains a sore point. “I felt we had done enough to win, and deserved to, but it is a new team and we needed to know where we were in terms of the level of rugby that is required in the Varsity Cup,” Dobson is reported as saying on the Varsity Cup website.

The Ikeys have a relatively new side, with only a few senior players still in the team: skipper JJ Gagiano, Enoch Panya, Dylan Rogers (D-guy), and Mat Rosslee. Otherwise, the remainder of the team is from the 2008 U20 side. The most promising players to watch out for this season include: JP Roberts (scrumhalf), hard-hitting flank Kuselo Moyake, Donovan Armand (lock) and Dayne Jans (hooker). New recruits Dane Johnson (wing), Therlow Pietersen (fullback) and

former Maties fullback/centre, Tiger Bax, who is also part of the 2009 Vodacom Stormers extended squad, have reinforced the Ikeys, known for their awe-inspiring running brand of rugby.

Pietersen and Bax inspired the Ikeys in their recent 39-21 win over TUT, with scintillating tries.

Tiger Bax was awarded the Man of the Match R1000 cheque for his outstanding performance at outside centre, where he tore the resilient TUT defence on several occasions. He is definitely one of the players to look out for in this year’s crusade.

With transformation being one of the main focuses of this tournament, the Ikey Tigers seem to have no problems according to JJ Gagiano, “I don’t think we have a problem with transformation at UCT, we have more players of colour than other leading Varsity Cup sides… I can’t call it transformation because these players of colour are not there to add numbers, but because they are

well-deserving and superb rugby players”. At the moment the side has 7-8 players of colour in the 27man squad and there are always at least 3 players of colour in every 15-man team. It is good to see players such as Sinako “Snakes” Khotso being included in the extended squad as they are rewarded for their outstanding form in 2008.

On a different note, the Ikeys flag is flying high in international rugby circles with three players making the Bok 7s team: Kyle Brown, Paul Delport and the recently appointed captain, Mpho “Impi” Mbiyozo. Other former Varsity Cup players plying their trade elsewhere include Mat Turner (Bristol and England 7s sides) and mercurial scrumhalf, Danie van der Merwe (Boland).

The services of last year’s burly but artistic front ranker, Herbie Mayosi will be missed. Mayosi and centre David Edgar are not eligible to participate in the tournament due to age restrictions.

of the game, and up until now it has been the more popular version of the two, simply by virtue of the fact that 5 days worth of entertainment could be condensed into one, with a victor guaranteed upon conclusion. Now, however,

there is a new kid on the block ,in the form of 20/20 cricket – but is there room for a third form of the game?

The emphatic answer from the cricket-watching public is yes. 20/20 cricket has gone from strength to strength since it was first introduced in the English county competition in 2003, and the inaugural international 20/20 World Cup was held in South Africa in 2007, drawing crowds and television audiences the likes of which have been absent from the game for some time.

It’s easy to understand the fans’ enthusiasm for the new format of the game, with each match only lasting 3 hours and providing non-stop entertainment from the first ball. In this day and age of short attention spans and instant gratification, 20/20 cricket seems the ideal way to fill the grandstands once more.

There is, however, a real danger that 20/20 cricket could overshadow the longer versions of the game, and the reason is, by and large, a financial one. In 2008 the Indian Premier League (IPL) was established, with several Indian domestic teams paying some of the top players in the world millions of dollars for only a few weeks’ worth of cricket. The competition, consisting only of 20/20 matches, generated massive

international interest. The television rights were bought by Sony Entertainment Television and the World Sport Group for a staggering US $1.026 billion over 10 years.

The Stanford Super Series is another case in point. Financed solely by Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford, the annual competition sees the English national team take on an all-star Caribbean

Ponting recently warned that the financial allure of 20/20 cricket may well threaten the five day version of the game, especially in smaller countries. Cricket, after all, is a profession for these players, so it makes sense for them to go where the money is.

This view is not shared by everyone though. 2008 ICC World Cricketer of the Year and member of the Caribbean all-star team, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, believes that Test cricket remains the ultimate trial of a player’s abilities and that the format will not disappear anytime soon.

While many purists share this view, the reality has to be faced: more and more players are migrating to the 20-over game. 2008 saw as many as 14 mainstream Bangladeshi players leave the national team in pursuit of the riches offered by the IPL, and Sri Lanka’s tour to England, scheduled for later this year, has been cancelled for the same reason.

Ultimately, test cricket and 20/20 are so far removed from one another that there is a good chance that they will be able to coexist indefinitely. The 20-over version will continue to draw big crowds and bigger revenues, but, steeped in a history and tradition; there can be no doubting that test cricket will always have a place in the international circuit.

JONATHAN BLAUW

TEST cricket has a long and proud tradition, having been played internationally since the early 1870s.

The advent of one-day cricket in 1971 did much to change the face

Photo courtesy of shinymedia.blogs

20/20 cricket - game of the future?

‘...Ricky Ponting recently warned that the financial allure of 20/20 cricket may well threaten the five day version of the game...’ outfit in a ‘winner takes all’ 20/20 game with prize money of US $20 million. The astronomical sums of money involved in this shortened form of the game has prompted concern that Test cricket may soon be a thing of the past.

Australian Captain Ricky

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